Page 7 of The Book of Irish Secrets
‘Okay. I’ll take a look.’ Claire went into the bright room which was furnished with a desk by the tall window and two easy chairs on either side of the small fireplace. The parquet floor creaked as she approached the desk and sat down. ‘I’ll see if I can do anything,’ she said. ‘What’s the problem with it?’
‘I can’t get the keyboard to work,’ Karina said. ‘I hit the letters but nothing happens.’
Claire looked at the laptop and discovered it was the same model as her own. ‘Oh, I see. The keyboard is stuck. It’s a software problem. I think I know what to do… Can you disconnect it from the electric power, please?’
‘Sure.’ Karina went to the wall and pulled out a plug from the socket. ‘Done. Now what?’
‘I will hold the function, S and V keys at the same time for a few seconds,’ Claire explained and proceeded to do just that. ‘It will trigger a reset that is linked to the keyboard.’ Claire then went through what she had done herself when she’d had thatproblem a few months ago. ‘I’m holding down the power button for a minute,’ she continued, ‘and then I’ll release it. You can plug it in now and I’ll start it up,’ Claire said after the stipulated minute had passed. The computer screen lit up again and Claire got up from the chair. ‘Try it now. Put in the password and then it should be fine again.’
Karina sat down with a sigh. ‘Okay. I don’t believe it’ll work but at least you tried.’ She tapped in the password. ‘Oh, wow!’ she exclaimed when the screen lit up. ‘You did it! Well done, my dear. Sorry about the swearing earlier.’
‘Oh, don’t worry,’ Claire said. ‘I called mine all sorts of names when this happened to me.’
Karina turned from the screen and studied Claire for a moment. ‘I like that. And I also like that you look like you can take things on the chin. And that you had the guts to come in here when you heard me scream.’
‘I thought someone was being attacked,’ Claire said. ‘So I had to see what was going on before I called the Guards.’
Karina let out a guffaw. ‘Ha, ha, I wonder what they would have said? Karina Flavin attacking her computer? Anyway, you got the job, if you want it. Your letter made me laugh too.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful,’ Claire said, taken aback. ‘Of course I want the job. I promise you won’t be sorry you hired me.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ Karina said. Then she got up from the chair and stuck her head out the door, shouting: ‘Hey, Pierce! I got myself an assistant. Come down here and meet her. She’s terrific.’ She withdrew her head and smiled at Claire. ‘Pierce is my younger brother and also a publicist and editor of cookbooks. He’s been trying to get me to publish one and we’re putting all the recipes together and having the photos done and so on. I’m not sure I’ll do it, but he tries to talk me into it.’
‘I think that would be a good idea,’ Claire said, still standing by the desk. ‘Your recipes are terrific. So… when do you want me to start?’
‘How about right now?’ Karina said. ‘I know it’s a bit soon but I need help with everything. This week is very hectic. We have that birthday party at Magnolia and Sylvia is breathing down my neck. That’s Sylvia Fleury,’ she explained. ‘We do all the parties there. Sylvia and I are related, you see, so she thinks she can order me around like some kind of housemaid.’
Claire stared at Karina, her heart beating faster. ‘You’re related?’
‘Yes. Our mothers were first cousins.’
‘So you’re a Fleury?’ Claire asked, feeling confused. She hadn’t seen Karina’s name on the family tree.
‘No, of course not,’ Karina scoffed. ‘Sylvia is an O’Farrell by birth just like me, and a Fleury only by marriage, you see. Everyone seems to forget that. But, of course, that Fleury spirit has been in her since she married the late Liam all those years ago. We get on quite well and I work with both Rose and Sylvia. And I use the new kitchen over at Magnolia for my catering. So you’ll be there quite a lot.’
‘I thought you were from Dublin,’ Claire said.
‘I lived in Dublin for many years,’ Karina explained. ‘But I’m Kerry born and bred. I came back here when my mother died three years ago and took over the house. My Kerry roots are strong and I always wanted to come back. So I moved home after many years away and did up the house, including the kitchen. Now I’m based here, mostly at the beck and call of the Fleurys. Not that I mind. They have been very good to me and we work well together. So I’m hoping you’ll help out over there so I have more time to concentrate on my other activities.’
‘I see,’ Claire said, her mind buzzing with excitement. This could be a great introduction to the Fleurys and maybe even addto what she already knew about the history of the manor. ‘That’ll be interesting,’ she added.
‘I think you’ll love it,’ Karina said. ‘They have made some amazing renovations in the past year. The new catering kitchen is truly wonderful.’
‘I can’t wait to see it all,’ Claire said. She’d assumed she wouldn’t have much to do with the Fleury women at first. The manor was surely big enough for her to be able to move around fairly unnoticed. At least that’s what she hoped. She was going to try to be as incognito as possible while she searched for clues to the past.
‘Well, hello,’ a deep voice interrupted them. ‘So this is the new personal assistant?’
Claire turned to discover a tall man with broad shoulders, dark blond shaggy hair that nearly touched the collar of his blue shirt. He wore horn-rimmed glasses but she could see that his eyes were very blue. He wasn’t conventionally handsome but his dazzling smile seemed to light up the room as he grabbed Claire’s hand in a tight grip. ‘I’m Pierce O’Farrell,’ he said. ‘You must be the new assistant, am I right?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, returning his smile. ‘I’m Claire O’Hanlon,’ she continued, feeling like a whirlwind had just entered the room. ‘From Dublin,’ she added. ‘I arrived yesterday.’
‘And you’re staying at Madigan’s, I heard,’ he filled in and she nodded as he released his warm grip on her hand. ‘Welcome to Dingle and this madhouse. I hope you know what you’re in for, working with my big sister,’ he continued, turning his attention to Karina. ‘She might look like butter wouldn’t melt but she’s a bit of a nightmare. I’d say you can take it, though. You look both strong and smart.’
‘Well… I…’ Claire stammered as their eyes met again. Yes, his eyes were very blue. She felt mesmerised by them. ‘I’m not a genius or anything,’ she said, feeling something akin toattraction to him. She also had an odd sensation of meeting a kindred spirit as his eyes lingered on her.
‘She fixed my computer,’ Karina cut in. ‘So she’s smart, that’s for sure. Time will tell if she’s strong, but I’d say she’ll be fine.’
‘Well, a computer expert is a rare find,’ Pierce said, looking at Claire with even more appreciation in his eyes. ‘So I’d say hang on to her as long as you can. But…’ he paused, ‘what about marketing? Do you have any experience in that field?’
