The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy Page A

today.”
    â€œBut I have…I have a hundred things to do—will we bring those sandwiches upstairs and have them with Rita? Wouldn’t that be grand?”
    â€œI don’t want to talk in front of Rita…”
    â€œYou know, I don’t think you should be talking at all—come on now, and I’ll settle you into your bed, and we’ll have no more of this nonsense.” His voice was the same as when he was taking a splinter out of a child’s finger, or painting iodine onto a cut knee. He was soothing and full of encouragement.
    Helen’s eyes filled with tears.
    â€œOh, Martin, what am I going to do with you?” she asked.
    He patted her hand. “You’re going to smile at me. There is nothing on this earth that is not made better by a good smile.”
    She forced a smile and he dusted away the teardrops.
    â€œWhat did I tell you?” he said triumphantly. He was still holding her hand, and they looked like a happy couple sharing a secret, a life together and maybe a loving moment, when the door opened and Lilian Kelly came in followed by her sister Maura, who had come on a visit as she did every year around this time.
    â€œWell, isn’t this the way to live, like a courting couple in the middle of all the potions and the bottles,” Lilian laughed.
    â€œHallo Helen, and there isn’t a pick on you this year as well.” Maura was a plump woman like her sister, bustling and enthusiastic, a great golfer. She worked for a horse trainer and it had been said that she had hopes of him. The hopes had not materialized. Maura must be forty now, but always cheerful and full of activity.
    They pulled up the two tall chairs that Martin McMahon kept for customers to use, and an ashtray was produced as both Lilian and Maura smoked the Gold Flakes, waving them around as they gestured or exclaimed at whatever was being said.
    Martin noticed Helen back away a little from the smoke. “Will I open the door a bit?” he suggested.
    She gave him a grateful look.
    â€œYou’ll freeze us all to death, Martin.”
    â€œIt’s just that Helen’s a bit…” He was protective.
    â€œAren’t you well?” Lilian was sympathetic.
    â€œI’m fine, just a bit nauseous today, I don’t know why.”
    â€œWould it be the oldest reason in the book, do you think?” Lilian was arch.
    Helen looked at her levelly. “I don’t think so,” she said with a faint smile.
    She stood in the street, gulping the cold air. It was chilly even for the end of October, and there was a mist coming up from the lake. Still, it brought more color to her cheeks.
    â€œListen, we called because we’re going to treat ourselves to lunch in the Central. Ah come on, Helen. It’s early-closing day—Peter’ll come down too, to make an occasion out of it. You will come, won’t you?”
    Helen looked at her husband. A few moments ago he had been pleading that he had hundreds of things to do. He couldn’t take the time off on early-closing day to be alone with her. And yet now there was the chance of an outing with a group, he was obviously dying to go.
    â€œWell, I don’t know, I really don’t know…” he said.
    Helen said not a word to help him decide.
    â€œWe don’t do this kind of thing very often.” Lilian Kelly was trying to be persuasive.
    â€œMartin, I insist.” Maura seemed eager too. “Come on now, it’d be my treat, all of you. Let me do this—I’d love it.” She beamed at them all.
    â€œHelen, what do you think?” He was as eager as a boy. “Will we be devils?”
    Lilian and Maura almost clapped their hands with enthusiasm.
    â€œYou go, Martin, please. I can’t, I’m afraid. I have to go…” Helen waved her hand vaguely in a direction that could have meant anywhere.
    Nobody questioned why she wouldn’t come, or where she was