His ambition to convert the manor into a hotel would bring Tarabeg into the same century as America, give many villagers a choice and an opportunity. And as for his other momentous task, the one he had charged Miss Carroll at the firm in New York with, he would need to confer with Mrs Doyle and Teresa Gallagher on that. Seamus and Nola could not get to hear about it; it had all to be kept well away from them or the surprise would be ruined.

As he stood and pulled his braces over his shoulders, he thought of the milky white skin of the barmaid in Galway whom he’d enticed to a hotel room for an hour. He needed to find himself a wife. Peggy? Maybe, but she was a bit too country. He would easily become bored, although he loved the impetuous, mad drama of Peggy and that was a fact. There was nothing for it – he would have to travel over to New York and bring back an American wife. His heart sank. He couldn’t think of a single woman he had ever known who wouldn’t run a mile from Tarabeg. A village that would laugh at the very idea of a hairdressing salon. He decided that he would ask Miss Carroll to come out and visit when she’d completed her first impossible task and then he would set her a second one, equally impossible, that of finding him a wife.

He closed the drawer, fastened the braces and joined the others.

‘Ah, Joe.’ Michael was sitting at the table and Nola was dishing out breakfast onto two plates, one for Joe and one for Michael.

‘I can’t believe Rosie sends you out with nothing in your insides,’ she tutted.

Michael felt guilty, but not enough to put Nola right. ‘Morning, Joe. Your presence is required again tonight. A repeat performance of last night will be in order down at the house. ’Twill be a test of your manhood, or you can call it training for the dance at the long hall.’

Joe half grinned as he recalled how his manhood had been very much tested the evening before. The barmaid had turned out to be neither as shy nor as holy as she’d made out and had in fact had a voracious appetite.

‘Peggy has a big pan of stew on. My daughter, Mary Kate, she’s home. Home for good. We thought we would all eat together in the kitchen and invite everyone over.’

‘We have to stay in the house,’ said Seamus. ‘As God is true, if we spend much more time in Paddy’s, he’ll be charging us the rent.’

They all laughed. All except for Pete, who was lying on his bed in the old house outside. Peggy had been dancing in Joe’s arms. He’d seen the grin on Joe Malone’s face – she would be in his bed next. He rolled onto his belly and groaned into the pillow; his heart was surely going to break in two.