Mastering Maeve Read online

  Your parcel arrived today; it was really sweet of you to remember me. Of course the old witch won’t let me open it ‘til the morning. Why did she have to get to the post first? I hope it’s nothing naughty because no doubt she’ll stand over me like a sentinel as I open it. Thank you!

  Bucketing down rain here; bet you don’t miss that! Place is still full, which is great.

  Hurry back.

  M

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re Parcel

  I’m missing you too, honey, and go easy on your grandma, you know she means well. Finally we have a lead on who Sanchez really is, as long as this one doesn’t come to nothing, like the last.

  It’s safe to open the parcel in front of her. I’m real happy it got there on time. I was hoping we might talk online tomorrow evening if you’re free.

  Love

  L

  Maeve wandered into the kitchen in her pyjamas. Bridie was there already, sitting over a cup of tea and the aroma of bacon and sausages filled the room. She stood up, took a plate out from under the grill, and placed it in front of Maeve.

  “Birthday treat,” she replied gruffly when Maeve thanked her.

  She opened Bridie’s card and gift, a necklace with a sapphire pendant, her birthstone.

  “Granny, it’s beautiful, thank you, but it’s way too much.”

  “Today’s a big day for you, Maeve, I wanted to give you something that you could keep. Now hurry up and eat. You have to be at the solicitors at half twelve and its already eleven. It’s not like you to sleep so late. Oh, and these arrived for you.” Bridie pointed at a large basket of flowers over by the sink.

  “They’re beautiful,” Maeve said as she rose to get the card and put the flowers on the windowsill where she could admire them better.

  “Larry, I presume?” Bridie questioned and Maeve nodded her head, fighting her tears. It was so thoughtful of him, but she would much rather he was there than the flowers.

  She fetched the parcel that had arrived the previous day and laughed as she unwrapped an iPad. He was determined to bring her up to date with modern technology; this gadget though, she looked forward to using. She’d try face-timing him later. They had done that a few times with her phone but the screen was so small; this would be cool. As soon as she was finished her breakfast, she went off to dress and send Larry an email.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: Happy Birthday to me!

  Good morning, Larry,

  I know you’re probably still making z’s in bed (mmm, wouldn’t I love to be there) but I just wanted to say thanks a million for the iPad. I love it and it means I’ll be able to chat to you from my bedroom now instead of the office. Cool! I might even get a bit naughty now! Oh, and the flowers arrived too. You’re so sweet. Off to the solicitors in an hour so I might not get to talk to you ‘til later. Hope you have a great day.

  Love u

  Maeve resented putting on a business suit rather than casuals on her day off. Again she cursed her grandmother for making the appointment for today of all days. She had noticed Bridie was acting strangely; the cooked breakfast and the necklace puzzled her.

  When she arrived, she was stunned to be brought into the senior partner’s office instead of the meeting her usual solicitor. A serious grey-haired man stood and shook her hand, offering her a seat and a drink above all things. Something definitely was not right here. He pulled a document from the file on his desk.

  “I understand today is your twenty-fifth birthday and it’s my duty to inform you of the details of your parents’ last will and testament. One of the conditions they had attached was that you would not know of this until today.”

  Maeve felt sick. What a cruel jolt into the past. And what was she about to hear?

  “You parents were each insured to the tune of one million euro, which was placed in a trust fund for you on their untimely demise.”

  She heard very little after that; he was rabbiting on about interest earned, withdrawals from the fund for her living expenses and other crap, but it went in one ear and out the other. Her only thought was how much of this Bridie knew.

  “Can I ask if my grandmother was aware of this?”

  “Of course; she was one of the trustees, I was the other.”

  “You mean she knew, all these years. She knew there was money coming.” Maeve couldn’t quite believe her ears. She was raging. Bridie had left her sweating with fear over their finances all this time. And what the fuck was she messing Larry about in her schemes for?

  “Do you mind if I come back in a couple of days to go through the details? It’s all rather a shock.”

  “Certainly, my dear; in the meantime, the money in the trust fund will be transferred to your bank account, so if you could kindly give me the details.” Maeve fished her chequebook out of her bag and with trembling hands wrote the account number, sort code, and name on the account on a piece of paper.

  As soon as she arrived back at the hotel, she shut herself in her room, refusing to speak a word to Bridie, for fear of letting loose her sizzling anger. She saw an email from Larry, which she quickly scanned.

  From: [email protected]

  To: [email protected]

  Subject: re Happy birthday to me!

  You’re welcome, have a wonderful day, princess. Call me as soon as you’re done with the lawyer. I want to hear your voice.

  Love you too

  L

  * * *

  It wasn’t too long before Larry heard his phone ring and was very surprised to see Maeve’s cell number come up. She was normally far too cost-conscious to call from her cell, preferring to use the cheaper landline or Skype.

  “Hey, happy birthday, honey,” he started before she got to speak. Then he heard her sniffling at the far end of the line.

  “Is there something wrong, is your grandma ok?” he added with concern.

  “Don’t talk to me about that woman!” she snapped, then added, “Sorry, I don’t mean to take it out on you. I just needed to hear your voice. I’m hoping talking to you will calm me down. “

  “Why, what happened?”

  “Oh, Jesus, you wouldn’t believe her. You know all that panic about the hotel and money and all that? Well, it seems it was all a bloody setup. She knew that my parents had left me a lot of money and it would be coming today. All that worry for nothing. Honestly, she has just gone too far this time. I’ve had enough of her crap.”

  Between the tears and the speed she was talking at, Larry was having difficulty understanding her. He eventually managed to figure out that there had been a trust fund set up for her years ago and she was now not only financially independent, but pretty wealthy as they had each been well insured and she was the sole heiress. His heart sank to his boots; what would that mean for him? She wasn’t the only one who wanted to strangle her grandmother right now. Maybe now that she was independent, she might want to ditch the hotel, him, and his investment and go have fun. He calmed her as best he could even though his own heart was pounding. This could ruin everything. He hadn’t realised how much he had depended on her need for him or how much security it had given him. A poisonous doubt started to infiltrate his brain. Perhaps she had known all along and was out to con him.

  Chapter Ten

  Maeve was hooked up online on her new iPad at the appointed time. She couldn’t wait to talk to Larry again. It had been a really crappy day. Once she left the solicitors, she’d headed straight for the beach to clear her head and when she returned to the hotel, she was still avoiding her grandmother, too upset to talk to her. She really, really needed Larry. When he failed to hook up at the appointed time, she called his number, but there was no reply. Finally she got an email saying something had come up, he was sorry but he’d have to talk to her the next day. It was the last straw, and she simply crawle
d under the covers and cried herself to sleep.

  Maeve knew she should be relieved that her money worries were over, but it had been such an emotional day; it brought back all sorts of memories about her parents and added to that was the realisation that Bridie had been manipulating her. She had spent the last few months feeling guilty about every penny she’d spent at college thinking it had put her grandmother in serious debt. She had returned to Connemara through duty, thought that their livelihood was on the line and that it was all her fault for having to be funded. Jeez, she had even gone crawling to Larry when she couldn’t stand him. She smiled wryly at that thought, thinking that she was glad she had until it struck her that Bridie had manipulated that relationship too, making her twice as upset and angry. Holy crap, what if Larry thought she was in on it?

  She woke feeling as un-refreshed as she had been going to bed. After checking her email and voicemail, she discovered there had been no further word from Larry and she was getting worried. She hoped it was something to do with the situation on the ranch and nothing more sinister. First she’d have to face Bridie; then she’d deal with the Larry issue later.

  “You knew all along, you were an executor,” she accused Bridie. “Why?”

  “Because if things came too easy, you’d never have learned the value of responsibility, Maeve. I wanted you to grow up before the money came into your hands.”

  “But you knew I was worried sick; it was cruel and calculating. And where did Larry fit into all this? Why did you get him to invest when you knew we’d be able to clear the debts? I just don’t get it,” Maeve cried. She was at a loss to understand the old woman. There was teaching responsibility and there was downright manipulation.

  “Everything I did, I did because I thought it was best, even if you don’t believe it. I thought Larry was a fine young man and I wanted to give him a reason to come back. And now look, the two of you are happy, you’re getting married; so wasn’t it worth it?”

  “Granny,” she screamed. “You can’t expect a relationship to work based on lies. And now I bet he thinks I was part of it because he hasn’t contacted me since. You ruined it.”

  She stomped out, slamming the door. She couldn’t think straight. She called Larry and got no reply, but it was still only three a.m. there so she tried to keep calm. She would have another few hours of waiting before she could reasonably assume he was dodging her. She made a note to call an estate agent, an employment agency, and the bank. There were going to be a few changes around here. Then, out of anger, she wrote a note ‘Call nursing homes for Granny’ and left it lying on the desk where Bridie was sure to see it.

  Her appointment with the bank was reasonably satisfactory. She discovered that they were totally unaware that there was going to be a change in her financial position, so it seemed that her grandmother had kept that pretty quiet. After she threatened to terminate all her dealings with them, they agreed to release the details of the account that Larry’s money had come in from and transfer it back to him with immediate effect, not waiting for the cheque she was lodging to actually clear through.

  Next stop was the employment agency in Galway city. She would hire a temporary manager until the end of season. Her last port of call was the estate agent to get a valuation and have the premises put on the lease market. Technically that last bit would be up to her grandmother as they were her premises, but Maeve felt she should at least put the wheels in motion for the older woman, as she was likely to put it on the long finger. Finally she felt the noose of the responsibility loosen; the only blot on the landscape being that she still hadn’t heard from Larry and it was now eleven a.m. in Texas. She was getting really worried by now. She had left him a number of voicemails and sent texts and emails, all to no avail. She kept trying to tell herself that he may have been in transit or gone somewhere out of reach, but she didn’t believe that in her heart. Deep down she knew he was running and she could only assume it was because he thought her a con-woman. While on the one hand that made her indignant as hell, she could kind of understand it given the circumstances. She would give him one more day, then she would get in contact with his father, she decided. The hotel was sure to have contact details for him on the register since his visit.

  * * *

  Larry saw the missed calls, the texts, and emails, but couldn’t quite bring himself to read or answer them. He felt a total fool; he had deluded himself into thinking a woman almost ten years his junior had any interest in him. He didn’t quite know who had been pulling his strings or why, but he wasn’t going to allow it to continue. He needed a bit of headspace to figure out what the fuck was going on in that crazy little corner of Ireland and he wasn’t going to let Maeve bewitch him again until he had. He took no interest in the ranch, the missing cattle, or anything else. He was grieving for the loss of his dream.

  His father called unannounced to say he had been speaking with Maeve. He said he had also tried to call, but in all honesty the last two days were a total blur to Larry. Maybe he did miss calls from his father, maybe he didn’t… he couldn’t tell for sure.

  “What’s going on between you two, why are you ignoring her calls?” asked Lawrence. “I’ve heard her side, now I want to hear yours.”

  “You need to call her, you owe her that much at least,” Lawrence admonished when Larry had told his tale. “It doesn’t seem to me that she has done anything wrong.”

  “So why did she return my money? That was surely a signal that she doesn’t want me involved.”

  “Or maybe she feels that she got it under false pretences; why don’t you ask her? This is bullshit, Larry. Bridie may have been manipulating you both, but you can’t deny that you were happy together. You want to throw all that away now?”

  “You just don’t get it, do you, Dad? If she knew what was going on, then I don’t want anything more to do with her. But if she didn’t, then I do want her to be happy, and life on a ranch in the middle of nowhere is not going to make her happy. Not now that she has the world at her feet.”

  “No! You don’t get it. You should let her be the judge of that. She’s a smart young woman; she can work it out for herself. Now you need to get on that there computer and book the first ticket you can get to Ireland before it’s too late.”

  “I dunno, Dad, I’ll see.”

  Larry could see his father was increasingly frustrated with him, even accusing him of preferring to be a martyr to love than actually getting out there and experiencing it.

  “Thinking you let her go for the right reasons won’t make much of a bedfellow on a long winter’s night. I just hope she has more courage than you and is willing to put herself out on a limb for love, as it’s obvious you’re too much of a coward for that,” Lawrence said as he returned to his car, leaving Larry to wallow in his misery.

  * * *

  The sky was grey and heavy, smothering the Connemara coast with inertia-laden clouds. Maeve’s despair deepened. It was almost a week since she had heard anything from Larry, not even the briefest of emails. To add to the doom, she hadn’t uttered a word to her grandmother either and she felt totally alone. It was certainly true, she surmised; money didn’t buy you happiness and she had been much happier when she hadn’t a pot to pee in. She had to shake herself out of this dark hole. She had managed to get motivated enough to hire a manager and was showing him the ropes. By the following week Maeve knew she would be free to leave, but she couldn’t seem to stir herself into making any plans. She needed help, and quick. Orla was the willing arse-kicker, arriving to stay overnight at the hotel.

  “Only a true friend like me would come here in that weather, sure it’s no wonder you’re fed up. Now let’s hit O’Flaherty’s pub and you can tell me why you’re texting me to come urgently and straighten you out,” she said, running in to escape the downpour.

  Three glasses of wine later, Orla had the full story up to and including the silent treatment Maeve was receiving now. Bridie’s ears would fairly have been burning had she been e
avesdropping as Maeve explained the whole setup, letting the old woman shoulder the full extent of the blame.

  “So he left you ‘cause you have money; well, he’s different anyway—I’ll give him that,” she summarised wryly. “And even after all that you still want him? Why? He hit you, for Christ’s sake.”

  “I hit him first! Anyway that was the only time I didn’t want him to; after that it was hot. It was pretty hot that time too, but I was too outraged to acknowledge it.”

  “You kinky bitch! I’m sure if that’s all you want him for, Sean or lots of others would be more than willing to slap your arse in return for sexual favours,” Orla giggled.

  “Probably,” Maeve snorted. “But I just can’t picture that working.” She was laughing now. Orla did have a point; there had to be more to it than just the spanking. She tried to verbalise it, hurtful and all as it was at that moment in time. “No, Larry takes care of me, guides me. I respect him and want to learn from him, but it’s not like a father figure—he’s sexy as hell too. He pushes all my buttons. I like him as well as love him, if that makes any sense. At least I did; now I’m not sure what I think.”

  “Right, so what’re you going to do about it? You’re gonna have to go to Texas, if the mountain won’t come to Muhammad and all that. You can afford it, at least!”

  “True, but I dunno if it’s that he won’t talk to me because I have money now, or because he thinks I lied to him, and I don’t even know which is worse.”