by Anna King
As gently as she could, she moved away from Shaun’s embrace. She sensed rather than saw his disappointment and compensated for her gesture by squeezing his hand gently while giving him a warm smile. They had been out a few times, but just as friends, much to Shaun’s dismay. And each time Josie vowed not to go out with him again, but he was such good company, and a much-needed balm to her bruised ego after being cast aside by Rory. Yet for the last few weeks her conscience had begun to trouble her.
Poor Shaun was the antithesis of his brother, for his feelings were so transparent, anyone seeing them together could tell he was head over heels in love with Josie. But tonight was the first time he had made such a public display of his feelings, and Josie knew she couldn’t string him along any longer. She wouldn’t spoil the evening for him, but first thing tomorrow she had to pluck up the courage to tell the smitten young man she could never reciprocate his love. For the longer she left him hoping, the harder it would be to sever their relationship. He would be hurt, but he was a handsome man, and kind and gentle. Many a young woman would break her neck for a chance to snare such a good catch, and he would be free to find someone who would give him the love he deserved; the love that Josie couldn’t provide.
“Ere, Josie. ’Ow about doing a turn fer us? Annie put on a good show earlier. ’Ad us in stitches she did.’
‘Yeah, come on, love,’ shouted another voice she recognised as Edie Sharpe. Josie also recognised the touch of spite in the tone. ‘Course, now you’re a woman of means, I suppose yer think yer too posh fer the likes of us.’
The laughter suddenly faded. Most of the assembled crowd averted their gaze, looking down at their feet and shuffling uncomfortably at the insidious jibe. There were also a few hard glances directed at the woman for her spiteful comment, and this gave Josie heart. If she wanted to be accepted into the close- knit community, then she would have to prove that despite her new wealth she was still one of them.
Gulping down the entire contents of her glass, Josie shuddered and coughed as the whisky burned down her throat and body. Then, staring straight at Edie Sharpe, she said loudly, ‘Posh, am I, Mrs Sharpe? Well, you just clear a space an’ we’ll see how posh I am.’
Striking a pose, Josie, hand on hip, sashayed across the floor, smiling as a space was cleared to allow her freedom of movement. Gathering up one side of her dress, she twirled gracefully, saying in a haughty voice, ‘Here we have the latest creation in women’s fashion; that is to say, for the discerning woman’s taste.’ Her eyes sought out Edie Sharpe, and she smiled inwardly as the loud-mouthed woman dropped her gaze.
For the next ten minutes, Josie entertained the delighted assembly, and no one watching her antics would have guessed at her inner feelings of panic and self-consciousness at being the centre of attraction. When she’d finished her display, she lifted her skirt and curtsied with all the grace of a true lady. It was this final act that brought forth a loud burst of applause, plus a few piercing whistles from the men.
Then she was being surrounded. The men were hugging her, while their wives looked on grinning.
‘Gawd, Josie love, I ain’t laughed so much in ages.’ Arthur Cooper lifted her off her feet and twirled her around. ‘I never knew yer was such a comedian, and a bleeding good sport. What yer drinking, love? An’ when yer gonna give us another show? In fact, what about you and Annie doing a double act…’
Feeling slightly sick from the whisky Shaun had given her, and the reaction to her performance in front of the entire street, Josie swallowed loudly, praying fervently she wouldn’t disgrace herself by throwing up.
When the jovial man had put her back on the ground, she summoned up a weak smile and said, ‘Thanks, Arthur, but I don’t think so. Maybe next New Year’s Eve. I doubt whether me or Annie will be wearing our best gear until then. They’re not exactly the sort of clothes people like us wear every day, are they? And we wouldn’t like anyone to think we was showing off.’ Josie glanced around to find Edie Sharpe, but the woman in question, knowing she had been bested, was nowhere to be seen.
Still hardly believing she had acted in a way that was completely against her nature, Josie was desperate to find somewhere quiet and have a sit-down. So when she felt a strong arm encircle her waist, she didn’t pull away. Instead she sank gratefully against Shaun’s side.
Ever hopeful, Shaun pulled Josie closer, and after a few minutes’ banter with his guests he led her through the packed room to where his father was sitting comfortably in his favourite shabby armchair by the fire. Like the rest of the occupants of the small house, Paddy had a drink in his hand, and was in the middle of sharing a joke with Pat, who was sitting opposite. At the sight of Josie, Pat jumped to his feet.
‘Hello, Josie. I didn’t see you come in. ’Ere, sit yourself down.’
When Josie was seated, Paddy leaned forward, tapped her knee and grinned.
‘Begod, lass, you’re honoured an’ no mistake. Once we Irish find a seat at a party, we don’t move from it for love nor money – though we might be persuaded for a glass of the hard stuff.’
Josie settled into the comfortable armchair and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Paddy wasn’t joking. Annie had once told her that the reason behind this was because the Irish normally consisted of large families, and even the smallest child soon learned to secure a place to sit at the earliest opportunity. With this in mind, Josie settled back further into the sagging armchair, determined not to leave the coveted seat until the party thinned out. Another drink was pressed into her hand, and this time she sipped it slowly, her eyes sweeping the room looking for Annie. Jane also seemed to have disappeared. She didn’t bother looking for Rory, painfully aware where he would be, and with whom.
Taking another sip of her drink, she realised there was someone else missing. Turning her head upwards, she tugged at Pat’s arm and, raising her voice to be heard over the noise, shouted, ‘Where’s Freda, Pat?’
Pat bent down to hear better.
‘What? Sorry, Josie, I can hardly hear meself think above this racket.’
‘I said, where’s Freda?’
Pat’s amiable face turned a dull red.
‘Oh, she wasn’t feeling well. It might be the flu. She wanted to come, but I put me foot down. I wasn’t gonna drag her out on a freezing cold night like this, which reminds me…’ He looked at the clock on the mantelpiece and quickly downed his beer. ‘I promised her I’d just show me face an’ have one drink to be sociable, what with it being New Year’s Eve an’ all.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear she’s not well. Give her my regards, won’t you?’
‘Yeah, I will. Thanks, Josie, an’ Happy New Year.’ He bent over and kissed her lightly on the lips in a brotherly fashion. ‘I’ll just go an’ say me goodbyes ter Mum, or else I’ll never hear the end of it.’ He smiled, but his eyes were full of sadness, and Josie’s heart went out to him. It was obvious Freda was no more ill than she herself was. The woman was just being awkward. She knew that Paddy and Annie didn’t regard her as Pat’s lawful wife, and this was her way of venting her spite on her in-laws. But it was Pat who was suffering the most. This would be the first New Year he hadn’t seen in with his family, and Josie knew he must be hurting badly. Poor Pat.
She looked across at Paddy, her expression betraying her knowledge of the true cause of Freda’s absence. Paddy returned her look and shrugged, then took another swig of his Guinness, his silence speaking volumes and confirming her suspicions.
For the next two hours Josie, despite her protests, was pulled up again and again to dance. It wasn’t something she was good at, having had little practice, but after a few more drinks she was kicking her heels up with the rest of the street. She was happy. She couldn’t stop smiling, even though she knew it was the drink that was making her feel so confident. What did it matter? She was thoroughly enjoying herself, and it was a wonderful, euphoric feeling.
At various stages of the evening, Annie would put in an appearance, have a dance, then
vanish back into the kitchen to make sure there was still plenty of food for her guests.
‘Come on, Josie love, on yer feet.’ Arthur Cooper was beaming down at Josie, who by some miracle had found her seat still vacant. Tired and a little light-headed, she pleaded for mercy.
‘No more, Arthur. Me feet are killing me.’
But Arthur, full of good spirits, in more ways than one, insisted.
‘Aw, come on, girl. Just this one, then I’ll leave yer in peace, I promise.’
Unable to refuse the likeable man, Josie got to her feet.
‘All right, but just one more, all right?’
She was pulled into the centre of the room just as the pianist burst into ‘Knees Up Mother Brown’. Holding her skirt up to her knees, Josie threw herself into the dance with gusto. Then just as she thought her legs couldn’t support her any more, the music stopped and she staggered back to the armchair that was being guarded by Jane.
‘Ah, so there ye are, Josie darlin’. Sure an’ I was beginning to think I’d never get the chance for a chat with ye.’
Annie was standing before Josie, her rotund body lurching alarmingly, her face flushed and perspiring, thick strands of hair escaping from her tight bun. She was sporting a wide grin that was threatening to split her face in two.
‘Well! Aren’t ye going to… to get up and let a lady rest her… her weary bones?’
Her words slurred, she slapped Paddy on the back, causing him to spill his beer down his best shirt.
‘Will ye give me a minute, woman,’ Paddy spluttered, then he laughed. ‘Aye, go on, take me seat afore ye fall down.’ He rose slowly, like his wife grinning widely. Winking at Josie, he asked Annie, ‘An’ how many have ye had, me darlin’? Sure an’ ye promised ye’d stay off the whisky so ye wouldn’t make a show of yourself.’
Flopping heavily into the still warm armchair, Annie twisted her head round and up, her face indignant.
‘I’ll have ye know I’ve just had… had the one. Sure an’ ye wouldn’t begrudge me a drink on… on New Year’s Eve, now would… would ye?’
Paddy threw back his head and laughed.
‘Begod, but that must have been a bloody big glass…’/
But Annie was no longer listening. Looking across at Josie, her eyes softened.
‘Ah, Josie darlin’. You’re a picture of loveliness, so ye are. An’ if that stupid eejit of a son of mine didn’t keep his brains in his trousers, you’d be me daughter by now. But then ye’ll always be that to me, Josie. If Rory doesn’t realise what he’s missing, that’s his look-out.’
Josie felt her face burn and quickly looked to see where Shaun was, heaving a silent sigh of relief when she spotted him standing by the piano with a small group of men, all of them laughing. Annie wasn’t known for her tact, but she would never have made such a remark if she had been sober.
Changing the subject, Josie looked at the jacket of Annie’s suit and remarked, ‘You’ve lost a couple of buttons, Annie. They must have popped off sometime during the evening.’
Annie looked down at her own chest, but before she could answer Paddy had bent down close to his wife and, looking at Josie, said loudly, ‘’Tis lucky no one was standing too close when they did, else one of them could have taken someone’s eye out.’
But Annie’s thoughts were still on her errant son. Turning her head towards the mantelpiece she peered at the clock.
‘Rory promised on the Holy Bible he’d be back to see in the New Year with us. Will ye look at the time. It’s a quarter to twelve already and still no sign of him. Begod, if he’s forgotten I’ll break every bone in his body, that I will. It’s bad enough that one son of mine won’t be with us tonight. I’ll not be—’
‘Hello, Mum. Bet you thought I wouldn’t make it in time, didn’t you?’
Josie’s hands began to tremble as she recognised Rory’s voice above the din. Gathering her composure, she steadied herself, lifted her glass to her lips and took a long gulp of the whisky and lemonade Shaun had made for her, but she couldn’t stop the pounding of her heart.
As if she had conjured up his image, Shaun appeared at her side. Perching himself next to her, he draped an arm around her shoulder and looked up at his brother.
‘You cut it a bit fine, didn’t yer? I didn’t think yer were coming, but I’m glad yer did else Mum would’ve made all our lives a misery, ’specially with Pat not being here either. Well, don’t just stand there, look at the time. Get yerself a drink. You can’t see the New Year in without a drink in yer hand.’
But Rory was staring at Josie. Bathed in the glow of the firelight, with her hair tumbling around her shoulders, she was wearing the same beautiful red dress she had been wearing that day in the restaurant. Rory felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her. Bewildered by his feelings, he said tersely, ‘Yeah, all right, Shaun, I’ll go an’ get one. Hello, Josie. Glad yer could make it,’ then he turned and went into the kitchen, where the array of drinks were laid out.
Throwing back a tumbler of whisky in one go, he refilled his glass and stared unseeingly into space for a few moments. The sound of raised voices brought him sharply out of his reverie and he hurried into the parlour, pushing through the merry crowd forming a circle and heading towards his parents and Shaun – and Josie. Without thinking, he slid between Josie and Shaun, his hands clasping Josie’s on one side and his brother’s on the other.
There was an expectant hush as all waited for the clock to strike twelve. Then someone began shouting the countdown, and it was quickly picked up by the rest of the room.
‘Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…’ There was a collective roar as the clock struck midnight, then everyone began to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ with gusto. The next few minutes were bedlam, with the well-lubricated crowd hugging and kissing each other, wishing all a Happy New Year.
Josie’s heart was beating so fast, she was finding it hard to breathe. She had been kissed by Paddy, Annie, Jane, Shaun and all the neighbours; even Ida Black – everyone but the one person who mattered most. Then Rory was in front of her. Without a word he pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers.
Josie let herself be swept up in the embrace. Her heart beating wildly, she felt a warm sensation building in her chest, and her legs turn to jelly. The noise in the room faded into the background, and Josie was transported back to the time when she and Rory were together. Then he pulled away, and the magic of the moment was rudely broken.
Holding her away from him, Rory smiled warmly.
‘Happy New Year, Josie. You deserve it.’
The kiss had only lasted a few seconds, but to Josie it seemed as if the world had stood still. And she knew in that moment that she was still in love with Rory, and always would be.
Chapter Fifteen
It was gone two in the morning before the last of the neighbours staggered noisily from the Flynn household. Amidst much cheerful banter and high spirits, Annie finally managed to close her front door. Leaning her back against it, her body sagged and she gave vent to a heavy sigh.
‘Jasus, but I thought they’d never leave,’ she said wearily, then she beamed. ‘By, but we had a grand time, didn’t we? This party will be the talk of the street for a few weeks. And a good many sore heads in the morning I’ll be bound.’ Her eyes swept the chaos her sitting room had been left in. ‘Holy Mary! Sure an’ it’ll take a month of Sundays to clear this lot up.’
‘Oh, I don’t think it’ll take that long, Mum.’ The affectionate term slid easily off Josie’s tongue as she stifled a yawn. ‘Me and Jane will help. Between us we’ll soon have the place tidy.’
‘Thanks, love, but ye look dead on your feet. Why don’t ye get yourself off home to your bed. I’ll soon—’
‘Don’t be daft, I’m not leaving you and Jane to clear this lot up by yourselves. Now then, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work, ’cos it won’t get done on its own, will it?’
A loud snore caught their attention.
>
Annie looked over to where Paddy, Shaun and Rory were sprawled over the armchairs and sofa, all of them dead to the world. She shook her head and sighed in exasperation.
‘Will ye look at the lot of them, the useless lumps. Still, that’s men for ye. They don’t mind the eating and drinking, an’ having a good time. But when it comes to the cleaning up, they’re either nowhere to be seen, or have drunk themselves into a stupor.’
Josie followed her glance, her eyes lingering a little longer on the lean frame of Rory slumped in the armchair.
Despite her resolve not to get her hopes up where Rory was concerned, she had failed. For he had been charm itself. Even now, hours later, she could still feel a tingle in her spine at the memory of that kiss.
After seeing in the New Year she had expected him to stay a while to keep his mother happy, then disappear at the earliest opportunity, as he had done at Christmas. But he had stayed. Stayed and danced with her, talked to her, and made her feel the same heady sensations as he had done in the past. Josie was aware that the drink had contributed to his behaviour, but still, he hadn’t had to spend so much time with her, and he could hold his drink. He never said or did anything when drunk that he wouldn’t when sober.
‘Right then,’ Annie said briskly. ‘Once we’ve the rubbish out of the way, we’ll start on the washing-up. I’ll wash, Josie can dry and Jane can put it all away.’
Too tired to talk, the women began putting the house in order. Annie set to with a heavy broom, sweeping through the house with renewed vigour. Opening the front door, she brushed the debris into the street. Normally she would empty it into the bin, but tonight she was just too tired to bother. Slamming the door shut, she saw with satisfaction that the noise had woken Paddy and Rory. Both men jumped, then groaned, letting their faces fall into their hands.
‘Blimey, Mum! D’yer have to make all that racket?’ Rory groaned. ‘Me head feels like someone’s banging a drum in there.’