Behind Every Cloud (69 page)

She had also decided to pursue her wine studies and study along with Ronan and Ellie for her diploma. Sam had let them all know that it would be a big leap forward and that they would have to put in quite a few hours
’
study every week but she loved it and this knowledge of wine was very useful for her party business.

She still wasn
’
t able to meet Carl without her stomach clenching
,
but time is a great healer and it was getting easier. Now when he called for the children on a Sunday she could be quite civil, even friendly with him. He looked wretched and uncared for and it upset her to see him like that. After all, she couldn
’
t just erase all the happy years they
’
d had together as easily as that. She still cared for him despite everything he
’
d done.
His swagger was gone now and he was quite humble. She much preferred him like this. Gone was the arrogant, cocky man she
’
d been married to.

Once,
he had started to suggest that they might try and give it another shot but she didn
’
t think that was an option
.
She would never go back to being a political wife. She wondered if he knew that Zita
’
s trial was due to start the next week. She
’
d been Googling the Australian. Well, she wasn
’
t about to tell him. Nor did she tell him that TV2 had been on to her to say they were going to run the documentary Zita had done on her the following Sunday. She couldn
’
t have stopped them anyway so she told them it was fine with her.

The newspapers were full of the Zita story the following weekend and the whole story was dragged up once more. She wondered how Carl felt seeing his stupidity splashed
all over the headlines again. He wasn
’
t able to take the children on Sunday so she and Ronan took them to th
e zoo.

After they were fed and safely in bed, she and Ronan sat down to some wine and cheese before watching the programme. She
’
d put the answering machine on and turned off her mobile so the outside world could stay that way.

As the titles rolled she found herself clenching her fists and Ronan reached over and took her hand in his.

“
It will be fine,
”
he reassured her.
“
It
’
s all in the past now.
”

At the start of the programme a presenter explained the circumstances and how Zita Williams, who had made the programme, would be standing trial for murder, in a couple of hours in Adelaide, Australia. It was meaty stuff and Ronan could feel the tension in Rachel
’
s body.

The presenter continued
: “
It was an anonymous blog that Miss Williams was putting online which led to her discovery as the suspect in the gruesome murder, fifteen years previously. This blog was aimed at discrediting the TD for Dublin North East, Mr Carl Dunne.
”

Rachel sucked in her breath and wondered if Carl was watching. She heard the phone ringing and thought
it might be him.

“
Since this programme was made, Mr Dunne and his wife Rachel have separated. However
,
we feel that at this time of Miss Williams
’
trial it will be of interest to our viewers.
”
She concluded by saying that the station had a reporter covering the trial in Adelaide and would be reporting each day
’
s events there in their news
bulletins
.

Rachel sat mesmerised
,
watching herself on screen
,
and it seemed like a lifetime ago. She remembered how excited she
’
d been
,
not realising that Zita, who was smiling and friendly with her, was cheating on her with her husband. She cringed when she saw the footage of Carl with herself and the children playing
‘
happy families
’
. At that moment she hated him for ruining it all
.
When the programme finally ended, she felt drained. It was then she started to weep, softly at first and then it became a torrent. Ronan held her and rocked her, stroking her hair all the while. When she
’
d finally finished she was like a rag-doll and he helped her up the stairs to her bedroom
.
Fully clothed, she slipped between the sheets.

“
Stay with me for a while
,
Ronan,
”
she whispered
.

He lay down beside her on top of the covers. Stroking her face and brushing away her tears
,
he thought that she
’
d never looked more beautiful. She was deeply upset and in need of comfort and he knew that she would have made love to him if he had made a move. But he would never take advantage of her in her vulnerable state. Besides, it would surely change their relationship and he valued that too much.

So he lay beside her and stroked her silky hair until he heard her steady breathing and knew she was asleep. Then he settled down on her sofa for the night, in case she would need him again
.

Ellie watched the programme on Rachel in Sam
’
s house and she
’
d cried, seeing what a great wife Rachel had been. She
’
d offered to be with Rachel for the screening but Ronan was going to be there so she wouldn
’
t be alone. During the commercial break, they
’
d tried calling her but couldn
’
t reach her, so Sam called Ronan. Ronan had been very quiet but had assured him that Rachel was okay.

“
She can
’
t talk to you right now but don
’
t worry. I
’
ll stay with her, if she wants me to,
”
he
’
d said.

“
Well, give her our love and
,
if we can do anything, anything at all, tell her we
’
re here for her.
”

“
She knows that
,
Sam, thanks. I
’
ll take care of her.
”

Sam and Ellie were
relieved that she wasn
’
t alone.

Zita was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Luckily for her there was no death penalty in Australia. The trial had been on the news every single night. Maybe now the furore would die down. Next week it would be old news.

Since coming home from Marbella, Ellie hadn
’
t been able to get the young Englishman in Spain out of her mind. She had little interest in going out to parties although she was invited to many. She knew this was crazy but he had somehow got under her skin. Now it was Valentine
’
s night and Ellie couldn
’
t decide whether to stay in and watch Mama Mia again
,
or go to the party that one of Sam
’
s friends had invited her to. In the end Sam pressurised her to go as it was being held in the local rugby club and was close enough to walk to
.
He had said he
’
d call for her and they would walk together.

She had just entered the packed hall and was calling out greetings to all the people she knew when she saw him. She gasped. Was it possible? Was that really Robin standing just twenty feet away from her? She
’
d given up all hope of ever meeting him again and for a moment she wondered if she
’
d conjured him up in her imagination.
But no, he was here, talking to some friends
,
and she stood transfixed, unable to tear her eyes away. He must have felt her gaze on him because he looked up and those intense blue eyes that she remembered so well opened wide in shock. He said something to his friends who all looked towards her and then, within seconds, he was by her side.

“
Ellie!
”
he said breathlessly, taking her hand.

“
Robin
!”
she whispered, gazing into his eyes.

“
You two know each other?
”
Sam asked
,
amazed.

They didn
’
t answer. They hadn
’
t even heard him as Robin took her hand and led her away.

She soon discovered that he
’
d been as smitten with her as she
’
d been with him and that he
’
d thought of her constantly too. He told her that he was the manager of a big British wine chain which had opened in Ireland the previous year. He knew Sam well and was surprised to hear that she was working for him
.
The coincidence of finding each other again seemed incredible and was fate, he assured her. As he took her on to the dance floor for a slow number and pulled her close, Ellie felt an excitement that she
’
d never felt before. Va-va-voom!

“
I believe in love at first sight, do you?
”
he whispered in her ear.

“
I think I do now,
”
she whispered back.

It certainly felt like it.

“
What did you say to your friends when you first saw me tonight
?”
she asked, curious.

“
I told them that the angel who had just walked in was the girl I was going to marry
,”
he admitted shyly.

“
Oh, Robin,
”
she said, kissing him right there on the dance
floor.

“
Well, I never!
”
was Sam
’
s reaction as he watched them.

79

Conor rang Ronan with some amazing news the following week.

“
Ronan, you won
’
t believe this. I met a guy I play golf with who is friendly with Louise
’
s new bloke and he told me that their relationship is going down the Swanee.
”
Conor
’
s voice was gleeful.
“
Seemingly, even though he
’
s fabulously wealthy, he
’
d like to stay that way and Louise is making serious inroads into his fortune. My friend says that they are constantly fighting, even in public. What do
you think of that?
”
He could barely conceal his merriment.

“
Well, she
’
s made her bed,
”
Ronan said sadly.
“
We
’
re no longer a couple so it
’
s nothing to do with me.
”
He didn
’
t wish Louise any ill-will. She was just a selfish, spoilt woman.

A couple of days later Louise rang him.

“
Hi
,
Ronan, how are you?
”
Her voice was sugary sweet.
“
I
’
ve been thinking a lot about you lately. I
’
d really like to see you again. I think maybe we
’
ve made a mistake, separating so quickly like that.
”

“
No
,
Louise
,
and I didn
’
t make any mistake. I really don
’
t want to see you again.
”

“
You bastard!
”
she yelled into the phone.

Ronan hung up. He didn
’
t want to hear any more.

It was Becky who started it. She had started waking in the night and calling for her daddy. Rachel was worried. The following Sunday Carl took the kids to the zoo even though it was a fiercely cold day. How ironic that he was taking them there regularly now whereas he had always refused to go before.

“
I want Daddy to come in for tea,
”
Becky had cried as C
arl dropped them off.
“
Please, Mummy? He
’
s awfully cold from the zoo.
”
She grabbed Carl
’
s hand and tried to pull him
into the house.