The Matchmaker

by Marita Conlon-McKenna

  Taking her hand he led her to the makeshift dance floor and pulled her into his arms. He was a great dancer and really into the music; laughing, she followed his lead.

  ‘Great party,’ he enthused, ‘and you’ve got a wonderful bunch of friends. I really like them.’

  ‘I wanted everyone to meet you tonight,’ she said. ‘My friends from school and college, my cousins and neighbours and everyone . . .’

  Angus was being so attentive and she loved having him around; he just seemed to fit in.

  ‘You look divine, Sarah,’ he whispered, touching her neck and placing his lips on her bare skin. ‘I’ve been dying to do this all night.’

  ‘Angus!’ she teased.

  He looked serious and pulled her closer, leaving her in no doubt about his feelings. Sarah responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.

  The party went on for hours, wine bottles littered the kitchen, the stone steps and the patio wall and the baby bath had only empty beer cans left bobbing in it. Grace reappeared and Sarah saw Mark make straight for her, take her arm and lead her down to the wonky wooden bench at the bottom of the garden, a bottle of wine and two glasses in his hand. Grace was wearing her beige work skirt and a little short-sleeved white blouse, but still looked stunning.

  Now it was very late and Sarah said goodbye to her guests, glowing with the fact that she had repaid all the dinners and parties she had been invited to and had managed to pull off a seemingly perfect night. Evie was fast asleep, curled up with her teddy bear Gideon, undisturbed by the music and noise.

  As the crowd disappeared Sarah kicked off her shoes and began to tidy up, putting a few more plates and glasses in the dishwasher.

  ‘Leave it,’ urged Angus dragging her back outside, Karen was dancing barefooted with Mick, her belly huge, her skin tanned and glowing. In a few weeks her best friend would be a mother too, and would discover how much her life was going to change. Ronan was still deep in discussion with a friend of Sarah’s from Art College, the two of them arguing good-naturedly, but it was seeing the way Grace and Mark were dancing together that really surprised her. They weren’t saying a word, just gazing at each other, her sister’s fingers clasped in his.

  One last bottle of wine was opened and they all danced easily together to her mum and dad’s old Burt Bacharach CDs, Sarah resting her head on Angus’s shoulder as they smooched to the music.

  ‘This guy is in love . . .’ he whispered.

  Chapter Fifty-five

  Maggie yawned, stretching; she couldn’t believe that she had slept so well.

  Her body for once felt rested and relaxed and this massive bed was probably one of the most comfortable that she had ever slept in.

  From the strip of sunshine flickering in through her curtains she could guess that the day was fine and the thought of a walk around Anua’s acres of land and the nearby woods was certainly appealing. She padded across the room and opened the curtains, her breath taken away by the view outside and the clear blue sky. This was utter bliss. Opening the door to the deck, she gulped in the fresh air coming off the lake, and watched a family of ducks meander across the water. Glancing at her watch she realized that she’d slept late and if she intended getting any breakfast she’d better get a move on.

  She showered quickly in the glitzy bathroom and dressed in soft grey cotton pull-ups, a white T-shirt and her trainers. Surveying herself in the long mirror she added a flick of mascara, a touch of lip gloss and a quick run of the brush through her hair before grabbing her key and making her way to the restaurant.

  Only a few lazy sleepyheads were still eating breakfast, the rest of her fellow guests were probably already exercising or partaking of various treatments. Looking around she saw no sign of Myles. The breakfast buffet was incredible and she filled a large Stephen Pearce bowl with fresh fruit and a delicious, creamy homemade yoghurt. She had cherries and apple and strawberries and peach and a sprinkle of grated hazelnuts and a large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. Afterwards she tucked into a few slices of warm wholemeal bread and a smooth fig spread and a pot of tea at a table overlooking the grounds. What a perfect start to the day. A walk first, then she planned on joining the Pilates class before heading to the pool for the aqua-aerobics class, something that she had been dying to try out for ages. She had a list of treatments organized in the afternoon: an Indian head massage, a facial and an eyelash tint and a French manicure. Grace and Sarah and Anna were right, there was nothing like a bit of pampering.

  Grabbing a light jacket she walked right down to the water’s edge. The lake water was clean and she suspected it was probably teeming with fish, judging by the fishermen spread out along the far shore. She would follow it for a bit and then take the path that led up through the woods.

  Her breath echoed in her ears as she walked, but the only other noise around was the sound of birdsong and the odd scuffle of a squirrel or cooing of wood pigeons. The trees were ancient and she had to take care not to trip over the gnarled roots that pushed their way through the mossy path. She took her time absorbing the beauty of the woodland around her as the path climbed higher and higher. She met two other residents of the spa, a mother and daughter who were rushing back for an appointment with the hairdresser and told her of the great view up ahead. Maggie kept on walking, noticing that the shady cover of the trees was beginning to give way to a warm dappled stretch of sunshine. At last she found herself bursting into a clearing which gave way to a tumbling view of the lake and countryside below. She felt giddy with the sheer beauty of Kilcara’s wood and lake. She stopped for twenty minutes to take it in, feeling utterly solitary yet at one with the rich landscape spread out below her.

  Gathering her thoughts she began the trek back, taking care not to stumble where the path sloped downwards and pitched her forward. She promised herself to do this walk again tomorrow.

  Back at Anua, she joined the small class of ten doing Pilates in the bright and airy games room. Leanne, the pretty young instructor, showed them ways of stretching and moving their bodies that Maggie would not have believed possible. Flopping down on the mat afterwards, she was certainly ready for a nice cool swim.

  The pool was fairly busy and she blushed, noticing Myles up the deep end. He waved to her and rather than be rude she swam towards him.

  ‘Nice morning?’ he asked.

  ‘Perfect,’ she replied, telling him about her walk.

  ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ called the aqua-aerobics instructor Rudy, ‘please gather over by this side of the pool so we can begin class.’

  ‘I’m getting out of here,’ protested Myles. ‘I’m booked in for a session in the steam room.’

  Maggie smiled, relieved that he wasn’t going to witness her huffing and puffing through a fitness workout.

  ‘See you later,’ he called, getting out of the pool.

  She watched his tanned, rather chunky body disappear in the direction of the steam room as she joined the wedding girls and the large office group who were on hilarious form as Rudy put them through their paces.

  ‘Kick those right legs, twenty times,’ he ordered. ‘Now twenty times for the left leg.’

  A workout in the pool certainly relieved the impact on bones and muscles but it was at a faster and more furious pace than she expected. The young girls around her were giggling and chatting and seemed well able to keep up. At times she struggled but with Rudy’s encouragement and Nikki, the girl who was getting married, urging her to keep going she managed to enjoy the aerobics, relieved to have a bit of a relaxed swim afterwards.

  After quickly towelling off and changing she opted for a simple lunch of carrot and ginger soup and a leafy green salad with crispy bacon croutons. Nikki and her two friends insisted she sit with them and through the meal she listened to the plans for next Saturday’s wedding.

  ‘Pray for good weather,’ pleaded Nikki. ‘I don’t know what we’ll do if it rains!’

  ‘Of course,’ laughed Maggie, remembering
the massive rain shower on her own wedding day.

  The afternoon passed in a haze of oils and lotions and her body being massaged, her skin cleaned, peeled and renewed and every bit of her feeling absolutely pampered. It was years since her body had received even half of this attention and she was so tired after it all she crawled into bed at five o’clock and fallen fast asleep.

  The phone ringing beside her bed woke her, and for an instant she panicked wondering if she had slept the night through.

  ‘Hello,’ she answered sleepily, surprised to discover that it was Myles wondering if she would join him for dinner again.

  She hesitated. She barely knew the man but the thought of facing the dining room and sitting at the table alone convinced her. Besides, he was good company and she had no intention of cramping Nikki and her friends’ pre-wedding girly talk this evening.

  ‘That would be lovely,’ she said, accepting Myles’s suggestion of a pre-dinner drink in the lounge.

  She surveyed her minuscule wardrobe and opted for the cream dress with the scoop neckline and a beige wrap Sarah had insisted she brought along. Her skin was glowing and all she needed was a little lipstick. The dyed eyelashes made her eyes look huge and as if she had lined them already. She looked the picture of good health and her face had lost that careworn appearance it usually carried. The miracle of products and treatments was hard to beat, she acknowledged as she took a last twirl at the mirror.

  Myles was sitting out in the open air on the large wooden deck that opened from the lounge, nursing a glass of chilled white wine, complaining about the lack of Guinness and beer available.

  ‘It’s not really a bar,’ she teased him. ‘Remember it’s a health spa we’re visiting.’

  She opted for wine also and sat beside him, watching the evening sun’s reflection on the lake.

  ‘This place is great,’ he enthused. ‘There’s nowhere else like it. I’ve actually switched my mobile phone off.’

  ‘Me too!’ she admitted. She hadn’t given home or family a thought since breakfast.

  ‘Don’t know how I’ll manage when I get back,’ he said ruefully, ‘but it’s been well worth every euro!’

  ‘You’re leaving tomorrow?’

  ‘I’ve postponed it,’ Myles confessed. ‘I’m taking an extra day.’

  Maggie could feel herself colour. The majority of guests were checking out around midday and heading back to normality. What if she and Myles were the only two left in the place? It would be so embarrassing!

  ‘There’s a group of Americans checking in tomorrow afternoon but I managed to keep my room for another night,’ he explained.

  ‘That’s great.’ She smiled. ‘So we’ll both be here.’

  ‘You don’t mind, Maggie, do you?’ he asked, totally straight up.

  She considered for a second. He was entitled to the extra day’s break just as much as she was. He was a nice man, a little lonely like herself, and the few days here away from work and home would do him good.

  ‘Not at all.’ She smiled again. ‘In fact I’m delighted for you.’

  The dining room was busy on Saturday night; obviously locals opted to eat here too. Maggie and Myles were shown to a small table on the far side of the restaurant. Maggie was starving after all the day’s physical exertions.

  ‘I think I’ll go for the prawns to start and the roasted salmon and vegetables,’ she said, reading over the wide-ranging menu.

  ‘Crab cakes and a steak,’ ordered Myles as the waitress opened a bottle of wine for them.

  Maggie suppressed a smile. Why was it that men of a certain vintage always ordered the same thing on the menu? It didn’t matter what exotic foods or dishes Leo was offered, he would nine times out of ten order a steak. She had spent a lifetime cooking steak.

  This time over dinner they talked about their backgrounds and childhoods and Maggie was surprised to discover that they had so much in common. He had gone to the same boarding school as Fran’s husband and was a mad GAA player in his day. ‘Hurling and football, I played them both,’ he boasted. ‘Represented Limerick for a year or two playing football. Now I have to content myself with a seat in Croke Park.’

  She smiled.

  ‘Your husband wasn’t a GAA man, he played rugby!’ he joked. ‘So you must have gone to a lot of matches in your own time.’

  ‘I wasn’t the biggest sports fan,’ she confessed. ‘I was never sure what I was shouting for on the sidelines.’

  Myles laughed and told her about the small solicitors’ firm he owned with offices on Lower Mount Street. ‘We mostly handle conveyancing and bit of contract advice and some family law,’ he explained. ‘We’ve a good loyal clientele who expect you to always be at the end of the phone in case of disaster. Alex, my youngest son, joined the firm after he qualified and had built up a bit of experience working in Goodbody’s, so it’s good to have him on board. My other lad is a paediatrician in the children’s hospital in Crumlin.’

  She told him about her three daughters and granddaughter, discovering that his mother Dorothy was still alive and lived on her own in an apartment in Ranelagh, only a stone’s throw from Evie’s school.

  ‘She’s very independent,’ he confided, ‘and at eighty-eight can run rings around the rest of us.’

  They liked similar restaurants, and had two or three friends in common, and both had visited Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare regularly, except in different months of the year.

  Leo would like him, she found herself thinking. They were the kind of men who would have enjoyed a pint together, watched a match, shared a meal. Almost overcome, she made a dash to the bathroom.

  Nikki and her friend Suzie were standing in front of the mirror chatting about this day week.

  ‘Imagine, I’ll be married!’ Nikki grinned with delight.

  ‘All the best for next Saturday,’ said Maggie, ‘in case I don’t see you tomorrow before you leave.’

  ‘It’ll be brill,’ laughed Suzie. ‘The wedding of the year!’

  ‘Thanks.’ Nikki smiled again. ‘Your husband seems very nice. Maybe Joe and I will be like you two and come here for a break in a few years’ time.’

  Maggie was about to try and explain that Myles was not her husband, and in fact was someone that she had just met, but she could see the girls had already lost interest and wanted to get back to their table.

  ‘Everything OK?’ asked Myles, standing up as she returned to the table, his eyes full of concern.

  ‘Fine,’ she smiled.

  The waitress brought dessert and Maggie took a small spoon of the perfect crème brûlée as Myles tucked into a huge plate of homemade ice cream topped off with a caramel sauce.

  ‘Have a taste if you want,’ he tempted her. Maggie was aware of the sudden intimacy between them as she scooped some ice-cream into her mouth.

  He grinned. ‘Told you you’d like it.’

  Over coffee they talked politics, and about the changing face of Dublin, both getting riled up and then bursting into fits of laughter at their reaction to the mention of the Government.

  ‘Nothing like a good argument, that’s what Patricia used to say,’ he admitted, ‘though it’s funny how you miss them!’

  ‘Me too,’ she said softly, understanding exactly what he meant.

  Looking around, Maggie suddenly realized that the dining room was virtually empty and the staff were throwing them impatient glances.

  Laughing, they picked up their wine glasses and retreated to the lounge to continue their conversation. An hour later they finally called it a night and Maggie realized that it reminded her of when she was a teenager and didn’t want to say goodnight.

  Myles smiled. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he said, giving her an awkward hug.

  Back in the bedroom Maggie stared at the bright-eyed woman in the mirror, telling herself to wise up and not be such a fool about the first decent man to have crossed her path since Leo.

  Chapter Fifty-six

  The sun was high in the sky a
s Maggie made her way to breakfast. She had already done a few laps of the pool and had enjoyed it so much that she vowed to take up swimming in her local pool when she got back home. The dining room was quiet and she grabbed a copy of the Sunday Times and retreated to a small table with her fruit and yoghurt. She refused the offer of eggs and bacon and stuck to toast and tea.

  There was an open-air kick-boxing session at eleven and she decided to give it a go before another good walk. After lunch there were only a few therapists on duty and she was fortunate to have managed to book in for a seaweed wrap followed by a full body massage.

  Quite a large group gathered on the front lawn and it was hard not to laugh as they kicked and punched and aimed at unseen assassins. Myles was over at the back kicking hard, his tall frame towering over everyone else as their instructor demonstrated one move after another.

  ‘That was fun,’ he admitted afterwards as they downed a sparkling water.

  ‘I’m going to go for a walk,’ she said, putting her trainers back on and grabbing a spare bottle and her zip-up jacket.

  ‘Would you mind if I joined you?’

  She hesitated. She had enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of yesterday. Maybe having Myles along would spoil it?

  ‘A long walk is exactly what I’m in the mood for, and that ridge near the woods you told me about last night sounds great. Otherwise I can set out a bit after you!’

  There was no point following each other, she thought, almost reluctantly agreeing to his company.

  Down by the lakeshore they stopped to drink in the view as a pair of swans dabbled in the water, before following the uphill path through the woods. Maggie was relieved that Myles was not set on talking the whole time but happy to fall into step with her without saying too much. When a rat scurried from the bushes, she jumped and grabbed his arm, relieved that he was with her.

  ‘You OK?’

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded, continuing. ‘Sorry, but I can’t bear rats!’

  It was even warmer than yesterday and she slipped off her jacket and tied it around her waist as they began to climb through, the sunlight splattering the woodland floor.