Page 70 of The Bookshop Ladies

‘And now, it’s time to make a new world,’ Albie had told her softly. Perhaps it was why he had pulled her to the centre of his family, but she felt it was more than just the notion of taking in a stray lamb.

From that night, when she’d sat in his flat and watched over him, something had shifted, for both of them. And she had found home.

‘I’m making dinner for the family tonight, nothing special, eight o’clock.’ Fern poked her head around the corner of the SFF bookstand that Joy was reorganising after a dozen local kids had taken it apart on their lunch break.

‘Oh lovely,’ Joy smiled and even though she felt in her bones she was part of Albie’s family, she and Fern were still engaged in a mating ritual of sorts, as if they were children in a newly blended family, working out how to share a life. At least they liked each other now.

‘Bring wine.’ Fern smiled and they both knew what those simple words meant. It was a family dinner, after all.

A spicy, heady aroma of chilli filled the air when Joy pushed through the door into the kitchen later that evening. She’d picked up two bottles of decent red wine in the supermarket and three bunches of flowers from the buckets at the garage which, when she rearranged them into one, actually looked quite good. She’d tied them up with a small length of ribbon she’d found in the centre of a book in the gardening section.

‘Would it be all right if Will pops over?’ Robyn asked. ‘He’s giving a talk about crime prevention to the community council.’

‘I think we’ll manage to stretch the pot,’ Fern said; when Joy looked over her shoulder, there was enough to feed an army.

‘The more the merrier,’ Albie said and he sipped rum from a very old mini tankard complete with a promotional label on the side that looked as if it had come straight from the 1970s. ‘God, I’m absolutely famished.’ He looked at his watch pointedly and then towards the kitchen where Fern was busy and in her element making dinner for everyone.

‘You were born famished.’ Fern laughed. ‘That’s what Auntie Peggy used to say.’

‘Well, take your time, Will is going to be here any minute…’ Robyn said. She smiled like a woman who had a secret she was dying to share, or maybe she really was a little bit in love.

‘We’re waiting for Lochlainn as well, I’ve invited him to pop in after his cycle today,’ Fern said.

‘Oooh, Lochlainn,’ Robyn teased.

‘We’re just friends, okay, and to prove it, aren’t ye all invited as well.’ But Fern was wearing a new dress and Joy noticed her eyes were made-up with a smoky shadow that really suited her.

With that, Fern turned back to the kitchen. ‘Come on, there are no servants around here,’ she handed a tablecloth to Robyn who set the table while Joy opened the wine and filled up glasses for everyone who wanted one. Soon, the aroma of chilli made stomachs grumble. Joy couldn’t remember eating lunch, but she must have, it was just that her days had become so full now. Fern called Leo to join them and so, they really did sit as one big family, with Lochlainn Daly sitting next to Fern, beaming like the cat that got the cream. Downstairs, Dolly was making her bed in the politics section with fresh lettuce and chopped-up apple and carrots. Leo looked surprised, but pleasantly, when Joy slipped into the seat next to his; little did he know, he wasn’t half as surprised as Joy that she did, but it was a time of new beginnings, or at least that’s what it felt like.

Fern insisted that they use the old dining table that was normally pushed into a corner in the sitting room. Robyn had dug out dulled silver candlesticks and the whole room was warmed by the flickering light of candles dotted about various surfaces and down the length of the table. Joy loved this room, usually it was strewn with books and cushions and she never walked in here without being seized by a desire to curl up on the sofa with a great big classic read. Tonight it was all of those things, but there was something else too and Joy realised what it was – celebration. The room hadn’t changed, but it was a room that was meant to be filled with laughter and conversation over good food and a decent glass of wine.

‘Where should I put these?’ Will stood with a huge tray of food but the table was already full to overflowing. There was a noisy and happy kerfuffle and shifting about of plates and making room for a few minutes. Then Albie made him squeeze in on the end of the bench seat, very close to Robyn, which Joy couldn’t help but notice didn’t seem to upset either of them too much.

‘Good news first,’ Fern said, tapping her glass with a knife just as they were about to tuck in to the steaming dinner set out before them.

‘Yes, always, good news first.’ Robyn smiled across at her mother.

‘I’ve been invited to exhibit in a small show running this September…’

‘Fern, that’s amazing,’ Joy said and she was beaming with enthusiasm.

‘The best part is that the theme is going to be right here. I’m calling the paintings, “Ballycove”,’ Fern said because she had managed to paint one new canvas each week, which was not only a record in terms of productivity, but she whispered to Joy one afternoon that she thought they were probably her best work ever. They both knew that the purging of the secrets that had kept them apart for years had freed up Fern to paint, every bit as much as it had filled Joy with a newly found purpose and bliss.

‘So,’ Robyn took a deep breath after congratulating her mother and raving about the paintings she had stored in a spare room upstairs, ‘that was the good news.’

‘Oh, Robyn, what is it?’ Albie asked, his eyes full of concern.

‘It’s not too bad, but I wanted to tell you all together. I had a phone call from Harry Foley, just before I shut up the shop for the evening.’ The old man had offered to hold ontoAliceto give her a proper valuation. Will told Joy he thought this was a great idea, because at the very least he could lock it in a decent safe.

‘And?’ Her mother stopped, ladle in mid-air, waiting to hear the verdict before delivering a second helping of sauce to Leo.

‘It turns out, our copy ofAlice’s Adventures in Wonderlandis an original after all.’ Robyn smiled. ‘It’s one of only a handful left in circulation.’ She had to stop speaking, there was no point as she wouldn’t have been heard over the excited din, because suddenly, everyone at the table burst into animated chatter and squeals of delight. Robyn waited for a few seconds, held up her hand to finish. ‘But it’s not worth the huge fortune we thought, I’m afraid.’

‘How on earth can it be valueless if it’s that rare?’ Fern asked, but Joy understood, there was only one reason. There had to be damage beyond repair that they hadn’t noticed, or perhaps understood. It was, she had to concede, a very old book. The spine was weak and the pages delicate. It was a miracle it had lasted as long as it did, really.

‘Apparently, it’s missing an illustration, more than one, actually. Four to be precise. I mean, it’s still worth a LOT of money,’ Robyn stretched out her arms, ‘but Harry said if it was completely intact, it would have been worth a heck of a lot more.’ Will placed an arm around her shoulder; it was obvious he was disappointed for Robyn, which was sweet.

‘Oh, what the hell, it’s still a lovely book and look at the excitement we’ve all had, sure isn’t that the best part of any good fortune?’ Albie said. He wasn’t particularly bothered about money beyond having enough to live on and to share if someone needed it.

‘You’re right, Uncle Albie,’ Robyn said softly. ‘You’re absolutely right, but something else good came out of it too.’ Robyn looked shyly up at Will who was beaming at her. ‘I know we had a stressful few days and there was all of those messages from all sorts of weirdos, but look at us now! I know who my friends are, my real friends, and I’m even more thankful for all of you tonight than I’ve ever been.’ She smiled, although Joy knew there was a catch to her voice. It was a shame about Kian, even if she wasn’t in love with him any more, it didn’t mean that the betrayal hadn’t hurt her badly. Joy admired her, for being straight up enough to cut him out, but at the same time, she wasn’t a vindictive person, so his biggest punishment was being cut out of life in Patrick Street.

‘Oh, darling.’ Fern walked around the table and put her arms around her daughter. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ she said, wiping a tear from her eyes.

‘We all are,’ Albie chorused in and Joy found her gaze drawn to Will who was beaming from ear to ear. She had a sense that, like her, he wouldn’t change a single thing in this moment.

‘To friends and family.’ This time Joy was the one to raise the toast. ‘And to the bookshop girls, let’s drink to many more adventures for us as the years roll on.’ She had a feeling that if Yves could see her now, he would be happy that there were more exploits and good times yet to come. Joy planned to make the most of every single one of them.

‘To the bookshop ladies,’ Leo murmured, holding her eye in a way that made her catch her breath. Yes, thought Joy, there may well be more unexpected adventures ahead. She smiled her widest smile and clinked her glass to celebrate a new beginning.