Page 56 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
Patricia laughed. ‘Sorry. I’m such a control freak. I wish I could be there with you. It would be fun to have an evening together. But I couldn’t get away. I have to organise the sale of the farm before I can think of doing anything else.’
‘I know. It must be hard.’ Vi felt a dart of pity for her mother, who had to cope with the sale of the farm and everything to do with her old life with her late husband before she could move on and think of herself. ‘It’s been two years,’ she said. ‘And you’re still trying to sort out all the probate stuff.’
‘Yes, and I’m an accountant,’ her mother remarked. ‘Imagine what it must be like for people who’re not trained to deal with this kind of stuff. But never mind me. How are you getting on with the preparations for the movie?’
‘Fine,’ Vi said. ‘I’m going to London for rehearsals and costume fittings and then I’ll get back to Kerry and we’ll start shooting in March.’
‘Sounds exciting,’ Patricia said. ‘How do you like the flat?’
‘It’s very nice.’ Vi looked around the small but cosy living room. ‘Great to have a crash pad in Dublin.’
‘Yes, that’s what I thought. Handy for us all. Anyway,’ Patricia said, sounding tired, ‘I just called to see if all was well with you. I’ll pop down to Kerry when you’re back there. I want to see the grandkids. They must have grown since the last time I saw them.’
‘Oh yes, they’re all growing and thriving.’ Vi smiled as she thought of her nieces and little nephew. ‘It’s very busy down there now. I hope you can sort everything and leave all the sorrow behind soon, Mum. It’s been a tough time for you.’
‘It has indeed,’ Patricia agreed. ‘Can’t wait to start living again. Good luck with everything. I’ll see you soon.’
‘Bye, Mum.’ Vi hung up, happy that her mother seemed a little brighter. She had been very distant while her husband was ill and then, after his death, all the financial affairs had to be sorted out. Lily and Rose had been too busy with their children to help their mother, so Vi had stepped in and tried her best to be supportive. But then lately, with the movie and everything else associated with it, she had forgotten to call as often as she used to.
Oh the movie, she thought, the memory of what Fidelma had told her flooding back into her mind.I have to call Jack.Vi picked up her phone again and dialled Jack’s number. He answered straight away.
‘Violet?’
‘Yes. It’s me. Look, I’m sorry if I was rude to you the other day. I know what happened and I’m?—’
‘Please stop,’ Jack said. ‘Let’s not go into all that. Sylvia explained it all and said she’d talk to you, which I assume she did. So let’s move forward.’
‘Okay,’ Vi said, slightly taken aback by his brisk tone. Apparently his feelings for her had cooled too. ‘I didn’t call to talk about the photo of you and Liz. That’s none of my business, really.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Jack said drily. ‘You jumped to the obvious conclusions, I assume.’
‘Maybe,’ Vi said, feeling a lump in her throat as he hadn’t denied that there was some truth in the rumours. ‘But there is something else I need to discuss with you. It’s about the movieand the script and Kathleen…’ She stopped, trying to pull her thoughts together. She hadn’t planned what she was going to say and now his deep voice confused her. ‘I have just found out something about Kathleen,’ she started. ‘Something that has to be included in the script. In fact, it could change the whole plot and make it much more dramatic.’
‘Really? That sounds interesting.’ Jack sounded intrigued. ‘Could this insert even more spice into the mix?’
‘Absolutely,’ Vi agreed. ‘But I can’t talk about it over the phone like this. If you’re in London, maybe we could meet? I’ll be there tomorrow evening.’
‘Yes, that would be great. Can you come straight to our office? I’ll get Liz to come too. I’ll contact the script writers and see if they can join by video link from LA. This sounds serious.’
‘It is,’ Vi said, feeling a jolt of disappointment that she wouldn’t be seeing Jack in private. But this wasn’t about them and their feelings for each other, it was about Kathleen and the movie depicting the most important part of her life. ‘I could have kept this to myself,’ she added. ‘But I felt that the script needed more than just your ordinary love story.’
‘It certainly does,’ Jack agreed. ‘I’m really grateful to you for taking the trouble to find out whatever it is. I’m looking forward to hearing it. And…’ He stopped.
‘Yes?’ Vi asked, her throat suddenly dry.
‘I’d like to have a chat with you on our own too. We could have dinner after the meeting. Would that be okay?’
‘Yes,’ she said again, nervously. Why would he want to do that?
‘Great. I’ll text you about the meeting with the team. Bye for now, Violet.’
‘Bye, Jack,’ she whispered, although he had already hung up.
Vi sat on the chair, holding the phone to her chest, going over the conversation. He had seemed anxious to hear what she hadfound out. He also seemed open to rewriting the script in order to improve the plotline. But not only that, he wanted to see her in private, and it made her heart sing.
26
The following evening, Vi arrived at the office building straight from the airport. She paid the driver of the taxi, took her bag and went inside, feeling only a little bit apprehensive about what she was about to do. It seemed enormous that she would be able to ask to change the plot of such a high-profile movie, but at the same time inevitable. She was driven by a strange loyalty to Kathleen, a woman she now knew so well, despite the fact that she had been dead for over thirty years.
