"No, thank you, Nora. I'm not much company these days, and I will have to go home and collect my things sometime. I'd better do it this weekend."

"You might even make peace with your parents." It was the first time that Nora had mentioned any friction.

"I have always had peace with my father," Carl said.

"Yes, but women are complicated. We twist things. Get things wrong ..."

"You don't." He spoke simply. don't." He spoke simply.

"No, but I see it's upsetting you and I don't like to see you so down, Carl." Nora's voice was full of sympathy.

"I am down because I was so stupid. I met a marvelous girl and I let her get away."

"Did she like you?"

"I thought so, but I'm such a fool. I'd do anything to have that night all over again."

"And where is she now, this marvelous girl?" Nora wanted to know.

"In a village in the south of Poland. She doesn't want to talk to me."

"And when will she be back?"

"They don't think she is coming back."

"I'm sure she will, Carl. You're a good lad. They're not easy to find."

"I'm not a good lad, Nora. I'm a clown."

"We're all clowns from time to time, believe me. I'm only sorry you're spoken for. I had such high hopes of you and Aidan's daughter from his first marriage. Ah, well!"

Ania walked up the hill with a heavy heart.

She didn't really believe Clara that lots of people missed her. But she was back home now, with a bag full of money for her mother. Hardly an hour had pa.s.sed when Ania had not been working. It would all be worth it when she saw her mamusia's face take in the amount of the gift.

She hoped that Mamusia would not cry. Ania felt that if she herself started crying again she might never stop.

Fiona and Declan bent over the rings and tried them on her finger.

This one had a lovely setting. That one had huge colors in it whichever way you turned it. Eventually, they picked one that had three little opals in a line.

"That was the very first one you went for. Always a good sign," said the young man who sold stones all day and was very good with the patter.

"And when will the great day be?" he asked, as he polished the opals one more time.

"Not for ages and ages," Declan said hastily.

"The end of this summer," Fiona said.

"That's right, girl. You nail him down," said the young jeweler, enchanted with it all.

They went to lunch at Quentins and showed the ring to Brenda, who said all the right things and brought them a gla.s.s of Champagne.

Then they rang Fiona's parents and told them that the ring had been bought. There was huge excitement and they invited the Carrolls to come for a Chinese takeaway that evening. Fiona wrote e-mails to Tom and Elsa in California, to David in England and to Vonni in Greece.

She said she was very happy and that she wanted them all to meet Declan.

"Why did you change your mind about the timing?" he asked.

"I think because I saw the mess poor Carl and Ania made of it all and I didn't want us to get into a scene like that."

"Where's Carl staying?" Declan asked.

"Don't know. Amazing it took him so long to see through his mother."

"He was keeping the peace for his father's sake," Declan said.

"You always have the kind word," Fiona said adoringly, turning her finger to admire the ring again.

Dear Fiona,How great that you are getting married-congratulations, and of course I'd love to come. It will be a great chance for a holiday.When I sold my father's business my mother was upset, but now she thinks it's all for the best. I am going to open a business of my own importing pottery. Maybe I will find some marvelous Irish things when I am there. You must point me in the right direction.It will be magic to see you again and share in your wedding day. Let's hope Vonni, Tom and Elsa can come too.Love,DavidFiona,Only for you would I take my old bones back to Ireland. I swore never to go there again, but what you tell me about this man Declan sounds too good to miss. I did ask Andreas to come with me, but he says no. He will see all the pictures.Those great twins have invited me to stay in their house with people called Muttie and his wife, Lizzie. Is this for real? They also tell me they're in catering and they hope they might even do your wedding. You don't know this now-I thought I'd forewarn you. Now that I have decided to go I am quite excited. Thank you for keeping in touch-you are a good friend Now that I have decided to go I am quite excited. Thank you for keeping in touch-you are a good friend.Love,VonniDear Fiona,We can't come for the most amazing reason. We are pregnant!Elsa is having our baby and it's due just that week. I thought for years I couldn't have children, but there was a new treatment and we're expecting a daughter the very day you will be married. I wish we could be there. But we will come and see you as soon as our little princess is old enough to travel.Life couldn't be better.Didn't we all have an amazing time that summer. I can't bear to think we will miss Andreas and Vonni and David. Please take lots of pictures and we will want to hear every detail.Love from us both,Tom Simon and Maud were learning that catering was utterly exhausting.

"I think we may well be burned out by the time we're twenty-five," Simon said.

"Cathy and Tom survived it," Maud said, not ready to give up yet.

"Yes, but they were mad about each other," Simon grumbled.

"Well, we we get on all right." get on all right."

"But we're not in in love like they were." Simon worried at it like a dog with a bone. love like they were." Simon worried at it like a dog with a bone.

"G.o.d, Simon, suppose we were to get partners that we were in in love with? Would that make it all right?" love with? Would that make it all right?"

"It would get us over the worst bits, I suppose."

"I think we should try to attract business. That's what we should be doing." Maud was very firm.

"Like what?"

"Like Fiona and Declan's wedding. We could present them with a buffet choice and give them a price."

"But where would we do do it, Maud? We don't have any venues, as Tom and Cathy call them." it, Maud? We don't have any venues, as Tom and Cathy call them."

"We could look for them. Tired tennis clubs? Old schools? There must be something, something, Simon." Simon."

"And if we did find a venue?" Simon was anxious.

"We just come up with a menu." Maud was confident.

"Brian?"

"James?"

"You've been running this hall already as a cafe, haven't you?"

"Yes, you know I have."

"So, what's the problem?"

"What do you mean?"

"If Health and Safety says it's okay as a cafe, it should be okay for a wedding."

"But the alcohol?" Brian asked.

"You're not selling alcohol, Brian. You don't have a liquor license."

"That's what I mean."

"And couldn't these people bring their own?"

"I don't think it works like that," Father Brian said.

"It works the way you want it to work. How are you to be blamed if a whole lot of Poles turn up with their own firewater?"

"James, it won't work."

"My advice, on very good authority, is to try it and to plead total ignorance, advice, on very good authority, is to try it and to plead total ignorance, if ifthe matter ever comes up."

Molly Carroll said she really liked Fiona's parents. Maureen and Sean Ryan and Fiona's two sisters, Ciara and Sinead, had made Molly and Paddy very welcome: they were levelheaded people with no airs and graces.

She had thought it odd that they didn't have a roast to entertain their future in-laws, but then it turned out they had only heard about the engagement very late in the day. And that Chinese food had been very tasty.

They had all agreed to stay out of it and let the young people make their own arrangements. Lord knew what kind of ceremony or wedding breakfast they had in mind.

Simon and Maud went to meet Father Brian Flynn when they heard he was looking for someone to prepare a christening party for some Slovaks.

"It's just eastern Mediterranean food," Simon said.

"No problem. Heavy emphasis on aubergines, stuffed peppers, courgettes, olive oil," Maud agreed.

"There's a problem about alcohol," Father Flynn said.

"Oh, we know all about that, Father," Simon said rea.s.suringly.

"Our mother was the very same way" Maud patted him on the hand.

"Not me," me," Brian Flynn said crossly. "It's the law, you see. Rules about selling drink." Brian Flynn said crossly. "It's the law, you see. Rules about selling drink."

"Oh, I see," Simon said. "I thought you had a problem yourself. So they just have to bring their own, is that it?"

"Yes, I gather that's within the boundaries."

"Fine. We could provide pitchers of fruit juice and whatever they have on or under the table isn't down to us."

"Yes. That would work, wouldn't it?"

"From what we hear around the place, that should cover everything," Maud said. Wise beyond her years.

On the way home from the center, Simon said suddenly, " That's That's where we could have Fiona and Declan's wedding. We've found our venue." where we could have Fiona and Declan's wedding. We've found our venue."

"You know that you and Fiona are going to be married this year?" Simon asked Declan anxiously.

"Yes, Simon, I had hadremembered that."

"It's just I wondered, could you tell me is it going to be a religious or a civil ceremony?"

"Oh, well, a bit of a church wedding first, to please the old folk."

"Yes, but what kind of a church?" Simon seemed very anxious. Declan wondered if he was some kind of zealot.

"Um, well, an ordinary church, I imagine. You know, a Catholic church somewhere."

"So you haven't anywhere actually planned?"

"No, not yet. Simon, could I ask you, exactly what is this all about?"

"We thought of a terrific place for you to get married."

"Did you?"

"We did."

"Why am I nervous about this?" Declan asked.

"There's no need. It's a real church, a real priest and everything."

"And what's the snag?"

"There isn't one."

"There always is. Come on, tell me."

"You have to bring the drink into the place ... in paper bags."

"It's a speakeasy," Declan said.

"It's nothing of the sort!" Simon was indignant.