Page 10 of The Secret Bookshop in Ireland

Ciara had to laugh. ‘Oh, Ma, that’s great. You’re getting your sense of humour back. It’s been so long since you pulled my leg like that.’

Maureen Doyle shot Ciara a wistful smile. ‘I know. I’ve been feeling lost and lonely since you left home. I feel much better these days. But what I like most of all is seeing you so happy. Is there someone new in your life?’

‘No, it’ssomethingnew,’ Ciara replied. ‘I feel a great change coming on in my life. I’ve been to see that house I inherited. It’s in…’

‘The back of beyond,’ her mother filled in. ‘I googled it. Cherrywood is in that remote part of Wicklow that nobody goes to. You’re not thinking of moving there, are you?’ she asked, looking worried.

‘No, but I was thinking I’d do up the place and then put it on the market,’ Ciara explained. ‘As it is, nobody would want to buy it. So I thought I’d spend a little time there while I work on that. And I can try to find out more about Martha Fitzgerald while I’m there. Brian will love being in the country.’

Her mother sighed. ‘That dog. I don’t know why you had to go and adopt a beast like that. I’m glad you didn’t bring him.’

‘My neighbour Maria was happy to look after him today,’ Ciara said. ‘I knew you wouldn’t want him here.’

‘He’s so big,’ Maureen Doyle said. ‘It must cost a fortune to feed him.’

‘Not really,’ Ciara protested. ‘He eats normal dog food, just a bit more than smaller dogs. But you know how much I love him and now when I’ll be going up to the back of beyond in Wicklow, as you call it, he’ll protect me.’

Maureen stared at Ciara for a moment. Then she got up and sat down beside her daughter. ‘You know what I was just thinking? It’s a mad idea, but it just came to me.’

‘What?’ Ciara asked, startled by the determined look in her mother’s deep brown eyes.

‘I’m coming with you,’ Maureen Doyle said. ‘To the wilds of Wicklow to help you with the doing-up of the house. I know how to make a house look inviting.’

‘Are you serious?’ Ciara asked, staring at her mother. ‘You really want to come with me and do all that work? Why?’

‘Because I’m sick of sitting here doing nothing,’ Maureen replied. ‘I know you’ll say I’m in my seventies and should slow down. But I don’t want to. I want to live a little before I die, do something more interesting than having coffee with women my age and moan about our aches and pains and how things have changed. I’m fit and healthy but if I don’t have anything to do, I’ll go demented and you’ll have to put me in a nursing home, which will cost you a fortune.’

‘I’m sure it won’t come to that,’ Ciara protested.

‘It might. And now you’re going on an adventure and I want to go with you.’ Maureen stuck out her chin and fixed Ciara with a determined look.

Ciara was suddenly relieved. Her mother’s idea wasn’t a bad one. Ma was practical and good at things like painting and decorating. She had played with the idea of asking for help but had thought that Ma might find it too daunting. But now she had volunteered and was practically forcing Ciara to agree to let her come. She smiled at Maureen. ‘You know, Ma, I was going to ask you because I really need your help and support. But I didn’t want to make you feel obliged to come. But I just want to make sure you’re aware of the drawbacks.’

‘What drawbacks?’ Maureen asked.

‘Well,’ Ciara started. ‘It’s a new place and you don’t know anyone and there is no Internet connection and the house is not very modern, to say the least.’

‘I don’t care,’ Maureen said. ‘It’ll be like in the seventies. I can probably cope with all that better than you. I think it’ll be fun,’ she added with a glint in her eyes.

‘So your dream of me marrying a local lad who’s a manager of the supermarket is no more?’ Ciara asked, taken aback by the fire in her mother’s eyes. She hadn’t seen Maureen so animated for years.

‘That was just a lot of blather,’ Maureen said. ‘I wouldn’t wish that on you.’

‘Thank goodness for that, at least,’ Ciara said. ‘Look, Ma, why don’t you come with me next time I go to Cherrywood? I thought I’d take two weeks off work and then see if I can get the house in better nick so it’ll be attractive to prospective buyers. Two weeks should give me plenty of time to brighten it up.’

‘What’s it like?’ Maureen asked.

‘The house is not in great nick,’ Ciara started. ‘Clean and tidy, but very old fashioned. There is an old, abandoned bookshop on the ground floor and a kind of flat upstairs with two bedrooms, a living room and then a bathroom and kitchen. The back garden is a mess of weeds and overgrown bushes. Looks like a jungle.’

‘Sounds just like the kind of challenge I need,’ Maureen said, looking excited. ‘Especially the jungle in that garden.’

Ciara realised her mother was serious. She was sure Ma would try to take over and that they would have many disagreements, but then she knew she needed a lot of help. And it could be an opportunity to get close again, the way they used to be. It would also be nice to have company as the village seemed rather abandoned. ‘Okay, Ma, you win,’ Ciara said. ‘You’re welcome to join me. But please promise not to complain about Brian or anything else for that matter.’

‘I promise,’ Maureen said, looking happy. ‘I’ll do my best to get used to that beast. I’ll even take him for walks if you like.’

‘I don’t expect you to go that far,’ Ciara said, laughing while her mother smiled warmly. She looked happy, Ciara noticed. ‘But it’ll be great to have you with me. It might be a bit lonely there in the evenings with none of the mod cons we’re used to.’

‘We can play board games,’ Maureen suggested. ‘I’ll bringMonopolyandTrivial Pursuitand whatever else I can find.’