Page 64 of Boomerville at Ballymegille

In the cottage,there was little sign of life. With no curtains to shield sun from the windows, Audrey and the Babes had draped towels and, in the parlour, Lucinda had pinned her smock to the pelmet where it hung, like an abstract painting, in a kaleidoscope of colour.

Lucinda was dead to the world and her snores thundered off the thick stone walls, vibrating sound to the floor above where Harry, Bill and Willie, windows open wide, snored too. In the opposite room, the Babes were also sound asleep. Like cramped sardines in an oversized can, their camp beds lay in uniform lines with Audrey’s positioned under the window. There was hardly room to stand between overflowing suitcases and swimsuits laid out to dry.

In the kitchen, Alf had been up for more than an hour. He’d taken his morning walk and as he passed the front door of the manor, Jo appeared with Bunty and Teddy, who, seeing Ness, had bounded across to join him. He’d given Jo a thumbs up and now was busy mixing meat and biscuits into three dishes.

A kettle whistledon the ancient gas stove and Alf poured boiling water onto tea in a large china pot and placed it on one side to brew.

‘Is there anything to eat?’ Harry came into the kitchen. He looked surprisingly fresh and wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan, “I’m Not As Drunk As You Think I Am”.

‘A slice of toast, if you can manage the cooker.’ Alf dug in his pocket and flicked a box of matches over to Harry. He cut a wedge from a loaf of bread and placed it on the wire rack.

‘Shit!’ Harry yelled as a blast of gas ignited and sent him staggering back from the grill. ‘It’s burnt my hair.’

Alf passed no comment as he slid the bread under the flaming jets.

‘That cooker must be from the 1950s,’ Harry said as he stood over the sink, rubbing his uneven fringe.

‘A classic; they don’t make them like that anymore.’

‘Thank god.’ Harry stared at fragments of singed hair scattered over the stoneware.

Alf turned the bread and when it was golden brown, placed it on a plate and spread butter thickly. ‘Shall I pour you a cuppa?’

‘Did someone say tea?’ Lucinda stood in the doorway. She wore a long, silk kimono and dragged on a cigarette. Her hair, not confined to a chignon, was wild.

‘Is that the smell of breakfast?’ Audrey slithered past Lucinda, who made no attempt to move, and reached out to pick up the toast. ‘Delicious,’ she said and turning to Harry asked, ‘What have you done to your hair?’

Harry ignored Audrey and taking more bread from Alf, began to slice, as footsteps pounded down the stairs and the Babes flocked in, followed by Willie and Bill.

As tea was poured and a makeshift breakfast enjoyed, the group discussed their activities for the day. Willie asked Harry and Bill to help with washing and polishing his coach, as Bessie the Bus would be on display that afternoon. Audrey and the Babes had work to do on their outfits and Lucinda said that she needed to have a lie down. She’d had an exhausting time with classes, the day before.

Alf clattered mugs and plates into the sink and turned the tap. Water, the colour of rusting iron, trickled over the debris. ‘We’d best all crack on then,’ Alf said and began to wash.

* * *

Melissa satin the dining room and forced herself to eat a bowl of cereal. It had been an effort to dress and come down, but she knew that Hattie would be on the warpath if she didn’t put in an appearance.

‘We missed you yesterday,’ Hattie had said when she’d called Melissa at an unearthly hour. ‘I wanted to make sure that you’re up and ready to enjoy the celebrations today.’

Melissa had told Hattie that she’d wanted a quiet time to herself the previous day and would, of course, be joining in with the activities planned.

‘That’s good, we don’t want you moping about, worrying that Malcolm will appear at any moment,’ Hattie said. ‘He doesn’t know where you are; you can relax and have a bit of fun.’

If only she could!

Melissa finished her breakfast and left the dining room. She still hadn’t a clue what to do about Finbar and the only decision she’d made was to stay out of his way.

She walked through the hallway and into reception. There were no classes today and guests were free to do as they liked. Wandering out to the driveway, she stopped when she saw Willie cleaning his coach. Harry held a sponge and was soaping the paintwork, while Bill gripped a hose and sprayed.

They all looked up when Melissa appeared.

‘We missed you yesterday,’ Bill called out, his new found confidence shining.

‘I had a quiet day to myself,’ Melissa replied.

‘Want to help?’ Willie asked.

‘Well, er, I was looking for Teddy.’ Melissa faltered. ‘I thought I’d take him for a walk.’

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