since Will Carmichael, having retrained, had embarked on a new career as a science teacher in a comprehensive school. There he had met Nicola, an art teacher, twenty-odd years his junior, and within a relatively short space of time he had become anewly married man with twins on the way. Josh and Jake were four years old now, and since then Emily, an adorable little girl of two, had been born.
Harriet had been grateful when the older man, whose self-esteem had been lacerated by her mother’s infidelities, had finally found happiness and a new family with another woman. His first
proper
children, as Nicola had put it on the day her boys were born. Harriet had hidden her heartache, conscious that Nicola had not intended to cause pain, for she had always made her husband’s stepdaughter very welcome in her home.
‘You know I never liked Luke,’ Nicola admitted abruptly as she passed Harriet a cup of coffee across the breakfast bar. Without skipping a beat the energetic blonde woman told Emily not to pull the cat’s tail and warned the twins that if they did not stop fighting she would put them to bed early.
‘You didn’t?’ Harriet struggled to hit a chatty note and concealed her dismay at the opening of that once controversial topic. Nicola had clearly decided that enough time had passed for extreme tact about Luke to be no longer necessary.
‘No, Luke always thought he was something really special. Of course I’ve never met your half-sister, Alice. But from what Will says she seems to be quite fond of herself too. Couples like that don’tstay together,’ the other woman declared in a tone of consolation. ‘Their egos clash.’
The desire to divulge Alice and Luke’s wedding plans nagged at Harriet like an aching tooth, but she withstood the temptation. She shoved that devastating announcement back down into her subconscious and trembled at the amount of self-control that concealment demanded of her.
‘You’re very quiet,’ Will Carmichael finally commented, when he was driving his stepdaughter to the airport for her flight. ‘Either my rowdy children have drained you of energy or something’s badly wrong.’
She thought of telling him about the financial complexities of her Irish inheritance and her very reluctant new business partner. But essentially that would have been a red herring, she acknowledged grittily. At that moment she didn’t much care about any of that. Her entire being was consumed by what she had learned earlier that day from her mother.
‘Luke and Alice are getting married in August.’
Her stepfather shot her an appalled glance and then focused his concentration studiously back on the road again. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, his hand reached for hers and he squeezed the life from her fingers. He said nothing. He didn’t need to say anything. She knew he understood. She knew he was bleeding inside for her. Her eyesburned hot but she held the tears back with iron self-control. It would upset him if she cried, and he did not deserve that. He had been extremely supportive when her life had fallen apart more than two months earlier, and it was time she got over it…Only she didn’t think she would ever get over Luke and Alice to the extent where she was willing to act as her sister’s bridesmaid.
* * *
Harriet collected Samson on her way home from Kerry airport. The little dog gave her a rapturous greeting and Tolly seemed quite sad to see his canine visitor depart. It was well after eight when she got back to the cottage.
Peanut was snoozing in front of the range. The pig got up and wriggled all over in excited welcome, just like a dog. Even in the mood she was in Harriet laughed. She lifted a bottle of peach wine out of the glazed kitchen cupboard and poured a glass. Fergal had warned her that Kathleen’s homemade wine was lethal, and she hoped it would help her sleep later, because that very night she was determined to burn everything that reminded her of
Harriet had been grateful when the older man, whose self-esteem had been lacerated by her mother’s infidelities, had finally found happiness and a new family with another woman. His first
proper
children, as Nicola had put it on the day her boys were born. Harriet had hidden her heartache, conscious that Nicola had not intended to cause pain, for she had always made her husband’s stepdaughter very welcome in her home.
‘You know I never liked Luke,’ Nicola admitted abruptly as she passed Harriet a cup of coffee across the breakfast bar. Without skipping a beat the energetic blonde woman told Emily not to pull the cat’s tail and warned the twins that if they did not stop fighting she would put them to bed early.
‘You didn’t?’ Harriet struggled to hit a chatty note and concealed her dismay at the opening of that once controversial topic. Nicola had clearly decided that enough time had passed for extreme tact about Luke to be no longer necessary.
‘No, Luke always thought he was something really special. Of course I’ve never met your half-sister, Alice. But from what Will says she seems to be quite fond of herself too. Couples like that don’tstay together,’ the other woman declared in a tone of consolation. ‘Their egos clash.’
The desire to divulge Alice and Luke’s wedding plans nagged at Harriet like an aching tooth, but she withstood the temptation. She shoved that devastating announcement back down into her subconscious and trembled at the amount of self-control that concealment demanded of her.
‘You’re very quiet,’ Will Carmichael finally commented, when he was driving his stepdaughter to the airport for her flight. ‘Either my rowdy children have drained you of energy or something’s badly wrong.’
She thought of telling him about the financial complexities of her Irish inheritance and her very reluctant new business partner. But essentially that would have been a red herring, she acknowledged grittily. At that moment she didn’t much care about any of that. Her entire being was consumed by what she had learned earlier that day from her mother.
‘Luke and Alice are getting married in August.’
Her stepfather shot her an appalled glance and then focused his concentration studiously back on the road again. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, his hand reached for hers and he squeezed the life from her fingers. He said nothing. He didn’t need to say anything. She knew he understood. She knew he was bleeding inside for her. Her eyesburned hot but she held the tears back with iron self-control. It would upset him if she cried, and he did not deserve that. He had been extremely supportive when her life had fallen apart more than two months earlier, and it was time she got over it…Only she didn’t think she would ever get over Luke and Alice to the extent where she was willing to act as her sister’s bridesmaid.
* * *
Harriet collected Samson on her way home from Kerry airport. The little dog gave her a rapturous greeting and Tolly seemed quite sad to see his canine visitor depart. It was well after eight when she got back to the cottage.
Peanut was snoozing in front of the range. The pig got up and wriggled all over in excited welcome, just like a dog. Even in the mood she was in Harriet laughed. She lifted a bottle of peach wine out of the glazed kitchen cupboard and poured a glass. Fergal had warned her that Kathleen’s homemade wine was lethal, and she hoped it would help her sleep later, because that very night she was determined to burn everything that reminded her of
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