Page 46 of The Granddaughter's Irish Secret
‘Don’t worry,’ Sylvia said as they walked down the lane. ‘It’ll come to me. You know how you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, as if a bolt of lightning has hit you? And it all comes to you all of a sudden. That’s what will happen.’
‘You’ll let me know the moment you remember, won’t you?’ Rose pleaded. ‘Even if it does hit you in the middle of the night. I’ve become fascinated by Iseult, but what happened to her is still a mystery.’
‘I will try to remember,’ Sylvia promised. ‘But let’s not worry about it now. I can’t wait to see little Naomi. She grows so fast I find it hard to keep track.’
‘Four months already,’ Rose said as they arrived at the front door. ‘And she’s smiling and nearly sitting up. She’s grown out of her first baby clothes too.’
‘I think she’s going to be tall,’ Sylvia said, pressing the doorbell that resulted in chimes inside the house.
Then there was barking and Lily flung the door open, the baby on her hip, a big woolly white dog with a black patch over one eye at her side. ‘There you are! And you brought Rose. Brilliant. Don’t you dare jump up on them, Larry,’ she snapped at the dog, who seemed to get the message and simply wagged his tail furiously. Lily held the baby out to Sylvia. ‘Here. I know you love holding her. But be careful, she’s getting very heavy.’
‘So she is,’ Sylvia said, nearly toppling over as she caught the baby. But then she found her balance and managed to carry both Naomi, her handbag and the box with cupcakes into the house, Rose following behind, Larry at their heels.
‘Great balance,’ Lily said, laughing. ‘Sorry, Granny, I’ll take her off you.’
‘I can manage,’ Sylvia said as she sailed into the bright airy living room with her burdens. ‘I’ve carried more awkward things in my life.’ She held out the box. ‘But you might take these and put them on a plate, then go and make tea.’
‘Yes, Granny,’ Lily murmured demurely while she shot Rose an amused look. ‘Come and give me a hand, Rose.’
When Sylvia had settled on the sofa with the baby, Larry keeping an eagle eye on them at Sylvia’s side, Rose followed Lily into the open-plan kitchen that had all of the most modern appliances.
‘How are you?’ Lily asked as they busied themselves putting cups, saucers, a milk jug and a plate with the cupcakes on a tray. ‘Haven’t seen you for ages. So what’s new?’
‘Oh nothing much,’ Rose said airily. ‘Just work. And then the fashion show, but Vicky is looking after casting the models, which seems to be going well.’
‘That’s great. But I was just thinking that you never told me how you got on at the wedding? With Noel?’
‘We had great fun,’ Rose said, smiling at the memory. ‘Noel was such a sweetheart. I discovered what a nice guy he is. And fun and…’ Rose paused, smiling. ‘He’s actually very cute. We’re becoming close friends.’
‘Friends?’ Lily stopped pouring hot water into the teapot and looked at Rose with a dubious expression. ‘Is that all? I have a feeling there are serious vibes between you two.’
Rose felt her cheeks flush. ‘I’m not sure about that. He’s going on a date with someone else tonight, and he seemed quite excited about it. So maybe he just wants to be friends and that’s okay for now.’
‘That doesn’t mean anything.’ Lily resumed making tea. ‘Anyway, let’s not stress about it. I’m so glad all our plans aregoing ahead, despite Henri’s efforts. He nearly had the whole board eating out of his hand. You had to lure them with modelling and free dresses to get them to agree.’
‘But it worked,’ Rose said, smiling. ‘And now it’s all going ahead.’
‘And you’re friends with Henri at last. Never thought I’d see that happening.’
‘Neither did I,’ Rose said. ‘But it was when I heard about what he went through as a small child that I began to understand him. He lost his mother when he was only six years old, and then his father was unable to look after him because of his own grief. He had a very lonely, sad childhood. He told me about all that when we were having dinner. And then we realised that we have a lot in common. It was a lovely moment and I began to see another side of him.’
‘Oh,’ Lily said. ‘That’s good to hear. I didn’t like the way you were bickering.’
‘I know. A lot of the aggro between us was my fault. All is well and we get on fine.’
‘Peace at last,’ Lily said, putting the lid on the teapot. ‘I’m so glad you seem to be over Gavin. He was never right for you. Too afraid to commit.’
‘He’s forty-two,’ Rose said. ‘Mature enough to want something that lasts, I would think.’
‘Men like that never grow up,’ Lily said drily. ‘He’s rich and good looking. He can have anything he wants. Why would he want to grow up and settle down? Men don’t have to worry about a biological clock.’
‘He’s a good businessman,’ Rose said.
‘What does that have to do with anything?’ Lily asked.
‘Nothing at all,’ Rose said with a deep sigh. ‘I’m so over him. You know, Noel reminded me of Gavin when we first met,’ she continued. ‘It was the suit and tie and the hard work at theoffice and all that. But then I realised he’s much nicer and more considerate than Gavin. And not self-centred or full of himself. He’s not that comfortable in his office clothes either. He always pulls down his tie and takes off his blazer when we meet for coffee on a working day.’
Lily laughed. ‘And you’re just friends with him? Pull the other one.’
