The Road Trip Read online

  Leanne laughed. ‘I’ve lost the grunge, you mean. All that was just a stunt to annoy my mam. Thought she might get sick of looking at me and throw me out. But no such luck. Got a bit sick of it meself, to be honest. Took a good look in the mirror and realised I needed a makeover. Can’t drive through Paris in this kind of car looking like a freak. So I lost the excessive piercings and toned down the whole thing. Whaddya think?’

  ‘Looks great. You still have the hair, but it suits you.’

  Leanne shot an amused look at Maddy. ‘The hair? It’s real, you know. Comes out of my head like this.’

  Maddy stared at Leanne’s white-blonde hair while the car came to a stop at a red light. ‘It’s really your own colour?’

  ‘Yup. A legacy from my dad. He’s Norwegian, you see. But my dark eyes are my mum’s, and the black eyebrows are by Maybelline.’

  ‘Oh,’ Maddy said while she digested this. ‘Norwegian?’

  ‘Yes. Weird, huh? I mean how many Norwegians do you know?’

  ‘Not many,’ Maddy had to admit. ‘None, actually. I know a few Swedes, a Dane and a Finnish couple who live in our street but no Norwegians.’

  ‘They keep themselves to themselves.’

  ‘That explains it. So where’s your dad now? Back in Norway?

  ‘No. He’s living in the south of France. I think,’ she added.

  ‘Don’t you know?’

  ‘Not really, no. But I think I have a lead.’

  Maddy stared at Leanne. ‘You’re going to have explain this.’

  The lights turned green and the car rolled forward. Leanne changed gears. ‘I will when we’re on the ferry. Tonight. Let’s get glammed up in Kildare first, though. I want to put together a capsule wardrobe.’

  ‘A what?’

  ‘You know, the kind of wardrobe where you only have a few key pieces that all match. Don’t you follow the fashion blogs?’

  ‘Not really,’ Maddy had to admit. ‘Where are you going to put it? The boot’s full.’

  Leanne shrugged. ‘I’ll just have to wear it, won’t I?’

  * * *

  Kildare Village was packed with shoppers and there was a long line of cars crawling in through the entrance, where personnel in yellow vests were directing the vehicles into empty spaces. Leanne finally found a spot near the bus stop.

  ‘Come on,’ she urged after she had switched off the engine. ‘Let’s hit the shops.’

  Maddy opened the door and uncurled her legs, wondering how she would manage the long drive ahead in such a low-slung car. ‘This car was made for midgets,’ she complained. ‘I’ll be crippled by the time we get to Paris.’

  Leanne slammed her door shut. ‘You’ll get used to it. Being rich takes a little adjusting.’

  ‘And a lot of pain,’ Maddy muttered.

  They headed to the shopping area, which was built like a village with Tudor-style houses and pedestrian streets lined with tubs of flowers. Piped music wafted through the walkways and outdoor cafés, and the whole place exuded glamour and money. Touted as the home of luxury fashion, Kildare Village was the go-to shopping centre for the well-dressed woman with an eye for a bargain. The clothes, shoes and handbags weren’t cheap but a little less of a rip-off than in the shops in town.

  ‘I’ve never shopped here, have you?’ Maddy asked as they made their way along the pavement. ‘Not really my thing.’

  Leanne glanced at Maddy’s navy trousers, H&M white shirt and Nike trainers. ‘You have to get out of that nun’s gear and upgrade a bit. Except for the runners. They’re great.’

  ‘Nun’s gear?’ Maddy protested. ‘It’s what I’d call a classic look. Very Katherine Hepburn, you know.’

  ‘Well, she’s been dead for quite some time,’ Leanne quipped. ‘But you do your own thing. I’m going to turn into a woman at last.’ She gestured at her torn jeans and black Doc Martens. ‘These’ll have to go.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘I’ll chuck ’em in a bin. I want to get a whole new look. A bit edgy but more sophisticated or something.’

  Maddy checked her watch. ‘You have about an hour and a half to do that. Then we have to get back on the road.’

  Leanne stopped on the pavement in front of the big ornate gates that led to the shopping village. ‘Okay. But I think we should split up. I don’t want you breathing down my neck if you don’t approve of my fashion choices.’

  ‘Great idea,’ Maddy agreed. ‘I’ve actually never shopped on my own. I either have Tom who’ll say, “I’ll meet you back at the car in twenty minutes” or my daughter moaning that she wants to buy something with a huge price tag. It’s never been about me… always about them.’

  Leanne laughed and patted Maddy’s shoulder. ‘Now it’s totally about you. Spend, spend, spend, darlin’.’ She walked off, leaving Maddy in the middle of the pavement, wondering where to start.

  Suddenly dizzy at the thought of the large sum of money in the bank, Maddy didn’t quite know where to go at first. In a daze, she looked up the paved avenue between the elegant shop fronts and saw a sign that said Gerard Darel. This was a label she knew from window shopping in Dublin. French, chic and expensive. But here it would be a little less so. She saw a floral dress in the window she immediately liked the look of and stepped into the shop with great determination. Time to ditch the boring, old, classic look. Katherine Hepburn was dead, but Madonna was still alive and kicking.

  It proved to be the right choice of shop. Half an hour later, Maddy walked out of Gerard Darel with a bag into which the shop assistant had placed the dress in the window, a pair of white trousers, two silk T-shirts and a wide suede belt with a gold buckle. She was wearing the rest of her purchases: a grey pencil skirt and a navy linen jacket over a pink shirt. The boring navy trousers and white shirt were put in a separate bag in case she needed them ‘for housework or gardening’, the elegant shop assistant suggested, as if such activities were something to be avoided at all costs. The woman nodded approval of the Nike trainers. ‘We’re all wearing them these days,’ she said and lifted her foot to show a pair of pink Adidas. ‘They go with everything. But maybe you could get something a little funkier?’

  Maddy immediately went to the shoe shop around the corner and ditched the white Nikes for a pair of Gucci sneakers with silver stars. It had a price tag of 400 euros, which she paid without blinking. Three times her weekly household shopping bill. What fun it was to be rich!

  After a brief visit to the elegant ladies’ room, Maddy bumped into Leanne on her way into the Victoria’s Secret store. They both did a double-take and burst out laughing.

  ‘Look at you,’ Leanne exclaimed. ‘The epitome of the wealthy-but-classy woman. It takes years off you, too.’

  Maddy wiggled her hips. ‘Thank you, love. And you…’ She paused while she took in Leanne’s new look: the purple Armani jeans, grey silk bomber jacket and embroidered sneakers. ‘Incredible. Hot rock-chick or something.’

  ‘That was kinda what I was aiming for. And now I want to get a few undies and then I’m finished. How about you?’

  ‘Yeah. I want to get something special in here. Nothing like pretty underwear. Makes you look more confident even if no one can see it.’

  Leanne frowned. ‘No one? Well, that would be a hell of a waste. I’m going to make bloody sure someone sees it… when I meet the right guy, I mean.’

  ‘Let’s hope you do. I might show it off to Tom when I get home. If he’s good,’ Maddy added.’

  Leanne winked. ‘Or bad.’

  ‘I hope that’ll happen, too,’ Maddy said wistfully, thinking of their sex life that had gone from hot to lukewarm in just a few years. Ever since fecking golf, she thought bitterly, wondering if it could also have been her fault. Looking at her reflection in the mirror of the changing room, she felt a jolt of pride at her still-firm breasts and shapely hips. Her tummy could do with a bit of work, and there were stretch marks on her hips. But her thighs were toned and her arms rippled with muscles, not from hours in the gym, but
housework and gardening.

  ‘Not bad,’ she said to herself, pulling in her stomach. The ivory silk of the knickers felt sensual but she could only try on the bra, which pushed her breasts into round orbs. The teddy she tried on next made her look and feel sexy in way she had never experienced before. The black set edged with lace was even better, and she decided to buy everything she had picked out… even the French knickers and the suspender belt. There would be no golf in Tom’s head when next she stripped in front of him. In fact, she thought, it would be the first time she’d ever stripped for him. They had never done anything even slightly kinky, she suddenly realised. Why not? Was it because of the way Tom had been brought up, by very strict, conservative Catholics? Or because his mother was an overbearing control freak?

  Her own upbringing had been fairly liberal, even though the nuns in her boarding school had preached purity and keeping your virginity until you got married, which her mother had labelled as prissy and old-fashioned. Maddy mentally blessed her fun, eccentric mother who had died of cancer far too young. You’d love this, Mum, she thought with a fleeting pang of sadness. She gathered up the piles of silk and wire and paid for her purchases, adding, on a whim, a red bikini as Leanne emerged from the changing rooms.

  ‘I see you’re stocking up.’

  ‘It was all so delicious I decided to get it all.’

  ‘Good idea. Me too.’

  ‘Never had so much fun,’ Maddy said as they walked out of the shop. ‘I usually get my underwear in Marks and Sparks. Not too exciting, I suppose.’ On an impulse, she kissed Leanne on the cheek. ‘Thank you for doing this with me.’

  ‘Buying underwear?’

  ‘No, the whole trip. It’s such fun. I’m so looking forward to—’ She suddenly froze and stared ahead in shock.

  ‘Forward to what?’ Leanne asked. ‘What’s the matter? You’ve turned pale green.’

  ‘Oh my God,’ Maddy mumbled, staring at two women coming out of the Jaeger shop. ‘It’s them.’

  ‘Them who?’ Leanne followed Maddy’s gaze. ‘Oh, you mean the grey-haired woman with the tight perm and sensible shoes?’

  ‘Yes,’ Maddy hissed. ‘And the younger one with the stringy black hair, tight nylon dress and six-inch heels. That’s my mother-in-law and her daughter from hell.’ She tried to slide behind Leanne but it was too late.

  The younger woman waved at Maddy. ‘Hello, Maddy. Long time no see, eh?’

  ‘Yes,’ Maddy mumbled as they came closer. ‘Quite a long time. Hi there.’ She gestured at Leanne. ‘This is my friend, Leanne. And this, Leanne, is my sister-in-law, Jacinta, and my mother-in-law—’

  ‘Fidelma Quinn,’ the older woman said and held out her hand.

  ‘Howerya?’ Leanne shook the older woman’s hand.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Leanne. I suppose you’re here on a little shopping spree?’

  ‘Yes.’ Leanne waved her Victoria’s Secret bag in the air. ‘We got a few little goodies to liven up our sex lives. You should go in and take a look. Great bargains. Especially the crotchless panties and cut-out bras.’ She winked. ‘Kinky but fun, dontcha think?’

  Fidelma stiffened, her face red. ‘I don’t know what you mean. I don’t wear that sort of thing. Not for ladies, is it?’

  ‘Ah sure, who’s gonna know?’ Leanne smirked. ‘Only you know you’re wearing them things, but it gives you a glow and sass in your step.’

  ‘Uh, okay,’ Jacinta said, pulling her mother away. ‘I don’t think that’s for us. We got some nice things in the Jaeger shop. It’s for a wedding.’ Her eyes focused on Maddy. ‘My cousin, Greta, is getting married. Did you know?’

  ‘At last,’ Maddy said without thinking. ‘I mean she is over fifty after all. But better late than never, eh?’ She paused. ‘Well, nice to see you,’ she breezed on. ‘But we have to get going.’

  ‘Yeah, we have a long drive ahead,’ Leanne said. ‘We’re on our way to the continent, you know. A girls’ getting-away-from-it-all kinda thing. Especially men.’

  Fidelma looked confused. ‘The continent of – Europe?’

  ‘What other continent is there?’ Leanne asked. ‘But we have to go now. Nice to meet ya, ladies.’ She pulled at Maddy. ‘Come on. The ferry will leave without us.’

  ‘Oh, but—’ Jacinta said. ‘I thought we might have coffee? I haven’t seen you for such a long time, and I wanted to hear all about Tom and what he’s up to these days.’

  Fidelma nodded. ‘Me too. He hasn’t called me for at least a week.’

  ‘Not much to tell,’ Maddy said. ‘He’s been elected captain of the golf club, and now he’s off on this golf break in Lahinch. Some kind of tournament, I believe.’

  ‘Captain?’ Fidelma said, beaming. ‘Of the golf club? Well, that is very big news, isn’t it? Why didn’t he tell me?’

  ‘Why don’t you call him?’ Maddy suggested. ‘I’m sure he’ll be delighted to hear from you.’

  ‘Lahinch?’ Jacinta said with a suspicious look in her eyes. ‘Tom went on his own? And you’re off to the continent with—’ She paused. ‘Are you and Tom having… problems?’

  Maddy laughed. ‘Of course not. We’re just giving each other a bit of space, that’s all.’

  ‘Really?’ Jacinta lifted an eyebrow. ‘But if you’re off on your own, why do you need—’ She gestured at the Victoria’s Secret bag.

  Maddy grinned, enjoying Jacinta’s confusion. ‘You never know when it might come in handy.’ She smiled and waggled her fingers at the two women. ‘Say hi to Tom. Tell him I’ll be in touch when I get to Paris.’ Without waiting for a reply, she took Leanne by the arm and they ran across the parking lot to the car, where they collapsed against the bonnet, laughing.

  ‘Oh God, the look on that old biddy’s face when she spotted the underwear bag,’ Leanne giggled. ‘Priceless.’ She stopped laughing. ‘Shit, I’m sorry. That’s your mum-in-law, isn’t it?’

  Maddy smiled. ‘Yeah. Old biddy is a good description. A bigoted, judgemental old biddy. Poor Tom finds it hard to cope with her. He left home at eighteen just to get away from her. His dad had already left by that stage. But Tom is at least polite and pretends to like her just to keep the peace. She hates me with a passion, of course. So does that bitch, Jacinta.’

  ‘But where did your hubby get those hunky looks? Not from either of them as far as I could tell.’

  ‘He’s the spit of his dad. A very good-looking man. And so nice. God knows why he married Fidelma. Maybe because she seemed motherly? But I can tell you as a mother-in-law, she’s interfering and nosey at the best of times. We had a huge falling-out years ago when I had to tell her to stop getting involved. And for once Tom took my side against her. She had to back off but it’s been very chilly between us since then.’

  ‘I didn’t think such women existed in real life. I mean, you read about old battle-axes but I thought it was some kind of joke.’ Leanne went to the boot and opened it. ‘Here, let’s stuff our loot in here and get going. No more stops until we get to Rosslare, even for a pee, okay?’

  ‘What about lunch?’ Maddy asked, suddenly hungry.

  Leanne tossed her a paper bag. ‘I bought two sandwiches and some water in that posh French bread shop. We’ll eat on the way.’

  ‘Okay.’ Maddy nodded and got into the passenger seat, wondering if this trip was a good idea. Leanne was showing a bossy side she had never noticed before. Ah, well, it would be easy to bail out once she’d had enough. So far, it was fun. No need to jump ship just yet. Onwards and upwards, she said to herself, quoting her granny.

  * * *

  They reached the ferry port at Rosslare late that afternoon after a drive through some stunning countryside with rolling green hills, winding rivers and lush pastures where cattle grazed in bucolic bliss. Maddy was nearly sorry they weren’t going to stay in Ireland and drive across the south and do the Wild Atlantic Way, until she spotted the big white ship docked at the quayside. The line of cars crawling forward into the ship’s hold, the passengers a
lready on the upper deck, the flags snapping in the breeze and the blue sky meeting the sea in the distance gave Maddy a dart of excitement. This was it. It was real. She was going on a long trip that might, if not change, at least widen her life and her horizons. The thought gave her a pleasant buzz.

  Chapter Four

  Settled in the comfortable club seat in the upper salon, with the Irish Sea stretching before her and seagulls circling the ship, Maddy sipped wine and turned on her Kindle. She had loaded it with a number of books she had always wanted to read but never got around to. This was a good opportunity to start. They had four hours ahead of them before the ship docked at Pembroke on the Welsh coast, where they had booked two rooms in a four-star country-house hotel.

  ‘Just to have a rest before we set off across England,’ Leanne said.

  Maddy agreed. There was no reason to rush their trip. ‘A drive in the dark on winding Welsh roads is not my cup of tea,’ she stated.

  ‘It’s a spa hotel, too, so we can get a bit of pampering while we’re at it,’ Leanne said from the adjoining chair as if reading Maddy’s thoughts. She brought the foaming glass of Carlsberg to her lips. ‘Mm, this is the life, eh?’

  Maddy put her head against the headrest and sighed. ‘Oh yes, it is.’

  ‘Do you want to drive tomorrow?’

  ‘I thought you’d never ask.’

  ‘It’s an amazing machine. Wait till you get the feel of it.’

  Maddy sipped some more wine. ‘Looking forward to that.’ She turned to Leanne. ‘But you said you’d tell me. About your dad, I mean.’

  Leanne put her beer on the little table in front of her, running her finger around the rim of the glass. ‘Yeah. My dad.’

  ‘If it’s too painful…’

  ‘No. It’s not that. It’s just…’ Leanne looked thoughtfully at Maddy. ‘He disappeared, you see. After the divorce.’