Foreign Affairs

by Patricia Scanlan

  ‘Look, Jennifer, go and see the woman. Listen to what she has to say and come home and tell me,’ her mother insisted firmly.

  ‘Couldn’t you have said that I was away or something?’ Jennifer moaned.

  ‘Jennifer, go!’ Kit ordered.

  The school looked very empty as she ran up the steps and rang the doorbell. It was strange not to see hordes of girls chatting and laughing and bustling to and fro. The last time she’d been here was to do her Leaving Certificate exam a few weeks ago. She hadn’t expected to be back so soon, she thought wryly as she pressed the doorbell again. A young maid answered the door. Having ascertained Jennifer’s business, she ushered her into a small side parlour.

  Waiting in the quiet, old-fashioned room, Jennifer inhaled the familiar scent of wax polish. It was a smell she always associated with school. The parquet floor shone, polished to within an inch of its life. The antique sideboard and bookcases hadn’t a speck of dust. Jennifer started to feel nervous. This is ridiculous, she told herself. But she just couldn’t help it. The urge to run was getting stronger by the second. The eerie stillness of the school was broken only by the muffled sound of a bell ringing in the convent.

  As silently as she had left, the young girl reappeared. ‘Mother Andrew will see you now,’ she said softly. Jennifer followed her down St Anthony’s corridor until they came to a big oak door. Jennifer’s eyes widened. That was the door that led to the convent. None of the pupils had been allowed to enter it. Once, Miriam Brennan had gone through it for a dare, while the rest of them waited, giddy with excitement, to find out all about what it was like in the Holy of Holies. Unfortunately Miriam had managed to penetrate only a few feet into the citadel before she was rumbled. The escapade had caused uproar and been the talk of the school. Miriam was suspended from school for a week and the entire school were warned at Friday assembly that any other girl caught repeating the act would be expelled.

  In spite of herself, Jennifer felt a spark of excitement as she walked through the door that the maid held open for her. She found herself in a long hallway painted in a warm shade of peach. Arched windows overlooked the nuns’ rose-filled garden. Vases of flowers stood on the window-sills, their fragrances intermingling with the whiff of polish. A huge statue of St Theresa, the Little Flower, for whom the school was named, rested on a white lace-covered altar. A votive lamp burned steadily beneath it. Exuberant sprays of gladioli made a dramatic display. Somewhere, Jennifer could hear the sound of laughter. The calmness and serenity about the place was very soothing. It was not at all what she’d expected. It was lovely. White doors lined one side of the corridor. The maid paused outside one of them and gave a gentle knock. Jennifer heard Mother Andrew bid them enter.

  She was standing facing the door in a pretty primrose-coloured sitting-room. Sun streamed through the window. The furniture was simple and modern. Two chintz-covered armchairs were separated by a small coffee table which was set with a tray containing delicate china, a pot of tea, a plate of paper-thin ham and cucumber sandwiches, a plate of fresh scones lavishly topped with jam and cream and a plate of rich fruitcake.

  ‘Jennifer, dear, thank you for coming. Please, sit down and have tea with me.’

  ‘Thank you, Mother,’ Jennifer murmured as the headmistress poured a cup of tea and handed it to her.

  ‘Now dear, eat up. So I won’t feel guilty at tucking in myself. Watching one’s weight is such a scourge, isn’t it?’ Mother Andrew’s eyes sparkled. Jennifer laughed. Funny how she’d never noticed the laughter lines around Mother Andrew’s eyes. Today, in the pretty sitting-room, she seemed so . . . so human. Not the austere, humourless figure known as ‘The Head.’ The pupils had had little communication with their head nun, unless, as in Paula’s case, they were in trouble. She was a distant fear-inducing figure, far removed from their orbit. It was strange to think of her as an affable, slightly plump middle-aged woman who liked scones dripping with jam and cream. It was a most pleasant surprise.

  ‘Did your mother tell you what I wanted to talk to you about?’ Mother Andrew enquired, holding out the plate of sandwiches. Jennifer took one and shook her head.

  ‘Take a few, dear, they’re very small, one bite and they’re gone,’ the nun urged. They were delicious, Jennifer decided. She was rather hungry, come to think of it. She hadn’t eaten much breakfast and she’d missed lunch. She ate another sandwich with relish.

  ‘I have a proposition to put to you, Jennifer,’ Mother Andrew declared, patting the side of her mouth with a linen napkin. ‘I’ve thought long and hard about who would be most suitable for my requirements. And you, my dear, are the perfect candidate. I do hope you’ll agree to what I have in mind.’

  Jennifer sat with sandwich poised in mid-air.

  ‘Jennifer,’ she heard Mother Andrew ask. ‘How would you like to travel?’

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  ‘Pardon, Mother?’ Jennifer wasn’t sure if she’d heard right.

  ‘I said, how would you like to travel?’ Mother Andrew smiled. ‘Let me explain. My niece is married to a wealthy businessman. She has two young children. They have the loan of a villa in Spain for two months. She is looking for an au pair. Someone who can speak Spanish, and someone who would be good with children. Her own girl has left her in the lurch, and she needs someone in two weeks’ time. She asked me if I could recommend someone.’ Mother Andrew paused and looked Jennifer straight in the eye. ‘She wants someone reliable and trustworthy and with a sense of responsibility. I think you fit the bill in every way.’

  ‘Oh!’ Jennifer was stunned. ‘Paula can speak better Spanish than I can,’ she blurted out, saying the first thing that came to mind.

  Mother Andrew’s eyes grew cold. ‘Perhaps, but Miss Matthews is a bit too fond of the boys. I couldn’t possibly recommend her.’

  You idiot! Jennifer cursed herself. What was wrong with her? Here she was, being offered the chance of a lifetime and she’d just recommended Paula for the job. She needed her head examined.

  ‘Am I to take it you wouldn’t be interested in the position?’ Mother Andrew raised an eyebrow and studied Jennifer intently.

  ‘Oh, I would. Certainly I would,’ Jennifer said hastily. This was one time in her life when she couldn’t dither. If she didn’t take the job there’d be plenty more who would. Paula would jump at it. Being an au pair in Spain for the summer was a far more exotic prospect than working in a hotel in Waterford. Mother Andrew relaxed. ‘Splendid,’ she beamed, taking a bite out of a scone with relish. ‘It will give you an excellent opportunity to improve your Spanish as well as broadening your horizons. It’s very interesting to study another culture. We can be a little bit insular on this small island of ours. There’s a whole big world out there, Jennifer. Before I became headmistress of St Theresa’s I worked in our convents in Africa and Latin America. They were the best times of my life.’ Mother Andrew’s deep-set blue eyes had a faraway look in them before she remembered herself.

  ‘Now,’ she said briskly. ‘Your mother has no objections, nor does she think your father will have any. So I can tell my niece I’ve found the perfect au pair and give her your phone number? You can make your own arrangements with her from there.’

  ‘Thank you, Mother,’ Jennifer said. ‘And thank you very much for recommending me for the job. I’m very grateful.’

  ‘Just do a good job, dear. Enjoy yourself. And always remember you’re a St Theresa’s girl!’ the headmistress replied.

  Twenty minutes later, Jennifer was walking down the steps of the school, still in a daze. In two weeks’ time, if Mrs Curtis approved of her, she was going to be on her way to the Balearic island of Majorca, to spend the summer in a luxury villa. It was like a dream.

  This had been a day of such contrast, she mused. Misery at the airport this morning. Huge excitement and anticipation this afternoon. She’d been due to start holiday work in the jam factory the week after next. It was a relief not to have to do that for the rest of the summer. Going to Maj
orca and spending two months in the sun would be a great way to pass the time until she got her exam results and could start looking for a job.

  Jennifer remembered something. She had arranged to spend a week in St Margaret’s Bay with Paula. That would have to go by the wayside. Maybe she’d go for a weekend, but she’d never fit in a week. She’d have a lot to do. She’d need a passport and pesetas and some suitable clothes. She’d need suntan creams and moisturizers. Excitement bubbled. Calm down, she told herself. She had to do her interview first to see if Mrs Curtis liked her. Jennifer very much hoped she would.

  ‘Aunt Josie tells me you have good Spanish and are most reliable.’ Gillian Curtis ran long fingers through her highlighted ash blond hair and took a long drag on a slim white menthol cigarette.

  ‘Aunt Josie?’ For a moment Jennifer was thrown. ‘Oh, you mean Mother Andrew.’ She laughed. It was strange to think of her headmistress as ‘Aunt Josie.’ ‘Well, I took honours Spanish in my exam. It’s my favourite subject,’ Jennifer explained.

  ‘I haven’t a clue about Spanish, so you’d have to do all the talking. Do you think you’d be able for it? The villa has its own housekeeper, but I don’t think her English is great.’ Mrs Curtis looked at Jennifer with big limpid blue eyes. She gave Jennifer the impression of being a dumb blonde type. She was in her mid-thirties, Jennifer judged, and exceedingly glamorous and sophisticated.

  They were in her sitting-room, in a huge house overlooking the sea in Sandycove. Two children, a boy of six and a girl of three, were squabbling on the seat of the bay window.

  ‘Gavin! Emma! Please! Stop it now, Mummy’s getting very annoyed.’ Gillian gave an exasperated sigh and threw her eyes up to heaven. ‘They usually aren’t this naughty.’

  ‘I want to colour Winnie the Pooh, Mummy, an’ he’s taking my crayons,’ whined the little girl, a dainty replica of her mother.

  ‘Shut your gob, they’re my crayons,’ the little boy retorted crossly.

  ‘Gavin!’ Mrs Curtis was horrified. ‘Darling, how can you be so naughty in front of Miss Myles? She won’t want to come and work for us.’

  ‘Don’t want her to come an’ work for us. I want Liz to come back an’ mind us,’ he said sulkily.

  ‘Darling.’ Mrs Curtis gave another of her dramatic sighs. ‘Liz left us to go and work for Angie Baldwin.’ She turned to Jennifer. ‘I thought Angie was a good friend of mine, and what did the bitch do only pinch my au pair. I was devastated. Devastated. I’d expect your complete loyalty,’ she declared.

  ‘Of course, Mrs Curtis,’ Jennifer murmured.

  ‘Oh my gawd, don’t call me Mrs, it makes me feel so old. You must call me Gillian.’ The other woman gave a little shriek and a giggle.

  ‘Gillian,’ Jennifer amended.

  ‘Mummy, he’s doing it again,’ Emma bawled. Gillian looked helplessly at Jennifer.

  ‘What would you do with them? It was outrageous of Angie filching Liz like that.’

  Jennifer took a deep breath. It was obvious action was required. Gillian didn’t seem to have much control over her children.

  ‘Can I have a look at your crayons?’ Jennifer stood up and walked over to the window seat, where the children were pushing and shoving each other. She sat on the seat between them and picked up the huge box of crayons.

  ‘There’s millions of crayons here,’ she said lightly. ‘Why don’t we divide them up exactly so that you both have the same?’

  Gavin eyed her warily. ‘Don’t want to,’ he muttered.

  ‘Oh come on, you’re a big boy and big boys always share with their little sisters,’ she wheedled. ‘Can you swim?’ she asked, diverting his attention as she began to divide up the crayons.

  ‘No,’ he said sulkily.

  ‘Your mammy. Your mummy,’ she corrected herself, ‘tells me there’s a swimming-pool in the villa. If you’re a good boy and I come to work for Mummy, I’ll teach you to swim,’ she promised.

  ‘Will you teach me to snorkel?’ he asked excitedly.

  ‘If you’re good.’ Jennifer smiled.

  ‘Here, she can have ’em all. I’m going to play with my train set,’ Gavin announced. ‘As soon as we get there, will you teach me?’ he demanded.

  ‘It depends on how good you’ve been. Mummy will tell me, but I’m sure a big boy like you is going to be very good.’

  ‘I like you. What’s your name?’ He came and stood in front of her, his brown eyes studying her intently.

  ‘My name’s Jennifer, Gavin. How do you do?’ She held out her hand.

  He looked at his mother, who was sitting looking at the three of them in amazement. ‘Shake hands, darling,’ she murmured. He placed a small hand in Jennifer’s and gave a little shake.

  ‘I’m going to play with my train set now,’ he said and marched out the door.

  ‘Will you teach me to swim too?’ Emma demanded petulantly.

  ‘If you’re a good girl,’ Jennifer said firmly. It was clear to see that both children were extremely spoilt and in need of some firm but kind discipline. If she took on this job she certainly wasn’t going to stand for any nonsense from them, she decided.

  ‘Jennifer, sweetheart, could you start immediately?’ Gillian gushed.

  ‘You lucky sucker, I can’t believe it. God, I’d give my eye-teeth for a job like that,’ Paula exclaimed when she heard about Jennifer’s new job.

  ‘The only trouble is, I won’t be able to stay with you for a week,’ Jennifer apologized.

  ‘Ah Jen,’ Paula shrieked down the line. ‘You’ve got to come down. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me going. This place is as dead as a dodo. I arranged to have this week’s two days off added on to next week’s so I’d have four days to entertain you. You can’t let me down.’

  ‘Sorry, Paula, I’ve got to arrange to get my passport and some currency and clothes and the rest of my bits and pieces. I’ll come for the weekend,’ Jennifer said firmly. She knew Paula of old. Her friend would wheedle and badger until she got her own way. It just wasn’t possible unfortunately.

  ‘I’ll be on the six p.m. train, Friday night. See you then.’ Jennifer’s tone was crisp.

  ‘Oh! OK then,’ Paula said and hung up with bad grace.

  ‘You have all the luck,’ Brenda declared when she heard Jennifer’s news. ‘Two months doing nothing in Spain. You know you get away with murder! If I’d been asked to be an au pair when I left school there’s no way Ma and Da would have allowed me to go,’ she said enviously.

  ‘I won’t be doing nothing, Brenda,’ Jennifer said in exasperation. ‘I’ll be looking after two spoilt little brats. And I’m sure if you’d been given the chance Mam and Dad wouldn’t have stood in your way,’ Jennifer declared huffily.

  ‘Are you kidding?’ Brenda snorted. ‘Dad would have had a fit if he’d known I was going to the Dandelion. Never mind Spain.’

  ‘Oh you’re always the same, Brenda. You’re such a begrudger. Couldn’t you be pleased something nice has happened to me? Just for once?’ Jennifer snapped. Her bubble of excitement was beginning to dissolve. Paula and Brenda had been less than enthusiastic for her. Maybe she was making a mistake. Maybe going to Spain as an au pair was not a good idea. The kids, on first acquaintance, were certainly not endearing. Gillian, although she was pleasant in a scatterbrained sort of a way, seemed to run a household that bordered on the chaotic. Maybe she should ring her up and say she’d changed her mind.

  ‘You’ll do no such thing, Jennifer Myles. You get your ass out to Spain if I have to kick it every step of the way!’ Beth exclaimed when Jennifer confided her doubts that evening, as they sat waiting for a free tennis-court in Johnstown Park. Jennifer laughed.

  ‘Thanks, Beth. You’re a pal.’

  ‘You should know Brenda by now, you’re mad to let her get under your skin. And as for Paula . . .’ Beth shook her head. ‘I’d say she’s disappointed you’re not going down for the week. She might be thinking that if it wasn’t for slyboots McNally taking that photo of her
and Barry, it might have been she who was asked.’ Beth bounced the ball up and down on her racket. ‘That could be the way she’s thinking. I don’t know. She’s a great friend and all. But you know Paula, she likes to be number one.’

  ‘Yeah, I know that.’ Jennifer sighed. ‘That was an awful thing Eilis did. Imagine being that jealous of someone? Imagine being so vindictive? Still, Paula could have pretended to be pleased for me. I would have, if it was the other way around.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll be delighted for you when you go down there Friday night,’ Beth said reassuringly. ‘Come on, there’s our court. Let’s pretend the ball is fish-face McNally and whack the daylights out of it.’

  ‘I can’t believe I won’t see you for two whole months.’ Paula sighed. ‘I really envy you, Jenny. I’m delighted for you. Honest. But I envy you too. And that’s the truth.’ They were undressing for bed in Paula’s bedroom in St Margaret’s Bay. Jennifer was sleeping in Rebecca’s bed. Rebecca was spending the night with a friend.

  ‘Maybe you could come out for a week and stay in a bed and breakfast place or something,’ Jennifer suggested.

  Paula’s eyes lit up. ‘I never thought of that. Maybe Helen could get me a cheap flight over. It would give me something to look forward to. This place is driving me mad.’

  ‘I think you’ve a lovely home and your parents are dotes.’ Jennifer unhooked her bra and slipped her nightdress over her head. She was dying to get into the quilt-covered bed. She’d slept in it a few times before. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in. It had an old-fashioned bolster topped by big soft duck-down pillows and getting into it was like snuggling into a cocoon. It was lashing rain. The train had broken down and been delayed for over an hour and a half. It had been freezing cold, despite the fact that it was supposed to be summer. Paula insisted they go for a drink when Jennifer finally reached St Margaret’s Bay. They’d got drenched on the short walk home from the pub and all Jennifer wanted to do was to sleep. But Paula wanted to have her moan.