Page 19 of The Book of Irish Secrets (Magnolia Manor #5)

TWELVE

Magnolia Manor, Dingle, County Kerry

Dear Louis,

I’m sure you will be surprised to receive a letter from me as a long time has elapsed since we said goodbye on that wet and windy day.

I have always felt sad about the subsequent pain I caused you and the rift between you and Cornelius that, to this day, is causing both of you such bitterness.

I know the two of you will never get back to what you were and that is all my fault.

I recently saw a notice in The Irish Times that you had married a young woman called Helen.

I wanted to write to you then but I didn’t have your address.

But by a stroke of luck, I managed to get my hands on the Dublin area phone book and there you were!

I can’t tell you how excited I was to see your name and address and that you are now living in Killiney, which, I believe, is a very nice place, situated by the sea.

So, dear Louis, with this letter, I want to send you and your new wife all my best wishes.

I hope now that so much time has gone by, that you will find it in your heart to forgive Cornelius.

Be happy, dear Louis, and cherish your wife.

With all my best wishes for your future happiness,

Caroline

Claire read the letter twice, her pulse racing.

There was such sorrow in that letter and she wondered what had happened to make Louis leave his childhood home forever.

And why did Caroline say it was all her fault?

Was this about a love triangle? Had Louis and Caroline been together at some stage and then broken up?

Did Cornelius then step in to take his twin brother’s place?

Or was there something else behind all this?

Claire went through all the possibilities but couldn’t come to a conclusion.

She had hoped to get closer to solving the mystery but now she needed more clues.

Maybe they were to be found in that little attic room at Magnolia Manor?

She needed to get there as soon as possible.

She would be moving in today, but hadn’t told Rose about her decision.

She had to tell her immediately. Claire picked up her phone and started to punch in the number, hoping Rose would pick up.

She did. ‘Hi, Claire. Lovely to hear from you.’

‘Hi, Rose. First of all, I want to thank you for last night,’ Claire started. ‘I really enjoyed the evening.’

‘So did we,’ Rose said. ‘And… Did I get some romantic vibes there between you and Pierce?’

‘Oh, eh…’ Claire felt her face flush at the thought of Pierce and his light kiss on her cheek. ‘Not sure. We’ve only just met, after all.’

‘I know, but the vibes can happen even at first sight,’ Rose suggested. ‘But I won’t go on and poke into your private affairs. It’s just that I’m so fond of Pierce and keep hoping he’ll meet someone special soon. He’s been very lonely.’

‘I guessed that,’ Claire said softly. ‘And I do like him very much already. Anyway,’ she breezed on, not wanting to linger on the subject, ‘I wanted to ask you something. Would it be okay if I moved into the flat today?’

‘Of course,’ Rose replied. ‘You’ve signed the lease so there’s no reason to wait.

I’m sure you’ll be anxious to have your own place.

But I have a few things on this morning, so could you wait until around four o’clock?

I have to drive Sophie to Irish dancing and then Freddie has a playdate on the other side of town, so I won’t be free to give you the keys and settle you in until later on. ’

‘That’s fine,’ Claire said. ‘It’ll take me a little while to pack anyway. And I think Karina wants me to come over to go through a few things this morning. I just saw a missed call from her.’

‘That’s okay, then,’ Rose said. ‘Come up to the manor at four and I’ll meet you there with keys and stuff.’

‘Perfect,’ Claire said, feeling a spark of excitement. She said goodbye to Rose and hung up, relishing the thought of moving into Magnolia Manor. This seemed too good to be true and she resisted an urge to pinch herself. And when Finola called, she was happy to share her news.

‘Wow,’ Finola said. ‘You’re going to live at Magnolia Manor? That’s amazing. How did you manage that?’

‘It just happened,’ Claire said. ‘I think Pierce was behind it, actually. So kind of him.’

‘He seems to be keen on you,’ Finola remarked.

‘Oh, he’s just being nice because I just started working for his sister,’ Claire said, trying to sound casual. ‘And the flat just happened to be available. A stroke of luck, that’s all.’

‘Or a match made in heaven?’ Finola asked.

‘Stop it,’ Claire urged. ‘There’s nothing going on there. Why can’t I be friends with a man without it being turned into some kind of romance? I’m not a teenager, you know.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply anything.’ Finola sounded apologetic. ‘Just joking, really.’

‘I know. I didn’t mean to snap. I was being too touchy. Anyway, I got the letter. And…’ Claire stopped, suddenly not wanting to share the latest discovery with Finola. She felt strongly that from now on everything regarding the Fleury family should be confidential.

‘And…?’ Finola asked. ‘Did it contain any clues?’

‘Not really. I’ll tell you when I have the whole picture,’ Claire said.

‘Okay.’ Finola seemed, as always, to understand how Claire felt. ‘No need to go into anything at this stage. And I didn’t read the letter,’ she added. ‘I thought it might be something private. So please don’t feel any need to tell me what was in it.’

‘Thank you, Finola,’ Claire said. ‘You seem to know what I’m thinking all the time.’

‘I’m just trying to put myself in your place,’ Finola said. ‘So anyway, what are you doing in Kerry this weekend?’

The change of subject was a relief and Claire told Finola that she was moving into the little flat at Magnolia Manor today and that she’d spend the weekend settling in.

Finola was excited to hear it and they chatted about the little flat for a while until Claire saw an incoming call from Karina and had to end the conversation.

‘Hello, Karina,’ Claire said. ‘What’s up?’

‘I’m so sorry to disturb you at the weekend,’ Karina said, sounding flustered.

‘I know I said we’d go through the timetable for Sylvia’s party on Tuesday.

But now I have to go to Dublin for a meeting with a publisher about the possible publication of that cookbook Pierce wants me to do.

I’m still not sure I’ll do it, but I thought I’d go just to see what they say. ’

‘Oh, I think you should,’ Claire urged. ‘You have such an appreciative audience on your social media platforms. If they all buy the book, won’t that be a great start? And then with Pierce’s talents for marketing, the sales will continue and it will be so worth it in the end.’

‘Yes, but it’ll take time away from my work here,’ Karina argued. ‘My catering business might suffer as a result.’

‘I can take care of things in the office and sort out the menus,’ Claire assured her. ‘And with Maura’s help, things will run very smoothly. I think it would be a new beginning for you. Who knows where it might lead?’

Karina paused for a moment. ‘Maybe you’re right,’ she said. ‘But in that case I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be in charge of Sylvia’s party while I’m away.’

‘Oh,’ Claire said, feeling suddenly nervous. Sylvia’s birthday party had to be perfect. Would she be able to manage that without Karina? ‘I’ll do my best,’ she promised. ‘I think I saw the menu on your desk, so I’ll go through that with Maura later today if you like.’

‘She won’t be there,’ Karina said. ‘She and her husband have gone to Beara for the weekend. She’ll be back on Monday morning.’

‘That’s okay,’ Claire said. ‘I’ll see what I can do on my own and then talk to her on Monday. I’m sure we’ll be able to manage between the two of us.’

‘I certainly hope so. You do know that Sylvia’s birthday party is not just a little dinner with friends?

It’s a big bash in the ballroom with fifty guests, all in black tie.

The table settings have to be spectacular and the lighting perfect.

She’ll be very annoyed if it’s not exactly the way she wants.

I think the bakery are working on the cake, according to Sylvia’s order, and the flowers?—’

‘Karina,’ Claire interrupted, ‘please don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’ll do my very best and Rose will help out, too, I’m sure. Aren’t Sylvia’s granddaughters and their husbands coming to the party? Won’t they give me a hand if I need it?’

‘Yes, but they shouldn’t have to,’ Karina said.

‘I’m supposed to be in charge of the whole thing.

’ Then she heaved a deep sigh. ‘I’m sorry to be so panicky.

Very unprofessional of me. It’s just that Sylvia has that effect on me.

I always feel I have to do my very best for her and very often something goes wrong.

But now, because of this meeting in Dublin, I won’t even be there. ’

‘For a very good reason,’ Claire said. ‘In any case, I’m moving into the flat at the manor later today so I will be able to keep an eye on everything.’

‘Oh that’s marvellous,’ Karina said. ‘I had quite forgotten you were going to rent the flat. That’s lucky. Then you’ll be there early in the morning on Tuesday and can check everything.’

‘Of course I will,’ Claire assured her. ‘Please don’t worry about a thing.’

‘I’ll try not to.’ Karina paused. ‘I’m so happy I hired you. It seems as if it was meant to happen in a strange way.’

‘A stroke of luck,’ Claire said with a laugh. ‘A random thing that turned out well for both of us.’

‘That’s for sure. Well, now that I’ve unloaded my angst on you, I’ll carry on and try not to worry. Keep me posted. And good luck!’

‘I hope it goes well in Dublin,’ Claire said. ‘I think the cookbook idea is very exciting.’

‘So do I, now that you’ve talked me into it,’ Karina said. ‘Bye for now.’

Claire said goodbye, feeling surprised at Karina’s insecurity concerning everything to do with Sylvia.

But some people had that effect on others and it reminded her of how she had reacted to Hugh.

She had felt that she had to constantly prove that she was able to do even the simplest tasks with Hugh watching over her shoulder all the time.

As if he was waiting for her to make a mistake in order to give him a chance to criticise.

But she didn’t feel that way with Sylvia at all, she realised when she analysed it.

Maybe I’ve become more confident after a few years of living on my own?

Claire thought to herself. I’ve become more assertive and a lot stronger since he left.

That thought made her feel cheerful and ready to face the task of organising Sylvia’s birthday party.

How hard could it be? Claire shrugged off her concerns and began to pack her bags in preparation for her move to Magnolia Manor.

It would be the high point of her day and she couldn’t believe that she’d be sleeping in that bed in the little flat at the top of what she had begun to think of as her ancestral home.