‘Maggie, right now I feel like Charlie Bucket himself! I’m bursting with the excitement!’ Kate says but I can hear serious trepidation oozing from her voice.
‘We do have a huge back-door emergency-exit area that will be made available to guests for arrival and departure. I just need to tidy up the area around it,’ Dan tells them, ‘needs a lick of paint.’
‘I need you both to think bougie – twinkling white fairy lights, tall candles, white roses, a quartet, quality food, dancing .?.?.’
Dan goes on ahead and turns on the generator lights as the three of us follow close behind.
‘Ta-dah!’ I turn to get Kate’s immediate reaction. She’s turned rather pale under those rosy cheeks. ‘Kate?’ I say more quietly now. Oh no, does she hate it? Have I made a huge mistake? Have I got her hopes up for nothing? Have I got Dan’s hopes up for nothing? The voice in my head starts to question my own decision.
‘Ya alright, Kate?’ Dan moves to her, puts his hand on her shoulder.
Kate turns and fixes on me with the most intense stare I’ve ever seen before she bursts into tears. I see her shoulders shake and her breath comes in heavy pants.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry!’ My hand flies to my forehead. What have I done?
‘Give her a sec,’ Jimmy says as he looks around.
‘What have you done? You’ve possibly performed a miracle! I love it! Oh my God, Maggie! I love it! I love it so much! I can see it! I can see it all!’ Kate is as giddy as I’ve ever seen her and now I see Jimmy nodding his head with her, approvingly.
‘Right!’ I heave a gasp of relief.
‘Phew!’ Dan bends, rests his hands on his knees.
‘Ya weren’t wrong about it being all hands on deck alright.’ Jimmy says on a muted exhalation.
‘This wedding is definitely happening!’ Kate croaks, filled with happy emotion. ‘I’m getting married in Castlemoon! We are going to be blessed, Jimmy, our marriage is going to be blessed. We will stand under the same roof Esther and Michael Delaney stood under. And that makes me so happy. That is my dream come true.’ Kate spontaneously bursts into tears again.
‘Group hug!’ Jimmy declares, opening his long arms out wide as all four of us huddle in a hug. His physical gesture displays to me yet again the warmth and closeness of this community.
‘Go, the pair of ya! We can talk first thing. Get back to the céilí for the last hour, all your pals are up there!’ Dan shoos them outas I now try to untangle Kate’s arms from around my neck. She kisses both me and Dan as they rush back up to the céilí.
‘Love ye!’ Kate yells back down the stairs.
For a moment, Dan and I both stay where we are.
Then, Dan speaks first. ‘How does it feel to make someone’s greatest dream come true?’
‘Let’s not jump the gun.’ I laugh. ‘There’s a lot of work to do yet.’
We both let the elephant in the room hang heavy. That I won’t be here to see this wedding. That I’ll be back in New York.
‘Let’s go let you finish your drink,’ Dan says as we make our way out, he shuts the gate and we walk back up the winding stairs into the quietness and the warmth of the Sweet Orange Room. The turf fire blazes, catching the flashing lights on the Christmas tree. I can smell the fresh pine, crisp and earthy-sweet.
‘It’s where they met,’ Dan suddenly says in a quiet whisper. ‘Well, where they properly met, where they first spoke, did they tell you that?’ he asks me, emotion dripping from his voice.
‘Your parents? Oh yes, they did. Of course, your dad was sitting there, right?’ I point to a large seat with a tall back by the fireside.
‘Same seat, reupholstered, obviously.’
I walk over to the chair and rest my hands on the back of it, running my fingers across the tweed, seeing the deep intricate pattern in the woven material for the first time.
‘Your father had his head in his hands if I’m not mistaken? He was afraid he was going to lose the castle?’ It’s easy for me to recall my conversation with Esther and Michael. In fact, I could recite it verbatim such was the impression they made on me.
‘Correct.’ Dan moves towards me now, walking slowly, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt, that sinew of muscle catches my eye again.
‘And Esther came in .?.?.’ I go on as though narrating their love story.
‘And saved his life,’ Dan finishes, so close to me now that his lips are inches from my mouth. ‘Is history repeating itself? Are you going to save mine?’ His words are a low whisper.
