Page 59 of The Book of Irish Secrets
EPILOGUE
It didn’t take long for the news to come out in Dingle town. Everyone seemed to suddenly know that Karina Flavin’s new assistant was actually a Fleury who had returned home to Magnolia Manor. Claire was stopped everywhere she went by people who wanted to know everything about her and who her great-grandfather had been. It was beginning to feel awkward to try to tell a plausible story, leaving out the feud.
Claire’s brother, Patrick, in Canada had been told everything, even the matter of Louis’ birth that would have meant he was the rightful heir. That had left Hugh powerless to threaten Claire any further, which was a huge relief. Patrick had been surprised and shocked when he was told the whole story, especially that he could have been the heir to Magnolia Manor. They all waited in suspense to see what he would do about it. But he had only said he wanted their great-grandfather to rest in peace and there was no need to stir things up by starting legal proceedings which would only cause a lot of trouble and heartache for everyone involved.
‘You can’t wind the clock back,’ he had said to Marian. ‘I’ve been so happy here in Canada and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.’ Then he had said he’d love to come to Kerry fora visit sometime next year and meet all the Fleurys at Magnolia Manor. So the panic was over and Hugh was left without a weapon, which could have meant Claire could insist on having her full share of the money after the sale of the house. But she decided to let it go and not rock the boat any further. She was just relieved to have Hugh out her life for good. All she wanted was peace with no further dramas.
‘We have to have some kind of event,’ Sylvia said when Claire told her what she was going through in town with everyone asking questions, as they had tea in the orangery one sunny day in early May. ‘Just to let everyone know who you are without revealing the whole truth. There are so many wild rumours about us flying around town, so we have to set the record straight. We’ll just say Louis left because he wanted to start his own business and that the two Fleury branches drifted apart as families often do for no particular reason.’
‘Yes, I think would be a good idea,’ Claire said. ‘As soon as possible, I hope. Because it’s becoming a little tedious to be telling the same lies over and over again. I made up a story that Louis left of his own accord because he wanted to start his own firm in Dublin.’
‘I don’t consider that lying,’ Sylvia protested. ‘You’re just bending the truth a little to protect the family. I don’t consider that a crime, do you?’
‘I suppose not,’ Claire said, smiling into her teacup and winking at Lily, who had just joined them. She found it hugely amusing the way Sylvia always managed to turn doing something wrong into a virtue if it was in her own interest.
‘Of course not.’ Sylvia put down her cup and smiled at Claire. ‘But I think we should have a little gathering and invite a few people and tell them we have reunited the two branches of the family and now we’re all together again. Then they’ll feel they got it straight from the horse’s mouth as it were and all the madrumours will stop.’ She nodded, looking pleased when Claire agreed. ‘I’ll set it all up and give you the date. I think it’ll be a very enjoyable event for everyone.’
‘Whatever that means,’ Lily muttered to Claire as Sylvia left. ‘Don’t expect a little tea party in Granny’s study. It’ll be grand and fun as usual.’
‘As long as we can fit it into the schedule,’ Claire said. ‘We’re very busy at the moment, with weddings even taking place during the working week. Couples seem to be desperate to get married at the moment.’
‘It’s the season,’ Lily said. ‘Who doesn’t want to get married in the springtime? The weather is lovely right now and I will be opening the outdoor café next week.’
‘Could we have the event, or whatever it is, here in the orangery?’ Claire asked. ‘It just occurred to me how nice it would be.’
‘I’ll run it past Granny and see what she says,’ Lily promised. ‘It’s a lovely idea. More casual and easier than some huge gathering in the ballroom.’
‘Great,’ Claire said. ‘Thank you, Lily.’
‘No need to thank me,’ Lily said. ‘It’s a good way to open the outdoor café and let everyone know about it.’
‘I’d like to invite Finola, my best friend,’ Claire said. ‘She has been such a help all through this journey. She can stay with me in the flat. It’ll be a bit of a squeeze but I can sleep on the couch and let her have the bed.’
‘I’d love to meet her,’ Lily said.
‘I’m sure she’ll want to come,’ Claire said. ‘And I’m sure Sylvia will like the idea of a party in the orangery garden.’
This turned out to be true. Sylvia graciously agreed to have the ‘family party’, as she called it, in the garden outside the orangery and, as the weather gods were smiling on them, the afternoon they had picked turned out to be sunny and warm.The trees and shrubs were in full bloom and everyone was sitting at round tables enjoying the warm sunshine. Finola had not been able to come as she was moving into her new flat that day, but she promised to come to Kerry as soon as she could.
Sylvia had invited all her friends and even a journalist from the local newspaper in order to explain exactly who Claire was and that the two families were now united once more. This went down very well, and everyone gathered around Claire, shaking her hand and congratulating the Fleurys on the new family member.
Karina, once she had been told everything, was amazed when she heard who Claire was. The fact that she had been told a lie about Claire’s real identity didn’t faze her at all. She attended the event and told everyone who wanted to know how happy she was to have one of the Fleury girls as her assistant.
Pierce hovered in the background, smiling at Claire across the crowded garden. Then, when Claire was walking back to the manor, Pierce joined her and they had dinner together in Claire’s flat. It was such a joyful evening with everything seeming to have worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. And when Pierce took Claire’s hands, got down on one knee and proposed, she burst into tears of happiness and said, ‘Yes, yes, please,’ not caring if she sounded foolish.
Pierce slowly got up. ‘Thank the Lord for that. My knees couldn’t take much more.’ He sat down beside Claire and took her hands. ‘We don’t have to plan the wedding right now, but if you want a big one, or a small one, or whatever it is, I’ll agree. I want you to be happy and have a day to remember.’
‘Let’s run away,’ Claire said. ‘And get married in some mad place without any ceremony or party or anything. Just you, me, a registrar and a witness or two.’
‘How about Las Vegas?’ Pierce said. ‘The Chapel of Love looks wonderfully cheesy. Wouldn’t that be fun?’
‘Why not?’ Claire said with a laugh. ‘As long as we can get back here as fast as possible.’
‘But where are we going to live?’ Pierce asked, looking around the tiny flat. ‘This place is not big enough for two.’
‘Nor is your granny flat,’ Claire said. ‘We have to look for a place of our own.’
‘That’ll be fun,’ Pierce said. ‘Let’s start looking tomorrow.’
‘I can’t wait to have our own home,’ Claire said. ‘I feel I’m starting my life all over again.’
‘So do I,’ Pierce said and walked to the window and opened it. ‘It’s a beautiful night with clear skies and a full moon. Come here and look at it with me.’
Claire joined him by the window and he put his arm around her as they looked out across the moonlit garden. An owl hooted suddenly, its sound echoing over the trees and shrubs. Claire breathed in the cool fresh air that smelled of flowers and grass and sea all at once and looked up at the moon and the broad silvery band of the Milky Way where millions of stars twinkled and shimmered. ‘I should make a wish,’ she said softly as she leaned her head against Pierce’s shoulder. ‘But I already have everything I could possibly wish for.’
‘Me too, my darling,’ Pierce whispered back.
Claire looked up at the shimmering stars high up in the dark sky, feeling as if all the people she had loved sent her a message from the heavens, wishing her well.
* * *
