Page 27 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘Oh,’ Claire said, feeling suddenly nervous. Sylvia’s birthday party had to be perfect. Would she be able to manage that without Karina? ‘I’ll do my best,’ she promised. ‘I think I saw the menu on your desk, so I’ll go through that with Maura later today if you like.’
‘She won’t be there,’ Karina said. ‘She and her husband have gone to Beara for the weekend. She’ll be back on Monday morning.’
‘That’s okay,’ Claire said. ‘I’ll see what I can do on my own and then talk to her on Monday. I’m sure we’ll be able to manage between the two of us.’
‘I certainly hope so. You do know that Sylvia’s birthday party is not just a little dinner with friends? It’s a big bash in the ballroom with fifty guests, all in black tie. The table settings have to be spectacular and the lighting perfect. She’ll be very annoyed if it’s not exactly the way she wants. I think the bakery are working on the cake, according to Sylvia’s order, and the flowers?—’
‘Karina,’ Claire interrupted, ‘please don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’ll do my very best and Rose will help out, too, I’m sure. Aren’t Sylvia’s granddaughters and their husbands coming to the party? Won’t they give me a hand if I need it?’
‘Yes, but they shouldn’t have to,’ Karina said. ‘I’m supposed to be in charge of the whole thing.’ Then she heaved a deep sigh. ‘I’m sorry to be so panicky. Very unprofessional of me. It’s just that Sylvia has that effect on me. I always feel I have to do my very best for her and very often something goes wrong. But now, because of this meeting in Dublin, I won’t even be there.’
‘For a very good reason,’ Claire said. ‘In any case, I’m moving into the flat at the manor later today so I will be able to keep an eye on everything.’
‘Oh that’s marvellous,’ Karina said. ‘I had quite forgotten you were going to rent the flat. That’s lucky. Then you’ll be there early in the morning on Tuesday and can check everything.’
‘Of course I will,’ Claire assured her. ‘Please don’t worry about a thing.’
‘I’ll try not to.’ Karina paused. ‘I’m so happy I hired you. It seems as if it was meant to happen in a strange way.’
‘A stroke of luck,’ Claire said with a laugh. ‘A random thing that turned out well for both of us.’
‘That’s for sure. Well, now that I’ve unloaded my angst on you, I’ll carry on and try not to worry. Keep me posted. And good luck!’
‘I hope it goes well in Dublin,’ Claire said. ‘I think the cookbook idea is very exciting.’
‘So do I, now that you’ve talked me into it,’ Karina said. ‘Bye for now.’
Claire said goodbye, feeling surprised at Karina’s insecurity concerning everything to do with Sylvia. But some people had that effect on others and it reminded her of how she had reacted to Hugh. She had felt that she had to constantly prove that she was able to do even the simplest tasks with Hugh watching over her shoulder all the time. As if he was waiting for her to make a mistake in order to give him a chance to criticise. But she didn’t feel that way with Sylvia at all, she realised when she analysed it.Maybe I’ve become more confident after a few years of living on my own?Claire thought to herself.I’ve become more assertive and a lot stronger since he left.
That thought made her feel cheerful and ready to face the task of organising Sylvia’s birthday party. How hard could it be? Claire shrugged off her concerns and began to pack her bags in preparation for her move to Magnolia Manor. It would be the high point of her day and she couldn’t believe that she’d be sleeping in that bed in the little flat at the top of what she had begun to think of as her ancestral home.
THIRTEEN
Moving into her new home took a lot of physical effort as the last two flights of stairs were long and winding. Claire lugged the last suitcase up with Rose following behind with a stack of sheets and towels. Then they were finally finished and sat on the little sofa catching their breaths and smiling at each other.
‘Phew,’ Claire said, wiping her brow with one of the towels. ‘That was hard work on a warm day.’
‘I know. And I was regretting that we didn’t make the lift go further than the first floor when we built it. Sorry for not doing more,’ Rose said. ‘I should have helped with that heavy suitcase.’
‘You had your hands full with sheets and towels,’ Claire said. She looked at the three suitcases and the boxes with her laptop, lamps and knickknacks she had brought from the house in Dublin strewn over the floor. ‘I shouldn’t have brought so much but I need my things around me. The house in Dublin is being let on Airbnb, so I didn’t want to leave anything personal behind.’
‘Of course not,’ Rose agreed. ‘And you want your own things here to make it more like your home.’ Then her eyes sparkled as she looked at Claire. ‘You know what? We should have a housewarming party for you. Wouldn’t that be fun? Just a few guests as the place is so small. Wine and nibbles here in theflat and then we can go to the pub that you liked for dinner afterwards. What do you think?’
‘That would be fun,’ Claire said, excited at the thought, but feeling awkward at the hospitality she was receiving. ‘I like the idea. But maybe not until next month. We have Sylvia’s party and then there are two weddings, one after the other. Don’t forget the Magnolia party at the beginning of March as well. I’m still trying to learn the ropes and getting used to the way things work here.’
‘Of course,’ Rose said. ‘You’re right. And that wedding next weekend is going to be big with a lot of stuff to organise. The Magnolia party will be well attended, but we just do tea and buns now, so that’s not a huge event. So let’s do your housewarming when you’ve settled in and have had a good few weeks to get used to everything.’
‘Maybe we could have it in connection with St Patrick’s,’ Claire suggested. ‘But with the parade and everyone partying like mad it might not suit everyone.’
‘Oh, but we could have the party on Paddy’s Day before the parade,’ Rose said. ‘Wouldn’t that be the best celebration? Your flat at lunchtime, the parade and then dinner somewhere nice in the evening. I’ll set it up, if you like.’
‘Why not?’ Claire said, touched by Rose’s enthusiasm. She pushed away the thought that she didn’t deserve the offer from Rose. ‘Sounds like a plan.’
‘Brilliant,’ Rose exclaimed. ‘Who should we invite?’
‘Well, all the Fleurys and then Karina, her husband and Pierce.’
Rose nodded. ‘Okay… Just grown-ups, though. The kids will drive us mad running around. Lily and Vi and I will organise a babysitter for the few hours and then we’ll take the children to the parade afterwards. So we will be… Twelve, I think,’ shesaid after a moment’s reflection. ‘We’ll do finger food and call it lunch.’
