Divided Loyalties (45 page)

‘How
dare
you think that you can come onto Carrie’s caravan park without a by your leave—’

‘Now hold on a minute. You can’t talk to
me
like that,’ Della retorted angrily, thrusting her face aggressively close to Shauna’s. ‘Just who exactly do you
think you are, you little jumped-up, snooty, snobby show-off? If it weren’t for
my
brother you wouldn’t have the life you’ve got and all the luxuries that go with it. You
knew what you were doing when you married into our family. If you hadn’t married Greg you’d be stuck in your dull little village with your stuck-up sister and your poncy nancy boy
brother and your pain-in-the-ass auld fella going on about his precious church. And as for that spoilt little brat of yours—’

That was as far as she got. Shauna, white with fury, raised her hand and slapped her sister-in-law across the cheek.

‘
Oh!
’ Della was stunned. ‘You vicious
bitch
!’ She held her hand to her cheek, utterly shocked.

‘You get the hell out of here! I don’t want to see you or that big, lazy slob of a husband of yours ever again,’ Shauna spat. ‘If you want to keep in touch with Greg,
fine. You can even visit him out in the Gulf in the summer when I’m here. I don’t care, but I don’t want to see you ever again, Della Keegan. Do you hear me?’

‘That was an assault!’ Della screeched.

‘Fine, sue me,’ Shauna challenged. ‘Now you go and get Ashley and Kathryn and get out of my sight. I’ve put up with you and Eddie’s freeloading for too long and
I’ve had enough of it. It ends here. Now. No more, Della. No more.’

‘I’m telling Greg about this,’ Della threatened, nursing her reddened cheek.

‘You do that. I couldn’t care less.’ Shauna was trembling. She felt sick. She couldn’t believe that she’d slapped Della. She couldn’t believe that she’d
finally had it out with her sister-in-law. She took a deep breath. ‘This is a public beach. Stay here if you want but I don’t want to see you up in the park or in Malahide again. Do you
hear me?’

‘Fuck off,’ Della muttered.

‘With pleasure,’ Shauna retorted coldly and turned on her heel and strode down the beach towards Carrie, who had been keeping a weather eye on proceedings and now drew away from the
children, who were scrambling over the rocks, and walked towards Shauna.

‘Well?’ she asked grimly.

‘I gave her a smack in the chops.’ Shauna bit her lip and looked at Carrie warily.

‘Did you?’ Carrie gave a horrified giggle. ‘Good for you,’ she added stoutly.

‘She really pushed me too far. She called Chloe a spoilt little brat. And you’re stuck-up and I’m a snobby, snooty show-off and Bobby’s a poncy nancy boy. And Dad’s
a pain in the ass.’

‘Jeepers. Let me at her. I’ll whack her one myself. The
cheek
of her.’ Carrie glowered in Della’s direction.

‘Well I’ve told her not to set foot in the park, or in my house, again. I told her that she could visit Greg in the Gulf in the summer if she wants to keep in touch.’

‘Well done, Shauna. She’s had that coming for years. That’s why I left you to it. If you didn’t do it today you were going to be stuck with her
every
summer.
She’s no loss. You did the right thing. What do you want to do now?’

‘I could do with a drink,’ Shauna said shakily.

‘Right! Let’s get our stuff and get out of here. We’ll bring the kids for afternoon tea in the hotel in Bettystown and you can have a G and T.’

‘Sounds good to me.’ Shauna managed a weak grin.

‘You did great. She’s a sponger and a manipulative cow. Don’t feel bad. You needed to stand up for yourself and you did,’ Carrie said firmly.

‘Greg will probably go ballistic,’ her sister responded glumly.

‘Let him. You’re his wife; he should stand up for you,’ Carrie answered as she beckoned to the kids to come to her.

‘Say goodbye to Kathryn and Ashley. We’re going out for a spin in the car,’ she instructed.

‘Where are we going, Mam?’

‘You’ll see,’ Carrie said brightly. ‘Now collect up the stuff and let’s go.’

‘We want to come too,’ Kathryn demanded.

‘Not today, Kathryn,’ Carrie said firmly over her shoulder as she walked back with Shauna to where they’d been sitting.

Della glared at them when they reached their belongings but moved away from the rug and the windbreak.

‘They’re going somewhere, Mommy, and they won’t bring us,’ Kathryn raged.

Ashley kicked Hannah’s sandcastle apart.

‘Mammy, did you see—’

‘Don’t worry about it, Olivia, just get your sandals and towel and head up to the mobile,’ Carrie said briskly, ignoring her daughter’s outrage. ‘Davey, take the
buckets and spades, please.’

‘Why can’t we go with you? Mom said we’re staying the night in your caravan,’ Kathryn protested.

‘Mom made a mistake, Kathryn. We had arrangements made and it doesn’t suit,’ Shauna said evenly.

‘It’s not fair! You have all the good things and we have
nothing
.’ Kathryn stomped off along the beach.

‘Hope you’re happy now,’ Della said nastily. ‘Come on, Ashley, we won’t stay where we’re not wanted.’ She stalked off, indignation emanating from every
pore.

‘Oh, crikey,’ muttered Shauna. ‘Now she’s going to start the emotional blackmail.’

‘Ignore it,’ Carrie instructed. ‘She’s manipulated you enough over the years. Don’t buy into that stuff. It’s her own fault, Shauna. Let’s take the
short cut so that we don’t have to pass her on the way out.’

‘Yeah, let’s. I never want to see her again,’ Shauna whispered.

‘Short cut over the dunes, kids,’ Carrie called to the children, who had started to walk after Della.

‘Oh, Mam, I can’t carry all this stuff up the dunes,’ Olivia complained.

‘Give it to me,’ Carrie ordered. ‘And call me Dee Dee the Mule while you’re at it.’

‘Stop, Mam.’ Olivia giggled.

‘Come on, make the effort,’ her mother urged, taking a run at the dunes and getting halfway up. They struggled up against the sliding sand, groaning and laughing. Shauna got to the
top first and held her hand out to haul Chloe and Olivia up. Carrie panted up beside her. ‘Best foot forward and no looking back,’ she murmured.

Shauna smiled at her. A reckless exhilaration enveloped her. She felt free. She’d finally sorted Della out. Once and for all. If Greg didn’t like it, he could lump it. Let him
entertain his family. She hoped never to see them again.

‘I’m buying a bottle of champagne for tonight. We’ve a lot to celebrate.’ She tucked her arm into Carrie’s.

‘You bet we have,’ Carrie agreed. ‘Pity Bobby’s not here to enjoy our freedom.’

‘We’ll just have to drink enough for him.’ Shauna smiled. ‘Hell, after what we’ve been through with the Freeloaders, we deserve a bottle each.’

‘A bottle! Don’t you mean a magnum?’ Carrie retorted.

Shauna laughed. This summer was getting better and better!

Della felt tears prick her eyelids. She was trembling. Fury, hate and humiliation juggled for dominance. That reckoning had been a long time coming and she’d told that
little tart what she thought of her, but somehow she felt she’d come off second best. And had her face slapped into the bargain. Vicious cow!

There was no going back after this. It was a final reckoning, she admitted. The bombs had been dropped. All that remained was the wreckage. It didn’t bother her that she wouldn’t
ever see Shauna again. That was no hardship. But it was the added extras that went with the relationship that she’d really miss.

How dare Shauna call her a freeloader? She and Greg were wealthy. How mean of them to expect her and Eddie to arrive laden down with gifts. God Almighty, if they couldn’t share their good
fortune with their immediate family, who could they share it with?

‘Why aren’t we going with them?’ Kathryn whinged.

‘Because we’re not and I don’t want to hear any more about it,’ she snapped.

Kathryn burst into tears. Della felt like bursting into tears herself. Those bitches had got the better of her and she was going to pay them back one way or another.

‘Hold on a minute, Della. What are you saying?’ Greg’s fingers paused over the calculator where he’d been adding figures to see what his rental income
would be from the new apartment he’d bought in Dubai.

‘I said your wife not only insulted me but she slapped me in the face and I could sue her for assault if I was that way inclined.’ His sister’s agitated tones came across the
airwaves.

‘Shauna slapped you in the face! For what?’ Greg demanded irritably. What the hell was going on with the pair of them?

‘She was very rude. She told me she doesn’t ever want to see my family or me again and that if I want to keep in touch with you I can come and visit you in the summer when
she’s in Ireland. She’s an almighty bitch, Greg.’ Della burst into tears.

‘Oh, for crying out loud, you women. Have you nothing better to be doing than fighting and arguing? Look, I’m up to my eyes here, you better sort it out between you,’ he said
harshly.

‘There’s no sorting; she’s a bitch and I don’t want to have anything to do with her. But I want you to tell her that we can have that mobile when you aren’t using
it. It’s the least you can do for your family. She called us freeloaders; I’ve never been so insulted in my life. How would she like it if you spoke about her precious Carrie like that,
Greg?’

‘I’ll talk to her,’ Greg snapped. ‘’Bye.’ He didn’t give her a chance to respond but hung up in a foul humour. What the hell was going on? The last
thing he needed was a family row. He dialled Shauna’s mobile number.

‘Hi, Greg,’ she answered after a few rings, sounding surprisingly cheerful.

‘What’s going on with you and Della? She says you slapped her in the face,’ he demanded.

‘Yeah and it wasn’t hard enough,’ Shauna riposted coldly. ‘So little tattle-tale couldn’t wait to get on the phone to you.’

‘Shauna, what the hell are you doing slapping her across the face? Kids do that, not adults.’

‘Listen, Greg, I’m not getting involved in the ins and outs of it. Suffice it to say we had a row, I told her a few home truths, and as far as I’m concerned I don’t want
to see her again. There’s no need for you to get involved.’

‘Well, she wants to use the mobile when we’re not using it,’ Greg said, taken aback by his wife’s unyielding position.

‘What she wants and what she gets are two different things, Greg, and she can go and fuck off for herself. She’s not setting foot in Carrie’s park after the way she insulted
her—’

‘God Almighty, Shauna, I’ve enough on my plate without this crap,’ Greg raged.

‘Me too. Deal with it,’ Shauna retorted and hung up.

Greg stared at the phone. Shauna
never
spoke to him like that. What had got into her? He knew Della was no angel but whatever had gone on between them was clearly heavy-duty stuff. He
shook his head and stared at the figures in front of him. Let them get on with it and sort it. He hadn’t time for women’s petty catfights.

Shauna sat curled up on the sofa, looking out to sea. She could hardly make out the horizon. A dank mist hung like a shroud on the caravan park. It was a grey, cold, dismal
day. The weather had changed overnight but she didn’t mind. The gas fire flickered merrily, Chloe and Olivia were playing with their dolls, Hannah was having her nap in Shauna’s bed and
Davey had gone to a scouting meeting.

She’d taken Greg’s phone call in the bathroom so that the children wouldn’t hear the exchange. She was glad in a way that Della had phoned Greg; it let her off the hook about
telling him that she wouldn’t be having anything to do with that bitch again. And she was extremely pleased with the way she’d handled her husband. She hadn’t got into any long,
involved explanations and had just told him to deal with it.

She smiled, imagining him sitting in his office wondering what had got into her. He had sounded very taken aback by her attitude. Usually she was the pacifier in their relationship. Well, not
any more. This summer she was coming into her own. She was doing what
she
wanted, when she wanted, and she wasn’t feeling one bit guilty. It was a tremendous feeling.

What an unexpectedly interesting summer she was having, she mused as she watched a fishing boat bob up and down like a cork on the cloudy, wind-tossed sea. She’d put herself first and had
set her boundaries about entertaining the neighbours in Malahide. There’d been a family reconciliation, which made life much less stressful, and she’d finally dealt with the Freeloaders
so decisively that she might never have to see them again, with any luck.
And
she’d taken no nonsense from Greg about it, after years of swallowing down her annoyance and resentment
just so he could feel good about his appalling family. The icing on the cake would be getting pregnant, and then she could truly say that it had been the best summer of her life.

She stretched out and picked up her book and opened it at the page she’d been reading. The rain began to batter against the window and thrum in a steady downpour against the roof. Most
people in the park hated to see it raining. She didn’t mind it. She liked the sounds of angry, insistent drumming on roof and window; it made her feel snug. It gave her an excuse to do
nothing but laze on her sofa and read. Stretching like a cat, Shauna settled in for an afternoon of total relaxation.

‘Now be a good girl for Carrie and we’ll be home at the weekend. Daddy is dying to see you and he’s got a present for you.’ Shauna hugged Chloe tightly.
Her daughter looked the picture of health from a summer spent in the fresh sea air. Her eyes were glowing, her skin was lightly tanned, and her hair shone, streaked with silky blond highlights
where it had been kissed by the sun. Greg would surely be delighted to see how well she was looking.

She straightened up and gave Carrie a hug. ‘Thanks a million for looking after her. I’ll call you from Paris,’ she promised.

‘You look terrific,’ her sister complimented her. ‘He’ll jump on you.’

‘He’d better. He’s not getting out of bed for the four days.’ Shauna grinned. She was wearing a tangerine linen trouser suit with a cream camisole and cream high-heel
sandals. Her hair was swept up in a chignon. Her tan gave her a healthy, vibrant luminescence and she was fizzing with anticipation. June and July had whizzed by in a blur of lazy, relaxed days
that had slipped away in easy passage, especially since her showdown with Della.