Page 74 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure
‘I made such a fool of Conor. He must be cursing me.’ She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image of Conor’s acrobatic twists and turns as her cheesy quiche landed clown-like in his face. She remembered the open-mouthed expressions of the staff as they stood back to let her pass on the stairs.
Suddenly, Ruari stopped walking. He gripped Mary’s arms and stared into her eyes. ‘I can’t believe what I’m hearing,’ he said. ‘Are you seriously saying that you feelsorryfor Conor?’
‘No, no… not really. I… I’m so confused I don’t know what I am saying.’
‘Okay, then it is time you voiced all this. Let it out,’ Ruari urged. ‘Who have you spoken to? Do you have a friend to confide in?’
‘I haven’t.’ Mary hung her head. ‘There’s no one these days. Una is made away with her demanding family, and I seem to have lost touch with any genuine friendships. My time has been solely for the kids and Conor.’
‘What about your family in Cumbria?’
‘Oh, Mungo would jump with joy.’ Mary shrugged. ‘He’s never really warmed to Conor, and would probably like me to return to the farm andhelp with the business. I know he’s snowed under with it all.’
‘What about Atticus?’
‘My dad is having the time of his life in Spain. I think he’s fallen in love, and I can’t burst his bubble.’
‘Good for your dad, but in the meantime, why don’t we sit in the warmth of the car, and you can tell me all about it.’
Mary looked up, her brow furrowed, but as she searched Ruari’s face for signs of a teasing grin, she saw only concern in his eyes.
‘I’m your friend, Mary,’ he said softly.
She held his gaze, surprised by the warmth in his words. Mary had known Ruari for years, ever since she’d first arrived in Kindale, a stranger to the close-knit town. Una often said that Ruari could charm the hens out of a hen coop and was hand-carved by angels. At the Ladies’ Lunch Club, the women all drove well-valeted vehicles and compared notes with smirks and winks. But Mary felt sure that Ruari wasn’t the type to leave a trail of broken hearts. Despite his teasing ways, he’d always been there, watching from the background of her busy life.
Taking her hand, Ruari rubbed her fingers to warm them, then opened the back of his van to produce a flask of hot coffee and a small tot of brandy.
‘Essential valeting tools,’ he smiled, and, reaching for a blanket, wrapped it carefully around her shoulders.
‘Let’s stay here,’ Mary said. ‘I like looking out at the sea, and the mist seems to be lifting.’
‘Your wish is my command,’ Ruari replied. Momentslater, he placed two foldaway chairs side by side, facing the sea.
The weather was changing, and the tide was on the turn. The wind dropped as low-hanging clouds over the water parted to reveal glimpses of pale winter sunlight.
‘The beach is so beautiful,’ Mary said as she sat watching seaweed drift along the high-tide mark and whitecaps form on the surface of each outgoing wave.
‘Almost as beautiful as you,’ Ruari said as he stared out at the stark splendour of the scene. ‘Conor is an idiot,’ he added. ‘What are you going to do about your marriage?’
Mary ignored Ruari’s compliment. She felt as beautiful as a wet weekend in Galway.
‘I’ve told him I’ll give him time to decide what he wants to do, and he says he’ll let me know by Christmas,’ Mary reluctantly admitted. ‘I suppose he’s working out whether Lucinda is a better option than me.’
‘So… you’ve given him until then to selfishly make his decision, and you’ll go along with whatever he decides?’ Ruari appeared incredulous as he turned to face her.
‘I have no choice. If he comes back, it’s better for the kids. They’re too young to be separated from their father.’
Ruari sighed. ‘Mary, I had you down as an intelligent woman,’ he said. ‘Can’t you see that your kids are better off with one happy parent than two who don’t like each other?’
‘But…’
‘But nothing! You might want Conor back now, but when you accept what he’s done, you’ll come to dislike his actions. You’ll hate him and be unable to forgive him. You’ll find it impossible to live together.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘When my wife had an affair, we tried to work things out, but I could never trust her. The doubt was always there.’
‘Yourwife had an affair?’ Mary’s mouth fell open in surprise.
