Page 66 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
‘That thought makes me very happy. It doesn’t matter if we don’t have a plan of how we’re going to manage our life together.’
‘Not a bit,’ Vi assured him. ‘If there’s a will there’s a way, as the saying goes. We’ll work it out.’
Then they were interrupted by some of the cast who wanted to take selfies with them and the party continued. Vi managed to sneak away with her mother and get into a taxi before anyone noticed. Sylvia, Lily and Rose had already left and were staying in a nearby hotel before they’d catch the early morning train to Tralee. Vi and Patricia, who were staying in the flat, would follow later on, and they would all be together at last. It would be wonderful to have a break at Magnolia after all the excitement. ‘No better place to recharge one’s batteries,’ Patricia said before they went to bed.
It was truly wonderful to get back to Kerry and Magnolia Manor for the weekend. The weather had improved and the skies cleared after a few days of storms and heavy rain. When Jack arrived in his rented car, the sun shone from a cloudless sky and the light breeze brought with it that lovely salty tang of sand and seaweed that he had loved ever since the first time he came. Vi rushed into his arms as he stepped out of the car and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘Granny has invited us for dinner. Just you and me and the rest of the family. We can tell them we intend to live together then.’
Jack laughed and hugged her tight. ‘I hope they won’t be too shocked.’
‘I think they know already,’ Vi said. ‘Granny put champagne in the fridge and Nora baked a chocolate cake, which she always does for special occasions. It’s to celebrate the movie, but also that we’re together at last.’
‘And that we plan to get engaged a little later on and then…’
‘Yes, I know,’ Vi said. ‘But let’s not rush into anything. We have only been dating for a short while after all.’
‘I know,’ he replied. ‘But I also know this is for real.’
‘Of course it is.’ She took his hand and pulled him towards the garden. ‘Come on. Let’s go for a walk in the garden. I have something to tell you. A plan of sorts.’
‘A plan?’ he asked, looking intrigued. ‘But I need to park the car and get my bag out. Did you say I could stay here with you?’
‘Yes, you can. Mum and I made up the spare room for you. Not five-star accommodation,’ she warned. ‘Only one bathroom with pipes that rattle if the water gets too hot.’
He grinned. ‘It’ll be just like home.’
‘Thought so. But come on. You can unpack later.’
Jack smiled and let Vi lead him up the path, tucking her hand under his arm. ‘Why the rush?’
‘I feel I can explain things better in the fresh air,’ she said.
‘What things?’
‘About where we’re going to live. I know we’ll have to travel for work and things, but we need a home that’s more than a base.’ Vi stopped and looked at Jack. ‘I want to buy the gatehouse from Granny. She often says she wants to sell it as she doesn’t want to keep paying for repairs and stuff. So I thought…’ Vi stopped and stared at him. ‘You look funny. Do you think it’s a terrible idea?’
Jack shook his head. ‘No, my sweet Violet. It’s the best idea I ever heard. Of course we should keep the gatehouse as our home, our haven, our bolthole. I just want us to buy it together. Would that be possible?’
Vi nodded, nearly speechless with joy. ‘Very possible, my darling Jack.’
‘You don’t know how happy that makes me. I get to own a little bit of this amazing, heavenly place. And I get you, and your family.’
‘A family made up of mostly difficult women,’ Vi remarked. ‘Are you sure you can cope with us?’
‘I’m not sure of anything,’ Jack said with a laugh. ‘Only that I won’t be bored.’
‘That I can certainly promise,’ Vi declared.
***
1
The waiting room was, as always, chilly. Vi wrapped her legs around each other and zipped up her short down jacket as she sat on the hard chair. She looked at the receptionist, trying to gauge how long she would have to sit there before she was asked to go in to the office. The woman was dressed in what looked like several layers of cashmere. She was busy peering at the screen of her computer and kept typing, not seeming to notice Vi’s discomfort. Well, all those sweaters had to keep her warm, Vi mused as she tried to think of something cheery while she waited. But all she could do was to go through all the frustrations of the past few months.
Her acting career, which had seemed so promising, had stalled. She was beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t consider giving up altogether. But she had worked so hard to get even where she was today: a working actress in Ireland, the kind who was cast in small productions and local plays, but who was always the second lead, the heroine’s best friend or sister. Then there were the historical dramas where she played the serving wench in medieval costume with a dirty face and blackened teeth. It felt like being always the bridesmaid, never the bride,and she was sick of it. She was about to turn thirty and felt that she had somehow missed that breakthrough that was supposed to happen just out of drama school.
Her agent, in whose office she was waiting, kept saying she would soon get that big part, but nothing much had happened yet and now Vi was quite sure it never would. The acting world was fickle; what if she was seen as too old soon? Vi wondered if it wouldn’t be better to give up acting altogether if she kept getting mediocre parts. It was tempting as it sometimes felt as if she was running up a very steep hill never to reach the top. She decided to tell Hugh what was going through her mind when he was finally free to see her. She was wondering what was keeping him. He was usually so punctual and correct.
The secretary was still busy at her computer and Vi considered leaving when the phone on the desk rang. After a brief conversation, the woman looked at Vi as if she had just noticed her.
