Finishing Touches

by Patricia Scanlan

  ‘Did you see that new pair of shoes I bought the other day?’

  ‘We’re going to be late!’ exclaimed her husband in exasperation.

  ‘In the name of God! How could you be late for a party? Would you stop being a Hysterical Hilda and help me look for my shoes!’ Karen snapped, equally exasperated. It was always the same when they were going anywhere. Even to Mass on a Sunday!

  Mr and Mrs Jordan left the house in silence ten minutes later, waved off by Joan, who was used to the way they went on.

  In silence they drove towards the main road. ‘I’m sorry!’ said John, who was feeling better now that they were actually on the way.

  Karen sniffed. ‘You’re always the same! You never even noticed my new suit! I might as well be going in a sack for all the compliments I got from you.’

  ‘Well, it’s the nicest sack I ever saw!’ John grinned at his wife.

  Karen couldn’t keep her face straight. It was so annoying the way he always got out of trouble by making her laugh. He pulled into the side of the road and stopped the car. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Just going to show my approval of your new suit,’ John declared, putting his arms around her and drawing her close.

  ‘We’ll be late, John,’ Karen murmured ten minutes later.

  ‘How could you be late for a party?’ her husband replied, as he continued to show his approval.

  Jean added a bit of extra mascara. Not that she was going anywhere special, she told herself. She and Barbara might go somewhere for a drink and when she was with Barbara she always liked to look that extra bit glamorous. Her sister-in-law was such a glamorous person and so well-connected. Barbara knew everybody who counted in Dublin!

  She pulled down the skirt of her Private Collection suit a little bit more, conscious that she was not as thin as she would like to be. She had caught a glimpse of Cassie in Malahide the other day, dressed in a pair of shorts and a skimpy T-shirt. The tan of her! She looked very well, Jean had to admit sourly. Much better than during the court case, when she had been skin and bone. So well she might, spending the money they should all have shared, and starting up her own business. And from what Jean had heard around, her business was taking off. It was becoming an ‘in’ thing to have your house done over by Cassie Jordan. Half of her north County Dublin acquaintances seemed to be considering taking the plunge.

  Well, Cassie Jordan would never again set foot inside her door. Jean still had bitter memories of the day she had been told by her sister-in-law to get out of Nora’s house. Jean couldn’t care less if Cassie had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Anyone with breeding did not behave like that with their family. Well, tonight, Cassie would rue her behaviour. The only members of her family to share her shallow triumph would be John and Karen. Martin, Irene and Barbara wouldn’t be seen dead in Finishing Touches – and serves her right! Jean sprayed herself with Chanel No 5, told the babysitter that Martin was working late so she should stay the night if she wished, and headed off to meet her sister-in law, or VBF, as Barbara would say in her column!

  Martin finished the job earlier than he had expected and headed back to the office to change. Jean wouldn’t be a bit happy if she realized what his intentions were, but he knew what he had to do! It had been on his mind for ages and this was the perfect opportunity. Having made his decision, he whistled lightheartedly as he sped along the Dublin–Belfast road in his van. Tonight he’d sleep better than he had done for years! It was a nice thought.

  Irene came through the arrivals hall in Dublin airport feeling nervously excited. She had done it! All by herself. Made all her own arrangements. Flown Concorde across the Atlantic, got a Dublin flight at Heathrow and here she was! It was a heady feeling. She wondered if Dean had got her note yet!

  The Senator had been on a business trip to New York and hadn’t been sure when he was coming back to Washington, so she just left him a note to say she had to come home to deal with some family matters! That might shake him up. Make him see that she could do things for herself without depending on him all the time. Show him that he wasn’t dealing with a bimbo here. Irene conveniently forgot that it was the Senator’s money that had funded her credit-card purchase of her flight tickets.

  Now that she was here, though, she had no plan. She couldn’t go home to Port Mahon; Cassie didn’t live there any longer. Should she go directly to Malahide? Finishing Touches shouldn’t be hard to find. There was no point in going to Barbara’s! She wouldn’t be a bit happy that Irene had flown from America to go to Cassie’s party!

  A look of doubt crossed Irene’s perfectly made-up brow. Maybe she’d go to John and Karen’s. That might be the best idea.

  ‘I don’t believe it! Irene Jordan! What are you doing here?’ a familiar voice shrieked, and Irene turned around to find Aileen O’Shaughnessy grinning from ear to ear. ‘Have you come for Cassie’s party?’

  Irene nodded, delighted to see a face she recognized.

  ‘Oh Irene, Cassie will be thrilled! I’ve just arrived from London myself. Where are you going? Will we share a taxi?’

  ‘Well, I’m not sure exactly where I’m going. I don’t know how to get to where Cassie lives now and I was thinking I might go to John and Karen.’

  ‘I’ll tell you what!’ Aileen’s eyes sparkled. ‘Why don’t you come home with me and we won’t let Cassie know you’re here and we’ll give her a great surprise tonight!’

  ‘That’s a brilliant idea, Aileen,’ Irene smiled happily. She didn’t have to worry now about where to go or what to do; it was all arranged, thanks to Aileen.

  ‘Come on, let’s get a taxi!’ Aileen urged, making for the taxi-rank. Irene was quite happy to follow her lead.

  ‘You never told me you were bringing visitors!’ Angela O’Shaughnessy moaned after she had shown Irene to Judy’s old room.

  ‘Oh Mother! Irene’s not a visitor, she’s Cassie’s sister, and it’s just for a few hours before we go to the party! Look, if it’s too much trouble, we’ll just go to Judy’s and stay there!’ Aileen retorted.

  ‘No, no, it’s all right,’ her mother backtracked hastily. She had been looking forward to her daughter’s arrival. The house was so quiet without the girls.

  ‘I’m just going to give Laura a call and tell her the news,’ Aileen said, breezily waving her left hand in the direction of the telephone.

  ‘Fine, call away. I’ll just make a pot of tea.’ Angela bustled out to the kitchen.

  Aileen stared ruefully at the emerald adorning the third finger of her left hand. ‘And mothers are supposed to notice everything!’ she muttered. God knows it was big enough! And Irene hadn’t noticed. But she was in such a tizzy about actually being here for Cassie’s party. Well, Aileen was going to say nothing to anyone. It would be interesting to see which of her friends or family noticed her engagement ring first.

  Aileen looked again at her ring. Even she found it hard to believe that after all these years, she was finally going to settle down with Pierre. He had given her an ultimatum. Marry me or we never see each other again. Put like that, there was no dilemma. The man was crazy about her, and had been, from the first time they met in his aunt’s beauty salon in Mayfair. They had split up and got together and split up and got together but this time Pierre had had enough. He had ordered her to make a decision, so Aileen had decided to stay.

  It was about time she stopped gadding about anyway, she decided, grinning to herself. It was lovely being engaged. It gave her a little warm glow . . . even if no-one else had noticed. It was a pity Pierre couldn’t have made it tonight. He was on business in France. Never mind, they’d be together soon.

  Humming to herself, Aileen dialled Laura’s number.

  ‘Congratulations, Mr MacIntyre. You now own the River View Public House!’ Laura handed the keys to her client and shook hands with him and his solicitor. She sighed with relief, tidied up her papers, grabbed her coat and briefcase and flew out the door of the other solicitor’s office. She was dead lat
e. Things had got delayed, and her whole schedule was awry.

  She had to collect her daughter from the crèche, feed and bathe her and put her to bed. Then get herself ready for Cassie’s party and bring a change of clothes over to Doug’s office, where she was collecting him because his car was being serviced.

  The traffic was bumper to bumper and she cursed long and loudly as she inched her way along Leeson Street. This was the second time this week she would be late for the crèche and they didn’t take too kindly to tardy mothers! Laura yawned, as fatigue flooded every muscle. She hadn’t had this on her first pregnancy, although she had been queasy, which was worse in a way. She hadn’t had to rush around as much or work so hard on her first pregnancy.

  Be careful what you ask for – you might get it, went the old saying. Laura smiled to herself. Now that she had her partnership, was it that important? Frankly there were times when she’d give anything not to have to send her daughter to the crèche, so she could spend the whole day with her precious child. She was missing so much of her growing up. She’d never thought she’d feel this way, but the feeling was getting stronger by the day. God knows how she’d feel after the new baby.

  Wasn’t life strange all the same, she thought, as she swung left and headed along the canal. Look at the way things had worked out for Cassie, when everything had once seemed so bleak. Tonight was going to be a terrific night. To hell with Barbara and the rest of them. Cassie was going to be surrounded by people who really loved her. Wasn’t it great about Irene coming home for the party? Laura would never have thought she had it in her. And Aileen had sounded so bubbly on the phone. That one was up to something; Laura knew her friend too well not to know. She was really looking forward to tonight, to seeing Aileen and Cassie and having a few laughs. There was nothing like meeting your best friends for perking a girl up! Nothing like it in the world!

  Judy caught sight of the time and gave a little shriek of dismay. She had been visiting her mother-in-law in Saint Vincent’s Hospital, because Drew was far too busy to take the time, so she popped over to the Merrion Centre to get some smoked salmon in Quinnsworth. She then nipped into Wordsworth, the bookshop, where she had completely lost track of time. Judy had been looking for a book on assertiveness, and Kim, the attractive blonde proprietress, went out of her way to help. Judy now had three assertiveness books tucked under her arm.

  She’d better get a move on if she didn’t want to get stuck in the rush-hour traffic. She’d take the East Link and bypass town and be home in no time. Judy headed for her Golf. She was going to read these books and take note of them. Even now, Drew didn’t think she was serious about going back to work. And she was starting the following Monday! Well, he’d better get used to the idea! He could huff and puff as much as he liked because back to work she was going! And she was so excited about it!

  She couldn’t wait for tonight. Drew wasn’t coming with her, but Judy didn’t care. Her friends would be there, Cassie and Laura and Aileen, her sister. They’d give her the support and encouragement that was so lacking from her husband.

  ‘Screw you, Andrew Lawson!’ Judy declared assertively, as she swung the Golf out of the car-park and headed in the direction of the East Link Bridge.

  Robbie MacDonald ordered another double whiskey. He was fed up. It had been a tough day at work. He was having a row with his wife because he had forgotten their wedding anniversary. And he felt like getting pissed!

  He had heard too that Cassie was having a party out in Malahide to celebrate some new business venture she had started. He downed his whiskey in one gulp and ordered another.

  Cassie Jordan was the only woman who had ever understood him, the only woman he had ever really loved. And she had turned her back on him, he thought, awash with drink and self-pity. He should have been at her side tonight at this party she was giving, not some flaming Welshman that she was dating. He’d heard about him on the bank grapevine.

  He looked at the bouquet of flowers by his side. He had bought them as a belated anniversary present for his wife, but nipped into the pub for a few quick ones before he went home to face the music. He knew to whom he’d far prefer to be giving them.

  His expression became determined and he laughed to himself. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? Lurching out of the bar with his flowers, Robbie hopped into a taxi and sat back, feeling very pleased with himself.

  Kristi Killeen doused herself liberally with Poison and admired herself in the mirror. She had spent a fortune on this Cerruti white linen trouser-suit and the gold leather Osprey handbag, but it was worth every damn penny.

  She couldn’t wait for tonight. This would really get up BJM’s nose, and heaven knows her nose was nearly as big as her ears! Kristi chuckled at her bitchiness.

  Oh yes, these days she had the upper hand on Barbara Jordan Murray. Ever since that court case that she’d had the greatest luck to get wind of, big-ears Barbara had been treading on eggshells as regards Kristi. And if there were one thing Kristi Killeen thoroughly enjoyed, it was a good old family feud!

  Would her arch-rival be at her sister’s big bash tonight? Kristi just didn’t know, but she intended finding out. Again it had been the greatest piece of luck that she had found out about the party! Andrew Lawson had happened to mention that his wife, Judy, was going to the opening of a new interior design business called Finishing Touches, and Kristi had vaguely remembered someone on the circuit mentioning that Cassie Jordan, Barbara’s sister, was setting up something similar. A bit of flattery and Andrew Lawson was eating out of her hand. Kristi had got all the information she needed!

  Putting on her Ray-Bans, despite the fact that the sun was setting, Kristi strode out to her Alfa Romeo and scorched off in the direction of Malahide.

  Barbara was fit to be tied! This very morning her precious novel, The Fire and the Fury, had been unceremoniously returned in the post with a bland note from the publishers saying that unfortunately their lists for the next year were full and that they could not publish the novel. They wished her the best of luck in placing her novel elsewhere.

  By God, but she wouldn’t forget their rejection of her. Any of their books that came her way for review from now on would get slated! She had been depending on them to publish The Fire and the Fury. They had published some unknown civil servant who had written two blockbusters that had shot into the bestsellers list and made her seriously rich and a media celebrity. It was galling. Barbara’s novel had far more class than those two pathetic efforts! Well, the next one was due out soon and by the time Barbara got her hands on it, the author and publishers would be mightily sorry they had ever heard the name Barbara Jordan Murray! Barbara was so furious she had written down some phrases to use when the review copy of the next blockbuster landed on her desk: ‘fit only for imbeciles’; ‘one long (very long) yawn’; ‘mind-bogglingly banal.’

  She supposed she’d send her manuscript off somewhere else, but all the same, it was very disheartening.

  She still hadn’t made up her mind whether to go to Cassie’s party. The only reason she would grace it with her presence was to get a chance to see David again. The man obsessed her; she couldn’t get him out of her head. He was just the sexiest man she had ever encountered.

  She gave a little shiver as she remembered how she had accused him just before the court case of being in cahoots with Cassie over swindling them out of Nora’s house. Very quietly David had told her that if she cared to repeat the accusations he would sue her for slander. His voice had been much more menacing than if he had ranted and roared. It had actually left her speechless and she had walked away!

  Many times she replayed that scene in her mind. It always turned her on . . . She would never ever forgive Cassie, of course. That went without saying!

  Barbara sighed. She’d better get dressed, she supposed. Jean was calling and they had arranged to go for a drink. The ice-pink Versace that she had planned to wear was a bit too dressy just for going for a drink. But she wanted to keep h
er options open . . . just in case. If she were going to be seeing David Williams this evening, and it was still a big if, she wanted to look stunning!

  Maybe she’d wear her Paul Costello. If he was good enough for Princess Di, he was good enough for her. Barbara went upstairs to her walk-in closet and selected her outfit. She’d see what Jean had to say when she arrived. They could always drive down Main Street, Malahide, and see what was happening; there was no law to stop them doing that! It was a free country, no matter what Cassie Jordan and David Williams might think!

  David stood singing under the shower. He was in great form. The Thatcher biography was practically completed. All contracts honoured. No more to be signed. He hadn’t given a thought about what he was going to do but there was plenty of time for that.

  One thing that was high on his agenda was to spend a lot more time with Cassie. She had been so supportive during his writing period, so different from Danielle, his ex-wife. But then, of course, Cassie Jordan was an exceptional woman! Tonight would prove that. To think she had succeeded in making her dream come true after all she had endured. To think she had even been able to put her hurt and anger aside and invite that bitch, Barbara. David knew there was no way on earth he could ever be that forgiving. He didn’t know whether he wanted Barbara to show up or not. For Cassie’s sake, it would be nice. She wanted to see the members of the family forget their differences. David felt that if he came within three feet of Barbara he’d be tempted to strangle her!

  Forget about her, he told himself as he liberally applied deodorant and aftershave lotion. Tonight, when the party was over, he and Cassie would be alone and that was what he desired more than anything. He went into his bedroom and picked up the sapphire-and-diamond ring that he had bought for Cassie. It was an antique with an unusual heart-shaped setting and he hoped she’d like it. He wanted to mark this special night for her. He had ordered roses for her earlier in the day and she had called him in delight to say they had been delivered.