Coming Home by Patricia Scanlan

Author:Patricia Scanlan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2014-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

‘Hello, Mrs Dunwoody, welcome. We give you nice small room for family upstairs, for your birthday.’ The petite, dark-haired Chinese manageress greeted Esther, Liam and Olivia at the door of the restaurant as Esther went to walk into the dining area.

‘Oh, that’s very kind of you,’ Esther exclaimed. ‘How lovely to just be with the family. My daughter’s home from America, you know. It was a complete surprise, Mai Linn.’

‘Yes, yes, we know, she upstairs with little girls. Follow me, please.’ Mai Linn led the way.

‘Did you know about this?’ Esther turned to Olivia.

‘Not at all. I didn’t even know there was a small private room upstairs. I know there’s a function room.’ Olivia pretended innocence.

‘I hope Leo didn’t find the stairs too taxing, he’s getting very stiff, God love him,’ Esther remarked as she walked ahead of her daughter. She was starving, and really looking forward to her meal.

‘This way, this way.’ The manageress indicated a room with a double door.

She pushed the doors open and a loud ‘SURPRISE! SURPRISE!’ erupted from the waiting guests. Esther nearly got lockjaw with shock as she stood, open-mouthed, as family, friends and neighbours burst into a roof-lifting rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’.

‘I’ll kill the pair of you,’ she said, half laughing, half crying as Olivia put her arm around her and Alison handed her a glass of champagne.

‘And were you in on this?’ She turned to her husband.

‘Guilty as charged.’ He grinned. ‘But thank God the night’s finally arrived. I don’t know how many times I’ve nearly let it slip.’

‘So that was why you were telling me to wear this dress, letting on it’s your favourite.’ She patted the elegant, ruby dress with the ruched bodice that fell in graceful folds over her hips to mid-calf.

‘It is my favourite, and you look beautiful,’ he murmured, and Esther felt a warm little glow at his compliment because, although she loved him dearly, compliments were not his forte.

She was immediately surrounded by friends, relations and neighbours kissing her and handing her presents. Even Mrs Harney came up and gave her a peck on the cheek and handed her a bottle of champagne. ‘To drink with your daughters, because they’re good girls and lucky to have you,’ the old woman said with great sincerity. ‘But I might leave after the meal, if you don’t mind, because I wouldn’t be into dancing now or anything like that.’

‘You leave whenever you want, Mrs Harney, and thank you so much for coming,’ Esther said warmly.

‘Thank Olivia – ’twas she issued the invitation. She’s turned into a grand neighbour herself, follying in your footsteps, Mrs Dunwoody,’ her neighbour assured her. It was the height of a compliment, and Esther took it with pride. Olivia was a great daughter, she knew that, and the comparison was an affirmation that she had reared her well.

‘Many felicitations,’ Tessa Dunwoody, Esther’s sister-in-law, said primly at her elbow.

‘Ah, Tessa, thank you.’ Esther felt a wave of relief that Olivia had had the sense to invite her aunt, uncle and cousins.

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