Page 25 of Atticus Arnott's Great Adventure

Chapter Nineteen

A utumn mid-term in Kindale seemed to come around quickly this year, at least to Mary.

It felt as though it had been only five minutes since they’d returned from Cumbria after the summer holidays, and soon, they would be turning the corner into Christmas and another break.

Not that she minded. At Christmas, Conor always took the time off and was a big help with the kids – it was her favourite time of year.

She’d wished he could have been with them during the last week of mid-term, but business was brisk in the estate agency world, and Conor had hardly been home.

Mary’s week, meanwhile, had been manic.

With ‘Mum’s taxi’ fully operational, she’d been fetching and carrying the kids from A to B and back again.

Finn had been going to a football camp which involved skills development and training, culminating in a mini-league play-off where parents were obliged to attend.

Following the funds raised at the disco, Caitlin had been working on the school allotment.

As Mary dropped her eldest off each day, she wondered how much lipstick, false eyelashes, and makeup was required to build raised garden borders.

She suspected an attractive boy had caught Caitlin’s eye and was likely involved in the project.

Maeve, when not posing around the house and pouting into her phone to take selfies, wanted to be ferried into Kindale so she could ‘hang out with her friends’.

Limiting Maeve and her mate’s mid-term rendezvous to four daylight hours, Mary prayed she could trust her youngest not to get up to mischief.

Declan celebrated his birthday that week, and at six – going on sixteen – he insisted that friends from his class be invited to a house party.

Given the time of year, he wanted a Halloween theme, and Mary spent hours decorating Belvedere House with spooky decorations.

The party would take place in the open-plan kitchen and lounge, and Mary found herself up to her ears in cobwebs, bats, and ghosts, which were suspended from the ceiling and covered every inch of spare wall.

Mary’s friend Una had offered to help, but typical of the woman, Una – busy with her own family – was running late.

Mary had confided in Una about her doubts regarding Conor, hoping for a sympathetic ear.

But Una dismissed Mary’s fears, telling her she was imagining things.

‘Conor is about as likely to have an affair with Lucinda as a priest is to buy a round in a pub,’ she’d said.

Una added that Conor must embrace many colleagues during his working day, and it was a wonder he didn’t come home smelling like the perfume counter in a chemist’s shop.

‘Are you sure it isn’t from the air freshener in his car?’ Una asked. ‘He spends enough time in it; perhaps it’s a new one, installed when the car was valeted.’

‘On his shirt?’ Mary stared at Una as though she were mad. ‘And do you not think I know the difference between Thierry Mugler and a smelly dangler?’ she asked.

Una giggled. ‘Well, obviously,’ she added, noting Mary’s glare.

Removing the last tray of pumpkin-shaped cookies from the oven, Mary arranged them alongside bowls of candy, chocolate bars, and a cauldron of green, fruit-flavoured punch.

‘Hey ho, it’s a spooking we will go,’ Mary sang.

Laying the food out buffet-style, Mary was proud of her efforts and nodded with approval as she tweaked the spider pizzas, witches’ broomsticks, and mummy hotdogs onto platters, alongside Halloween cupcakes, crisps, and a graveyard dip.

Knowing that the parents would curse her for returning their sugar-high six-year-olds at the end of the party, she wondered if it was too early for a glass of wine.

Insisting that everyone was prepared for the party, Mary yelled up the stairs. ‘Finn, are you ready? Caitlin, have you dressed Declan? Maeve, come and give me a hand!’

‘I hope you’ve catered for plant-based guests,’ Maeve said upon entering the kitchen. Dressed as a princess and taking selfies, she turned to study the food.

Mary wasn’t sure what part a princess might play at Halloween, nor how many six-year-olds followed a plant-based diet. However, as she poured herself a large Chardonnay, she pointed to the fridge, where a pumpkin platter with veggies and fruit was chilling.

‘Where are the monster eyeballs?’ Maeve asked as she opened the fridge and gazed suspiciously at the platter.

‘Get a life, Maeve,’ Mary replied, taking a large sip of wine. ‘I don’t have time to peel dozens of grapes and fill them with cream cheese and chocolate chips.’

‘You should be more like Grandad,’ Maeve retorted.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Not so grumpy. Enjoy life and have fun.’ Maeve reached for a carrot stick and began to munch. ‘He’s a Golden Insta Influencer now,’ she said.

‘A what?’

‘Oh, Mam, keep up! Grandad has zillions of followers on Instagram because of his fun-filled posts,’ she sighed. ‘He’s achieved in days what I could never do in years.’

‘You mean like an Insta Gramps?’

Maeve gave Mary a look of disdain and, rolling her eyes, reached for another carrot stick.

They were suddenly distracted when mayhem descended, and Zombie Finn slid down the stairs, followed by Catlin, the vampire, and Declan, a mini werewolf.

With the party about to kick off, Mary checked her watch. She had a few minutes to change and hoped that Witchery Wanda, the storyteller-turned-magician she’d hired for the event, would be on time and keep the kids amused during the celebration.

‘Caitlin,’ Mary said as she headed for the stairs, ‘ pack the party bags. Everything is on a shelf in the larder. Keep your brothers and sister in order, and make sure they don’t touch any food!’

In her bedroom, Mary took another slurp of her wine.

Conor had promised to finish work early and, hopefully, would be home soon to help.

With no time for a shower and only minutes to change, Mary grabbed a dress hanging in her wardrobe.

It was long, fitted, with a high neckline and sleeves that reached to the wrist. Mary hoped the black, silky fabric would flatter her ever-increasing figure.

There had been no time for the gym that week.

She was wriggling into her Bounce Buster Briefs when her phone rang. Blindly reaching out, Mary held it to her ear.

‘Have you seen what he’s gone and done now?’ Mungo sounded exasperated.

‘Oh, hello, Mungo.’ Mary’s voice was high-pitched as she tugged up her briefs and wondered why the hell they were so named. Giant Passion Killers That Give You Whiplash would be more appropriate. ‘I guess you’re talking about Dad?’

‘He’s parading about in a brand-new, bright red Fiat 500 convertible!’

‘Wow, good for him,’ Mary breathed as she tugged the passion killers into place over her tum.

‘Good for him?’ Mungo exploded. ‘If he’s bought a car, he’s spending recklessly and intends to stay in Spain!’

Mary slid into the dress and was pleasantly surprised it went on quite easily. God Bless Bounce Buster Briefs and all who squeezed into them . She began to brush her hair and apply dark, smudgy eyeshadow.

‘Are you still there?’ Mungo shouted.

‘Yes, but I really don’t know what you are worried about,’ Mary replied as she smoothed blood-red gloss on her lips. ‘Dad is obviously having a good time if he’s uploading fun photos to Instagram.’

‘Fun photos?’ Mungo sounded incredulous. ‘A pensioner riding about in a Noddy car is a fun photo?’ He snorted. ‘It’s had over five hundred likes already. God knows what people must think.’

There was a pause, and when Mungo realised that Mary wasn’t going to respond, he moaned, ‘I don’t know why I bother phoning. You always side with him and will never see the danger ahead.’

‘Oh, Mungo,’ Mary said, exasperated. ‘You have no idea what danger is. Come here and host a Halloween party for two dozen hyper six-year-olds and their paranoid parents, and you’ll soon see what living on the edge is all about.

’ Mary drained the last of her wine and, deciding to stay barefoot, left her bedroom and padded down the stairs.

‘Don’t hang up on me again,’ Mungo sounded angry.

‘Sorry, Bro,’ Mary replied as the front doorbell rang, ‘but Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice have just arrived, plus a spaceship full of aliens.’

‘What?’

‘I have to go, I’ll catch you later,’ Mary said and flipped the phone into her pocket.

As she opened the door, her mouth dropped. Standing on the step, dressed as James Bond and looking as handsome as a Hollywood hunk, was Ruari.

‘The invite said, “Come as a Halloween or Superhero character”,’ he grinned.

‘And with my ex-wife away, it’s my weekend to have Orla, so I thought I’d oblige.

’ Ruari held the hand of his beautiful six-year-old daughter, who, like her outfit, was angelic.

‘Single parents can scrub up,’ he added, ‘almost as well as you married ones.’

Mary was about to tell Ruari that he’d misunderstood the invitation, and that it was for children not parents. But the sight of so handsome a man made her think that it might be fun to have another adult at the party.

Ruari was studying Mary from head to toe. As his eyes levelled with her own, he said, ‘You’re looking magnificent, Morticia.’

Framed by thick, dark lashes, Ruari’s cobalt blue eyes were as deep as the ocean, and as he stared into hers, Mary had an urge to dive in.

Feeling flustered, she threw back the door and stepped to one side.

She hadn’t intended to dress as a member of The Addams Family, but took Ruari’s comment as a compliment.

She smiled at Orla and ushered her unexpected plus one in.

‘Go through, Orla,’ Mary said as the little girl, gripping a brightly wrapped gift, ran into the house. ‘Declan is the werewolf crawling over the sofa,’ she added.

‘Nice place,’ Ruari said as he strode ahead and walked over to the enormous glass doors that opened to the garden. ‘You have a magnificent view.’