Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Claire welcomed Marian with open arms, enveloping her in a bear hug as they stood in the doorway.
‘Oh, I’m so glad you came. We haven’t been together much lately and I’ve missed you.
’ She stepped back. ‘But come in. Dinner is nearly ready and the table laid in the kitchen. And Pierce is doing the veggies.’
‘Oh, great,’ Marian said, touched by the warm welcome. She followed Claire into the kitchen where Pierce was standing by the counter opening a bottle of wine. The delicious smell of roast chicken made Marian feel quite hungry despite all the brownies she had eaten earlier.
‘Hi, Marian,’ Pierce said. ‘Welcome. Are you feeling better now?’
‘Yes, I’m fine. I told you a bit of a fib because I was upset. I’ll explain later.’
‘I see,’ Pierce said. ‘We can talk about it after dinner. How about a glass of wine before we eat?’
‘Lovely,’ Marian said and went to the table that was laid for three. ‘Will I sit down here?’
‘Yes,’ Pierce said and proceeded to pour red wine into the glasses on the table while Claire joined Marian.
‘We decided not to eat on the deck,’ Claire said. ‘It’s going to rain later and we didn’t want to risk it.’
‘You were right.’ Marian took a sip of the wine and then put the glass down and looked at Claire. ‘Well, as I said on the phone, I have something to tell you.’
‘About you and Theo?’ Claire asked in a gentle tone. ‘Something has happened. I can tell by the sad look in your eyes.’
‘Yes,’ Marian said with a deep sigh. ‘I think we’ve broken up for good.’
‘Oh no,’ Claire exclaimed and put her hand on Marian’s. ‘I’m so sorry. That’s awful. But are you sure it’s for good? Maybe you can talk about whatever it is and…’
‘No,’ Marian said. ‘It’s over. I know it is. I never told you, but I came here when I found a heartbreaking letter from an ex-girlfriend.’
‘What?’ Claire looked shocked. ‘Theo had an…?’
‘No,’ Marian exclaimed. ‘He hasn’t been having an affair, he was just confiding in her, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, which made me come here on my own.
I wanted to tell you, but I was embarrassed and I didn’t want to burden you when you were so happy.
It all seemed like such a failure. Then, when Theo arrived here, we were beginning to get close again, but he found out about something I’ve done.
And now I don’t think we’ll ever get back together after this. ’
‘Is that why you left the office in such a hurry?’ Pierce asked, sitting down on Marian’s other side.
‘No, that was because of something I thought would make us happy,’ Marian said. ‘But it ended in a row and then he stalked off and said he was leaving.’
‘You have to tell us everything,’ Claire urged. ‘Not bits and pieces like this.’
‘I know,’ Marian agreed. ‘It’s a long story that started on the plane on the way to Ireland. Well, to Dubai, to be precise.’
‘I’d better serve dinner before you start,’ Pierce said. ‘Then you can tell us everything.’
‘I hope it won’t ruin your appetite,’ Marian remarked.
‘I’m starving, so I don’t think anything could,’ Claire said.
Pierce got up and started to cut up the chicken he had just taken out of the oven.
Then he put a drumstick and a piece of the white meat on a plate, added vegetables and potatoes and handed it to Marian.
‘There. Hope you’ll like it. There is gravy in the sauceboat.
’ Then he heaped two more plates with food and brought them to the table before he sat down.
Claire picked up her knife and fork. ‘Please start eating and then we’ll talk.’
They ate in silence for a while and Marian tried her best to enjoy the succulent chicken, the carrots and potatoes laced with gravy. It was all delicious but she found the food stuck in her throat. But Claire and Pierce ate with great enthusiasm while Marian poked at the food on her plate.
Claire finally put down her cutlery and took a swig of wine. Then she looked at Marian. ‘I think we’re ready,’ she said.
Marian pushed away her plate. ‘Okay. I’ll tell you everything,’ she said and launched into her tale that started with the encounter with Sean on the plane and ended with Theo walking down the hill, saying he was leaving. She finally drew breath and drank some wine.
Claire and Pierce looked at each other in stunned silence when Marian had finished. ‘Well,’ Pierce said. ‘That has changed things considerably.’
‘I’m sure you don’t want me in the office after this,’ Marian said. ‘So I’ll quit and save you the trouble of firing me.’
‘God, no,’ Pierce said, looking appalled.
‘Of course I’m not going to fire you. I’m going to fire him.
I don’t want to have him as a client after what he’s done.
It’s not so much about him using what you said to him on the plane, but about what he said to Theo that caused him to take off like that. ’
‘Oh, but I don’t want you to cancel everything,’ Marian protested.
‘It was just that I can’t work with him after this.
I think you should go ahead. Your media contacts will be annoyed if you tell them the deal is off.
They might not want to work with you any more after this.
In any case, after Sylvia’s memoirs, his novel won’t be as sensational after all. Just a pale version of the true story.’
‘Hmm,’ Pierce said. ‘I have to think about this.’
Claire, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up. ‘Marian is right, sweetheart. It wouldn’t be good for your business if you cut him off.’ She turned to Marian. ‘I wish you had told me all this earlier. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to carry all this on your own.’
‘I didn’t want to worry you,’ Marian said. ‘And you had your hands full with the wedding and the house and everything. And then I was sure you’d think badly of me,’ she added in a low voice full of shame. ‘I’ve been lying to you all this time.’
Claire shrugged. ‘I know how that feels. Lying to people you love, I mean. I’ve been there myself. It’s an awful thing to have to do. But I understand why you had to.’ She paused for a moment. ‘You know what? I don’t think you should tell anyone else about it. What difference does it make?’
‘I told Tricia,’ Marian said. ‘She was shocked at first but then she seemed to understand.’
‘Of course she did. You were tired and emotional and a little drunk,’ Claire said. ‘So you shared your story and that of the family with someone you thought you’d never see again. I don’t see that it was a major crime, somehow.’
‘Nor do I,’ Pierce cut in. ‘And nobody else needs to know.’
‘Sean, I mean John Peters, might talk,’ Marian suggested with a shiver. ‘He’s good at that sort of thing.’
‘I’ll make sure he doesn’t,’ Pierce said grimly.
‘How?’ Claire asked.
‘I have my ways,’ Pierce said. ‘But now we should forget all about him and enjoy the rest of the evening. You girls go and sit down in the living room and I’ll tidy up here. And then we’ll have dessert and a little cognac to round off the evening.’
‘But I’m driving,’ Marian protested. ‘In fact, I’m sure I shouldn’t have had any wine.’
‘Stay the night,’ Claire said. ‘I’ll lend you pyjamas and you can sleep in the guest room that we just finished decorating. It has an en-suite bathroom and everything,’ she said proudly.
‘You can have tomorrow morning off,’ Pierce offered. ‘I’m sure you’re tired after all this. And I’ll take you off John Peters’ account. You can start on the media campaign for Karina’s new cookbook.’
‘Oh, that’ll be fun,’ Marian said. ‘She told me about it. Thank you for understanding, Pierce. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the John Peters thing before, but I just couldn’t.’
‘Pierce forgave me for lying to him all through the winter last year,’ Claire said. ‘Your lies are a mere whisper compared to mine.’
‘You Fleury girls are as tough as old boots,’ Pierce joked as he started to clear the table.
‘We are,’ Claire agreed with a laugh as she got up. ‘Come on, Marian, let’s go and chill in the living room.’
Marian rose, smiling, feeling relieved and nearly happy.
Things seemed a little more hopeful and she felt that at least her problems concerning Sean and his novel were now on the way to being resolved.
She knew the heartbreak over her marriage would take a long time to heal, but if Theo didn’t come back – and she was now sure he wouldn’t – she could at least try to heal in a lovely place surrounded by family.
‘I can’t wait to listen to Sylvia’s interview,’ Claire said as they came into the living room and sat down on the sofa. ‘And then I wonder what the reaction will be. Can you imagine Father O’Malley’s face as he greets her after mass on Sunday? I’d go to church just to see that.’
‘He’ll probably be all for forgiving and forgetting,’ Marian said.
‘With a raised eyebrow,’ Claire said with a giggle. ‘After all, Sylvia does the flowers for the church every week. And she does a lovely job. Nobody else could match her. Father O’Malley couldn’t manage without her.’
‘Sylvia is such a powerhouse,’ Marian said fondly. ‘I wouldn’t want to be in her bad books.’
‘I know,’ Claire said. ‘I love her fighting spirit.’
‘We should listen to her interview together,’ Marian said. ‘I could stay until tomorrow evening, if you’ll have me.’
‘Of course,’ Claire said. ‘We were planning to listen here with the girls anyway. I mean with Lily, Rose, Vi and Tricia. I was going to tell you about it before you came. We’re going to send out for pizza and the men will mind the kids. A Fleury girls’ get-together.’
‘A real fright for us men,’ Pierce said as he came into the room carrying a tray with slices of chocolate cake and a bottle of brandy.
‘Oh, you can take it,’ Claire said, looking adoringly at her husband. ‘Don’t tell me you don’t love the Fleury girls.’
‘I love them passionately,’ Pierce said.