Authors: Marita Conlon-McKenna
Dermot was quiet at dinner, the four of them sitting in the dining room. Maureen had gone to a lot of trouble and done salmon en croute, something that Kerrie wouldn’t even dare to attempt. The pastry was cooked to perfection, concealing its delicious filling of fish and dill, and served with lovely new baby potatoes.
‘How are the wedding plans coming?’ asked Maureen.
‘They’re not,’ admitted Kerrie truthfully. ‘We’re thinking of changing everything and having it in Ireland if we can find somewhere to hold it. But at this stage it might be impossible.’
‘We’re both taking a few days off next week to have a look at places,’ explained Matt. ‘We’re seeing what we can find that’s free in September. A lot of the big venues will be gone, but maybe we can find an old country house or hotel that we both like.’
‘Much better to have it in Ireland instead of dragging everybody away,’ added Dermot. ‘To be honest, I don’t know if I’d be up to flying myself at the moment.’
‘That’s what’s made us change our minds,’ admitted Kerrie. ‘Too many people we love wouldn’t have been able to come to France, and, Dermot, we really want you and everyone we care about to be there.’
That night, as she lay curled up in Matt’s arms, Kerrie wondered what would have happened to this house by next year. Dermot looked very unwell, and Matt said the doctor had put him on some kind of medication for stress and suspected he was developing an ulcer.
‘I’m going to miss this house,’ Matt sighed.
She told Matt about her conversation with his mother about the old stables.
‘I dread the thought of the two of them moving away and having to start all over again,’ he said.
‘Matt, it’s only an idea, but if you want I’ll ask Emmet about it.’
‘If he’s coming down I’ll come with him. Maybe there is a
way they could salvage something from this disaster, Kerrie,’ he said, getting excited. ‘If we could manage without too much cost to convert the old stables and yard they’d still be able to stay living here at Moyle.’
Alice couldn’t believe their luck. The weather had held. What a perfect June evening to celebrate Sean’s twenty-first birthday. She’d made him a special breakfast that morning and given him her present of a surfboard and some Quiksilver shorts.
‘Mum, it’s just what I wanted. Dara and I can’t wait to give it a try in August.’
She was nervous about him learning to surf, but Conor and Jenny had made her realize that she couldn’t wrap him in cotton wool for ever!
All day long his friends had been calling and texting, and Sean was so excited. A big group of them had gone to Chicago for the summer, but they had still remembered him and phoned. In September, when they all got back, there would be a night for his college and school friends but tonight’s celebration was a family one. Indeed, it was a very special one as Conor and Lisa had surprised them all by getting engaged while away in Croatia, and were planning to get married the following summer.
Tanned and happy, Conor had helped his mum to string
fairy lights all around the garden, and take out the barbecue and set it up for cooking. Alice had marinated lots of chicken in a rich hickory sauce, and made prawn and vegetarian kebabs and her usual homemade beefburgers. There were chunky sweet potato fries, and small baby new potatoes, and big bowls of tossed green salad. She put the finishing touches to a big chocolate cake with twenty-one candles on it, and, looking around the kitchen and garden, thought everything looked ready to go.
Jenny, in a pretty pink gingham dress, was setting up the glasses, while Dylan tried to fit as much drink as he could into the fridge to chill, as it was so hot and balmy outside. Sean had uploaded music on his iPhone, and set up speakers to play it in the garden.
Alice’s dad, Barry O’Connor, had arrived early and was sitting with a Guinness outside, chatting to Sean, Hugh and Sally.
She had a few minutes to change out of her work clothes and into the simple beige linen shift dress and her slingback shoes. A slick of peach lipgloss and she was good to go. Everyone was in great form, and when Dara and his parents arrived Alice couldn’t stop herself crying as the two boys posed for photos. This day was so special to all of them. Next year, hopefully, Sean and Dara would be up to going off on the traditional student visa working for the summer in America. Three of the girls from Sean’s course at college had turned up wearing the shortest skirts she had ever seen, and were making a huge fuss of her son, along with Nick, Brian and Eoin, some of his old school friends.
Liam and Elaine arrived as she began to light the barbecue
and cook. Elaine, in a revealing wraparound dress, was nervous as Liam introduced her to the family. Alice did her best to be polite, even though she had no interest in having a conversation with Elaine and was only letting her attend for Sean’s sake.
Joy arrived with Fergus and Beth both in tow. She gave her godson the Xbox 360 Kinect he was dying for.
‘Thanks, Auntie Joy,’ he said, delighted.
‘Fergus is a sweetheart,’ said Alice, hugging the tall man with the glasses and great sense of humour who was such easy company and was crazy about blonde-haired Joy. ‘You know he’s mad about you!’
‘I know.’ Joy blushed. ‘Can you believe it?’
Patsy, Tim, Jenny and Lisa all helped Alice with the cooking, and everyone came up with their plates to help themselves to burgers and chicken and kebabs. Hugh and Conor poured out the drinks. ‘What a spread!’ said Dylan, filling his plate with a bit of everything.
Alex arrived with flowers for her and a present for Sean. He’d had his hair cut, was wearing a red and white striped shirt, and was unaware of the stir he caused by kissing her full-on in front of everyone. She laughed, seeing Liam’s reaction to the new man in her life. He looked seriously put out!
‘I didn’t know that you were seeing someone,’ he said peevishly as he followed her into the kitchen to get more drinks.
‘Alex is a lovely man,’ she said, grabbing a bottle of tonic water from the fridge and some ice. ‘You hardly expected me to live my life on my own, Liam, did you?’
She could see he was uncomfortable. ‘Alex works with Hugh; he’s the senior partner there. That’s how we first met.’ She smiled, getting another gin and tonic for Joy before slipping back outside. ‘And as I said, he’s a lovely man.’
It was getting dark when they lit the candles and carried the cake out to the garden on a tray. Sean was just like he used to be as a kid: all excited as he blew the twenty-one candles out, with everyone chanting and singing and cheering, toasting Sean and then toasting Conor and Lisa.
Later they sat and chatted, Alice delighted to see that Sean’s girlfriend Becky was sitting on his lap. She’d flown back from France for the weekend to surprise him.
When everyone was fed and well-served with drinks, Alice finally sat down herself, Alex coming over to take the seat beside her.
‘Great party!’ he said. ‘Great kids.’
She appreciated the compliment.
‘Sean’s having a wonderful time. That’s what matters.’ She laughed, holding his hand, relieved to see how well Alex fitted in with everyone. Funny how it had all worked out … if she hadn’t gone to work in Hugh’s office would she ever have met Alex? Fate was a strange thing. She still couldn’t believe how they’d found each other.
They stayed outside till midnight, Alice slipping away to bed not long after Alex went home, leaving the young crowd and cousins to party on into the night.
Alice looked around the kitchen. She couldn’t believe that tonight was her final night with the class. Ten strangers had joined her cookery school in January, and now she would really miss each and every one of them. They were more than her students … they were her friends!
They had been such a diverse group at the beginning. She had tried to disguise her dismay at the different levels, wondering how she could possibly teach such a group. Some of them had been hopeless, and terrified of cooking, but it amazed her how week after week their confidence in the kitchen had grown and grown.
They had all given her such support, and trusted her, from that very first night when they had watched her demonstrate and taken down her recipes. She suspected that she had learned almost as much from them over the past few months as they had learned from her. Even little Lucy, who had been despondent and now was madly in love and engaged to that gorgeous boyfriend of hers, and running a very successful business with him by all accounts. Nina and David still couldn’t get over it.
Then there was Kitty, who had been such a stalwart. She had only signed on for something to do, and yet seemed to have rediscovered her love of cooking. She was a natural. And Emmet, who Alice had always suspected of having a more important reason to develop his proficiency in the kitchen, and was now bravely set to open a place of his own. They were a wonderful bunch. She would miss each and every one of them!
Tonight was a very special night, this last night together, and they were making a three-course dinner: pan-fried scallops, rack of lamb with rosemary potatoes and a lovely light meringue roulade filled with raspberries and cream. She had set the big table and afterwards they would all dine together and have a glass of wine.
Fixing on her apron, she showed them how to prepare and pan-fry the scallops.
‘Delicious,’ said Paul. ‘My all-time favourite fish.’
She watched as they all very competently took their turn, giving advice or a hand when necessary. The meringue roulade was tricky, too, and there was a knack to getting it right as you gently rolled it up with the filling.
The time flew and she couldn’t believe it when the last rack of lamb was ready to serve and the class was almost over. Finally, the ovens were off, and everything was finished.
Tonight no one was rushing home and they all sat down to eat. What lovely food, she thought, and what lovely people. She would miss them all.
‘What a fantastic meal you have all prepared,’ she said, smiling, ‘and what a time we’ve had together learning all
about food! I’d like to congratulate you all on completing the course, and also to congratulate Lucy on her recent engagement. Let’s have some wine to celebrate!’
Lucy blushed and showed everyone her ring.
‘Wine, definitely!’ said Rob, hugging Lucy before slipping into his usual place as Alice passed him the bottle and the opener.
‘Lucy, congratulations on your engagement,’ everyone said, as Alice took some more glasses from the press and passed around knives, forks, spoons and napkins, and they all sat down to eat.
‘We’re broke, so we won’t be getting married for ages!’ Lucy laughed. ‘If we do get any money it’s going straight back into our business. This summer we’re at all the big festivals. We’ve a stand at Oxegen and Slane and Electric Picnic, and are even going over to Glastonbury to sell our T-shirts. Lots of the bands are starting to wear them, and then people just want them. Finn and I can’t believe it!’ she said happily. ‘But maybe if things go OK we might be able to get married the summer after next.’
‘We’ve some good news, too,’ announced Paul. ‘Gemma and I are going to have a baby in December.’
‘You will be wonderful parents,’ said Kitty, hugging Gemma, who everyone couldn’t help but notice had refused the wine and was drinking fizzy water.
‘And don’t forget my new business! Café na Mara will be opening in about ten days’ time,’ reminded Emmet. ‘I hope you are all going to come along to the opening on Friday week.’
‘Of course,’ they all chorused.
‘It’s wonderful to see a new venture opening,’ said Rob
seriously. ‘Emmet, I wish you so much luck with it. Living so nearby, I plan to be a regular customer.’
Alice opened another bottle of wine, topping up Tessa’s glass.
‘When are you heading back to London?’ she asked.
Tessa had mentioned her plans to return to London once she had organized and settled some of her mother’s affairs.
‘Alice, I’m not going anywhere.’ Tessa laughed, her serious face animated. ‘I’ve decided to stay on here in Dublin.’
‘I managed to persuade her to stay,’ said Rob, taking Tessa’s hand and making it quite clear to everyone that he and Tessa were very definitely together.
Alice smiled to herself. Why hadn’t she seen that Tessa was perfect for him? They were made for each other: two lonely people who had somehow found each other here at her cookery school! There had been something different about Rob the past few months. How had she not guessed about their romance?
Around the table, everyone began to talk of their plans for the summer.
Rachel and Leah were off to holiday houses beside each other in Lahinch, and in the autumn would do a child swap so they each got a romantic break away for a few days with their husbands. Kitty was joining her daughter’s family in Waterford for a few weeks, and had been flabbergasted to discover that Larry had, out of the blue, gone and booked tickets for the two of them to go to Paris in late September.
‘And of course, Kerrie, you’ll be off to France for your wedding. You must be so excited!’ said Alice.
To be honest she’d worried so much about Kerrie when she had first joined the class. She had seemed so tense and
unhappy all the time; but now as her wedding got nearer she seemed to have finally relaxed.
‘Alice, everything’s changed.’ Kerrie laughed, her eyes sparkling.
‘You’re not getting married?’ blurted out Kitty without thinking.
‘No,’ protested Kerrie, ‘Matt and I are getting married, but not in the South of France! We’ve decided to have our wedding at home now. We’re having a big family wedding down in Meath at his family place, Moyle House. It’s going to be a bit tight trying to squeeze everyone in, but we have hired caterers and barmen and are praying for a dry sunny day. My three sisters and Matt’s sister are being my bridesmaids, so it’s mad because this is June and we’re still trying to find bridesmaid’s dresses that suit everyone, and I have two little flower girls and two little pages, too. And those kids are all a bit wild! There’ll be a band, and a bouncy castle for all the kids, and one of my brothers is going to let fireworks off on the lawn, and we’ve hired a bus to bring people back to Dublin afterwards.’