‘Well, I’m glad you liked something about the play,’ Sive said teasingly.
‘Oh, don’t mind him. He loved the whole thing. He was wiping tears from his eyes when Tiny Tim came on at the end.’
‘I was not! I had something in my eye, I told you.’
‘It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I was bawling myself. I lost it at that last carol.’
Sive nodded. ‘It’s always the music that gets you, isn’t it?’
‘It’s the same at funerals,’ Bridget said. ‘Once the choir starts up, I’m gone.’
‘Well, Chloe, the owner of The Halfpenny Place, has made all the food for tonight too.’ She nodded to the table, laden with pastries, cakes and pies. ‘So help yourselves.’
‘I think we’d better get in there quick,’ Cal said to Bridget, ‘before those kids lay waste to it completely.’
Sive looked over to see Jack, Alex and James greedily loading plates with towering piles of food.
‘They won’t be able to play Tiny Tim for much longer if they carry on like that,’ Cal said with a laugh.
‘Well, go for it. Save them from themselves.’
Aoife and Jonathan had been in the audience too, and congratulated Sam, Mimi and Sive on a great show.
‘And well done on your debut, Sam!’ Aoife raised her glass to him. ‘You were terrific.’
‘You were amazing. Well done.’ Jonathan put an arm around his brother’s shoulders. ‘I was really proud of you.’
‘Thanks.’ Sam beamed, bursting with pride.
‘What about Bean?’ Sive pouted, patting her stomach. ‘It was her debut too.’
‘Oh, yes. Well done, Bean!’ Aoife raised her glass again.
‘It’s a big week for her – first scan on Wednesday.’
‘Ooh, exciting!’
They were interrupted by Alan tapping his glass to get everyone’s attention. He made a short speech, congratulating the cast and crew on all their hard work and on a successful show. ‘And so, in the words of Tiny Tim,’ he finished, raising his glass and turning to James, Alex and Jack who had assembled around him.
‘God bless us, every one!’ they chorused.
‘Would you mind if we got out of here?’ Sive said, sidling up to Sam some time later. The party was still in full swing, the air filled with the tinkle of glasses and the low hum of conversation, punctuated by frequent bursts of laughter. But she was all partied out. She’d talked to everyone she needed to and she’d had her fill of mineral water. ‘I’ve had enough.’
‘Sure. Are you tired?’
‘No.’ She smiled at him meaningfully. ‘Not a bit.’ She was actually buzzing with adrenaline, still on a post-performance high. ‘But I’m definitely ready for bed.’ She slipped her hand into his.
Sam grinned, his fingers tightening around hers. He drained his drink. ‘Right, let’s go. We can grab the samovar on our way out.’
Sive giggled as he pulled her towards the wings.
24
‘Say hello to Bean,the newest star of the Dublin stage.’ Sive held the ultrasound picture up to her tablet screen. She was sitting on Ben’s bed in his parents’ house. Bridget had driven her to her appointment this morning, then brought her back here and made her an enormous lunch. ‘There’s the head, see,’ she pointed, ‘and the feet.’
Ben’s eyes went wide. ‘Wow! It’s like an actual person. I didn’t expect it to look so … human. It’s got fingers and everything.’
‘I know.’ Sive put the photo down and settled back against the headboard, the tablet propped against her legs. She loved how easy and relaxed she and Ben were with each other now. They’d been in touch regularly since he went back to Portugal. He was sitting on a sofa in his Lisbon apartment, a bottle of beer in hand.
