Secrets and Lies (16 page)

Although she'd enjoyed her acting debut, she'd been completely wracked with nerves beforehand. She'd been absolutely petrified about performing in front of a live audience and was convinced that she would forget her lines. It had been quite a shock to have been cast as the leading lady on her first
official foray into acting. Nevertheless she'd decided to give it her best shot. She'd actually had to hide behind the sofa when she'd watched the pilot episode, much to Niall's amusement. It was odd seeing herself on screen.

Her first day on the set of Marmalade would always be the most frightening thing that she'd ever done. She'd been terrified, especially when all the actors had to explain their roles to the audience, but she'd dived in with her characteristic aplomb and nobody would have believed that she was as nervous as she felt.

Hope was upset that Marmalade had premiered to such a mediocre review. She jumped online to check if there were any more reviews in the other newspapers. Some of the other critics praised her acting abilities but others were less than complimentary.

She decided to shut down the computer before she read another word. She was utterly deflated. It was at stressful times like this that she desperately craved a large glass of wine; anything to take the edge off, instead she had to settle for a cup of boring camomile tea. She banged around the kitchen, taking her frustration out on the cupboard doors, while she waited for the kettle to boil.

“I'm sorry, darling. I should have been more supportive,” Niall skulked into the kitchen.

“Whatever,” Hope didn't even look at him as she poured boiling water into her cup.

She brushed past him and opened the balcony door, watching the tumultuous rain as it poured down in buckets.

Niall retreated to the safety of the living room away from his wife's raging mood.

“I'm never going to make it as an actress, am I?” Hope asked, finally joining her husband on the couch where he was engrossed in the sports channel.

“Of course you're going to make it, darling,” he tried to reassure her and put his arm around her. “This is your first acting role, you can't expect to be an overnight sensation.”

“I didn't expect to be an overnight sensation, but I wanted to be,” Hope sulked, beginning to calm down.

Niall pulled her into his lap and hugged her.

“Everything's going to be fine. You just have to have a little faith in yourself and try to take the critics' reviews in your stride.”

“It's easier said than done. I really did my best.”

“I know you did, darling,” Niall soothed. “It won't be long until everyone else realises that you are destined for greatness.”

“You would say that,” Hope grinned and kissed her husband.

“
It's finally stopped raining!” Kerry exclaimed as she opened her bedroom curtains and felt her mood lift instantly at the sight of the glorious sunshine streaming in the window.

Saoirse had spent the night at her friend's house and wasn't due home until later that evening and Conor had left early to play golf, so Kerry had the entire day to herself. She sighed with relief. Conor had been in a peculiar mood for days. He seemed preoccupied but wouldn't tell her what was bothering him and Saoirse was being irritating to say the least, which seemed to be the norm for her these days. She was looking forward to spending some much-deserved time on her own, away from irritable husbands and monosyllabic, moody teenagers.

After a quick breakfast of coffee and a banana she pulled on her trainers and headed out into the bright morning sunshine for a long overdue run. It had been a few weeks since she'd been running and she was starting to notice the difference in her stress levels, not to mention her body.

“No more excuses,” she declared aloud as she set off on a slow jog down her garden path.

There was nothing like pounding the roads and working up a sweat to get her heart going and blow away the cobwebs. She always felt invigorated afterwards, even if the thought of setting out wasn't very appealing at times.

She quickened her pace and took the coast road along the cliffs which offered spectacular sights over Kinsale Harbour. Tiny coves were dotted like pearls amongst the sea of rocks and the views across the Atlantic Ocean were sublime, especially on such a sunny day. Kerry breathed deeply as she savoured the refreshing crispness of the late autumn air. She loved living in Kinsale and there wasn't anywhere else that she could ever imagine living.

Kinsale was the perfect sized coastal town, in her opinion, with its narrow winding streets and tiny colourful houses. The bobbing fishing boats and yachts that were docked along the quay gave it a seductive picture-postcard setting. Its' sheltered bay was guarded by the austere and imposing Charles Fort, which lay just outside the town at Summer Cove.

Charles Fort, one of the best preserved star-shaped forts in Europe, had always fascinated Kerry, ever since she was a little girl and her class had visited its ruins. She loved the history of the place and often tried to imagine what life might have been like for the soldiers who once served there. Kerry followed the three kilometre path aroun
d the bay from Scilly to Summer Cove, smiling and waving at her neighbours as she ran.

Everyone
else seemed to have had the same idea as her and they were taking advantage of the unexpected sunshine.

Kerry arrived home refreshed and invigorated from her run. She always got a thrill of pleasure when she turned up the windy road that led to her tree-lined drive. Ballycotton House was the home of her dreams with its wisteria-clad walls and large bay windows. She'd known she was arriving somewhere special that first day she'd laid eyes on it all those years ago.

The rooms were individually decorated in period furnishings and were a pleasing mass of different shapes and sizes. Kerry liked a clean and tidy house but she hated angles and perfect order, which is why she'd insisted that each of Ballycotton's rooms have their own unique character.

The grounds were beautiful but required the work of a part-time caretaker. It was too much for Kerry to manage on her own and Conor wasn't home for long enough to be able to take care of the place. They had a tennis court, a swimming pool and even a mini golf area. The place filled her with peace and joy but sometimes she wished that Conor was home more to share the house with her; the home they'd built together.

She jumped into the power shower and savoured the torrent of water that washed over her hot, sweaty body. The endorphins from her run had well and truly kicked in and she felt renewed and revitalised; like she could take on the world. She sang loudly as she dressed in her old, comfy blue jeans, white cotton t-shirt and long, grey cosy cardigan which had definitely seen better days. Her sister was constantly nagging at her to bin it but she didn't care; it was warm and snuggly and fitted her perfectly.

“Speak of the devil!” Kerry almost jumped out of her skin as her sister's face suddenly appeared at her kitchen window. “You almost frightened the living daylights out of me!”

Maura burst out laughing. She still had a childish streak in her that enjoyed scaring her sister half to death.

“Come on, mother,” Maura said, affectionately using the term that she sometimes called her sister since Emer and Saoirse were born. “I'm taking you out for a coffee and a cake. The farmer's market is in town and I'm longing to taste some of the goodies on offer.”

“I really shouldn't,” Kerry tried to protest weakly. “I've been very good this morning and gone for a long run. I don't want to ruin my hard work by stuffing myself with cream cakes.”

“Don't be daft,” Maura refused to listen to her excuses. “There isn't a pinch of fat on you. You're coming with me and that is final. It's not up for discussion so you might as well make it easy on yourself and surrender now.”

“Fine,” Kerry tried to stifle a smile. There really wasn't any point in trying to argue with Maura when she was in one of her bossy moods and she had to admit that the thought of a heavenly home-made cream cake was rather mouth-watering.

“Afternoon tea for two please,” Maura smiled sweetly at the waiter while Kerry went in search of a window seat.

“Coming right up, madam,” the waiter returned her smile.

“These cakes are so delicious,” Maura peeped inside the prettily wrapped box of pastries that she'd purchased at the farmer's market earlier.

Cork was known as the gourmet food basket of Ireland and Kinsale was the gem in its crown. There was no better example of Cork's commitment to tasty, locally sourced food than the farmer's market which took place once a week on a Sunday morning between one and four in the afternoon in the community centre. All the produce was home-made with fresh ingredients from the local farms. The farmers and their wives congregated under one roof in the huge hall where they sold some of the very best local produces, meats and cheeses in the region. Kerry and Maura tried to resist but every now and then they just had to indulge themselves and give into temptation.

“The only problem is that we'll probably eat everything in one sitting,” Kerry rolled her eyes, imagining how far she'd have to run to burn the extra calories.

“I certainly plan on it,” Maura grinned.

“Here we go ladies, afternoon tea for two,” their waiter arrived laden down with cakes and a large teapot.

“Thank you, my love,” Maura winked at him.

“Will you stop please?” Kerry whispered.

“Stop what?” Maura stared blankly at her sister, feigning innocence.

“Stop flirting with every man you see. You're old enough to be that boy's mother!”

“No way, I'll never stop flirting. I can't help it,” and Maura abruptly ended the conversation by stuffing an entire cream cake into her mouth.

“You are incorrigible,” Kerry couldn't help laughing.

They sat happily in companionable silence, gorging themselves on cakes and copious amounts of tea, watching the world go by outside.

“Ahh, this is the life,” Maura leaned back in her chair and patted her round stomach.

“It certainly is,” Kerry agreed, licking the last bit of cream off her fingers.

“It won't be long until your holiday,” Maura said, trying to keep the note of envy out of her voice.

Kerry's face brightened. “I can't wait. It will be such a relief to be away from the everyday humdrum and spend some quality time together as a family for a change. It seems like we hardly see each other anymore; we're all so caught up in our own lives, especially Conor and when we do see him he's lost in his own private world. Hopefully, our holiday will help him to relax.”

“He's probably worried about work and he doesn't want to bore you with the details,” Maura said dismissively. She was getting tired of her sister's complaining when really she had very little bothering her, in her humble opinion. She had two wonderful, healthy daugh
ters who loved her to bits and a husband who adored her. He worked hard to provide for his wife and daughters, who could blame the man if he seemed distracted at times? What more could Kerry possibly want? Maura felt that Kerry didn't realise how lucky she was to have a husband like Conor. She hated herself for feeling jealous of her sister, but sometimes she just couldn't help it; she was human, after all.

Admittedly, she was happy enough with her own lot in life but she'd always harboured a secret hope of meeting someone special one day, settling down together and having children of her own. It was unlikely that her dream would ever be fulfilled at this stage in her life and it made her heart ache. It was lonely rattling around her house on her own which was why she loved having Saoirse to stay. She was a great girl and Maura believed that Kerry was blowing her teenage tantrums out of proportion.

There were occasions when Maura was overcome with a great desire to slap her sister sharply across the face. She was so cosy and sanctimonious in the comfort of her marriage and was completely confident and sure of her husband's unconditional love that Maura knew it rarely, if ever, occurred to her that a successful, handsome and powerful man like Conor Darcy would have many women who were attracted to him.

Maura wondered why Kerry never made much of an effort to keep her husband's interest and attention and instead preferred to moan about the few irritations she had with her teenage daugh
ter. She could imagine her sister wittering endlessly to poor Conor about the trials and tribulations of motherhood, easily forgetting that he was working hard to maintain her in the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed and now expected. Did Kerry even try to make Conor feel special? Maura very much doubted it.

Kerry filled her spacious kitchen with people and was forever trying some new recipe or other, always low in fat of course. She diligently polished the furniture that she had obsessively bought at auction and which was usually covered with magazines, catalogues and their children's school books. Kerry would never even begin to consider planning a sexy surprise weekend away with just the two of them and no outside distractions. She left all of that up to Conor and never took the initiative herself.

A man like Conor Darcy would enjoy a woman taking control, Maura imagined. It would make a refreshing change for him when he was so in control at work to have his wife be in charge for a change, but Kerry could never think outside the box enough to fully recognise her husband's needs.