She gave him a tremulous smile back, knowing she needed to talk to him and wondering when the right time would be.
‘Good day?’ he asked. ‘You’ve finished nice and early.’
‘Adrienne gave us the afternoon off as we all did so well and because the preparations for the Orchard Dinner are well under way.’ She paused. ‘It seems like quite a big deal.’
The dinner was taking place the following evening and tomorrow they would be cooking all day, helping to prepare food for the buffet.
‘It’s the highlight of the year. I’d liken it to the Byrnes’s personal Thanksgiving. You know my sister has just flown in from the States for it. I’ve never missed it.’ He paused and swallowed. ‘It’s always held the same week as Niamh’s birthday and the week my da died.’ Clearing his throat, he added with a wry, sad smile, ‘Even Fergus gets a haircut and puts a shirt on.’
Hannah wanted to reach out and hug him, but wasn’t sure how he’d take it. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that the event held considerable significance or how lucky she was that her visit coincided. ‘I’m sorry, I had no idea.’
‘How would you? It’s Mam’s personal tribute to my da. Her way of showing him what she’s achieved. Lots of past students come to celebrate, from all over the world. Basically, anyone who’s ever been here is welcome. At the last count, I think there were seventy-five acceptances. The table will stretch the whole way down the greenhouse. It’s quite something to behold.’
‘Seventy-five!’
‘Small beer to the Byrnes. We’ve been catering for the five thousand for dozens of years.’ He gave her a confident smile. ‘And everyone pitches in to help. I have to admit, it’s my favourite occasion – like Christmas and every holiday going rolled into one. There’s nothing quite like it.’ She could see the slight sheen of something in his eyes and could tell from his heartfelt tones that it was something special.
‘I feel honoured to be here.’
‘I wouldn’t,’ he grinned at her. ‘Don’t forget you’ll be working just as hard as the rest of us. Mam’s not daft. She’s got free labour and you know you’ll all pitch in because you’ve fallen under the Killorgally spell.’
Hannah laughed. ‘We certainly have.’
‘But it’s a wonderful occasion. You’ll love it.’
‘Do you fancy stretching your legs?’ he asked with a lightning change of subject.
Hannah rolled her shoulders. Despite being on her feet for most of the day and the miserable late afternoon, a walk on the beach was just what she needed. And it might be the perfect place to tell Conor that she was thinking of staying. He’d come back because he loved it here. Surely he’d understand that she too had fallen in love with the place. Funny, she’d never considered that she might like to live near the sea but now she couldn’t think of anything better.
‘Yes. Now?’ She nodded towards the rain-dotted windows ‘Or do you want to wait?’
‘Now,’ he said.
‘OK, I guess we’ll have the beach to ourselves.’
‘We’re not going to the beach,’ he said with a teasing quirk to his mouth.
‘Where then?’ asked Hannah, wrinkling her brow, just a touch disappointed. She might have grown to love the place but she was still a creature of habit; she liked knowing where she was going.
Conor grinned, pleased with himself. ‘It’s a surprise.’
‘You know I don’t like surprises.’
‘You’ll like this one.’ He paused with a cocky smirk. ‘And you liked the last one well enough.’
‘Once I’d got over the shock, yes.’
‘Come on. I’d grab your coat. It looks as if it might lash down later.’
‘What’s this?’ She indicated the grey gloomy weather.
‘It’s only spitting.’
She rolled her eyes. Hannah had already learned the variations of rain, from a ‘soft day’ to spitting and to lashing – the Irish certainly knew their rain.
In rainproof jackets they set off climbing up the hill beyond the farmhouse, through a wide grassy field edged with the dry-stone walls she’d become so used to. They were an endless source of fascination to her. Miles and miles of them, like haphazard piles of books that magically seemed to fit together to form straight lines traversing the fields, following the contours undulating over the terrain and disappearing into the misty, murky distance. Their surfaces were lichen-patterned and dampened by the fine drizzle that swirled around them. Although it wasn’t cold, Hannah kept her head down, focusing on where she was putting her feet.
It wasn’t long before Conor tugged at her hand. ‘There she is.’
