Page 42 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘I have Pierce. He’s been a great help by simply listening,’ Claire said. ‘And he is distantly related to Sylvia so maybe he’ll be able to come up with something. He said he’ll ask around and see if he can find anything.’
‘Oh good,’ Marian said. ‘Even if he doesn’t find anything, he’ll be there for you along the way. He seems to be such a great guy.’
‘He is.’ Claire smiled. ‘I think you’d like him. You have such high standards when it comes to men.’
‘I’ve changed with old age,’ Marian said, smiling ruefully. ‘Besides, I just want you to find someone who is kind and listens to you. That’s what was always missing with Hugh. Someone who makes you feel at home. That’s what I need right now too. A good dose of home.’
‘Of course you do,’ Claire agreed. ‘I can understand that you’d get homesick. I’m sure all the sunshine is a great help, though. It’s raining heavily here right now.’
‘I could do with some Irish rain,’ Marian said with a sigh. ‘The sun isn’t good for my Irish white skin. I have to be very careful here. In any case, constant sunshine gets boring after a while.’
‘Well, you’d have more interesting weather here,’ Claire quipped.
‘Exactly.’ Marian yawned. ‘You know what? I think I’ll go back to bed and see if I can catch up on some sleep. Andrew isn’t up yet anyway.’
‘Good idea. And I’ll go back into the archives and have another root around. Rose has gone home and I think Sylvia and Arnaud have friends over for dinner. Nobody will notice what I’m doing.’
‘Go for it, my little Mata Hari,’ Marian said with a chuckle. ‘And let me know as soon as possible if you find anything new and startling.’ She waggled her fingers at Claire. ‘Talk soon.’
‘Sleep tight,’ Claire said and blew her sister a kiss before the screen went blank. She was happy that she had seemed to have cheered Marian up. She had looked much brighter at the end of the conversation which was a comforting thought. Hopefully, Marian would be able to come for a visit soon. Claire got up from the sofa and paced around the room for a while, thinking about what Marian had said. It was a good idea to try to put everything together: her own files, Auntie Rachel’s book and the copybook with Maria Fleury’s musings. She needed to find something that proved who the true heir to Magnolia Manor had been.
TWENTY-TWO
Claire blinked as the lightbulb in the ceiling lit up the little room. She sighed as she looked at all the shelves, wondering where she should start. She saw what looked like a shoebox on a shelf at the very top and she stood on tiptoe to reach it. She just about managed to get it down without the contents spilling onto the floor. She clutched it to her chest and looked at what appeared to be all kinds of documents with scribbled notes here and there. She sneezed several times as dust rose in a cloud from the box and she had to fish a tissue from her pocket to blow her nose and wipe her eyes.
She was about to sit on the rickety old stool again but decided to take the box into her flat instead in order to study everything in detail. She wasn’t very hopeful that she would find anything; it would be too much to expect. But at least she would be looking at everything in the comfort of her flat instead of the cold, dusty room.
Back in her flat, Claire put the box carefully on her little dining table. The top of it was covered in dust and cobwebs but she could see some kind of print on the top of the document, which looked official. On closer inspection, she saw that it was a marriage certificate. With a beating heart, she picked it upand discovered the names of the couple: Caroline O’Sullivan and Cornelius Fleury, who were married in Dingle in 1912.That was when Louis had gone to Australia, Claire thought.So they were married then… But she was supposed to marry Louis, not Cornelius… What happened to change her mind?
Claire picked up the next document, which was Liam’s birth certificate, followed by a photo of Caroline holding the baby, who was dressed in a lacy christening gown, the very same that had been used for every Fleury baby since the middle of the nineteenth century, she had read in Auntie Rachel’s book. But Louis’ offspring had not had that privilege. Claire wondered if it was still in use. There were also a few Christmas cards that looked ancient, and a Valentine’s card for Iseult from an anonymous admirer.
Claire had come to the bottom of the box and was ready to give up, but then… What was this? Two documents stuck together and a note on top. The documents were the birth certificates for Cornelius and Louis, born in 1886, and the note stapled to the top of it said:Louis Fleury was born ten minutes before his brother Cornelius.It was signed by aDoctor Conor Higgins,present at the birth.
Claire stared at the note, stunned by what she had just read. So it was true. Louis had been born before Cornelius and had been the rightful heir to Magnolia Manor. This was sensational, incredible and shocking, even though it confirmed her suspicions. But if he was the heir, why had Louis walked away from this wonderful place, never to come back? That was the toughest nut to crack and Claire was now more determined than ever to find out the truth, even if she had to dig in the archives forever.
She knew she had been right to worry about the Fleurys’ reaction to all this. If she presented the Fleurys with this document that proved without a doubt that Louis had been therightful heir, would they doubt her motives? Would they suspect that she had come to claim the rights to the estate on behalf of her family – Louis Fleury’s great-grandchildren? After what they had been through with that old gambling debt that could have lost them everything, would they not be still traumatised? And now Claire arrives waving a document in their faces that could mean they yet again risked losing their home. This was a problem that had concerned her earlier, and now she realised that she had been right.
The rest of the papers in the box were of no importance. Still wrestling with the problem, Claire put the birth certificates back where she had found them, hidden under the other papers. Then she put the box under the bed. Nobody would think of looking for anything there.
When she was satisfied that the box was safe, Claire sent an email to Marian filling her in on what she had found. Then she decided to go for a walk as it had stopped raining and the stars and the new moon lit up the garden sufficiently for a stroll on the gravel paths. Some fresh, cool air would clear her mind and calm her down after her recent discovery. There was so much to think about and to digest and she needed to decide what the next step should be. She longed to talk to Pierce about it, but felt she had to be careful. He had said he was still doubtful about her having deceived the Fleurys and not been upfront about who she was, despite his interest in her quest. Now he would probably believe the worst if she told him about the birth certificates. It would be best not to show them to him, or anyone else, she decided. In any case, as his daughter was due to arrive, he might be too preoccupied to worry about Claire and her research – and his misgivings about her behaviour. She wondered idly what his daughter was like. Karina had hinted at teenage dramas, but hopefully it wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with for Pierce, who had such empathy and understanding of other people’sproblems. That girl was lucky to have a father like that, Claire decided.
The short walk in the cool air did the trick and Claire found herself relaxing while she listened to the nighttime sounds. An owl hooting overhead as it swooped past. The distant sound of the waves pounding the little beach beyond the shrubs. The leaves of the magnolia tree rustling in the wind. It was all so magical and comforting and Claire felt a jolt of pity for her great-grandfather Louis, who must have been constantly homesick for the house and gardens of his childhood. Would she ever know what had prompted his departure?
And then… now that she knew more, Claire wondered if it would not be better to simply leave, go back to Dublin and forget the whole thing. She had been so driven to find out the truth that she hadn’t considered anyone’s feelings. But now that she had met the Fleurys and found out how kind and generous they were, she was beginning to feel more guilty than ever.
I should give up and go back to Dublin, Claire thought as she got into bed.But oh, how can I when I feel so at home here?She wished she had never started this whole project and simply come to Kerry as herself – Claire Fleury, a relative who just wanted to get to know her distant cousins. It might have caused a few raised eyebrows, but not much more. But now she had opened a can of worms and she couldn’t go back. She had to reveal her true identity soon. But how much should she tell them? The whole truth – or just a part of it?
TWENTY-THREE
Pierce’s daughter, Jo, arrived the following morning and the whole house seemed to vibrate with her presence. When Claire arrived at Karina’s house, she was met with a pile of bags and boxes, and a giant white teddy bear in the hall. She stepped over it all and walked down the corridor to the office. She heard voices from Pierce’s office upstairs and assumed the anticipated daughter had arrived. Karina rose from the desk as Claire entered.
‘I’m so glad to see you. As you might have guessed from all the stuff in the hall, the princess has arrived.’ Karina gestured at the office chair. ‘But sit down. There are some emails and bookings I’d like you to deal with and then we have to go through the menus for the weddings on Friday and Saturday and order whatever Maura and Ronan can’t produce. It’s too early in the season for their strawberries or raspberries, so we have to turn to imports for now.’ Karina drew breath and looked hopefully at Claire. ‘Can I leave all this to you while I go back to the kitchen? We can do the menus in an hour or two.’
‘Of course.’ Claire sat down in front of the computer. ‘I’ll take a look at the emails and bookings, so you can go on to the kitchen and get back into the zone.’
‘Thanks,’ Karina said. ‘You’re an angel. I also need to thank you again for encouraging me to do the cookbook. The publisher is very enthusiastic. I wouldn’t have gone ahead if it weren’t for you.’
‘Oh, it wasn’t really my doing,’ Claire said. ‘You just needed someone to give you a little push.’
