Page 16 of The Widow’s Irish Secret (Magnolia Manor #4)

She laughed at herself as she stepped into the cottage, thinking that she was trying too hard not to be a nuisance.

Vi and Jack probably wouldn’t mind her staying with them, but then Tricia felt she also needed her own space to start her new life without her daughters looking over her shoulder.

We’re all so alike , she thought, but better to keep a distance than step on anyone’s toes.

In any case, she also wanted to enjoy life and have fun before real old age set in.

Her new gang of friends were on the same wavelength, even though the speed dating had been a mad thing to get involved with.

She had gone with Maggie to lend her support, not to find a man, after all.

But it had led her to Cillian and she had a strange feeling that it was somehow meant to happen.

Maybe they’d connect again and she could make him forget her behaviour in the past. But then what?

And how would they meet again? Should she simply wait for him to get in touch or call him herself?

She decided to let it drift for a while.

She had other things on her mind, such as the cottage and Vi’s engagement party and then the wedding at the end of August. So much to be happy about without the complications of a long-lost former boyfriend.

Feeling suddenly light-hearted, Tricia walked through the rooms of the cottage trying to imagine what it would look like once it was finished.

Then she went up the stairs to the attic room and looked through the window to see if the boat she had seen was still there.

But the blue water of the bay was empty of any kind of vessel.

Whoever had been out there had left. Tricia promised herself to get a pair of binoculars so she could study what was going on next time the boat appeared.

Next, Tricia’s gaze drifted to the old wardrobe.

It was a nice old piece and would look great in her new bedroom downstairs.

It would only need a little beeswax and a lot of elbow grease and it would be as good as new.

But how old was it? She walked over to it and opened the doors.

Inside were shelves and two little drawers at the bottom.

It smelled a little musty but there was no sign of mould.

There were two crates on the top shelf which had possibly been used to store apples as the attic would be ideal for this kind of thing.

It was cool and dry so apples would keep for a long time up here.

Other vegetables, too, like carrots, onions and potatoes.

But it was originally meant to hold clothes or bedlinen, so why was it up here?

As there was no answer to that question, Tricia was about to close the doors but then pulled out one of the drawers.

It was empty but the other one held an old folder made of cardboard that was covered in spots of mildew.

Tricia opened it and found a few bits of yellowing paper with drawings that looked as if a child had drawn them many years ago.

She peered at the words scribbled at the bottom of the first page with a drawing of several stick figures.

She could just about see what it said: Mammy and the girls by Kieran.

Tricia smiled. How sweet. Some little boy called Kieran had drawn his mother and sisters.

There was only one other drawing in the folder, that of a ship in full sail on a sea of wavy blue squiggles.

The faint text said: S.S. Carmen in Dingle Bay, 1879.

Fascinated, Tricia stared at the little drawing, amazed at how old it was.

Whoever had drawn the picture – Kieran? – must have been sitting at the window looking out at sea where this ship was arriving on its way into the harbour.

Tricia closed the folder and put it back in the drawer. That’s where it had been put by someone all those years ago and there it would stay. She thought of Fred’s words all those years ago: ‘ There might be something hidden here that could be very valuable. ’

As she prepared to leave, she glanced yet again out the window, imagining some child sitting there looking out and seeing this ship, maybe dreaming of sailing away on the high seas, looking for adventure.

She could nearly feel the presence of the little boy.

This house held so many stories that she would never know.

But the feeling of peace in the room told her that whoever had lived here in the past had been happy.

She decided to take a look through the archives of Magnolia Manor that Rose had catalogued very soon.

Maybe she’d discover who that little boy was and what had happened to him.

Could the wardrobe help her pay for the renovations?

It might be a valuable antique. But most of all she wanted to find out more about the original occupants of the little house.

Maybe , she thought, I can ask Cillian to help me?

After all, he is an archaeologist and should be able to tell me how to look for clues about the past. A good excuse to suggest we meet…