The Women Who Ran Away - Sheila O'Flanagan Page 0,113

on the dry grass. As she rounded a corner, she gave a muted exclamation, because ahead of her, someone was sitting on a boulder doing as she’d been doing earlier, staring up at the sky.

The figure turned towards her and her mouth formed an O of both surprise and satisfaction.

Because the man in front of her was Charlie Mulholland.

She exhaled slowly.

Fate was on her side after all.

Grace had woken up a few minutes before Deira. She too had been unsure of the time and had parted the heavy curtains to look outside. And she’d also opened the door and stepped into the stillness of the night. She’d seen Deira emerge from her own room and walk through the garden, but she hadn’t called out to her because it seemed to her that Deira needed some time and space of her own. In other circumstances Grace might have followed her to make sure she was all right, but somehow here, in the wellness retreat, she was sure that Deira would be fine. There was an atmosphere of tranquillity and other-worldliness that wasn’t only down to the fact that the sky was ablaze with usually unseen stars, or that the staff were almost invisible in their unobtrusiveness, or even that the guests were unhooked from the technology that normally tied them to the everyday world. It came from the place itself, and from how it made you feel. And right now, at four thirty in the morning, Grace was more at peace than she’d been in months.

Her personal peacefulness was for a different reason than she would have expected. It was because she was, for the first time since his death, in a place that wasn’t associated with Ken. He’d never been here before, either with her or without her. He’d never driven along the narrow road that led to El Pozo de la Señora. He’d never eaten in the restaurant, or walked the mountain trail, or sat here, as she was doing, looking out into the darkness. He couldn’t make a comment about how she should be spending her time, or quote one of his favourite authors at her, or point at one of the stars and tell her what it was.

This wasn’t his place.

This wasn’t their place.

It was hers alone.

And right now, alone was exactly what she wanted to be.

‘You’ve done something to your hair,’ said Charlie as Deira approached him. ‘It’s nice.’

‘Thank you.’ Deira was flattered he’d noticed.

‘And you decided to come here.’

‘We were on the road,’ Deira said. ‘It seemed a shame not to stop. I’m glad we did, because it’s beautiful.’

‘I first came when Muireann and Alfie opened it,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ve kept an eye on them ever since. It was such a brave thing to do in such an out-of-the-way place.’

‘Muireann told us that it isn’t really out-of-the-way at all.’

‘Regardless of how good the motorway is, or even if you get the train to the town, it’s still a bit of a trek through the mountains to get here,’ said Charlie. ‘And I like that. I like having to make an effort.’

Deira nodded. ‘I liked that too. And I’m sure your documentary will bring a lot more visitors. Have you started your interviews?’

‘We’re nearly finished,’ Charlie replied. ‘We arrived yesterday and did some filming, and then did the rest of the interviewing today.’

‘It’s a pity Grace and I didn’t see you earlier. We could’ve been on TV.’

‘I could still do a piece with you if you like.’ He smiled. ‘A guest chilling out beneath the stars. They do astronomy sessions, you know, though mostly in the winter months.’

‘Maybe I’ll come back for that sometime. Are you staying here long?’

‘No. We’re heading off in the morning. We’ve got to go back to France to do the interview we missed out on before.’

‘It must be an interesting job.’

‘It’s like all jobs,’ said Charlie. ‘Sometimes it’s great, sometimes not so much. Other people always think it’s more glamorous than it is.’ He grinned. ‘Amaya says the same about the gallery. People think that working with artists is always a joy, but she says it can also be a pain. I’m sure you think so too.’

‘I’m not trying to sell the art, so it’s a bit different for me,’ said Deira.

‘Would you ever consider a gallery of your own?’

Deira shook her head. ‘I like what I do now. It’s changed over the years, of course, but I still enjoy it.’ Which was true, even if working at Solas had become