place was good enough for him tonight. She then produced a steak and kidney pie with a carefully fluted edge.
“Does your young lady make a pie like this?” Molly asked.
“Don't you know she doesn't, Mam.”
“And are we ever going to meet her, do you think?” Here it was, his opportunity.
“I'd love to invite her to supper, Mam. Maybe you could make her a pie like this.”
“I will not make a pie. If there are guests coming to this house, they'll get a proper roast,” Molly said.
“So can we pick a night?” Declan begged.
“When your father has painted this room,” Molly said.
“That's a coincidence. I thought I'd do it this very weekend,” Paddy Carroll said. And Declan looked at his father's face and saw the same look of love that had come there when he first saw Molly at the dance in her white blouse and her red velvet skirt.
It took them two days to empty the room and three hours to choose the color for the walls. Paddy thought magnolia white, Molly wondered about lime green, Declan said that he really loved a peachy color called Indian Summer.
The date of the dinner party was fixed and then Declan asked Fiona.
“Sure,” she said, as if it was something normal. “I'd love that, Declan. Thank you
andyour
mother too.”
“She will be delighted with you,” he said in a very uncertain tone.
“Am I better than your ex, then?”
“I have no ex. No ex I brought home, anyway,” he said, flustered.
“I'm sure the place is littered with them,” Fiona said cheerfully. “What will I bring her? My ma just loved the orchid.”
“Maybe a small tin of biscuits,” he said, thinking hard. Was there
anything
that Fiona could buy that would not be criticized? Very unlikely.
• • •
When Declan was doing his rounds, Judy Murphy surprised him by saying that she worked part-time as a bookkeeper in Quentins. She did the VAT for them once a week and they told her that the nice young doctor, who sounded like the one who had walked her dogs, had been in for a meal with a beautiful fair-haired girl.
“Was it our friend?” Judy nodded down the room toward Fiona.
“Yes, it was, actually. How did you know?”
“Everyone knows,” she said.
“God!” Declan was alarmed.
“She's a lucky girl,” Judy said, as if she meant it.
Barbara was going to a wedding in Kilkenny. She would be away all night. She told this to Declan twice in case he hadn't understood it the first time. He approached Fiona, who was with Lar.
“Have you a moment?” he asked.
“I have indeed.” She seemed eager.
“Thanks,” she said when they left the cubicle. “I'm meant to know four of the major cities in Tennessee. I can't remember any of them. Is there a Tennessee City by any wonderful chance?”
“I don't think so, but there's Memphis and Chattanooga and Nashville,” he offered.
“One more,
please,
Declan.”
“Isn't that where Knoxville is too?”
“I love you,” she said and kissed him on the nose.
“Wait!”
He caught her by the arm. “
Wait
one moment. I was wondering, Fiona, since Barbara will be away tonight, could I maybe, you know, stay over, in the flat?”
“I thought you'd never ask,” she said, and he heard her reciting the Tennessee names out to Lar as she took his blood pressure and reassured him that he would indeed live to see all these places if he spent less on the horses and more on building up his travel fund.
Declan went to phone his parents and tell them that he had to be on duty tonight. That's the way it was …
• • •
They were nervous of each other at first and making little jokes, almost putting off the moment. Eventually Fiona took the lead.
“We could always take our glass of wine into the bedroom,” she suggested. And after that it was all right. As he lay there afterward, Fiona asleep with her head on his chest, Declan knew that the happiness he had felt on the train had only been a very faint preparation for the happiness
“Does your young lady make a pie like this?” Molly asked.
“Don't you know she doesn't, Mam.”
“And are we ever going to meet her, do you think?” Here it was, his opportunity.
“I'd love to invite her to supper, Mam. Maybe you could make her a pie like this.”
“I will not make a pie. If there are guests coming to this house, they'll get a proper roast,” Molly said.
“So can we pick a night?” Declan begged.
“When your father has painted this room,” Molly said.
“That's a coincidence. I thought I'd do it this very weekend,” Paddy Carroll said. And Declan looked at his father's face and saw the same look of love that had come there when he first saw Molly at the dance in her white blouse and her red velvet skirt.
It took them two days to empty the room and three hours to choose the color for the walls. Paddy thought magnolia white, Molly wondered about lime green, Declan said that he really loved a peachy color called Indian Summer.
The date of the dinner party was fixed and then Declan asked Fiona.
“Sure,” she said, as if it was something normal. “I'd love that, Declan. Thank you
andyour
mother too.”
“She will be delighted with you,” he said in a very uncertain tone.
“Am I better than your ex, then?”
“I have no ex. No ex I brought home, anyway,” he said, flustered.
“I'm sure the place is littered with them,” Fiona said cheerfully. “What will I bring her? My ma just loved the orchid.”
“Maybe a small tin of biscuits,” he said, thinking hard. Was there
anything
that Fiona could buy that would not be criticized? Very unlikely.
• • •
When Declan was doing his rounds, Judy Murphy surprised him by saying that she worked part-time as a bookkeeper in Quentins. She did the VAT for them once a week and they told her that the nice young doctor, who sounded like the one who had walked her dogs, had been in for a meal with a beautiful fair-haired girl.
“Was it our friend?” Judy nodded down the room toward Fiona.
“Yes, it was, actually. How did you know?”
“Everyone knows,” she said.
“God!” Declan was alarmed.
“She's a lucky girl,” Judy said, as if she meant it.
Barbara was going to a wedding in Kilkenny. She would be away all night. She told this to Declan twice in case he hadn't understood it the first time. He approached Fiona, who was with Lar.
“Have you a moment?” he asked.
“I have indeed.” She seemed eager.
“Thanks,” she said when they left the cubicle. “I'm meant to know four of the major cities in Tennessee. I can't remember any of them. Is there a Tennessee City by any wonderful chance?”
“I don't think so, but there's Memphis and Chattanooga and Nashville,” he offered.
“One more,
please,
Declan.”
“Isn't that where Knoxville is too?”
“I love you,” she said and kissed him on the nose.
“Wait!”
He caught her by the arm. “
Wait
one moment. I was wondering, Fiona, since Barbara will be away tonight, could I maybe, you know, stay over, in the flat?”
“I thought you'd never ask,” she said, and he heard her reciting the Tennessee names out to Lar as she took his blood pressure and reassured him that he would indeed live to see all these places if he spent less on the horses and more on building up his travel fund.
Declan went to phone his parents and tell them that he had to be on duty tonight. That's the way it was …
• • •
They were nervous of each other at first and making little jokes, almost putting off the moment. Eventually Fiona took the lead.
“We could always take our glass of wine into the bedroom,” she suggested. And after that it was all right. As he lay there afterward, Fiona asleep with her head on his chest, Declan knew that the happiness he had felt on the train had only been a very faint preparation for the happiness
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