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17
Time’s Up…
It was late evening when Muriel rang Iris. Outside, a light shower of rain was just moving off out across the Atlantic. The evening orange sun kicked glints from rain-covered leaves, but there was a feeling of cleanliness to everything that Iris felt put the world at rights.
‘I really can’t understand it,’ Muriel said. ‘I mean, I know Catherine is good, but I’ve never seen such a sudden and complete turnaround.’
‘Oh?’ Iris asked. Muriel was on speakerphone to let Georgie and Nola hear everything. She had no secrets from her sisters now and she had them to thank more than anyone else for Myles’s unexpected moment of enlightenment on his road to Damascus.
‘Yes. His solicitor contacted me earlier. They’re happy to settle. They’ll agree to every condition we’ve put in place, just so long as it’s all done and dusted as quickly as possible.’
‘So?’
‘So, you’re going to be free much more quickly than we could have hoped for,’ Muriel said, and then she laughed as she heard the sound of whooping excitement on the other end of the phone. Iris knew the tears she was shedding as her sisters embraced her were sheer joy – this really felt like a whole new beginning.
*
Georgie wasn’t sure if it was just her, but it felt as if a sort of calm had descended on Soldier Hill House once Myles Cutler had been washed from their lives. Iris’s solicitor had moved things along with admirable speed. Stephen Leather had been happy to put off finalising their father’s will until whenever the divorce was through. Now it seemed that all they had to do was help Iris celebrate her freedom.
Georgie went to bed that night feeling very satisfied with life. It looked as if the last few weeks had not only washed Myles from their family, but Iris had taken her destiny in her own hands. Regardless of what happened with Soldier Hill House, she had the cottage and she’d have enough money from her divorce settlement and her share of the distillery to give her little family a good start in Ballycove.
It took no time at all to sell her own apartment in London. That hadn’t surprised Georgie in the least, but for the quick sale, she’d expected no more than the market value. The phone call from the estate agency had been a doubly pleasant surprise then to let her know that it had gone well above the asking price with a provision that the sale be closed immediately and so all she had to do was empty out her remaining belongings. She was ready to say goodbye to London. Two days to pack a lorry full of boxes was as much time as she wanted to spend there now.
When Georgie arrived back she decided it was time to make her announcement formally at the distillery. She gathered all the employees and she and her sisters passed around glasses of champagne before raising a toast.
‘To the future,’ she announced. ‘But to the past also.’
‘And the present,’ Iris cut in.
‘Yes, very much to the present.’ Nola raised her glass.
‘So, there’s something we’re celebrating?’ Robert asked and she noticed how lovely his eyes were, kind and sensuous when they creased up in a smile – how had she not noticed that before?
‘Yes.’ Georgie looked around at the familiar faces gathered about her. All colleagues, friends, family. These people did not feel as if they were employees; rather they were all on the same side. They were all pulling together and Georgie knew they liked her, maybe they even loved her. And she felt the same about them. ‘I wanted you all to hear it from me first – I’ve spoken to my sisters and I’m so pleased to tell you all that they’ve agreed to sell me their shares in the distillery…’
‘And we’re delighted you agreed to take it on.’ Nola put her arm around Georgie’s shoulder and it felt good, warm and loving. ‘You’re going to make it even more successful than ever.’
Robert threw back his head and laughed because maybe he’d known all along it would come to this.
‘So we have a new boss?’ one of the wags shouted, holding up his glass. His eyes were twinkling.
‘Well, I hope we can carry on just as we have been for the last few months…’ Georgie said, and she meant it. She’d learned a great lesson since she’d come to the distillery. Good business was done on good relationships and being happy meant getting along with the people in your workplace. And maybe too, workingwithpeople was much more fun than having people work for you. It certainly meant that Georgie was having the time of her life and it was something she’d never forget again. ‘As a team.’
‘To the future of the Delahaye Distillery.’ Robert held up his glass again. The cheers and laughter that rang out around the stills were like opening music to a whole new chapter.
A week later, Georgie was chatting to Robert over a cup of coffee in their shared office.
‘I’m divorced,’ he’d told her when she enquired if there would be anyone waiting up for him at home on those nights when it seemed that there was no rush to finish up. ‘One of those things,’ he said a little sadly, ‘but it was a long time ago and perhaps there is only so much time anyone needs to mourn the end of a relationship. And you? Ever tempted to tie the knot yourself?’
‘There never seemed to be the time or the right one to get tied up to!’ she said, and she realised that maybe that had been her loss.
‘Well, maybe you should make the time now, you know – there are some good men in Ballycove…’ He smiled at her and held her gaze just a little longer than perhaps he should, but it made her stomach turn over in a way it hadn’t for years.
‘Are you trying to fix me up or flirt with me?’ She laughed now, because really, wasn’t it too late for her to be entertaining thoughts of romance?
‘Would it be so terrible if I was?’ His voice lowered so she had to bend closer to listen. She squinted slightly, for once really looking at Robert. He truly was a lovely man, maybe not movie star good-looking, but he was certainly attractive in a way that resonated with her. Perhaps he would like to meet someone too? He was too old-fashioned for Tinder, too proud to go to a matchmaking festival. He wasn’t even a man to spend his evenings in the pub and how on earth did he expect to meet a nice woman if all he did was walk his dog along the beach or across the bogs?
‘No, it wouldn’t be terrible at all,’ she said, and then she leaned just a little closer and met his lips before either of them had a chance to say another word.
