Page 20 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘But she wasn’t the only Fleury girl to wear it,’ Lily argued. ‘So maybe we can find the rest of them in other photos. Wouldn’t it be fun to put together an album with all the girls who wore the necklaces Granny gave us?’
‘That’s a great idea,’ Rose said, excited at the thought. That way they might be able to trace the necklace to whoever had had the copy made. She would have to tell Lily about it eventually. But not yet. ‘You could help me go through the albums.’
‘Yes, I’d love to do that when I have the time.’
‘Great.’ Rose pulled a brush through her hair, then sprayed it with a little hairspray. ‘We can divide them up next week.’ She applied lipstick and stepped back from the mirror. ‘How do I look?’
‘Absolutely amazing,’ Lily said, looking impressed. ‘What time is the wedding?’
‘Three o’clock.’ Rose checked her watch. ‘Noel is picking me up in a few minutes and then we’ll go straight to the church. After that, we’ll go to the hotel and I’ll check in while they take the photographs, then the party will start with a champagne reception at five, followed by dinner and dancing.’
‘Are you wearing a hat?’ Lily asked.
‘Yes. It’s in the hall. A light blue little fascinator with small white flowers. Granny gave it to me. Just for the church. Then I’ll take it off for the dinner.’
‘Perfect. Should be a fabulous evening,’ Lily said. ‘I’m so glad Noel is going with you. He’ll help you feel less nervous.’
They were interrupted by a car horn tooting.
‘Noel is here,’ Rose said, picking up her evening bag from the bed. ‘My overnight case is downstairs.’
‘Great.’ Lily held the door open. ‘Off you go. I’ll say hi to Noel while you get your hat and jacket.’ Lily clattered down the stairs while Rose took a last look at herself in the mirror. The dress was perfect, and the fake topazes glimmered in the sunlight that streamed in through the windows. There was no way anyone would guess they weren’t real. Feeling a lot better than before, Rose made her way downstairs and carefully attached the little fascinator in her hair. Then she put on the light blue jacket that went with her dress, picked up her overnight bag and went outside, where she found Noel, looking handsome in black tie, standing by his old Ford Focus chatting to Lily.
He looked around and let out a whistle as Rose went down the front steps. ‘Wow. You look wonderful, Rose.’
‘Thank you,’ Rose said, cheered by the admiration in his eyes. ‘You don’t look too bad yourself,’ she said as she handed him her bag.
‘Oh thanks. Pity about the car,’ he said. ‘Should be something expensive and sporty, but that’s all I have, I’m afraid.’
‘I don’t care what car you drive, as long as it gets us there,’ Rose said, smiling at him. He looked better than ‘not too bad’, Rose thought as she took in his wide shoulders, slim body, the shock of light blonde hair and twinkly blue eyes. The tuxedo fitted his tall frame perfectly, and she was surprised at how polished he looked. He was normally very professional looking, but nerdy and quiet, and he seemed more confident somehow. ‘You look great,’ she said.
Noel blushed and laughed as he put Rose’s bag on the back seat. ‘Ah sure, I do my best to scrub up well.’
‘You certainly do,’ Lily cut in. ‘And the two of you make a fabulous couple. Everyone will be impressed.’
Rose and Noel looked at each other and laughed. Then Noel checked his watch and told Rose to get in or they’d be late for the wedding. ‘You don’t want to walk into the church when the priest says that thing about speaking up if you know any reason for them not to be married.’
‘I think that would be the best moment to arrive,’ Rose quipped, getting into the passenger seat. ‘I can imagine the fright it would give them. But come on, let’s go.’
Noel hopped into the car and started the engine. ‘Bye, Lily, nice to see you,’ he called out of the window. ‘I wish you’d reconsider and come back to my office.’
‘No chance,’ Lily called back. ‘But I’ll give you a hand if you ever need some extra help. Have fun, you two.’
‘We will,’ Rose shouted back before they drove through the gates and onto the main road. She glanced at Noel, happy to have such a good-looking man to escort her to an event that she could never have faced alone.
As if feeling her gaze on him, Noel took his eyes off the road for a moment and shot her a glance. ‘What?’
‘Oh, I was just thinking that it’s so kind of you to come with me.’
‘Lily rang me and told me you needed support. I wasn’t exactly going to call you and tell you I’d changed my mind. And anyway, who says no to an evening at Aghadoe?’
Rose smiled. ‘That’s true. I hope you’ll have fun.’
‘I will, and so will you,’ Noel stated. ‘We’ll dance the night away and drink all the champagne we can manage. Don’t worry about a thing.’
‘I’ll try not to,’ Rose promised, suddenly looking forward to the evening. ‘I’m glad I’m not an object of pity to you. It’ll be agreat break from working with Henri Bernard. I don’t know why he annoys me so much, but he makes my teeth grate.’
‘I think I can understand that,’ Noel remarked. ‘I’ve dealt with him briefly about some legal details in your contracts. He’s a bit arrogant all right, which could get up your nose if you let it.’
