Dublin 4 by Maeve Binchy Read Free Book Online Page B

Sheila Healy who says you gave a wonderful lecture at her school. Anyway, we are great admirers of yours and so looking forward to your exhibition on October 8th.
I’m going to try to steal you for that night to come to dinner with us. This is why I’m writing to you so far in advance; I am sure you will get many invitations nearer the time but I want to be first in with mine. We will have the O’Connors and the Healys as well, so you will be among friends.
Please let me know soon if you can come. I’m one of these middle-aged fussy sort of womenwho spend ages getting things organised, not like you and your friends. I’m sure you can combine about three lives successfully, but I’ll be setting and resetting the table for days before you come, and then I’ll pretend it all happened of its own accord. It will give us all a great deal of pleasure if you say yes, and I know Dermot my husband would be thrilled. He has bought three of your paintings for our home. I hope you will like the way we have had them hung. So looking forward to seeing you.
    Yours cordially,
Carmel Murray
     
    Poor old cow, thought Deirdre, probably something wrong with her glands. She must know about Ruthie, half the country does. I don’t think there’s anything for old Dermot to get his knickers in a twist about, but I’d better ring her just in case.
    Because Deirdre O’Donnell was essentially a frugal person she saw no reason why she shouldn’t make the call from Ruth’s own telephone. After all, it was Ruth’s romance. It was Ruth’s fellow’s wife who had gone off her head … why not let Ruth pay for the call?
    *   *   *
     
    The farmer’s wife knocked on her door and said there was a telephone call from Dublin.
    ‘Your sister said you mustn’t get alarmed. She says there is no problem.’
    Ruth got up. She had been lying on the bed over the covers, reading. It was very luxurious somehow to do that, like going to the pictures in the afternoon.
    ‘Ruthie?’
    ‘What’s happened?’
    ‘Nothing, I told the old dame that. Nothing. Listen, Romeo asked me to contact you …’
    ‘I told you I didn’t want any messages. Any .’
    ‘I told him that, he said that his wife has gone off her head, and she’s written to you.’
    ‘Oh no.’
    ‘It’s all right, she hasn’t called you the whore of Babylon. She’s inviting you to dinner actually, the night your exhibition opens.’
    ‘She’s WHAT?’
    ‘Do you want me to read it to you? “Dear Ruth, I don’t know whether you remember me or not” …’
    ‘Stop, stop. Is this serious?’
    ‘Yes, but there’s no abuse in it. Honestly, it’s all full of admiration.’
    ‘Oh Lord. What does Dermot say?’
    ‘He wants to get in touch with you about it. I told him to leave you alone, but he said …’
    ‘And did he say that she knows?’
    ‘Ruthie … of course she knows. What are you talking about? She must know.’
    ‘Dermot always said she didn’t, or that if it came into her head she put it out again.’
    ‘You must be mad. Do you think you’re invisible or something, Ruthie? The two of you go everywhere together.’
    ‘But if she knows, what’s she inviting me to dinner for?’
    ‘Well, that’s the point, that’s what Lover Boy was so much in a tizz about.’
    ‘What does he think?’
    ‘I don’t know. I suppose he thinks that she’s gone over the top, poor old thing. Do you want me to read it to you?’
    ‘Yes, I suppose you’d better. If I’ve got to ring Dermot about it I’d better know what she says.’
    ‘Right: “I don’t know whether you remember me” …’
    ‘Hey, Deirdre. This must be costing you a fortune.’
    ‘No, it’s costing you a fortune … the wages of sin, you know.’
    ‘Oh go on, read it.’
    *   *   *
     
    Carmel planned her week carefully. It was nice to have so many things to do, it reminded her of being young again, when every day was so full and there seemed to be no waiting about. She would have to choose the main