Page 22 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘I think I am already.’ Claire smiled at Rose, feeling a surge of affection for her third cousin. She hoped they would become close. That’s if Rose wouldn’t be too shocked at Claire’s deception and tell her to leave Magnolia Manor for good.
ELEVEN
The evening with Rose and her husband and children turned out to be more than just a family affair. A surprise guest rang the doorbell just after Claire had arrived. Noel, Rose’s husband, was helping Claire off with her jacket when the new arrival appeared in the doorway. She turned around and discovered Pierce standing behind her with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other.
‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Fancy seeing you here. What a very pleasant surprise.’
‘Well, yeah…’ Claire was suddenly tongue-tied. ‘I didn’t know you’d be here.’
‘Noel invited me when we ran into each other in the bank,’ Pierce said.
‘And Rose invited me when I went to Magnolia Manor to look at the little flat,’ Claire said.
‘And neither of us knew about the other’s invitation,’ Noel filled in. He hung Claire’s jacket on a peg on the hallstand. He was a tall man with a shock of light blond hair. He exuded warmth and kindness and Claire had liked him the minute he had opened the door to her when she rang the doorbell.
‘So it’s a surprise party,’ Rose said with a laugh from the door to the living room. ‘Welcome, Claire and Pierce. The kids are in their jammies and we’re just going through the pizza delivery menu. They both want margheritas and Noel will want the mushroom one and I’ll go for pepperoni.’
‘These are for you.’ Pierce handed the bunch of flowers to Rose.
‘You really shouldn’t have, Pierce,’ Rose said. ‘They’re lovely. Thank you so much. But come in and take look at the brochure and then tell us what you want so I can phone the pizzeria and place our order.’
They followed Rose into the bright, welcoming living room where the fire was lit and the blue curtains were drawn against the wet and windy evening outside. The carpet was strewn with toys and a cartoon played on the TV in the corner.
‘Hello, Sophie and Freddie,’ Pierce said as he walked towards the sofa where two children were looking at a brochure from the pizzeria.
‘Hi, Uncle Pierce,’ the little girl said. ‘Is that your new girlfriend?’
‘No,’ Rose said. ‘This is Claire and she is working for Uncle Pierce’s sister, Karina.’
‘Cooking?’ Sophie said, looking at Claire with her huge blue eyes. She was the image of her mother with the same dark blonde hair and dimples in her cheeks.
‘No, just in the office,’ Claire said and sat down beside the little girl. ‘Hello, you must be Sophie. I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘What have you heard?’ Sophie asked, staring at Claire.
‘That you’re very good at the tin whistle and Irish dancing,’ Claire said as the little boy pulled at her arm. She turned to smile at him. ‘Hi, there. What’s your name?’
‘Freddie,’ he said and stuck his thumb in his mouth.
‘How old are you?’ Claire asked. She couldn’t help smiling at the little boy. With his huge blue eyes, dark eyelashes and tousled blond hair, he was a beautiful child.
Freddie took his thumb out of his mouth. ‘Two and a half. Can I sit on your lap?’
‘Of course,’ Claire said and lifted the little boy onto her lap. ‘So what are you doing tonight?’
He looked up at her for a moment. ‘We’re having pizza.’
‘I know.’ Claire put her arms around the warm little body. ‘I love pizza.’
‘Which kind?’ Sophie asked, inching closer to Claire and Freddie. She pushed the brochure at Claire. ‘It’s all in here, so pick one.’
Claire took the brochure and looked at the list. ‘Okay, well my favourite is pizza Vesuvio which is very spicy, with anchovies. I see they have that here, so that’s what I’m having.’
‘How strange.’ Pierce joined them on the sofa. ‘That’s my favourite too.’
‘Great.’ Rose picked up her phone from the coffee table. ‘Now that I know what everyone wants, I’ll phone through our order. They’ll be here in about half an hour or so. We can have a drink in the meantime. What will you have, Claire? White or red wine, a Guinness or beer? Or a soft drink if you’re driving.’
‘I walked here,’ Claire said. ‘Despite the weather. It’s only ten minutes from the B&B anyway. A glass of red would be nice, thanks.’
