Page 57 of The Widow's Irish Secret
‘I do,’ Tricia said. ‘But what about you? How are you feeling? You gave us all a fright yesterday evening. The girls were so upset. It must have even worse for you.’
‘It wasn’t a pleasant experience, I have to admit. It felt like a real heart attack, so thank the Lord above that it wasn’t. I’m fine now and we should forget all about it.’ Sylvia sipped tea from a cup on the bedside table. ‘I’ll be out of here as soon as I can see the doctor tomorrow morning. She’s going to give me a prescription for my blood pressure as that’s a little high. Nice woman, if a little overbearing. But those career women often are.’
‘I know what you mean, as I used to be one,’ Tricia quipped.
‘You were never overbearing, just very driven,’ Sylvia said. ‘But you’re calmer now.’ She paused and sat up straighter, studying Tricia. ‘Why didn’t you carry on with your weekend trip once you knew I was all right?’
‘We turned around when we heard the news.’
‘But then you must have heard it was a false alarm,’ Sylvia said, looking confused. ‘Why didn’t you turn back to continue your nice weekend?’
‘Because…’ Tricia started. ‘Sylvia, have you known all this time that Cillian and I have been seeing each other? And that we were getting to be more than friends?’
‘Yes.’ Sylvia replied. ‘But please don’t worry about my feelings about the two of you. I was pleased when I realised what was going on between you and Cillian. And I think Fred would want you to be happy. I see the way you look at each other and it makes me happy too in a strange way. It seems right for you to be together. I’ve always been very fond of Cillian.’
‘Oh, that’s lovely to hear,’ Tricia said. ‘I thought you might think I didn’t have time for my grandchildren if I started dating. And then I was worried you would be upset about Cillian and me.’
‘Tricia,’ Sylvia said in a stern voice, ‘I think you have taken your role as mother and grandmother and daughter-in-law far too seriously. You don’t have to be at the beck and call of every single member of the family all the time. You have to have your own life too. And when true love comes your way, you have to grab it and hold on to it for dear life.’
‘I thought I was too old,’ Tricia mumbled. ‘I have been so lucky to have been with two wonderful men. Shouldn’t that be enough for any woman?’
‘Says who?’ Sylvia asked.
‘I don’t know. Someone up there in heaven or something.’
‘Rubbish,’ Sylvia snorted.
Tricia looked up again and met Sylvia’s critical gaze. ‘I do care about you, despite our differences. And I just didn’t want to upset you.’
‘It was guilt that made you push Cillian away?’ Sylvia asked.
‘Not quite.’ Tricia tried to explain how she felt even though it was complicated. ‘There’s just been so much going on…’
‘Like what?’ Sylvia asked, sitting up in bed. ‘I feel you have something on your mind that you need to get off your chest.’ She laughed. ‘Well, that sounded a little complicated. But go on, tell me what’s troubling you. I can tell it’s something serious by the haunted look in your eyes.’
‘It is,’ Tricia said. Then she took a deep breath and started to tell Sylvia the whole story, not leaving out a single detail, even her own actions. ‘So there you are,’ she ended. ‘That’s the dark secret I’ve been keeping from you. I did something stupid and borderline illegal so I could get Sean the best care there was.’
Sylvia’s eyes softened and she reached out and patted Tricia’s hand. ‘I’m glad you told me. How terrible it must have been for you. I can understand that you would have tried everything to make sure your Sean had the best care during his last days, even something slightly illegal.’
‘Oh, that’s wonderful to hear,’ Tricia said, feeling a huge sense of relief. ‘I thought you might be shocked by what I did.’
‘It would take a lot more to shock me,’ Sylvia said. ‘And now that Noel is dealing with all this, I’m sure he’ll have a solution. Don’t worry about gossips; I’ll make sure it won’t get around. You’re family and nobody would dare talk about you behind your back.’
‘Thank you,’ Tricia said, wondering how Sylvia would be able to stop the tongues wagging. But she was such a formidable woman who could do anything.
‘I don’t think anything can be worse than watching someone you love suffer,’ Sylvia said.
‘No, that’s true,’ Tricia said.
‘All will be well,’ Sylvia soothed.
‘I hope so,’ Tricia said. ‘But there is another thing that’s puzzling me. That woman, Ilse, seems to have crept into yourheart. She seems to want to be in on every family occasion, including Vi’s wedding.’
‘Yes, she is a little overwhelming, all right,’ Sylvia agreed. ‘And I’m very cross with her for starting that row. I have no idea why she tried to get involved. In any case, Vi can get married in a swimsuit for all I care. The only thing that matters is her happiness. Ilse didn’t realise that and tried to earn Brownie points with me by butting in.Nul pointsto her, is all I can say,’ Sylvia added with a cheeky smile.
‘She might be trying to get around you for some reason,’ Tricia suggested. ‘I don’t exactly trust her.’
‘She can’t get around me, don’t worry,’ Sylvia reassured Tricia. ‘But about what you just told me…’
