Chapter 12
12
Vi began to speak. ‘Look, Lily, I have tried and tried to make you all understand what happened. That journalist twisted my words and made it look completely different to what I actually said. She didn’t mention the part where I said that I sometimes felt I could change places with you. That I often just want to come home, find a nice man and have a family, just like you. But she didn’t include that part of the conversation.’ Vi drew breath. ‘That’s the truth. I wish you could believe me and try to understand. Mum, Granny and Nora believe me, but you won’t.’
Lily stared back at Vi without speaking. While they looked at each other, time seemed to roll back to the days when Vi had been a little girl, lost in a world of grieving adults. Lily had been the one to help then, to tuck Vi into bed at night, read her stories and stay with her until she went to sleep. Lily had been Vi’s rock for a long time and she had always turned to Lily first when she needed help and support. How she longed to have her big sister back like in the old days.
‘Can I just tell you that I’m a little scared?’ Vi said in a low voice. ‘This is my big break, but what if I fail? I feel so alone sometimes. We’ve been distant for so long but now I want my big sister back.’
Lily still didn’t respond.
Giving up the battle, Vi got up. ‘I’ll leave now. Maybe you need to think about all this.’
‘Wait.’ Lily suddenly grabbed Vi’s arm. ‘Don’t go. I’m beginning to see your side of it. Not that I don’t think it was really stupid of you to trust a journalist, especially one who writes for one of those local rags, but…’ She paused. ‘I can see how it happened.’
Vi sat down again. ‘Good. I’m so relieved you’re finally beginning to see it from my point of view. Yes, you’re right, it was stupid of me. To be honest, though, I never really understood why you and Rose were so angry.’
‘Probably because it was true,’ Lily said in a flat tone. ‘We were jealous of you at that time. We were both coping with babies and nappies and broken sleep. Rose had put on a lot of weight before she had her baby and she was exhausted after the birth. Neither of us looked our best, and there you were, looking glamorous and young, probably flying off to LA and all kinds of fabulous places to shoot movies. Who wouldn’t be pea-green with envy about that? Especially on a Monday in January when the washing machine breaks down, the rain is lashing down outside, the kids are crying and…’
‘Oh,’ Vi said, taken aback. ‘I didn’t realise. Possibly because my life is a lot less glamorous than you think. I don’t get to fly first class, you know. Or stay in five-star hotels. I haven’t been playing any main characters at all until right now, when I got this break. It’s been quite a slog, to be honest. That trip to LA last January was for an audition that resulted in nothing. Then I had this small part in a terrible drama series that just ended. I was about to give up acting and look for some kind of job, any job, when my agent told me about this biopic and that they had chosen me for the part.’ She picked up her mug and took a sip of tea, her throat suddenly dry. ‘So that’s the reality of my so-called glamorous life.’
‘I suppose an actor’s life is different to what we imagine,’ Lily remarked.
‘And I suppose a mother’s is too.’
‘That’s for sure.’ Lily drained her mug and put it down. ‘Okay, now that we’ve cleared the air, so to speak, and I have said sorry for all the…’ She stopped. ‘I didn’t, did I?’ She paused and cleared her throat. ‘Vi, I’m really sorry I got so angry,’ she continued. ‘Now that you have explained, I understand what happened and that you didn’t mean what we thought you meant. Maybe it was partly your fault but let’s move on.’
Vi heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, yes, please. Can we put it all behind us and not talk about it any more?’ She looked at Lily, not wanting to reveal what she really thought; that Lily had somehow taken a step down, leaving a brilliant career and a glamorous lifestyle to live here, in the country where nothing much happened in the wintertime. It was a beautiful place to visit and when the weather was nice, there was nowhere in the world lovelier to spend a holiday. But to live here permanently didn’t seem like a good choice.
‘Of course,’ Lily replied with a bright smile. ‘It was getting a little boring.’ They both laughed and Lily held out her arms. ‘Come here and give me a big hug.’
Close to tears, Vi fell into Lily’s arms and hugged her tight. ‘Oh, this feels so good,’ she mumbled. ‘Thank you for listening and forgiving me.’
‘I’m happy to have it all behind us,’ Lily declared, pulling away. ‘But now I want to hear all about the movie and Jack Montgomery.’
‘Oh, well,’ Vi started as she sat up, ‘it’s a bit—’ She was interrupted by a wailing from upstairs.
‘Liam,’ Lily said. ‘Hang on, I’ll get him. He’ll be all grizzly and grumpy for a while after that sleep.’
‘Mum, I’m hungry,’ Naomi called from in front of the TV. ‘Can I have a bikkie?’
‘Not this close to dinner,’ Lily replied. ‘But Auntie Vi will get you a carrot stick to chew on and then we’ll have fish fingers with chips.’ Lily looked at Vi. ‘Can you stay and help me for a bit longer?’
‘Of course,’ Vi said. ‘Fish fingers are my favourite.’
The evening turned out to be very pleasant, if a little stressful as Vi tried her best to help with the children while Lily cooked dinner and talked to Dominic, who had just arrived home. With him was Larry, a large white fluffy dog of uncertain pedigree who romped around with the children causing even more chaos than before.
When Vi was finally saying goodbye, both children were tucked up in bed fast asleep, the kitchen tidy and Lily and Dominic were settled in front of the TV to watch the late-evening news, Larry at their feet.
When Vi got up to leave, Lily hugged her goodbye. ‘Thank you so much for coming,’ she said. ‘I’m so glad we had that talk.’
‘Me too,’ Vi said. ‘I’m so happy to have my sister back.’
‘One of them, anyway,’ Lily said. ‘You still have to tackle Rose.’
‘I know, but I’ll leave her alone for now.’
‘Good idea. She’s a tougher nut than me to crack. You know how she can stay mad for a long time.’
‘Yeah, I remember how she let Henri stew for ages before she forgave him.’
‘And now they’re the best of friends and work so well together managing the senior apartment business,’ Lily said. ‘Anyway, you were great with the kids. You managed to calm them down and me too.’
‘I enjoyed it. They’re adorable. Let me know if you need help. I’m relatively free right now, so don’t be afraid to ask,’ Vi offered. ‘I mean it.’
‘I hope you won’t regret that,’ Lily said, smiling. ‘Because I do need help and a lot of it. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can work out some kind of plan.’
‘Grand,’ Vi said. ‘I’ll do my best to help you whenever I can.’
‘And then I’ll also want a full report on Jack Montgomery,’ Lily added as they walked to the door.
‘Not much to report,’ Vi said. ‘I had a drink with him before I left London, that’s all.’
‘That’s all?’ Lily rolled her eyes. ‘You had a drink with Jack Montgomery in London? There you go again, making me jealous,’ she teased.
Vi laughed.
Lily pushed Vi out the door. ‘Now go home and get some rest. And tell Granny we’re friends again. And Mum if you talk to her. I know she’s busy with all that probate stuff in Donegal, but if you’re in touch with her, let her know what happened.’
‘I will,’ Vi promised. Then Lily closed the door and Vi walked away, feeling happier than she had been for a very long time. She and Lily were close again and even though she still had to tackle Rose, it felt good to have had that talk and to have helped out when Lily needed her. She had meant what she said, the children were truly adorable, even if they were hard work at times. She was looking forward to coming back and playing with her little niece and nephew. It would be a break from preparing for her role and all the work associated with it.
Vi’s phone rang just as she had pulled up in front of the gatehouse. She turned off the engine and checked the number. It was a UK mobile phone number she didn’t recognise. She hesitated for a moment and then decided to answer.
‘Violet Fleury,’ she said.
‘Hi, Violet.’
The deep voice made her heart flutter. Could it be…? ‘Hello?’ she said. ‘Who is this?’
‘Jack Montgomery here,’ he continued.
‘Oh yes, of course. Hi,’ she croaked.
‘Forgive me for cold calling like this,’ he continued, his voice full of laughter. ‘I can tell it made you nervous. I hope I’m not disturbing you.’
‘Not at all,’ she said, finding her normal voice. ‘Hi, Jack. How are you? How are things in LA?’
‘I’m not in LA,’ he said. ‘I left as soon as the shooting was over. I’m on my way to Scotland for the next part of this movie I’m in. I had a few days off so I thought I’d come and see you.’
‘What?’ Vi said, her heart racing. ‘You’re coming to see me? When?’
‘Well,’ he drawled. ‘Actually right now. I’m just outside Dingle, staying in this quaint little boutique hotel.’
‘You mean The Dolphin?’ Vi asked. It was a brand-new hotel in a restored Georgian house and it had just opened. ‘You must be one of the first guests.’
‘I think I must be,’ Jack replied. ‘It’s very quiet but the room is great and room service excellent.’
‘Oh good. They must have been so excited to have you stay there.’
‘They don’t know it’s me,’ Jack said mysteriously. ‘I know how to be incognito. I think you’d laugh if you saw me when I arrived. Blond wig, steel-rimmed glasses, baggy sweatpants and a green anorak. Not fashionable but a great disguise. I called myself Bill Higgins from Birmingham, just so you know. I’m here to market a new line of waterproof hiking gear. Officially.’
Vi giggled. ‘I love it.’ She couldn’t believe he was here just to see her and she assumed there had to be more to his story.
‘I’m going to turn in now. I’m a little jetlagged after the trip from LA. But would it be possible to see you tomorrow?’ Jack asked. ‘I need someone to show me around the area.’
‘Oh.’ Vi tried to gather her thoughts. She didn’t want to appear too eager even if she was dying to see him. ‘Well, I’m busy tomorrow morning until lunchtime.’
‘So lunch then?’ he asked. ‘And maybe a bit of a tour around the place afterwards?’
‘I don’t think lunch in Dingle is a good idea,’ she said. ‘I mean, I’m not in disguise and everyone knows me here. They know I’m playing Kathleen and you’re playing Don. They’re obsessed with Kathleen… The Irish Times article has spread the news. If I was to have lunch with… Bill Higgins, everyone in town would know about it within half an hour and start guessing and insinuating. I think your cover would be blown very quickly. They’d guess what was going on fairly soon.’
‘Are you saying you won’t see me?’ he asked incredulously.
Vi realised no woman had ever hesitated like this when Jack Montgomery asked them out. ‘I’m not saying that exactly. I’ve just had an idea. I’m guessing you rented a car?’
‘Yes, I did. So?’ he asked, now sounding slightly irritated.
‘If you pick me up at my house, we could go over the mountain pass and have lunch in one of the villages on Tralee Bay. Like Cloghane, for example. A bit out of the way but it would be safer. That’s if you want to stay incognito.’
‘Sounds very quaint. Well, you’re the local here and you know where to go. And yes, let’s not attract too much attention to ourselves right now. Could be a bit stressful for you. When we start shooting the movie, it’ll be a different story. But let’s take it easy for now and just get to know each other. So yes, that’s a good plan.’
‘Wonderful,’ Vi said, feeling breathless with excitement. ‘Could you pick me up at the gatehouse of Magnolia Manor around twelve?’
‘That sounds really romantic,’ Jack remarked. ‘And Magnolia Manor is where we’ll be filming for a few weeks, I believe. Maybe we could take a peep at that too?’
‘Of course we can,’ Vi replied. She wondered, if there was a time, the café would be nice and quiet. ‘Not much to see in the winter and all the upper floors are now apartments. But I can show you the ballroom and the library, if you like.’
‘That would be interesting. So then I’ll see you tomorrow at twelve.’
‘That’s absolutely perfect,’ Vi said. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing you.’
‘Splendid,’ Jack said. ‘Goodbye, Violet.’
‘Sweet dreams,’ Vi said without thinking. Then she hung up and sat in the darkness mentally kicking herself for gushing at him like that. Why didn’t I stay cool and calm? she asked herself angrily. And what was that I said? Sweet dreams? How utterly stupid. Now he’ll think I’m a total eejit with a big schoolgirl crush on him. And what will I wear for this outing?
Oh come on, get a grip , she told herself after a while. This was not a problem but an opportunity to get to know a man who had been her idol for a long time. Maybe the man behind the glamorous facade was completely different. Now she had a chance to find out. Not something anyone would actually complain about…
Laughing at herself, Vi got out of the car and went inside, trying to ger her heart and breathing to return to normal. But she couldn’t stop herself being nervous. Jack was a big star with all that came of being very famous. He was spoilt and used to women fawning over him. But what was he like deep down? Maybe he would reveal his true self during the outing tomorrow. It would be fascinating to find out what he was like out of the limelight.