Page 2 of The Widow’s Irish Secret (Magnolia Manor #4)

‘We can try,’ Tricia mumbled. But she knew Sylvia would be a tough nut to crack.

In her mid-eighties, she was still as strong and feisty as she had always been.

Age certainly hadn’t withered Sylvia, or made her mellow in any way.

Tricia had always admired Sylvia for her strength during the many tragedies that had hit her through her life and felt a huge respect for her mother-in-law.

They had been united during many difficult years.

Fred had died in a freak accident at sea with his own father.

So Tricia and Sylvia had mourned their husbands together.

Sylvia had been a tower of strength and helped Tricia both financially and morally while she was bringing up three daughters single-handed.

But there had always been a feeling of rivalry under the surface, a feeling of not quite living up to Sylvia’s high standards.

‘Never explain, never complain’ had always been Sylvia’s motto.

Tricia had never been able to follow that example.

‘Does Sylvia know about your engagement?’ Tricia asked.

Vi squirmed. ‘Eh, yes. Sorry, Mum.’

‘I see,’ Tricia said, trying to hide the slight resentment she felt that Sylvia had been told about the engagement before they’d told her.

‘But she doesn’t know about our wedding plans,’ Vi continued. ‘I wanted to talk to you about it first and then tell Granny when we had decided everything. That way she’d find it hard to put her oar in and…’

‘She’ll do that anyway.’ Tricia sighed and got up.

‘I was actually planning to look at cottages for rent near Magnolia right now. I thought I’d spend the summer there.

Now with your wedding coming up, I will definitely spend as much time there as I can.

’ Tricia felt calmer now that she had the perfect excuse to move down to Kerry for a few months.

It would be natural for her to help plan her daughter’s wedding.

Nobody would question why she’d run away.

‘Oh, that’s terrific,’ Vi exclaimed, bouncing up from the sofa. ‘Let’s look at them together.’

Tricia tried to find the website but couldn’t remember which one it had been. ‘I thought I’d rent something near Ventry.’

‘But they’re all so tiny,’ Vi argued, staring at the screen when a list of cottages came up. ‘Maybe you can stay with us at the gatehouse? But we’re doing it up at the moment, so it could be a bit noisy.’

‘What are you doing with the gatehouse?’ Tricia asked. ‘Wasn’t it restored with all mod cons recently?’

‘Yes, four years ago,’ Vi replied. ‘But we’re changing the heating system to electric and putting solar panels on the roof.

We want to do as much for the environment as we can.

And we’re turning the small bedroom into Jack’s office.

He’s getting more into writing screenplays and directing than acting, you see. ’

‘So he’ll be spending more time at home?’ Tricia asked.

‘That’s right. Once he’s finished with the film in Cornwall. Our plan is to open a production company, to work locally as much as possible.’

‘I’m sure Jack is pleased about that,’ Tricia remarked.

‘Of course. That’s why we decided to get married now.

I’ll be home a lot and we can plan everything together.

And now that you’re coming, it’ll be even better.

’ Vi looked at the screen again. ‘But there is nothing there that would suit you. Too far away if we’re to plan a wedding at Magnolia Manor together.

Maybe…’ She paused. ‘You know what? I have an idea that could work a lot better. Look up houses for sale instead, and you’ll see what I mean. ’

‘Okay. Not that I had planned to buy anything at the moment.’ Tricia put in the appropriate words into Google and clicked on the first link that came up.

She scrolled down for a moment and then stared at the picture of a little house with a slate roof that looked eerily familiar.

‘Is that… Oh yes, it is. The gardener’s cottage. ’

‘That’s right, Mum,’ Vi said, looking excited. ‘It’s just come up for sale. Granny didn’t want it to be sitting there a total wreck, so she was hoping someone would buy it and do it up.’

‘Oh,’ Tricia said. ‘I had no idea.’ She knew the house well as it could be seen from the manor house that had been in the family for generations.

The manor had been her home when she married Fred, and the girls had all spent their early childhood there.

Until the tragedy happened and Tricia’s life changed forever.

‘That cottage is near the big house,’ Tricia said, looking at the photos.

‘On land that belongs to the Fleury estate,’ Vi filled in. ‘Down the lane from the manor house, just off the path to the pier where…’ She stopped, looking suddenly appalled. ‘Oh. I’m sorry, Mum. Didn’t mean to…’

‘The pier where Fred used to moor his boat,’ Tricia mumbled. ‘The boat that killed him and Liam.’ She put her hand to her mouth, feeling tears stinging her eyes, all the memories of that horrible day coming to the surface.

Vi touched her mother’s shoulder. ‘Mum, I’m really sorry. How thoughtless of me. I can see you’re upset.’

Tricia looked at her daughter and touched Vi’s cheek.

‘Not your fault. You don’t remember what happened.

You were just a toddler. You wouldn’t have any idea of how it felt and how I still feel, even after more than thirty years.

That’s why I haven’t spent much time at Magnolia. It is still so hard.’

‘Maybe a cottage for rent at Ventry isn’t so bad after all,’ Vi suggested.

Tricia didn’t reply while she stared at the image of the cottage.

‘No, that’s too far away from you. You were right about that.

And maybe I should go back and face the fear.

Lay the ghosts, so to speak. That little house is so pretty,’ she continued, looking at the slate roof, the whitewashed walls with rambling roses and the tiny front garden that could be made as lovely as it had once been.

‘Fred wanted to do it up, you see. And we had planned to start just after we were married. But then I got pregnant with Lily and…’ She kept staring at the photo.

‘Maybe I could do what we had planned after all. It could be healing rather than upsetting to live there.’

‘Mum, you don’t have to,’ Vi protested, putting a hand on Tricia’s shoulder. ‘We’ll think of something else. In any case, that house is for sale and not for rent and it needs a lot of work to make it comfortable.’

But Tricia wasn’t listening. ‘This place is going for a song, so I think I might be able to afford it,’ she said as if to herself.

She made a quick calculation in her head, wondering if she had enough to buy it.

The farm was up for sale and once it was sold and all taxes paid, there wouldn’t be a lot left.

She was handy with a hammer and good at fixing things so she could do a lot herself.

She had a little nest egg that she hadn’t planned to touch, but maybe…

‘The shed at the back looks like it could be made into something,’ she continued.

‘Maybe it could join the house and make it bigger…’ She was lost in thought, weighing up the possibilities.

She had been in the cottage a few times many years ago when Fred was considering doing it up for them to live in during the first year of their marriage.

She could see from the photos that it still had the same kitchen with a woodburning range and those old solid oak cupboards.

The living–dining room had a big fireplace and lovely views of the little bay.

It should be restored carefully without ruining the period feel or the charm.

Tricia suddenly felt excited at the prospect.

Maybe this was a chance not to be missed?

Something to occupy her mind, a new project and then the wedding…

I could buy the cottage, do it up and then sell it , she thought.

It could solve all of her problems. She looked at the screen again, at the dear little cottage that seemed to speak to her and urge her to come and do it up and make it liveable again.

It must have a history; old houses always do , Tricia thought, her heart beating faster.

‘Please, Mum,’ Vi pleaded. ‘Forget I said anything. You don’t have to go back to all that pain.’

‘I’m not so sure,’ Tricia argued. ‘Maybe going back is a way to go forward?’ She nodded, as a steely determination seemed to come from nowhere.

That little house carried with it too many memories, but it was the perfect hideaway.

Remote and beautiful but very rundown. Nobody would think of looking for her there.

‘Yes. I can do this,’ she murmured. ‘I can face the past. If Sylvia could, why shouldn’t I?’ She suddenly felt a dart of excitement mixed with fear, knowing she had come to a turning point in her life. If she didn’t take the right path now, she might regret it for a very long time.