City Woman Page 16

  ‘How’s Charles?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s not too bad at all. He’s taking things easy. We followed your advice and went to New England one weekend and it was beautiful. Caroline, I wish you’d been with us. We’re going to fly down to New York and do a cultural weekend soon, we’ve decided. He’s not in any pain at the moment so we want to make the most of the good days. His brother is giving him excellent care, so that’s a great help.’

  ‘That’s good. At least you’ve got someone to share the worry and you know that he’s in sound hands.’

  ‘I’m glad I came with him, Caroline. Our time together is very precious and I’ll always be able to look myself in the eye and think that I didn’t let him down,’ Richard said. ‘As long as everything is OK with you, I don’t mind.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she assured him. ‘Give my love to Charles. We’ll talk again soon.’

  ‘I will,’ he promised, and Caroline smiled as she said goodbye.

  She hadn’t been telling any fibs when she said she was fine, Caroline reflected, as she pulled the curtains in the sitting-room. It was lashing rain outside, and the nights had drawn in as winter took hold. It was five weeks since Richard and Charles went to America. She hadn’t fallen to pieces and she hadn’t turned back to the bottle and actually she was quite proud of herself.

  Charles had been right: dig deep and you find reserves within yourself. She had been determined not to give herself time to brood and get depressed so she had taken the bull by the horns and joined a beginners’ art class, something she had always wanted to do. She was thoroughly enjoying it. Caroline had always loved art at school. She had a creative streak that had never been developed and she found that, just as in her schooldays, she could immerse herself in her painting for hours and not feel the time go by.

  The computer studies were far more taxing, but also something she wanted to persevere with. Caroline knew that if she wanted to work full-time again, she might have to look elsewhere than Foynes and Kelly, Estate Agents and Auctioneers. As she had said to Richard on the telephone, they were letting her go shortly, until the spring. This would not cause Caroline any financial hardship because of the cheque Richard had arranged to be lodged for her every month. But now that she had set in motion the dissolution of their marriage, she wanted to work full-time and make her own financial way in the world. She was still a young woman with a whole life ahead of her. She couldn’t go on working part-time and attending painting classes for ever.

  She decided that she would invite Maggie and Devlin to dinner the following Friday. Devlin was in great form these days. Her relationship with Luke was bringing her happiness and Caroline was so glad for her after all the trauma she had been through. She was really excited about the new Belfast City Girl and buzzing with ideas about the launch. It was great to see her friend in top gear again.

  Poor Maggie was a bit browned off, trying to get her second novel written. Time out away from the children would do her the world of good and it would be nice for the three of them to have an evening together. The other two were so busy these days that there were times they didn’t even make their Friday morning workout. A dinner for three would be perfect.

  Caroline opened the oven door and an enticing aroma assailed her nostrils. ‘Very nice,’ she murmured happily. She was cooking crunchy stuffed pork and it smelled delicious, even if she said so herself. She was serving buttered carrots, sprouts, baked parsnips and roast and creamed potatoes to accompany her main course. There was prawn cocktail for starter and a Pavlova for dessert.

  Caroline was really enjoying herself as she diced carrots and parsnips, peeled the potatoes she was going to cook, and washed the lettuce for the prawn cocktail. Cooking for one was a bit of a drag, so she was really pulling out all the stops now that she was having company. To tell the truth, she was starting to feel peckish herself.

  The table was set, the wine was chilling, and everything was under control, so she went into the lounge and sat in front of the fire with a cup of coffee. It was great being able to invite the girls over for dinner. She’d never entertained them when she and Richard were together. He and Devlin had never got on and it would have been too awkward. There was a strange kind of freedom in being on your own, she mused, staring at the flames as they leapt up the chimney. It was not at all the disaster she had thought it was going to be. It was nice being able to do exactly what she pleased without having to consider someone else’s feelings. Caroline loved classical music but, as Richard had never liked it, she had rarely played her collection. Now Madame Butterfly was playing softly in the background. Little things like that were helping her to find her feet again and she was facing life with courage and a positive attitude.

  The doorbell rang, interrupting her reflections, and she jumped to her feet and lifted the intercom. Devlin’s image appeared on the monitor.

  ‘Hi, it’s me. Is dinner nearly ready? I’m starving,’ her friend declared, as she stood shivering in the biting wind outside.

  ‘Come on up, you gannet,’ laughed Caroline, pressing the buzzer.

  Devlin arrived with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of non-alcoholic wine.

  ‘Mmmm,’ she sniffed the air appreciatively. ‘That smells gorgeous! What is it?’

  ‘Crunchy stuffed pork,’ Caroline informed her.

  ‘My favourite, oh yum, yum, yum,’ Devlin did a little twirl of delight. The dish had been a favourite since their flat-sharing days, and was one of Caroline’s great specialities.

  ‘Come out into the kitchen and have a drink. I want to put the parsnips in the oven.’

  ‘Baked parsnips as well! Oh double yum yum to you,’ Devlin giggled.

  Caroline cocked a suspicious eye at her. ‘Are you tipsy already?’

  ‘No, I’m just really looking forward to our evening. It will be like old times in the flat,’ Devlin said with a happy smile.

  ‘Yes, we were happy then, weren’t we?’ Caroline handed Devlin a gin and tonic.

  ‘And we’re not doing too badly now, either.’ Devlin held up her glass in a toast, and Caroline clinked her glass of mineral water with her.

  Unthinkingly, they slipped into their routine of several years before, Caroline cooking and stirring, Devlin washing up as they went along, chatting in that easy way of old friends. Shortly afterwards, Maggie arrived with more flowers and some goodies – for the ‘Sin Bag’, she laughed. They sat around the fire enjoying their pre-dinner drinks. All Caroline had to do was to pop the carrots and sprouts into the microwave, and make the gravy.

  ‘Come on out into the kitchen until I tell you about this ould fella who came to view an apartment I was selling yesterday. He told me he was a bachelor with plenty of money in the bank if I fancied making a go of it.’ Caroline grinned.

  The other pair shrieked with laughter as they followed Caroline into the high-tech kitchen that was so different from Devlin’s homely one across the way. Maggie and Devlin had just seated themselves on the chrome-and-leather stools and Caroline was pouring some of the sizzling juices from the pork into a saucepan when the lights went out.

  ‘Oh shit!’ Caroline exclaimed. ‘Is it a fuse, I wonder?’

  ‘It’s not a fuse. Everything’s out in my block as well. I think we’re having a power-cut.’ Devlin edged her way to the window and peered out.

  ‘Ah, shag it,’ Maggie said. ‘I was really looking forward to my dinner.’

  ‘Have you any candles?’

  ‘Hold on, I’ll get them. Oops, sorry.’

  ‘Where’s my gin and tonic?’

  ‘That’s right,’ Maggie said, grinning at Devlin in the dark. ‘Get your priorities right. Don’t lose your gin and tonic, for God’s sake.’

  ‘Oh, girls, this is a disaster.’ A crestfallen Caroline lit some candles and stuck them around the kitchen. ‘The meat needed another half an hour at least. You know pork. The vegetables aren’t cooked, the gravy’s not made and the potatoes are still hard.’ She stabbed one of the potatoes veno
mously with a knife.

  ‘I wonder how long it’s going to last,’ Maggie said in disgust.

  ‘Knowing my luck – hours,’ Caroline replied glumly.

  An hour later, Devlin had had enough. ‘I can’t last another minute. I’m starving. Come on, Caroline, let’s see what’s in the fridge.’

  ‘Well, we can have the prawn cocktail and some brown bread . . .’

  ‘And there’s cream cheese and pâté.’ Devlin was peering into the fridge, holding a candle up high. ‘Oh, and what’s this?’ She pointed to a plate covered with tinfoil.

  ‘That’s a chicken breast. And I’ve tomatoes and cucumber,’ Caroline said forlornly.

  Devlin jollied her along. ‘There’s loads here. Come on; we’ll have a picnic in front of the fire. Sure it’s a bit of a laugh.’

  ‘And most importantly,’ Maggie murmured, ‘we have the Pavlova for sweet and . . . the Sin Bag!’

  It turned into an evening of great fun and laughter as the trio ate their makeshift meal by candle-light, sitting in front of the fire. Just as the lights came on, Devlin was telling them all about her plans for Belfast, and as they carried the dishes out to the kitchen, Caroline remarked that it was years since she’d visited the Northern capital.

  ‘Well, you’ll be finishing up work soon. Why don’t you come up with me one of these days?’ Devlin suggested. ‘I’d love you to see the new place and you could do a bit of shopping.’

  ‘I’d like that, Devlin, I’d like that very much,’ Caroline replied.

  ‘Right, we’ll make an arrangement when you’re free,’ Devlin said cheerfully.

  It was the early hours of the morning before Maggie left, and Devlin announced that she was staying the night. She just couldn’t face ‘the trek across the lawn’, as she called it.

  Caroline was delighted. It was nice to have the company and that night she slept like a log, knowing that Devlin was in the other room.

  She woke early and lay listening to the rain beating against the window, as the wind whistled and keened between the apartment blocks. She snuggled down into the warm hollow in the middle of the bed. It was bliss not to have to get up for work on a day like today. Devlin had assured her that she was in no hurry to get up either, so a lie-in was on the cards. Today that suited her just fine. Her eyes grew heavy. Last night had been great fun and there was no reason why she should not have more nights like it. And she was really looking forward to her trip to Belfast, she thought, as she sank into a delightful state of lethargy that lasted until she eventually fell asleep again.

  Seventeen

  Caroline gratefully submitted herself to the ministrations of one of the beauticians in City Girl. She was having a steam treatment as part of her facial after a workout with Devlin and Maggie, and it was really the most relaxing experience. Her mind wandered and the muted sounds of the salon faded into her subconscious. Her little pink-and-green cubicle with the steamer hissing softly was like another world.

  It was a Friday morning early in December and she was planning to finish off her Christmas shopping. It was hard to believe that Christmas was almost upon them. She had been living on her own for nearly two months now and she felt quite stable. She was controlling her panic attacks and their intensity and frequency had diminished greatly. Caroline had read somewhere that by facing up to your fear, you conquer it. Well, maybe that was what she was doing, she thought with some satisfaction. Even the imminent arrival of Christmas was not causing her the angst she had been expecting. But then she had so many plans for Christmas this year that she wouldn’t have time for angst.

  She would go to her father and the boys for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day, then home to the penthouse to spend a few days on her own, painting. Richard and Charles had sent her the most beautiful easel, a selection of canvases and an array of oils and water-colours that Michelangelo himself would have envied. Caroline hadn’t touched them at all; she was saving that treat for Christmas.

  Richard and Charles had invited her to Boston, and she had given a lot of thought to their invitation. She would have liked to visit the city and see where they were living, but she wondered whether staying with them wouldn’t be a bit awkward – an awkwardness, she admitted to herself, that would be entirely of her own creation. Caroline had come to the conclusion that it was the very distance between her and Richard that was enabling her to get on with her new life. She feared that if she went to America, all the old inadequacies would come surging in upon her and she’d be back where she started. She fretted about it until Devlin said in exasperation, ‘For God’s sake, Caroline, stay or go. Make a decision; then you’ll only have to worry about the decision you’ve made.’

  Caroline had there and then decided not to go and, amazingly, once she had made her decision, she ceased to worry about it. It was something she was going to remember in the future. From now on, decide and act was going to be her new year’s resolution.

  Once she made up her mind, she found herself quite looking forward to Christmas. When Devlin returned from her trip to Paris with Luke, she was going to spend a few days with her and then she and Devlin were going to visit Maggie, so it would be a busy little season. And a happy one too, she promised herself, as she inhaled the faint scent of aromatherapy oils that permeated the air of the salon.

  She hadn’t much Christmas shopping left to do, so she was in no great rush. She had done most of it on her trip to Belfast with Devlin and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself, apart from her natural feelings of apprehension when she saw the soldiers and armoured personnel-carriers on the streets. How people lived with the constant threat of violence, she could not imagine. Devlin, who had been up North on numerous occasions, and had never been involved in even the most minor incident, had assured her that she would get used to it very quickly. By the end of that long, busy day, Caroline noticed that her anxiety had dissipated and that she had adapted to the situation, although she still felt a sense of physical relief when she crossed the border on the way home. But, she told Devlin, as they drove towards Dublin, her trip to Belfast was an experience she wouldn’t mind repeating some time.

  ‘Great,’ Devlin declared. ‘You can come up and help out with the launch.’

  Caroline smiled to herself. Devlin was so decisive that it was no wonder she was such a successful businesswoman. That Belfast launch was consuming all her energies at the moment and if the new City Girl didn’t succeed, it wouldn’t be Devlin Delaney’s fault. Caroline was looking forward to the opening. She remembered well the excitement of the Dublin one. She had helped out at that, too, so she thought it would be nice to get involved with the Northern venture.

  ‘Caroline?’ she heard a voice calling.

  ‘In here,’ she called back. It was Devlin looking uncharacteristically harassed.

  ‘Caroline, I can’t go to the pictures with you tonight. I’ve got to go to Belfast. There’s a bit of an emergency. Arthur’s had a heart attack and it doesn’t look too good. And City Girl is supposed to be opening in less than two weeks. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. It looks as if Paris is off as well,’ she added forlornly.

  Caroline sat up on the couch. ‘Is there anything I can do? I’m finished working, I’m a free agent. I can type and make tea,’ she offered. ‘Do you want me to come up with you and give you a hand?’

  Devlin’s eyes widened. ‘God, Caroline, would you? It would be brilliant just to have someone I could depend on. I’d pay you a salary, of course.’

  ‘Oh, don’t be daft, Devlin,’ Caroline protested.

  ‘Don’t you be daft. By the time I’m finished with you you’ll be demanding a salary. It’s going to be hectic,’ she warned. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind? I’ll be staying up there for two weeks or more.’

  ‘Fine,’ Caroline replied with equanimity.

  ‘I’d better get Liz to book us two rooms in the Europa, then. It’s about the handiest to City Girl and it’s very central. Are you sure
you want to come?’

  ‘For God’s sake, would you stop blathering and get on with it,’ Caroline said. ‘And why do you want to book two rooms? Can’t we share and save on the expense? We shared before – and if you start snoring, I’ll buy some earplugs.’

  ‘If you’re coming to Belfast with me, you’ll want a bit of comfort. The budget will cope with it,’ Devlin argued.

  ‘It will be a bit of a laugh – like old times,’ Caroline said, with a smile.

  ‘Yes it will, won’t it? Caroline, thanks. I really appreciate this. I was starting to panic for a minute there,’ Devlin confessed.

  ‘You panic . . . Impossible! Look, I’ll just finish off here and go home and throw a few things in a case. You said we’ll be there for two weeks?’

  Devlin nodded. ‘At least.’

  ‘Right, I’ll meet you at the apartments. Call me when you’re ready to leave.’

  ‘OK, but first things first. I’m going straight down to accounts to put you on the payroll. How does the title “Executive Assistant” grab you?’

  ‘Wonderful. It’ll look very impressive on my CV. Now, beat it and let me finish my facial.’

  ‘Enjoy it,’ Devlin warned. ‘It’s going to be the last bit of relaxation you’ll have for the next fortnight.’

  Her friend hadn’t exaggerated, Caroline reflected, as she gazed at herself in the mirror in her bedroom in the Europa. The previous two and a half weeks had been among the most hectic, frenetic, exhilarating of her life. She and Devlin had started working the minute they had arrived in the city. Devlin had gone to visit Arthur in hospital, to reassure her partner that everything would be fine. She was relieved to find that his condition had stabilized and the critical twenty-four-hour period after the attack had passed with nothing untoward happening.

  Caroline had gone straight to City Girl, introduced herself to the rest of the staff, found out what needed doing, and got to work.

  She had taken over the administration, supervised workmen and organized deliveries of the remaining stock that was needed, leaving Devlin free to get on with the various promotions and marketing strategies that Arthur and his publicist had planned.