Chapter 13
13
Vi’s first private ballet lesson turned out more exhausting than she had imagined. Claire, the tall, lithe, dark-haired teacher, who looked to be about the same age as Vi, was a strict task master. Dressed in a black leotard, she put Vi through her paces, getting her to use muscles she didn’t know she had. Claire showed her how to do pliés in all positions, except fifth, ‘which is very hard for a beginner and it might result in you walking like a duck,’ Claire explained. ‘Not what we are after here, I think.’
It was hard to keep her back straight, shoulders down, head up and the arms lifted. Even though the movements were slow, Vi’s body felt as if it had been through some kind of torture. Dripping with sweat, her face shiny, she finally came to a stop after a gruelling forty-five minutes. Her T-shirt stuck to her back and her hair was plastered to her head,
‘Well done,’ Claire said and handed Vi a towel and a bottle of water. ‘I was a little mean to you but I wanted you to understand what the basic movements are.’
Vi leaned on the barre, wiped her face and drank deeply from the bottle. ‘If that were the basics, I wonder what the more advanced stuff will feel like.’
‘Oh, I don’t think we’ll be too advanced,’ Claire said. ‘We’ll stay with the basic exercises and just do a little floorwork next time. Movement to music, perfecting what I showed you today. You just need to learn to move with that Kathleen O’Sullivan grace. If you work hard it will eventually come naturally to you. I watched one of her movies online yesterday after our conversation, just to see what we need to do. She was incredibly light on her feet despite being quite statuesque. Straight back and a flexible body with that special walk and the way she held her head and shoulders were her trademark. She made it look so natural too.’
Vi nodded. ‘I know. That’s exactly what I’m after.’
‘Thought so.’ Claire walked across the floor with a light step, swinging her hips. ‘Like this.’
Vi tried to imitate the walk but failed. She stopped when she saw her image in the large mirror and laughed. ‘It’ll take a while before I can do it, but I get what you mean.’
‘You’re tired,’ Claire said. ‘I think we’ve done enough for today.’
‘Oh, yes.’ Vi grabbed her green hoodie from the barre and pulled it over her T-shirt. ‘There is so much to learn, though. But now I feel I need to take a break.’ Then she put on her tracksuit pants over her leggings, draping the towel around her neck. ‘I’ll go home and have a long hot shower. And a lie-down,’ she added. ‘I need to rest before lunch and then try to look my best.’
‘Why?’ Claire asked. ‘I mean, you look pretty good even now.’
‘Well, it’s… I have a date…’ Vi blurted out. ‘He’s picking me up just before lunch and then we’re going for a drive.’
‘Just be yourself,’ Claire said. ‘I’ve found that’s the best policy even with drop-dead gorgeous men.’
‘Sweaty with no makeup?’ Vi said, laughing as she caught sight of herself in the big mirror on the opposite wall. Her cheeks were bright red, her face shiny and her hair plastered to her head, the rest hanging limply in a ponytail.
‘You’re glowing,’ Claire argued. ‘But yeah, maybe tidy yourself up a bit, of course. Just don’t lose that natural look you have. I always wanted a face full of freckles like you. It’s so cute.’
‘Cute?’ Vi asked. She shook her head. ‘I hated my freckles when I grew up.’
‘Kathleen had them too,’ Claire remarked. ‘Except she must have covered most of them up with makeup and just left a sprinkle on her nose which made her look young.’
‘Yes,’ Vi agreed. ‘I’ve noticed that too. No problem with that. The makeup artist is a genius. He made me up for that photo that was used in the press release.’
‘That’s an amazing shot,’ Claire agreed. ‘I thought it was kind of spooky when I saw it.’
‘Oh, that was all Leo’s work,’ Vi said. ‘He made me look exactly like her, except for the prosthetic nose. He did an excellent job.’
‘He certainly did,’ Claire said. ‘So where are you going with this very attractive man you’re meeting today? Is he a local?’
‘No. He’s never been here before,’ Vi replied. ‘So I thought I’d go over the Connor Pass and have lunch in Brandon village or Cloghane.’
‘Or maybe do the Slea Head drive?’ Claire suggested. ‘That’s very beautiful. And you could have lunch in Ballyferriter.’
‘That’s a great idea. I’ll think about it.’ Vi took another sip of water from the bottle. ‘I have to go. I borrowed my grandmother’s car and she’ll want it back. Thank you so much for the lesson. When can we do it again?’
‘I think you should come once a week and maybe practise at home as well,’ Claire said. ‘I’d say you’d need my help for a few weeks and then you should have the hang of it.’ She paused. ‘I have a feeling you really want to get into Kathleen’s skin.’
‘That’s exactly it,’ Vi said. ‘I need to really be her, if you see what I mean. And I only have a few more months to prepare. I need to know a bit more about her too.’
‘Well, she did live right here in Dingle for a year,’ Claire said. ‘Did you know that?’
‘No, I didn’t,’ Vi said, surprised. ‘When?’
‘Just after she married Don. They lived in a house at the top of the hill.’
‘How do you know?’ Vi asked.
‘Because my grandfather used to own that house. It’s gone now, demolished when they started to build the new housing estate.’
‘Oh. What a pity. I’m glad to know she was here, though. That makes me feel it’s okay to shoot part of the movie around here. It revolves around the time she was married to Don, after all.’ Vi patted her face. ‘But now I really must run. See you… when?’
‘Come back on Thursday at the same time,’ Claire suggested.
‘That would be grand.’
Vi said goodbye and rushed out of the house, not wanting to let Sylvia wait to get her car back. But then, instead of going down towards Magnolia Manor, she drove up the hill and pulled up beside a row of terraced houses. She got out, looking at the spectacular view of the bay, the ocean and the islands outlined against the sky. This would have been what Kathleen looked at during the time she lived in the house that was no longer there. Vi imagined that there might have been a bay window where Kathleen might have sat, enjoying the vista while she had tea or maybe a glass of wine. What a wonderful place to spend her first year married to the love of her life.
Vi stood there as the breeze blew her hair around her face and cooled her cheeks, still hot from the dance lesson. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salt-laden air and felt as if she was standing at the top of the world, ready to fly away on the wind. Then she opened them again and laughed at the notion. She got back in the car and drove off, feeling oddly that she had come a tiny bit closer to the woman whose life she was about to recreate.
A red Audi pulled up outside the gatehouse at twelve thirty on the dot. Vi peeped out the window and watched as a tall blond man got out, bounded up the steps and rang the doorbell several times. She opened the door and stared at him. If she hadn’t known it was Jack in disguise, she would have thought he was a complete stranger. His blond hair was long and shaggy and his teeth protruded slightly. But there was no mistaking the brown velvet eyes behind the steel-rimmed glasses and the long eyelashes or the wide smile. His green anorak and baggy pants didn’t hide his tall, toned body, even if the outfit made him look just like anyone walking around the streets of Dingle or sitting at a bar counter in one of the pubs.
‘Hello, Bill,’ she said, smirking. ‘How nice to see you.’
‘And you, m’dear,’ he replied and doffed his blue baseball cap. ‘I’ve a nice range of waterproof hiking gear for sale in the car. Would you care to take a look?’
‘No, I have plenty of hiking clothes, thanks,’ Vi said. Then she pointed at the car. ‘Is this what you call incognito?’ she asked, relieved she had had the time to not only wash her hair but to put on her best jeans and navy cashmere sweater and to apply a little bit of makeup.
‘Yeah, well, the car was the only thing the rental company could offer at short notice.’
‘It’s very cute, though,’ Vi said and opened the front door wider. ‘But come in for a bit before we go up to Magnolia.’
Jack stepped inside and looked around the hall and glanced into the living room. ‘Nice house. You live here on your own?’
‘Yes, I do. It belongs to my grandmother but whichever of us needs a roof over our heads can stay here. My sister Rose and her husband moved out a while ago so I could have it while I’m here.’
‘You plan on staying long?’ Jack asked.
‘Yes. I have nothing much on so I thought I’d use the time before the movie gets going to get to know everything about Kathleen and work on being more like her,’ Vi explained. ‘I have to put on weight, perm my hair and learn how to smoke, according to Leo.’
Jack looked at her. ‘Well, you look nice the way you are. But I get what you mean. I also have to get into Don’s persona. Talk like him, walk like him and move like I’ve been riding horses all my life. They met in Kildare, at a place where you could ride horses. Did you know that?’
Vi nodded and smiled. ‘Yeah, it was one of those country house hotels with stables, according to what I read online. I imagine that she was taking a break from filming after having broken her engagement for the second time. I have been wondering if she was homesick and wanted to go riding, so she flew to Ireland and went to this place just to be with horses.’
‘And then she met the love of her life,’ Jack said, looking at Vi in a way that made her face flush. ‘Must have been a very romantic place. Just like the manor up there. She found love at long last.’
‘It’s a sweet story, but there might be things we don’t know,’ Vi said, thinking of the beginnings of secrets she was trying to uncover. She wondered if Jack had found out anything interesting about Don.
‘I know. I think they were both a little damaged by life and lost love.’ Jack shrugged. ‘But aren’t we all in one way or another? Can we go and see the manor now? I’d love to have a look at it.’
‘Of course,’ Vi said, wondering what he meant. He seemed to know more about Kathleen than she did. She decided to make him tell her during their outing. ‘We can either drive or walk up there. Whatever you feel like.’
‘Let’s walk,’ Jack said. ‘Then I can get a feel for the gardens and see the house from a distance. But first I have to remove the fake teeth,’ he said and pulled them out of his mouth, putting them into his pocket. ‘I put them in to make you laugh.’ He smiled, showing his own perfect teeth. ‘There. Much better, you have to agree.’
‘Absolutely,’ Vi said, feeling that familiar dart of attraction. Today he was even more charming than before, looking at her with a warmth that hadn’t been there the last time they’d met. Gone was the cool, slightly conceited expression of a man who was very sure of his appeal. Was this just his way of getting around her, or was it genuine?
‘Let’s get going, then,’ he urged, moving to the open front door.
‘Okay.’ Vi shook herself out of her musings and took her jacket from a peg in the hall. ‘Come this way. It’s not far and it’s not raining so we’re in luck.’
‘It’s not a bad day,’ Jack said as they went outside. ‘Windy but with sunshine now and then. I love the salty smell in the air, the seagulls and the glimpse of the ocean through the trees.’
‘Yes, it’s really nice,’ Vi agreed, zipping up her jacket once they were outside. ‘There’s nothing like the seaside.’ His words made her suddenly realise that it was true. Being by the sea was certainly invigorating. She glanced at him as they started up the avenue towards the manor. ‘Did you grow up by the sea?’
‘No. We lived in Yorkshire. Near the moors. On a little sheep farm. Real Herriot territory.’
‘Wow, I had no idea,’ Vi said, surprised. ‘I thought you were from London. You speak with that posh boarding-school accent.’
‘Oh, that’s what I picked up at drama school,’ Jack replied. ‘A kind of neutral British accent that Americans love. Got me a lot of parts, especially in period dramas. But you should hear me when I’m with my folks at home. Then I’m a pure Yorkshire lad.’
Vi laughed. ‘Amazing. A bit like me when I’m here. My Kerry accent just comes out naturally after a day or two.’
‘It’s very charming and melodious,’ Jack remarked, taking her arm. ‘I’m so glad I came, you know. It’s such a rest from the movie world.’ He looked up at the blue sky and took a deep breath. ‘This is an incredible place.’
They walked slowly up the avenue and Vi found that seeing the place through someone else’s eyes made her notice things she hadn’t thought of before. Jack remarked on the lush gardens and the many subtropical plants that grew here in the mild climate, how the sun shining through the foliage of the evergreen trees and shrubs cast a dappled light on the grass and the path. Then he suddenly stopped, awestruck by the sight of the old manor, its Georgian architecture, the mellow stone of the facade and the tall windows reflecting the sunlight. Vi kept glancing at him, thinking again that he was so different from the slightly stuck-up man she had had a drink with in London. Now he seemed relaxed and at ease, deeply interested in both the garden and Magnolia Manor, and enjoying all of the magic Kerry had to offer.
‘Tell me the story of this gorgeous house,’ he said. ‘When was it built and by whom?’
‘It was built in eighteen hundred by one of my ancestors, a Fleury who had made a lot of money importing spices from the West Indies,’ Vi told him. ‘The first Fleurys were Huguenots who came to Ireland in the sixteen hundreds. But they weren’t that wealthy until Gerald Fleury made his fortune. Then the house was built as a summer house and later became the main residence of the family. You can read about the later Fleurys on the Magnolia Manor website.’
‘I’m going to look that up,’ Jack declared. ‘Great that all the historical facts are there.’
As they drew nearer, Vi saw people come and go through the big oak entrance door, and getting into their cars parked at the new car park beside the house.
‘A busy place,’ Jack remarked. ‘Despite the fact that the tenants are all quite old.’
‘They’re all pensioners,’ Vi explained. ‘People who are still active but want somewhere easy to live where there’s a community and certain services, like a library, an infirmary and a communal dining room on the premises. There’s an indoor pool now, too, and a gym in that extension on the west side. Don’t worry, they’re normally quite respectful of our family’s privacy with Sylvia still living in the house.’
‘Amazing,’ Jack said, looking impressed. ‘Who thought all this up?’
‘My grandmother,’ Vi said with great pride. ‘It was all her idea. Then this French businessman and his son arrived on the scene and founded a partnership with our family. There was a bit of trouble between the two families at first but it’s all sorted now and it’s running very smoothly.’
‘A bit of trouble?’ Jack asked, looking intrigued. ‘That sounds interesting. What happened?’
‘It’s a long story,’ Vi said, not wanting to reveal any family secrets just yet. ‘I’ll tell you later.’ She spotted Sylvia driving out from the courtyard at the back of the house and waved. ‘There’s my grandmother,’ she said to Jack as the car slowed down. ‘She’s coming to say hello.’
The car stopped and Vi saw there was someone sitting beside Sylvia. A distinguished-looking older man with white hair. It was Arnaud, smiling and waving. Vi waved back, shouting: ‘Hi, Arnaud. Welcome back.’
Sylvia rolled down her window. ‘Hello, Vi,’ she said, glancing at Jack. ‘Is this a friend of yours?’
‘Eh, yes… this is…’ Vi hesitated but then decided to come clean. ‘It’s Jack Montgomery in disguise, actually.’
Jack leaned forward and lifted his cap. ‘Hello, Mrs Fleury. How lovely to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.’
‘Have you now?’ Sylvia said, lifting an eyebrow. ‘I suppose those movie people called me all sorts of names.’
‘Not as far as I know,’ Jack replied. ‘I just heard that you’re an amazing businesswoman and a great negotiator.’
‘Hmm,’ Sylvia said. ‘I’m sure that’s the polite version. Your disguise is terrible, by the way. I knew who you were straight away. I’d lose the wig if I were you. That blond shade does nothing for your complexion.’
Jack laughed. ‘I’m sure you’re right. Anway, I must compliment you on this beautiful house.’
‘Well, I didn’t build it,’ Sylvia countered. ‘But thanks. We love it very much.’ She turned towards Arnaud. ‘This is my fiancé, Arnaud Bernard.’
‘How do you do, Mr Bernard?’ Jack said. ‘Very nice to meet you.’
Arnaud smiled. ‘Nice to meet you, too, Jack. Of course I’ve seen some of your movies. You’re a talented actor,’ he said in his correct but accented English.
‘You’re very kind,’ Jack said modestly.
‘So you’ve come to see Violet?’ Sylvia asked.
‘Yes,’ Jack replied. ‘And to familiarise myself with the area and the setting. We’re going for a drive later to see the other side of the peninsula. I’m really looking forward to that.’
‘You’re driving?’ Sylvia asked.
‘Yes. I hired a car,’ Jack replied.
‘Drive carefully,’ Sylvia ordered. ‘Vi, let me know when you get back.’
‘I will, Granny,’ Vi promised, wondering why Sylvia looked so suspicious. ‘Jack and I are just friends,’ she added in order to reassure her grandmother.
‘I’ll look after her,’ Jack cut in.
‘Good.’ Sylvia nodded, looking mollified. ‘I don’t mean to appear so doubtful,’ she added with a little smile. ‘I’m sure you’re a perfect gentleman. It’s just that my granddaughters are so very precious to me.’
‘Of course they are,’ Jack said warmly. ‘I understand completely. Family is what matters most in life, after all.’
‘Exactly.’ Sylvia paused. ‘But now we’d better get going or we’ll be late for lunch at the golf club in Killarney. It’s a bit of a drive, you see.’
‘Drive carefully,’ Vi said. ‘I’ll send you a text later.’
‘Goodbye, Mrs Fleury. So nice to meet you. I hope we’ll meet again soon,’ Jack said.
‘You may call me Sylvia,’ she said graciously. ‘Bye for now.’
Jack shook his head when Sylvia’s car had moved off. ‘I feel as if I’ve just met the queen. What an amazing woman.’ He looked at Vi and clapped his hand to his heart. ‘I think I fell a little in love with her. It was the way she looked at me with those beautiful eyes just now and told me to call her Sylvia. Before that, I was scared of her.’
Vi giggled. ‘Yeah, Granny is something else. There’s nobody like her. I love her to bits.’
‘So do I from now on.’ He took off the glasses and pulled off the blond wig. ‘I’ll ditch this now as it does nothing for my complexion.’
Vi laughed. ‘Oh don’t mind Granny. She speaks her mind always and can be a little too critical at times.’
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ Jack declared. ‘I wish more people would be as honest. But of course she is your beloved granny and so very dear to you.’
‘Yes, she is. For so many reasons,’ Vi said as they resumed walking.
‘How are things with your sisters?’ he asked. ‘Have you been talking to them?’
Vi sighed. ‘Oh, it’s complicated. But I’ve had a talk with Lily, my eldest sister, and we get on better now. I haven’t seen Rose. She’s still giving me the cold shoulder.’
‘I’m sure she’ll come around,’ he soothed.
‘Maybe.’ Vi started to walk faster. ‘But now I’ll show you around and then we’ll go back and get in the car and go for our drive.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Jack said with a grin. ‘You’re a chip off the old block, aren’t you?’
‘I hope so,’ Vi said. ‘If I’m just a little bit like Granny, I’ll cope with most things.’
‘I’d say you’d cope with anything,’ Jack remarked. He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Even me. I’m not the easiest man to get along with.’
Vi looked at him and wondered what he meant. ‘Yes, but I’m sure you’re very professional when you’re working with other actors,’ she countered. ‘What you’re like in private is not relevant.’
‘Good point,’ he said. ‘Let’s drop it for now and explore this lovely building.’
‘Grand,’ Vi said and started to open the big entrance door.
As they walked into the house in silence, she wondered what he had meant. Would the making of this movie be more challenging than she had thought? He had hinted at the fact that he could be difficult, and when she thought about how he had behaved when they’d had that drink in London, she realised that there might be many sides to his character. Sides that she might not find easy to accept. The reality might be very different to her dreams.