fooling around with a young girl? Ruth O’Donnell too … but James was wrong, it couldn’t be sex … it was just the thrill of the thing, the illicit excitement. Dad in bed with a girl? It was hard enough to imagine Dad being in bed with Motheryears ago, but now … these days … Dad was so old he wouldn’t even be interested in it, would he? And suppose he was, who in their right mind would go to bed with Dad?
Anna shrugged and got back into the car.
‘Wasted journey,’ she said to the children, who set up a simultaneous squawk of disappointment.
* * *
‘Private call, Mr Murray, will you take it here or …?’
‘That’s all right, put me through …’
He knew it was Ruth from the way she spoke. She had a way of saying ‘private call’ that was almost lascivious.
‘Dermot, can you talk?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘In other words you can’t.’
‘Not yet.’
‘I got a call from Deirdre.’
‘So she told you the situation …’
‘She read me the letter, it sounded as if she doesn’t have a clue.’
‘Yes, well that’s what I’ve always been saying …’
Dermot Murray’s secretary felt she had tortured him enough. ‘Excuse me,’ she murmured and left the room.
‘So what will I do …?’
‘Listen, darling love, when are you coming back?’
‘In ten days, two weeks …’
‘I love you.’
‘You’re alone now presumably …’
‘No I’m in the board-room, and the board all agree. They love you too.’
She giggled. ‘Dermot, what will I do, will I write and say I’m tied up?’
‘It means a lot to her, it means a great great deal. She’s so lively and happy since she thought of the party, you have no idea, it stops that deadness. When I see her like this I can really imagine her living a life, a normal life of her own …’
‘So what do you want … ?’
‘Could you accept?’
‘Say I’d love to, and then sort of opt out at the last moment?’
Dermot paused. ‘Yes … and, well, maybe in the end, if you could come, could go to the dinner. Could you?’
‘WHAT?’
‘Well, it wouldn’t mean all that much to you … to us. We have so much, and there you are, a brilliant young girl with your life before you and all that …’
‘You can’t seriously expect me to come into your house as a guest, and say how nice, how delicious, you must give me the recipe for that boiled cabbage.’
‘Ruth, please.’
‘No, no please about it, you’re sick, that’s what you are. I couldn’t possibly do it. I wouldn’t dream ofdoing it to another woman, go in triumphantly and sit down with a lot of people who are in the secret. It’s monstrous!’
‘You don’t understand …’
‘I don’t like what I do understand. Why are you going along with it?’
Her voice was upset; the pips went.
‘We can’t talk on the phone, let me come to see you.’
‘NO. I wanted to be alone. You set all this up as a trick didn’t you … admit it.’
‘I swear to God I didn’t, I swear I only heard about it on Friday. I might never have heard if I hadn’t met David in the club. I don’t think she was going to tell me.’
‘You mean you were going to come home and find everyone there?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know.’
‘But she must have known that I would have told you … she must have known that …’
‘She doesn’t know about you and me! I keep telling you!’
‘Deirdre says that’s lunacy … half of Dublin knows.’
‘Deirdre doesn’t know anything – anyway, Carmel never meets half of Dublin.’
‘Oh God, I knew you couldn’t let me have this time without spoiling it. I knew you’d have to do something to balls it up for me.’
‘That is so unfair. I don’t even know where you are. I won’t talk to you again until you come back. I just wanted you to know what happened. If I hadn’t told you, you’d have said I was being devious, wouldn’t you? Well, wouldn’t you?’
She softened. ‘I know.’
‘So if you could do one
Anna shrugged and got back into the car.
‘Wasted journey,’ she said to the children, who set up a simultaneous squawk of disappointment.
* * *
‘Private call, Mr Murray, will you take it here or …?’
‘That’s all right, put me through …’
He knew it was Ruth from the way she spoke. She had a way of saying ‘private call’ that was almost lascivious.
‘Dermot, can you talk?’
‘Go ahead.’
‘In other words you can’t.’
‘Not yet.’
‘I got a call from Deirdre.’
‘So she told you the situation …’
‘She read me the letter, it sounded as if she doesn’t have a clue.’
‘Yes, well that’s what I’ve always been saying …’
Dermot Murray’s secretary felt she had tortured him enough. ‘Excuse me,’ she murmured and left the room.
‘So what will I do …?’
‘Listen, darling love, when are you coming back?’
‘In ten days, two weeks …’
‘I love you.’
‘You’re alone now presumably …’
‘No I’m in the board-room, and the board all agree. They love you too.’
She giggled. ‘Dermot, what will I do, will I write and say I’m tied up?’
‘It means a lot to her, it means a great great deal. She’s so lively and happy since she thought of the party, you have no idea, it stops that deadness. When I see her like this I can really imagine her living a life, a normal life of her own …’
‘So what do you want … ?’
‘Could you accept?’
‘Say I’d love to, and then sort of opt out at the last moment?’
Dermot paused. ‘Yes … and, well, maybe in the end, if you could come, could go to the dinner. Could you?’
‘WHAT?’
‘Well, it wouldn’t mean all that much to you … to us. We have so much, and there you are, a brilliant young girl with your life before you and all that …’
‘You can’t seriously expect me to come into your house as a guest, and say how nice, how delicious, you must give me the recipe for that boiled cabbage.’
‘Ruth, please.’
‘No, no please about it, you’re sick, that’s what you are. I couldn’t possibly do it. I wouldn’t dream ofdoing it to another woman, go in triumphantly and sit down with a lot of people who are in the secret. It’s monstrous!’
‘You don’t understand …’
‘I don’t like what I do understand. Why are you going along with it?’
Her voice was upset; the pips went.
‘We can’t talk on the phone, let me come to see you.’
‘NO. I wanted to be alone. You set all this up as a trick didn’t you … admit it.’
‘I swear to God I didn’t, I swear I only heard about it on Friday. I might never have heard if I hadn’t met David in the club. I don’t think she was going to tell me.’
‘You mean you were going to come home and find everyone there?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t know.’
‘But she must have known that I would have told you … she must have known that …’
‘She doesn’t know about you and me! I keep telling you!’
‘Deirdre says that’s lunacy … half of Dublin knows.’
‘Deirdre doesn’t know anything – anyway, Carmel never meets half of Dublin.’
‘Oh God, I knew you couldn’t let me have this time without spoiling it. I knew you’d have to do something to balls it up for me.’
‘That is so unfair. I don’t even know where you are. I won’t talk to you again until you come back. I just wanted you to know what happened. If I hadn’t told you, you’d have said I was being devious, wouldn’t you? Well, wouldn’t you?’
She softened. ‘I know.’
‘So if you could do one
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