‘Well, that was a bit of fun.’
‘It was brilliant,’ said Hannah, beaming at him, still buoyed up by the wonderful atmosphere. ‘It’s like being at a party.’ She glanced around the busy pub at the animated, happy faces, everyone united by the music. It was a rare moment and her heart burst with joy. She could see exactly why people fell in love with Ireland.
‘That’s the craic for you. We love a song and a dance. There’s nowhere quite like a pub on a Friday night in Ireland.’
Barra appeared with a pint of Guinness and put it in front of Conor. ‘Good job, boyo. Any time you want a slot, you let me know. You’ll have to get Mairead along too.’
Conor lifted his pint with a grateful nod at Barra ‘Cheers but we’re not The Corrs just yet.’
‘Give it time. Young Niamh can hold a tune, I hear.’
‘Granny Bridget will have us all singing at the Orchard Party, don’t you worry.’ Conor rolled his eyes. ‘And she’ll dance the night away with more energy than anyone else.’
‘Your granny’s a legend. There’s no better woman on the fiddle.’ Barra picked up a few empty glasses and made his way back to the bar.
‘Would you look at the time!’ said Meredith, putting down her glass and blinking a little woozily. ‘Where’s the night gone? It’s half past eleven and it’s pitch black out there. How will we find our way home?’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Conor. ‘I’ll guide you up the path. The moon’s out so you’ll be able to see where you’re going.’
There was some low-level grumbling from Jason about leaving so early but Fliss gave him short shrift for being a selfish bugger. After the busy week they’d had, they were all pretty tired and Hannah, for one, had had more than enough to drink.
Stepping outside from the warm, fuggy, noisy pub into the cool night air, the silence was quite a contrast. It didn’t quite sober Hannah up, but it certainly brought her to her senses.
‘Look at the stars,’ she said.
‘Bloody ’ell,’ said Jason. ‘Is that for real?’
‘No light pollution. Isn’t it glorious? It’s like this in the place I’ve just moved to. I’m thinking about offering stargazing breaks,’ said Izzy.
‘Where the ’ell do you live? The middle of nowhere?’ asked Jason as he, Hannah, and Izzy walked three abreast following the others. Alan had made a beeline for Meredith and, no surprise, Fliss had moved in on Conor. Hannah could see her tossing her long blonde hair with coquettish flips and laughing obligingly and loudly in the night.
‘I live in the Highlands, in Scotland. In a castle.’
‘Seriously. I live in a two-up, two-down council house with my mum and sisters in Bethnal Green.’
‘Don’t be too impressed. The whole place is falling down and I’ve got to save it somehow. It was left to me by my mad great-uncle, but my mum is desperate to stay. She always thought it would come to her. And that’s a whole other story. The whole place is one ginormous money pit.’ She let out a loud sigh. ‘I really don’t want to think about it right now.’
Poor Izzy sounded quite depressed.
‘I bet she lives in a palace or something, that Fliss. Right stuck-up tart she is.’
While Fliss’s sharp tongue hadn’t endeared her to Hannah, she didn’t like the idea of bitching about the other girl. None of them knew each other that well.
‘Give her a chance, Jason. We’re all different. And we’re stuck with each other for the next few weeks.’
‘S’pose you’re right. Mind you, she’s a laugh down the pub. We’re going to play pool next time. Probably thrash me again. Bet she’s got her own billiard room or something, like in Cluedo.’
They followed Conor and Fliss to a gap in the hedge and thanks to the nearly full moon, they were able to pick their way up the hill. An owl hooted away in a thicket over to the left and a few birds chirped in alarm. Across the field there were occasional flashes of a rabbit’s tail darting away to safety.
After several glasses of wine, Hannah felt pleasantly woozy and extremely grateful she didn’t have to get up in the morning. She and Izzy had made tentative plans to go down to the beach at lunchtime, but she was going to take it easy for most of the day. Who knew that cooking all week would be so exhausting? She was quite grateful that at the weekends they were left to fend for themselves. They could help themselves to herbs and vegetables from the garden and there were plenty of eggs, bacon, ham, and bread on offer in the cookery kitchen early that afternoon. Hannah had already decided that she would probably eat sandwiches and salad all weekend rather than bother cooking anything for herself.
‘This is us, Hannah,’ said Izzy as they crossed into the farmyard, pointing to the row of cottages opposite the cookery kitchen. She and Meredith were sharing a cottage which was next door to the one that Jason and Alan shared.
‘Night, everyone,’ said Hannah.
‘Wait,’ called Conor. ‘Just let me see Fliss to the hotel and then I’ll come down with you.’
‘You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.’ She wasn’t afraid of the dark or the walk on her own, but a sudden unexpected frisson of excitement fizzed through her at the idea of spending time alone with him.
