‘I’ll ring Jonathan when we’re in our taxi to the hotel,’ Hilary decided, rooting in her bag to turn on her phone.
‘Don’t forget to say I’m here, not we’re here!’ Millie reminded her.
‘Good thinking, wonder girl.’ Hilary grinned at her daughter.
‘Can we go to the London Eye?’ Sophie asked eagerly.
‘I don’t see why not,’ Hilary agreed as the whistle blew and the train chugged out of the station.
‘It’s nice being on a girls’ trip, all of us together.’ Sophie snuggled in affectionately against her mother.
‘It’s a real treat being with my two gorgeous daughters. I was just thinking that when you’ve finished the Leaving Cert, Millie, we’ll definitely go to Powerscourt Springs for an overnighter and some beauty treatments, the three of us.’
‘Cool.’ Millie’s eyes lit up.
‘I’m going to spend all my time in the pool and jacuzzi,’ Sophie declared, ‘and eating that scrumptious walnut bread you brought home the last time you were there.’ They laughed, and Hilary thought how blessed and lucky she was and hoped that she would always be as close to her daughters. Sue was missing out so much in her relationship with Margaret. It was a shame for both of them. Families were so different, she reflected. Hers wasn’t perfect but she was very thankful for a reasonably good relationship with her daughters and her own mother and sister.
‘Gosh I’d hate to live in a high-rise,’ Millie remarked after they had emerged from the tunnel and had sped through Southall and West Ealing.
‘It’s nice to have a garden,’ Sophie observed.
‘Yes, and one that’s so private. We’re very privileged and lucky,’ Hilary reminded them.
‘You know I don’t think you should ring Jonathan from Paddington,’ Millie said thoughtfully. ‘I think we should check in and you tell him to come up to the room and we can hide in the loo and surprise him.’
‘Yes,’ agreed her sister. ‘And I think we should buy a bottle of something to clink glasses, seeing as it’s our first time in London with him!’
‘Champagne!’ exclaimed Millie in anticipation.
‘Well perhaps not champagne,’ Hilary demurred. ‘Remember he’s very upset. Maybe a bottle of Prosecco.’
‘But can’t I have some too? I don’t want to be drinking 7 Up like a child!’ Sophie insisted.
‘Yes, seeing as it is a special occasion. But just the one glass,’ Hilary agreed.
‘Yaayyy!’ Sophie punched the air as the train drew to a halt at Platform 7.
‘You’re in your room! Brilliant, I’ll be there in five minutes. I just need to wash my face and wake myself up. I fell asleep on the bed,’ Jonathan said, yawning. ‘What number?’
‘346,’ Hilary said, grinning at her daughters who were exploring the contents of their mini bar.
‘Can’t wait to see you. I can’t believe this time yesterday I was deliriously happy. I feel like I’m in some sort of weird dream.’ He sighed deeply.
‘Let’s have a cuppa and a chat while I’m settling in, and decide what we’re going to do for the rest of the day. I’ll boil the kettle.’
‘Won’t be long,’ he assured her, flinging the throw off and padding into the bathroom to freshen up. At least he wasn’t on his own now. He could pour his heart out to Hilary, say what he liked about Leon and his own stupidity and know that she would provide a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on.
C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-S
EVEN
‘Why didn’t you get a double?’ Jonathan asked when he followed Hilary into the room after giving her the tulips and hugging the daylights out of her.
‘I did,’ she told him, leading him to the seating area.
‘Did they make a mistake?’
‘Nope,’ Hilary grinned as the girls burst out of the bathroom yelling ‘Surprise! Surprise!’.
‘What are you two doing here?’ He was flabbergasted.
‘We are the Jonathan Harpur Rescue Society,’ giggled Sophie, barrelling across the room to throw her arms around him. ‘That Leon fella is a prize dodo!’
‘Yeah, a real loser.’ Millie added her tuppence worth, planting a kiss on his cheek and squeezing his hand.
‘Oh girls!’ gulped Jonathan. ‘I don’t know what to say!’ He burst into tears, much to Sophie’s horror.
‘Don’t cry, Jonathan. We love you,’ she said fiercely, holding him tight.
‘Sorry! Sorry! I feel a right eejit!’ He tried to compose himself.
‘You’re not an eejit,’ Millie assured him earnestly. ‘It’s horrible when a boy breaks your heart!’
‘You can say that again,’ Jonathan agreed with heartfelt emotion and they looked at each other and cracked up. Their laughter echoed around the room as they chortled and guffawed, Jonathan more loudly than any of them, his natural humour reasserting itself, and the release of pent-up tension a welcome relief.
‘Aw girls, you’re a tonic,’ he said, wiping his eyes, grinning at Hilary.
‘Time for a drop of sparkly to start the evening,’ she said, waving the bottle of Prosecco. ‘We thought champagne might be somewhat inappropriate but this will do the job.’ She rooted in the mini bar for glasses and asked Sophie to get the two out of the bathroom. She took some packets of nuts and snacks out of the bar and opened them, cracked open the Prosecco, poured the sparkling golden liquid into the glasses and handed one to Jonathan. ‘To a lucky escape, I’d say!’ She raised her glass.
‘For you’re a jolly good fellow!’ Sophie clinked hers with Jonathan, and took a long glug.
‘Go easy, you, miss! One glass, remember!’ Hilary cautioned.
‘OK! Can I have glass of wine at dinner?’ she asked brightly.
‘Two chances: slim and none,’ her mother assured her.
‘I’m starving,’ Millie announced. ‘What are we doing for dinner? Can we have something to
