Page 97 of The Girl with the Irish Secret
‘Drive carefully,’ Sylvia ordered. ‘Vi, let me know when you get back.’
‘I will, Granny,’ Vi promised, wondering why Sylvia looked so suspicious. ‘Jack and I are just friends,’ she added in order to reassure her grandmother.
‘I’ll look after her,’ Jack cut in.
‘Good.’ Sylvia nodded, looking mollified. ‘I don’t mean to appear so doubtful,’ she added with a little smile. ‘I’m sure you’re a perfect gentleman. It’s just that my granddaughters are so very precious to me.’
‘Of course they are,’ Jack said warmly. ‘I understand completely. Family is what matters most in life, after all.’
‘Exactly.’ Sylvia paused. ‘But now we’d better get going or we’ll be late for lunch at the golf club in Killarney. It’s a bit of a drive, you see.’
‘Drive carefully,’ Vi said. ‘I’ll send you a text later.’
‘Goodbye, Mrs Fleury. So nice to meet you. I hope we’ll meet again soon,’ Jack said.
‘You may call me Sylvia,’ she said graciously. ‘Bye for now.’
Jack shook his head when Sylvia’s car had moved off. ‘I feel as if I’ve just met the queen. What an amazing woman.’ He looked at Vi and clapped his hand to his heart. ‘I think I fell a little in love with her. It was the way she looked at me with those beautiful eyes just now and told me to call her Sylvia. Before that, I was scared of her.’
Vi giggled. ‘Yeah, Granny is something else. There’s nobody like her. I love her to bits.’
‘So do I from now on.’ He took off the glasses and pulled off the blond wig. ‘I’ll ditch this now as it does nothing for my complexion.’
Vi laughed. ‘Oh don’t mind Granny. She speaks her mind always and can be a little too critical at times.’
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ Jack declared. ‘I wish more people would be as honest. But of course she is your beloved granny and so very dear to you.’
‘Yes, she is. For so many reasons,’ Vi said as they resumed walking.
‘How are things with your sisters?’ he asked. ‘Have you been talking to them?’
Vi sighed. ‘Oh, it’s complicated. But I’ve had a talk with Lily, my eldest sister, and we get on better now. I haven’t seen Rose. She’s still giving me the cold shoulder.’
‘I’m sure she’ll come around,’ he soothed.
‘Maybe.’ Vi started to walk faster. ‘But now I’ll show you around and then we’ll go back and get in the car and go for our drive.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Jack said with a grin. ‘You’re a chip off the old block, aren’t you?’
‘I hope so,’ Vi said. ‘If I’m just a little bit like Granny, I’ll cope with most things.’
‘I’d say you’d cope with anything,’ Jack remarked. He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Even me. I’m not the easiest man to get along with.’
Vi looked at him and wondered what he meant. ‘Yes, but I’m sure you’re very professional when you’re working with other actors,’ she countered. ‘What you’re like in private is not relevant.’
‘Good point,’ he said. ‘Let’s drop it for now and explore this lovely building.’
‘Grand,’ Vi said and started to open the big entrance door.
As they walked into the house in silence, she wondered what he had meant. Would the making of this movie be more challenging than she had thought? He had hinted at the fact that he could be difficult, and when she thought about how he had behaved when they’d had that drink in London, she realised thatthere might be many sides to his character. Sides that she might not find easy to accept. The reality might be very different to her dreams.
14
The tour around the ground floor and gardens of the manor took longer than Vi had planned. Jack wanted to see as much as he could. He looked into every nook and cranny of the downstairs rooms, asking questions about the family and its history. As luck would have it, the rooms were empty of residents, avoiding any questions or curious stares. He was fascinated by the library, where the bookcases and oak panelling were still as they had been when the house was built. The old books had been replaced by a modern selection, mostly contemporary literature in paperback. But there were still a few leatherbound volumes here and there, books about the flora and fauna of Kerry with beautiful illustrations that Jack found fascinating. He leafed through them, staring at the pictures, impressed by the detail.
They had a quick look in the dining room that was now furnished with round tables and chairs and had art posters on the walls. ‘Nice,’ Jack said, ‘but I bet the old dining room was a lot more interesting.’
‘Of course,’ Vi agreed. ‘There was a huge mahogany table here that could seat twenty people with matching chairs and a beautiful oriental carpet. And then there were Regencysideboards and a glass cabinet and oil paintings on the walls. The old furniture and some of the paintings were sold off when they created this communal dining room. And the ballroom was also modernised and made into a space for events such as weddings and other festivities. It’s very popular for receptions in the summer months because then they can also use the terrace and have drinks outside when the weather is nice.’
