Page 22 of The Book of Irish Secrets (Magnolia Manor #5)

FOURTEEN

Keeping a low profile proved nearly impossible during the following days, Claire found.

But she managed to stay away from the Magnolia party, calling in sick that morning.

She knew she would miss the fun, but she didn’t want to run into anyone who might look at her curiously like that lady at Sylvia’s birthday party.

She knew she was being a little paranoid, but she was terrified of being found out before she was ready to reveal her true identity.

Claire had sneaked into the little room that held the family archives a few times, picking up bits of papers here and there from the untouched pile.

But she’d found nothing yet. She needed an hour or two to do a thorough search but had not had any opportunity to do so yet.

She would have to wait until after St Patrick’s Day, when there would be a temporary lull in the celebrations and events.

She also felt she needed someone she could confide in, rather than Finola, who was too far away.

Maybe , she thought, I could talk to Pierce?

He seems so kind and understanding and wouldn’t tell anyone if I made him promise.

And then, as if reading her thoughts, Pierce called to ask how she was. ‘Just a head cold, I hope,’ he said.

‘Yes, that’s what it is,’ Claire replied, trying to sound just a little bit under the weather. ‘I didn’t want to pass it around.’

‘That’s very considerate of you,’ Pierce said. ‘Especially as there will be some elderly people at the party who might be a little frail.’

‘That’s what I thought,’ Claire said, cringing slightly at having to lie to Pierce.

‘I also want to thank you for convincing Karina to do the cookbook,’ he continued. ‘The meeting in Dublin went very well, so she’s all set to get started. All thanks to you.’

‘It was nothing,’ Claire protested. ‘I just gave her a little push in the right direction. I think she really wanted to do it anyway.’

‘Yes, but she wouldn’t have gone ahead without your encouragement. I hope you’ll feel better soon,’ he said. ‘I’ll look forward to seeing you back at the office.’

‘Me too,’ Claire said, feeling a flush of warmth. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine in a day or two.’

‘Maybe we could go for a drink when you feel better?’ he asked.

‘I’d love to,’ Claire replied, hoping this might be the opportunity to confide in him.

She stayed away from the office the next day but then felt guilty about pretending to be sick when there was so much going on.

Karina welcomed her back with a pat on the back and said Claire had been missed.

Brendan, her husband, was back from yet another business trip and the three of them had a jolly lunch in the kitchen, celebrating the book deal.

Pierce didn’t join them but she bumped into him just outside the office.

‘Hi,’ he said with a warm smile. ‘Nice to see you back. Feeling better?’

‘Much better, thanks,’ she said.

‘Great. Hey, you want to go to the pub quiz tonight? Only if you feel up to it, of course.’

‘That sounds like fun,’ Claire replied. ‘What time does it start?’

‘Eight o’clock. We could have a bite to eat first, if you like. No need to change, so we can go straight from here. Would that be okay?’ He looked suddenly shy and shuffled his feet.

‘Yes, that sounds great,’ Claire said. ‘I’ll be ready about six, if that’s okay?’

He nodded, looking happy. ‘That’s fine. We can walk there together.’

‘It’s a date,’ she said before she could stop herself. ‘Well, I mean, it’s…’ she stammered, feeling awkward. Of course it wasn’t a date. He was just being friendly and wanted company, she told herself. And all she wanted was someone who would listen to her story and help her find out more.

He grinned. ‘Are we both being careful here? I think it looks like a date, actually. So let’s call it that.’

She had to smile. ‘Yeah. Okay. A date it is, then.’

‘But we won’t tell anyone,’ he joked. ‘Nobody will have a clue.’

‘Of course not. It’ll be a huge secret as not one person in the pub will think we’re together in any way.’ Claire suddenly laughed. ‘And then there will be no gossip at all, will there?’

‘Of course not.’ He winked. ‘But I have to go and do some work first. See you later, Claire.’

‘Looking forward to it,’ she said, knowing it was true. He was beginning to mean a lot to her, she realised. Then she went into the office to deal with emails and bookings while his lovely smile played at the back of her mind.

After a while, Claire felt a surge of panic and wondered briefly if it would be wise to tell Pierce everything.

What if he was so shocked at her deceit that he turned against her?

She didn’t quite know what to do and it made her feel awkward.

Maybe it was best not to say anything for the moment – or cancel the date?

She wanted to get closer to Pierce but she didn’t dare tell him the truth about herself.

It might also be unfair to burden him with her secret.

She knew she’d have to at some stage, but not yet. She just wasn’t ready.

Having wrestled with the problem, Claire decided to pull out of the date with Pierce.

She called him to say she still felt tired after her heavy cold and didn’t feel up to going out that night after all.

He sounded disappointed but seemed to accept her excuse.

His tone was suddenly cool and she knew he was upset.

He didn’t contact her after that and when they met accidentally, he was polite but distant and Claire felt that he was stepping back from her.

A couple of weeks passed in this manner while Claire tried to do more research, tiptoeing into the archives from time to time to see if she could find anything.

But she never got long enough, always distracted by Karina’s requests or the manor being too full of staff.

It would have to wait until she had more time and an afternoon when she wouldn’t be disturbed.

In any case, it was nearly St Patrick’s Day and her housewarming party, so she would have to be patient until after the festivities were over.

She had settled into her flat very quickly, feeling at home almost at once.

It had to be because, somehow, Magnolia Manor was in her blood.

She loved walking around the big house and she’d even sat at the piano in the music room when no one was around and played her favourite pieces, mostly nocturnes by Chopin.

It both calmed and excited her to play the old piano as her great-grandfather might have once done.

She wondered which composers he had liked and tried to envisage the young man sitting there, playing the same melodies over a hundred years ago.

Then she laughed at herself and switched to a modern tune, shaking off the melancholy, and trying to look to the present instead of the past.

Once the long-awaited St Patrick’s Day had arrived, Claire’s housewarming party was a huge success with everyone cramming into the tiny flat enjoying the drinks and nibbles Claire and Rose had prepared together.

Claire still felt bad about accepting all this from Rose, but it would have looked odd if she had declined it.

So she went along with it and tried to tell herself to fit into the persona she had created: Claire O’Hanlon from Dublin who had come to Kerry for a change of scene.

Everyone expressed amazement at the charm of the little apartment, the views of the bay from the living room window and the smart kitchen that was so well planned everyone said they would love to come for dinner one day.

Claire finally met Vi and her husband, Jack, and also Lily’s husband, Dominic, who all welcomed Claire to Magnolia Manor and hoped she would be happy there.

Everyone brought little housewarming gifts like potted plants, tea towels and oven mitts.

Sylvia handed over a pair of ceramic candlesticks and Karina gave Claire three small pots with herbs from her own windowsill.

Then, when the drinks and nibbles were consumed, everyone left to walk into town with the children to see the parade which was really enjoyable to watch, as the music of the school bands echoed through the streets.

Claire discovered how much nicer it was to watch this small-scale parade rather than the more commercial carnival-like one in Dublin.

Then, when the parade was over and the crowd dispersed, Pierce tapped Claire on the shoulder. ‘I know we’re having dinner in the pub later with everyone, but how about a cup of tea somewhere quiet right now?’ he said in her ear.

Claire looked up at him and smiled, delighted that she hadn’t completely put him off her after cancelling their date. ‘That sounds great. I have to confess, I’m a little tired after all the excitement.’

‘Not to mention the noise,’ he added. ‘Those bands are loud enough on their own but all together they do their best to make us deaf.’

Claire laughed and nodded. ‘Yes, there is a little ringing in my ears. So where should we go?’

Pierce took Claire’s hand. ‘Come with me. We’ll go to the Skelligs Hotel and have afternoon tea in their lounge. It’ll be quiet because everyone is now crowding into the pubs for a Guinness and bag of crisps. Unless that’s what you’d like too?’

‘No, I’d love some tea and peace and quiet for a while,’ Claire said.

‘Good,’ Pierce said, looking suddenly serious. ‘Because I have to tell you something.’

‘What?’ Claire asked, alarmed at the way he looked at her.

‘Not here,’ he said. ‘Not in the street with all these people around us. Let’s go to the hotel. It’s only a short walk from here.’

‘Okay,’ Claire said, and followed him down the street and then across the harbour and into the parking lot of the hotel.

Then they were inside the lobby that was empty of people.

There was a calm here away from the hustle and bustle of the town and the celebrations.

Claire felt herself relax after her busy day as she listened to the classical music from the loudspeakers.

‘In here,’ Pierce said and held a door open.

They walked into a lounge with easy chairs and round tables and Pierce pointed at a group of seats beside one of the windows. ‘Let’s sit there and have some tea.’

Claire sat down in one of the comfortable chairs and looked around the pleasant room.

The floor was covered in a soft green carpet and the windows had curtains in a sheer fabric in blue-green which framed the view of the sea perfectly.

As she looked through the window, she could see the faint outline of the Skellig Islands in the distance.

‘What a nice room,’ she said. ‘I feel so calm here, with the view and the soft music.’

‘I thought we needed a break,’ Pierce said as a waitress walked in.

‘Good idea,’ Claire said. ‘And I have something to tell you too.’

‘Hello and welcome,’ the waitress said. ‘What can I get you?’

‘Tea and scones for two, please,’ Pierce said.

The girl nodded. ‘Okay. I’ll be back in a minute.’

It wasn’t long before the waitress was back with a tray which she placed on the table in front of them. ‘There you go,’ she said. ‘I hope you’ll enjoy it.’

‘We will,’ Pierce said. ‘Thank you so much. We wanted a break from the excitement in town.’

‘It was a bit noisy,’ the girl said with a smile. ‘But there’ll be great craic up at the pub later.’

‘Oh, we don’t want to miss that,’ Pierce assured her. ‘We’ll be there later on.’

‘Me too,’ the girl said. ‘Give me a shout if you need anything else.’

When she had left, Pierce poured the tea and handed Claire a cup. ‘Here. Help yourself to milk and a scone. They’re delicious.’

Claire poured milk from the jug into her tea and took a scone. ‘So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?’ she asked while spreading whipped cream and strawberry jam on her scone.

Pierce took a sip from his tea and looked at Claire over the rim of the cup. ‘I don’t know if you’re aware that someone is asking questions about you?’

Claire stared at him. ‘Questions? About me? Who was it?’

‘A man,’ Pierce said. ‘Dark hair, brown eyes, medium build, deep suntan. Good looking, actually.’

‘Oh no,’ Claire said, her heart sinking as it dawned on her who it was. ‘It sounds like my ex-husband.’

‘Really?’ Pierce looked surprised.

‘I’m sure it’s him. Where did you meet him?’

‘I didn’t, actually. I just overheard him asking the waiter about you in the pub. Gleesons’, you know, near Madigan’s B&B. Where we’re going tonight.’

‘What is he doing here?’ Claire asked, as it hit her what it could mean. If Hugh was in town looking for her, he might reveal her birth name and then her cover would be blown. ‘He’s supposed to be in Spain. That’s when he went when he left me.’

‘Looks like he’s been there recently, judging by the tan,’ Pierce remarked.

‘Yes, but…’ Claire started. Why is he here, looking for me?

she thought. This is all I need. If he starts talking to people, he’s sure to tell them who I am and then…

She shivered as she imagined the worst. It would be a disaster and ruin everything she had spent the past few months trying to build up.