Authors: Dilys Xavier
‘Thank goodness you’ve come in time,’ Tom said. ‘Everything’s arriving together, the pieces from the manor as well as the new stuff. Bad timing. They started to unload a few minutes ago, so let’s check the plan of where it’s to be placed. We must make sure they get it right.’ He gave an expletive. ‘Just look at them — they’re all over the shop.’ His face darkened with displeasure, and it was more than obvious that he was extremely annoyed to have been put to this inconvenience. ‘I certainly don’t want to be shifting furniture around after they’ve gone. That’s what they’re paid to do.’
Calmly, Katie undertook to supervise the placement of the furniture, and by late afternoon, it was all finished. Tom breathed a sigh of relief, and at last he smiled.
‘Thanks ever so much,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘I really appreciate your help.’
Katie’s instinct was to withdraw her hand, but just then Tom looked around.
‘Your dog,’ he said. ‘Where’s your dog?’
‘I didn’t bring him. You don’t like him. You said you wouldn’t have him in your house, remember?’
Tom looked a shade embarrassed. ‘I apologise for what I said, Katie. I didn’t mean to be so… so… forceful. It was thoughtless and unkind of me.’ He hesitated, and seemed to fumble for his words. ‘The truth is, I’m afraid of German Shepherds. I was badly mauled by one as a boy, and the memory of that terrifying experience has stayed with me ever since.’ He rolled up his sleeve and pointed to a huge scar running the length of his forearm. ‘See? It’s as simple as that. Please forgive me.’
‘You should have told me the reason at the time, and I would have understood,’ Katie said. ‘I thought you were being dictatorial and, to be frank, I didn’t appreciate it.’
‘You’ve been such an angel, and this is not the way you should be repaid. Is there anything that I can do to make up for my thoughtless words?’
‘Not really, except to try and accept that Thunder is not going to hurt you; that he’s a gentle creature who only wants love and attention. And that he goes everywhere with me, if I so choose.’
‘I promise I’ll try to get to know the dog, but it will be difficult for me. If I manage to, it would probably help cure the phobia I have about big dogs.’
‘All right.’ Katie smiled. ‘You’re forgiven.’ All the same, she thought, forgiving is one thing. Forgetting is another. She disliked the way he had so quickly condemned her dog, and worse, his autocratic manner was obviously an in-built part of his nature. Being dictatorial had been his way of life up to now. He was imperious. Would he ever be able to change? Marrying someone like that could bring problems.
But then, he had asked for her advice about his farmhouse; had given her carte blanche… her choice of furniture and decor. It seemed out of character at the time, but now she thought it had probably been that way to make sure everything would be to her liking, so that it would add strength to the reason why she should marry him. Had he truly meant what she overheard him tell Rex? He still had not made any such proposal to her directly, which was just as well.
‘The least I can do is to take you out to dinner this evening,’ he said.
‘Thank you, Tom, but not this evening, I’m afraid. You forget I left my dog at home.’ She gave him a long look as she mentioned Thunder. ‘Pat’s looking after him, and I would never take advantage of his kindness, so I must go home now.’
‘Oh, that so?’ Tom retorted. He raised his brows and gave Katie a decidedly supercilious stare. ‘So is it the dog you’re eager to get home to, or… is it that Irish gardener of yours?’
Chapter Twelve
Katie left without making any comment in response to Tom’s snide remark. It annoyed her so much that she smarted inwardly all the way home. It wasn’t until she arrived at Priory Farm to Pat’s welcoming smile and Thunder’s excitement that she forgot about it.
‘Did you get the job done?’ Pat asked cheerfully.
‘Yes, and now perhaps I can have a rest from Colonel Tom and his haughty ways for a while.’ Katie sighed deeply.
‘He’s upset you?’
‘Oh, yes. He does it all the time, but he’s not aware that he’s doing it.’ Then she related what had been said.
‘He’s an impertinent man to make such a suggestion. A real gentleman wouldn’t behave that way.’ He smiled at her, and his blue eyes twinkled mischievously. ‘You seem to pick ‘em, I’m thinking, Katie Turner.’
‘Yes, well let’s forget the problems. I can think of something much more pleasant.’ She swung around to face him. ‘Pat O’Reilley, I would like to go out and enjoy dinner tonight with a real gentleman. Will you take me?’
‘Thank you for those kind words,’ Pat replied, smiling, but colouring deeply. ‘It’ll be my pleasure. Where would you like to go?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Anywhere. Somewhere I haven’t been before. I’ll leave it to you.’
Pat thought for a minute, and then lifted his finger. ‘I know the very place. It’s a little way off, but tucked out of sight and not well known. As you can imagine, the landlord is Irish, one Mike O’Flaherty, so you can bank on good food.’
‘How long have I got to get ready?’
‘As long as it takes me to shower and change.’
Feeling quite excited, Katie rushed off to get ready. It didn’t matter where they went; she’d be happy with anything tonight, as long as she had Pat’s good humour and cheery face to look at. They set off in the Volvo and drove for three quarters of an hour. The sun was peeping through the leafy trees that lined the country roads, and the sweet odour of mowed grass filtered into the car. Everything looked greener than usual, and Katie was happy.
‘Here we are. Only locals who know of its existence would find this place.’ Pat turned into the small parking space at the side of a diminutive and ancient looking inn, set back so far off the road that it was barely visible.
Katie looked up at the tattered old sign hanging over the door. ‘Oh, ‘The Last Jug’. What a strange name for an inn.’
Pat ushered her inside. The landlord looked up and his face broke into a broad smile. ‘Well, and if it isn’t my old friend Pat O’Reilley an’ all.’ He wiped his hands dry on a rag as he came around from the back of the bar to shake Pat’s hand vigorously. ‘So to what do I owe this honor?’ Then he glanced at Katie. ‘Ah, I shouldn’t have asked. I see that you’re taking this beautiful lady out for the evening. I presume you’ll be wanting something to eat?’ He fumbled through a pile of cards and flourished a menu before them. ‘All the wife’s home cooking, for sure. None of your frozen, made-to-keep-for-years, stuff here.’ He bustled about, rearranging the chairs so that no one else would sit at their table and force unwanted conversation on them.
While they studied the menu, Mike drew a pint of Guinness for Pat, and placed a schooner of Croft Original in front of Katie. ‘On the house,’ he said, with another beam.
Katie plumped straight for the steak and kidney pie. Pat ordered Irish stew.
‘I haven’t had this in years and I can smell it from here,’ he said.
Maeve O’Flaherty wasted no time in bringing out the meal. ‘I made some apple tart this afternoon,’ she said, as she placed the generous portions of meat pie and Irish stew in front of them. ‘I can recommend the tart with clotted cream for your dessert. I love it; eat far too much of it myself when it’s around,’ she said, patting her ample stomach. Then with a pretty, dimpled smile, she disappeared back into the kitchen.
As she ate, Katie studied the display of old jugs and tankards that hung from the stout oak beams across the room. Pewter, luster, ceramic glazed, they all looked as though they had been in place forever, but they shone as though they had only just been washed and polished.
‘Mike likes to keep this place looking like the ones back home,’ Pat said. ‘I think it stops him from being homesick.’ He leaned across the table. ‘I could show you lots more places like this in Ireland. Some of those old inns haven’t changed at all over the years. The bars are the originals, and so are the benches. In fact, just about everything is the same as when they were opened all that time ago.’ He breathed in as though inhaling the atmosphere of what he was visualizing. ‘Oh, to be there again. Not long now before I will be, I’m thinking.’
The way Pat was reminiscing made Katie’s spirits droop a little. It was obvious that he couldn’t wait to get back to Ireland, and the thought of his going dampened the enjoyment of the moment for her.
He glanced across the table with a naughty gleam in his eyes. ‘It’ll be even lovelier next time I go, for sure, because you’ll be with me.’ He touched her hand. ‘You will, won’t you, Katie? You will come?’ His look was so pleading that she smiled.
‘Yes. I told you I’d think seriously about it, and yes, I’ve decided to come.’
‘You will? Then you’ll not be sorry, I promise; you’ll fall in love with it too.’ Satisfied, he continued eating; looking up only now and again at Katie as though he could not believe his good fortune.
After they had sampled Mauve’s delicious apple pie, they walked through to the tiny lounge at the back. The locals were still chatting around the bar, so Katie and Pat had the whole back room to themselves. Mike had put on some energetic Irish tunes, and they both sat back to enjoy the music without interruption. It was almost time for the inn to close when Katie suggested they should make their way home, and they left, promising Mike they would come again soon.
‘Give my regards to the folk back home when you get there, Pat,’ Mike hollered, as they went out through the door.
The drive home was leisurely, and it seemed to Katie as though Pat wanted to make the evening last as long as possible. Indeed, it had been such a pleasant night she felt the same way. No castle, no plush hotel, just a pseudo-Irish inn, but it was every bit as enjoyable, if not more so, as those posh places. When he pulled up in the drive, she asked him in for coffee.
‘Thanks, but I think I’ll go straight to my little place. It’s late, and I don’t want you to overdo things. Anyway, I’ll go to sleep with sweet dreams tonight. Thank you for your delightful company, Katie. I shall always cherish the memory of this evening.’ Then he watched her going in through her own front door, and used his own entrance for the annex.
Within moments, there was a little tap on the connecting door. Katie smiled, knowing who it was.
‘Is everything all right in there?’ Pat’s voice said, faintly from the other side. ‘I should have checked it out, Katie. I don’t know what got into me to forget.’
‘It’s all okay in here, don’t worry,’ she called back. ‘Go to bed and enjoy your dreams.’ After such an enjoyable day, she flopped into bed, and was soon sound asleep.
When the phone rang next morning she thought it would be Tom, but it was Elspeth.
‘Elspeth, where have you been? I haven’t heard from you in ages, and that’s unusual. What’s going on? I’ve phoned you several times and had no answer.’
‘Oh, yes I know,’ Elspeth giggled. ‘Naughty of me, but, oh, Katie, Cuthbert and I have been getting on like a house on fire. I think he’s taken quite a shine to me, honestly I do.’ She gave another girlish giggle. ‘He even persuaded me to stay at his place during his half term holiday, and we spent a couple of days in The Lake District. It was so wonderful.’
‘I’m delighted with that news,’ Katie said, thinking this was what Elspeth had needed for years — someone to care for, and care about her. ‘So when are you going to visit me again? There’s a lot of news to catch up on.’
‘It’ll have to be a weekday, when Cuthbert’s at school. I spend most of my time with him now, when he’s free.’ There was a short pause. ‘I’ve got an idea. I’ll make a quick visit tomorrow; it’s Thursday, and I’ll stay over with you and go straight to his place on Friday evening for the weekend; he’s coming to me next weekend. How about that?’
‘Settled,’ Katie said. ‘I’ll look forward to it.’
If Elspeth’s visit was going to be just for one night, Katie knew there was no need for the usual cooking to be done. What was in the freezer would do, and they could have lunch in the village pub if necessary. For a change, she was quite pleased about her friend’s visit. It would be good to exchange news.
A creature of habit, Elspeth arrived early on the Thursday morning, and the first one to greet her was Thunder. By now, he was getting used to all the visitors that called on Katie, and became excited every time, especially over someone new.
‘What’s this creature doing here, Katie?’ she asked, fondling the dog. ‘He’s adorable, but where did he come from?’
Katie put her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly. She told her the story about Thunder as she guided Elspeth into the sitting room, where they sat down with a quickly made coffee. Katie studied her friend’s face; it still held the same radiance as on the night she was reunited with Cuthbert at the exhibition. Her hair now showed evidence of much more care and attention, and she wore a pale blue suit that was very flattering to her neat figure.
‘I’m so pleased for you, Elspeth, and you look super and at least ten years younger. Now tell me, is this quite... er, serious with Cuthbert?’
‘Oh, I hope so.’ There was a glaze of tears in Elspeth’s eyes as she answered, but they soon went when she began to talk. Katie could see that she was a bit emotional, so she quickly handed her a shot of whisky.
‘I’m almost afraid to say anything about Cuthbert and me, in case something goes wrong. It’s like… like I’m frightened... do you know what I mean? I keep pinching myself all the time to make sure I’m not dreaming.’ She dabbed her eyes quickly, and took another sip of her drink. She looked across at Katie, with a hint of fear in her deep blue eyes. ‘Honestly, if anything went wrong between us now, I think I’d die.’
‘Don’t be negative. Everything will be all right. I genuinely feel that.’
‘Do you? Oh, do you really?’ By the time she had swallowed more of her drink, she was back to her old self. But, instead of telling Katie what to do and how to live, she was so full of her own news about what she and Cuthbert had been doing that she never got round to giving out her usual advice. It was a long time before she finished telling her story and asked Katie how life was treating her.