Finishing Touches (57 page)

‘When’s the baby due?’

‘February. It seems like an age.’

‘Why don’t you look for a secondhand house instead of going to the trouble of building?’ Cassie enquired, surprised by Barbara’s news.

‘Ian has a friend who knows a builder who’ll do the job at a good price. I’ll be able to design the house the way I want it. I’m going to get a conservatory and a
utility-room and a patio and have it exactly the way it suits me!’ Barbara informed them.

‘It will be very handy your living in Malahide. You’ll be able to let Cassie have a break the odd weekend and she can come over to me for a rest,’ Laura said cheerfully.

‘A rest!’ Barbara arched a quizzical eyebrow and glanced around meaningfully. ‘Hmmm.’ She took another slice of cake and asked, ‘What are all the pipes at the side
of the house? I noticed them when I was coming in.’

‘I’m getting oil-fired central heating put in before the winter,’ Cassie replied.

Barbara’s eyebrows shot heavenwards. ‘How much is
that
going to cost?’

‘A contact of Martin’s is installing it and Martin will be doing all the electrical work so the quotation is very reasonable,’ Cassie answered. It was really none of
Barbara’s business, anyway.

‘What’s wrong with the central heating from the back-boiler? It was always good enough for the
rest
of us!’

‘I’m afraid Mam will get burnt at the fire. She’s got a fixation about the chimney; she’s always talking to people up there,’ Cassie explained, as patiently as she
could.

‘Put a fireguard up,’ Barbara suggested, unimpressed by Cassie’s argument.

‘Barbara, any time you feel you want to take care of Mam, go right ahead. If you want to risk her getting burnt, fine! I won’t, and if
I’m
taking care of her,
I’m having the heating installed. OK?’ Cassie spoke sharply. She knew well Barbara was insinuating that she was spending Nora’s money on getting the heating in to suit
herself.

‘You know best,’ Barbara said drily and stood up. ‘Well, unfortunately, I’m not a lady of leisure. I’ve got work to do, so I must be off,’ she announced.
‘Thanks for the cake and coffee.’ She walked across the lawn and never even said hello to her mother.

‘Bitch!’ swore Cassie.

‘Wagon!’ spat Laura.

‘Have you ever met the like of her? I know she thinks this is all I do and that I’m getting central heating installed to make life easy for myself!’ fumed Cassie.

‘Ignore her, for God’s sake!’ ordered Laura. ‘Did you see the face of her when I said she’d be able to give you a break when she comes to live in Malahide? She
nearly had a fit.’

Cassie laughed. ‘She’s going to have an even bigger fit when she finds out that I’m going to buy a tumble-dryer for the winter. I have to change Mam’s clothes so often
that I’d never get them all dry. Sometimes she doesn’t make it to the toilet in time,’ Cassie confided and her lip trembled. ‘Poor Mam, all her dignity as a human being is
gone. It’s awful, Laura; it’s so cruel to see her like this.’ She started to cry. The tiff with Barbara had upset her, and the fact that her sister had completely ignored her
mother had upset her even more.

Laura put her arms around her. ‘Cassie, your Mam will always have her dignity. She’s very lucky to have you to look after her. When people see her, they see a neat, clean, fresh
person and the fact that she is like that is a great tribute to you. They don’t realize all the work that goes into keeping her like that, the constant washing and changing. Cassie,
you’re magnificent. Don’t let Barbara upset you. You’ve got more humanity in your little finger than she has in the whole of her body.’

‘Oh, Laura, I’m no saint. There are times I get so frustrated with Mam I feel like strangling her. It’s such a struggle not to shout at her sometimes. Just as soon as
I’ve cleaned her, she’ll go and mess herself up again.’

‘Of course, you always expected perfection of yourself. It must be an awful shock to realize that you’re a mere human like the rest of us,’ Laura teased.

Cassie wiped her eyes and gave a watery smile. ‘Thank you, Laura,’ she said.

‘Oh, you’re welcome. Any time you need a bit of philosophy, I’m your woman.’

Cassie laughed. Laura was a great old buddy, no doubt about it. She’d be lost without her.

Barbara drove towards Dublin in a mighty bad humour. Honest to God, Cassie was as cool as a cucumber. No wonder she was mahogany – able to lie out in the sun in the
middle of an afternoon while everybody else had to work.

Cassie looked fabulous with her lean, tanned stomach. Easy knowing she’d never gone through a pregnancy. Barbara was covered in stretch-marks and she had fat around her waist that she just
couldn’t get rid of after having the baby. And all she ever did was go pink and burn if she showed her skin to the sun. It grieved her.

As far as she could see, there was no need for them all to be paying Mrs Bishop a salary; Cassie should be well able to manage on her own. Oh she might not be able to sunbathe as much. And
wouldn’t that be tough! Why should the rest of them subsidize Cassie to live like Lady Muck when they could all do with the money in their own pockets? She was sure Jean would agree with her.
After all, she and Martin were saving to get married and had just bought a fabulous house in Skerries. Mind, by the time Barbara had built the house of her dreams, designed by herself, it would be
hard to beat. She planned to invite some of the women’s magazines to feature it in their ‘house of the month’ section. Kristi Killeen, eat your heart out!

And who did Cassie think she was, getting the central heating in without even a by-your-leave from the rest of them? There wouldn’t be a red cent left by the time Cassie was finished
squandering her mother’s money. Barbara had known that would happen once her sister became Nora’s legal guardian. Of course the rest of them were too cowardly to say anything. Irene was
hopeless, Martin was too easygoing and John and Saint Karen would let Cassie spend every penny and not say boo. Well,
she
wouldn’t. From now on, Barbara was going to keep a strict
eye on things, and from now on, she most definitely was
not
going to contribute another penny towards Mrs Bishop’s salary. Let Cassie get up off her ass and do something instead of
acting the lady with Laura Quinn!

‘Are you all right?’ David put his arm around Cassie’s shoulder as she stood looking out over the lights of Dublin Bay. Cassie turned gratefully towards
him.

‘I’m fine. I was just thinking of Mam and how she always enjoyed weddings – except Barbara’s, that is!’ They were standing in the big bay window of the ballroom in
Sutton Castle Hotel, where Martin’s wedding reception was being held. ‘I’m really glad you came,’ she said. David smiled, his eyes crinkling in that sexy way that she
loved.

‘I’m glad I came, too. Otherwise, I’d never have got to meet all these family characters I’ve been hearing about. I’m
definitely
writing a novel the next
time,’ he teased. ‘And I think Barbara just
has
to be the heroine,’ he added, laughing.

Cassie laughed with him. She had long ago given up any pretence about the rest of the family with David. He knew what Barbara and Irene were like; he knew that Martin wasn’t much help
either, because Jean made such demands on him, but that John and Karen were the salt of the earth and did their best to help Cassie out.

Over the months a great friendship had developed between Cassie and David, a closeness that sustained her through her troubles. Now that he had finished his Gandhi biography, he had time to
spend with her and together they were decorating his cottage to her design. His kitchen was transformed, with warm terracotta tiles, pine dresser and matching table and chairs. David loved it and
Cassie had enjoyed herself immensely overseeing the redecoration. The precious few hours a week she spent with him always rejuvenated her. She could moan about her siblings in comfort; she could
relax completely and engross herself in redesigning his rooms. Sometimes they just sat in front of a roaring fire listening to the wind blowing down the chimney and the rain lashing against the
window-panes. When the winter arrived, she had given up driving over to Laura once a week. Karen and John and the baby sometimes stayed on a Saturday and she went to visit her then. Mostly she
stayed at home, except for her hour or so in the gym twice a week.

Barbara had stopped contributing towards Mrs Bishop’s salary so Cassie had been forced to make up the amount from her mother’s income. Barbara was furious when she heard this but
Cassie, backed up by John, had told her to go to hell. Martin kept his own counsel but Cassie got the impression that he wasn’t in favour, either. As far as she was concerned, that was
his
problem. She wasn’t going to be walked on. Nora was as much the others’ responsibility as she was Cassie’s and if Cassie had to spend her mother’s income to
give her proper care, well, that was exactly what she was going to do.

‘Dance with me,
caryiad
?’ David held out his hand and she stepped into the circle of his arms. He was a graceful dancer and she loved having his arms around her. For the
first time since she finished with Robbie, she was attracted to a man and it was a heady feeling.

Laura and Doug had very kindly offered to take care of Nora so that Cassie could attend the wedding. They made her book a room in the hotel so she wouldn’t have to come home and so that
she could have a decent night’s sleep for the first time in months. Irene was home, so she could look after her mother during the night.

The dance turned to a slow, romantic waltz and David held her close, his cheek against hers. ‘This is lovely,’ he murmured.

‘Mmmm,’ she agreed.

‘Do we have to stay until the bride and groom go?’ He nuzzled her earlobe.

Cassie laughed. ‘Yes, we do!’

‘Spoilsport,’ smiled David.

‘Where were you thinking of going, anyway?’ Cassie asked.

‘Anywhere I could have you to myself for a while.’ The dance ended and they stood looking at each other. It was as if everyone else in the room had disappeared.

‘Come back to the cottage with me when this is over.’ David’s blue eyes were passionate as he stared into hers.

‘I’d like that very much,’ Cassie replied, reaching up and kissing him softly on the mouth. Staying with David was so much better than a hotel room on her own! Barbara, walking
by, gave a ‘tsk’ of disgust, to David’s amusement.

Barbara, dressed to the nines in a purple Basler suit, was swanning around Sutton Castle, impressing Jean’s family no end. She had really been looking forward to this
wedding of Martin’s. She was glad it was a winter wedding, as tans weren’t a must. Mind, the week after Christmas was a bit difficult for her as there were so many functions she had to
attend. Still, she was managing fine, as usual, thanks to impeccable organization. It made life so much easier that Ian wasn’t working.

In fact, she was really in brilliant form tonight. She had just been promoted to editor of the women’s page, so that, as well as writing ‘Barbara’s Brief,’ she was
responsible for women’s features and all book, film and music reviews. It would be a lot more work but the prestige of the position more than compensated for it and, besides, she would be
able to commission work from freelance journalists. There were quite a few who had got up her nose in the past and they wouldn’t be getting any work from her. But she had her pals and they
would be well rewarded.

She couldn’t get over Cassie and that Williams man. To think that her sister had been associating with a very well-known biographer – a celebrity – and she had known nothing
about it! Why, David Williams was as well known and respected as Melvyn Bragg or Antonia Fraser.

And he was perfectly gorgeous! Those eyes. Barbara gave a little shiver. The man just
oozed
sex appeal. Trust Cassie to nab someone like him. She could tell he was very impressed by
her
, especially when she told Cassie of her promotion in his presence. Obviously, intellectual, go-ahead career-minded women appealed to him. He had held her hand for far longer than was
necessary when they were introduced. And what strong, firm hands he had! Barbara had read an interview once where a politician’s wife said she had been attracted to her husband because of his
‘maleness.’ That was precisely what one could say of David Williams, Barbara decided, as she slipped into the ladies’ to retouch her make-up. David Williams was a very
‘male’ man indeed. What he saw in Cassie she could not imagine. Her sister led a deadly boring life. She wasn’t an ‘interesting’ woman any longer. All she had going
for her was her figure and her long legs. But David Williams would need more than a woman with a good figure – Barbara was sure of it.

She wondered whether he was interested in having an affair. Because really, right now, she wouldn’t mind one. All Ian was good for these days was lowering cans of beer and smoking fags in
front of the TV. A woman had needs, especially one as smart, glamorous and intelligent as she was. To tell the truth, Ian wasn’t great in bed. Just thinking of David Williams and those
fabulous, hooded eyes that had looked her over from tip to toe made her quite randy. Practically everyone Barbara socialized with was having an affair. It was very common among the glitterati and
nowadays they didn’t come any more
glittering
than she did. Imagine Kristi Killeen’s chagrin if Barbara and David Williams became an item! All she could manage was an affair
with some two-bit politician who was no oil painting and who had more interest in the whiskey bottle than he had in Kristi.

Adding a touch of lipstick and another spray of Youth Dew to her wrists and ears, Barbara glided out of the ladies’ and went back upstairs, to find David and Cassie kissing on the
dance-floor.

Martin guided his new mother-in-law around to the music and wished to God she would stop whinging. Now she was moaning about the band being too loud. Earlier on she’d
been giving out about the saucy telegrams. If there were one thing that had nearly put him off getting married, it was this whiner in his arms.