Harry also spent as much time as possible with Johnny. To his great delight, far from upsetting Sarah, as had been feared possible, she and Johnny adored each other. He was getting an unbelievable amount of pleasure from teaching his son to become familiar with all things to do with the river and watching Sarah doing likewise. The little boy was proving to be crucial to the recovery of both and at Riverside generally a great joy to everyone. He was now more than two years old and rapidly developing into quite a character. The trouble was he was getting thoroughly spoilt, not only being the apple of his father’s eye but also the delight of his grandparents as well as Sarah. So there was never any shortage of willing childminders when his nanny was off duty.
Nanny O’Donovan was something of an enigma. She was efficient in every possible way. Johnny adored her and it was obvious that the feeling was mutual. There was no way she could be faulted in her care or affection for the child. What was almost offensive to Harry was her appearance. Anybody less feminine he couldn’t imagine and above all he admired femininity in women. Any girl he had ever had a relationship with, however briefly, had been very attractive. Furthermore, the women in the family all presented themselves as undeniably, even aggressively, female.
Cathy O’Donovan was always spotlessly clean, nobody could have argued otherwise, but attractive she definitely was not. Her lifeless, almost dusty-looking hair was always scraped back into a tight bun, held in place with a thick black net, so that its colour was difficult to tell. She wore the ugliest black, wire-framed glasses he had ever seen on anyone and used no make-up. Her clothes were practical in the extreme, which, given her job, was understandable. She always wore wide-legged garments akin to workmen’s overalls and thick Aran sweaters, or, in warm weather, what looked like oversized men’s shirts. The unattractive outfit was finished off with flat laced-up shoes. This all gave her the appearance of being both frumpy and shapeless. The clothes didn’t look exactly cheap but their dull colours enhanced the all-over drab appearance.
Whenever Harry visited the nursery she faded into the background, although always stayed within calling distance. He presumed this was a determination on her part to be tactful and give him time to have his child to himself. She reported to him on a regular basis. During these contacts she maintained a polite, professional distance, always referring to him as Mr Butler or Sir. There was nothing to dislike but there was nothing much to make her appealing either and, given he had never seen her crack more than a small smile, he sometimes wondered at Johnny’s deep affection for her.
Cathy had been with the family now for almost a year. She had her own self-contained flat on the top floor next to the nursery, where she could entertain friends or family on her days off, this a clear understanding. She rarely did this, tending to go out visiting instead. She had a large family of her own and seemed very close to them. She was the youngest of seven children and some of her older nieces and nephews were much the same age as herself.
Occasionally Harry had to go away on business trips for the ever-expanding family interests and Cathy was always informed of this, since it meant he would not be visiting Johnny or be present for her to report on the child’s progress. Well aware of his reputation, she wondered if he was always alone on these trips, but, she argued to herself, that was none of her business. In spite of being out of circulation on the social scene, the rumours still circulated and the gossip was sometimes quite malicious. There was a certain element that, for reasons of personal gain, made sure this was maintained at particular levels in Dublin society.
On one of these occasions Harry had gone away on the Saturday morning and Cathy was starting a weekend off. Johnny was with his beloved Aunt Sarah and Cathy was expecting one of her nieces for dinner. She had, as always, gone to a lot of trouble, cooking Gill’s favourite coq-au-vin and setting a beautiful table, complete with crisp linen, candles and a small arrangement of flowers in the centre. The flat was very tastefully furnished, a budget having been set aside for her to use for this purpose. She had brought in some of her own personal possessions too, such as pictures and ornaments and her favourite Waterford glass. She had also spent her own money on putting the finishing touches, most especially a variety of judiciously selected potted plants, all chosen and cleverly placed to complement the décor of the living area. The ambience she had achieved was remarkable; elegant but relaxing and soothing to the senses.
Having completed all the arrangements for the meal, she had opened the wine and left it to breathe while she showered and changed. She had quite deliberately left the door slightly ajar so that Gill could walk straight in when she arrived. The bell rang and she called out from the bedroom.
‘Come straight in, sweetheart, and help yourself to a glass of wine – it’s on the sideboard. You’re nice and early. I wasn’t expecting you just yet but I’m nearly ready.’
There was no answer. She combed her newly washed hair into place, finished her toilette and inspected herself in the mirror. She was content. Then she hurried into the sitting room and without stopping twirled around.
‘Bought this dress last week and I’m delighted with it! What do you think?’
She stopped and laughingly raised her eyes to look at Gill. But it wasn’t Gill. To her absolute horror it was Harry. It would have been hard to say which of them was more surprised. They stared at each other speechless. Harry couldn’t believe his eyes. The voice belonged to Cathy but nothing else added up. Standing before him was one of the most attractive women he had ever seen. She had shoulder-length glossy hair the colour of warm, dark chocolate, shot through with russet tints. These caught the light giving the impression of being natural rather than artificially created. The eyes, hitherto hidden behind those hideous glasses, were huge and the colour of spring violets and her make-up, skilfully applied, made the most of this feature. She was wearing a pale blue dress that had a closely fitting bodice and a skirt which fell just below the knees in graceful folds. Shapely legs were enhanced by elegant high-heeled shoes and the whole outfit set off to perfection a beautifully proportioned slim figure. For her part Cathy was taken completely off guard and said the first thing that came into her head and which she realised, the minute she’d said it, sounded so silly.
‘But you’ve gone away!’
He smiled and found his voice.
‘I didn’t get away. The flight was grounded and I got tired of hanging around the airport for hours. So I came home. I’ll try again tomorrow.’
‘Oh! But Johnny’s not here. He’s with Sarah.’
‘I know. I’ve come with a message from your sister. She couldn’t get through to you on your private line. It must be out of order. So she rang the house and I took the call. She was most anxious to get the message to you.’
‘Oh dear! Is something wrong?’
‘She says you’re not to worry. Your niece cut her foot quite badly on some broken glass and your sister’s taken her to have it stitched up. She doesn’t know how long she’ll be but she’ll call you later on. Your niece won’t be able to drive so she’ll take her straight home afterwards. She’s very sorry about the dinner.’
‘Poor Gill. But my phone’s not out of order.’
She went over to check to find the handpiece had not been returned firmly on the cradle.
‘You might be sure. The one time it was important!’
They stood and stared at each other for a few seconds. Cathy suddenly remembered her manners.
‘Thank you. Sorry you had to trail all the way up here with the message. Would you like to have a glass of wine? You’ll have heard me invite you to help yourself, but I see you didn’t take up the offer!’
The atmosphere relaxed and he laughed.
‘Er – yes. Yes, I’d love a glass of wine.’
‘Well do sit down.’
He lowered himself into one of the comfortable armchairs and she handed him his wine. She poured a glass for herself and sank into the other chair, crossing those shapely legs. His eyes were
now brimming with merriment.
‘I didn’t answer your question.’
‘What question?’
‘You asked me what I thought of your new dress!’
‘Oh, so I did. Well, as you must now realise the question wasn’t meant for you so you’re not obliged to answer.’
‘But I’d like to. I think it’s one of the most attractive I’ve seen for a long time.’
‘Thank you, Sir.’
‘Oh please! You’re off duty now. Couldn’t you manage to call me Harry? And may I call you Cathy – off duty?’
She hesitated. She wasn’t at all happy with where this was going. Knowing his reputation she had worked so hard to make herself look as unattractive as possible, and now it had all been wasted. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
‘Well I suppose yes, to both – for now.’
‘Fine, and may I also say I think what you’ve done with this flat is remarkable. It too is so attractive. You seem to have real flair.’
‘Thank you again.’
‘Since your niece won’t be here for dinner would you like to come downstairs and have a meal with me? My parents and Izzy are out and Kitty has been given the evening off because of that, but I’m sure I could find something for us. There’s always lots in the fridge.’
‘That’s very kind but I won’t waste all that work I put into producing the meal. I’ll eat it myself.’
She hesitated. After his invitation it seemed almost churlish not to reciprocate. There was plenty of food for two.
‘It won’t be up to your usual standard I’m sure, but would you like to share what I’ve made? It’s all ready: even the table, as you can see.’
‘That would be delightful. I’ll go downstairs and fetch some wine. At least let me make some contribution to the feast.’
‘That’s a kind offer but there’s no need to go all the way down to the cellar. As you can see, I’ve more than one bottle ready there on the sideboard. We were going to celebrate our weekend off in style.’
They were both surprised at how much they enjoyed the evening and, even though it was well into the small hours, were sorry when it came to an end. They had laughed a lot and the first time she relaxed enough to allow herself to smile broadly and without restraint, he suddenly saw why Johnny loved her so much. A smile like that made the sun seem almost redundant.
She was away for the rest of the weekend but when she returned on Sunday evening, ready to resume duties the next morning, there was a bouquet of beautiful flowers in a vase of water outside the door to her apartment. An accompanying card thanked her for a most enjoyable evening and delicious meal. Having written him a formal note of thanks, she kept his card tucked away in her desk, something she made a habit of doing, especially if it was one she particularly liked. In the meantime Harry had left for the busy schedule of meetings planned for the week ahead. Neither mentioned their evening together to anyone else, each with personal reasons for not doing so, but this would prove to be a great mistake and something both would later regret.
* * * * *
The whole week he was away Harry couldn’t stop thinking about Cathy. Why on earth did she dress in that appalling way for work and why did she never, when off duty, change into anything less ugly, except in the privacy of her own apartment? The more he thought about it the more he realised he knew very little about her. His mother and Johnny’s other grandmother had interviewed her and he knew she came highly recommended as a fully qualified children’s nurse. Noola, ever efficient, had made sure that she had spoken personally to those who had written references for her. As she explained, this was essential for someone who was going to have full care of Johnny and also live within their household. When interviewed she had been simply dressed and neatly turned out. Noola too had wondered at her strange way of presenting herself when working in the house and, knowing Harry’s reputation, arrived at exactly the right conclusion. She reckoned that Cathy was a very smart girl. Harry would never be able to make out that she had set her cap at him.
Now, at last, the truth burst on Harry too. It took him a while for he was unaccustomed to girls trying to keep him at bay. Quite the reverse. He did tend to get chased and, as his parents had commented to each other, he was thoroughly spoilt. For someone to set out to make herself unattractive to him was a new experience: in his eyes akin to outright rejection.
At first he felt quite piqued, then that turned into real annoyance and eventually into full-scale outrage. What a cheek this girl had! Whatever made her think that he might be even slightly interested in her? The nerve of her, to go to such lengths to make herself look almost unsavoury to him. The unmitigated conceit! She had been assuming that he would find her attractive unless she went to such lengths. Well he had news for her! She wasn’t his type at all. He wouldn’t have been even remotely interested in her, even dressed up to the nines… or would he? Wasn’t it time to be really honest with himself? When not absorbed in business affairs, he had thought of little else all week. But why? Was it just that she had deliberately set out to deflect his attentions away from her indicating, so clearly, that she was in no way attracted to him?
Cathy had done the one thing guaranteed to arouse Harry’s interest in her and that was diametrically opposed to what she had intended. She had a boyfriend to whom she was engaged. They didn’t make this public. They couldn’t afford to get married just yet and both were saving as hard as they could to collect the down payment for a small house. Cathy’s job with accommodation attached was ideal, for it meant money wasn’t being wasted on rent. Sam Dwyer was a petroleum geologist and his current job was abroad, with a prospecting company in South America, where he was being very well paid and had an allowance for living expenses. Even if they had been married, Cathy couldn’t have gone with him, for the area where he was working wouldn’t have been suitable for women.
At the time of her interview for the job at Riverside Cathy had not been engaged. She was very much in love with Sam and had hoped he would ask her to marry him, but there had been no indication that he wanted a long-term commitment. Just a few weeks previously, before he left for Columbia, he had proposed and they agreed at that point not to have an official engagement. He was on a two-year contract, so Johnny would be heading for five years old by the time he came home again, almost old enough to start at kindergarten and, as the only child in the house, he needed to mix more with other children.
She salved her conscience with that thought. She was also quite certain that, any time she left, Sarah would immediately step in and offer to act as a substitute mother. This would be an ideal arrangement and, she knew, would be accepted as such by everyone concerned, but most especially by Harry. Not only were Sarah and Johnny devoted to each other, but furthermore there was no sign of Sarah becoming pregnant. She and Cathy were good friends and she had confided her disappointment at not having a child of her own. Of course she mustn’t make assumptions or count chickens, but it should all work out beautifully, without Johnny feeling in any way abandoned.
* * * * *
So far as anyone else in the household was concerned, nothing had changed. To Harry’s disappointment, Cathy returned to her duties caring for Johnny looking exactly as before. He resumed his visits to the nursery but no more frequently and Cathy reported to him as usual, observing all the previous formalities. She gave not the slightest indication of their having spent such an enjoyable evening together.
This annoyed him even more. Well if that’s the way she wants to play it, he thought to himself, then so be it. In any case he had no intention of embarking on a new relationship with anyone for the foreseeable future. He had plenty to keep him occupied and interested, without all that. Nevertheless, whenever he saw her, he didn’t see the frumpy shapeless creature she dressed herself up to look like, but the lovely girl he had seen that evening in her apartment. His interest in her didn’t diminish; it grew until it became almost an obsession, but he still managed to hide his feeling
s. For the moment he must content himself with at least being able to see her daily, even if she kept herself so remote and so formal.
For her part Cathy was honest enough to admit to herself that she did find Harry a very attractive man, but her love for Sam never faltered. She waited for him to come home mustering every ounce of patience she could manage. Nevertheless, she looked forward to her contacts with Harry, and, she argued to herself, there was nothing wrong with that.
This state of affairs continued for some months. The only person who sensed something was eating Harry was his mother. She wondered if it was some woman but, unusually for her, didn’t get anywhere near the truth. She didn’t know for certain that he wasn’t seeing anyone, although she thought not. So what was it? She watched him covertly.
Chapter 34
1976
The following January Milo and Noola decided to hold a New Year Ball. Since Bill’s tragic death, naturally enough there hadn’t been any sort of family celebration and they felt it was time to end the period of mourning by doing something that would involve the whole family and which, they hoped, would give pleasure and cheer everyone up. As always, by family tradition, members of Riverside staff were invited, with caterers and other temporary helpers brought in to release them from their duties.
Much to his delight, Jockser was included in the invitations. He couldn’t quite believe this and was shy about accepting, worrying about what he would wear and all sorts of other imagined difficulties. Since joining the household after Izzy’s abduction, Mickeen and Kitty had taken him under their collective wing and he had blossomed socially, proving to be anything but the “eleven pence halfpenny in the shilling” suggested when they had first met him. A small flatlet created for his use at the end of the stable block had also made a huge difference to his way of life. He took a great pride in keeping it neat and tidy and no longer felt the need to wander. If ever this urge arose he would simply go and sleep in the hayloft above the stables. Now, with the encouragement of the Flanagans, he accepted the invitation and, as it turned out, had the most enjoyable evening that he could remember in the whole of his life.
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