Page 125 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
‘Yes, she is. But you are a lot of things thatshecould never be if she tried for the rest of her life. But could we concentrate on the movie and Kathleen now?’ Jack took Vi’s hand. ‘You’re frozen,’ he said, rubbing it between his own warm hands.
‘What was that other thing we have to take into consideration?’ Vi asked, secretly enjoying the touch of his hands. The issue of his relationship with Liz still burned in her mind but this was not the right time to discuss it.
‘About Kathleen? Well,’ Jack started, ‘if she’s a kind of legend in Ireland, would it be kind to her memory to expose her like this? She was, after all, a lovely Irish girl as far as everyone knows. Someone to be proud of, like the flag and the harp and the music.’
‘I see what you mean.’ Vi sat up and pulled her hand out of Jack’s grip. ‘I didn’t think of that angle. But… I have a feeling it would be good for the image of modern Ireland and all the people who have come from all kinds of countries to start a new life. Maybe these days, they would see the story as a contrast to the world we live in today. It was during the war and everyone was suspicious of strangers. If the writers take that angle and don’t expose her as a fake, but as a woman’s way to survive in the harsh climate of the times she lived in, I think it would work. Nobody has to hide who they are today, but she had to in order to succeed in her acting career.’ Vi drew breath and leaned back again. ‘Fidelma and I discussed the idea that this is more true to Kathleen’s legacy.’
‘I see,’ Jack said. ‘That’s a great idea, actually. I didn’t think of it that way. So if we manage to get that message across, we’ll have an even stronger story than before. Subtle but very poignant. All we need now is proof of the story and I’m sure Liz will agree. Unless you want to go on sick leave, of course,’ he added with a touch of laughter in his voice.
Vi managed a smile. ‘I’ll think about it.’
They were quiet while the car neared Croydon. Tom asked for Vi’s address and she repeated the street and the number and told him it was quite close. Then the car pulled up outside the building and Vi started to get out.
Jack put a hand on her arm. ‘Hold on. I’ll help you with your suitcase.’
‘Okay.’ Vi got out while Jack took her suitcase from the boot and went with her through the entrance door to the lift. She pressed the button and while she waited for the lift to arrive, turned to him. ‘How long do you think the delay will be?’
‘I’d say we’ll have to wait a couple of weeks and then we’ll be back on track. Liz will come around, don’t worry. She just likes to have all details lined up and shipshape. That’s the way she is.’
‘You want that, too, I bet,’ Vi countered. ‘But I don’t think it will be hard to get confirmation of Fidelma’s story. There’ll be records from Castleisland, the town where Kathleen grew up, and where her mother married her stepfather. The church records are a good way to start. The school she went to will also have records of her attendance there.’
‘I’d say Liz is already on the case,’ Jack said.
‘Well, you know her better than I do,’ Vi remarked. ‘Here’s the lift now. Thanks for driving me home.’
‘You’re very welcome.’ He leaned forward and touched her cheek with his lips for a second. ‘I’ll be in touch.’
The kiss had been as light as a feather but it burned her skin like a thousand flames all the same. Flustered, Vi took her suitcase and went into the lift, still feeling the light touch of his lips on her cheek all the way up to her floor.
She opened the door to the flat, her mind full of what had happened during the past few hours: the meeting at the office, Liz’s accusations, the argument with Jack and then him kissing her cheek. It was a kaleidoscope of impressions and conversations which, despite her exhaustion, kept her awake until the early hours of the morning. Then she finally fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up just before noon, wondering if she had dreamed it all.
The flat seemed dull and dreary in the grey winter light and Vi knew she couldn’t stay there. It was too depressing. There was only one place she wanted to be: Kerry and Magnolia Manor and the gatehouse she had come to love. As the movie was now being delayed by several weeks, why stay in London when she could go home and wait there for everything to start up again? Jack would send her the new script by email but she didn’t need to be in London for that. And it seemed to Vi that it would be betternot to hang around and look needy while Jack and Liz might be trying to sort out their relationship – business and personal. It made her heart ache to think of the two of them together, but if they still had feelings for each other, there was no hope for Vi. She booked a flight to Cork the following morning, where she would take the bus to Dingle and then Granny would collect her when she arrived. That felt like a very good decision. No better place to be right now than Magnolia Manor where the garden and the ocean and the sound of the waves would soothe her frazzled nerves. And her broken heart.
28
The text from Leo – which came as Vi was at the departure gate – asking her out for a drink in his favourite pub in Soho made her feel a little guilty. She texted back to say she was on her way home. He called about a minute after she had sent the text.
‘Why?’ he asked. ‘I thought you’d be rehearsing here in London with the cast.’
‘There’s been a delay,’ Vi explained. ‘Liz kicked up a fuss when I told them about Kathleen’s past and said she needed to check the facts.’
‘What was the big secret, anyway?’ Leo asked. ‘Can you tell me now that everyone else knows?’
Vi looked around the departure area to see if there was anyone nearby who might be eavesdropping. But everyone else was either on the phone or arguing with someone beside them or busy with their hand luggage. ‘Okay, I can tell you briefly. I’ll fill in the details next time we meet. But here’s the gist of it,’ she whispered into her phone. ‘You see, Kathleen wasn’t really who she claimed to be – she was a Polish refugee who arrived in Ireland when she was twelve. And her real name wasn’t Kathleen.’
‘Wow,’ Leo said, sounding shocked. ‘That’s some story.’
‘I know. Anyway, there’s more but I can’t tell you right now.’
‘I see. So the delay is because of the script having to be rewritten?’
‘Partly. And the facts having to be checked. So now we’re waiting for the go-ahead and the rewrites of the script. I thought I’d wait at home rather than hang around London. I feel better there.’
‘I see.’ Leo paused. ‘And I was going to take you on a tour of my favourite London hangouts. Maybe next time, eh?’
Vi could sense the disappointment in his voice and tried to think of a way to cheer him up. Then she remembered how he had kissed her on New Year’s Eve, and realised again that he might be feeling more than friendship for her. How could she soothe his bruised ego without giving false hope? ‘That would be fun,’ she said. ‘I’ll give you a shout when I get back to London. I like to see where my friends hang out. Maybe we could make it a group event with some of the cast and crew?’
‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘That would be a different evening to what I had in mind. But why not? Let’s talk when you get back. Have a nice time in Kerry.’
