Sinead hesitated for a moment and said, "You'd might as well take them all out. I'll show everything to Maeve. Besides, my Mini is here. Maeve is looking after it for me, so it's no trouble."
"Are you sure?"
"No problem."
They unloaded the car while Maeve stood on the stairs admiring the cradle with delighted exclamations which she kept up steadily until it was safely placed in the room upstairs which had been designated as the nursery.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Riordan, for all you help and kindness," Maeve said, when the car had been unloaded. "Have you time for a quick cup of coffee before you go?"
Much to Sinead's dismay, he said, "I'd love one," and followed her sister into the kitchen. She couldn't understand the change in him. One moment he had been as black as a thundercloud, yet here he was chatting animatedly to her sister. Sinead wondered resentfully if he was just enjoying charming yet another susceptible female, even if she was as big as a beachball. Or whether he thought Sinead beneath his notice after the events last night.
Sinead tried to interrupt their stream of chatter several times as her sister made some fresh coffee, but though Austin smiled at her once or twice, he devoted all his attention to Maeve. She heard him compliment her sister on the house. Sinead took a quick look around and prayed there weren't any photos of Mike and Maeve around.
She heard Austin say, "You don't look very much like your sister, do you."
"No, my hair is like mother's, blonde, with blue eyes. Sinead's is darker, with eyes that sparkle like amethysts."
"Yes, exactly like amethysts," Austin agreed warmly.
Sinead thought with a pang of the fabulous ring he had admired in the shop the day before.
Sinead wrung her hands as Austin proceeded to sit down at the kitchen table and chat amiably to Maeve, who was treating him as if he were an old friend of the family. Sinead couldn't really blame her. Austin was the most charming man when he wanted to be, and of course his looks were breath-taking. His black pinstripe suit and white shirt set off his dark colouring to perfection. His male presence filled the whole room in a way that Mike's never did, thought Sinead, though Mike was physically the broader of the two tall men.
Sinead was on tenterhooks in case he started asking Maeve any personal questions about herself and Mike. She knew her sister wouldn't be able to lie. But the conversation remained strictly on neutral topics, as Austin asked her about the baby and recounted the tale of Sinead's discovery of the cradle.
"It's absolutely perfect," Maeve gushed. "Now all I need is some linen to go with it."
"Would you like to go shopping for it today?" Sinead offered. "Mr. Riordan did say he had some meetings to go to. So if you haven't made any plans, we could go for lunch in town, and I could give you a hand with your holiday shopping."
"Grand! I've been cooped up for ages. But only if Mr. Riordan doesn't mind," Maeve hesitated.
"Call me Austin, please. And no, I have no objections to you two lovely ladies having the day together. I only wish I could go with you, but duty calls," he said with a smile. "Sinead, will you show me out?"
Sinead followed wordlessly.
Once in the hall he asked, "Where are the keys to the Mini?"
"Here," she answered, pointing to the telephone table in the hall. "Why?"
He picked them up and handed her the keys to the Jaguar. "Here, you need it more than I do," he insisted, as she opened her mouth to protest. "You're going shopping, and your sister is as big as a barrel, so you'd better take the larger car. I'll meet you back here at, say, four?"
"Yes, that's fine. Thank you for being so thoughtful."
"Don't forget to pop home for your checkbook before you go out with Maeve," he reminded her. "Oh, and if you have a swimsuit, we can get the pool going. I was thinking of having a house party at the weekend. It would be nice to get everything fixed up. I've hardly used it in three months, but maybe it's about time I did. Perhaps your sister and her husband could come up too. We'll talk about it later."
"I'm sure I'll manage to find a suit somewhere. Thanks again for everything."
Sinead wondered at the change in him again. He'd seemed so cold and distant, as if he couldn't wait to be rid of her, yet now he was being friendly and planning all sorts of special treats for her and Maeve.
Her eyes searched his face briefly as Sinead opened the door for him. She lifted her hand to wave at him as he headed down the stairs. He went down half way, and then turned to come back up. Sinead wondered what he'd forgotten. Before she could manage to step back, he planted a pulsating kiss firmly on her lips and bounded back down the stairs before she could say a word.
He grinned at her as he waved, and she lifted her hand slowly back and smiled despite herself. She waited until he'd got her car safely started before she closed the door behind her.
"So that's the Creature of Castlemaine," Maeve said, with lilt of laughter in her voice. "Honestly, he's lovely! And I don't just mean his personality. The nurses must chase after him constantly. I can just imagine what people would say if they knew you were nursing him in his own home." Maeve looked at her sister speculatively.
Sinead felt her color rise.
"Yes, I admit that he's wonderful, though Mike would disagree with me there. But he already has a girlfriend."
"What?"
"It's true. While we were out shopping yesterday he picked out an engagement ring for her. All the nurses will just have to pine away."
"What a shame," Maeve said. "You and he would be perfect together."
"What on earth makes you say that?" Sinead asked nervously. Were her feelings for Austin so obvious that Maeve had picked up on her complete surrender to this incredible man?
"You seem to have so much in common, that's all. And I have never seen you so relaxed. Not to make you self-conscious, my dear, but he never takes his eyes off you. Besides, you know I have some basis for comparison. I knew Luke for years. You and he never looked that way together."
"What way?"
Maeve pondered for a moment. "Well, just like the perfect couple, really. There's no other way to describe it. Like on the cover of a magazine or romance novel. He kissed you liked you'd been in love forever," she added.
Sinead blushed furiously.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's nothing to talk about, Maeve. He just did it on the spur of the moment, that's all. He's marrying someone else, so all your talk about the perfect couple is a load of nonsense."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just can't help getting the feeling there's something going on between you two," Maeve said, patting her sister on the shoulder. "Whatever it is, it sure seems to have you in a tangle."
"No, it's not worth worrying about. I'm just his nurse, and that's it."
"All right, you can tell me if the situation changes. In the meantime, let's go shopping!"
After few minutes of scrambling about getting ready, Maeve was seated comfortably in the Jaguar, with her shopping list clutched in her eager hand.
The two women had a splendid time picking out a linen set for the cradle. Then Maeve did all her shopping except for Sinead's present. Sinead found a fine briefcase for Mike, and decided to go in search of a new swimsuit for herself. She thought a bit self-consciously about her figure. She'd let herself get out of shape. No wonder Austin didn't find her attractive. She voiced her fears to Maeve, who laughed derisively.
"Sinead, you were in the hospital for months. One could hardly expect you to train for the Olympics! But really, you're as thin as ever, with a spectacular figure. Just show it off a bit more!" Maeve rejected the plain navy one-piece in favour of skimpy black bikini which Sinead blushed to look at.
"No, I couldn't!" Sinead protested, as Maeve also picked out a rather revealing black and fuschia one piece which was if anything even more alluring.
"Of course you can," Maeve insisted. "If you've got it, flaunt it! And I won't take no for an answer. It's just an early Christma
s present, so say no more."
They took care of wrapping paper and Christmas cards together, and loaded the back seat of the car with their purchases.
"We'll go for a coffee first. Next I'll take you to the supermarket, so you can load the fridge and freezer with food."
"That'll be great. Mike always forgets things. With the baby coming, it'll be good to have plenty of things in the house for when I can't get out and about too easily."
"Which I'd say is now!" Sinead laughed, patting her sister's bulging stomach.
Suddenly she froze, as she saw Margaret and Austin coming out of the Italian restaurant arm in arm. She prayed that he wouldn't see them, but of course they turned left and Sinead saw Austin's startled expression as his eyes met hers.
He doesn't miss a beat, does he, Sinead thought resentfully as he walked up to Maeve, and asked how the shopping was going in his most charming manner.
Maeve smiled warmly, and Sinead could see Margaret's eyes bulge as she looked Maeve up and down.
"Who have we here, darling?" she asked pointedly.
Austin introduced them with a smooth few words, and explained, "Maeve is Sinead's sister."
Margaret looked slightly relieved, and she said in a rather patronising tone, "So nice to meet you, dear," before she turned to Sinead and said, "Sinead and I have already met."
Sinead felt winded by the depths of hatred that were exposed in the older woman's eyes. She was grateful that Austin seemed so embarrassed by the meeting that he said, "I'm late. Must run." Putting his arm firmly around Margaret's waist, he led her down the street out of sight, leaving Sinead staring after them feeling as though her whole world had come to an end.
Chapter Nineteen
After the intensely disturbing accidental meeting between Sinead and her sister, and Margaret, acting so intimately with Austin right in public, Sinead felt her knees quake, and took her sister's arm. It might look to the passerby as though she were helping her greatly pregnant sister, but the truth was, the contact was the only thing keeping Sinead on her feet.
She made a beeline for the nearest door into the restaurant and was relieved to find there were a few empty tables to choose from.
Sinead remained silent until they sat down at a table in the corner of the dark bistro, and Maeve ordered coffee and cakes.
Finally Maeve could stand her sister's odd behaviour no longer, and demanded, "Now, would you mind telling me what that was all about? And don't pretend ignorance. That woman looked fit to kill you, and even me, come to that."
Sinead said nothing, unsure exactly what and how much to tell her sister.
A sudden look of horror crossed Maeve's elegant features. "That's never Austin's girlfriend, is it?" she asked in disbelief.
"I'm afraid so."
"Why does she hate you so much? I mean, any woman would be a threat to a woman of that type, but anyone can tell by the way she looks at you that she loathes you. Do you know each other?"
"She's gone for Mandy's job in ICU, so she'd be my superior. I think she's got the position and considers me a rival there. She saw me at the hospital with Austin a few times, and in Seskin yesterday, so she's bound to be jealous," Sinead explained uncomfortably, shifting back and forth in her seat.
"And?" Maeve prompted. "What else?"
Sinead sighed, and knew she couldn't keep it from Maeve forever. "Look, I would have told you sooner, only I didn't want you to worry. The truth is, well, I've known her since before Austin."
"Before?"
Sinead nodded. She swallowed hard, then confessed, "She's the same woman Luke was living with out in Dubai."
"Damn her!"
"Sush, not so loud."
"And she has the nerve to come here?" Maeve hissed.
"She couldn't have known, could she? I don't think even she's that cold and calculating as to keep hounding me for life," Sinead soothed her outraged sister.
"Well, I think it's a pretty odd, not to say a downright awful coincidence if it was chance."
"She's with Austin. If they're planning on settling down it would be only natural for her to apply for a job at Castlemaine General."
Her sister shook her head slowly. "I don't know, Sinead, it just seems weird."
"I'm the suspicious one in the family, not you. Don't worry. She can't hurt me any more than she already has. But I suppose I'd better tell you now, if she does get the job, I'm sure she'll try to force me out as fast as possible. I think I'd better start looking for a post elsewhere if that's the case."
"But that's so unfair!" Maeve cried. "Why should you let her force you out? Couldn't you just work in a different part of the hospital?"
Sinead sipped her coffee silently for a few moments and then put her hand on her sister's arm. "Look, Maeve, I know this is going to upset you. But now that you've brought it up, we might as well face facts. The house is pretty small, and with a new baby coming, I'll only be in the way."
Maeve shook her head in hot denial, but Sinead continued, "I've been thinking of moving out anyway. Perhaps this is a sign that it's time for a whole new start. A new job, home, everything. I couldn't work with her, with a constant reminder of Luke and all my failures."
"You didn't fail! He--"
"Any memories of him I have left are bad, traumatic, and she'd only keep dredging them up. I would be a basket case it I was stupid enough to try to work with her. Even if I held my own, she would just keep needling, being smug-—"
"Bitchy, you mean. I can see how much she hates you."
"Maybe hate is too strong a—-"
"She hates you," Maeve maintained. "Luke married you, remember? No matter what her game was, you won, not her."
Sinead shrugged one shoulder. "It was a pretty hollow victory. But maybe she did me a favor in the end. If she had won, I would have always wondered what I had done wrong. As it was, I married him, and got to see the real Luke.
"Maybe Margaret didn't create the monster, but she certainly didn't help. His addiction did the rest. Luke killed himself, and yes, it was touch and go there for a while, but I survived the crash. I'm stronger now because of all I've been through. And as terrible as it sounds, I'm free of Luke forever. No second guessing, no maybes. It is completely and utterly over. And I do know whose fault it all was in the end. Luke's."
"But that woman—"
Sinead patted her sister on the hand. "I love you for your loyalty, Sweetie, but I don't need my pregnant sister to go the mat for me. Try not to be so upset. Sure, I could blame Margaret for the past, but we all know it takes two to tango. Luke dazzled everyone with his brilliant façade. I used to think he was restless, relentless in his quest for perfection, and driven by ambition to try to accomplish more and more. Now I know that as soon as people got to see through his façade to what he was really like, he would pull up stakes and run."
"I never liked him—"
"Truthfully, Sis, neither did I." Sineas gave a regretful laugh. "I thought I loved him, could help him, save him. Well, if I ever get the notion to rescue anyone ever again, just point me in the direction of the nearest animal shelter."
Maeve giggled, and finally relaxed against the back of her chair.
The coffee and cakes arrived a moment later. When Sinead had prepared her drink to her liking, she said, "Look, Maeve, I know you think this is all about Margaret, but once again, she's just served to point out some areas in my life that really need to be looked at long and hard. I'm more grateful to you and Mike than I can ever say, or repay, for all you did when I was recovering. You gave me time to rest, recuperate, heal. Not just physically, but mentally too."
"No need to thank me—"
"Oh, but there is."
"It's what family are for, which is why we love having you living with us." She took Sinead's hand in both her own.
Sinead returned the pressure for a moment, then reached for a cake.
"I would love to stay, really. And I am sure I will be a total embarrassment as a doting aunt totally nuts about
her niece or nephew. And I will be delighted to help in any way I can, you know that. But we need to be realistic. You and Mike need to have privacy, both as a couple, and as new parents. I don't want to get in the way of that."
"And I don't want you running away," Maeve fired back, before taking a wrathful bite of her chocolate éclair.
Sinead shook her head. "Not running from, running to."
"Pardon?
"I know you think Margaret is deliberately trying to oust me, do a number on me somehow. But I'm not just thinking of leaving because of her."
Heart's Desire Page 13
