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CHAPTER SIX

THE play rooanised chaos, was unusually peaceful when they entered The younger children were sitting on the floor listening raptly to Angie tell a story

Angie paused when they entered, her eyes widening a little when she identified the man beside Scarlet

‘Children,’ she said, rising to her feet, ‘we have a visitor’

Royalty could not have produced ht cynically

‘Roan’ Roie who accepted it with an eagerness that to Scarlet’s critical eye was too eager, fawning even, she concluded, viewing the older woman’s response to their visitor with a jaundiced eye

‘Oh, I knoho you are,’ Angie replied with a grin ‘It was only yesterday ere looking at photos of you at that filazine’

Thank you for that, Angie, now he thinks I’roupie ‘Were we? I don’t remember’

Rolared back at hiressively

‘Sure you do, you put the azine in your drawer, Scarlet’

‘For the recipe section—I’ to make the risotto’ There was a layer of frost on Scarlet’s words, which Angie seemed totally oblivious to

‘Isn’t that a bit ambitious for you? Scarlet can’t cook,’ she added in a confidential aside to Roland and never put on an ounce Me, I put on a pound if I so rain of rice’ She shook her head at the injustice of it

‘There’s nothing wrong omanly curves’

‘That’s what my Bob says’

Scarlet, who couldn’t believe that any woman could fall for such a corny line, stared at her friend—her old-enough-to-know-better friend—as visibly preening

Roman, head tilted to one side, considered the older wo ?’

Angie laughed ‘Not many people here can tell the difference’

Without any apparent effort, he slipped into a wildly attractive soft brogue ‘I’m a Kerry man myself, on my da’s side anyhow’

‘I have to tell you, Mr O’Hagan,’ Angie gushed, ‘those photos in Scarlet’s azine didn’t do you justice’ She turned to her friend for support ‘Did they, Scarlet?’