Page 143 of The Honeymoon Affair

I’m pleased she likes the same writers as me. I tell her that I have a signed copy of one of Janice’s novels, and she’s envious.

‘You never get signed copies of anything for me,’ she says to Charles. ‘Hopefully Izzy can be my gateway to my favourite authors from now on. I’m really looking forward to Janice’s next one,’ she adds, turning back to me. ‘The Mystery of the Missing Mallet was great.’

‘Wasn’t it?’ I beam at her. ‘Did you guess the murderer?’

‘Not until two thirds of the way through. And even then—’

She’s interrupted by the waitress asking if we’re ready to order, and Pamela says that we really should, because the kitchen will close shortly, so Rachel excuses herself and goes back to the bar while we choose our food. I opt for lasagne. Everyone else orders the hake.

I’m sorry Rachel can’t stay, but I can see that both pub and restaurant are busy and she has better things to do than sit with us. But I can’t help feeling pleased that at least one member of the Miller family seems perfectly normal, both when it comes to books and reading, and in general conversation. There’s nothing hidden about Rachel. She’s a nice person.

The lasagne when it arrives is good, and so is the garlic bread that accompanies it. As I eat, I listen to Pamela, Ellis and Charles talking about the event and about people they know, and I feel like I’ve finally been accepted into the family.

I feel even more accepted later in the evening when Charles’s brother, Nick, joins us for a drink. Although it seems unfair to say it, he’s like a lesser version of Charles – less intimidating, less handsome, less interesting. But he’s good company and tells some amusing anecdotes about being a pub landlord that keep the conversation flowing. He also talks about his two daughters, Emily and Louisa, telling Charles that he’ll have to give them plenty of notice so they can be back home for the wedding.

‘Chas still has to get his divorce first.’ It’s Ellis who says this, although in an entirely practical way.

‘I forgot about that.’ Nick gives Charles a gentle thump on the back. ‘Got to disentangle yourself from one Mrs Miller before making it legal with the next.’

‘Indeed,’ says Charles. ‘It’s all in hand.’

I excuse myself and go to the Ladies’. I give myself a few minutes there and see that I’ve got a message from Celeste asking how things are going.

Pretty good. The event was successful and the rest of the Millers seem normal

Yay!

TBH I kept thinking Ariel would show up. But she didn’t. I’m hoping she’s been put in her place once and for all

Celeste had been both horrified and highly amused at the notion of Ariel having to cook for me. We’d had a long conversation about the entire situation and she’d suggested that Ariel might be trying to win him back. I said that women fighting over men was so last century and that he wasn’t a prize. She laughed and told me to follow my heart, but that even if I broke it off with him I should keep the beautiful Ice Cube engagement ring.

We exchange a few more texts, then I decide I’d better get back to the group. But before I do, the door to the Ladies’ opens and Ellis walks in.

‘Are you OK?’ she asks.

‘Why shouldn’t I be?’

‘You’ve been gone for ages.’

‘Were you sent to find me?’

‘No. I’m the only one who noticed you’d disappeared. The others are deep in conversation about Charles’s potential next crime novel. Even Nick, who has zero interest in books, is keen on another murder mystery. He wants Charles to set it in the pub.’

‘Rachel suggested a customs setting earlier,’ I remind her. ‘And Charles himself wasn’t against the idea when I brought him around the port. Though I’m not sure how we can tie it in to the Caribbean. I have a feeling he enjoyed the research there a lot more than he enjoyed wandering around Dublin Port with me.’

‘Good point.’ Ellis grins. ‘Look, I admit I was sceptical about you and him at first. But you’re good for him. Both because you helped him out of his writing funk and because you make him live in the real world.’

‘His world is the real world too,’ I say.

‘Not entirely,’ she tells me. ‘He makes most of it up, after all.’

We both laugh.

‘But Ellis,’ I add, ‘my relationship with your brother shouldn’t be defined by what I can do for him. It should also be what he can do for me. Love is a two-way stream. We should be supporting each other.’

‘Oh, wow.’ Her eyes widen. ‘You’re more like Ariel than I thought.’

Pamela said that to me too. They can’t both be right, surely? I ask Ellis why she thinks we’re alike.