Foreign Affairs

by Patricia Scanlan

  ‘No . . .’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Cora’s left her husband and she’s supposed to be having an affair with her father-in-law. The husband caught them in bed together.’

  ‘You’re not serious!’ Jennifer was agog.

  ‘Who’s Cora Delahunty?’ chorused Paula and Rachel.

  ‘Oh, she was this awful sly show-off I went to school with.’ Brenda snorted.

  ‘Remember I showed you her once. She was wearing about ten inches of make-up and a mini up to her eyebrows. She’s real tarty-looking,’ Jennifer explained.

  ‘There’s a girl living on the floor below me and she’s having an affair with a well-known barrister who’s about forty years older than she is. He’s an awful sleazeball,’ shuddered Paula. ‘And one day the wife arrived and caught him there. Someone must have told her. He drives a Merc and she knew he was there. Talk about uproar!’

  ‘But look at Jolly Johnson going off with a divorced horse-breeder twice her age, to live in Bolivia,’ chuckled Jennifer. ‘You should have seen Kieran’s face when she handed him her resignation.’

  ‘The age of miracles is not yet past,’ Paula said wickedly and the others laughed.

  It was four in the morning before Brenda left, giggling, in a taxi, and the others got to bed. Paula lay in bed feeling pleasantly weary and somewhat intoxicated. It had been a fun-filled evening. Not even Brenda’s unexpected arrival had marred it. Brenda had thoroughly enjoyed herself. And for once had not made one sarcastic comment. Rachel really came out of her shell and Jenny and Beth were in top form. She must do something like this on a regular basis, Paula decided. It was nice to get together with the girls. Her lifestyle was so hectic that she didn’t get the chance to do it as much as she used to.

  Paula yawned and snuggled down in bed. Jenny and Rachel were in the guest room and Beth was on the couch. None of them intended getting up early in the morning. They were all looking forward to a lie-in. She was going to do absolutely nothing tomorrow, Paula decided. She was meeting Kieran for dinner on Sunday night. Her treat. He was going to collect her on the motorbike and they were going to go to Howth. She was looking forward to it. She loved discussing business with Kieran. They were always plotting new schemes. She was trying to get him interested in extending Holiday Villa to the Caribbean and the Cayman Islands. Jennifer was full of enthusiasm about the Caymans. A lot of wealthy Irish people took holidays there now, weary of the European hot spots. It could be another avenue to explore.

  Paula wondered what Kieran’s proposition was. What great plan had her entrepreneurial boss got now? All would be revealed on Sunday.

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  ‘How would you like to be a director of the company?’ Kieran asked.

  Paula looked at him in amazement. This was unexpected.

  ‘It’s no more than you deserve, Paula.’ Kieran poured her another cup of coffee and poured one for himself. ‘You’ve worked like a Trojan to make a go of Holiday Villa. It’s established now and making a profit. We’re a good team. And I want you on the board of directors. I want you to have shares in the company. That way you’ll think twice about leaving if someone headhunts you,’ he added lightly.

  ‘I’m not going to leave,’ Paula said. ‘You don’t have to make me a director because you think I’m going to leave.’ Her voice held a trace of irritation. She didn’t want to be made a director because Kieran was afraid she’d take off to some other company. She wanted him to make her a director because he knew she was capable of being one. And because he knew it was for the overall good of TransCon.

  ‘Haven’t you been listening to me at all? You’ve earned your place on the board,’ he insisted.

  ‘I know,’ Paula said calmly. ‘It’s about time you made the offer.’

  Kieran laughed. ‘You’re a tough nut, you know.’

  ‘You’ve got to be in this world,’ she said.

  ‘You’re cynical for one so young,’ he remarked.

  ‘You make me sound like a teenager,’ she scoffed. ‘I’m twenty-six. I’ve been around. I know life is what you make it. And you have to work for what you want. That’s not being cynical, it’s facing facts. And do you hear who’s talking? You’re only thirty-five. You talk as if you’re Methuselah.’

  ‘Sometimes I feel like him.’ He sighed.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Paula asked. It wasn’t like Kieran to make comments like that.

  ‘Nothing, really.’

  ‘Come off it,’ Paula said quietly. ‘Is it the Scully thing?’

  ‘Oh, no, nothing like that.’ Kieran shook his head.

  ‘What, then?’ she demanded.

  Kieran sighed and looked Paula straight in the eye. ‘Tina wants to get married. She’s told me it’s either marriage or it’s all off. She’s gone to the States for a month. She wants my decision when she gets back.’

  ‘Oh,’ Paula murmured. She’d met Tina on several occasions. She was gorgeous-looking, tall, slim, vivacious. But a bit of a clinging vine, in Paula’s opinion. So now Tina was putting her foot down. It had been coming for a long time but Kieran had chosen not to see it.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ she asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘Do you love her?’ Paula met his gaze squarely.

  Kieran gave her the strangest look. ‘I thought I did,’ he said quietly. ‘Now I don’t know.’

  Paula sighed. She was an expert on love. Either you loved someone or you didn’t. There were no half measures.

  ‘Have you ever been in love?’ he asked suddenly.

  Paula’s eyes grew sad. ‘Yes I have.’

  ‘You still love him.’ It was a statement rather than a question.

  ‘I love him. I always will. But I don’t think I’m in love with him any more.’ Pierre had seen to that, Paula told herself firmly.

  ‘How come some people fall in love and it’s a joy and lasts for ever? I’m thinking of Jennifer and Ronan, for example. And people like you and me don’t find it easy at all.’ He scowled.

  ‘I don’t know, Kieran. All I can say to you is do what your heart tells you is right.’

  ‘I wish I could.’ Kieran sighed enigmatically. ‘I wish I could.’

  She’d never thought of Kieran as being troubled in love, Paula thought that night as she pressed her blouse for work the next morning. He was usually so confident and positive. Tonight she’d seen a very human side to him. It was endearing. She and Kieran had a lot in common. That was probably why they got on so well. She hoped things would work out for him.

  The following evening, Paula collected Nicola’s presents from the apartment and drove up to Cremore. Nick’s car wasn’t outside the house. She was half relieved. Not, of course, that it mattered any more, she told herself crossly. She was over Nick. She’d slept with Pierre and enjoyed it and hoped to see him again. It had been two months since she’d seen Nick. He’d been away on business when she’d visited. Perhaps she wouldn’t see him tonight either. She would be just as glad.

  Helen opened the door and smiled widely at the sight of Paula. She hugged her.

  ‘Darling, come in. Did you have a nice time in France? We had a lovely ten days in Waterford,’ she exclaimed.

  ‘France was a dream,’ Paula enthused. ‘Where’s Nicola?’

  ‘She’s outside on her swing. Come on out. We’ll have coffee on the patio. Isn’t it a beautiful evening? There’s a real hint of summer in the air.’

  It was unseasonably warm. One of those warm fine weeks that sometimes happens in April. Through the kitchen window, Paula could see her goddaughter swinging happily on the swing. Her heart lifted at the sight of her.

  ‘Hi Nicola,’ she called as she stepped out onto the terracotta-tiled patio that was ablaze with spring flowers. A huge flowering cherry blossom, its branches heavy with blossoms, dominated the back garden. It was beautiful.

  ‘Paula! Paula!’ The little girl scrambled off her swing and ran excitedly to her, her arms outstretched
.

  ‘Oh my little precious.’ Paula swung her up in her arms and covered her with kisses. Nicola was the most adorable little girl. She had Helen’s dark curly hair, but her eyes were Nick’s, Paula thought with a little pang.

  ‘My nose was leaking,’ Nicola informed her.

  ‘What!’ Paula pretended amazement.

  ‘She had a cold,’ Helen murmured, hiding a smile.

  ‘An’ I had a cough. Do you want to hear it?’

  ‘Yes.’ Paula nodded, smiling into the little girl’s big blue eyes.

  Nicola gave a bloodcurdling cough. ‘Hear the whistles?’ she asked, making herself wheeze.

  ‘My poor little pet,’ Paula sympathized.

  ‘An’ I had to take mesadin.’

  ‘You had to take mesadin! You poor little mutton,’ she declared, hugging the little girl tightly.

  ‘But I’m better now,’ Nicola said brightly. ‘Will you give me a push?’

  ‘Of course I will,’ Paula agreed.

  Later, Nicola sat engrossed in the Lego Paula had bought. Helen had been delighted with the outfits.

  ‘You’re too generous, Paula.’ Helen poured the coffee. She looked well. She had a great colour in her face from walking on the beach.

  ‘How could you be too generous to Nicola? I just keep seeing things and I want to buy them for her,’ Paula said matter-of-factly.

  ‘Tell me about the Riviera.’ Helen passed her a plate of chocolate rings. ‘Did you meet Pierre again?’

  Paula took one and dunked it in her coffee and enjoyed the taste of melting chocolate.

  ‘I did. And we spent the night together.’

  ‘Is this IT, do you think?’ Helen asked excitedly. She was dying for Paula to meet the man of her dreams and settle down.

  ‘It might be,’ Paula was non-committal.

  ‘Well this is a treat,’ she heard a much-loved voice say and her heart leapt.

  ‘Hi Helen.’ Nick bent down and kissed her aunt. And then Paula was looking into his smiling deep blue eyes as his arms came around her and she felt Nick’s kiss on her cheek. Felt the hardness of his jaw momentarily against hers. Savoured the smell of his familiar aftershave and wanted to weep in despair.

  What a fool she’d been to think she’d ever stopped loving or wanting Nick Russell.

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  Rachel zipped along the dual carriageway. She’d been looking forward to this for weeks. It was as if she was going on holidays. Jennifer had suggested that she spend a few days in her house over Easter while she and Ronan were on holiday, and she’d jumped at the offer with alacrity. She loved Jennifer and Ronan’s house in Drumcondra. She knew Drumcondra well. St Pat’s was only down the road. Not that she would know anyone there, except the lecturers. It was four years since she’d left college.

  Rachel sighed as she passed the big mast outside RTE. It was a terrible thing to admit but the trip to Dublin was a big event in her year. The last four years had been uneventful. She had got her diploma and was confident and relaxed as a teacher. She enjoyed it. The days slipped by like the beads on a rosary as the rhythm of school terms ruled her life. She’d saved hard. Half-way through her second year the longed-for moment came and she bought her precious Ford Escort.

  It was a liberation. To be able to get behind the wheel and drive where she wanted to without having to wait for buses was wonderful. It had been a huge relief to consign her bike to the garden shed for good. Cycling in and out to school on wet windy days had been a nightmare. The car had been worth denying herself spending money that first year she’d been teaching.

  She also had a respectable sum in a building society. Rachel’s dream of owning her own home was slowly but surely taking shape.

  This was her father’s last year at work. He was dreading retirement. It frightened him. No longer would he be a person of position and authority in the village. He’d just be an ordinary OAP like the rest of his peers. Rachel did not intend to be around to share his trauma. She wouldn’t be able to afford to get a mortgage yet but one of the teachers at school had bought a house and needed someone to share. She asked Rachel if she was interested and Rachel had jumped at the chance. Her rent would be as much as she gave her father for her keep and she and Noreen would share the bills. Rachel couldn’t wait. Her father didn’t know of her plan. She had no intention of making life difficult for herself. If he knew she was intending to leave she’d have to put up with accusations of being undutiful and selfish.

  It had been bad enough when she’d bought the car. Rachel scowled as she remembered how her father had criticized her parking, her driving, the car itself, and the insurance company for insuring a learner, even though he’d never sat in the car with her. He would stand at the gate when she was leaving for work watching . . . waiting for her to make a mistake. He’d be there when she came home and in the beginning, when she’d been very nervous, his critical gaze would spook her and she’d let the clutch out too quickly and the engine would conk out. This always pleased William enormously. He’d stand with a smug superior expression on his face as his points were proved.

  Although she passed her test first go, to her father’s incredulity, he would not accept her offer to drive him to Dublin for Ronan’s wedding. She’d been sorely tempted to get into the car and go by herself. But he would only have got into one of his cold huffs and, for Jennifer’s sake, Rachel hadn’t wanted any unpleasantness.

  Jennifer was exceptionally kind to her, Rachel reflected as she slipped into neutral at the lights in Donnybrook. Her sister-in-law took such an interest in her. She was always encouraging Rachel to be independent. She thought the idea of leaving home and sharing a house was perfect. Jennifer took no nonsense from William. Her father-in-law thought she was a lippy disrespectful young woman. As far as he was concerned Ronan could have done far better for himself. After Jennifer came to tea for the first time, William spent the entire evening giving out about her. Rachel tried to switch off. There was no point in getting annoyed with her father. The best way to annoy him was to ignore him. She let him pontificate, although she was furious at the way he spoke about Jennifer. The more Rachel ignored him, the more virulent his diatribe got. William wanted to provoke Rachel into making a retort so that he’d have an excuse to be sarcastic and cutting. Rachel had grown wise to this ploy and rarely answered back, much to his frustration. If there was one thing her father could not abide it was being ignored.

  Rachel smiled to herself as the lights turned green and she slipped smoothly into gear and headed towards the canal. She hadn’t told William where she was going. She hadn’t even told him she was going away until she’d walked down the stairs with her bag that morning and said she was going away for a few days. That was all she said. It was none of his business where she went or what she did. She didn’t want him to know she was staying in Ronan and Jennifer’s house. His nosiness would get the better of him, and she wouldn’t put it past him to turn up on the doorstep.

  She was going to spend her time shopping and relaxing. It was wonderful to have a house to herself. She could do exactly what she liked. She’d watch TV until late at night and switch channels to her heart’s content. William had total control over the TV at home. And they didn’t have the luxury of cable TV. Rachel was looking forward to nights of uninterrupted viewing. She wouldn’t be the slightest bit lonely or bored.

  She decided to treat herself to a Kentucky Fried Chicken snack box. It was ages since she’d had one. It reminded her of her days in college. She was starving by the time she got to Drumcondra. She’d just had sandwiches at lunch-time, she’d been so anxious to get on the road to Dublin. She was dying for a cup of tea, she’d treated herself to a packet of chocolate biscuits. She needn’t have bothered. Jennifer had left packets of biscuits as well as fruit, wine and a note that said the freezer was full and to help herself. She also had left a set fire and instructions on how to use the central heating. Rachel was warmed by her sister-in-law’s kindness.

&n
bsp; She poured herself a glass of wine, put the kettle on for a cup of tea and put a match to the fire because it was chilly. Then she settled down on the sofa with her snack box. It was a delightful evening. Rachel sipped her wine, channel-hopped with abandon, read a pile of Jennifer’s magazines and then enjoyed a wonderful luxurious bubble bath that left her feeling completely relaxed. She lay in the comfortable brass double bed with its old-fashioned lace bedspread which matched the curtains. Jennifer had great taste, Rachel reflected sleepily. The guest room had a Regency look about it with its striped yellow and gold wallpaper and dado rail. The gold tassel on the brass bedside lamps and the main light exactly matched the shade of the wallpaper. It was an elegant but homely room. Rachel looked forward to the time when she could decorate her own house or apartment as tastefully.

  Paula had an apartment, but then Paula was the most sophisticated woman Rachel had ever encountered. At first she’d been shy with her. But Paula had a way of focusing on you that made you feel you were an interesting person. Rachel was fascinated by her. Paula had tremendous confidence and presence. Men flocked about her. She oozed sex appeal.

  Rachel lay in bed, thinking about Paula and her men. Some women couldn’t imagine life without a man. Rachel didn’t feel like that. After Harry, she’d never felt inclined to get involved with anyone. To tell the truth, she decided as she turned over and snuggled down, she didn’t particularly like men. She had no great urge to be someone’s wife. It was bad enough being a daughter. Rachel knew she was extremely odd compared to most girls, but then, most girls hadn’t had to put up with a lifetime of William Stapleton. If she ever got married, she would do it from a position of strength. She’d have her own house, her own car and her own job. She would never give up her job and be dependent on a man. She would never be like her unfortunate mother – entirely dependent on her husband.