Page 63 of Boomerville at Ballymegille

‘Excuse me, sir,’ a voice called out, ‘your room is ready.’ Kathleen held out a key. ‘We hope you enjoy your stay.’

Malcolm stood. He shot another glance at Melissa then turned and snatched at the card.

‘Thank you, Kathleen,’ he said. ‘I’m sure I will.’

25

Jo woke early. She’d been awake for some time and had a fluttering feeling in her stomach, making sleep impossible. Sliding out of the covers, she took care not to disturb Bunty and Teddy and tip-toed past Hattie, who was slumbering in the opposite bed. Crossing the room, Jo gently pulled the curtains back and the glorious sight beyond the window made her gasp. The sun had begun to rise, filling the baby blue sky with shades of orange and pink as puffs of cloud swirled by. The grass, mown short, dazzled diamonds with dew.

It was postcard perfect and Jo was delighted. The weather could not be better for their special day. ‘Thank you,’ she called out to the heavens.

‘Talking to yourself?’ A voice came from beneath the covers of the opposite bed and a tousled head appeared. Bleary eyed, Hattie sat up.

‘Oh Hattie, do come and look at the beautiful morning.’

‘Bleedin’ hell, it’s six o’clock, I’ve only been in bed five minutes,’ Hattie said and she yawned.

‘Five hours, actually, and you went out like a light.’

‘Hardly surprising, I was knackered; I don’t know where the oldies get their stamina from.’

‘It’s a big day today and the guests are excited.’ Jo looked out at the marquees and staging area. ‘The party in the cottage went on ’til very late.’

She looked beyond the lake, which glistened like a mirror, to the cottage nestling in the trees. During the night, faint sounds of music and laughter had drifted over the garden as the cottage residents continued their merry making.

‘There’ll be some sore heads this morning.’ Hattie rubbed her eyes. ‘I’ll send over a batch of my pick-me-up.’

‘You might need to double the quantity to breathe life into Willie, he was out for the count after dinner.’ Jo opened the wardrobe door and began to rifle through the garments. She chose a silky blue dress and placed it to one side. ‘I hope Melissa joins in today; she isolated herself yesterday.’

‘Aye, I thought it seemed strange that she went for a walk and a poke around the shops in Kindale.’

‘She missed the singing class too; she was looking forward to that.’

‘Perhaps she wants to find her feet.’

‘Maybe, but I’m still worried; try and keep an eye on her, if you get the time.’

Teddy was awake and had slid from the bed to wriggle around Jo’s toes. His teeth tickled her skin and she leaned down to scoop him up.

‘Okay,’ Hattie replied as she got out of bed. ‘But it’s a big day today, try and enjoy it.’

‘I will, once it’s all over.’ Jo was thoughtful as she rubbed Teddy’s head. ‘Do you know, I hardly think of Pete at the moment.’

‘Thank God for that.’

‘In fact, I feel quite angry about the way he treated me.’

‘Hallelujah!’

‘I think that in some ways, he might have done me good.’ Jo put Teddy on the floor and reached out to stroke Bunty. ‘You can lose your confidence in a relationship.’

‘Only if the relationship isn’t working.’

‘Maybe it wasn’t and I just didn’t see it, but I am beginning to feel better about myself.’

‘So you should, with everything that you’ve achieved, and I told you your broken heart would mend if you kept busy.’ Hattie picked up a towel and opened the bathroom door. ‘I’m first in the shower, tell Connor to save me some breakfast.’

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