Page 59 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘A long shot,’ Noel agreed. ‘But it’s worth a try, don’t you think?’
‘It says Weir&Sons on the silk lining in my case,’ Rose remarked. ‘I have a feeling it was the one the original necklace was kept in. It must have been swapped by whoever took the original.’
‘Yes,’ Philip said. ‘You must be disappointed that the original is still missing.’
‘Yes,’ Rose confirmed. ‘It’s been hard losing the manor, and when I recently found out that the necklace was fake, I was keen to find the real one before my granny found out. She’s been through so much, I didn’t want her to lose a family heirloom as well as our family home… I feel dizzy,’ she mumbled as she closed the case and put it back in her bag.
‘You’re still so pale,’ Noel said, looking concerned. ‘Maybe a drop of brandy would help?’
Philip got up. ‘I have some inside. I’ll bring it out. Kathleen, do you want some too?’
Kathleen shook her head. ‘I’m fine. Noel?’
‘Thanks, but I’m driving,’ Noel replied.
The drop of brandy helped Rose feel more relaxed; she could take stock of what she had just learned. ‘You know what I feel?’ she said, putting her brandy glass on the table. ‘I just realised that we’re barking up the wrong tree. Trying to find out who made the copies won’t help me find the real necklace. It’ll just confirm what we already know. So why spend a lot of time and effort trying to find what jewellers or silversmiths made the copies? They were made at different times and for different reasons. I think I need to go back to Magnolia and the storeroom. Someone somewhere must have made a note of what happened and why. Or there could be an old invoice for the work done.’
Kathleen nodded. ‘I think you’re right. We’re not interested in whether the necklace is real or fake, so there’s no need to dig further into it at this end. Our necklace is a memento of a kind lady who loved her husband’s family and wanted them to remember her. She seemed to have been upfront about what it was she was passing on, a copy of a beautiful necklace that had been in the Fleury family for generations. That’s enough for me, whatever about the real necklace, the other copy and what and when and why. That’s not our mystery to solve. It’s yours, andI hope you will find the answer.’ She drew breath and smiled at Rose. ‘In any case, it was lovely to meet you and your boyfriend, Rose.’
‘It was so nice to meet you too, but we’re not…’ Rose started.
‘We’re not a couple,’ Noel filled in. ‘We’re just very close friends, that’s all.’
‘That’s very nice too,’ Kathleen replied. ‘Close friends should be treasured.’
Rose shot Noel a warm smile. ‘Oh yes. And I do. Very much.’
Noel’s cheeks turned pink. ‘Ah, well, yeah, that’s very good to know. I mean it’s very special to me too.’
‘But now we should really get going.’ Rose picked up her bag and got up. ‘It’s a long drive back.’
Kathleen rose from her chair. ‘Of course. I’ll see you out. I would have liked to ask you to stay for dinner, but I think you want to get home.’
‘Yes, we do.’ Rose shook Kathleen’s hand. ‘Thank you so much for everything. It was lovely to meet you. You’ve been a great help.’
‘Oh I don’t think we did much,’ Kathleen protested.
‘You did a great deal,’ Rose argued. ‘You clarified a lot. Even if we didn’t find what I was looking for, it made me realise that maybe finding the real necklace is not that important.’ She glanced at Noel. ‘It’s been a long journey and it’s not over yet. But along the way I’ve discovered a lot about myself and the people around me.’
‘That’s a treasure in itself, I suppose,’ Kathleen said, smiling. She leaned forward and kissed Rose on the cheek. ‘I’m so happy to have met you. Please keep in touch.’
‘I will,’ Rose promised. ‘Come and see me in Kerry sometime. I’ll give you my number.’
‘We’d love to.’ Philip stepped forward while Kathleen and Rose exchanged phone numbers. He shook Noel’s hand. ‘Hey,cousin. So great to find you at last. We’ll have to keep in touch. I’d like to meet your father too. I mean, we’re family, aren’t we?’
Noel smiled broadly and squeezed Philip’s hand back. ‘Absolutely. So happy we connected. All thanks to Rose.’
Philip and Kathleen saw them to the front door and stood waving as they drove away.
‘That was lovely,’ Noel said as they drove through Kinsale. ‘Sorry about the necklace and all that, but for me it was such a nice discovery. My father will be delighted that I’ve met my Lincoln cousins.’
‘Yes,’ Rose said without really listening. Her mind was too full of the mystery of the necklace for her to take anything in. ‘That’s terrific.’
‘Sally was just saying that I should try to get out more and meet new people,’ Noel continued. ‘She thought I was a little stuck in the mud.’
‘What?’ Rose asked, staring at Noel. ‘That wasn’t very nice.’
‘Oh she knows me since we were at college. We used to tease each other all the time.’
