Andrew while she finished up in here. Now she’d have to go in and rescue Ruth from the two men. She’d leave the tartlets till the others got here, and the
salad would just have to wait till then too.
She closed the oven door gently, pulled off her apron and raked her fingers through her curls in front of the mirror before going into the sitting room.
‘Ah – here she is.’ Andrew, just inside the door, put a hand on her shoulder and smacked a kiss on her cheek. ‘Hi, sis. Mother says hello.’
Laura laughed. ‘Liar. Now go and get a drink from my husband.’ She turned to Ruth, perched on the couch next to the fire. ‘Ruth, welcome. You look lovely.’
And she did – long straight cream skirt that looked like linen, and a lavender lacy top. She’d clipped back her light blond hair on one side with a cream slide, and her lips were
pale pink. There were improvements she could have made – a little mascara, some pencil maybe to bring out her eyes, a darker lipstick, a foundation with a bit more coverage to even out her
skin tone and mask her freckles – but Ruth certainly looked very presentable this evening. She blushed slightly at Laura’s compliment.
‘Thanks – my one and only good skirt.’ She looked admiringly at Laura. ‘That dress is fabulous.’
‘It’s my going-away outfit, would you believe? Seven years old now; I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it.’
Laura loved it; straight dark wine silk – who’d have imagined wine would suit her hair colour? – sleeveless, with a deep neckline front and back and a narrow waist, falling
softly to her knee. Simple and sophisticated. Worth every penny of the startlingly high price that Donal had insisted on paying. She’d tried, halfheartedly, to stop him.
‘You’ll be broke; we won’t be able to afford the wedding.’ And still she couldn’t bring herself to go back into the dressing room and take it off, kept glancing
sideways towards the long mirror.
‘Look at it this way. If you don’t let me buy it, the wedding’s off.’
She’d beamed at him, delighted. ‘Well, if you put it that way . . . but remember, you forced me.’
She’d lost count of the number of times she’d worn it, with the plain white gold chain that Donal had given her for their first anniversary, and the matching earrings she’d
treated herself to with her first proper pay cheque.
‘Laur?’ From across the room Donal held up a can of beer. Andrew brought a glass of red wine to Ruth and sat beside her on the couch.
‘Hmm – maybe I’ll have wine instead.’ Laura walked to the drinks table and looked at the bottle. Chateauneufdupape – yummy. Good choice, guys.’
Ruth smiled shyly. ‘I asked Andrew what you liked.’
‘And I said anything in a bottle.’ Andrew grinned, stretching out his long legs, and Ruth gave him an indulgent smile.
‘Look at the pioneer who’s talking.’ Donal filled a glass with wine and handed it to Laura, pretending not to see her warning look.
Andrew looked plaintively at Laura. ‘Sis, he’s at me again.’
Laura had to smile. ‘Now stop it, you two. Ruth, they’re always like this; take no notice.’ Just then, the doorbell rang again. Laura put her glass on the coffee table.
‘Donal, will you pass around the olives? And Andrew, go and talk to Donal. We’re going to have a girlie chat on the couch.’
Breffni looked great, as always. Laura had given up trying to compete when she realised that even in her school uniform, without a hint of make-up, Breffni had men doing double takes. Tonight
her black hair, always impossibly shiny, fell loose over her shoulders. The trousers that Laura hadn’t seen before were the same blue as her eyes, and toned in beautifully with her sleeveless
silver-grey top. Tiny diamond studs flashed in her ears.
Laura hugged her. ‘You could at least have made an effort; combed your hair or something.’
Breffni hugged her back, smelling deliciously exotic. ‘Well, I
salad would just have to wait till then too.
She closed the oven door gently, pulled off her apron and raked her fingers through her curls in front of the mirror before going into the sitting room.
‘Ah – here she is.’ Andrew, just inside the door, put a hand on her shoulder and smacked a kiss on her cheek. ‘Hi, sis. Mother says hello.’
Laura laughed. ‘Liar. Now go and get a drink from my husband.’ She turned to Ruth, perched on the couch next to the fire. ‘Ruth, welcome. You look lovely.’
And she did – long straight cream skirt that looked like linen, and a lavender lacy top. She’d clipped back her light blond hair on one side with a cream slide, and her lips were
pale pink. There were improvements she could have made – a little mascara, some pencil maybe to bring out her eyes, a darker lipstick, a foundation with a bit more coverage to even out her
skin tone and mask her freckles – but Ruth certainly looked very presentable this evening. She blushed slightly at Laura’s compliment.
‘Thanks – my one and only good skirt.’ She looked admiringly at Laura. ‘That dress is fabulous.’
‘It’s my going-away outfit, would you believe? Seven years old now; I just can’t bring myself to get rid of it.’
Laura loved it; straight dark wine silk – who’d have imagined wine would suit her hair colour? – sleeveless, with a deep neckline front and back and a narrow waist, falling
softly to her knee. Simple and sophisticated. Worth every penny of the startlingly high price that Donal had insisted on paying. She’d tried, halfheartedly, to stop him.
‘You’ll be broke; we won’t be able to afford the wedding.’ And still she couldn’t bring herself to go back into the dressing room and take it off, kept glancing
sideways towards the long mirror.
‘Look at it this way. If you don’t let me buy it, the wedding’s off.’
She’d beamed at him, delighted. ‘Well, if you put it that way . . . but remember, you forced me.’
She’d lost count of the number of times she’d worn it, with the plain white gold chain that Donal had given her for their first anniversary, and the matching earrings she’d
treated herself to with her first proper pay cheque.
‘Laur?’ From across the room Donal held up a can of beer. Andrew brought a glass of red wine to Ruth and sat beside her on the couch.
‘Hmm – maybe I’ll have wine instead.’ Laura walked to the drinks table and looked at the bottle. Chateauneufdupape – yummy. Good choice, guys.’
Ruth smiled shyly. ‘I asked Andrew what you liked.’
‘And I said anything in a bottle.’ Andrew grinned, stretching out his long legs, and Ruth gave him an indulgent smile.
‘Look at the pioneer who’s talking.’ Donal filled a glass with wine and handed it to Laura, pretending not to see her warning look.
Andrew looked plaintively at Laura. ‘Sis, he’s at me again.’
Laura had to smile. ‘Now stop it, you two. Ruth, they’re always like this; take no notice.’ Just then, the doorbell rang again. Laura put her glass on the coffee table.
‘Donal, will you pass around the olives? And Andrew, go and talk to Donal. We’re going to have a girlie chat on the couch.’
Breffni looked great, as always. Laura had given up trying to compete when she realised that even in her school uniform, without a hint of make-up, Breffni had men doing double takes. Tonight
her black hair, always impossibly shiny, fell loose over her shoulders. The trousers that Laura hadn’t seen before were the same blue as her eyes, and toned in beautifully with her sleeveless
silver-grey top. Tiny diamond studs flashed in her ears.
Laura hugged her. ‘You could at least have made an effort; combed your hair or something.’
Breffni hugged her back, smelling deliciously exotic. ‘Well, I
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