“We’ll keep the girls on Saturday as well and you can all stay over.God knows we have the room!” Eliza continued.
“Sounds great to me,” Alice said, “but you’ll have to ask the others yourself.”
On Thursday Alice spent the day cooking joints of meat for the cold plates.She also did desserts and starters which could be done in advance.She got as much out of the way as possible because she didn’t want to be rushed the following day in case anything went wrong at the last minute.She had the feeling this would be her most important event yet and she could get a lot of business out of it if it worked out well.
She took the girls to school on the day of the party and when she got back Cassandra was already waiting for her. They got to work, withCassandra following Alice’s instructions, and everything worked wonderfully.Alice began to relax.They had most of the food prepared when the phone rang.
“The address is Áit an Iolair, Spiddal.It is a large stone house west of Spiddal.You drive straight through the village, take the first turn right and it’s about a mile up the road on the right.Once you take the correct turn you can’t miss it.”
“We’ll be there at five,” Alice assured her and put down the phone.
“So where is it?” asked Cassandra.
“It’s just about a mile west of Spiddal.”
“Great. We’re all set then. Except for the question of what to wear.”
They had discussed this earlier without reaching a conclusion.
“Well, I think we should dress as if we were guests and be ready to serve the food and drinks if they need us,” Alice said. “Given that it is a house party, they will probably do a bit of serving themselves but with seventy-five guests – all of whom will certainly arrive if Maureen is to be believed – they’ll almost certainly need help.”
“Agreed. But I wonder if he has children?” Cassandra mused.“They could help.I’ve been to parties where the children of the house made very good waiters and were very enthusiastic.And if he’s fifty they would at least be teenagers and could be a great help.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Alice said.
She would wear her cream linen dress, which was smart but casual and was one of her favourites.She expected to be outshone in the elegance stakes by Cassandra but that didn’t bother her.
At five o’clock sharp Alice and Cassandra drove into Áit an Iolair.They drove around to the back door and rang the bell.
The door was opened by a young woman, a girl really, who was faintly familiar to Alice.
“Alice?” the girl asked tentatively.
“Yes.” Alice was startled. “How did you know my name?”
Without answering the girl turned around and shouted over her shoulder.
“Mum, I think it’s Alice!”
“Who is Alice?” a more mature woman’s voice came from within.
The girl opened the door wider to let Alice and Cassandra in and led the way to the kitchen.
There, standing waiting for them, was Rosemary Madden.
Alice was afraid her knees were going to buckle.
“Alice!How lovely to see you!”
Rosemary came over to her, removed the trays she was carrying, laid them on the table and then hugged her.
“You disappeared so quickly,”she said.“The children missed you terribly.Didn’t you, Caoimhe?”
“We did.You were my favourite au pair.”
Suddenly the penny dropped for Cassandra who had been looking on, not having a clue what was happening.Quickly she took charge of the situation.
“Hello, Mrs Madden.I’m Cassandra Grey, Alice’s partner,” she said, extending her hand.“How lovely that you know each other and what a surprise but I’m afraid we need to get to work if this party is to be ready for seven o’clock.Is there somewhere we can change as soon as we have prepared the food?”
“Of course,” Rosemary Madden replied.“There is a small bathroom off the hall where you can change and freshen up.Have a shower if you like.Alice, we must talk later!”
“Of course,” Alice replied and she was surprised that the words came out at all.
Cassandra addressed the girl. “Caoimhe, if your mum hasn’t given you jobs, can you come out to the car with Alice and me and we‘ll bring in the rest of our things?”
“Of course,” Caoimhe replied.
Cassandra practically had to guide Alice out the door.She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
When everything was in the kitchen and they were alone again, Alice said, “I can’t do this.”
“Of course you can,” Cassandra said.“You have to.If you don’t go ahead with this, apart from the fact that Rosemary will smell a rat immediately, your reputation will be on the floor.”
Cassandra was horrified to see that Alice was shaking but she went on.
“This is your opportunity to get a name for yourself among the people who would use your service and if you let Rosemary Madden down that will be the end of you.Now buck up and tell me what to do.”
Alice looked at the table laden with food.She had prepared almost all of it herself and the buffet would be cold even though she had also prepared a large casserole of beef stroganoff in case someone asked for a hot meal.
“Ask Rosemary where she keeps the tableware and we will start to set it out on the tables,” she said.
Cassandra did as she was told and they set to work.Rosemary Madden was flitting in and out, instructing her housekeeper on which rooms to prepare for guests who were staying over, arranging flowers, and trying to get the children, the boy Ruairi in particular, to take a shower.
“I should have come down yesterday,” she laughed.“But if I had Jack would have wondered why, so I didn’t come down till today and now there’s so much to be done.”
“It will be fine,” Cassandra said cheerfully.“We’ll get the food ready and you don’t have to think about that, though we may borrow your beautiful children to help with the service if you don’t mind.”
“No,” Rosemary said.“That will be fine.And Alice, we really must chat later.I’d love to hear all about what you’ve been doing since we last met.”
“Sure,” Alice said. Her voice sounded normal even though she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.“But later!I really need to concentrate on making your party a great success for now.”
“Great,” Rosemary said and she swept from the room.
“Just brazen it out,” Cassandra said under her breath as soon as Rosemary was gone.“It’s all we can do now.”
“I know you’re right,” Alice said.“If I can carry this off I’ll be ready for anything, though I dread to think of his reaction when he sees me.”
“He won’t be pleased but it’s not in his interest to reveal anything. It would be the end of him. If I know him he will behave as if everything is normal.He’s a smooth operator.”
“Don’t I know it,” Alice sighed.
They worked hard and were ready and changed by seven. Cassandra helped Alice with her make-up because Alice still hadn’t managed to stop her hands shaking though she cooked and prepared like the professional she was.They asked Caoimhe and Ruairi to serve drinks and canapés to the first of the guests.
“Be sure and bring back any empty plates, glasses and serving dishes,” Cassandra instructed them.“We don’t want dishes piling up out there.If you need help come back to us and we will give you a hand.”
“Great,” Ruairi said.“Do we get paid for this?”He was grinning but half in earnest.At fifteen he’d take money from anyone.He was obviously a chip off the old block.
“Of course you will,” Alice said without thinking.She would give them €15 each at the end of the night.
There was a low buzz of conversation in the next room which was getting louder as time went on.
Caoimhe came in at one stage.
“Cassandra, we need a hand,” she said urgently.
“You stay here and if you’re needed I will come and get you,” Cassandra said to Alice before
picking up a tray of drinks and walking elegantly into the dining room.
At about seven forty-five there was an exodus to the door as the Taoiseach’s Mercedes swept into the drive.
Alice stood in the kitchen, aware that things had quietened down in the other room.Then she could hear clapping from the front garden and somebody started up “Happy Birthday” and everybody joined in.
Cassandra remained in the dining room, aware that at least one of the guests had been a client. She felt a bit like Alice must have felt but again she realised that this man would have no interest in outing her because in doing that he would be outing himself. But she had to take several deep breaths to regain her composure.
She started to open the champagne.Rosemary had said that they would do the toast immediately Jack arrived.Alice helped but went back into the kitchen when she became aware that the guests were coming back into the house.
When all the glasses were full Rosemary Madden raised her glass.
“Happy Birthday, Jack!” she said.
“Happy Birthday, Taoiseach!” the gathered friends joined in the toast with fervour.
“Jack, guess who is catering the party?”Rosemary said to her husband.
Cassandra held her breath. She had remained out of the Taoiseach’s line of vision so she was sure that Alice would be a complete surprise to him.
“I’ve no idea,” he said.
“Hold on,” Rosemary said. “I’ll get her.”
Rosemary went into the kitchen.
“Alice, come and wish Jack well! He’ll be so surprised!”
Alice didn’t have an option. She could hear the guests singing “Happy Birthday” again in the next room. Delightedly Rosemary rejoined the party with Alice in tow.
“It’s Alice!” said Rosemary with a flourish.
“Happy Birthday, Taoiseach,” Alice said.
Jack Madden didn’t miss a blink.
“Thank you, Alice,” he said smoothly. “It’s lovely to see you again.”
Alice noticed that there was a slight nervous twitch just over his left cheekbone.She had seen this only once before when it appeared as if his transfers wouldn’t be enough to bring his running mate into the Dáil but it was so faint that only somebody who knew him well would notice it.
Rosemary Madden also noticed it and wondered what on earth could be the cause of it on such a happy occasion.
“I had better get back to work,” Alice said.
“We’ll talk later,” he said and again only Alice noticed the menace in his voice.
“Of course,” she said and left the room.
Cassandra came into the kitchen immediately.
“Well, you pulled that off well.”
“I know.I think he was more scared than me.”
“He has more to lose now,”Cassandra said.“You have the capacityto destroy his career.”
“I know but I wouldn’t unless he does something truly dreadful,” Alice said doubtfully.
“We’ll forget the fact that he took a contract out on me,” Cassandra said wryly. “If he tops that you can go for him.”
Alice wasn’t sure if she was serious or not but Ruairi had come into the kitchen to get more drinks and said that there were some dishes in the dining room that needed to be cleared so Alice gave him a tray of drinks and both herself and Cassandra cleared away and replenished the serving dishes.
At just before midnight, when things were winding down, Jack Madden came into the kitchen.Alice looked at Cassandra and then at Jack and waited for him to speak.
“What do you think you are doing?” he hissed.
“Catering your party,” Alice said calmly.
“Don’t be smart with me,” Jack answered.“How the hell did you get the job?”
“Your sister-in-law hired me.”
“You should have turned it down.”
“Why? She didn’t even let me know who the Birthday Boy was. As you now know it is a surprise party. I’m clever but I’m not a mind-reader.”
“You can’t expect me to believe that.”
“I don’t care if you do or not.It’s the truth.”
Jack Madden had opened his mouth to answer when his wife appeared in the doorway.
“Isn’t it great, Jack? Alice catering our party!”
“Very nice,” he answered through clenched teeth.
“You must come over for lunch tomorrow,” Rosemary continued.“Bring Cassandra of course.”
“I’m afraid I can’t, Rosemary. I already have a lunch appointment.”Alice was delighted with how quickly the excuse came to her.
“Well, some time during the summer,” Rosemary insisted. “We’ll be spending quite some time here as usual.”
“That would be nice,” Alice replied, thinking up several excuses she could produce when the actual invitation arrived.
“Jack, they want you to sing a song,” Rosemary said, taking her husband playfully by the hand and leading him back into the party.
Through the open door Alice and Cassandra could soon hear him singing “Rosemary, I Love You!”.
“Well, that takes the biscuit! We just have to witness this,” Cassandra said and they opened the kitchen door and stood in the doorway, watching the Taoiseach while he finished the song.
Rosemary too was watching her husband proudly though again she noticed the twitch above his cheekbone and wondered.
“It’s enough to make you want to emigrate,” Cassandra said when the song was over. “I think we’re nearly finished here. I’ll find Ruairi and Caoimhe before we leave.”
She went and found the teenagers and gave each of them €15, as Alice had suggested and with which they seemed quite pleased, though Caoimhe was a bit reluctant to take it.
“I’d say he’s a stingy old skinflint.The kids were delighted with the money,” Cassandra said to Alice as they got into the car.
“Why wouldn’t he be, with two families to keep?” Alice said and they burst out laughing.“I can’t believe I got through that without a hitch.”
“Not only that but several people asked me for your card,” Cassandra said. “This could be the start of something great.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Alice said.
“You could have but I loved it and will be happy to help out for the foreseeable future.”
“Great.Will we meet up in the morning for a walk? Eliza and Hugo said they would keep the girls all day.”
“Better still, I have a guest pass for the gym. Why don’t we have a swim and go to the Jacuzzi? It’s very relaxing. And I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me now. I’m curious.” Alice wondered what it could be.
“No, it can wait.”
“I won’t let you out of the car until you tell me! Kiddy-proof locks are great,” Alice grinned.
“Okay! Remember Luke, the guy who saved my life the time I was assaulted?”
“Isn’t he also the guy you are in love with?” Cassandra had recently told her about him. “Yes, I remember, but of course I never met him.”
“When he was a client I wasn’t in a position to introduce him to anyone but I met him once since I left Lady Gregory Court and he’s coming over next week to spend a few days.”
“Are you happy about that?”
“Very. I’ll tell you the whole story tomorrow. See you then.”
Alice let herself into the house, pondering Cassandra’s news. She put all the equipment into the kitchen and decided to wash and tidy them away in the morning.As she got undressed for bed she realised that she had never in her life slept totally alone in any house until this night.
The girls raced down the steps of The Coven when Cassandra’s car drove up.
“Mum, Mum! We had a great time!” cried Orla. “Eliza took us on a butterfly hunt!”
“That sounds like fun,” Alice said.“What did you find?”
“We saw eight different species of butterfly and Eliza says there are more.We’re going to do it again late
r in the summer.”
Nicola arrived just then and Hugo asked the girls to help set the table.
“Well, tell us.Who was the party for?”Eliza asked.
The girls were dashing in and out, getting cutlery and napkins.
“Remember I told you that I was an au pair when I was eighteen? It was the man of the house.”
Hugo had just come into the room and there was a pause.
“His wife welcomed her as if she was one of the family,” Cassandra grinned.
“He was a bit less enthusiastic but could you blame him?” Alice said.
“How on earth did you keep your composure?” Nicola asked.
“With great difficulty – but I did it.”
Hugo was standing at the sideboard, with his back to them pouring champagne. His shoulders were shaking with mirth.
“Hugo! What are you laughing at?” Orla asked crossly. She never wanted to be left out of the fun.
“Nothing really,” Hugo replied and he proposed a toast.
“To Alice!”
“To Alice!” everybody replied.
“Why’s everyone toasting you?” Grace asked, puzzled.
“Because I’m just brill!” Alice laughed.
Orla looked around at the circle of smiling adults as if they weren’t very bright.
“Grace and I always knew that,” she said.
Who is Alice? Page 32