Page 28 of The Book of Irish Secrets (Magnolia Manor #5)

TWENTY

On Monday morning, Claire found a pile of work waiting for her when she arrived back at Karina’s house.

There were a huge number of invoices to send out, bookings to confirm and emails to reply to.

Karina was in the kitchen trying out new recipes and not in a mood to be disturbed.

‘I’m in the zone,’ she said when Claire stuck her head in to ask about a particular booking.

‘Which means I’m totally obsessed with lamb at the moment.

It’s the season, of course. Spring lamb and all that.

I want to do something Argentinian. The way they cook lamb is so different to what we do over here.

So…’ She waved a wooden spoon at Claire.

‘I need to be alone while I create. I might let you taste it later. But right now – shoo!’

‘Okay, sorry.’ Claire backed out of the kitchen, knowing she would have to manage on her own. Karina was not available while she was creating.

‘Have you been shooed out of the kitchen?’ Pierce asked as Claire bumped into him in the corridor on her way back to the office.

‘Yes. Karina is in the zone,’ Claire said. ‘Whatever that means.’

‘It means she’s so into the dish she’s creating that she can’t think about anything else. I’m taking a coffee break. Want to join me in my office upstairs?’ Pierce asked. ‘I think you might need a break, too, as you’ve been here since early this morning and now it’s eleven o’clock.’

‘Is it?’ Claire asked. ‘I lost all track of time while I was working. So much to do right now.’

‘It’s the season for weddings and christenings and all kinds of parties,’ Pierce remarked. ‘It won’t calm down until after the summer, so consider yourself warned.’

‘I guessed that was the case,’ Claire said, smiling at Pierce.

He looked as if he had been working hard himself.

His hair was messy as if he had been running his fingers through it several times and his glasses were smudged.

But all that made him oddly beguiling and she wanted to smooth his hair and clean his glasses for him.

‘I’d love a coffee,’ she said, in order to hide her tender feelings towards him.

‘Great,’ Pierce said and started to walk ahead of her. ‘Come this way. I have a Nespresso machine upstairs. And two Danish pastries from the bakery.’

‘How can I resist?’ Claire asked and climbed the stairs behind Pierce.

‘I knew you were a fellow Danish lover,’ Pierce said as they arrived on the top landing. He held a door open. ‘Here we are. Welcome to my office. It’s not as grand as Magnolia Manor, but I like it.’

Claire stepped into a bright, airy room where the sun shone in through two tall windows.

She glimpsed a view of the ocean over the rooftops of the town and also saw the tower of the nearby church.

There was a desk by one of the windows with a laptop and piles of papers and drawings.

Another table had a coffee machine and mugs, and the little sofa by a period fireplace was littered with magazines, books and newspapers.

‘Nice room,’ she said as she went further in and looked around for a place to sit down.

‘But a bit of a mess,’ Pierce said and rushed to the sofa and cleared a space. ‘Here. Sit down while I make us both some coffee. Sorry about the disorder but I’m in the middle of several editing jobs, cover designs and a publicity campaign.’

‘No secretary or assistant?’ Claire asked as she sat down.

‘No. I’m a bit of a one-man-band, I’m afraid,’ Pierce said. ‘I did have a guy working for me a while ago but he left to go to Dublin to a bigger firm than mine. Not that I blame him. Who’d want to work for me?’

‘I’m sure it’s quite an interesting job,’ Claire said and picked up a photo of a farmhouse kitchen. ‘Is this the cover of Karina’s book?’

‘Yes,’ Pierce said. ‘What do you think?’

‘I love it,’ Claire said. ‘Makes me want to cook.’

‘That’s good to hear.’ Pierce busied himself with the coffee machine and then handed Claire a cup of steaming fragrant coffee. ‘Hope you like this one. I’ve mixed up the pods so I have no idea what exactly it is.’

Claire took a sip. ‘It’s very nice whatever it is.’

‘Great.’ Pierce took two pastries from a paper bag and put them on plates, giving one to Claire. ‘The Danish as promised.’

‘Lovely.’ Claire took a bite and smiled at Pierce when she had swallowed. ‘This is a treat, I have to say. They are delicious.’

‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it.’ Pierce sat down on the chair by the desk and bit into his own Danish and then looked at Claire with interest. ‘How are you getting on with your research?’

‘The research into the Fleury family, you mean?’ Claire asked.

‘Yes.’ He paused for a moment, looking awkward. ‘You know, I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the fact that you’re hiding your real identity from everyone. It feels to me like you’re living some kind of lie.’

‘I haven’t lied,’ Claire protested. ‘Claire O’Hanlon is my married name.’

‘Yes, but you’re not married any more,’ Pierce argued. ‘Did you not take back your maiden name after the divorce?’

‘I did, but then when I decided to come here, I thought it best to stay incognito for a while.’ Claire looked at his troubled eyes, willing him to understand why she had hidden who she was.

He shrugged. ‘Okay. I see your problem. Not that I approve, but we’ll leave it at that for the moment. And I suspect now that you’re living at the top of the manor, you’ll have access to the archives up there.’

‘I do, kind of,’ Claire admitted. ‘I mean, I haven’t told Rose or anyone else that… well, you know. But I think I’ve found something. It’s a step forward but I’m not there yet.’

He nodded and they stood in an awkward silence as Pierce waited for her to offer up the information. But then Claire felt worried about revealing what she had found out. What if it made things worse?

‘I’ve been in the room with the archives in secret,’ Claire said. ‘Just to see if I could find anything. I had to say it felt a little peculiar to go in there like a thief.’

‘You’re not stealing anything,’ Pierce argued. ‘Even if it’s a little sneaky. You were only looking through old papers, after all. So what did you find?’ he asked, with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

‘Well…’ Claire took another bite of the Danish and then put it on the plate, wiping her fingers on a tissue from a box on the coffee table. ‘I found something really weird. Something that shocked me, in a way.’

‘What was that?’ Pierce looked intrigued.

‘You want to know, despite your concerns?’ she asked.

He smiled suddenly. ‘Despite my concerns, I have to admit I’m finding it all – and you –

rather exciting.’

Claire let out a laugh. ‘I came across an old copybook that Maria Fleury seemed to have used as some kind of diary. And she wrote about Caroline, Cornelius’s wife.

She was a great beauty and both Louis and Cornelius were starstruck when she walked into the ballroom at Magnolia Manor.

But Louis managed to get the first dance with her.

Not only that, they fell in love at first sight.

It was quite perfect, because…’ Claire stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts, wondering if she should reveal that Louis had been the rightful heir.

But there was no proof of that, except what she had read in the diary, so she decided to leave out that fact.

‘It sounds quite jumbled up now when I tell you like this, but…’

‘No, I get it.’ Pierce looked thoughtful. ‘Hang on while I try to get this right. Louis and Caroline were in love, but she married Cornelius. So one would wonder why? She was quite a legend in her day, you know.’

‘Really? I had no idea,’ Claire said.

‘Oh yes. I’ve heard from my grandmother that she was very beautiful and came from a prominent family on the Cork-Kerry border.

I remember learning that from reading the history of the Fleury family on their website.

John Fleury and Caroline’s father were close friends and I think Caroline was always meant to marry – well, one of the twins. I always thought it was Cornelius.’

‘Yes, me too,’ Claire said. ‘But then I read this in Maria Fleury’s diary – if it’s genuine.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s so confusing. I don’t know what to think.’

‘Yes, of course it is,’ Pierce agreed. He drained his coffee cup. ‘I have to go back to work, I’m afraid. So we’ll have to leave this alone for a bit.’

‘I’m going to have another look anyway,’ Claire said.

‘And I’m also going to put out everything I have and see if I can piece the whole thing together, at least about the twins.

’ She got up from the sofa and brushed crumbs off her jeans.

‘Thanks for the coffee and the chat. It’s nice to be able to share this with someone.

It’s so kind of you to take an interest. And to trust that I have good intentions in all this. ’

Pierce followed Claire to the door. Then, when she was about to leave, he touched her arm and looked at her with empathy.

‘I still don’t approve of the lies you’ve told.

But I’m beginning to understand how important this is to you.

You’re a Fleury from a branch of the family that has been estranged for so long because of some wrongdoing by someone.

I find the story fascinating, but I’m also very moved by how you want to heal the rift and bring the two families together.

I have a feeling that you will never give up until you have achieved it. And I want to help you do that.’

‘Why?’ Claire asked.

‘Because I like you,’ he said in a near whisper. ‘I like you very much, Claire Fleury.’

‘Oh,’ she said, suddenly lost for words. ‘I like you very much, too, Pierce.’

‘That’s wonderful.’

They looked at each other for a moment that was loaded with emotion before Pierce’s phone rang and he stepped away. ‘I have to answer that.’

‘Okay.’ Claire walked out of the room as he grabbed his phone, smiling at her as he answered.

‘See you,’ she whispered and waved before she ran back downstairs as if floating on clouds.

Once back at her desk, she put her hand on her heart, feeling it beating so fast she thought it echoed around the room.

He likes me , she thought, maybe as much as I like him.

He doesn’t know how to deal with what I’ve done, but he likes me despite all that.

This is too soon, but oh, how I hope it’s real and strong and something that will last.