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glass of tap water. “I think I might have an apple instead.”
    Sheelagh and myself exchanged glances. It was obvious the lovely Claudine minded her figure well. No wonder she was as slim as a whippet!
    As Claudine was drinking her water we could hear Lisa starting to cry in the next room. Quick as a flash she put down her glass. “You stay there,” she told Sheelagh, “and I’ll get her up.”
    She was so different from Samira, I thought. So far, Samira was always looking to me for direction – it was rare that she showed initiative. The next moment Claudine was
    back in the kitchen cradling little Lisa in her arms. I couldn’t take my eyes off the little girl – she was so beautiful with huge blue eyes underneath long black eyelashes.
    “Wow! She’s going to be such a stunner when she grows up! A supermodel in the making!” I laughed.
    “Aw, thanks. She gets those Irish blue eyes from her daddy. I wonder if she’ll be a charmer like him too?”
    John seemed delighted to see somebody else as small as himself and reached out to little Lisa.
    “Why don’t you girls take the babies into the playroom?” said Sheelagh. “There’s lots of cuddly toys on the play mat for them, and you can get to know each other too.”
    Claudine said she thought it was a great idea. Samira stood up and I handed John to her. Once they were gone I turned to Sheelagh. “Claudine’s a star,” I said. “What a find!”
    “I know. I’m so lucky to have her. I hope she stays with us for a good while longer. I’ll have to bribe her if she ever tries to leave! So, how long have you had Samira? She seems quiet. Is she shy?”
    “Only a few days. It’s hard to read her. I mean, she’s being very quiet here but maybe that’s because she’s shy in front of you and Claudine. But she does keep to herself a lot to be honest, and yet she is always asking me unnecessary questions. I don’t know whether that’s her trying to practise her English, or whether she genuinely is a bit clueless.”
    “You should read to her in the evenings, maybe even for a half an hour or so. Just to help her with her English. I do that with Claudine and I explain the words she doesn’t understand. She really appreciates it.”
    “I did try that once but she wasn’t very bothered. I don’t think she really enjoys being a child minder to be honest. She was working for another family before she came to live with us and she didn’t get on with them. Mind you, I’m not really surprised about that. They sounded absolutely awful.”
    “Well, remember you’re only hearing her side of the story. They might not have been that bad.”
    “I know, but they really seemed to have been taking her for granted. I don’t agree with abusing au pairs. We were all young once, and it can be scary moving to a new country
    without your safe network of friends and family.”
    Sheelagh sighed. “It’s difficult to find the right girl. Before Claudine came along I had an American girl who ran up huge phone bills and ate me out of house and home. I couldn’t afford to keep her. I’m so lucky I found Claudine.”
    “Did you go through an agency for her?”
    “Well, no, actually – my sister-in law told me that her au pair had a friend in France who wanted to come to Dublin and learn English so she asked me if she could forward Claudine’s CV to me for consideration. I have to say her CV was more than impressive. Claudine was head girl in her school, played junior tennis at national level and is studying child psychology.”
    I gulped. Suddenly I felt absolutely awful. I had never asked Samira for a CV. I didn’t even know if she had ever gone to school or had a single hobby. Oh, God, did that make me the worst employer ever? I sensed a sort of shame creeping over me. I should have demanded a CV from Samira. Then again, she was only eighteen. I doubt she’d ever had a real job before coming to Ireland. “So I liked the look of her CV,” Sheelagh continued, now