Page 31 of The Girl with the Irish Secret

‘You’re very kind,’ Jack said modestly.

‘So you’ve come to see Violet?’ Sylvia asked.

‘Yes,’ Jack replied. ‘And to familiarise myself with the area and the setting. We’re going for a drive later to see the other side of the peninsula. I’m really looking forward to that.’

‘You’re driving?’ Sylvia asked.

‘Yes. I hired a car,’ Jack replied.

‘Drive carefully,’ Sylvia ordered. ‘Vi, let me know when you get back.’

‘I will, Granny,’ Vi promised, wondering why Sylvia looked so suspicious. ‘Jack and I are just friends,’ she added in order to reassure her grandmother.

‘I’ll look after her,’ Jack cut in.

‘Good.’ Sylvia nodded, looking mollified. ‘I don’t mean to appear so doubtful,’ she added with a little smile. ‘I’m sure you’re a perfect gentleman. It’s just that my granddaughters are so very precious to me.’

‘Of course they are,’ Jack said warmly. ‘I understand completely. Family is what matters most in life, after all.’

‘Exactly.’ Sylvia paused. ‘But now we’d better get going or we’ll be late for lunch at the golf club in Killarney. It’s a bit of a drive, you see.’

‘Drive carefully,’ Vi said. ‘I’ll send you a text later.’

‘Goodbye, Mrs Fleury. So nice to meet you. I hope we’ll meet again soon,’ Jack said.

‘You may call me Sylvia,’ she said graciously. ‘Bye for now.’

Jack shook his head when Sylvia’s car had moved off. ‘I feel as if I’ve just met the queen. What an amazing woman.’ He looked at Vi and clapped his hand to his heart. ‘I think I fell a little in love with her. It was the way she looked at me with those beautiful eyes just now and told me to call her Sylvia. Before that, I was scared of her.’

Vi giggled. ‘Yeah, Granny is something else. There’s nobody like her. I love her to bits.’

‘So do I from now on.’ He took off the glasses and pulled off the blond wig. ‘I’ll ditch this now as it does nothing for my complexion.’

Vi laughed. ‘Oh don’t mind Granny. She speaks her mind always and can be a little too critical at times.’

‘Nothing wrong with that,’ Jack declared. ‘I wish more people would be as honest. But of course she is your beloved granny and so very dear to you.’

‘Yes, she is. For so many reasons,’ Vi said as they resumed walking.

‘How are things with your sisters?’ he asked. ‘Have you been talking to them?’

Vi sighed. ‘Oh, it’s complicated. But I’ve had a talk with Lily, my eldest sister, and we get on better now. I haven’t seen Rose. She’s still giving me the cold shoulder.’

‘I’m sure she’ll come around,’ he soothed.

‘Maybe.’ Vi started to walk faster. ‘But now I’ll show you around and then we’ll go back and get in the car and go for our drive.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ Jack said with a grin. ‘You’re a chip off the old block, aren’t you?’

‘I hope so,’ Vi said. ‘If I’m just a little bit like Granny, I’ll cope with most things.’

‘I’d say you’d cope with anything,’ Jack remarked. He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Even me. I’m not the easiest man to get along with.’

Vi looked at him and wondered what he meant. ‘Yes, but I’m sure you’re very professional when you’re working with other actors,’ she countered. ‘What you’re like in private is not relevant.’

‘Good point,’ he said. ‘Let’s drop it for now and explore this lovely building.’

‘Grand,’ Vi said and started to open the big entrance door.