Page 35 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘Whatever it sounds like, I wouldn’t hesitate if you make a fuss.’
Claire knew he meant it. She also knew that she suddenly didn’t care about the money. He could have the whole lot if he wanted as far as she was concerned. ‘Right,’ she said, getting up. ‘That’s enough of that. I’m off to have dinner with my friends. I’ll get the sale going as soon as I can. I’ll keep you posted now that I have your number.’In more ways than one, she thought as he stood up.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘And we’ll negotiate about how to split the money once the sale goes through.’
‘Fine,’ she said, gritting her teeth, leaving some cash on the side for the bill. She swept out of the lounge, her back straight but her heart contracting at the thought of his threats. She knew he had won and that he wouldn’t hesitate to reveal who she was if he thought she wasn’t going to agree to his terms. And sheknew she might have to, which stuck in her gullet. But it was St Patrick’s Day and she wanted to have fun and forget about her problems for just one day. Was that too much to ask?
SEVENTEEN
Claire shook off the memory of the past half hour and made her way back through the town. The parade was over and everyone was drifting into pubs and restaurants for dinner with friends. Claire looked forward to an evening with all the nice people she had met since she arrived. It seemed strange to have this sense of belonging after only six weeks. But this was Kerry and things were different here. She spotted Rose and Noel down the main street, piling the children into their car. Rose waved and shouted, ‘See you in a little while,’ before they left to put the children to bed. Claire continued to Gleesons’ pub and went inside, where she saw Pierce sitting at the bar with a pint of Guinness.
He waved at her. ‘Hi, Claire, come and have a drink.’
She walked to the bar and sat on the stool next to him. ‘Yes, I need one.’
‘I’m guessing it wasn’t a pleasant conversation with your ex,’ he remarked kindly. He turned to the waiter behind the bar. ‘A glass of Guinness, for the lady, please.’ Then he turned back to Claire. ‘It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me anything. Maybe you’d be better off forgetting what happened, just for tonight?’
‘Oh, yes,’ Claire said, feeling a surge of affection for this nice man. ‘I want to do just that.’ Then she grabbed the glass of Guinness that had just been put in front of her. ‘Cheers andlá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit.’
‘Mar an gcéanna duit, mo ghrá,’ Pierce said with a grin, holding his own glass aloft.
‘Oh,’ Claire said and blushed at the wordsmo ghrá, which mean ‘my love’ in Irish.Or it could just mean ‘my dear’, she told herself, trying not to read too much into it.
But then everyone arrived in the pub and the moment passed. Lily, Rose and Noel walked in, followed by Karina and Sylvia, accompanied by a stylish-looking older man who must be Arnaud, Claire assumed. He hadn’t appeared at Sylvia’s birthday party because his flight had been late so she hadn’t met him yet. But now they were introduced, and he took her hand and kissed it, saying howenchantéhe was to meet her. Claire was immediately taken by the charm and apparent kindness of this elegant man who seemed so devoted to Sylvia.
They all mingled for a while until their table was ready. Lily’s husband, Dominic, came to say hello, but then had to join his band for a soundcheck. He then came back to the table and joined them for the meal and Claire had a chance to talk to him, as he was sitting beside her.
‘Hi,’ Dominic said, smiling at Claire. ‘I heard Karina is working you into the ground.’
Claire laughed and shook her head. ‘That’s not true. It’s very busy but I’m really enjoying everything.’
‘She’s an absolute treasure,’ Karina said from across the table. ‘I don’t know how I coped before she arrived like an angel of mercy.’
‘Oh, please,’ Claire protested. ‘I’m the lucky one. I mean, who lands a job and a great place to live after just arriving in town? It all seems so miraculous.’
‘Or written in the stars?’ Pierce suggested on Claire’s other side. ‘And here’s Brendan, right on cue,’ he added as Karina’s husband joined them.
‘Hello there, Claire,’ Brendan said and waved, then went around the table to sit down on the empty chair beside Karina, who gave him a kiss on the cheek.
‘Hello, darling,’ she said, beaming at him. ‘I’m glad you’re taking a little time off.’
‘All for you.’ Brendan took Karina’s hand and kissed it.
‘So now that everyone’s here, we can settle down to enjoy tonight’s special,’ Pierce said. ‘The famous Gleesons’ chowder.’
The serving staff handed around deep plates with the chowder that was more like a fish stew than a soup. Pieces of fresh cod and salmon, mixed with mussels and shrimp, the fragrance of which was mouthwatering, filled the plates to the brim. They passed around baskets of newly baked sourdough bread and it was all washed down with more Guinness. Claire tucked into the food with gusto, forgetting all her problems and worries as she enjoyed the delicious food and drink.
Then the band struck up a lively tune and they all stopped talking to listen. Dominic sang several songs and then the rhythm became even more lively and everyone got up to dance the jigs and the reels.
Pierce held out his hand to Claire. ‘Will you dance with me?’ he asked.
‘Oh,’ she said, hanging back, ‘I’m not a great dancer. It’s years since I’ve been on any kind of dance floor.’
‘Ah come on,’ he urged. ‘Who cares if you’re good or not? Everyone is on the floor swinging their hips and shouting. It’s just a bit of fun on Paddy’s Day, not a competition.’
‘Okay,’ Claire said, deciding not to be a stick-in-the-mud. She took Pierce’s hand and followed him onto the floor where they joined the dancing, shouting crowd. The music was so hypnotic,Claire soon forgot her hesitation and found herself dancing as if she was born to it. Her feet flew across the floor and she suddenly remembered the steps she had learned many years agon in her Irish dancing class when she was ten. Pierce kept holding her hand in a tight grip as they danced and he looked into her eyes, which made her feel like a young girl at her first dance.
After that, she danced with everyone in turn, twirling and jumping and laughing, thoroughly enjoying herself. She finally stopped to catch her breath and suddenly saw someone in the crowd looking at her. It was Hugh, holding a pint of Guinness. He quickly disappeared. Seeing him had given her such a jolt she nearly stopped breathing. She stumbled away, finding their table and sat down, fanning her face. Seeing Hugh like that and the way he had smiled at her reminded her of his threat. She knew he could undo everything she had achieved with just a few words, but then, she wondered if anyone would actually believe him. She knew, however, that the news would spread fast through town, whether they believed it or not. The doubt would be there and then someone might do some research and find it was all true. It simply could not happen.
