Divided Loyalties (46 page)

The more she thought about it, the more pleased she was that she had finally confronted her sister-in-law with her unacceptable behaviour. She had endured it for too long because of her
reluctance to rock the boat and make a stand. She hadn’t wanted to upset Greg. He got on with her family; she’d wanted to get on with his. She’d tried, hard. But she had to
acknowledge that at the end of the day she couldn’t stand Greg’s sister and her husband, and when she finally admitted it out loud it was as if a huge burden had lifted off her
shoulders. Knowing that Della, Eddie and the kids would not be dropping in uninvited had given her such a sense of relief that she had thoroughly enjoyed the weeks following the bust-up.

Greg had phoned her and asked whether she had sorted things out with his sister and she’d told him in no uncertain terms that
yes
she had sorted things with his sister and she
wouldn’t
be seeing her again.
And
she had no intention of discussing the matter further. To her surprise he’d let it go and hadn’t raised the question again.
Satisfied that that was the end of it, Shauna was really looking forward to their reunion in Paris. Having had almost two months of R&R she was even looking forward to hosting a barbecue or two
in Malahide. She was determined to make the most of the month of August; next year she’d have less time at home because Chloe would be at school.

She gave her daughter another hug. She had spent a lot of time with her this summer and it had paid off. Chloe had begun to come out of her shell and the whinging and clinginess had lessened
enormously. It was heartening to see.

‘Here’s your taxi,’ Carrie said. She had driven over to Malahide with Shauna, who had arranged for the mini-maids to come and give the house the once-over in preparation for
Greg’s homecoming.

Shauna left in a flurry of hugs and kisses, relieved beyond measure that Chloe showed no sign of distress. That was the wonderful thing about being so close to her aunt and cousins. Carrie was
like another mother to her and her cousins were as close as siblings. A smile came to her lips as she sat back in the taxi. If God was good to her, Chloe might have that much longed-for brother or
sister sooner rather than later.

Carrie waved after her sister, thinking that she had never seen her looking so well or relaxed. It had been a good summer for all of them, she thought as she closed the door
and went into the kitchen to wash up the coffee mugs. Getting rid of the Freeloaders had been an added bonus. Greg hadn’t seemed too pissed off about it, according to Shauna. That was good
news; she’d worried that it might affect their reunion.

Carrie gazed out at the perfectly manicured lawn in the back garden and thought how different her marriage was from her sister’s. If she thought she was going to be parted from Dan for two
months she’d freak. She’d miss him so terribly she didn’t think she could bear it. Yet Shauna hadn’t seemed to miss Greg much at all and seemed perfectly content on her own
with Chloe in the mobile home.

They spoke every couple of days on the phone but Carrie had often been there during the conversations and not once had Shauna told Greg that she missed him. Still, it seemed to work for them,
and it really was none of her business, she told herself. Perhaps the reunions made up for the time spent apart.

‘Come on, you guys, time to get going,’ she called to the kids, who were playing in Chloe’s state-of-the-art tree house. She looked out the window at her niece laughing her
head off with Davey. She’d hardly mentioned Greg over the summer. Even the fact that he was coming home wasn’t a big deal to her. All she was interested in was her present. That was
sad, Carrie reflected. She might have everything money could buy, but Olivia, Hannah and Davey had far more than the poor little mite had or ever would have, unless Greg came to the realization
that there was a lot more to life than work and making money. Somehow Carrie didn’t think that that was ever going to happen.

Greg stood on the balcony of his hotel room, looking out at the skyline of Paris. The Eiffel Tower pierced the cobalt sky in the distance, and a pigeon cooed on the crumbling
grey parapet of the building opposite. The heat rose and shimmered from the pavements. But even though Paris was hot, it was a damn sight cooler than the oven-blast heat he’d left behind him.
He strolled back into the bedroom and ate a couple of grapes from the dish of fruit that lay on the coffee table. He was weary from the long flight and the interminable hot summer he’d
endured in the Gulf. This was a badly needed holiday.

He towelled his hair dry and lay on the bed and flicked on the sports channel. He could have gone to the airport to meet Shauna but he was so tired after travelling that he’d phoned her
and asked would she mind if they rendezvoused at the hotel. He glanced at his watch. Her flight would be landing shortly; it was too late to change his mind.

Greg sighed. He’d sensed that she was disappointed. Part of him was dreading meeting his wife. He didn’t regret having the vasectomy, he assured himself, especially since he’d
recovered so well from it. In fact he was
totally
recovered. He’d found that out when he’d bedded one of the company secretaries at her farewell party just ten days previously.
He was in perfect working order. If only he could get rid of the niggle of guilt that wouldn’t go away. He’d never been unfaithful to Shauna before. But it wasn’t as if he was
having a full-blown affair. It had only been a one-night stand and he’d never see Avril Kowloski again. She had flown home to the US to get married.

The closer he’d got to his reunion with Shauna, the more guilty he’d become. He knew that she was hoping to get pregnant and now it was never going to happen. She’d never know
the reason why and would possibly end up blaming herself. That wasn’t a very fair thing to put her through, and he’d been toying with the idea of telling her straight out. She might be
frosty for a month or two but that would pass and at least the baby thing would be sorted once and for all.

If he could get his nerve up he’d tell her, he decided. It might be the easiest thing to get it out of the way and over and done with. The little interlude between him and Avril would
remain his secret. Shauna would definitely
not
forgive him for that.

His chin drooped onto his terry robe. Guilt was a wearisome thing, he thought before he nodded off to sleep.

He woke to find Shauna smiling down at him. A porter had let her into their room.

‘Hello, babe,’ he said drowsily, thinking how relaxed and healthy she looked.

‘Hello, Greg.’ She leaned down and kissed him and the familiar scent of her Nina Ricci perfume wafted past his nostrils and a hunger for her enveloped him. He pulled her to him and
kissed her passionately, all notion of telling her about his vasectomy instantly dismissed.

Shauna lay in the crook of her husband’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder. She felt perfectly content as he slept beside her, his breathing deep and rhythmic. They
had spent the afternoon in bed, making love, and then ordered a room service dinner. They’d bathed together in a scented bubble bath and gone back to bed and made love again as dusky pinks
and purples turned to darkness and lights sparkled across the city.

The breeze made by the air-conditioning cooled her naked body and she lay drowsily replete. She’d been thrilled to discover how alive and responsive her body had become, having been
liberated from the libido-reducing effects of the Pill. The love-making had been wonderful. So wonderful that she was sure she could easily have got pregnant, she thought happily. It was perfect
timing, right in the middle of her cycle.

She’d never forget this summer, she thought as she drifted off into sleep. It had been the best time she could remember in a long, long while.

‘Hello, Daddy,’ Chloe said shyly as her father got out of the car.

‘Hello, Chloe. You’ve got tall. Look at you.’ Greg bent down and kissed the top of his daughter’s blond head.

‘This is my daddy,’ Chloe said proudly to her cousins. ‘And he’s brought me a present. Haven’t you, Daddy?’ she said anxiously.

‘Indeed I have. Hello, kids.’ He waved at his nieces and nephew and followed Shauna into the house.

‘What did you get me, Daddy, what did you get?’ Chloe was dancing up and down with excitement.

‘In a minute, Chloe. Have patience,’ Shauna chided.

Chloe pouted sulkily. ‘I want my present,’ she muttered. Shauna sighed. Greg had only been home five minutes and Chloe was pouting and sulking.

Greg rooted in his travel case and took out a gift-wrapped rectangular box. ‘There you go.’ He handed it to her. Chloe grabbed it and began to tear away the paper. The others looked
on with anticipation.

‘Say thank you,’ Shauna reminded her.

‘Thanks, Daddy.’ She pulled at the paper impatiently until a polished, intricately painted box was revealed.

‘What is it?’ she demanded, disappointed.

‘Open it.’ Greg laughed.

Olivia opened the little clip for her and when the lid was raised a dainty, pink-tutued ballerina spun slowly round on a mirrored lake to the sounds of
Swan Lake
.

‘Ooohhhh, Chloe, it’s gorgeous! You lucky sucker,’ Olivia said enviously.

Chloe’s face lit up as she watched the little dancer move gracefully in front of her to the tinkling music. This was a great present. Olivia thought so, and she didn’t have one. Only
she
had one because her daddy was very rich and had lots of money. Her daddy was the best daddy in the whole wide world.

‘They’re a weird family, Carrie. Even though she knew her mother was very poorly, Greg’s mother went off on a trip to Rome and the poor old dear died on her
own in the nursing home. They’re waiting for Joanna to get a flight back. Greg’s going mad. We should have been back in Abu Dhabi two days ago.’ Shauna shook her head. ‘I
know this is an awful thing to say, but I’m delighted to have a few days extra here, and needless to say Chloe’s thrilled to be missing school.’

Carrie laughed. ‘It’s even sweeter for her that my lot are back since Monday.’ She glanced over at Chloe, who was pushing Hannah backwards and forwards on the swing in the
otherwise deserted playground. ‘Isn’t the place so empty compared to last week? September is always quiet here,’ Carrie observed as she filed the chit for a delivery of gas
cylinders.

‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ Shauna asked.

‘Why not? I’m sorted here. I’ll go to the funeral with you, if you like. As soon as you know when it is, let me know so I can make arrangements about the kids.’

‘There’s no need, Carrie. It won’t bother Greg if you don’t go. You know them, they’ve a different way of looking at family than we have.’

‘Even so, you’re not going to face the Freeloaders alone. I’ll be right beside you,’ Carrie assured her.

‘Thanks, Carrie, but they don’t really bother me any more. Honestly, I never give them a thought.’ Shauna dropped two tea bags into the teapot. ‘Imagine, it’s over
a year since we saw them last.’

‘I know. It flew, didn’t it?’ Carrie said ruefully.

‘You’re telling me. I can’t believe Chloe’s starting her second year at school. She hates the thought of going back to Abu Dhabi.’ Shauna sighed as she poured the
tea into mugs and opened a packet of chocolate goldgrain biscuits.

‘Well, at least you didn’t have to move to Dubai so she didn’t have to go and make new friends,’ Carrie comforted her.

‘True, but Greg spends three days a week there now, so we see even less of him. This year’s going to be tough for Chloe, though,’ Shauna predicted glumly.
‘Filomena’s not coming back from the Philippines. Her father’s not well so I’m going to have to get a new au pair and Chloe’s going to have to get used to her. And her
best friend, Carly, has gone back to the States. Brett didn’t get the Dubai job and he’s had enough of Pierre. I’m really going to miss him and Jenna; they were my great buddies
out there. So all in all Chloe’s not the only one not looking forward to going back.’

‘And there’s no way that Greg will come home?’ Carrie dunked her biscuit into her tea and licked the melted chocolate with pleasure.

Shauna shook her head. ‘Nope. I’d hoped that I might have got pregnant and that would have given me some leverage but it hasn’t happened yet and I don’t know if it
will.’ An expression of sadness crossed her face.

‘Did you ask the doctor about it?’ Carrie probed gently. She knew that Shauna’s lack of success in conceiving was a cause of great distress to her sister. She’d seen how
down she got every time she got a period.

‘She says I’m fine and to relax. Easier said than done when you’re hitting forty,’ Shauna said ruefully. Her mobile phone shrilled.

‘Hi, Greg,’ she answered, seeing her husband’s name come up on the screen. ‘What’s happening?’

‘Gran’s going directly to the crematorium on Thursday. Mother’s decided against a religious service, as Gran didn’t bother about that kind of thing.’

‘No, she was definitely a free spirit,’ Shauna agreed with a smile.

‘Mother just wants to get the funeral over and done with,’ her husband informed her. ‘She’s coming directly to the crematorium from the airport. Glasnevin’s only
about a fifteen-minute drive from there. If you don’t feel like coming to the funeral home, don’t bother. You can meet us at the crematorium that morning,’ Greg said
matter-of-factly.

‘That’s a bit casual, Greg. She
was
your grandmother,’ Shauna murmured.

‘I was only thinking of you,’ he said. ‘What’s the point in driving all the way to Enfield to have to drive back again?’

‘Hmm. Would you like me to collect your mother from the airport?’ she offered.

‘No. Wendy, the woman she went away with, is organizing a lift. I think her husband’s collecting them.’

‘I see. Are you coming home now that you’ve made all the arrangements?’

‘No, I’m going to have a bite to eat with Della and Eddie and our cousin Billy and his wife Gwen. You’ve met them. I’ll give you a call when I’m leaving. Will you
get a wreath?’