Page 50 of The Book of Irish Secrets
TWENTY-EIGHT
They made their way down the stairs together and then Rose took the lead, Claire following her along the corridor and through the library and ballroom. Claire looked around at the family portraits on the walls and felt her ancestors’ eyes on her through the centuries.What would they think of my actions?she wondered. And how would the family react when they were presented with all the facts? She thought back on how kind they had all been, especially Rose and Lily. Sylvia had welcomed Claire with open arms and everyone, from Karina to Pierce, had gone out of their way to make her feel at home. They had all become dear friends in such a short time.
Pierce taking a step back, seeming to reconsider their budding romance, had been a sign that told her it might not be easy to break the news to the family. Some of them might feel her behaviour was difficult to accept and impossible to forgive. She had to be prepared to leave this wonderful place that had felt like home ever since she arrived.
Claire’s nervousness grew while they kept walking until they came to a stop outside the door that led to Sylvia’s apartment.
Rose knocked. ‘I think she’s in. I saw her arrive in her car earlier.’
They waited a few minutes and then heard footsteps inside and Sylvia opened the door, looking at them with surprise. ‘Rose? What are you doing here? I thought you’d gone home for the day. And Claire… You look a little – wild. What’s up?’
‘We need to talk to you, Granny,’ Rose said. ‘It’s important. Can you hold dinner for a while?’
‘Oh, well…’ Sylvia glanced behind her. ‘Arnaud is doing something clever with a chicken in the kitchen, but that will take hours.’ She opened the door and stepped aside. ‘We can go into my study.’
‘Okay.’ Rose stepped inside, followed by Claire carrying her book.
They walked into the study, a cosy little room where the evening sunshine streamed in through the tall window. Sylvia sat down on the sofa by the fireplace and Rose joined her while Claire sat down on a chair facing them, the book on her lap.
‘So,’ Sylvia said. ‘What is this all about?’
‘Granny.’ Rose put a hand on Sylvia’s arm. ‘Please don’t get upset when we tell you.’
‘I can’t promise not to get upset,’ Sylvia protested. ‘Just tell me why you’re here looking as if the world has stopped turning. What’s happened?’
‘It’s about me,’ Claire said, her voice shaking. ‘And who I really am.’
‘Yes?’ Sylvia stared at Claire. ‘So who are you really?’
‘She says she’s a Fleury,’ Rose cut in. ‘The great-granddaughter of Cornelius’s brother.’
Sylvia’s face went suddenly ashen and she looked from Claire to Rose and then back to Claire, who stared back at her with a beating heart. There was a long silence until Sylvia took a deep breath and finally spoke.
‘I see,’ she said. ‘So it has finally happened. Louis has come back to claim his right to Magnolia Manor.’
TWENTY-NINE
‘What?’ Rose gasped, staring at Sylvia. ‘You mean you knew?’
‘Yes,’ Sylvia whispered.
‘About the brother and the feud and everything?’ Rose asked, her eyes wide with shock. ‘How did you know? And why were we never told about Cornelius’s brother?’
‘It’s a long story,’ Sylvia said. ‘I had to swear never to tell anyone.’
‘Who made you swear?’ Rose asked.
‘Cornelius,’ Sylvia said. ‘Just before he died. He was old and sick and very sad. We had become close during his final years. I was young and newly married and had just begun to live here in this lovely house. I was learning how to run it and, as my father-in-law, Cornelius tried to help me. He was nearly ninety and not very well. We often sat in the library talking on a winter’s evening while Liam was busy going over the accounts and running everything. Then Cornelius told me about his brother and the rivalry between them. It was strange to me that Liam never mentioned this but he had been sworn to secrecy too. And we decided that Fred shouldn’t know, so the family secret was buried and nearly forgotten. I never mentioned it again to Cornelius. I was kept so busy with family matters and my newlife that the whole thing was pushed to the back of my mind and it finally became just a distant memory that had nothing to do with me. It seemed such a dark period in the family’s history that I thought it was better to leave it alone.’
‘Just like in our family,’ Claire said. ‘A forbidden subject.’
Sylvia nodded solemnly, looking at Claire. ‘And you know, I did have a feeling about you the minute we met. There was something about you I recognised. Of course, when I knew Cornelius, he was very old, but he still had those eyes and the square jaw – and the freckles. But his hair was white and sparse. So I didn’t quite make the connection even though I had this odd sensation that there was something strangely familiar about you.’
‘Oh,’ Claire said, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Sylvia wasn’t a blood relation but she was so connected to the Fleurys that she still felt like family. ‘I saw you looking at me from time to time and was sure you knew somehow.’
‘I didn’t know exactly,’ Sylvia said. ‘I just sensed it somehow.’ She sat up straighter. ‘But what I don’t know is why you’re here. Why did you come here at this time? You must have known about us for a long time.’
‘All my life,’ Claire said. ‘I knew about you all and I followed everything that happened to the family through bits and pieces in the newspapers.’
