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.’
‘Lucky you,’ said Lucy enviously.
‘Moyle House is a wonderful house,’ enthused Emmet, ‘perfect for a wedding.’
‘It’s kind of a last hurrah for the house,’ Kerrie admitted. ‘My parents-in-law-to-be have to sell it, and it looks like a family from Germany are the buyers. Emmet was down giving Matt and his dad some advice about converting some of their stables into a mews with a courtyard garden, so that’s how he came to see it!’
‘A proper wedding! So much better than a handful of guests in France,’ said Kitty, making everyone laugh.
‘Kitty, we’re still going to France for our honeymoon,’ insisted Kerrie.
‘Here’s to Alice!’ toasted the class, as everyone stood up. ‘And to her cookery school!’
Alice blinked away the tears in her eyes. Funny, but she would really miss them. This year might have begun with some doom and gloom and trepidation, but it had brought so much change for all of them gathered here around the table. There had been so many new beginnings!
So much had happened in her own life over these past few months, too. She had learnt to let go of Liam and the hurt of it, and to stand on her own two feet, which had been much harder than she had ever imagined. She took the risk of opening a cookery school, worrying about getting it off the ground! Then there had been Sean’s accident and the awful reality of almost losing her youngest son. The wonderful support of her friends and family – even these people, her students – had helped her get through those dark days. And then there was the milestone of Sean’s twenty-first party last week. It was so good to see Sean well again. And to have the opportunity to introduce Alex, the new man in her life, to the people she loved.
She still sometimes couldn’t believe it!
The Martello Cookery School’s reputation was growing, and next year she hoped to run classes three nights a week and was even considering holding a class one morning a week, too. Her business was taking off in a way she had never imagined, and even Patsy, her sister-in-law, and Nina had signed up for the autumn.
Then there was Alex! Lovely Alex!
The two of them were off to Lake Como for ten days in three weeks’ time. He had booked them into a magnificent-looking five-star hotel overlooking the lake. Alex Ronan was such a lovely man – generous and big-hearted and romantic – and when they were together he made her feel special, young and happy again!
She was so lucky to have been given this second chance – to have somehow found the courage to open her heart to happiness and to finding love again with Alex when she least expected it.