The House by the Liffey (16 page)

‘Milo, Noola, everybody, would that be all right with all of you?'

‘It would be wonderful. Oh how exciting!' Izzy didn't wait for anyone else to reply. She was afraid someone might throw cold water on the idea and, for Mageen's sake, Noola was too.

‘I'm sure we all feel like Izzy. We'd love to have you come along with us.'

‘Good. That's settled then.'

As the evening had progressed they discovered that Jack was, in fact, Jock MacLellan and Bertie was Ben Cohen. Neither one was ever known by his real first name when on an assignment, they were always Jack and Bertie and that's how the whole family would think of them for evermore. They had been to school together and joined up together, but this had only been revealed when they had decided that their episode in Dublin would never be discussed outside the family, not even by outspoken Izzy. She was so excited when she heard all this.

‘Oh, you mean you really came to Riverside as
spies
to help to rescue me?'

‘Not exactly, Izzy, but something like that. But you must keep the secret or we could be in deep trouble.'

‘I'll
never
tell anybody, promise, and I'm
very good
at keeping promises.'

‘That's true, Bertie, she's extremely good about not telling secrets too, and wild horses wouldn't drag it out of her if she thought it would harm the two of you.'

Afterwards, in the privacy of their bedroom, Milo and Noola were discussing the extraordinary turn of events.

‘It never struck me that Bertie was Jewish, and yet it should. I suppose with his dark hair and eyes he doesn't look all that different from Mammy and me. The only real difference is the slightly darker skin. Even then it's not that pronounced.'

‘It wouldn't strike any of us even to comment on it, Noola. We have a large Jewish population in Dublin and there were quite a few in school with me. They're such a well-established part of our community.'

‘That's true and so I love hearing Chaim Hertzog speaking with his unmistakable Irish accent. Tell you what, though. Bertie is very handsome and I'd swear that little minx Izzy was actually flirting with him.'

Milo burst out laughing.

‘Indeed she was, Noola, my love. Our Izzy is growing up fast. Now come on. Let's get into that bed. This hot climate has a strange effect on me!' He gave her a husbandly whack across the backside.

‘Strange effect? You must be joking! You're just your usual randy self, my darling.'

‘How could I be anything else looking at you wandering around with almost nothing on?'

Harry lay in bed with the evening's events also whirling around in his mind. Quite aside from the debt of gratitude the family owed them, he was hugely impressed with the two men. He had decided that they couldn't be that much older than he was and the completely crazy thought occurred to him that he could somehow follow in their footsteps when he qualified. Something about them sent two ideas churning around and around in his thoughts: SAS and Mossad. He wasn't all that far out.

They made a leisurely start the next morning, heading north. They had to cross the rugged looking Kyrenia Range and pass through the slightly restricted Turkish territory en route. However, for non-Greek Cypriots this wasn't too much of a problem, although all except the UN were advised to travel through the zone in a special convoy.

Mageen and Sarah travelled with Jack and Bertie and the rest of the family in the car behind. Izzy was highly indignant.

‘Why can't I go with Bertie… and Jack?'

‘Because I say so, my girl, and stop making those big goo-goo eyes at Bertie.'

‘
Mum
!'

‘I mean it! You're going to make a show of yourself if you're not careful. You're only fourteen and compared with you he's an old man. So don't embarrass him.'

‘Oh! Well I suppose I
am
allowed to
talk
to him!'

Milo was trying so hard not to smile but Izzy could see the twinkle in his eyes. Good old Dad, she thought, for some time having abandoned the “Daddy” form of address of her earlier childhood.

What nobody spotted was that Bertie found gentle, reserved Sarah most attractive. Her nut-brown hair, dreamy grey eyes and love of all things in the natural world were so appealing to him, but he was a past master at hiding his feelings.

As a botanist, the first thing that had made an impact on Sarah had been the wealth of subtropical plant life, so very different from that of temperate Ireland. She had seen some similar plants on visits to the Riviera but not in the same profusion. Hibiscus and oleander formed borders along roadsides and residences; passion flowers rambled unchecked over the sides of walls and buildings, and many others bloomed in abundance. But the shrub that impressed her most was the bougainvillea, in its various colours and liberal growth. She saw a particularly spectacular example of the red variety tumbling over a whitewashed wall and creating a lasting image in her mind's eye. She had taken rolls and rolls of photographs and had chatted to Maggie about the possibility of growing some of these plants at home.

‘What do you think, Granny? You're the one who does so well with the orchids and they're tropical. Would any of these grow in our conservatory?'

‘I can't see why not, darlin'. In fact the passion flower might even grow outside on a south-facing wall, well sheltered. Maybe we could persuade some bougainvillea and hibiscus to grow in the conservatory too. We can always try. After all, the peaches and grapes are quite happy there.'

They made their way through the mountain pass and arrived in Kyrenia. They checked into a hotel on the seafront and, since they all felt hot and sticky after the journey, the decision to go for a swim was unanimous. A legacy of living by the river, they were all highly competent swimmers. Maggie and Noola wore one-piece suits and both were in great shape physically both internally and externally. The three girls wore bikinis which displayed all their charms to splendid effect, much to the appreciation of Jack and Bertie. Izzy was small for her age, relatively undeveloped as yet and still fragile looking. But Jack had to try hard not to gawp at Mageen's superb figure and covered his discomposure by challenging her to race him, swimming over a set distance. She won which disconcerted him even more, since he was a pretty accomplished sportsman in most pursuits.

‘Hey, Mageen. Now you've something else to thank me for!'

‘What are you talking about, Jack?'

‘Well, I just let you win that race.'

‘You cheeky devil! I'll duck you for that.'

She chased him down the beach and her parents and Maggie watched contentedly. Whether anything came of the flirtation or not, it was doing her so much good to be able to relax and enjoy a man's company after so long.

Jack and Bertie took them to the highly recommended Harbour Club for their lunch. The temperatures in the middle of the day were still high and the siesta was a part of daily life here in the hot season, a habit which they were all happy to emulate. Afterwards they went to the village of Bellapais to look at the remains of the Norman abbey there and sit under Lawrence Durrell's Tree of Idleness, drinking strong, sweet Turkish coffee and eating the locally made Turkish delight. Without exception, they fell in love with this idyllic place. In fact the dramatic scenery of the whole area impressed them. They could quite see why the various castles and forts had been built along the rugged line of the hills, understanding its aesthetic and especially its strategic attraction for the Crusaders, led by Richard Coeur de Lion.

Jack and Bertie impressed the others by their ability to order their coffee in Greek, conversing easily with those serving them and in relaxed exchanges with the locals sitting at nearby tables.

‘You're so clever, Bertie, and Jack too! Did you learn Greek at school?'

‘No, Izzy, Jack and I are pretty good at picking up other languages fairly quickly, enough to make ourselves understood. In a way it's part of our job. We speak several languages fairly fluently. We both speak French and Spanish. Jack can speak German and I can speak Italian and, of course, Hebrew. We've picked up enough Turkish to get by in that too!'

‘Gosh, that's amazing! I can only speak a little Irish and French. We're learning Latin at school too but I wouldn't
ever
be able to speak it.'

‘Don't worry, Izzy, people don't usually speak Latin now as an everyday language. It's been replaced by Italian.'

* * * * *

Bearing in mind what Milo had indicated about Mageen's reluctance to become emotionally involved, very wisely, Jack decided not to rush things. When the opportunity presented itself, he had a quiet word with Noola.

‘Mageen didn't refuse me flat when I suggested she might have dinner with me, even spend the whole day with me. How do you think she would react if I suggested we had dinner this evening, just the two of us, and would you and the others mind? I don't want to frighten her away.'

‘First of all, no, the rest of us wouldn't mind at all and if anyone does I'll sort them out! I should give it a try. Her response to you so far has been more relaxed than I've seen her with any man for a long time. I'd say just one thing to you though.
Please
don't hurt her, Jack, and that leads me to ask you an important question. I do need to know if you're married, because if so then we stop the whole thing here and now. I can't watch her go through any more heartbreak.'

The blue eyes crinkled and twinkled again.

‘No, Noola, I'm neither married nor engaged. In fact I haven't even got a girlfriend. Quite frankly, since I met her I haven't had much interest in anyone else. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would meet her again and that she would still be unmarried. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met and I do love that open, forthright nature of hers too.'

‘What a relief. Then go ahead and take your chance and I don't need to tell you to go gently, you've already been quite sensitive in your approach.'

He laughed aloud.

‘Had I been around twenty-five years ago, I'd have given Milo a good run for his money. You're a gorgeous woman too.'

‘Get away with you, Jack, you're a flatterer.' But she was pleased. What woman wouldn't have been? He laughed again.

‘Your daughter is very like you.'

Noola forewarned the rest of the party, so that when Mageen apologetically mentioned to her parents that Jack had invited her to a dinner for two, they said it was a lovely invitation and she should accept.

‘You don't mind us going off by ourselves?'

‘Of course not, Mageen. So long as you don't take Bertie with you it'll be fine. Otherwise you'll have Izzy either scratching your eyes out or insisting she goes too.'

Mageen laughed delightedly.

‘I had noticed and Bertie's so sweet with her.'

Jack took Mageen back across the border to the Ledra Palace Hotel in Nicosia. The meal had been extended well beyond the usual time taken to eat a dinner and both young people seemed reluctant to finish. Jack was so careful not even to touch Mageen for fear of her putting up an invisible barrier, but he felt sure that she was responding positively. For her part she was beginning to wonder if she really was attractive to him. At some moments he seemed to be on the verge of reaching out to take her hand but each time he seemed to draw back. He certainly had her guessing but the real reason for his apparent hesitancy never occurred to her.

The more she saw of him the more she liked him; more than that, was strongly attracted to him. How did she let him know without appearing to be a brazen hussy? In fact, she started to feel quite piqued. Did he not really find her desirable? Had he but known it he couldn't have adopted an approach better designed to ensure that when he did make his move there would be no question of rejection.

They drove back to the hotel in Kyrenia. It wasn't all that late and neither was in a hurry for the evening to come to an end. There was a half-moon and the stars hung low in the sky, so bright and clear it seemed as if you could reach out and pluck them from the navy-blue canopy of the heavens. The air was balmy and the quiet susurration of the waves breaking gently along the shore was almost seductive. It would have been difficult to find a more romantic setting.

‘Walk along the beach?'

‘I'd love that, Jack.'

So they kicked their shoes off and set out leaving two sets of footsteps that became closer and closer together in the wet sand. He reached out a tentative hand which was entwined readily with firm, warm fingers. The footprints turned in towards each other and they stopped. With his free hand he lifted her chin and gave her a gentle and undemanding kiss on the lips. Her response produced something that ran through them both in a great wave of emotion. She wound her arms around his neck and they stayed locked together for quite a long time. Jack was left with no doubts whatsoever. He had most definitely found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But, he asked himself, did Mageen feel the same way? Would she trust again? He knew he must still tread carefully.

Mageen hadn't felt that delicious floating feeling for so long but she kept a grip on her emotions. She was frightened. She remembered the old Irish saying “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”.

When they finally agreed they should say goodnight he accompanied her to her bedroom door, gave her one last kiss and saw her safely in. Then he made his way to his own bedroom, feeling elated at the way the evening had gone. Mageen was feeling exactly the same way.

* * * * *

The family was due to return home two days later. Mageen and Jack spent the whole of the next day close together and both seemed to be only vaguely aware of the others in the group. They, in turn, pretended not to notice anything out-of-the-way. The two of them had dinner together again but, since it was the family's last evening there, they'd agreed they would join the others after they had eaten. Towards the end of the evening Jack made his decision.

‘Mageen, could you stay on for a bit longer? In a sense we've only just met and I'm almost panicking at the idea of having to part from you so soon.'

She gave him such a happy smile.

‘I'd love to, Jack, but I'd have to ask my boss if I could have a few extra days!'

‘Oh! Could you phone him?'

She laughed in amusement.

‘No need, Jack. He's sitting over there and I don't honestly think he'll say no. I've taken almost no time off since I started in the job and he's said several times that I'm entitled to holidays just like every other member of staff.'

‘Of course! I'm an idiot. I completely forgot.'

They made their way over to where the others were sitting chatting. All of a sudden Mageen felt rather shy.

‘Dad, could I have a word?'

‘Of course. Come and sit down.'

‘No – away from everyone else.'

He eyed the two faces, rosy with happiness, and moved out onto the balcony. She hesitantly made her request and looking at her face Milo couldn't do other than say yes, even though he had misgivings which he voiced to Noola and Maggie later.

‘Do you think she'll be all right? Supposing it all goes wrong, won't she need someone of her own nearby?'

Noola nodded. ‘I know what you mean. I'm a bit concerned about it myself.'

‘Maggie, would you stay behind with her, ostensibly just keeping her company?'

‘Now look here, you two. Mageen is twenty-three years old. She spent time alone in London and came to no grief. You're asking me to be the biggest gooseberry in history and the answer is no! Just imagine how
I'd
feel, never mind the young couple.' She smiled at them and her tone softened.

‘I love her too, you know, but you must let go eventually and in my view now's the time to do it. He's a grand young fellow and you've made sure over the last couple of days that you've milked Bertie dry of every possible bit of information about him and his background. And Bertie's no fool. He knows exactly what you've been up to and he's played along. It's a totally different kettle of fish from the last time, when we never actually checked on anything we were told, but trusted and took it all at face value.'

They thought about this in silence. Then Maggie carried on.

‘What Mageen went through, coped with and rose above will have made her into a very strong person, someone well equipped to deal with any such difficulties in the future. She'll maybe hurt just as much but she'll come through. Believe me, I know!'

‘Thanks, Mammy. You're right. We must let go.'