Page 11 of The Widow's Irish Secret
‘Yes, if I have the time. Bye, Tricia.’ Sylvia hung up.
Tricia smiled and put away her phone. That exchange had told her old age hadn’t changed Sylvia. She was still strong, opinionated, stubborn, but deep down very kind. Tricia had had to eat humble pie on many occasions when she and Fred were just married, but she had felt it was worth it as she and Fred were so in love. And now, so many years later, that rivalry between them was gone, even though she was sure there would be arguments and differences of opinion.
Tricia knew the girls all loved their darling granny and she had to admit that Sylvia had been their rock all through the girls’ teenage years and given them a kind of stability that Tricia had not been able to provide. Sylvia had insisted that they should still go to Coláiste Íde, the boarding school for girls near Dingle that she herself had attended. Fred had put the girls’ names down when they were born, but after his death, Tricia had been worried that she couldn’t afford the fees. Then Sylvia had stepped in and set up a trust fund and it was all organised without Tricia having to pay a cent. Sylvia had also made sure Tricia and the girls spent their summer holidays at Magnolia Manor which meant they felt more at home there than in the flat in Dublin. This had meant that Sylvia and her granddaughters had a special bond which could never be broken. It had been hard for Tricia to accept all the financial help from Sylvia but she had known she had no choice. Now she had to get closerto her daughters after her long absence and get to know her grandchildren.
Better to take things slowly than try to change things and create even more tension. If we’re all going to get on and live together in harmony, I’ll have to take a step back now and be prepared to agree to things that might not be exactly the way I’d like it.That wasn’t too high a price to pay for her new life with her daughters and grandchildren. She was still their mother and that was something Sylvia could never compete with.
As soon as Tricia had pocketed her phone, it rang again. It was Nora. ‘Are you in?’ she asked.
Tricia laughed. ‘Yes. And Sylvia had the place cleaned before she handed over the keys. I’m in the little sitting room now so I haven’t inspected the rest yet. I want to establish if I can live here after I order some furniture.’
‘Well, you like camping,’ Nora said. ‘So it shouldn’t be a problem.’
‘That’s true,’ Tricia said. ‘But with advancing years, I’ve come to like a bit of comfort.’
‘What advancing years?’ Nora laughed. ‘I’m a little older than you and I’m still flying.’ She paused. ‘Except I do like a comfortable bed and a hot shower these days.’
‘Me too,’ Tricia admitted.
‘I’d better leave you to inspect your new abode,’ Nora continued. ‘I just wanted to call you and see if you’d like to come out with me tonight? There’s trad music at that pub up Green Street where we used to hang out. Some of the girls from my book club are going. A girls’ night out for us oldies. Should be good craic.’
‘I’d love to,’ Tricia replied, happy to have been asked.
‘Great. Martin will drive us and pick us up afterwards so we can have a jar,’ Nora said. ‘Can you be ready at eight o’clock or so?’
‘Of course,’ Tricia promised. ‘That sounds like a great night out.’
‘Grand. We’ll pick you up at the gatehouse,’ Nora said.
Tricia said goodbye to Nora, excited at the thought of going out and meeting some of her old friends, and making new ones. It was a long time since she had had a night out like that. It made her feel young again.
But now she needed to explore the house further and make a list of what she needed to do to at least be able to live here for the summer. She could manage with just the basics for now. Jack was coming home at the weekend and Tricia wanted to leave the young couple alone. Who wanted a future mother-in-law in the house when they had just got engaged and were planning a wedding?
Tricia left the living room and walked down the corridor to the kitchen, which was spacious and in fairly good nick. There was a wood-burning range, an electric cooker and a fridge. The old, scarred kitchen table would need to be scrubbed down and the three wobbly-looking chairs replaced. The linoleum on the floor was scuffed and worn but it would be easy to replace that with something modern. It would do for now, even though the old porcelain sink and wooden draining board were not very enticing. She would just have to manage and do everything little by little.
The bathroom was even more rundown than the kitchen, with a bathtub that had a hand shower and a washbasin that had a huge crack in it. At least the toilet worked and she could cope with the rest. The little window had a view of the sea if she stood on tiptoe and the green tiles on the floor were quite beautiful. It would eventually be a sweet little bathroom once it was done up.
The large bedroom was the best room in the whole house, with a wooden floor, a large window overlooking the back garden and a cute cast iron fireplace that looked as if itwould work. Tricia immediately imagined being in bed on a winter’s night with a fire glowing in the grate. She would buy a comfortable bed with a slatted base, a good mattress and get an iron headboard that would go with the early Victorian-period feel. She could see herself cuddled up under the duvet, reading a book and feeling snug and safe.
Tricia inspected the box room which was just that: a room for boxes. Not much to be done with it except keep it as a storage room – or maybe a guest bedroom for her grandchildren. She’d decide later.
At least she knew for now that she would be able to live in the house as soon as she had some bedroom furniture, kitchen chairs, a sofa, easy chairs for the living room and curtains and blinds for all the windows. And she could definitely sell it and make a small profit. Standing in the home for the first time, she felt hopeful that the cottage could indeed solve all of her problems. She thought of Sean’s family, and the angry words she had exchanged with his nephew Terence and shivered. Everything was going to be fine, she reassured herself, trying to be positive. She just needed a little more time.
Just then, Tricia remembered that there was another bedroom in the attic. Deciding to just take a look at the room, she gingerly climbed the stairs holding on to the banister, hoping it was strong enough to hold. But even though it creaked loudly, it seemed solid enough and she arrived at the top without any mishaps. She’d ask Dominic to check it when he came to inspect the cottage.
Having arrived in the attic room, she looked around in the dim light and discovered it was larger than she had thought and that the pitch of the roof was quite high and could be a nice guest room sometime in the future. That could certainly add value to the property. It gave her a few more options. Except for an old pine wardrobe, the room was empty of furniture. The smallwindow in the gable end had a view over the walled garden and the apple trees in the old orchard. The room could be turned into a cute bedroom with wallpaper and matching curtains, a rug on the old planks and old-style bedroom furniture. She lingered in the room for a moment, breathing in the smell of old timbers and apples that might have been stored here once. This could have been her and Fred’s bedroom if…If the accident hadn’t happened, she thought, feeling his presence as if he stood beside her.What fun we would have had doing this house up together… But I will do it on my own and live here remembering the happy days…
Content with what she had found, Tricia walked back to the car and picked up her phone as soon as she was inside to call Dominic. They decided to meet at the cottage on Monday.
‘I think I can camp here as soon as I have some furniture,’ she told him.
‘Are you sure?’ Dominic asked. ‘I can imagine that there is a lot to be done. What’s the rush anyway? I’d say Vi and Jack don’t mind you staying with them for a while longer.’
Tricia laughed. ‘That’s what theysay, but not what they really think. I lived with my parents-in-law all through my first marriage. The manor is a big house, but it was still quite tricky. I always felt quite crowded and there was little privacy. We couldn’t even have a decent row without everyone knowing about it. And their cottage is much smaller. No, I don’t want to put them through all that.’
‘You’re very understanding and considerate,’ Dominic said, sounding impressed.
‘Ah, not really. I want my own space, too, you know,’ Tricia remarked. ‘I’m chomping at the bit to get this cottage restored. There is so much I want to do and I can’t wait to do it.’
