Page 15 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘She was lovely,’ Claire marvelled, staring at the woman. She felt a thrill as she realised what Auntie Rachel had meant when she had called Claire a ‘throwback’. Not that Claire was the spitting image of this woman who would have been her great-great-grandmother, but that square jaw and curly hair were the same as her own. Nobody would see it as the hairstyles were so different, but this would have been what Sylvia had seen, recognising something about Claire without making the connection with the family.
‘That’s her husband, John Francis. Officially called John, but his friends called him Frank,’ Karina continued, pointing at a man with light brown curly hair wearing a morning coat. ‘Then next, we have their two children, Iseult, that fair-haired girl with blue eyes and then…’ She stopped in front of the portrait of a handsome young man with dark hair dressed in white tie and tails who looked at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes, the colour of which was hard to determine.
Claire had recognised him immediately from the old photo in her great-aunt Rachel’s book and she stared at that face, feeling a strange flutter in her heart. This was also what Louis, her great-grandfather, would have looked like. ‘Fascinating,’ she mumbled to herself, spellbound by the attractive face.
‘A handsome devil,’ Karina said, smiling.
‘That’s Cornelius, the rascal of the family,’ Sylvia said behind them. ‘Charming, full of devilment and such fun. My father-in-law, to be precise, who we all love to hate.’
‘Why?’ Claire asked.
‘Well,’ Sylvia said, ‘he gambled away the whole estate in the nineteen twenties and we had awful trouble solving that problem a few years ago. But it was all sorted out after some rather upsetting months. Arnaud’s family in France were involved and that’s how we met. So a happy ending after a lot of traumas.’
‘Oh. That sounds quite dramatic.’
‘Yes, to put it mildly,’ Sylvia said.
Claire stood there, nearly hypnotised by the portrait. She knew she was looking at her great-grandfather’s identical twin and it made her dizzy.Here he is, she thought,the exact copy of Auntie Rachel’s father – my great-grandfather.She stood rooted to the spot, feeling as if Cornelius was really looking at her, knowing why she was there and what she was trying to do. ‘He looks so alive,’ she whispered. ‘As if he could step out of the portrait and talk to us.’
‘I know,’ Sylvia said. ‘He has that effect on me too. The artist was very skilled. Of course, old Cornelius had that glint in his eye even when he was an old man. Little did we know what mischief he had been up to in his youth. But it all came out later on and we had to deal with the mess he left behind.’ She smiled and shook her head. ‘He was a charming old rascal.’
‘Sounds like an interesting story,’ Claire said. ‘But I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt anyone.’
‘I’m not so sure about that,’ Sylvia said. ‘He was reckless and impulsive and not exactly considerate. Comes from being spoiled all his life by privilege. Not like his brother, who…’ Sylvia stopped. ‘Well, I won’t go into that. It’s not a very nice story, even today. I don’t know why I even mentioned it. Please forget I said anything.’
‘Of course,’ Claire said, tearing her gaze away from the portrait. Her heart started to beat faster.So Sylvia knows about Louis, she thought.But is that all? Does she also know whathappened between them?It didn’t seem possible as it had happened such a long time ago. ‘It’s forgotten,’ she said to calm Sylvia.
‘Good,’ Sylvia added. ‘The past is the past and we can’t go back and change anything that happened, even if we would like to.’ She moved away. ‘Now, let’s have a nice cup of tea with Lily and she’ll tell you about the orangery and what events can be held here.’
Claire had a quick look at the rest of the portraits, including a lovely one of Caroline Fleury, Cornelius’s wife, whose gentle gaze through beautiful if slightly sad eyes made Claire wonder what her marriage had been like. Then after looking at the lovely painting of Liam and Fred, so tragically killed in a boating accident, she followed Sylvia back through the archway and into the main café, her mind whirling with questions. What had Sylvia meant when she mentioned Cornelius’s brother? It meant that she knew about her great-grandfather Louis. She also seemed to know something about him, something she didn’t want to talk about. What on earth could it be?
Claire felt a sudden urge to go back to her B&B to look through the old book again. There had to be something there that would give her a hint about whatever had happened to her great-grandfather. Perhaps the knowledge she’d gained at the manor would fit with some note or photo from Auntie Rachel. She had always worried the Fleurys wouldn’t accept her if they thought Louis had done something wrong. But Sylvia’s words had given her an inkling that he had been the better person of the twins. There might be an old story somewhere that Louis had committed a crime or done something to hurt the family. It could not be true. She had to clear his name if she was going to get the families to unite again. And reveal who she was.
EIGHT
Karina dropped Claire off at the B&B on her way home. Claire felt exhausted and longed to flop onto her bed for a nap.
‘So,’ Karina said as she pulled up outside Madigan’s, ‘your first day is over. I’m sure you’re looking forward to a good rest. But I just want to tell you before you go that I’m delighted to have found you. You seem to click with the Fleurys in an odd way. They’re not always that welcoming to strangers. Keep themselves to themselves mostly, even though they’re very friendly. Going there straight away was a bit of a test. There’s a reserve there that many don’t seem to be able to break through, but you did it in only an afternoon. How on earth did you manage that?’
‘Oh,’ Claire said airily, ‘I think it’s just some kind of chemistry that happens between people from time to time. A random thing you can’t make up.’
‘A very lucky thing, I have to say,’ Karina remarked. ‘But I won’t analyse it. I’ll just be grateful it happened and that you fit in so well straight away. Have a restful evening. We’ll be in full swing again tomorrow.’
‘Thanks for today,’ Claire said. ‘I really enjoyed it. See you tomorrow.’
‘Bright and early,’ Karina said. ‘Eight thirty okay with you?’
Claire nodded. ‘Great. I’ll be there.’
‘Brilliant.’ Karina started the car and Claire got out and waved before she went into the house and walked up the stairs. She couldn’t wait to get to Auntie Rachel’s book and have a look through it again.
On her way to her room, everything that had happened since this morning went through her mind. It was like a kaleidoscope of many brilliant colours: her first meeting with Karina, the introduction to Magnolia Manor and her relatives from whom she had to keep her real identity secret. All that fitted into her plan like pieces of a jigsaw that was slowly coming together.
But oddly, one person stood out among the people she had met today and it wasn’t any of her third cousins. It was Karina’s brother Pierce. Claire stopped on the top landing and thought about him for a moment. She had felt oddly drawn to him straight away. There had been a feeling of warmth between them even though they had only exchanged a few words during their brief meeting.
She shook her head and tried to get his lovely smile and bright blue eyes out of her mind. What was it about him she had found so endearing? She had been suspicious of men ever since her divorce and been content to be single and free of all such concerns. But the meeting with Pierce O’Farrell – and that strange connection – had awakened something in her she had though was dead and gone. She couldn’t put a finger on it and decided not to try. They had only just met and her feelings might never be reciprocated.I must not get trapped into falling for a man who might not make me happy, she thought. I’ll just enjoy his company and be friendly without trying to start something. Besides, things are already much too complicated…
With that decision firmly in her mind, Claire went into her room and took out the big book that she had hidden in hersuitcase. Then she settled on the bed and flicked through the photos and the few little notes underneath them she hadn’t seen in the dim light the night before.
