‘And rightly so.’ Rajiv smiled. ‘He’s the most important one of all.’
* * *
‘When I dropped Ma home after early Mass, I had a cup of tea with her. I can tell you one thing, Heather Williams, you’re getting an honour bestowed on very few,’ Oliver informed Heather as they tramped around the lake, crunching frost-curled leaves underfoot, their breath freezing on the icy morning air.
‘And what’s that?’ Heather asked with a smile, delighted to see Oliver so carefree. He’d been a bit tense, to say the least, about his mother’s invite to Sunday lunch. He’d warned her to take no notice if she made snippy remarks about their situation. Now it looked as if he had no worries on that score.
‘You’re getting her very best linen and lace tablecloth, reserved only for visiting clergymen and royalty. I couldn’t believe it. When I commented, she said she wanted the table to look nice for Martha Jackson’s granddaughter.’
‘Ah, Oliver. Isn’t that nice?’ Heather snuggled in to him, chuffed. ‘I hope she likes the book of quilting I bought for her, and the shortbread.’
‘She will, Heather, stop worrying. If you’re getting the linen and lace tablecloth you’re away on a hack. Now come on, we have another twenty minutes to go to get our hour’s walk in. You’ll be hungry for your roast beef and Yorkshire pudding by the time I’m finished with you,’ Oliver announced.
‘Wait a minute,’ she demanded, reaching up and wrapping her arms around him before kissing him passionately. He kissed her back until they drew away breathless and red-cheeked, grinning from ear to ear.
‘You’re a brazen hussy,’ he told her, ‘and I know exactly what you’re up to with these delaying tactics. It’s still twenty minutes, you’ll just have to walk faster. Stop dawdling, woman, you’ll never lose weight meandering along like this,’ Oliver instructed, setting off at a brisk pace.
‘Slow down, you meany,’ Heather protested, but he was gone, loping along, urging her to keep up with his long-legged stride as she panted behind him, protesting loudly all the while. His phone rang and he stopped to answer it, giving her a chance to catch up.
‘That’s wonderful, Noreen,’ she heard him say. ‘I’m very happy for you. Was it hard going? You don’t have to tell me everything,’ he added hastily.
Heather saw his face, intent and serious, as he listened to his wife at the other end of the phone. ‘That’s good. Of course we will. Noreen, say hello to Heather and let her congratulate you.’ He handed her the phone.
‘Hi, Noreen. Are you all right? Did it all go OK? Were you induced?’ Heather asked excitedly.
‘No, I went by myself and I’ve got a little boy and a little girl, five and a half pounds each. We’re calling them Meera and Michael. Will you and Oliver come over for the christening in the spring?’
‘Oh, thank you, Noreen, we’d be honoured,’ Heather said delightedly.
‘Would you mind if I asked Oliver to be one of the godfathers? Rajiv’s son is going to be the other and Kay and Maura are going to be the godmothers. I haven’t asked him yet – I wanted to ask you first if you’d mind?’ Noreen said hesitantly.
‘Of course I wouldn’t mind, Noreen. When they’re older they can come and spend holidays,’ Heather said warm-heartedly. ‘Ask him now.’
She handed Oliver back the phone and watched his face crease into a smile. ‘Of course I will, Noreen. Thank you for asking. Get some rest now and we’ll talk later in the week. Take care, and congratulations to Rajiv.’ He clicked off, put the phone in his pocket and smiled at Heather. ‘Thank God that’s over for Noreen. She’s on a high. I’m really glad for her,’ he said, tucking his arm into hers as by unspoken agreement they turned and began to walk back towards the hotel.
‘Don’t you even feel a little pang that it’s not you?’ Heather asked, uncertain of his answer, wondering if he would prefer to be with Noreen.
He stopped and looked at her in surprise. Seeing the look in her eyes, he cupped her face in his hands. ‘But Heather,’ he said. ‘If I was with Noreen, I wouldn’t be with you and would never have known it could be like this. How could I have any pangs or regrets now? I do love you, you know that. You bring joy to my life.’ His eyes were warm and loving as he stared down at her.
‘Oliver, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,’ she murmured tearfully.
‘Oh woman, don’t go all weepy and mushy on me,’ he groaned, hugging her tightly. ‘Quick, quick, look! There’s two magpies for you.’ He turned her in the direction of the lake and she saw two beautiful black and white magpies gracefully soaring and dipping in flight. She nestled in against him and his arms tightened around her as they watched the birds glide over the treetops in consummate symmetry.
‘How perfect, Oliver.’ Heather squeezed his hand tightly. ‘For Noreen, and for us. Two for Joy.’
Also by Patricia Scanlan
Apartment 3B
City Girl
City Woman
City Lives
Foreign Affairs
Mirror, Mirror
Promises, Promises
Finishing Touches
Francesca’s Party
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
TWO FOR JOY. Copyright © 2003 by Patricia Scanlan. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Scanlan, Patricia.
Two for joy / Patricia Scanlan.—1st U.S. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-312-32895-8
EAN 978-0312-32895-5
1. Dublin (Ireland)—Fiction. 2. Married people—Fiction. 3. Mothers-in-law—Fiction. 4. Sisters—Fiction. 5. Weddings—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6069.C32T86 2004
823'.914—dc22
2004046628
First published in Great Britain by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers
First U.S. Edition: June 2004
eISBN 9781466854062
First eBook edition: September 2013
Two For Joy Page 48