"Yes. I think it worked fine. Don't you think so?"

"So there was no need for anyone else to help?"

Rosemary hadn't got the drift. "No. Why?"

"I was just wondering why you asked Ania to go into the kitchen and help with the washing-up?"

"Oh, dear, is she bleating about that? I just asked her to give them a little hand."

"Why did you ask her to do that?"

"Because she would have felt more at ease in the kitchen, darling. Carl, I know you're very much for all people everywhere being equal, but she's a little Polish maid. She's here for a couple of years to make a few euros, then go back. That's what she is, she knows knows that's what she is. She was perfectly happy to lend a hand with the washing-up." that's what she is. She was perfectly happy to lend a hand with the washing-up."

"But you didn't ask any of your other guests to help in the kitchen?"

"Carl, please, be sensible."

"I am being sensible. She was a guest. My My guest. I never got to see her because guest. I never got to see her because you you had her out there working for you when you admit that you had plenty of people working there already." had her out there working for you when you admit that you had plenty of people working there already."

"Listen, she was out of place."

"She was not not out of place. She had a beautiful dress. She had a new hairstyle. She had spent over a week's wages getting you a present..." out of place. She had a beautiful dress. She had a new hairstyle. She had spent over a week's wages getting you a present..."

"Oh, G.o.d, she did did give me a package. Where is it? I don't know where it ended up." give me a package. Where is it? I don't know where it ended up."

"And your thanks for all this was to send her out to the kitchen because she would feel more at home there."

"Come on, on, Carl. I was being kind to her." Carl. I was being kind to her."

"No, Mother, you were never kind to anyone. You were never kind to Dad or to me, and particularly never kind to anyone that you thought you might conceivably be able to boss around."

"I know you have kindly feelings towards her, Carl, but this cannot be. She's from a different world. They work very hard, I know, but they're not like us."

"Please stop, right now!"

"I mean it. You have so many friends, you could have so many more. This girl is nothing to you."

"I am very fond of her. In fact, I believe I love her."

"You believe!" his mother scoffed.

"Yes, I believe, because I'm I'm not sure. I'm not at all sure about love. Father loves you deeply. I don't know why. So I've learned nothing about love from him. You only love possessions. You don't love people, so what could I have learned from you?" not sure. I'm not at all sure about love. Father loves you deeply. I don't know why. So I've learned nothing about love from him. You only love possessions. You don't love people, so what could I have learned from you?"

Rosemary looked alarmed. "You can't love love this girl, Carl. You're sorry for her. You must know that. She would hold you back totally." this girl, Carl. You're sorry for her. You must know that. She would hold you back totally."

"From what?"

"From a normal social life like tonight. She wouldn't be able to cope, learn our ways."

"And your way to help her cope with what you call 'our ways' was to order her out of your party, to which she had been invited. invited. Would you just listen to yourself for once?" Would you just listen to yourself for once?"

"I just didn't want anyone being embarra.s.sed. That's all." Rosemary was mutinous.

"I am very embarra.s.sed, Mother, more so than I have ever been in my life."

"Carl, this is all nonsense. Let's go to bed."

"I am never sleeping another night in this house," he said.

"Look, it's just the drink talking."

"I didn't have have any drink. I was too busy being polite to your friends. People who are old enough to remember going to England when there were signs in the windows saying 'No Blacks, No Irish.' I was talking to a man whose mother was a maid in Boston and she was sent away from the family where she worked because she wasn't humble enough. She married a bank official and helped him climb to run a bank of his own." any drink. I was too busy being polite to your friends. People who are old enough to remember going to England when there were signs in the windows saying 'No Blacks, No Irish.' I was talking to a man whose mother was a maid in Boston and she was sent away from the family where she worked because she wasn't humble enough. She married a bank official and helped him climb to run a bank of his own."

"That's a totally different-"

"It's exactly the same, except it's worse for us. We have plenty. We have so b.l.o.o.d.y much in this country and we should be delighted to see all these new people coming in to join us. But no, it's a pecking order, isn't it? Even for us, who were at the bottom of the pecking order until not so long ago."

Rosemary blazed with anger. "It's easy for you to have such high ideals living in a house like this. You've had everything!"

"Not anymore, I won't."

"Oh, stop stop being so petulant, Carl. If you go now you'll just be back here tomorrow. Let's not go through the whole silly process." being so petulant, Carl. If you go now you'll just be back here tomorrow. Let's not go through the whole silly process."

"I will not be back, Mother."

"Come on, where will you live? You earn practically nothing at that school. How will you make a living, for G.o.d's sake?"

"I earn a teacher's wage. I pay a quarter of it into a bank account for you and Dad. I have done that since I began work. I won't do it anymore when I don't live here. I'll survive."

Rosemary looked at him. He seemed to mean it.

"What do you think your father and I are doing doing all this for?" She waved her hands around the elegant house. "It's all for all this for?" She waved her hands around the elegant house. "It's all for you, you, Carl. Don't throw it back at us! What more do you want?" Carl. Don't throw it back at us! What more do you want?"

"I could have asked you not to throw my friends out of this home, had I ever known that it would even cross your mind to do so," he said.

"Carl, please ..."

"I'm sorry for you, Mother. I really am."

He moved to leave the room.

"That's right. Go to bed. We'll all go to bed. It will feel different in the morning."

"I don't know how it will feel for you in the morning and I couldn't care less," Carl said. He took his car keys from the drawer in the hall table and ran down the steps.

As Rosemary looked out into the dark she saw him get into the car he had insisted on buying for himself. She shook her head. He could be very tiresome, but by this time tomorrow it would all be over and forgotten.

It was a noisy part of Dublin where Ania lived, and even though it was late at night, there were still cafes and clubs open. People spoke in many different languages.

Carl didn't even plan what he would say when he found Ania. There was no need to rehea.r.s.e how he would apologize for his appalling mother and explain that he had left home. Maybe she might even let him stay with her. The important thing was to find her and to hold her and to stroke her lovely face and hair.

He knew the address. He hadn't been to her flat, but he had eaten a couple of meals in the restaurant. She had told him about the different kinds of sausage and they insisted he have a selection on his plate so that he could choose which he liked best.

He went into the restaurant and asked, "Is Ania at home, do you think?"

"No, she has gone to such a fancy party. She was dressed like a film star," said one of the brothers who ran the place.

"She left. I was wondering if perhaps ..."

"There's Lidia. She will know."

Lidia was on her mobile phone. She seemed very agitated.

"But of course I'm worried, Tim. She just left a note saying not to fuss. She would be in touch. But the bad thing is that she has taken her pa.s.sport."

Chapter Eleven.

Molly Carroll had a phone call at eight a.m. to say that there were three customers standing outside the launderette and n.o.body had opened up.

"But Ania's there at seven to open the place up." Molly was full of concern.

"She's not there today Molly."

So, clucking with disapproval, Molly Carroll left breakfast set out and bustled off to open the launderette. They depended on early-morning people, knowing they could put in a bag of clothes in the morning and collect them later the same day. It was so unlike Ania.

Hilary was listening to the overnight messages on the clinic's answering machine. They all had to do with being sorry. A woman had chest pains in the night and had called the emergency number, but it turned out to be a thing of nothing. She was sorry for upsetting everyone. A man, who had got the wrong number, kept explaining that he was sorry to have missed the appointment but would make it up in spades on another occasion. And one from Ania saying that there was a bit of a crisis. She was very sorry indeed and would explain everything in a few days. She had left the keys to the clinic in an envelope in the restaurant downstairs from her flat. Johnny could pick them up.

A crisis that was going to last a few days? days? Ania? Hilary was very startled. Ania? Hilary was very startled.

Lidia and Tim hadn't slept a wink. Where could Ania have gone? She gave no indication at all.

"I know know all her friends," Lidia said. "I've tried them all and no luck." all her friends," Lidia said. "I've tried them all and no luck."

"What about Father Flynn?"

"Not a word. He's asking everyone at his center, but no word yet."

"She can't have gone to the airport. It was too late," Tim said, mainly to rea.s.sure Carl Walsh, who was almost mad with worry and claiming that it was all his fault because he hadn't been there to meet her and welcome her in. Lidia hadn't understood the full details of what had gone on at the party and tried to calm him down.

"It can't have been your fault. She was so pleased to be invited. And did your mother like her gift?"

"Don't talk to me about the gift!" Carl cried, his face distraught. "There must be someone someone we haven't thought of!" we haven't thought of!"

Fiona came by to tell Declan the news that Ania had disappeared, and together they sat and ate the grapefruit Molly had left out. It was better than the two fried eggs, sausages and fried bread Molly would have insisted on if she'd been there.

They had been talking on the phone to Lidia, Carl, Hilary and Father Flynn. There was the slight possibility that she might turn up at the heart clinic, but they didn't think it was likely. They were alarmed when Hilary told them about the message on the answering machine.

"So should we get the Guards?" Fiona asked.

"She specifically asked Lidia not to make any fuss," Declan said.

"But she must have been so upset."

"I know, Fiona, but what's the point of asking your friends not to make a fuss if you can't trust them to do what you ask?"

Fiona looked at him, surprised. "What kind of a doctor are you going to be, Declan Carroll?"

"One who takes my patients' wishes seriously."

"How far would you go down that road?"

"Only time will tell. Time and the knowledge that I will have a good, wise wife beside me to mark my card. What are you doing on Sat.u.r.day? I thought then we might go and look at rings. I was wondering, would you like an opal?"

"You're not to spend too much on it. Please-anything would do me, Declan. Honestly. I don't need an expensive ring-just to know you love me is enough."

"It's your birthstone. I thought that was important. Now let's go and look after sick people. That's what we do."

He looked so devoted, she felt almost weak. What had she done to deserve all this love?

Father Brian Flynn discovered a girl who had seen Ania waiting for an airport bus.

"But there are no planes to Poland at night," he said.

"I think she was going to London first."

"But there wouldn't have been planes there until the morning." Brian Flynn couldn't believe that the levelheaded Ania had disappeared into thin air.

"I do not know, Father."

"Of course you don't. I'm just worried, that's all."

"You would have been more worried if you saw her last night. She was like a person who had seen something terrible."

Bobby Walsh came into the kitchen for his breakfast.

"Didn't they leave the place immaculate?" he asked his wife as he helped himself to tea and toast.

"Yes." She spoke sharply.

"Where's Carl?"

"He went out last night and he didn't come back."