Page 7 of The Widow's Irish Secret
Sylvia nodded. ‘That’s good. Better to face the past and feel grateful to have been happy than to be sad. We have to cherish the memories and feel blessed to have had those wonderful times.’
‘Exactly.’ Tricia paused. ‘I even went swimming off the pier just after I arrived. I really enjoyed it.’
Sylvia looked suddenly alarmed. ‘You were at the pier? Swimming?’
‘I was. Loved it.’ Tricia smiled. ‘No need to worry. It’s perfectly safe there. No currents or anything and the raft is still there. But…’ She stopped as she remembered what she had seen. ‘Oh, I meant to ask you. There was a rib on the shore beside the pier. With diving equipment. Does it belong to Henri?’
‘No. Henri isn’t here much,’ Sylvia said and got up from her seat. ‘He works remotely from France these days.’
‘So who owns that rib? Someone who’s diving in the bay?’ Tricia asked. ‘Why would anyone dive there? What would they be looking for?’
‘I don’t know anything about that,’ Sylvia said, her back turned to Tricia. ‘Could be anyone. Lots of people scuba dive around here. It’s becoming quite a popular hobby.’
‘Okay,’ Tricia said, deciding to drop the subject. But she had a strange feeling that it wasn’t just ‘anyone’ who was diving inthe bay. Was Sylvia also harbouring secrets she wasn’t willing to share?
6
The girls arrived all at once, preventing Tricia from asking any more questions about the rib she had seen. In any case, she forgot about it for the moment while she greeted her elder daughters, who she hadn’t seen for many months. They all formed a group hug, squeezing each other tight, chatting and laughing. Tricia hugged Lily and Rose in turn and then pulled away to look at them in wonder. They were, to her, all so beautiful. And so different. Lily, with her dark hair and large brown eyes, was the image of Sylvia; Rose had the same blue eyes and blonde hair as Tricia, and Vi with her red hair, green eyes and freckles so heartbreakingly like her father. But Tricia saw something of Fred in all her girls, in their expressions, smiles and voices. It was at once comforting and melancholy.
‘Mum, it’s so lovely to see you.’ Lily let go of Tricia after placing a kiss on her cheek. ‘And Vi said you’re here for good. Why didn’t you tell us?’
‘I wanted it to be a surprise. How are my lovely grandchildren?’ Tricia asked.
‘In great form, if a little exhausting,’ Lily replied. ‘Naomi is growing up to be a real bossy-boots and Liam is good at charming everyone, especially older ladies.’
‘I can’t wait to see them,’ Tricia said. She turned to Rose. ‘And darling Sophie?’
‘A bundle of joy at the moment,’ Rose said with a fond smile. ‘Four is a lovely age.’
‘You were gorgeous at that age,’ Tricia said and hugged Rose again. ‘I’m so happy to be here with you all.’
‘So are we, Mum. But where are you going to live?’ Rose asked, pulling away from the hug.
‘It’s a secret,’ Vi said, looking smug.
‘Not any more,’ Sylvia announced from kitchen counter, where she was filling more glasses with prosecco. ‘Tricia has bought the cottage.’
‘The gardener’s cottage?’ Rose asked. ‘So you’re the mystery buyer?’
Tricia smiled. ‘No mystery. But yes, it’s me.’
‘Oh, Mum, that’s the best news. But why didn’t you tell us?’ Lily handed out the glasses of prosecco to Rose and Vi and they all sat down at the table.
‘No reason,’ Tricia said with a glance at Sylvia. ‘I just wanted to make sure it all went smoothly before I said anything.’ She smiled at her daughters. ‘But now I’m here to stay. I’m going to do up the cottage little by little and get it just the way I want it.’
‘I’m sure Dominic will be willing to help,’ Lily said. ‘He’s always said he’d love to get his hands on that place to do it up.’
‘Well, now he can.’ Tricia grinned happily at her eldest daughter, whose husband was an architect, builder and handyman all in one. His firm had done most of the restoration work on Magnolia Manor. ‘But my cottage will be small potatoes compared to what he usually does. In any case, I want to do a lotof it myself, like painting and minor repairs. Dom can do the big stuff.’
‘He’ll love it,’ Lily said. ‘Give him a ring tomorrow and you can discuss dates and any details of what you want to do.’
‘I’m not getting the keys until Wednesday,’ Tricia said.
‘You can have them straight away if you want to go in and take a look,’ Sylvia cut in as she got up from the table to answer the doorbell that had just rung. ‘That’ll be Nora,’ she added while she walked into the hall.
‘Hi, everyone,’ Nora said as she came in. ‘Sorry if I’m late.’
‘You’re just in time for a drink,’ Sylvia said, handing Nora a glass while Tricia got up to hug her old friend.
