He glanced at his watch. Michael was already over an hour late, and that added to his irritation. Tardiness was the greatest insult of them all; arrangements were made to suit those concerned – it was the height of rudeness to overlook other people’s needs.
He heard Michael arrive; he hailed people as always with his usual bonhomie and smiling face, but Declan knew Michael Flynn was not the amiable, hail-fellow-well-met cunt that he pretended to be. He was a vicious fucker, who could pass in company as a well-heeled, well-dressed businessman. And that was fine, so long as he remembered that, while he had been playing happy families for the last six months, he had inadvertently dropped the proverbial ball. He had a fucking seriously damaging break in his ranks, and it needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Josephine’s problems were common knowledge and as much as everyone felt for him – after all, no one wanted a fucking nutbag on the team – Michael needed to remember the golden rule: family life came second to everything else.
As Michael made his entrance into the office, it took all of Declan Costello’s willpower to stop himself from smacking him one. If ever a man needed to be brought down a peg, Michael Flynn was that man.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Hannah was holding her granddaughter on her lap, amazed at the love she felt for the child. The only other person to ever make her feel such overpowering love had been her son, and where had that got her? But little Jessie had crept into her heart, and now the thought of being parted from her was a real torment. She had even tempered her usual sarcastic remarks, frightened that if she pushed too far the child would be taken beyond her reach.
She could see herself in her, although no one else would admit that. She had her eyes, and her own mother’s cupid bow lips. It was unbelievable really, the child’s hold on her. Hannah adored her, and that was something she had never envisaged.
Hannah watched surreptitiously as Josephine oversaw the removal of her boxes of crap from the house. Not before time either, as far as she was concerned; it was like an obstacle course to get in, and Michael should have put his foot down years ago. She could see the panic in her daughter-in-law’s eyes as the house was gradually emptied of her purchases. Despite herself, she actually felt sorry for the girl. Anyone would think she was being asked to give her family away. For the first time, Hannah realised that her daughter-in-law had a real problem.
‘Come and sit down, Josephine. I’ve hardly spoken to you since I got here!’
Josephine looked at her in distress. ‘I’ll be with you in a minute, Hannah. I just need to make sure that everything is put away properly, where I can find it . . .’
Hannah stood up with the child in her arms, and walked to where her daughter-in-law was standing. She was at the back door and, as she went to follow the young men out to the garage, Hannah grabbed her by the arm.
‘Leave it be. I don’t want to upset you, but you’re acting strange, love. These young men Michael sent here to move everything out of the house can see how strange you’re acting. People talk, love, you know that as well as I do. Don’t give them the opportunity for a story. If not for yourself, then for Michael. He can’t be seen as having any kind of weakness. Now, come and sit down, and I’ll make a fresh pot of tea.’
Josephine knew that the woman was right; she wasn’t acting rationally. She shouldn’t care about what was happening. But it wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t help the way she felt. Watching everything leave the house was like witnessing the death of a loved one. She felt bereft and vulnerable.
Hannah pulled her gently away from the door. ‘Sit down and nurse your baby. I can see how hard this is for you, Josephine, but you have to let it go.’ She passed the child to her daughter-in-law, and watched as her natural maternal instincts took over.
Josephine sat down at the kitchen table and Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. Little Jessie was so good-natured, and she thanked God for that much at least. She wasn’t a cross child and rarely cried.
‘She is so contented, Josephine. I’ve never seen such a contented child in all my born days. That is all down to you, and your wonderful mothering.’
It was the right thing to say. Josephine smiled with pleasure at her words, and Hannah Flynn finally understood the reason her son loved this girl so much. She literally didn’t have a bad bone in her body. She felt a moment’s shame at the way she had treated her over the years. She had never given the girl a chance. She had always resented the way she had replaced her in her son’s affections. It was only Jessie’s birth that had softened her up. Now she saw the girl as she really was – a frightened young woman, who needed her kindness and understanding. She was a troubled soul, all right, and she needed help. Her Michael knew that and if Hannah had not been so selfish, so bitter, he would have turned to her for help. Instead he had protected the girl from her, knowing she didn’t have a great opinion of her anyway. For the first time ever, Hannah felt truly guilty.
Chapter Sixty-Four