Page 86 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
‘I can imagine,’ Vi said, feeling sorry for the old lady. It must be hard to sit in a big old house full of things from the past. ‘Moving house is always difficult.’
‘It’ll be like moving a mountain,’ Fidelma said with a sigh. ‘I’m lucky I can still manage on my own, or it would be the old folks’ home for me. I’m dreading the day that will happen.’
‘It might not,’ Vi soothed. ‘You seem very fit and healthy to me.’
‘But I’m old,’ Fidelma said. ‘Sorry to be so gloomy. You didn’t call me to hear me complain. In any case, whenever I have to move to that home, my children will have to come and sort out the house without me. Then they’ll be sorry they didn’t do it sooner.’
‘I’m sure,’ Vi said, not quite knowing what else to say. She was dying to see those letters but it didn’t look as if Fidelma could even find them if she still had them. This whole conversation was turning into a wild goose chase. The only thing she had learned was that Kathleen had had a difficult childhood and that she was good at dancing. Not much to go on.
‘I will look for those letters,’ Fidelma promised. ‘I have a feeling you should see them. Much to learn about Kathleen and some of it might surprise you. I’ll contact Finbarr as soon as I’ve found the box and have him send it to you. That’s all I can do.’
‘That’s very kind,’ Vi said, touched by the old woman’s willingness to help. ‘I have a feeling it will help me be more like her.’
‘Oh, you wouldn’t want to be like her in real life,’ Fidelma said. ‘Only in the movie, I mean. She wasn’t quite what she pretended… Well, you’ll find out in time. It was good to talk to you, Violet. Goodbye.’ Fidelma hung up without waiting for an answer.
After that abrupt end to the conversation, Vi sat there for a while, thinking about what Fidelma had said. There was something that felt ominous, as if Kathleen had had some kind of trauma in her life that had changed her. Vi wondered if she really wanted to play Kathleen after all. She knew the directorwanted to tell Kathleen’s story, mostly her romance, but it sounded like there was much more to Kathleen than that, much more that they hadn’t even bothered to find out.Why not?she wondered.And if I find something shocking in Kathleen’s past, will I still want to play her when I know the truth?
Vi was startled out of her reverie by the doorbell. Who could be at the front door? Most people in Kerry would call at the back door of a house so this felt unusual. Was it the postman? No, he had been earlier that day. The bell rang again. Puzzled, Vi opened the door and stared in shock at the person on the doorstep.
10
‘Leo!’ she exclaimed. ‘What are you doing here?’
Leo grinned. ‘I had a gap between jobs so then I decided to come to Ireland for a break. It’s my aunt’s sixtieth birthday on Sunday as well and they’re throwing one of those great Irish parties. Thought I’d come and look you up as I was in the neighbourhood, so now I’m here.’ He drew breath. Dressed in a leather bomber jacket and jeans, he looked quite different to the shy young man she had met in London. His blue eyes sparkled and his cheeks were rosy from the wind.
‘Cork is not the neighbourhood,’ Vi said, laughing. ‘Or anywhere near it.’ She glanced behind him and spotted a motorbike on the gravel. ‘I like your mode of travel, though.’
‘Yeah, it’s great,’ Leo agreed. ‘My cousin was kind enough to lend it to me for the day.’
Vi opened the door wider. ‘Come in,’ she said. ‘Sorry to have you standing there without inviting you in. It was just that I was so startled to see you.’
‘I should have called you,’ Leo said, looking contrite as he hovered on the doorstep. ‘I’m sure you’re busy with your family.’
‘Not at all,’ Vi assured him. ‘I had lunch with my granny earlier and I’ve just had a long conversation with an old lady who knew Kathleen O’Sullivan when she was young. How about a cup of coffee?’ she asked over her shoulder as she walked inside with Leo following behind her. ‘Or tea or water? I’m afraid I have no beer or anything stronger.’
‘I don’t need anything stronger,’ Leo said. ‘I have to drive that thing back later. I only have it for the day. My cousin wants it back tonight. It’s his most precious possession.’
‘How kind of him to let you borrow it,’ Vi remarked as they walked into the living room.
‘Well…’ Leo paused, looking a little guilty. ‘I didn’t actually ask. It was there in the driveway with the key in it. So I thought I’d go for a bit of a spin. I love motorbikes, you see.’
Vi stared at Leo. ‘What? You just took it? Won’t he be furious when he finds out?’
‘Maybe. But he’ll be so happy to see it back in one piece he’ll accept my apologies and understand the reason.’
‘What reason was that?’ Vi asked.
‘That I needed to go and see a woman I’ll be working with I a few months,’ Leo replied. ‘You, I mean. Anyway, he’s a good sport and won’t make too much of a fuss once I take him out for a beer. We’re very close, actually.’
‘You’d want to be,’ Vi remarked. ‘Sit down and I’ll get some coffee. Or do you prefer tea?’
‘Coffee would be great,’ Leo said. ‘I had a burger and chips in town so don’t bother making me anything to eat.’
‘I wasn’t going to,’ Vi said, laughing. ‘But I could open a packet of ginger snaps if you like.’
‘Amazing,’ Leo said with a glint of laughter in his eyes. ‘I’m touched that you’d do that for me.’
‘Relax there on the sofa while get the coffee and stuff,’ Vi said and went into the kitchen. She was delighted to see Leo again.She had liked him from the start and had been touched by his kindness during the photo shoot. He was the only one of the film crew she felt comfortable with – except for Jack Montgomery, but that felt more like a flirtation she didn’t quite know how to handle. With Jack, she had been excited and slightly nervous, but Leo made her feel completely at ease.
