Below are the 15 most recent journal entries recorded in richardsheridan's LiveJournal:

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006
8:30 am	Mad! Gary told me that Emma had said that Ginny Masters, Rory's manipulative and vicious former girlfriend, could stay at Whiteturrets when she got out of hospital. I went right round there as soon as I heard. "Have you finally flipped?" I asked Emma, "You're letting that psycho stay in this house with Rory ..." "I trust him." "And you and the baby?" "In what way is this your business?" she asked, "And how did you know?" "Gary told me. He's worried." "Gary is always worried." "With you, he has reason to be. Emma, pay for her to stay in a hotel if you must, but don't have that woman in your house!" "When she said what she said about Hobbit, I wanted her dead. She nearly died this time." "You can't blame yourself!" "I don't, but I can't turnm her away, either. Besides, Ravensmoore doesn't think she's a threat to Bryony." "What's Rory's view?" "He hasn't expressed one." "Unusual, for him, isn't it?" I said. "He's had other things on his mind. He hurt his hand getting her out of the car." "I'd have left her there." "You wouldn't. I know you better than that." "Emma, I don't want you to get hurt. For my sake, don't let her stay." "For the sake of our friendship, stop trying to interfere. I married the other one, remember?" "And why isn't he as concerned as I am?" I asked. "Maybe he trusts my judgement." "What judgement?" I said. I left. (Comment on this)
Sunday, January 15th, 2006
10:27 pm	It's good to see Emma so happy with Rory. At the christening today, it was very clear that all was well. I loved watching her as their little baby was christened. It's rare to see Emma overcome with a gentle emotion. I'd swear she was crying, but who would believe me. The child was saintly. Having heard each of mine try to scream the place down, finding out that Rory's kid was a silent paragon was somewhat disconcerting, but apart from mild envy on that account, I was just happy to see everything going so well. Gary said he was surprised the water in the font didn't bubble or hiss. He's lucky Emma didn't hear him say that! (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 8th, 2005
9:04 pm	Poor Stephanie! When I came home tonight, Stephanie ran to meet me and fell, banging her head on the wall. For a moment, she was too stunned to make a sound, then she started screaming. I phoned Gary and he came round in ten minutes. She wasn't unconscious at any time, but she was frightened and she ended up with a bad bump on her head. Fortunately, Gary is one of her best friends and his arrival really helped to cheer her up. "She's a tough little thing." said Gary, "She'll have a headache, but there are no signs of any serious damage." "She ran to meet me." I said, still feeling guilty. "They do that." said Gary, "Holly was more often on her head than her feet when she was that age. Thanks goodness they bounce!" As he was getting ready to go, Stephanie said, "When I'm big, I'll be a docker!" "Doctor." I said. "Yes." she said. Gary smiled. "You'll be a wonderful doctor." "Like you." she said. He turned to me, "Isn't she a little love? Takes after Cassia, of course." When he'd gone, we put Stephanie to bed. James kissed her and said, "You'll be better tomorrow, Stephie." "Jemmy-Jem!" she said. I sat with her until she fell asleep, but Gary was right, she was alright. Current Mood: relieved (Comment on this)
Thursday, December 1st, 2005
11:51 pm	Seeing Emma I visited Emma today. The baby is a lovely, healthy little girl. Emma is taking to motherhood better than I expected. She held the baby so naturally, as if she'd been holding babies all her life, instead of avoiding them until they are walking. I upset Rory. I said he looked tired. It was only after he walked out spitting fire that I remembered how sensitive I was as a new father to any suggestion that I wasn't coping. It must be harder for him. He always sets such high standards for himself. He doesn't want to be just a good father. He wants to be a perfect one. I saw Emma's face when he left the room. She wanted to go after him, but didn't. She tried to seem untroubled, but where Rory is concerned, she is pretty transparent. I hope he knows how deeply she loves him. Current Mood: guilty (Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 29th, 2005
9:43 pm	Emma's Return Now that the return of the Emma is imminent, I am dreading it. The few times I've spoken to her since the baby was born, she's sounded cheerful, but then she would. Emma would never admit that things are too much for her, especially to me. I'm not saying that is the case, but I don't see Emma settling to motherhood straight away. If she comes back to work all gung ho and brimming with denial, she's going to drive me mad. Then there's Rory. What are you meant to say to the man who married the woman you pursued, who has just had his child? "Rather you than me." perhaps? I hope a simple congratukations will cover it. I find it incredible that he made no effort to talk her out of the unassisted birth thing. I know what she's like, but he could have tried. Still, she survived and the baby was fine. A girl! A second Emma, perhaps. What a ghastly thought! No, he's not so bad. There was, after all, a reason why I wanted to marry her. James got hit in the face with a ball at school. He was all upset because he cried, but who wouldn't? We bought fish and chips, his favourite food. That cheered him up a bit. Hearing that he'll soon get to see Emma's baby made him happier too. Current Mood: anxious (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 27th, 2005
8:03 pm	Emma phoned today, just to tell me all is well. She sounded great. She sounded perfectly happy and perfectly calm. That's unusual for her. She spoke to Cassia too. They talked for ages. I'm glad things are going well. I've been worried about her. With luck, Emma will have a few more weeks before the baby is born. I know Chris is worried she could get post natal depression, but maybe in Ireland, with Rory's family to offer their unconditional support, she won't. That baby is going to be warmly welcomed into the world. The O'Connals are a close and loving family. He or she will be very dearly loved. Current Mood: hopeful (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 21st, 2005
11:30 pm	I was coming out of the Post Office today, when I saw Rory sitting on the wall over the road, looking miserable. I went over and said, "What's wrong?" "You're not going to believe what she wants." he said. "Your execution, by the look on your face." I said. "Worse. She wants to go to Ireland." "Of course." He looked at me in surprise. "You know?" "No, but I know she wants Hobbit to know Ireland. When are you going? Next year?" "This weekend." he said. "But she's pregnant!" I said. "Observant, aren't you?" "Airlines won't take her." "No, it will be the ferry." said Rory. "And you're going along with it?" "She's given me no choice." "She's going over to Ireland now, about a month from labour? She's doing that? That's so insane and dangerous and stupid and so perfectly Emma. I may have to fall in love with her all over again." "I wouldn't. Right now, I want to hit someone. It might as well be you." I sat on the wall next to him and said, "She'll be fine. She always is. Just remember that you fell in love with her because she was so completely herself. If she were the yielding type, you'd go mad with boredom. She's one of a kind. Yes, she's a little crazy and as irritating as sawdust in your shirt, but doesn't she also inspire you? Emma's not an easy person. She's all sharp edges and hard centre. She doesn't compromise and she doesn't do the sensible thing. She pushes her luck to the limit. She pushes everything to the limit. She makes very little sense, but I don't think you'd change her if you could. If there's anything I can do, let me know." "Thanks." he said. He went home. She's going to Ireland. That woman is mad! Current Mood: surprised (Comment on this)
Monday, September 12th, 2005
10:12 pm	Emma called me today and asked if I could go to Whiteturrets. I went at once, worried that something was wrong and thinking she might have argued with Rory and need someone to mediate. When I go there, Ravensmoore took me to the drawing room and she moved with some difficulty to stand. "Please sit." I said, "You have an excellent excuse." She smiled gratefully and sank back into the chair. "You'd better sit too." she said, "How is Cassia? How are the kids?" "All fine, all wonderful. How are you?" "Better than I expected to be." she said. She looked at my tie. "Crooked, Rick. Have you no shame?" "You have a somewhat stricter dress code than most of my friends." "You might not call me a friend soon." "Unless you plan to start kicking kittens, I probably will." I said. I straightened my tie. "Come on, cariad, tell me what you want to tell me." "It's difficult." she said. "Obviously. I'd suggest discussing it over salmon at La Normandie, but that might be misunderstood." She looked into my eyes, then said, "Would you forgive me if I didn't come back to work after Hobbit is born?" "I've been working on the assumption that you wouldn't." "Why?" she said. I moved to a chair near hers and took her hand. "Because your worst fault is your inability to give anything less than 100 percent. That made us rich, it boosted the business, but you nearly worked yourself to death. I'd swear you were working 24 hours a day for a while." "Only when I had to." she replied. "Idiot!" I said, happy to see her grin in response. I went on, "And now you want to dedicate your energies to something outside the business, and you think I'll see it as disloyalty. I see it as a sign that you have finally got a life away from your desk and I am delighted! That little baby is going to teach you something you really need to learn, how to stop pushing yourself and enjoy life. Relax. Stop worrying about the business. No-one can say you haven't done your share. They grow up fast, and you'll be glad you didn't spend the early years at work. If and when you're ready, come back, but until then, you have no obligations to anyone but that Irishman of yours, who loves you more than I ever could, and your baby, who will be beautiful and brilliant and quite insane, and whom you will love for the rest of your life." She squeezed my hand. "I love you, Rick." "And I love you." I said, "Keep in touch, alright? Cassie and I need to hear from you sometimes." "I won't be far away." she said. "A world away, as always, where only Rory can follow you." "Only he would want to." "There was a time when I longed to." "You're better off as you are. We'd have shredded each other. We are two bad-tempered, selfish, difficult people, married to the only people saintly enough to love us and wise enough to understand us. We've been very lucky, Sheridan." "We certainly have, Walker." I hugged her, "You're going to love being a mother." "Thanks for understanding." she said. "It had to happen one day." I replied. I went home to find Cassia looking troubled. "Is Emma alright?" she said. "She's fine, just wanted to tell me she's not planning on coming back soon after the birth." "Good." said Cassia, "I was worried she might be ill." Current Mood: cheerful (Comment on this)
Sunday, July 31st, 2005
9:06 pm	I've annoyed Emma, and goodness knows how I did it, because I only said she looked great, which she does. I asked Cassia what she thought I'd done wrong and she said, "Richard, she's only just got home. Give her some time to adjust. She was probably just overwhelmed." It was a good wedding, anyway. Fiona deserved a good day and she got it. She looked perfect. I can see what Sean sees in her. I thought it was cute to involve the dog in the wedding. The kids loved that bit. Cassia played at the reception. She was so flattered to be asked and everyone said how lovely the music was. Fiona was especially delighted and hugged her for her efforts. I'm proud of Cassia. She's wonderful. I'm glad Emma's back from over the water. Woodhollow can get back to normal now. It has been strange without her. Cassia suggested we should invite Emma and Rory for dinner. That seems like a great idea. Current Mood: confused (Comment on this)
Friday, July 22nd, 2005
5:53 am	Nostalgia Yesterday I found a photograph of the party to celebrate our first million. At the time, I was fascinated by Emma. The more she told me she wasn't looking for romance, the more I wanted to change her mind. How she made me suffer! No-one could ever unleash such well-aimed and withering scorn. Emma has a good instinct for seeing the strengths and weaknesses of others. She is the one who knows how to encourage new staff, spotting their unique gifts and praising them, but she is also the one who can look a man in the eye and verbally shred his ego. I spotted the danger of Rory long before she did. The world for her was divided into Whiteturrets and the world, and he was part of Whiteturrets. She saw him as no threat, because he wasn't openly pursuing her like I was. She confided in him, became is friend and fell in love. Looking at the photo, I could see why I wanted to marry her, but also why it was good that I didn't. I could never have made her happy, she could only have made me miserable. We would have been engaged in perpetual battle. It's fun to go over the "what ifs" but I'm so glad we ended up with Cassia and Rory, because we'd have driven each other insane. Current Mood: nostalgic (Comment on this)
Friday, June 10th, 2005
9:35 pm	Cassia's Quartet I'm a little troubled by a phonecall today from a man on a Foxton number who said he wanted my hot body. I called Gary, naturally, but he denied making dodgy calls with an assumed name. I hope my secret admirer isn't too devastated when he finds out I'm a happily married man. Cassia, to whom I am happily married, made me even happier today, when she told me that her string quartet has been offered the chance of making a CD. She's delighted. She asked if I'd mind her spending more time on her music. Silly girl! Cassia's music is wonderful and I'm so proud of her. As far as I'm concerned, my own career has reached a point where I don't have to give it 100% of my time and attention. Her turn now. She can pursue her dreams and I'll make sure life doesn't get in the way. Cassia has a real gift and I'm not going to mess things up. My little boy said to me today, "I love it when Mummy plays. She makes my feet dance." Mine too, and my heart. I am a very lucky man! Current Mood: happy (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 31st, 2005
8:03 pm	Rumours Ginny Masters called me again today and said she was sorry to have troubled me before and that she had convinced herself there was no truth in the rumours that Rory had hit Emma. Then she added, "I mean, a man's entitled to get drunk on his first trip home in ages, isn't he? But some people are always ready to suspect the worst. I only worried because you hear about it, don't you, domestic violence starting with the stress of the first baby?" "I don't think I've ever seen Rory drunk." I said. "Neither had I before. I think it scared me a little. Maybe that made me listen to gossip a bit too much." She sounded genuinely upset about misjudging Rory, but I thought I still heard doubt in her voice. For a moment, I wondered. Then I remembered a bad day in the office, when I said something unwise to an already angry Emma and she hit me across the face with some force. If Ginny had said Emma had hit Rory, I could believe it. Rory is no pacifist. I've seen him get into fights with members of the hunt. He fights men, though, not women. Try as I might, I can't imagine Rory hitting any woman, let alone his adored wife, and certainly not his pregnant wife. If he did, Emma would tell me. She's not the kind to conceal a man's faults and she would never let her child be at risk from a violent man, whatever her feelings for him. She never stops telling me how great he is, how gently and protectively he takes care of her. No, I don't believe he has ever been violent towards her. It does worry me that there are rumours. Rumours like that can do serious damage, even when provably false. I tried to ask Ginny who was spreading them, but her phone cut out. Current Mood: worried (Comment on this)
Monday, May 30th, 2005
9:23 pm	A Call From Ginny. I heard from Emma. She's well and lucky Rory can do no wrong. Apparently he's taking wonderful care of her. He's attentive and kind without being suffocating. She doesn't add, "unlike you", but we both know it's in her thoughts. And she's right. If she were my wife, I'd be driving her insane about now. Cassia loves to be treated like porcelain, but to Emma, that's an insult. Rory is apparently getting the balance exactly right. Rory, in fact, is perfect. The annoying thing is, I think she's telling the truth. Much as it hurts to admit it, Rory is a very good man and he is just what she needs right now. She's going to be spending more time in Ireland, especially after the advent of the sprog. I'm going to have to start picking fights with Neil, and he's not half so fanciable when he's angry. Ginny Masters called me today. She wanted to know when Rory's brother is getting married. I told her I had no idea. Then she asked if Emma was in Woodhollow. I got the impression someone had told her so. Very carefully, I replied, "Where would you expect her to be?" She said something very strange. She asked me if I thought Rory might hit Emma. I said there was no possibility of that. Any man who hit Emma would be flat on his back in seconds, his lifeblood eb bing away. Besides, I've seen Rory as angry as he gets, and he won't even hit a weaker man, let alone a woman. It's very odd. Why would she ask a thing like that? Current Mood: curious (Comment on this)
Sunday, May 15th, 2005
8:58 pm	Sunday Sunday is the one day of the week when Cassia and I have a strict rule that no thought of business gets in the way. We spend the day playing with the children and the evening together. Tonight, I'm cooking her a rather special salmon dish. At church this morning, James read a prayer. I was so proud of him. He has a good clear voice and reads so well. He was beaming when he came back to sit with us. He looked at me and I whispered, "Well done!" On the way home, I told him how clever he was. At home, we took over the kitchen and made cakes and biscuits. The smaller amongst us couldn't do much, but we discovered that Em could infallibly shout, "Ding!" when the timer sounded and she loved watching what the others were doing. Baking done, we went into the garden and played with the hose and a lot of buckets and containers. The little folk are in bed now. Cassia is changing, hopefully into the blue velvet dress that so perfectly matches her intensely blue eyes. Sunday is always a wonderful day for me. Current Mood: happy (Comment on this)
Saturday, May 14th, 2005
6:07 pm	Gary is on at me already about the concert this autumn. He wants us to do several songs and he suggested that Vicky and Holly should dance, as they both love dancing so much. It's a sweet thought, but his Holly sometimes doesn't like Vicky. They are the kind of children who are best friends one minute and pulling each other's hair the next. Cassia says there is no other kind. Cassia pleased him by agreeing to play her cello. She's doing a lot more playing now that the children are getting a bit older. It's hard to believe little Em is nearly a year old. She has golden hair, just like Cassia. It's amazing how like Cassia they all are. Vicky has my dark hair, but when she smiles, it's Cassie's face, just smaller and cheekier. I'm convinced that James is a genius. He's a year ahead in his reading and when I read The Hobbit to him he managed to memorise the song of the Dwarves. James loves dwarves. Stephanie follows James everywhere. "Jemmy-Jem!" she shouts and off she goes to see what he's doing. I miss Emma terribly. I have no-one to argue with. I miss the passionate debates that generally ended with flying office equipment and, in the old days, with a kiss. I know it was the definition of a dysfunctional relationship, but it was fun. I want someone to say, "Sheridan, you're an idiot!" Gary asked me to argue with her. He expected me to tell her she couldn't possibly go ahead with the unassisted birth thing. He's missing one very important fact. You don't tell your ex-girlfriend how to conduct her life with her husband. In matters of the business, she listens, but I have no right to interfere in her marriage. Anyway, any opposition to her plans is only going to reinforce her conviction. If you tried to sum her up in a single word, contrary would do nicely. And maybe I'm not sure she's wrong. Emma gets these crazy ideas, like the ludicrous idea to set up a place selling organic foods. I think my exact words were, "That's not a niche market, it's a non-existent one." Which part of the business has just had to take on six more staff? Maybe she is mad to do this, maybe it's the perfect thing to do. Either way, it's between her and Rory. Whatever Gary thinks, Rory would never let her do anything he believed would harm her, and there is no-one who knows her better. I suspect she will do exactly as she intends and then parade a perfect baby to prove Gary wrong. She'd love that. Emma will either be the most wonderful mother or the most useless. When her heart is in something, she's unstoppable. If she doesn't really want to do the mother thing, she'll be hopeless, but Rory is a natural. Their kid will be fine. Cassia is playing her cello again. It's like eavesdropping on Heaven. I think I should stop writing now and go and lay a rose at her feet. Cassia is a person who never looks for roses, she lives in perpetual ignorance of her perfection. Therefore it's vital she is surrounded by roses. Current Mood: content (Comment on this)