Page 39 of The Book of Irish Secrets (Magnolia Manor #5)

THIRTY

Marian stared at Claire through the screen of her phone as Claire told her what had happened.

‘So now at least Sylvia and Rose know,’ Claire ended.

‘Rose was very upset at first. She thought I was some kind of scammer who was going to defraud them or something. But then I showed her the book and that convinced her. But she was still shocked to discover that her great-grandfather had a twin brother.’

‘As we were,’ Marian said. ‘So what about Patrick? Will we tell him?’

‘Not the whole story,’ Claire said. ‘Isn’t that what we agreed last time we talked?

I think it would be best not to tell him that Louis was the rightful heir.

That will only cause problems should he want to act on it.

I mean, imagine the legal case, and how it would look splashed all over the media. ’

‘What a nightmare that would be,’ Marian said, looking alarmed. ‘I’ll tell him an edited version when we talk next time. He calls me once a month or so. But I’ll email him today and ask him to call me. Or maybe you should?’

‘No, I think you’d better do it. We’re not in touch much,’ Claire said. ‘We were never close. I mean, he was fifteen when I was born and had already left for Canada when he was twenty and I was five.’

‘I know,’ Marian said. ‘Patrick was never much for chatting, anyway. Or being in touch with family. But he should be told – well, most of the story anyway.’

‘Exactly,’ Claire said, reassured. The detail about the time of Louis’ birth would have to be buried never to be revealed by those in the know.

Claire looked at her sister’s face on the screen, noticing that she looked much brighter and more cheerful than the last time they’d had a video chat.

‘You look better. Are things improving?’

‘Yes, we’re doing quite well now,’ Marian said. ‘I’ve told Andrew about your news. Well, not about the heritage but everything else.’

‘Good.’ They chatted for a bit about other things and then Marian had to go to the shop so they said goodbye.

Claire hung up feeling relieved that she and Marian were on the same page regarding their brother, even if it didn’t feel quite right to keep him in the dark.

But it seemed the best thing to do in order to avoid a huge family row that could be even worse than what had happened between the twin brothers over a hundred years ago.

The following days were busy and there was no news about any family meeting from Sylvia, so Claire got stuck into work of which there was a lot to cope with.

Easter was around the corner which would mean a brief rest and after that, it would be ‘all hands on deck’ as both Karina and Rose put it.

Claire had done all the bookings so she knew it would be madly busy all spring and summer.

And then there was Pierce. Claire hadn’t seen him since the morning after their meal at the pizza restaurant and Karina said he had taken Jo to Killorglin to hike in the MacGillicuddy’s for a few days.

Jo needed a break from studying and the hiking would be good for both of them.

Jo needed some physical activity before she got back to the books again and the exercise and fresh air would be good for her.

Claire agreed that Jo needed some daughter-father time without anyone else around.

She hoped that it would reassure Jo and help her understand that she would never lose her father’s love.

The weather was glorious and Claire fully enjoyed her days off, when she would take long walks on the beach or along the country lanes above the coastline, where she could fully appreciate the stunning views of the ocean and the cliffs where seabirds like puffins and gannets were beginning to arrive and build nests.

She often brought binoculars in order to study the wildlife all around her.

She could also see birds of prey gliding high up in the sky which was a lovely sight.

She had never felt so free and so healthy in all her life and she wasn’t looking forward to returning to Dublin.

When Hugh’s solicitor was in touch about the sale of the house, she agreed to a far lower share than was really fair.

But she didn’t care. He can have it all and good luck to him , she thought, knowing she was probably foolish but she had no wish to start a fight.

All she wanted was peace and happiness and she knew she had already found it, where her ancestors had lived and worked for two hundred years or more.

Even if she knew it might not be permanent and she risked having to go back to Dublin very soon.

Sylvia, Rose and Arnaud had been forgiving, but she had no idea how the rest of the Fleurys would react to her lies.

Pierce and Jo arrived back just before Easter.

Claire hadn’t been in touch with him, but now that Sylvia and Rose knew her story, Claire wanted to explain to him what had happened.

She just didn’t know how to approach him.

She could hear him talking in his office upstairs each day, but he didn’t come down to say hello.

There was no sign of Jo but Claire supposed she was in Pierce’s flat studying.

She didn’t want to upset Jo further or cause a problem for Pierce.

When Sylvia called her to say the family meeting was taking place in the library that evening, Claire pushed all thoughts about Pierce out of her mind.

This was important and she had to get it right.

Once she had had a light meal, she gathered together all her Fleury family material and prepared for the big reveal.

With a mixture of nervousness and excitement, she went downstairs, carrying everything in a SuperValu carrier bag.

Fearing the worst, Claire made her way down the dark corridor to the library.

How would the rest of the family react to the news that she was their third cousin and Cornelius’s twin brother’s great-granddaughter?

Would they think she was telling a pack of lies, or believe her straight away?

When Claire arrived in the library, which was cosy with all the little lamps lit casting a warm glow over the books and the old oriental carpet, everyone was already there, gathered around a table with refreshments.

Vi and Jack came forward to say hello and they chatted for a while.

Vi, a stunning young woman with glossy red hair and green eyes, asked Claire how she was settling in and Jack asked if she was missing Dublin.

Rose kissed Claire on the cheek and told her to help herself to tea, coffee or a glass of wine.

Lily was just as nice and smiled at Claire. ‘We don’t know quite what this is about, except that you’re going to tell us something very exciting.’

‘I hope it won’t shock you too much,’ Claire said.

‘We can take it,’ Lily’s husband, Dominic, said. ‘How about a glass of wine?’

‘Great,’ Claire said.

‘Red or white?’ Dominic asked.

‘White, please,’ Claire said.

‘Okay.’ Dominic poured Claire a glass of white wine and then gestured at the large sofa by the bookcases. ‘Sit down there beside Sylvia. She said she wanted a little chat with you before your speech.’

‘Speech?’ Claire asked, shaking with nerves. ‘I was just going to…’

‘It’s more an announcement,’ Sylvia said and patted the seat of the sofa. ‘Sit down here and we’ll talk about it while everyone gets a drink of something.’

Claire sat down beside Sylvia. ‘Okay.’

‘Now,’ Sylvia whispered in Claire’s ear, ‘I just wanted to tell you not to be nervous. I have prepared the ground a little bit, so it won’t come as a huge surprise.

I’ve told them you’re a Fleury, a distant relation.

So all you have to do is tell your story.

Except—’ she lowered her voice further ‘—we won’t mention the little detail of who the real heir was, as we agreed. No need to go into that.’

‘Of course not,’ Claire murmured back. ‘I spoke to my sister last night and she agreed with me. We’re not going to tell Patrick about the timing of Louis’ birth.

Everything else, yes. But he won’t be that startled as we all knew that we had relations in Kerry and that there was some kind of falling-out.

’ Claire met Sylvia’s eyes. ‘You know what that was, don’t you? The argument that caused the feud?’

‘Yes,’ Sylvia said.

‘Are you going to tell us?’ Claire asked.

‘I think I have to,’ Sylvia said. ‘Later.’ Then, when everyone had found seats on chairs or sofas, she clapped her hands.

‘If you’re ready, I will ask Claire to tell us why we’re here.

As I have told you, her maiden name is Fleury, but she’s not as distant a relative as you might think.

Claire, please tell them what you told Rose and me recently. ’

Claire stood up and nervously wrung her hands while she started to speak. ‘As you might know, my birth name is Claire Fleury.’ She paused for a moment before she got to the main point. ‘It might surprise you to hear that I am the great-granddaughter of Cornelius’s brother.’

There was a communal gasp and they all stared at her in stunned silence until Lily spoke. ‘Cornelius had a brother? How come we didn’t know?’

‘Because of something that happened over a hundred years ago. The brothers had an argument,’ Claire said.

‘More like a row, really. They might even have fought physically. I believe it could have had something to do with Caroline. Then Louis, Cornelius’s brother, left Magnolia Manor, never to return.

He later married and had two children, my grandfather and his sister, my great-aunt Rachel.

And then there was my father, and then his children.

My brother, Patrick, my sister, Marian, and – me.

’ She drew breath, feeling she had made a mess of the story and now everyone was confused.

Claire delved into the shopping bag at her feet and pulled out Auntie Rachel’s book.

‘It’s all in here,’ she said, holding the book up.

‘My great-aunt put all the photos she had into this book, and drew up a family tree and…’ She stopped, feeling frustrated.

‘I’m not good at making speeches, sorry if it’s a bit garbled. ’

‘Not garbled at all,’ Vi said in her crystal-clear voice. ‘Just incredibly startling, that’s all. Nobody knew about this brother, so we’re a little shocked, really.’

‘They were not only brothers,’ Rose cut in. ‘They were identical twins.’

‘Wow,’ Lily said. ‘That’s even more shocking. Could you pass that book around, Claire? I want to look at the family tree and the photos.’

‘There are things written in it too,’ Claire said as she handed the book to Lily. ‘All kinds of descriptions of family life in Dublin. Louis and my great-grandmother Helen lived in a big house in Killiney that they called Villa Magnolia.’

‘Another clue,’ Vi said. She went to look at the book over Lily’s shoulder and they studied the contents together as Lily slowly turned the pages.

‘This is amazing and sad at the same time,’ Lily said. She pointed at the photo of the two brothers standing together under the magnolia tree. ‘What a great photo. And they are so alike, it’s spooky.’

‘But they don’t look comfortable with each other,’ Vi remarked. ‘Cornelius looks stiff and his brother’s jaw is so tense you’d think it might break.’

‘They were already enemies,’ Sylvia said. ‘Louis was trying to hold in his anger. But then he couldn’t control it any more.’

‘So they had a fight?’ Rose asked.

‘Yes,’ Sylvia said. ‘It started with a verbal confrontation in the library. Some harsh words were said by both of them. And then Louis lunged at Cornelius and they started to wrestle. Maria, their mother, had to call the gardeners to separate them. They were both bruised and bleeding, Cornelius said. And then Louis went to his room, packed his bags and left without saying goodbye. I think he wrote to his mother after that and they were in touch quite often. Maria even went to Dublin to plead with Louis to come back but he refused.’ Sylvia drew breath and shook her head.

‘Such a sad time for that family. Their sister, Iseult, had eloped and married against her father’s wishes, so all they had was Cornelius to take over the estate. ’

‘And then, later, he gambled it all away,’ Rose filled in. ‘So we could have been left with a huge legal battle. But thanks to our great-grandmother Caroline, it was avoided.’

‘Dear Caroline,’ Lily said fondly. ‘She really was an angel in disguise.’

‘Not quite the angel when she was younger, I’m afraid,’ Sylvia remarked. ‘There’s something I have to tell you, now that you have heard the story about Louis Fleury.’

‘The reason for the big fight?’ Lily asked.

‘Yes,’ Sylvia said. ‘Only I know what happened. And now, after all these years, it has to be revealed.’