Page 16 of Boomerville at Ballymegille

As the main act in a night club in Marbella, she’d stepped onto the stage in a dazzling silver gown which accentuated her slim curves and long tanned legs. Malcolm was sitting at a table by the front with a group of bawdy men, drinking and laughing loudly. But when Melissa began to sing, the room suddenly became quiet. She remembered the moment when Malcolm looked up and their eyes had met. Locked in a pool of blue, Melissa was lost, drowning slowly in the vast and stormy sea that was Malcolm Mercer.

Business man and playboy. The man of her dreams.

Melissa stared at the sprawling fells that lay beyond the village nestling in the tiny hamlet and, as sunshine warmed her face, she closed her eyes and thought how she’d shone when she first met Malcolm.

As she remembered their happy times together, Melissa began to sing.

* * *

Hattie stoodon the driveway and opened the door of the taxi that had arrived to take Jo to the airport. ‘Morning, Biddu,’ she said to the driver. ‘How’s that lovely family of yours?’

‘Morning, Hattie.’ The driver beamed. ‘It’s a pleasure to see you again.’

Biddu, who drove taxis during the day, owned the Bengal Balti in Marland which was a favourite dining spot for Hattie. His handsome face, olive skinned and framed with shining black hair, was alight with pleasure as he began to update Hattie with tales of his wife and two fine sons.

‘Aye, that’s great,’ Hattie said. ‘I want to catch up with you all, especially the boys and I’ll be seeing you at the restaurant, now that I’m back.’

Hattie heard footsteps on the drive and turned to see Jo.

‘Good morning, Biddu,’ Jo called out, as he came forward to take her case and place it in the back of the car.

Hattie reached out and pulled Jo into a hug. The two women held each other for a few moments until Hattie broke away.

‘I’ll call you when I get there.’ Jo eased into the car. ‘Look after Teddy, he’ll need a lot of care and attention.’

‘Aye, don’t you worry, the little dog will be safe with me.’

‘Make sure the place is still standing by the time I get back.’ Jo wagged a finger. ‘No mischief, Hattie, behave yourself.’

‘Mischief?’ Hattie scoffed. ‘As if; I’m getting far too old to be getting up to any capers.’

‘You said that twenty years ago and look at all that’s happened.’

‘Enjoy your trip, give my love to the new place and warn the locals that I’ll be over for a visit very soon.’

Hattie watched Jo’s car pull away, but as she turned to go back into the hotel, she stopped. Someone was singing! A voice, as clear as a bell and just as tuneful, sang out and Hattie looked up beyond the ivy-clad walls, to the windows on the first floor. The sound was coming from the room that Melissa occupied.

Joining in with a whistle, Hattie smiled as she ran up the steps. ‘By heck,’ she whispered to herself, ‘that lass can certainly sing.’

7

On the Aer Lingus Flight from Manchester to Cork, Jo felt her pulse quicken, as the captain announced that they’d begun their descent and would soon be landing. If passengers cared to look out of the window as the plane banked left, they would see the coastline of Southern Ireland.

She stared through the small oval window at steely grey waters below, where spumes of white surf bounced across waves rolling in to the shore. Hamlets and villages lay clustered along their route and, as a coastal town came into view, Jo could see a deep estuary with tiny boats bobbing about the harbour like leaves on a pond. It was the port of Kindale and only a few miles away lay the property that would become her new Boomerville.

Jo was now the official owner of Flatterley Manor.

She’d purchased an old manor house without a viewing and it was the most reckless thing she’d ever done. But with the success of her businesses in Cumbria and Bath, she’d money for a decent deposit and her bank had co-operated when she’d asked for a loan for the balance of the asking price. She’d never extended herself to this extent and her heart beat a great deal faster as she thought about what she’d done.

‘Are you sure you want to have high borrowings at your time of life?’ Pete had asked when he’d queried her need to buy another hotel. Jo knew he thought she was insane and wanted her to settle for quieter days.

As the plane descended, she remembered the discussion they’d had the previous evening, when she’d asked Pete to come to Ireland to see her new venture.

‘I don’t think so,’ he’d said, ‘but I wish you luck with it. Keep in touch while you’re away.’

Jo had been hurt but had kept her feelings to herself. She’d decided that she would put Pete out of her mind and not let him dull her enthusiasm. Instinct told her that it was right and she was a great believer in following a gut feeling.

Jo began to visualise the property from the sales particulars and images she’d seen online and her anticipation built as she imagined her first glimpse of the place.

---