‘Hello. Yes, I’ve come up for dinner. Sorry I’m a little late.’
‘Ach, you’re not late at all. My daughter-in-law needs to relax a little. She’s always on the go, that girl, and much as I love her for it, she could take a little time to smell the roses. Come on through. Dinner’s not for another fifteen minutes. We like to have a glass of something to celebrate the day before we eat.’
Hannah immediately warmed to the woman with her lively eyes and ready smile. Despite her age – she had to be everyone’s favourite granny – in a pink gingham pinny tied over well-worn jeans and a bright fuchsia-pink sweatshirt with matching lipstick, she looked like a mischievous pixie about to bounce into action.
When Hannah followed Bridget through to a small dining room, she found the others already assembled in one corner with a bay window overlooking a cobbled courtyard.
‘Ah, there you are, Hannah.’ Adrienne greeted her with a warm smile, this evening wearing a glamourous emerald-green silk tea dress which wafted around her slim figure. It made Hannah doubly glad she’d changed into a pretty floral dress with a flouncy tiered skirt for dinner. She felt the need of armour after the bruising encounter with Conor. ‘Conor gave you the message. Will you be all right on your own out there? I don’t want you to feel lonely or anything.’
‘I’m fine. The cottage is absolutely gorgeous. I’ll be quite happy there, especially with that lovely view out over the sea.’
‘Yes, Conor’s done a grand job on that one. He did all the renovation.’
He had? Damn, she didn’t want to admire what he’d done but there was no doubting the man had an eye.
‘Erm, can I ask? WhoisConor? I mean, does he work here? Is he your handyman?’
Fliss tutted loudly. ‘You are kidding me. You haven’t heard ofGood Enough to Eat?’
Even Meredith and Alan gave her slightly shocked glances and Meredith added, ‘OrGood Enough to Eat Again?’
Bridget and Adrienne both began to laugh and Bridget said with a naughty grin, ‘Well that’ll bring the boy down a peg or two.’
‘Conor’s my son. The second of my four children.’
‘Y-your son.’ Hannah could barely get the words out. She’d slept with Adrienne’s son. Could this get any worse?
‘Yes. Conor Byrne?’ Adrienne raised her eyebrows.
The way she said his full name made it obvious that Hannah should have heard of him. Was he famous? Given the reaction of the others, they knew something she didn’t.
‘Can I get you a drink, Hannah?’ Adrienne continued. ‘Wine? Sherry? Gin? Beer?’
‘I’d love a glass of white wine if you have one.’
‘We certainly do.’
As Adrienne disappeared to the sideboard which was stocked with a fine selection of spirits and bottles, Meredith came to her side.
‘Conor Byrne is a celebrity chef here in Ireland. He’s huge. He’s had his own TV shows, run his own restaurants all over the place and written lots of cookery books. He’s the Irish equivalent of Jamie Oliver.’
‘Oh.’ Hannah swallowed. Now she felt a complete fool. No wonder they’d all been fawning over him at the restaurant and the hotel in Dublin.
‘But now he works here managing the estate for his mother.’
Now it came back to her, she remembered him telling her exactly that. He’d just omitted the celebrity chef bit.
‘He does the design and renovation work on the cottages. Handy with his hands, I hear. I wouldn’t mind finding out how handy he is.’ Meredith lifted her eyebrows in comic lasciviousness. ‘Although I’m almost old enough to be his mother. He’s what we called in my dayhot stuff.’
‘He is very good-looking,’ said Izzy. ‘No wonder he did so well on the telly.’
‘Is he still on the telly?’ Now the waitress’ reaction to him, and Gerard’s, made sense. They all knew who he was – that girl looking for him in the bar too.
‘No, he’s given it all up,’ replied Izzy.
‘And no one knows why,’ said Meredith in a sepulchral whisper, her eyes wide with mock-dramatic effect.
‘Is he really that famous?’ Hannah asked just to make sure, even though it all made sense now.
