Page 10 of The Girl with the Irish Secret

‘Lily, Rose and Violet,’ Jack said. ‘That’s quite a bouquet. Are they like you, with red hair and green eyes?’

‘Oh no,’ Vi said, smiling. ‘Lily has dark hair and eyes like my grandmother and Rose is blonde with blue eyes.’

‘Interesting.’ Jack looked at her while he drained his glass. ‘I’m looking forward to meeting them.’

‘I’m sure they’ll be excited to meet you, too,’ Vi said.

‘I suppose you’re very close?’

Vi’s spirits sank at the thought of her sisters. ‘No, not really. Not any more. We had a… disagreement a while back, I’m afraid.’

‘Oh? That’s a pity. But maybe you can sort it out between you?’

Vi sighed, the memory of her rift with her sisters taking the gloss off the moment with the man of her dreams. ‘It doesn’t look possible right now, I’m afraid. But maybe the movie and all the excitement around it will cheer them up.’

‘Could be. We could give them small parts in the movie,’ he suggested.

Vi laughed. ‘Yeah, that might be fun for them.’

‘I’m looking forward to my trip to Ireland,’ he said. ‘Especially Kerry. Never been there before.’

‘Then you’re in for a treat. It’s a wonderful county. Especially around Dingle,’ Vi told him, her heart beating faster at the thought of going back to her hometown. ‘It’s incredibly beautiful. Wild and dramatic, with mountains and beaches and views of the ocean to die for. Dingle town is the cutest little town, too, with houses in all kinds of colours and quaint little shopsand pubs where they play trad music and…’ She stopped and laughed. ‘Sorry to be blathering on about it.’

He looked at her with a glint of warmth in his eyes. ‘No need to apologise. I’m looking forward to it even more now.’

‘You’ll love it.’ She finished her pint in one go, dabbing her mouth with a paper napkin to remove any foam.

‘Would you like another pint?’ Jack asked.

Vi shook her head. ‘No thanks. I’m notthatthirsty.’

‘Well, I have to leave in a minute anyway,’ he said. ‘A car is picking me up to take me to my hotel and then I’m leaving early tomorrow. Would you like a lift anywhere?’

‘I don’t want to take you out of your way. I live in Croydon, so that would really be a big detour.’

‘Oh.’ He looked suddenly a little awkward. ‘That is rather a hack.’

‘I’ll just take the Tube and then the train,’ Vi said. ‘It’s okay, really. I’m used to the “hack”.’

‘Well, if you’re sure,’ Jack said, looking as if going to Croydon would be like a trip to the Outer Hebrides.

‘Oh yes, absolutely.’ She smiled reassuringly. ‘You might get stuck in traffic anyway and then you’d never get to your hotel.’

‘You’re probably right, even if I feel bad about it.’

‘Oh, please don’t,’ Vi said and got to her feet at the same time as Jack. ‘I’d feel doubly bad about making you go all the way out there.’

‘That’s very nice of you,’ Jack said. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Vi with a warm smile. ‘Well, it was great to have that chat. I know we’ll work well together. See you in Kerry in a few months. I’ll be there a few weeks before shooting. Just to get the local colour and all that.’

Vi nodded. ‘Good idea. Give me a shout when you get there.’

‘Of course. I’ll get your number from Liz.’ He paused. Then he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘Bye for now, Violet.’

‘Bye, Jack,’ Vi managed before he turned and swept through the crowd, ignoring the attention from everyone in the place.

Vi stood there for a moment, the kiss burning her cheek, feeling as if she had been hit by a hurricane.He was just being polite, she thought.I hope he couldn’t hear my heart beating like a drum or notice the effect he had on me. How am I going to cope when we’re working together, playing husband and wife? Looking lovingly into those brown eyes won’t be a problem when we’re acting, but off camera, I’ll have to learn to switch off the adoration.

But then, as she travelled home, she felt a tiny dart of disappointment that Jack had not insisted on driving her. Yes, Croydon was a long way to go, but he had a car and driver to take him there and back. He probably thought Vi wasn’t worth the effort. Well, she would be less enthusiastic the next time they met. That would put all her acting skills to the test.