Minding Frankie - Maeve Binchy [50]
“Oh, no, I can’t go tonight. The world is falling to bits on me. I have no time at all to go to classes!” Lisa cried.
“Always the very time we must go—when the world is falling to bits,” Emily said, as if it were totally obvious. “Now, would you like a baked potato with cheese for lunch? I find it gives you lots of energy, and you’ll need that over the next couple of days.”
“Baked potato is just fine,” Lisa gasped.
“Good. Then off we go. And after the market we’ll go on garden patrol. Could you have a paper and pencil ready and write down what we need for the various gardens in St. Jarlath’s Crescent?”
Lisa wondered what it would be like to have a life like this—where everyone sort of depended on you, but nobody actually loved you.
Dingo Duggan said that of course he’d drive Lisa to collect her things. Where would he bring them?
“We will be discussing that over lunch, Dingo,” Emily explained. “We’ll let you know when we see you.”
Lisa was almost dizzy with the speed with which it was all happening. This small, busy woman with the frizzy hair had involved her effortlessly in a series of activities and at no stage had suggested she explain the situation at home and why she had to flee from it. Instead she had been to market and bargained at every stall. Emily seemed to know everyone. Then they had pushed the pram down St. Jarlath’s Crescent, where Lisa made lists of plants needed, weeds dug up, paint required for touch-ups. Some gardens were expertly kept, some were neglected, but Emily’s regular patrol gave the street a comfortable, established air of being well cared for. Lisa had only begun to take it all in when they arrived at Noel’s family home. Again, Lisa marveled at Emily’s speed.
The introductions to his parents were made briskly and briefly.
“Charles and Josie are very good people, Lisa. They do good works all day and are busy setting up a fund to have a statue erected to St. Jarlath. We won’t detain them from their good work for too long. This is Lisa. She’s a good friend of Noel’s from his college lectures and has been a great help today in looking after Frankie. And here is your beautiful granddaughter, Josie. She has been longing to see you.”
“Poor little thing.” Josie took the baby in her arms and Charles beamed up from his unappetizing-looking sandwich.
In Emily’s room on the ground floor a bottle of wine was produced.
“Normally I don’t have a drink anywhere around Noel, but today is special,” Emily explained. “We’ll wait until you’ve collected your things and then we’ll have lunch.”
“Yes, you must be worn out.” Lisa thought that Emily was referring to the hectic pace of the morning.
“Oh, no, that’s nothing.” Emily dismissed it. “I meant that today is a day of decision for all of us. A glass of wine might be badly needed.”
At his restaurant, Anton was planning menus and talking about Lisa. “I’d better call her,” he said gloomily.
“You’ll know exactly what to say, Anton. You always do.” Teddy was admiring and diplomatic.
“Not as easy as it sounds,” said Anton, reaching for his phone.
Lisa’s phone was switched off. He tried the number of the house where she lived with her parents. Her mother answered.
“No, we haven’t seen her since yesterday.” The voice was distant, not at all concerned. “She didn’t come home last night. So …”
“So … what?” Anton was impatient with the woman.
“Well … nothing, really …” Her voice trailed away. “Lisa is, as you must know, an adult. It would be fruitless, to say the least, to worry about her. Shall I give her a message for you?” Lisa’s mother had a voice that managed to be indifferent and courteous at the same time in a way that irritated him hugely.
“Don’t bother!” he said and hung up.
Lisa’s mother shrugged. She was about to go upstairs