Kerrie pulled on her warm grey cashmere sweater and slipped her feet into her sturdy black leather walking shoes as she glanced out of the window. Matt was shaving in the bathroom and once he was finished they were going for a walk in the nearby woods. The rain had held off and she was looking forward to a break away from the house before Sunday lunch. She put her stylish grey suede boots back in her bag. Most of her weekend wardrobe had proved utterly useless, and she wished she had given more thought to what a few days in Moyle House would entail before she had packed.
Last night she had felt very overdressed in the golf club in her figure-hugging purple dress. The men’s eyes had been out on stalks, but their wives hadn’t been quite as friendly when they had had pre-dinner drinks in the bar before eating.
Matt and his dad had played golf on Saturday while she had accompanied Maureen to the village to a local farmers’ market which had a huge array of vegetables, food, plants and local products on offer.
‘Buy the best and use the best,’ advised Maureen. She drove the stallholders crazy with her deliberations over every vegetable and pickle and chutney she bought. Kerrie had followed Maureen’s advice and purchased a few things for their kitchen back home.
The cheese looked great, and there was a nutty brown bread and some pecan slices. There was red onion chutney, a damson jam, some honey, marmalade, a jar of apple sauce, mint jelly, and some delicious homemade fudge … one of Kerrie’s weaknesses.
As they walked around the village Maureen pointed out some of the local landmarks, including Dermot’s favourite watering hole, Delaneys, and the small primary school where her children had gone when they were little.
‘It must have been hard for you when Matt and Ed and Georgina went off to boarding school,’ Kerrie volunteered.
‘Our children had to go boarding … it’s a tradition,’ Maureen said. ‘The boys went to Castle Wood, where Dermot and his brothers were educated, and Georgina went to Annefield College. You know, it wouldn’t have been good for the children to be hanging around the village, like the rest of the locals. I had always known that they would have to go away. I’m sure Matt, when the time comes, will probably do the same.’
‘Matt wasn’t that happy in school,’ Kerrie said softly. ‘I think he must have missed home a lot.’
‘Well, he never said much to us,’ said Maureen. ‘He was always a quiet type of boy … he needed to toughen up like his older brother, Ed.’
Kerrie said nothing. Over her dead body would any of her children be packed off to boarding school. Her childhood might have been chaotic and a lot less financially comfortable than Matt’s, but she could remember walking in from school and feeling the warmth of the kitchen. Her mam would be in her apron, either cooking or cleaning or washing, but stopping whatever it was she was doing to ask how Kerrie’s school day had gone, and what the teacher had said, and what she had learned. Her parents had been great encouraging them all to study and do well.
After lunch on Saturday Maureen had gone to visit a sick friend in the local retirement home. Kerrie had opted to explore the Hennessys’ fields and gardens, ignoring the pleas of the dogs, who wanted to come with her. As she walked around the grounds of Moyle House she couldn’t help but be impressed by what Maureen and Dermot were doing there: there were compost heaps and organic vegetables, and even some hens scratching in an enclosure. There was an orchard with old apple trees and a pear tree, a run-down tennis court with a bedraggled looking net, an old paddock that was now overgrown, and what looked like stables and a yard in the distance. The lawn up around the house was immaculate, and the main flower beds were well pruned and neat and tidy. She couldn’t help but compare it to the small suburban garden of her parents’ house, with its concrete patio, patchy lawn, scanty shrubs and bushes, and her dad’s attempts to grow scallions and a few heads of lettuce and carrots.
Afterwards she had made herself some coffee and grabbed one of the lovely pecan slices she had bought that morning, and curled up on the couch reading the papers in the garden room.
The sun was streaming in on her, and somehow she must have dozed off and fallen asleep as she woke to find a rug over her. Since Matt wasn’t due home till 6 p.m. she realized that Maureen must have discovered her.
Upstairs she had freshened up and was blow-drying her hair when Matt returned.
‘Nice day?’
She was about to moan about him leaving her on her own, but realized that she had literally relaxed most of the day, and that all the fresh air had wiped her out.
‘I feel so tired.’ She laughed, unable to stop yawning. ‘I don’t know why, as I hardly did anything.’
‘I’m the same.’ He laughed too. ‘The old man is after beating me hands down at the golf.’
‘I hope it’ll be OK at the golf club. I don’t know anyone, and you know I haven’t a clue about golf, either!’
‘It’ll be fun,’ he promised. ‘It’s kind of low key and relaxed there.’
The bar of the club had been packed, and after a few minutes Kerrie had totally lost track of all the names of the people she had been introduced to. Gerard Mullen, Dermot’s business partner, and his wife Gail were at their table, plus Maureen’s best friend Anne and her husband Kevin, who were great fun. Anne kept trying to find out information about Kerrie’s upcoming wedding, and Kerrie tried to put her off. Anne’s daughter Ciara had got married only the previous year, and she was full of wedding tips and advice. They were awaiting the birth of their first grandchild and Anne was really looking forward to being a granny.
‘I’m not like Maureen,’ she said, laughing. ‘I’ll be a hands-on granny and give Ciara as much help as I can when she has the baby.’
Kerrie wondered how on earth two women who seemed so different were even friends.
Gerard’s son Alan and his girlfriend Sandy were the last to arrive and joined them as they sat down to dinner. The dinner had been fun and Sandy was, like herself, a city girl, and they teased the lads unmercifully about being from the country.
The room was a bit stuffy and hot and at times Kerrie had had to force herself to stay awake and join in the conversation.
Afterwards they had all retreated to the bar and Matt had bought drinks for everyone. Dermot and Gerard had had their heads down talking about some problem they were having with a piece of property they had invested in, and she had seen Alan was also involved in the conversation.
‘Leave the men at it,’ advised Gail as she regaled them all with stories of a trip to Argentina that Gerard and herself had recently taken.
It had been long after midnight before they had finally got home, and Matt had made sure that his dad, who had drunk far too much, was OK going up the stairs to bed.
‘He’s been under a lot of stress of late,’ he confided as they undressed, ‘but I just worry that he’s getting himself too involved with that Gerard. It’s strange because Dad’s always been his own boss!’
On Sunday morning they enjoyed their walk down through Carna Wood, with Matt showing her where he had hidden in the trees when he was kid, and where he and his brother had made a secret fort. They strolled along by the river, with Matt promising to bring her fishing there the next time they came. It started to rain and they made a run for it and got back to the house just in time.
Matt’s sister Georgina and her husband Charley were already there with their little boy Henry and his baby sister Jessica. Georgina was a smaller, plumper version of Dermot, with sparkling brown eyes and a mass of curly hair. The baby was asleep in her car seat and Henry was playing with some Toy Story figures that his mother had wisely brought along.
‘Glass of wine, anyone?’ offered Charley.
Kerrie was unable to resist the chilled Chablis, relieved that she wasn’t the one driving home later.
‘Blast breastfeeding,’ muttered Georgina. ‘Another few weeks, Charley, and it’s payback time … then you’ll have to chauffeur me everywhere!’
‘Of course I will,’ Charley promised.
The kitchen was hot and there was a huge roast in the oven. Matt’s grandfather, Patrick, and his Aunt Liz were sitting in the armchairs, immersed in the Sunday papers.
Kerrie could immediately see where Matt got his handsome looks from.
‘I’m delighted to meet you.’ She smiled, utterly charmed. Eighty-six-year-old Patrick Hennessy might have a slight stutter following a stroke he had had two years back, but otherwise seemed hale and hearty and lively. He lived about two miles away with Liz, who was divorced and helped to take care of him.
‘What a beauty, Matt! Well done!’ declared Patrick. ‘The next time you come down home you must bring Kerrie over to see Springfield.’
‘Where I live and where young Dermot and the rest of the brood grew up. It’s a fine old house, though Liz and I are rattling around it at this stage. Full of memories, though!’
‘I’d love to see it, the next time I’m down,’ Kerrie found herself promising.
They ate in the dining room: Maureen had cooked a large lamb roast and was just carving it when Matt’s older brother Ed arrived. There were only three years between them but they looked nothing alike. Ed was big and rather stocky, and almost grey in the face, and admitted he’d been at a stag night and had only just managed to crawl out of bed.
‘Poor Brian’s getting married in about two weeks,’ he sighed. ‘It’s another good man gone!’
‘He takes it so personal,’ teased Georgina. ‘He’s so immature I’m sure no girl would have him.’
‘That’s what you think!’ he laughed.
‘Sit down, everyone,’ urged Maureen, getting everything out of the oven.
Kerrie gave a hand carrying the large bowl of golden roast potatoes to the dining room, while the others all took their seats at the large mahogany table with its starched linen cloth and napkins and crystal glasses.
The lamb was tender and perfectly cooked, served with honey-glazed parsnips, carrots and some creamy spinach.
‘There’s nothing like Maureen’s Sunday roasts! I really look forward to them,’ praised Patrick as he poured gravy over his meat.
Maureen was a perfect hostess, and was in her element, as she loved entertaining … loved cooking. In a month of Sundays Kerrie would never be as accomplished in the kitchen. She would never be able to serve a meal like this! The lamb was falling off the bone and everything was so perfect. It was a massive meal, and they all tucked in. Kerrie reckoned she must have put on at least three kilos over the weekend with all the food and drink.
‘Georgina, talk to your brother about his wedding,’ insisted Maureen. ‘Kerrie and Matt want to have only a handful of people to some ceremony in France. It’s not what people are expecting at all! Tell them about your wedding. You had over two hundred guests and it was such a wonderful day. Some of my friends are still talking about it.’
‘Mum, I wouldn’t dream of interfering in someone else’s wedding plans,’ said Georgina, giving Kerrie a sympathetic glance. ‘Matt and Kerrie are totally entitled to have the type of wedding they want.’
‘But it is going to be such a small affair,’ Maureen continued doggedly.
‘Well, when the time comes, if Charley and I are invited we’d love a few days in the South of France seeing my little brother getting married!’
‘Of course we’d want you there,’ said Matt.
‘It’s just going to be family and a few close friends,’ said Kerrie, her cheeks flaming. ‘That’s what we want.’
‘I’m not up to flying any more,’ murmured Patrick, ‘so I’ll be sorry to miss it.’
Matt cast a despairing glance at Kerrie. She knew he was very fond of his grandfather and wanted him at the wedding.
There was silence around the table for a minute, and Kerrie could feel a growing swell of resentment from her future mother-in-law.
‘Hey, well I’ll help organize your stag night!’ offered Ed. ‘That’s the part of people getting married that I like.’
‘Ed!’ They all laughed, breaking the tension.
Henry was across from Kerrie, and he was such a cute little guy, with a mass of blonde curls and big blue eyes. He had just started kindergarten and was full of chat about his class. Little Jessica began to cry and fret and was obviously hungry, and Georgina reached to take her baby out of her seat and feed her.
‘Georgina!’
Even Kerrie couldn’t ignore the glacial glance Maureen directed at her daughter, who was starting to feed the hungry baby.
‘Your father and grandfather are present.’
Dermot and Patrick were so engrossed talking and eating that they hadn’t even glanced in Georgina’s direction.
Kerrie was embarrassed, not by Georgina feeding the baby, but by Maureen’s attitude. Georgina was among family. Kerrie’s own sister Martina felt totally at home when she appeared with her babies, and had breastfed her boys till they were each about one year old.
Without a word, Georgina left the rest of her meal and got up and disappeared off upstairs with the baby in her arms. Poor Georgina, letting her mother dictate when and where she could feed her child!
They had finished dessert and coffee and Matt’s sister had still not reappeared.
‘We have to be leaving soon,’ warned Matt.
‘I’ll go upstairs and get my bag,’ Kerrie offered, scooting off up to their room.
Georgina was sitting on the landing.
‘You OK?’ Kerrie asked.
‘Fine … sometimes I forget how bad she is. Why Charley and I so rarely come to visit. I want Jessica and Henry to know this is their grandparents’ home and to feel welcome here even if they are not.’ Georgina said this tearfully, trying to control her emotions.
‘They’re great kids,’ Kerrie offered. ‘And you’re a great mum.’
‘I thought it would be nice to have one family meal … to try to make the effort.’
‘Thanks. Matt and I appreciate it.’
‘Next time you’ll come to us, and there’ll be none of this shit!’ Georgina insisted.
‘Sounds great.’ Kerrie smiled, reaching for Georgina and giving her a hug.
‘And don’t let Mum get on your case about the wedding,’ Georgina warned. ‘Charley and I might have had over two hundred people at ours, but when I look back at the photos and the DVD I don’t know half of them! Don’t let her boss you around.’
‘Sure.’
‘Are you two packing up to leave?’
‘Yeah, Matt wants to get back to Dublin.’
‘I’m sure Charley is ready to go too, then.’ Georgina stood up and blew her nose on a Kleenex. ‘Jess is asleep. I’ll gather all our baby gear, and we’ll get going, too. Get out of Mum’s way! There’s no point hanging around.’
Kerrie stood in the bedroom trying to collect herself, to imagine Matt growing up here in this old house. OK, there were the woods and the gardens and the river, and so much for a boy to do, but there was something missing … something that she had had that he hadn’t. Sitting on the bed, she sent a text to her mam.
I’m down in Moyle with Matt. Love you and miss you.
See you tomorrow. Kerrie