Jack was anxious that the next few days went well.He was a cert for leadership of the party – everybody knew that, but there’s many a slip and he could have done without the worry of Alice and this bloody social worker who appeared to be on his case.He had only heard from her once but he was pretty sure she wouldn’t give up easily. She was probably some uptight little madam anxious to get on but nobody in the Health Service Executive had briefed her.Surely she knew that the best way to get on was to keep in with the powers that be – in this case himself.She surely didn’t think that he would sit there and let her delve into his personal life and not use his influence to see that she got what was coming to her. He had taken the precaution of setting up a few little surprises for her.She would be aware of them by now though probably would have no suspicion as to how they arose.
He was surprised at how much her phone call had rattled him.It hadn’t occurred to him until then that Alice would have any contact with Social Services. He wondered how she had found a social worker. He had been quite careful to make sure that she had minimal contact with officialdom.He had supported her well financially and she never claimed any Child Benefit or anything else.She had never worked outside the home so he had presumed that when he was finished with her she would just go back to her family.Oh, he knew that they were not on speaking terms but it would take a very cold family indeed not to take her in if she had nowhere to go. The irony of that thought, given that he had made her and his children homeless, wasn’t lost on him but these were very important times for him and the country.There was no time for sentimentality. Hard decisions had to be made.He gritted his teeth.He knew that Alice and the kids would find it hard for a while but sure weren’t there unmarried mothers in every townland these days and nobody passed any remarks? Alice’s parents never approved of her relationship with him so he presumed they would be pleased to see the end of it.They had probably guessed at the outset that the relationship had no chance of surviving.Jack was a well-known family man and his wife was very well connected politically so he was hardly going to sacrifice all of that for the daughter of some party hack from the arse-end of nowhere.He also presumed that the humiliation of it would prevent them from spilling the beans on him and in any case he reckoned that, if they did, no one would believe them.
But this social worker bitch was another matter – a glitch that he could have done without at this point in time. In retrospect he could see that the speed with which he had to act after the death of the Taoiseach meant that he really hadn’t thought things through.
The next few days were crucial and Jack Madden had no intention of letting anything come between him and his goal.He would make himself very prominent at the funeral ceremony and his family would sort of hover.The image he would project would be of a reliable pair of hands to look after the country – temporarily initially but it would be only a formality getting elected as party leader.
The Taoiseach’s private secretary arranged everything for him.There were several advisors on tap as well and though Jack had been to several state funerals both at home and abroad and knew what was involved, the fact that this was so close to home made it extremely stressful.He smiled to himself and thought how it might have been convenient if one of the older guys had died in office when he was a rooky and he could have experienced it and observed all the protocols involved from a safe distance.But this way – the first funeral of a serving Taoiseach in the history of the state – he would be in the limelight most of the time, as would the whole Cabinet, and he had to be careful not to put a foot wrong.Not that it was really an issue.He just wished that he hadn’t this worry about Alice. He had a niggling regret at having to consign her to the past.Such a sweet little thing!Always loving, always welcoming.She never made any demands.That was the attraction.She was gorgeous and so accommodating.Left to her own devices she wouldn’t have followed him.
Damn that social worker!But he hadn’t time to think of her now.He had to meet a journalist from Dublin Radio who was known to have a nose for politics so he would be asking awkward questions about the future.Jack would have to be careful not to be seen to be dancing on the Taoiseach’s grave, while giving an indication of his capabilities as a politician.
He went into the bathroom adjoining the Taoiseach’s office, which he was occupying temporarily.He had brought some of his clothes in so that he could go straight from the office to any engagement that might come up suddenly in the course of these few days.He toyed with the idea of having a shower before doing the interview.He felt a bit clammy and it worried him that this might not be due solely to the warm weather.He was more rattled than he was prepared to admit even to himself.
The interview went well and Jack was happy with the way he put himself across.Those days spent at Carr Communications had paid off.He had lunch with his private secretary as there were a few details he had to iron out.He took a call from David Cameron and surprisingly from Angela Merkel. It was looking okay but he would be glad when the funeral was over on Wednesday and he could get on with his campaign for party leadership.
When he came back from lunch there was a message from Nicola McCarthy on his desk.She was requesting that he ring her at a Galway number.Well, the bitch could wait!He was not about to let her know that she had rattled him by ringing her back straight away.She could wait until after the funeral and if she called again he would leave it a further week, and maybe even set up another surprise, before he returned her call.
Nicola wasn’t surprised that Jack Madden hadn’t returned her most recent call.She’d made it to let him know that she was still around and that Alice had support.She decided that she would not try and get in touch with him again until after the funeral.He was on every news bulletin, every programme about the late Taoiseach’s life.He was all over the place.She felt sorry for Alice.It was inevitable that there would be blanket coverage of the funeral and it was likely that Jack’s wife would be in the picture.He would make sure of that to copper-fasten his image of a stable family man. The funeral would be the start of his PR exercise in the lead-up to the leadership election and ultimately the general election which was due within twelve months.
She was glad to be heading for home and bought herself a gourmet lasagne and a rhubarb crumble at KC Blake’s Pantry by way of celebration.She was looking forward to having the apartment to herself and decided that she would work on her social life in a few days when she had sorted out all her personal stuff.She was glad to be rid of Jonathan but they had been together for quite a while and she knew that she would miss him on occasion.She hoped she would deal with that well and that when it arose her head would rule her heart.
After a satisfactory meal and a long bath she got on the internet and booked herself into a spa for a pampering weekend as a first step in her move to look after herself.The phone didn’t ring all evening and it was only as she prepared to go to bed that she thought to look at the machine.There were several messages: three from Jonathan and one from a friend in Cork she hadn’t seen for about a year.She listened to Jonathan requesting earnestly that maybe they should have a chat about “us” and asking her to call him.He almost succeeded in keeping the whinge out of his voice but not quite and she was glad that the courier had come as requested and that now the last of Jonathan’s property was en route to his parents’ home in Glenageary.It was nearly eleven so she decided not to ring her friend in Cork but resolved that she would do it immediately she got home from work the following day.
Chapter 7
Rising the following morning Nicola felt a bit uneasy. She had Alice sorted, in so far as that was possible, so she couldn’t at first figure out why she felt edgy.Then it came back to her.The complaint!She had been so busy that she had not given it any thought but, now that the immediate problem of Alice’s accommodation was sorted, she began to wonder how it had come about.She knew that she hadn’t breached confidentiality. And she wondered if there could be something she had not foreseen behind the complaint.Then it crossed her mind th
at Jack Madden had put the woman up to it but she dismissed her fears as ludicrous. This is Ireland, not Mafia country, she scolded herself and put it out of her mind.
She rang Alice early just to say that she wouldn’t be seeing her that day nor the next probably and to ensure that things were still going smoothly.
“We’re okay,” Alice said.“Eliza has fixed me up with a mobile and I was even able to retain my old number so that I can now be contacted by any one of my old friends that might want to get in touch . . .”
Her voice trailed off and Nicola knew that she was still, at the back of her mind, hoping that Jack might make an appearance.Nicola decided that she should bring her back to reality.
“Do the children have the day off tomorrow?” she asked.
“No, but the school is taking them to a Mass for the Taoiseach, at the time of the funeral Mass.”
“That’s good at least. The last thing you need is them at home with the funeral being shown on the television.You will have to be ready for a hard time tomorrow, Alice.It is very likely he will be very much to the forefront and so will his wife. You’ll virtually not be able to avoid it.”
“Luckily I’ll be out for the actual funeral as well. The animal sanctuary has asked Hugo to rehome a neglected pony and Eliza and Hugo have suggested that I go with them to pick him up. The only time thepeople at the sanctuary could fit them in is around noon tomorrow, so I won’t even be in the house.Do you think they thought of that when they invited me?”
“It sounds very like it to me.They’re great and it looks like the sanctuary staff have no interest in politics either – which makes them a veryrare breed!” Nicola laughed.Life had a way of cheering you up sometimes.Who would have thought that outside the city of Galway a lovely couple had given up a lot of their home and most of their time to helping women in trouble and that virtually nobody in officialdom knew about them? “Best of luck tomorrow, Alice, and give me a ring on Thursday.I should have your social welfare sorted by then and we can then arrange your rent allowance and you’ll be an independent woman.”
“For the first time in my life.” Alice gave a nervous laugh and Nicola knew that she didn’t want to be an independent woman.She wanted to be provided for by Jack Madden, but that wouldn’t happen and both women knew it.
As she put down the phone Pat put his head around the door.
“How are you today?”
She couldn’t figure out if he really wanted to know or if he was just being polite.She had been quite shocked initially when he told her that there was a complaint against her but she was even more shocked when she realised that he might not be behind her completely.
“I’m fine.Any more news about the complaint?”She hoped that he would not realise how much it bothered her now that she had nothing more pressing on her mind.
“The meeting is set for next Monday.Is that okay?”
“Would it make a difference if it wasn’t?I thought I had no option but to fall in with the arrangement.Morning or afternoon?”She thought how funny it was that she could come to work with one problem on her mind and before the first hour was over a completely different thing was taking up her thoughts.
“Morning,” Pat replied pleasantly enough. “Pencil it in.”
“I will.I just hope that this meeting will be the end of the affair – that it will all be sorted out on the day.”She looked carefully at Pat.She wondered whether there was more to this than met the eye and if perhaps Pat knew more than he was saying.
“Hopefully it will go well.I’m sure it will be grand,” he assured her with a smile and closed the door.
The rest of the day was pretty routine and she was relieved that it was well within her capability and not too taxing.She was about to leave the office when her phone rang.It was Cassandra.
“Hi, Cassandra! What good news do you have for me now?How much information have you managed to glean from the apartment block? Or is this a mere social call?”Truthfully, she didn’t expect it to be a social call.She wasn’t on calling terms with call girls, though having met this one face to face she could see how she might very well become her friend.She liked Cassandra from the little she knew of her and, unlike many other girls with the same profession, she felt Cassandra was in control of her own life and she would leave it when it suited her.
“Actually, it is a social call – sort of.I was wondering if we could meet for a glass of wine tonight?I’d like to have a chat.”
She sounded a bit hesitant, not the confident CassandraNicola had met in recent days.
“Of course.It will be good for both of us.Why don’t we meet at that new place in Lower Salthill and we could walk the prom afterwards?”
“That sounds good.How about seven thirty? I have another appointment at nine thirty.”
Nicola laughed.
“Why are you laughing?”Cassandra asked, puzzled.
“It just seems odd to me that you can so casually fit me in between customers,” Nicola replied.“Sorry, I hope that doesn’t sound crass.”
“Not really.I know that my way of life is strange to you but it pays well and is a means to an end for me.”
“I know, Cassandra. I’ll see you at seven thirty and we’ll have that chat.See you then.”
Nicola hung up and headed for home.
She pondered on why Cassandra might want to see her.It was strange and indeed she wondered if she had been wise to agree to meet this woman who she had met through a client in a semi-social context.But the last few days had been so strange, she had agreed to meet Cassandra before it hit her that it might not be that wise.
When she got home she had a quick shower and then chose what to wear carefully, smiling to herself.I am about to go for a glass of wine with a call girl and I am worrying how I look! But Cassandra was so elegant that she didn’t want to look like a frump beside her.
Cassandra was already seated when Nicolawalked into the wine bar.She was elegance personified in understated casual clothes, with more than a hint of class.Despite taking time over her own outfit, Nicola felt gauche but she decided to ignore that.
“Well, Cassandra, I was surprised to hear from you,” she said after they greeted each other and she sat down. “Is it about Alice?Did you go to see her?”
“No, actually, I didn’t and, no, it isn’t.”Cassandra looked Nicola straight in the eyes.“It’s about me.”
Nicola was startled. “Oh? What’s the matter?”
“I need to talk to someone and I wasn’t sure if I could talk to you in the office.It might be regarded as a social-work issue but it might be more of a counsellor issue.”
Nicola didn’t know what to make of this and she felt slightly nervous.Call girls often had strange contacts and she was wondering what was going to come next.
“Actually as a social worker at the HSE I deal with child welfare cases, so unless you have a child you wouldn’t come within my remit.I am a trained counsellor, but I don’t officially counsel anyone, though the ability to do it comes in handy in my work.It would be better if we regarded this as a social outing.Why don’t you just talk to me as a friend and I will see if I can help.”
Cassandra looked relieved.“I don’t know where to start,” she said.
“Try the beginning,” Nicola said with a grin, “and if this is a very long story you had better start now because you have less than two hours. Will we get a glass of wine?I didn’t bring my car.”
“Neither did I.Why don’t we order a bottle? It might act as a conversational lubricant.”Cassandra raised her hand to attract the attention of the waiter.
She choose a Pinot Grigio and asked Nicola if that was okay. She seemed quite knowledgeable so Nicola bowed to her superior expertise. The waiter poured the wine, Cassandra tasted it and nodded to the waiter to fill both glasses.
After he departed she took a sip of her wine and then leaned towards Nicola and said, “I have a dilemma I have never had before.Not for a long time anyway and this time it is very complicated.”
“I’m in love.” Cassandra smiled sheepishly.
Nicola was startled. “That’s good, isn’t it?Or is it?”
“Not really.He doesn’t love me, except as a friend, and he’s married.”
Nicola had seen it all before.“The age-old problem.How come you fell for a married guy, particularly if he was unlikely to love you back?” She wasn’t sure if she was overstepping the mark by asking this.
“He is a client.And I know that this soundsawful, but his wife is ill. He just needs a relationship where he can forget his problems.It’s not that he is selfish or anything.If he was, he’d have left her a long time ago.But he really loves her.She has had MS for a number of years so their life is quite hard.Their children are teenagers and he tries not to lay anything on them in terms of looking after their mother or doing many extra chores – so all of it falls to him.About once a fortnight he comes to see me.We do have sex, it is a factor, but that is not what’s important for him.He just wants to have dinner with a woman and have a carefree conversation.He is clearly devoted to his wife. In a strange and weird way, I sort of envy her – MS and all.”Cassandra paused.
“Wow, that’s quite a story! Does he know?That you love him, I mean?”
“God, no!What do you take me for? He likes me, I know that, but I’d say he views me as quite a clinical person who does what she does for a purpose and that suits him.I’d say he’d run a mile if I said I loved him.What am I to do?”She looked as if she was on the verge of tears.
“Have you told anybody else?Is he from Galway?”
“No and no.He’s from Sligo and comes here for a few hours once or twice a month.”
Who is Alice? Page 7