Page 243 of The Missing Sister

‘And a bit weird?’

‘No, not at all,’ I said.

‘Well, you might remember I’ve always been a hybrid – English Protestant mum and Irish Catholic dad – born in Dublin, following my mother’s line and being baptised as a Protestant. Not that either of them were interested in their religion, just their love for each other,’ he shrugged. ‘The good news is, I’ve now lived and worked in England and in the North and South of Ireland, and after years of struggling with my identity, especially during the Troubles, I’ve arrived at my own personal – and very simple – conclusion: that who you are has everything to do with whether you’re a decent human being or not.’

‘I totally agree, of course, but extremist indoctrination from the cradle can definitely hamper one’s personal development, can’t it?’ I said.

‘It certainly can, and let’s face it, there aren’t many of us who can live without a cause of some kind, be it work or family. I made work my cause for far too long. At least now I feel I’m using my experience to make a difference to a city that was in such desperate need of regeneration. If in some small way I can provide – through my knowledge and skill set help to make that happen, it’ll make all the years of grind worthwhile.’

‘I’m sorry you weren’t happy, Peter, I really am.’

‘Oh, I was fine, Merry, just playing it safe, which was myownfamily form of indoctrination. Everyone from my lower-middle-class background was told by their parents to go into a profession that would see them safe and secure financially. Doctors and lawyers were where it was at, unless you were aristocratic, of course, and there were certainly a few of those at Trinity, weren’t there?’

‘There were, yes,’ I chuckled. ‘Do you remember that guy who drove around Dublin in his open-topped Rolls-Royce? Lord Sebastian Something-or-other. It was awfully smart at Trinity in those days, wasn’t it? All those wealthy, bright young things who were there for the social scene rather than the degree.’

‘Well, I’m pretty sure my mum always thought that I’d meet some Anglo-Irish heiress and end up living in a draughty mansion, surrounded by dogs and horses, but—’

‘I’ve always hated horses,’ we both said at the same time and laughed.

‘Where did we both go wrong, Merry?’ He shook his head in mock-sorrow. ‘I mean, the British and Irish are obsessed with the nags.’

‘Only if they’re groomed to a shine by a minion, who will also muck out the dirty hay when the wealthy behind has had its ride and leads it back into the stables.’

‘Or when the owners are holding the Winner’s Cup on Derby Day, when it’s the trainer and jockey who have done all the hard work.’ Peter rolled his eyes. ‘Or maybe that’s just jealousy, Merry. Both of us were bright, of course, but from poor backgrounds and had to work. So, how is your family?’

‘They’re mostly well, but I hadn’t seen them since the last time I saw you, up until a few days ago. My daddy died over twenty years ago of the drink, which was sad. He was a good man, destroyed by a hard life. Though actually, I found out recently that they weren’t my blood family. I was simply dropped into their midst as a newborn, but that really is another story.’

Peter looked at me in shock. ‘You mean, you were a foundling?’

‘Apparently I was. It was Ambrose who told me – remember him?’

‘Of course I do, Merry, how could I forget him?’

‘Well, he and his friend Father O’Brien persuaded the O’Reilly family to adopt me. Or in fact, take the place of a dead baby they’d lost. Called Mary,’ I added.

‘Goodness, I don’t know what to say.’

‘At this moment, Peter, nor do I, so let’s not talk about it, shall we? What about your family?’

‘My mother’s still alive, but my father died a few years ago of old age. I think he lost the will to live when he retired from the railways. He loved that job so much. Apart from my old mum, that’s it. I have no family.’

‘You never had children of your own?’

‘No, and that’s another regret I have. But for some of us, it just isn’t to be. After my girlfriend died, I took a company transfer over to Norway to make a fresh start and I was briefly married to a Norwegian girl there. It didn’t last long in fact, I think the divorce process lasted longer than the actual marriage, but hey, that’s life, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. Do you have kids?’

‘I do, two of them. One boy and one girl.’

‘Then I’m envious. We always wanted kids, didn’t we?’

He looked at me and I knew that the game of pussyfooting around was now at an end. However much we’d both enjoyed it.

‘We did. I think we named them something ridiculous,’ I responded.

‘You mean,younamed them something ridiculous. What was it now? Persephone and Perseus, or some such. I was quite happy with Robert and Laura. Ah,’ he said as he picked up his whiskey glass and drank the remains of it, ‘those were the days, eh?’

I couldn’t answer then, because yes, they had been ‘the days’, but I needed to ask the question.

‘Why didn’t you come and meet me in London as you’d promised to, Peter?’