Page 23 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
Sitting in the orangery with a cup of coffee, Vi read through the script very quickly. It was a good place to sit on a winter’s day, with the mellow winter sun streaming in through the tall windows, illuminating everything outside in a golden hue. She stared at the walled garden with its neat flowerbeds and clipped hedges, thinking what a wonderful job Lily had done with the space. It truly had an old-world atmosphere and anyone walking around would feel themselves transported to the early 1800s when vegetables and fruit for the household were grown here. The orangery itself consisted of one big room with the stonework exposed. The restored tiled floor now had underfloor heating to make it more comfortable on cooler days. The café was closed but Sylvia was at the counter helping with accounts and inventory, so she had said to Vi she could sit here today if she wanted a change of scene. ‘I’ll put the heating on for you and leave you alone,’ Sylvia promised. Vi had been grateful to get out of the house on this cold, windy day despite the sunshine. Sitting in the garden was not an option today.
Vi turned back to the script, and tried to assess what she thought of it. The dialogue was good and the scene settingsexcellent and it gave her a good idea of the feel of the movie. But there were a few things missing, such as Kathleen’s fiery temper and the stormy relationship between her and Don that weren’t touched on in much detail. But Vi couldn’t make notes of how that could be changed as she didn’t have enough information. She made another attempt to speak to Fidelma Sheridan the following day, but there was no answer. She tried again just after six o’clock with the same result. The old lady might have gone away for some reason, or be spending time with her children and grandchildren. Vi decided to keep trying, just to get some more information about Kathleen O’Sullivan and what she had been like in private. Anything at all, some small detail would bring her closer to the woman she was about to portray. It probably wouldn’t be as bad as she imagined.
Vi thought about the conversation with Fidelma and her suggestions that Vi should study ballet. She decided to contact the school of dance in Dingle to see if she could have private lessons. A sweet woman’s voice answered the phone and when Vi explained who she was and why she was calling, there was huge excitement.
‘Oh wow, I read about that movie inThe Irish Times,’ she said. ‘My name is Claire Ryan, by the way. I’d be happy to give you a few lessons. Have you ever done classical ballet before?’
‘No,’ Vi replied. ‘Just a bit of Irish dancing. But I do yoga whenever I can, so I’m quite flexible.’
‘That sounds like a good start,’ Claire said. ‘We could begin with basic barre exercises to get you going and then a little floor work to get that softness that Kathleen had in her movements. I saw some of her movies on TV a long time ago and as a dancer I noticed how graceful she was. Oh gosh, I can’t believe I’ll be working with a real live film star!’
‘Well, I wouldn’t go that far,’ Vi said, laughing. ‘I’m just a jobbing actress.’
‘Now, yes,’ Claire said. ‘But gee, when that movie comes out you’ll be so famous. And you’ll be acting with Jack Montgomery as well. Your sisters must be so excited.’
‘I don’t know,’ Vi said drily. ‘So far there hasn’t been much excitement from them.’
‘But your niece Naomi comes to classes here.’ Claire sounded confused. ‘She said her auntie was going to be in a movie.’
‘I didn’t know Naomi did ballet,’ Vi said.
‘Oh yes, she does,’ Claire said. ‘She’s only five but she’s really good. Very sweet girl.’
‘I know,’ Vi said, not wanting to reveal the fact that she hadn’t seen Naomi since last Christmas. Just before that horrible row. ‘She’s a gorgeous kid.’
‘Loves her auntie, she said. I’m sure she’s excited that you’re here now. Will you be around long?’
‘Yes, I plan to stay until we start shooting. I have to do a lot of research and preparations,’ Vi explained.
‘Brilliant. Then you’ll have plenty of time to practise dance and movement,’ Claire said. ‘And to come and see Naomi in our Christmas show. She’s going to be one of the little fairies. So when would you like to start? I’m free most mornings. Afternoons are very busy.’
‘As soon as possible,’ Vi said.
‘Great. How about tomorrow morning?’ Claire suggested.
‘That would be perfect. I could come at ten o’clock,’ Vi said.
‘Grand. My studio is at the top of Goat Street. Number twenty-five. There’s a red car in front of it.’
‘I’ll find it. See you then,’ Vi said.
‘Looking forward to it. Bye for now.’
Vi said goodbye, happy to have made the appointment. Then, on an impulse she looked up Lily’s number in her contact list and called it. Better get it over with, and even if Lily refused to see her, the ball would be in her court.
It rang a few times and then a little voice said: ‘Lily Doyle’s phone, Naomi speaking. Mum is busy right now because Liam had pulled down all the dishes from the table and there’s an awful mess and Mum is really cross with him.’ She drew breath. ‘Who’s this on the phone?’ she asked.
‘It’s your auntie Violet,’ Vi said, smiling at the long diatribe from her little niece.
‘Wow,’ Naomi said. ‘My famous auntie?’ Then there was a noise as if she had dropped the phone and Vi could hear Naomi shout: ‘Mum, it’s Auntie Vi on the phone. Come quick before she goes away!’
Then Lily seemed to have picked up the phone. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Is that you, Vi? What do you want? I’m really busy. Can’t talk, the kids are acting up and I have to clear some broken china before there’s a nasty accident. I was putting all my cups and saucers on the table for my Christmas café event in a few weeks to see what I needed. My au pair has just left and I have nobody to help.’
‘I could come over,’ Vi offered, noticing the panic in her sister’s voice. This would be a great opportunity to earn some brownie points and make Lily feel more positive about Vi.
‘What?’ Lily asked. ‘You’d come over here? I got your message on my voicemail, so I knew you were here. I wasn’t really in the mood to call you back, to be honest. Well, you’re not exactly my favourite person after all the stuff you said. But oh, right now I’d be happy for any help I can get from anyone. Even from you. When can you come?’
‘Right now,’ Vi said, jumping at the chance. ‘I’ll borrow Granny’s car. I can be with you in ten minutes.’
