Page 62 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘I know,’ Rose agreed.
As Noel put his foot down, suddenly Rose felt sad and disconnected from him for the first time. He had been with her all through this search, but now something felt different. She wondered if the real necklace was in Sylvia’s safe. That would be the end of their search and maybe help heal the rift between them. If she could ever get over the secrets he’d been keeping. Her thoughts drifted to the necklace and the question of who had had it copied. The answer to the riddle had to be in the manor. As they drove around the bend and Dingle town came into view, she had a strange sensation that the mystery was very close to being solved.
27
After Noel pulled up to the front of the manor in a shower of gravel, Rose threw open the door and jumped out, racing up the steps and in through the entrance. Then she raced up the two flights of stairs and arrived on the top landing, her heart pounding. ‘Henri?’ she called, fighting to regain her breath. There was no answer. She hurried down the narrow corridor to the last room and flung open the door, gasping at the sight of the fireplace, which was now just a pile of bricks and crumbled mortar.
The smell of dust and mould was so thick she had to run across the creaking floorboards to open the window. She took deep breaths of the fresh air as it gushed in, looking around the room, which was larger than the other servants’ rooms on the top floor. This one had two windows and a sloping ceiling, which they had thought would be a charming feature once it was turned into a studio flat. The fireplace had been an added asset, but now Rose saw it would have to be rebuilt from scratch. ‘Holy mother,’ she mumbled, remembering Henri had said he’d wait for her in Sylvia’s study. She ran out of the room, relieved tobe away from the mess, and hurried downstairs, arriving in the study breathless.
Henri, sitting on the sofa looking at his phone, stood up when Rose arrived. ‘There you are,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Is everything okay with the chimney?’
‘Not quite,’ Henri replied. ‘But there was something else too.’
‘What else is wrong?’ Rose asked with a resigned sigh.
‘Not wrong but weird. Could be a good thing, actually,’ Henri replied. ‘You see there was stuff stuck up that chimney that fell down when it caved in. Something that must have been hidden there years ago.’
‘Like what?’ Rose asked.
‘A lot of cash.’
‘Old notes?’ Rose asked.
‘No.’ Henri’s voice took a lighter tone. ‘Better than that. Much, much better. Gold coins. Sovereigns it looks like, so that could be worth a lot. Should pay for the repairs if the insurance company doesn’t pay up.’
‘Gold sovereigns?’ Rose said.
‘Yes, about twenty of them. Not sure what they’re worth today, but I’d say a lot.’
‘I’m sure you’re right. Where are they?’
Henri pointed at the desk where Rose could see a dirty fabric bag.
‘Great.’ Rose went to the desk and lifted the bag. ‘It’s heavy,’ she said, just as Noel peered in. ‘Hey, you’re just in time.’
‘For what?’ he asked.
‘Henri found a bag with gold coins in one of the chimneys,’ Rose explained. ‘I suppose we’ll have to give them to Granny and then she can decide what to do. After all, it’s her property, as far as I know. What do you say, Noel?’
‘Yes, it is,’ Noel said after a moment’s hesitation, his eyes on Rose. ‘It’ll have to be itemised with the rest of whatever is in the safe.’
‘I suppose,’ Rose said, looking at Noel, trying to guess what he was thinking. He looked at her glumly; she guessed he was upset about their argument. ‘It’s okay,’ she said softly. ‘I understand why you had to keep it from me. I’m sorry if I was being a pain earlier.’
Noel’s eyes softened and he looked at her. ‘I’m glad you understand. And I’m sorry if I upset you.’
Henri cleared his throat. ‘Yes, well, that’s all lovely. But enough of that. There’s a real drama going on in the ballroom. I think your fashion show is falling apart, Rose. The models are fighting and the shops sent the wrong sizes or something and Vicky is about to have a nervous breakdown.’
‘I’ll see what’s going on in a minute,’ Rose said, still looking at Noel.
‘Okay.’ Henri looked exasperated. ‘I think I’ll leave you two to sort yourselves out. See you later, lads, as they say here.’
Rose burst out laughing. ‘You’re getting into the swing of Kerry at last. About time.’
Henri smiled. ‘I know.’ He walked out, closing the door behind him.
Rose stared at Noel. ‘Sort yourselves out? What did he mean? Oh never mind,’ she said, turning to leave. ‘I have to go down and sort out the fashion mess.’
