Page 24 of The Book of Irish Secrets (Magnolia Manor #5)

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And then he did. ‘Hugh O’Hanlon,’ his deep voice said. That voice that had made her heart beat so fast she thought she was going to faint all those years ago when she had been so in love with him. It still gave her chills to hear it but for a very different reason.

‘Hello, Hugh. This is Claire,’ she said when she could speak. ‘I just heard you were looking for me…’

‘Claire,’ he said, sounding emotional. ‘Yes, I was looking for you. I asked around, but nobody knew anything about you.’

Claire laughed. ‘Well, people in Kerry wouldn’t tell a Dubliner anything about anyone even if they knew. But they told me someone had asked about me and I guessed it was you.’

‘Yes, it was,’ Hugh said. ‘There’s something I need to talk to you about. But not like this, on the phone. Can we meet somewhere?’

‘Yes, of course.’ Claire paused. ‘Where are you?’

‘At a pub near the harbour. On the Strand, I think it’s called.’

‘Then you’re quite close. I’m in the lounge at the Skelligs Hotel. Do you think you could find it?’

‘Yes, I know where it is,’ Hugh said. ‘Won’t take me long to get there. Is that where you’re staying at the moment?’

‘No. I’m somewhere else,’ Claire said, not wanting to let on that she was now living at Magnolia Manor.

He would see the connection straight away and start asking awkward questions.

She had spent many nights confiding in Hugh about her struggles with her identity, and the Fleury family, during their marriage.

But now she didn’t trust him. She had a fear of him telling anyone that she was a Fleury by birth.

Claire shivered as she thought of what that could lead to.

‘Never mind, just come over and you can tell me what’s brought you here. ’

‘Okay,’ Hugh said. ‘I’m on my way. I’ll see you in about ten minutes or so.’

It took less than that for Hugh to arrive, breathless, at the Skelligs Hotel. Claire gave a start as he burst into the room, looking wildly around for her. Then he spotted her on the chair by the window and walked towards her, beaming. ‘Claire! How nice to see you.’

‘Hi, Hugh,’ Claire said, getting up to greet him. Then she felt awkward, not knowing if she should shake hands or maybe kiss him on the cheek.

Hugh seemed to sense her hesitation and stopped in front of her and smiled, running a hand through his short-cropped hair. He was deeply tanned which made his teeth look whiter than ever in that smooth, practised smile she remembered so well. ‘Hi there. You look great.’

‘So do you,’ she replied. ‘Spain obviously agrees with you.’

‘Yeah, well, it’s grand. But sit down and we’ll talk.’

Claire sat down. ‘Do you want tea or anything?’

‘Coffee would be great,’ he said to the waitress who had just reappeared.

She nodded. ‘And do you want more tea?’ she asked Claire.

‘Yes, please,’ Claire said. She pushed the plate with Pierce’s untouched scone towards Hugh. ‘Here, you might as well have this. My friend had to rush off so he didn’t have time to eat it.’

‘I’ll be back with more tea and the coffee in a minute,’ the waitress said and walked away.

Hugh turned to Claire, ignoring her offer of the scone. ‘So… Let’s talk, then.’

‘Yes. Go on,’ Claire urged.

‘Well,’ Hugh started, ‘it’s like this: I’m getting married again.’

Claire smiled. ‘That’s great news. Congratulations.’ She suddenly felt she meant it. Hugh getting married again set her free in an odd way. He would forget about her and what she was doing and start a new life with someone else. ‘I’m really happy for you,’ she said.

‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘I hope you’re not upset.’

‘Why would I be?’ Claire asked. ‘We have been divorced for three years. And before then, we weren’t that happy at all. You did me a great favour by leaving or we’d still be miserable.’

‘I often wondered why you never said anything.’

‘I often wondered why we got married at all,’ Claire countered.

‘We fell in love and got married within a few months,’ Hugh stated. ‘Marry in haste and all that.’

‘We rushed it,’ Claire said. ‘For some romantic notion or other. But then it went sour very quickly when we discovered things about each other we didn’t like. I kept it going because of a sense of duty. I felt we had promised to love each other for better or worse and we should keep that promise.’

‘And you were waiting for the “better” bit to start?’ Hugh quipped. ‘But it was getting worse and worse, so I decided to leave.’

‘Yes, which was brave of you.’ Claire smiled at him, feeling she actually liked him a little better now that they were being honest. ‘Except it came as a bit of a shock, to be honest. You could have told me and we could have said goodbye as friends. But instead you ran away, just leaving that note on the mantelpiece.’

Hugh looked suddenly contrite. ‘Yeah, I know. I behaved like a coward. But I just couldn’t face an argument and then Finola would have got involved.

The two of you had become so close, which felt weird.

’ He stopped as the waitress reappeared with the coffee and a fresh cup of tea for Claire.

‘Thanks,’ he said and turned back to Claire.

‘So anyway, let’s not worry about the past and look forward. ’

Claire nodded, sipping her tea. ‘Of course. So… the house. I suppose that’s what you’ve come to talk to me about?’

He nodded and picked up his cup. ‘Yes. I thought I’d come to talk to you in person but then I didn’t know where you were.’

‘I know and then your mother told you,’ Claire said, impatiently.

‘Could we get to the point? I’m going to dinner with friends in about an hour, so I don’t have the time to sit here and go over everything.

You want to sell the house, is that it? Well,’ she continued before Hugh had a chance to reply, ‘I agree. Let’s sell the house.

I’d like to move forward as much as you. ’

Hugh looked at her with a hint of malice. ‘Why? So you can get in with the Fleury family? Isn’t that why you’re here?’

‘Well, partly,’ Claire said. ‘It’s about my family’s history and connecting with this other branch of the Fleurys.’

‘You told me about some family feud or other years ago,’ Hugh said. ‘So you want to try to make peace or something? That sounds very much like you.’ His tone had a sarcastic edge, which made Claire bristle.

‘Well, that’s my business,’ she snapped.

‘I did come here to do a little research, yes. But then I landed this job that I love. Karina is a great boss and we get on so well. I think I’ve really found what I want to do and the place where I want to spend the rest of my life.

Maybe that’s what happened to you, too, in Spain?

’ she added, trying to make him feel good.

Hugh had always liked it when it was all about him.

‘Yes, you’re right,’ he agreed. ‘I do feel I have arrived in a spot I love. And now I’ve met a woman who is truly wonderful and we’re buying a house together, so that’s why I need for us to sell the house in Dublin, you see.’

‘Yes, I thought that was why you were here.’ Claire looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

‘Exactly.’ Hugh stirred a little sugar into his coffee and eyed the scone Pierce had left. ‘Anyone want that?’ he asked, his hand hovering over it.

‘No, I said you can have it,’ Claire reminded him.

‘Thanks. Pity to waste it.’ Hugh started to slice the scone in half, plastering it with cream and jam. ‘Very good,’ he said when he’d taken a bite. ‘So where were we?’

‘The house,’ Claire said and drained her cup. ‘Finola told me she doesn’t mind moving out, either. She wants to get her own place.’

‘Right,’ Hugh said as he stuffed the last of the scone into his mouth. ‘Let’s put that into action, then. Will you handle it?’

‘No problem,’ Claire said. ‘I’ll contact an estate agent in Dublin after this bank holiday. The house is ready to be shown to prospective buyers as it’s been on Airbnb and really clean and tidy.’

‘Okay,’ Hugh said. ‘And as for it being my principal residence, there will be no capital gains tax.’

‘But you moved to Spain,’ Claire protested. ‘Isn’t that your principal residence?’

‘I never changed my address,’ Hugh said with a grin. ‘Thought I should stay registered at the house just in case. Of course,’ he continued, ‘I’ll get more than half of the money once it’s sold as I paid most of the mortgage.’

‘No you didn’t,’ Claire argued. ‘We paid half each. And I’ve paid all the bills, including the property tax since you left.’ Claire suddenly realised why Hugh had wanted to have this conversation in person. ‘Our prenup states that we’re due half each.’

‘Yeah, but you were living there and I wasn’t,’ Hugh said. ‘So that wasn’t unfair, was it?’

‘Maybe we should get a solicitor to sort it out?’ Claire suggested.

‘Maybe we won’t.’ Hugh leaned forward and fixed Claire with a cold look. ‘Just imagine what would happen if I was to tell anyone around here what your real name is. How long would it take for everyone to know? I’d say a day or two and then…’ He stopped and leaned back with a smug expression.

‘That sounds very much like blackmail to me,’ Claire said, now feeling a surge of dislike for this man she had once, briefly, been so in love with.

‘Whatever it sounds like, I wouldn’t hesitate if you make a fuss.’

Claire knew he meant it. She also knew that she suddenly didn’t care about the money.

He could have the whole lot if he wanted as far as she was concerned.

‘Right,’ she said, getting up. ‘That’s enough of that.

I’m off to have dinner with my friends. I’ll get the sale going as soon as I can.

I’ll keep you posted now that I have your number.

’ In more ways than one , she thought as he stood up.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘And we’ll negotiate about how to split the money once the sale goes through.’

‘Fine,’ she said, gritting her teeth, leaving some cash on the side for the bill.

She swept out of the lounge, her back straight but her heart contracting at the thought of his threats.

She knew he had won and that he wouldn’t hesitate to reveal who she was if he thought she wasn’t going to agree to his terms. And she knew she might have to, which stuck in her gullet.

But it was St Patrick’s Day and she wanted to have fun and forget about her problems for just one day. Was that too much to ask?