Page 13 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
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‘Fake?’ Rose stammered, feeling suddenly cold despite the warmth of the room. ‘That’s not possible. It’s been in the family for over a hundred years. You must be mistaken.’
‘We don’t make mistakes like that,’ the woman snapped. ‘We’re experts with a long experience in vintage jewellery. When I suspected the stones were not real topazes, I called in our gemmologist. He confirmed my suspicion. Those topazes are made of glass and the pearls… Also some kind of glass. We think it was done a long time ago. Maybe sixty or so years back, or even earlier. But I have to do some more research to put an exact date on it.’
‘Oh,’ Rose said, still so shocked she couldn’t think of anything else to say. This felt like yet another disaster to hit her after everything else. But how could it be? That necklace had graced the necks of Fleury women since the 1870s, when it was first gifted to a newly married young bride. Her name was Maria Fleury, née Connolly, a renowned beauty with black hair and flashing green eyes. Her portrait had hung in what used to be the library, now the new office of the senior apartments complex. Then it had been gifted to the National Gallery in Dublin, andRose had gone there with Gavin to see it over a year ago. She had been so proud to own the necklace depicted in the portrait and told everyone about it.
‘This is terrible. What am I going to do?’ she whispered into the phone.
‘I wouldn’t do anything,’ the woman said, her voice softer. ‘It’s so well made only an expert would know it isn’t real. I’d wear it as you always have. It’s a lovely piece, even though the stones aren’t genuine topazes.’
‘Maybe you’re right,’ Rose said, trying to get used to the thought that her beautiful necklace she had been so proud of was not the genuine article.
‘You could perhaps try to find out what happened to the original necklace,’ the woman suggested. ‘This is part of the famous Fleury collection so it could have an interesting history.’
‘Oh no,’ Rose exclaimed, feeling cold sweat breaking out. ‘Maybe they’re all fake.’
‘Oh don’t worry. I know for a fact they’re not,’ the woman replied. ‘Your sister Lily’s pearl necklace with the diamond clasp is the real thing. And that emerald necklace, the one your grandmother is minding for your younger sister Violet, has just been left to be cleaned and the chain repaired, so we can assure you that’s genuine too.’
‘So I’m the lucky winner, then,’ Rose said with a touch of bitterness.
‘I’m really sorry to be the bearer of such bad news,’ the woman said.
‘It’s not your fault.’
‘Thank you. I didn’t know if I should tell you, but it wouldn’t have been right not to.’
‘Of course not.’ Rose thought for a moment. ‘But I think you’re right. I will wear it as if it was the real thing. I need it for awedding I’ve been invited to. It goes so well with the dress I want to wear.’
‘Good idea,’ the woman said, sounding a lot more cheerful. ‘As I said, it would be hard for anyone except an expert to spot that it’s not real. And now that it’s been cleaned, it really shines. I think it’s an interesting piece as it’s quite old. As I said, it would be fascinating to know what happened to the real necklace. Maybe you should try and find out? Do a little digging into the family history?’
‘Maybe,’ Rose muttered, not feeling very enthusiastic. ‘Anyway, thank you for letting me know. I’ll come and collect it in the next few days.’ She said goodbye to the woman and hung up, the shock of what she had just learned making her feel quite weak. This was very upsetting. How could it be possible? And who had owned the necklace and then had a copy made while the real one was… where? She decided to do some research. She didn’t want Sylvia to find out it was fake; it would devastate her. She had been through so much in the last few years. Although she knew her granny was happy to breathe new life into Magnolia Manor, it must have been hard for her to give up a piece of her heritage. She couldn’t let another heirloom disappear.
Now that the house was being restored and a lot of old boxes, family albums and other memorabilia had been discovered in cupboards and drawers, perhaps it wouldn’t so hard. It was all piled into one of the rooms in the attic. All she had to do was to go through it all. Quite an undertaking, but it would be worth it. She already had an excuse to go through the stuff in the attic room – the clothes she was going to sell through the vintage shop.
Later that evening, Rose walked up to the manor to see her grandmother. She didn’t want to tell Sylvia the truth about the necklace, deciding to keep it to herself for the moment. But Rose thought she might get some information from Sylvia through a casual conversation about the vintage shop, and what could be sold from the family collection in the storeroom. That way she could get her grandmother to talk about the women who had worn all the lovely family pieces through the years and get some kind of lead.
Rose found her grandmother in her living room, sitting on the sofa. She looked up from her book as Rose entered. ‘Hello, Rose. Have you been out for a walk? It’s a lovely evening. Did you see Henri on your way here? I thought the two of you were getting to know each other better. That’s what he said anyway.’
‘He might have said that, but the truth is that we’re not getting on at all. In any case, I haven’t seen him.’ She paused, not wanting to worry Sylvia, but she’d been thinking about Henri a lot. He really irritated her and she wasn’t sure why. ‘I’m sorry, Granny, but I’m not in the mood to make friends with Henri right now. He reminds me of Gavin, to be honest. Maybe I’m just too raw still.’
‘Oh, darling, I know what you’ve been through,’ Sylvia said with a sigh. ‘Come and sit here with me.’
Rose sat down beside her grandmother and put her head on Sylvia’s shoulder. ‘I know I sound bitter, but I’m not really. And I don’t feel that all men have to pay for what Gavin did. But Henri gets up my nose and I can’t help that.’
‘I know.’ Sylvia tucked a strand of Rose’s hair behind her ear. ‘But I think you should try to be a little more understanding. I know Henri is a bit hard to take, but he’s a little younger than you and he’s been through a lot.’
‘Like what?’
‘He grew up without a mother for a start. She died when he was only six.’
‘I grew up without a father,’ Rose countered.
‘Yes, but you had your mum,’ Sylvia said softly. ‘And me.’
‘I know,’ Rose said. ‘But it doesn’t excuse his behaviour towards you when he tried to claim ownership of Magnolia Manor, I have to say. That was quite horrible.’
‘Yes, but I think they have both made amends,’ Sylvia replied. ‘It’s in the past, and now we have to look to the future. Henri is really eager for the senior apartment project to succeed. He knows accommodation for older people is a big market, and he’s working hard on it. I’m sure he’d like your ideas.’
