Page 15 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
Rose took the box and opened it, staring at the necklace and the stones she now knew were glass, the little pearls she had thought were real. ‘It’s so strange to look at it now that I know…’ She looked at the woman. ‘Have you any idea when this was made? I mean it looks old, so it can’t have been made recently.’
‘No, we think it’s quite old,’ Angela replied. ‘Our antiques expert thought somewhere around the eighteen nineties to about nineteen-oh-five, judging by the clasp and the way the stones are set into what looks like white gold but is actually silver. Strangely, that must be the box the real necklace came in. It was from Weir & Sons in Dublin, as you can see written inside the lid. A very old jewellers that was established in eighteen sixty-nine.’
‘Oh.’ Rose studied the necklace that lay against the cream silk lining of the box, the false topazes glinting deceptively in the soft light of the little lamps. They looked so real and just as beautiful as when she had brought the necklace in to be cleaned. ‘But the original was white gold and would have been very valuable, don’t you think?’ she asked.
Angela nodded. ‘Oh yes. With the white gold and the topazes and pearls… Very expensive indeed.’
‘I see.’ Rose closed the box with a feeling of immense sadness. ‘Such bad luck that it’s fake.’
‘But a very well-made fake,’ Angela remarked. ‘I think it’s gorgeous. I wouldn’t mind wearing it actually.’
‘Oh, I’m going to,’ Rose declared. ‘And now that you’ve told me how old it is, I’m a little less upset. But I hope this will stay between us.’
‘Of course,’ Angela replied. ‘I won’t tell a soul, I promise. We wouldn’t want it to come out that the famous Fleury topazes aren’t real, of course. Wild horses wouldn’t… Well whatever they do.’
‘I know what you mean.’ Rose heaved a sigh of relief. She was still worried about Sylvia finding out the truth. She wanted to get to the bottom of this mystery first. ‘Thank you. How much do I owe you for the cleaning and repair of the clasp?’
Angela mentioned a sum that was quite reasonable and Rose paid the bill. Then she thanked Angela, and walked out of the shop with the velvet box in a paper carrier bag that displayed the logo of the jeweller. As she drove home through the beautiful countryside, she took a detour into Muckross Park, part of Killarney National Park, to have a bite to eat and sit in the garden before she returned to work.
At the counter of the café, Rose chose a sandwich with ham and cheese, a tall latte and a raisin bun. Then she went outside with her tray to sit at one of the tables in the garden. It was a warm day with a mild breeze and intermittent sunshine through the clouds. She looked out across the lawn that lay like a green velvet carpet, dotted with azalea and rhododendron bushes in full bloom. The blossoms were a vibrant red, pink and purple interspersed with white, a stunning backdrop to the glittering water of the big lake in front of the old mansion. Rose imagined ladies in long dresses carrying parasols, going for leisurely walks in the bygone days of Queen Victoria, who was said to have visited here once.
‘Hi, Rose,’ a voice said, pulling Rose out of her reverie.
‘Yes?’ Rose shaded her eyes against the bright sunlight and discovered a pretty woman with chestnut curls and lively hazel eyes standing at her table.
‘I’m Vicky,’ she explained. ‘We spoke on the phone when you rang Noel’s office.’
‘Oh, yes, of course,’ Rose said, smiling at the woman. ‘Hi, Vicky. Lovely to meet you. What are you doing here?’
‘I had an errand nearby and then I took the day off,’ Vicky replied.
‘I see.’ Rose pushed her lunch to the side. ‘Why don’t you sit down? Great opportunity to catch up and get to know each other.’
‘Ah, brilliant.’ Vicky put her tray on the table and sat down on the chair opposite Rose. ‘As you can see the place is filling up, so I would either have to stand up or sit on the tiny wall over there, which doesn’t look very comfy.’
‘I know. It’s a very popular place on a sunny day.’ Rose picked up her sandwich and took a bite. ‘I’m so happy to meet you here. I was going to call you and suggest we have coffee someday, but you beat me to it.’
‘I was delighted when I spotted you just now,’ Vicky replied. ‘It’s so crowded here today and I needed a place to sit down. I recognised you from a group photo Noel showed me, so I thought I’d say hello and see if you’d let me sit at your table.’ She nibbled at her wrap, her eyes sparkling. ‘I’m like that, I’m afraid. Too forward, my granny would say.’
‘Ah, grannies,’ Rose said with a sigh. ‘Don’t we love them though, even if they’re like the dowager countess inDownton Abbeyat times.’
‘Yes that’s true,’ Vicky agreed. ‘Mine makes me feel like a little girl even though I’m pushing forty.’ She took a swig of her coffee. ‘But I want to know all about you. I know you came herefrom Dublin, although you’re kind of Dingle royalty, I’ve been told.’
Rose was highly amused. ‘Dingle royalty? That’s a laugh, there’s nothing royal about us. We only barely managed to save the old wreck that was our ancestral home, and now it’s being turned into an apartment complex.’
Vicky nodded. ‘Oh, yes, Noel told me all about it. We’ll be handling all the legal stuff once the apartments are being let.’ She paused, looking thoughtful. ‘Just wondering, are all the flats for seniors only?’
‘Yes, they are. Why do you ask?’
‘I’m looking for a place. The cottage I’m renting is being renovated so I have to move out soon. I was looking for something to buy, that’s why I looked up your website, you see.’
‘Oh, well,’ Rose started, ‘there are a few houses for sale right now, I’ve seen. I used to be an estate agent, so I’m still interested. But as the high season is coming up, I’d wait until after the summer if I were you. Then prices will drop a bit and there will be a lot more choice. But of course, it all depends on what you’re looking for. Are you living alone, or…’
‘Yes I’m on my own,’ Vicky said with a little sigh. ‘Never found Mr Right, despite my desperate efforts. But I haven’t given up hope, you know. I know he’s out there somewhere, waiting for me. The trick is to find exactly where, though. That’s why I came to Kerry. I thought I’d have better luck here in the wonderful Kingdom. Plus my dad was from Tralee, so I have a few little roots here.’
‘Of course you do,’ Rose agreed. ‘I partly grew up in Dublin but I have always felt Dingle is my real home. My father grew up here of course and we spent all our holidays at Magnolia.’
‘Must have been nice,’ Vicky said. Then she put a hand on Rose’s arm and looked at her with great sympathy. ‘I know what happened to you. Your father and grandfather died in that freakaccident at sea. And you and your sisters lost your dad and granddad all at once. You were all so young. Such a tragedy. I’m sure there is still a great sadness inside you.’
