The Gift of Friends

by Emma Hannigan

  She chose one of the outfits now – a red wrap dress with a pattern of little green-masted sailboats. It was cute and funky and a great shape on her. She matched it with a mustard yellow Aran cardigan that she never would have thought to buy, sheer tights and the new brown ankle boots Zara had told her were an autumn–winter necessity.

  ‘I won’t leave this shop until you’ve bought them,’ Zara said, sitting down on a sofa and crossing her arms.

  ‘You look just like your mother when you do that,’ Danielle had teased, but she had done what she was told all the same.

  She was very glad she had, because the outfit was note perfect, and she felt fantastic in it. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror while she plaited her hair, then headed downstairs to Justin.

  ‘Oh you look fantastic,’ he said when she walked into the kitchen. ‘I love that look on you.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Danielle said, blushing. ‘Zara helped me to pick it out. I love it too.’

  ‘Are you ready to go then?’ he asked. ‘They’re expecting us at one, so we need to hit the road.’

  ‘Just let me grab my bag and coat and I’m ready,’ Danielle said.

  They were going to meet Hugh Somerville, a landowner who had suggested going into partnership with Justin. The two of them got on very well and over a whiskey one evening, Justin had mentioned that he might like to change things up a little in his working life. Hugh was a shrewd operator, and within a week he’d emailed Justin with a proposal – a 50/50 split for a business operated out of Hugh’s stables, bringing in as many clients as would follow Justin. On paper, it was a match made in heaven, and it would make it easier for Justin to get up and running quickly. But Justin was adamant that he and Danielle share every decision from now on, so he wanted her to see the place, meet Hugh and his wife, and then they could discuss it and decide themselves what they wanted to do.

  ‘Did you read through Hugh’s proposal?’ Justin asked as he cruised his sleek BMW down the motorway, headed for County Kildare.

  ‘Yes, I’ve read it closely,’ Danielle said. ‘I was looking for any gaps that could create problems for you later, but it seems very fair and transparent. I felt he could have held out for a 60/40 split, even pushed his end to 65 given that he’s supplying the base of operations, so the fact that he’s offering to share equally in the profits is a real mark of respect and trust, which is a good thing.’

  Justin grinned at her. ‘It’s so handy having a lawyer on my side,’ he said.

  ‘A wannabe lawyer,’ Danielle said.

  ‘No way; you’re better than any I’ve met before,’ Justin said. ‘What you did for Nancy was incredible. I’d never in a million years have thought two little birds could be significant. I’ve bagged myself one smart woman.’

  Danielle laughed. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’

  They pulled up at Burtonstown Lodge and drove through the large wooden gates. No horses on pillars here, Danielle thought, that’s a good start. The driveway was flanked by rolling green fields stretching out as far as the eye could see. It was a really beautiful location. The house itself was an old farmhouse, with stone walls and sash windows. Danielle fell in love with it on sight.

  ‘Oh they’re so lucky,’ she said. ‘This is gorgeous.’

  ‘Would you actually live somewhere like this?’ Justin asked, looking surprised. ‘I had you down as a lifelong city girl.’

  ‘I think I could be happy in a place like this,’ Danielle said. ‘It’s so quiet and green, you can think straight out here, you know what I mean?’

  ‘You’re preaching to the choir,’ Justin said. ‘This is my kind of place. And you know, Hugh did mention that if we ever wanted to move here, he would help us sort the planning permission. So just tuck that in the back of your mind, if you see it as a bonus of the proposal.’

  Danielle knew she wanted to stay in Kingfisher Road for some time, but in the future, yes, she would be willing to consider a move like that. It would be a wonderful place to raise children, that’s for sure.

  Two dogs came bounding out to the car as Justin opened the door and stepped out. They were followed by a tall, slender man with a wide smile.

  ‘There you are,’ he called out. ‘Delighted to see you both. Danielle,’ he said, striding over to her, hand extended, ‘I’m so pleased to finally meet you. Justin has me bored to tears listening to how wonderful you are.’

  Danielle burst out laughing. ‘I doubt that very much,’ she said, ‘but thanks for pretending.’

  ‘A canny wife can be a blessing or a curse,’ Hugh said, shaking her hand and pretending to look concerned for Justin.

  ‘This one’s definitely a blessing,’ Justin said, coming around to shake his hand.

  ‘How much of the land around us do you own?’ Danielle asked, gazing around at the lush fields.

  ‘I inherited a hundred acres,’ Hugh said. ‘I’ve leased some of it to local farmers, and then we kept twenty acres, which is just about manageable for us. We aren’t in a position to hire many staff yet; hopefully in the future we’ll turn a bigger profit and get more helping hands, but for now, Charlotte and I work our backsides off to keep our heads above water.’

  Danielle was surprised by his honesty, but admired it. He wasn’t pretending to be something he wasn’t, which instantly put her at ease. This wasn’t a display of wealth like Celia-Ann’s house, where it was intended to make you feel small and unworthy. She had expected Hugh and his wife to be all hoity-toity, but instead she found him charming. Another good point in their favour.

  Hugh walked them around to the stables, showing them the current operation and talking of his hopes for the future if a partner like Justin came on board. Danielle asked a ton of questions, but she didn’t feel he looked down on her for her lack of knowledge. He was animated in answering her and seemed to enjoy her curiosity and interest.

  ‘Now, I’m completely hogging you,’ he said at last. ‘Charlotte’s been slaving over a hot stove and is itching to feed us. Come on inside.’

  They went through the back door, which led straight into a spacious farmhouse kitchen with a red-tiled floor, a butcher’s block table and an open fireplace.

  ‘This is so beautiful,’ Danielle said, looking around. ‘I’ve really fallen for this place.’

  ‘You are very kind, and you have great taste,’ said a woman, coming into the kitchen with a small child on her hip. ‘I’m Charlotte. Lovely to meet you, Danielle.’ She hugged Danielle, then did the same to Justin. ‘I’ve lunch ready to go, so make yourselves at home, sit down and we can chat. I’ll just put this ragamuffin down for a nap so we can talk in peace.’

  ‘What’s your name?’ Danielle said to the blond-haired boy. He grinned at her, but said nothing.

  ‘This is Daniel,’ Charlotte said, ‘my little dote. He was helping Daddy in the yard, so he’s worn out now. Normally he’d bombard you with information. Just give me a sec and I’ll pop him into bed.’

  While she was gone, Hugh invited them to sit and poured glasses of sparkling water. There was a loaf of homemade bread on a board in the centre of the table, with a pot of butter. There were boiled duck eggs in a bowl, some baby potatoes boiled in their jackets and a salad of lettuce and scallions. It was all so simple and looked so delicious. Danielle was making mental notes about everything – the mismatched crockery that looked so cool, the wooden serving boards and the homemade food.

  When Charlotte rejoined them, they sat together and passed around the food. The atmosphere was warm and relaxed, and Danielle felt utterly at home in this lovely place with these lovely people. There was absolutely none of the silly one-upmanship that governed Justin’s home, just the charm of two people devoted to one another and to their home and business, without all the fuss.

  ‘I’m going to sound like a broken record,’ Danielle said to Charlotte, ‘but I really do love this place. I don’t have a good sense of style or anything, but being here, I feel like this is how I want to live. The whole loo
k of the place, it just feels so homely. I mean, even this table and the chairs – you wouldn’t see them in Ikea, but I love them all the more for that.’

  Charlotte laughed as she peeled an egg. ‘You’re very kind,’ she said. ‘To be honest, there’s days I’d give anything to swan up to Ikea and buy a job lot and have it all sorted, but money’s tight, Hugh’s working towards his success, which will come, but in the meantime I have to be resourceful. This table and chairs were bought at an auction for one hundred and seventy for the lot, and I upcycled them.’

  ‘What’s upcycled?’ Danielle asked.

  ‘It’s when you take an old piece of furniture and straighten out its dents, hide the scrapes with varnish and then paint it up. You make it look halfway decent again.’

  ‘Oh,’ Danielle said, looking at the table with renewed interest. ‘I thought it was just old and expensive and out of my league in every way.’

  ‘You are the best guest I’ve ever had,’ Charlotte said, grinning at her. ‘No, it’s just me with some paint and polish, and Bob’s your uncle. It’s easy really.’

  ‘Well as someone who’s never even heard of it,’ Danielle said, ‘it doesn’t sound easy to me.’

  ‘Would you be interested in learning?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Danielle said without thinking.

  ‘There’s a woman who teaches a class in the village, and she’s fantastic. That’s how I learned,’ Charlotte said. ‘She’s there on Monday and Wednesday mornings, and the class lasts two hours. It’s well worth doing if you’re interested. And you could pop in here and see me before or after. I’ve only got toddlers and horses to talk to, so you’d be a welcome distraction.’

  ‘That sounds amazing,’ Danielle said. ‘Can you give me her details?’

  ‘Sure, I’ll text them on to you.’

  They exchanged numbers, and Charlotte forwarded the contact.

  ‘Do you just have the one child?’ Danielle asked.

  ‘No, we have three,’ Charlotte said. ‘The other two are at school. They’re in junior infants and first class. Emily and Samuel.’

  ‘Oh that sounds wonderful,’ Danielle said. ‘Actually,’ she said, leaning forward, ‘I’m pregnant with our first.’ She felt a thrill at so blatantly ignoring Celia-Ann’s express instructions. To hell with it, she thought, I’m happy and want to share it.

  ‘Congratulations,’ Charlotte said. ‘That’s wonderful. Oh, you’ll be so happy, just you wait and see. You’ll be utterly wrecked, of course, but you’ll be deliriously happy too. And if this plan goes ahead,’ she said, ‘you’ll be welcome here any time. The more, the merrier.’

  Danielle felt her heart expand with joy. She already knew she’d be telling Justin that this was the perfect move to make. Everything about this place, this couple felt so right. It was all the cards falling into place, and she couldn’t believe their luck. This was just meant to be.

  There was a knock at the back door and a voice called out, ‘Hello, anyone home?’ The door was pushed open, and Mallory stepped into the kitchen. Her smile froze on her face when she saw them all sitting there. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know I was interrupting.’ Her eyes darted to Danielle, and she blushed.

  Danielle was in complete shock. She had hoped never to see Mallory ever again, and now here she was. Was she following Justin? Had he told her they’d be here? Was this some other sick ploy to split them up?

  ‘Em, Mallory,’ Hugh said, looking a bit shocked. ‘How can I help you?’ He stood up and walked towards her.

  ‘Didn’t Johnny mention I was coming?’ she said. ‘I rang earlier to say I’d take a look at the mare. He said she’s for sale.’

  ‘Oh yes, of course,’ Hugh said. ‘No, I’m afraid he didn’t mention it. But let’s go outside and find him and you can take a look at her.’

  Danielle looked over at Justin, and he looked back at her.

  ‘I knew nothing about this,’ he said quickly. ‘It’s a complete coincidence as far as I know.’

  Charlotte was looking at them with curiosity. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

  ‘Well, Mallory is Justin’s ex and his mother feels I should bugger off and make way for her, so it’s a little bit awkward,’ Danielle said, not caring what anyone thought. It was just the truth.

  ‘Right,’ Charlotte said, nodding. ‘Bloody exes, hey? Always turning up exactly when you don’t need them to.’

  Justin smiled, and Danielle couldn’t help laughing. Charlotte’s manner was so easy-going, it turned something horribly awkward into a joke. She smiled at Justin to let him know she believed him, that it was just a horrible coincidence.

  Hugh returned and apologised profusely for the intrusion. ‘I’ve left her with Johnny. She wants to buy a horse, so I can’t run her out of the place,’ he said apologetically. ‘I hope you don’t mind. Perhaps we can distract ourselves from that by discussing my proposal,’ he suggested. ‘I’d really like to talk it through and get an idea of how you’re thinking, and what you thought of the plan I put together.’

  Danielle forced herself to focus on the discussion, and they went through the various options and the finances and the legalities. She had researched a lot of it before coming here, so she was able to make an intelligent contribution, which made her feel good about herself. She wanted to be Justin’s right-hand woman, just like Charlotte was obviously Hugh’s confidante and advisor.

  They were just polishing off an excellent dessert of apple pie and cream when there was the sound of a car driving fast up the driveway and screeching into the yard. Hugh looked up, startled.

  ‘Who the bloody hell is driving like that?’ he asked angrily. ‘They’ll give the horses a heart attack.’

  There came the sound of car doors slamming, then an all too familiar voice shouted out, ‘Justin, are you in there?’

  Justin went pale. ‘Oh Christ,’ he said. ‘It’s Mum. What’s she doing here?’

  In a split second, Danielle knew what had happened. Mallory had spotted the tête-à tête, probably put two and two together and rung Mummy dearest to warn her that Justin and his horrible slut were about to fly the coop. She’d put money on it. Mallory was trying to hang on to her ticket to wealth and privilege any way she could, so she’d called in the big guns. Danielle took a deep breath and steeled herself for the onslaught that was bound to follow.

  Justin stood up and pushed back his chair and headed for the back door. Danielle, Hugh and Charlotte followed him. Outside, Celia-Ann and Mallory were talking intently, while Jeremy stood at the car looking mortified. As they walked towards them, Jeremy looked at Justin and mouthed the word ‘sorry’. He clearly had been harangued into participating in this little show-down. Incredibly, Danielle felt very calm. None of the sense of panic that normally rose up when she saw Celia-Ann was there, she just felt calm and utterly sure of herself. It was such a new and strange feeling, she marvelled at it. Do your worst, Celia-Ann, she thought, I’m ready for you this time.

  ‘Justin,’ Celia-Ann barked when she saw him, ‘what is the meaning of this? Mallory rang me, very upset, because she thinks you might be planning on going into business with this man,’ she said, gesturing at Hugh in a manner that suggested she thought him unworthy of polishing her shoes, let alone being in the company of her son. ‘I told her that was ridiculous. Isn’t that ridiculous, Justin?’

  ‘What I’m doing here is my business,’ Justin said. ‘You have no right to roll in demanding to know why I’m here. I’m not on the payroll, Mum. I don’t have to answer to you.’

  Celia-Ann looked like she’d been slapped in the face with a dead fish, and Danielle had to stifle a giggle. Celia-Ann’s eyes bulged and she stared at Justin in shock.

  ‘How dare you speak to me like that,’ she said. ‘I am merely taking care of your interests, Justin. I am well aware that that girl who trails around after you is a bad influence, and I’m just making sure you and your future are safe.’

  ‘By that girl do you mean me, Celia-Ann
?’ Danielle said. ‘Justin’s fiancée and the mother of his child?’

  ‘I warned you not to mention that,’ Celia-Ann hissed. ‘You’ve no right. You’re not married to my son, and that’s what matters. He’s free to make his own choices.’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ Justin said. ‘And I’m choosing Danielle, and I’m choosing to go my own way in terms of business, to get out from under your controlling grip. I’m handing in my notice, Mum, effective immediately.’

  Jeremy put his head in his hands, while Celia-Ann stared at her son in horror.

  ‘No,’ she screeched. ‘Don’t talk such nonsense, darling. That stupid girl has turned your head. This is simply not tenable. Don’t throw away your future, darling. Listen to me, your place is at Johnston House, it’s your rightful place. Don’t confuse love and lust. Be sensible about this. She’s just a fling. She can’t actually be your wife, Justin. It doesn’t make any sense. Surely you can see that?’

  Danielle could see Mallory’s wicked delight at all this and also Charlotte’s and Hugh’s utter dismay, but she felt strangely detached from everything Celia-Ann was saying. It was just noise. She suddenly realised that this woman and her narrow, snobby views didn’t matter at all – they only mattered if Danielle allowed them to. She couldn’t control what Celia-Ann said, but she could control whether it affected her or not. It was a revelation, and Danielle nearly laughed out loud to realise it.

  ‘You will not speak to or about Danielle like that,’ Justin said furiously. ‘Nor will you pick who I love or who I marry or where I live. You have interfered all my life and I’m sick and tired of it. You don’t have my best interests at heart, only your own twisted view of how things ought to be. Well I’m not buying into that anymore.’