Page 57 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘Yes, really weird,’ Rose said. ‘I was researching into my family history, then I found Iseult in a few photographs and realised she was my great-grandfather’s long-lost sister that we know nothing about. And then Noel was helping me sorting out the papers and photos in the family archives, and he found out that Iseult was his grandmother’s… What?’
‘Step-grandmother,’ Philip filled in. ‘And she was only thirty-nine when that baby was christened.’
‘Must have been strange to become a granny at that age,’ Kathleen mused. ‘And nice for her, especially as she didn’t have any children of her own.’
‘That must have been a comfort to her,’ Rose said. ‘But what do you know about her earlier life? About how she fell out with her family and ran away from home? I heard something about her having been a debutante in London at the beginning of the last century. And then that she was involved with women’s rights and the nineteen sixteen uprising in Dublin. Not sure if all that is true,’ Rose concluded, looking at Philip.
‘Most of it is,’ Philip replied. ‘She was a debutante in London when she was nineteen. I think she had an English godmother who took Iseult under her wing and had her presented at court. But then she was in touch with the suffragettes in London. Shehad to go back to Ireland in a hurry to avoid being arrested after a big protest. So nothing came of her being presented. She didn’t fit in with the British upper classes of the time, and the connection with the women’s movement didn’t exactly make her popular.’
‘What about the Easter Rising?’ Rose asked.
‘I believe she was involved, but then went home to Magnolia Manor to be with her family during that difficult time. The Fleurys, as you know, were not an Anglo-Irish family and were much loved in the area.’
‘They still are,’ Noel cut in.
‘When did she marry this Patrick Lincoln?’ Rose asked. ‘I’m imagining it would have been around that time?’
‘Yes, that right,’ Philip replied. ‘We don’t have the exact date, but we know that Patrick Lincoln, our great-great-grandfather, lost his first wife in nineteen fifteen. And he met Iseult during a visit to Magnolia Manor a year or two after that. They were married in Cork in nineteen eighteen. Sadly, they only had eight years together before he died of a heart attack in nineteen twenty-six.’
‘That’s sad,’ Rose remarked. ‘And what happened to Iseult after her husband’s death?’
‘She lived in Willowbrook House until it was sold. That was around nineteen thirty or so. She moved into a small house nearby, and Patrick’s son, our great-grandfather, built this house and moved here with his family.’
‘So my granny Adeline grew up here?’ Noel asked, looking moved. ‘I had no idea. I just knew she grew up in County Cork.’
‘Yes, that’s right, she did grow up here,’ Philip said. ‘With her brother, who was my grandfather.’ He looked curiously at Noel. ‘How strange that we never met. But then my grandfather died before I was born, so much of his childhood was forgotten about.’
‘But to come back to Iseult,’ Rose said. ‘She died quite young then?’
‘In her early forties,’ Philip confirmed. ‘What do you know about her early life?’
‘I only have a few photos to go by,’ Rose replied. ‘Nothing much else. What about you?’
‘Only the family stories,’ Philip said. ‘What I just told you. But as she was not connected to Patrick’s children by blood, the interest in her faded a little. Except for the necklace she left to my family for the eldest daughter. Penny is the first girl to inherit it.’
‘I see,’ Rose said, feeling a dart of frustration. Iseult had had no right to keep the necklace and give it to someone who was not a Fleury. Although, perhaps it was a silly rule. Why shouldn’t she have been allowed to give it to someone she loved?
‘We do have some photos in an old album,’ Kathleen said. ‘I’ll go and get it.’ She got up and held out her hand to Penny, who had interrupted her game with the doll’s house and was yawning and rubbing her eyes. ‘Come, Penny. We’ll go and get the album for Rose. And then maybe you’d like to have your nap.’
‘Okay,’ Penny said and trotted after her mother. ‘Naptime.’
‘What a good girl,’ Rose said when they had left.
‘Usually not very eager for a nap,’ Philip said with a smile. ‘But she’s tired after having been to the beach for the first time this season. It was such a warm day we went for a swim down at the beach near James Fort. Penny loved it.’
‘I’m sure she did,’ Rose said, sipping her coffee while they waited for Kathleen to come back. The story had made her even more interested in Iseult, a woman she hadn’t known even existed until she had found out about the necklace. But that was a mystery still to be solved, even if Iseult’s life story was now all but told. She seemed to have been a fascinating woman, brave and feisty and ready to take on any challenge that came her way,even marrying against her father’s wishes. The fact that she was also very beautiful gave her an added gloss. But why had she cheated her family by having a copy made of the necklace, then giving the real one to her stepchildren? It seemed like a very sneaky thing to do, and not in line with the character of a woman who had fought so hard for her principles.
Kathleen came back with an old leather album a few moments later. She handed it to Rose. ‘Here you are. There are some nice photos, starting with Iseult and Patrick’s wedding in Cork, and then a few of their honeymoon in Paris. And then one or two of the family at Willowbrook House.’
Feeling excited, Rose opened the album and found the wedding photo on the very first page. Iseult was a beautiful young bride, dressed in a lacy wedding gown and long veil, a wreath of flowers on her head, her blonde hair in an elaborate updo. She looked adoringly at her new husband, a tall, handsome older man with a moustache, who looked back at her with an expression of pure love, even if there was a touch of sadness in his eyes.
Then there were the photos from their honeymoon, which were interesting as they depicted Paris in 1919. ‘Wonderful vintage photos,’ Rose exclaimed, looking at the ladies with large hats and sweeping skirts, including Iseult in the best Paris fashions. ‘This must have been when they were still quite wealthy,’ she remarked, turning the pages and looking at pictures of family groups and parties at the big house.
‘Yes, the glory days,’ Philip said. ‘I’m sure they were all sad when the big house was sold and turned into a hotel. But I have to confess, I prefer this house, it’s much easier to manage.’
‘I’d say it is,’ Rose agreed. ‘Our ancestral home, Magnolia Manor, which is even larger than Willowbrook House, is being turned into apartments for older people. It is sad to see it rebuilt as something else, but it was becoming impossible to maintain.Now I’m happy that it wasn’t demolished and a large part of it is being maintained as it was. And we don’t have to worry about repairing the roof or rising damp and all that stuff that happens to old houses.’
‘Magnolia Manor,’ Kathleen said in a dreamy voice. ‘I’ve seen it from the distance. It’s a beautiful house. I was always intrigued that Iseult grew up there. Her necklace is a wonderful memento of her life at the manor.’ She turned to Rose. ‘I’d love to see yours just to compare it to ours. Could we take a look at it?’
