Page 11 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘Not at all,’ Sylvia said, busying herself at the cooker. ‘Do sit down and I’ll bring everything over.’
Karina winked. ‘Better do as she says.’
Claire smiled and sat down. These two were obviously close friends despite the age difference and the banter between them was fun to listen to. She sat down and began to enjoy herself, no longer awestruck to be in Sylvia Fleury’s presence. The old lady was so down to earth and easy-going, far from the forbidding woman she had imagined. She wondered how she would react if she found out about Claire’s connection to the family. Perhaps she would be more open than Claire had first expected.Or she might throw me out and then call the Guards, she thought with a slight shiver.
‘This smells delicious,’ she said out loud, forcing a friendly smile.
‘An old family recipe,’ Sylvia said, ‘that I shared with Karina as she is from the family who invented it. Well, my mother did, as a matter of fact.’
‘You’ve been very generous with her recipes,’ Karina said, picking up her spoon. ‘What would my career be without them?’
‘You wouldn’t have one.’ Sylvia sat down and handed around bread rolls from a little basket on the table. ‘Granny O’Farrell was a legend in our family.’
‘What about the Fleurys?’ Claire asked. ‘Didn’t they have any good recipes to share with the next generations?’
‘They had staff,’ Sylvia said. ‘Those Fleury girls of the older generations couldn’t cook to save their lives. Before I arrived at Magnolia none of them could so much as boil an egg.’
‘They didn’t know much about the real world,’ Karina remarked. ‘I heard old Cornelius was delighted that you improved the cuisine at Magnolia Manor when you came here.’
‘Oh yes,’ Sylvia said with a fond smile. ‘My father-in-law liked good food. But he was a little shocked at the idea of a Fleury wife in the kitchen cooking up a storm. He got used to it very quickly, though.’
‘Once you served up the famous O’Farrell beef stew, I bet,’ Karina remarked.
‘Well,’ Sylvia admitted, ‘I’m not that good at cooking, to tell you the truth. I just gave all the family recipes to Nora and she followed them to the letter. Cornelius never twigged and who was I to enlighten him when he was so impressed?’
Claire forgot to eat, even though the soup was delicious. She stared at Sylvia, taking in every word she said about her father-in-law.Cornelius, she thought,my great-grandfather’s twin. Does Sylvia even know Louis existed?
Sylvia stopped talking and looked at Claire. ‘You look a little pale. Are you not feeling well? Or is it the soup? Did I put in too much chilli? I only meant to add a touch to give it a deeper flavour, but maybe…’
‘No,’ Claire said. ‘It’s very nice, really. It’s just that I’m a little overwhelmed by everything. I only arrived yesterday and, well, this morning I had the interview and I fixed the computer and then we came here and…’
‘Of course,’ Sylvia said with great empathy. ‘It’s been quite a whirlwind for you. Karina gets carried away sometimes. I think you should have the rest of the day off.’
‘Yes, that is a good idea,’ Karina said, looking slightly guilty. ‘I shouldn’t have made you jump in at the deep end. I’ll drive you back to Madigan’s if you like.’
‘No, please don’t worry,’ Claire said. ‘I’m fine. Actually, I’d like to see more of this house as I’ll be involved with the events here. Better to learn the ropes straight away, I think. After that I can go back to the B&B.’
‘Excellent idea,’ Karina said. ‘We’ll do a tour of the premises after lunch. And then you can meet Rose if she’s around.’
‘Great,’ Claire said and picked up her spoon. ‘This is really delicious, Mrs Fleury. I’m sorry about my little turn earlier.’
‘Oh please. Call me Sylvia. Nobody except my doctor calls me Mrs Fleury,’ Sylvia said. ‘I know I must be ancient to you, but I think we will be friends. There is something about you that…’ She looked at Claire for a moment. ‘I have the oddest feeling that we’ve met before. You look familiar in a strange way. Not sure what it is, but…’
Claire stiffened under the old lady’s intense gaze. What would happen now if her cover was blown? Sylvia Fleury looked like someone who wasn’t easy to fool. Auntie Rachel’s words suddenly rang through her mind.You’re a throwback, Claire, she had said. Maybe it was too obvious and anyone in the family would spot it immediately. What if her likeness to someone in the Fleury family would give her away right now? Claire swallowed nervously, trying to think of something to say that would throw Sylvia off the scent.
SIX
‘No, we haven’t met before,’ Claire said, trying not to look affected by what Sylvia had just said. The two women were staring at her in a strange way. Could they hear her heart beating like a drum and notice how cold she suddenly felt?
‘Are you sure?’ Sylvia asked. ‘Maybe we did and I forgot? Not an unusual occurrence at my age,’ she added.
‘I’m quite sure,’ Claire replied when she found her voice again. ‘I’ve never been to Kerry and I don’t know anyone here at all.’
‘Could be she looks like someone you know,’ Karina suggested. ‘That happens sometimes. And it’s said we all have a double somewhere.’
‘Or an evil twin?’ Sylvia suggested with a mischievous look in her eyes. ‘Old Cornelius used to say that he had one of those out there.’
Claire nearly jumped out of her skin at those words.An evil twin, she thought,old Cornelius hadn’t been joking. But did he really think of his brother as evil?
