Maggie.
‘Hey, Dad, good to see you,’ said Matt, sneaking another strawberry when Maggie’s back was turned. ‘Sorry I wasn’t here when you got back. Had a meeting about the designs for the nightclub. I can’t wait to meet Luke. Maggie says I can’t go in and say hello because he’s sleeping.’
The ability of the young to adapt to radically altered circumstances never ceased to amaze Jack. Here was Matt, full of enthusiasm at the thought of meeting his newfound brother. Not a cloud on his horizon.
‘Don’t expect too much,’ Jack advised. ‘He’s still grieving. Probably still in shock, too. Maggie – my parents have decided to come over for dinner. Sorry for the short notice.’
‘Shit! Talk about bad timing!’
‘Don’t bring that pub talk home, Matthew,’ warned Maggie, hands on hips. ‘You weren’t raised to be a foul-mouth.’
‘You know, Maggie, I’m twenty-five. I can do whatever I want.’
‘Not in my kitchen, you can’t.’
‘And what are you planning for dinner, Maggie? A fatted calf?’ joked Matt.
‘You’d better get changed,’ she said, brandishing the wooden spoon in his direction. ‘No doubt your gran’ll be done up to the nines. We’ll never hear the end of it if you’re in jeans. I’m glad Luke decided to have dinner in his room. At least he won’t have to listen to her going on about cocktail parties and hats for Ascot.’
Jack grinned at Matt. Maggie and Grace Stewart had been at war for years. Their spats were village legend. It was good that some things never changed.
Jack drew on a Cohiba cigar as he sat in the drawing room, waiting for his parents to arrive. He didn’t smoke often – just when he was stressed. He made a mental note to get in a good supply. How was he going to tell his parents about Luke? Should he come right out with it or lead up to it gradually? It would be so much easier if he was enthusiastic himself but he was far from sure he’d done the right thing bringing Luke home. Matt and Maggie were pleased but Nicholas and Grace were going to react very differently. Jack could handle confrontations in the business world with ease; it was a different matter, though, when it happened in his own home.
‘Aunt Claire called when you were in the shower.’ Matt entered the drawing room, dressed now in grey flannels and white shirt. ‘She wants to meet Luke. We might all take a trip to Manchester on Monday.’
‘Okay.’ Claire and Annie had always got on well. His sister would be in Maggie and Matt’s camp.
Matt sat down on the sofa near the fireplace. He took up a magazine from the coffee table, flicked through it, then tossed it aside. His foot was tapping impatiently. He glanced at Jack. ‘Are you really up for this, Dad? You look done in. I could call and cancel, if you like?’
Surely that would be better all round. A quite dinner and bed, then the grand revelation tomorrow. It would only delay the inevitable, though. ‘Thanks, Matt, but it’s too late for that. Anyway, there’s never going to be a right time. They’ll be very shocked.’
Matt frowned. ‘Well, yeah, at first – but Luke is their grandson. A Stewart. It’ll all be fine.’
If only it could be that easy. ‘I don’t think so, Matt. There’s a lot about the past you don’t know.’
Matt waved a dismissive hand. ‘I know Gran and Annie didn’t get on but that’s got nothing to do with Luke. He’s family, and families stick together. Isn’t that what you’ve always told me?’
Nothing was worse than children quoting back your words of wisdom, especially when those words were going to prove to be untrue. ‘It’s not going to be that easy, Matt. Luke doesn’t want to be here and I think he holds me responsible for everything, including Annie’s death. He hardly talked to me at all in the hospital. And he’s been even more withdrawn since we left Dublin. Of course, it didn’t help when he saw his mother’s coffin being loaded on the
‘Hey, Dad, good to see you,’ said Matt, sneaking another strawberry when Maggie’s back was turned. ‘Sorry I wasn’t here when you got back. Had a meeting about the designs for the nightclub. I can’t wait to meet Luke. Maggie says I can’t go in and say hello because he’s sleeping.’
The ability of the young to adapt to radically altered circumstances never ceased to amaze Jack. Here was Matt, full of enthusiasm at the thought of meeting his newfound brother. Not a cloud on his horizon.
‘Don’t expect too much,’ Jack advised. ‘He’s still grieving. Probably still in shock, too. Maggie – my parents have decided to come over for dinner. Sorry for the short notice.’
‘Shit! Talk about bad timing!’
‘Don’t bring that pub talk home, Matthew,’ warned Maggie, hands on hips. ‘You weren’t raised to be a foul-mouth.’
‘You know, Maggie, I’m twenty-five. I can do whatever I want.’
‘Not in my kitchen, you can’t.’
‘And what are you planning for dinner, Maggie? A fatted calf?’ joked Matt.
‘You’d better get changed,’ she said, brandishing the wooden spoon in his direction. ‘No doubt your gran’ll be done up to the nines. We’ll never hear the end of it if you’re in jeans. I’m glad Luke decided to have dinner in his room. At least he won’t have to listen to her going on about cocktail parties and hats for Ascot.’
Jack grinned at Matt. Maggie and Grace Stewart had been at war for years. Their spats were village legend. It was good that some things never changed.
Jack drew on a Cohiba cigar as he sat in the drawing room, waiting for his parents to arrive. He didn’t smoke often – just when he was stressed. He made a mental note to get in a good supply. How was he going to tell his parents about Luke? Should he come right out with it or lead up to it gradually? It would be so much easier if he was enthusiastic himself but he was far from sure he’d done the right thing bringing Luke home. Matt and Maggie were pleased but Nicholas and Grace were going to react very differently. Jack could handle confrontations in the business world with ease; it was a different matter, though, when it happened in his own home.
‘Aunt Claire called when you were in the shower.’ Matt entered the drawing room, dressed now in grey flannels and white shirt. ‘She wants to meet Luke. We might all take a trip to Manchester on Monday.’
‘Okay.’ Claire and Annie had always got on well. His sister would be in Maggie and Matt’s camp.
Matt sat down on the sofa near the fireplace. He took up a magazine from the coffee table, flicked through it, then tossed it aside. His foot was tapping impatiently. He glanced at Jack. ‘Are you really up for this, Dad? You look done in. I could call and cancel, if you like?’
Surely that would be better all round. A quite dinner and bed, then the grand revelation tomorrow. It would only delay the inevitable, though. ‘Thanks, Matt, but it’s too late for that. Anyway, there’s never going to be a right time. They’ll be very shocked.’
Matt frowned. ‘Well, yeah, at first – but Luke is their grandson. A Stewart. It’ll all be fine.’
If only it could be that easy. ‘I don’t think so, Matt. There’s a lot about the past you don’t know.’
Matt waved a dismissive hand. ‘I know Gran and Annie didn’t get on but that’s got nothing to do with Luke. He’s family, and families stick together. Isn’t that what you’ve always told me?’
Nothing was worse than children quoting back your words of wisdom, especially when those words were going to prove to be untrue. ‘It’s not going to be that easy, Matt. Luke doesn’t want to be here and I think he holds me responsible for everything, including Annie’s death. He hardly talked to me at all in the hospital. And he’s been even more withdrawn since we left Dublin. Of course, it didn’t help when he saw his mother’s coffin being loaded on the
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