Chapter 6 #2
Suddenly hungry, Marian pushed away the sad thoughts and followed Claire to the barbecue at the far side of the terrace where a good-looking man with white hair was putting steaks and skewers on a platter.
He smiled at them as they arrived and proffered the platter.
‘Hello, Claire. Is the lovely lady your sister?’
‘Yes, this is Marian,’ Claire replied. ‘Marian, meet Arnaud, the five-star chef of Magnolia Manor.’
‘Hi, Arnaud,’ Marian said and held out her hand.
‘Bonjour, Marian. Can’t shake hands, but I’ll greet you the French way instead,’ he said and kissed Marian lightly on both cheeks. ‘So nice to meet you at last, ma chère. Claire has been telling us how much she has missed you.’
‘I’ve missed her too,’ Marian said, charmed by this nice man who looked like a French version of Cary Grant. ‘This looks delicious,’ she said and picked up a steak with the fork Arnaud handed her.
‘I hope you’ll like it,’ Arnaud said. ‘It’s medium rare, so I hope that will be okay.
Please help yourself to Béarnaise sauce, garlic butter or relish, whatever you prefer.
It’s all out on the long table so you’ll have to pass it around when you sit down.
And there’s potato salad and beans and all kinds of vegetables as well. ’
‘Fabulous,’ Marian said and joined Claire at the long table that had been laid with plates, cutlery and glasses on an embroidered tablecloth. She found herself sitting between Rose and Karina Flavin, Claire’s boss, who shook hands and apologised for her late arrival.
‘So you’re the big sister?’ Karina said, studying Marian for a moment. ‘You look only faintly alike. Claire is such a Fleury, but you’re a little different.’
‘I’m not as colourful as Claire,’ Marian remarked. ‘I have the strong jaw but not the freckles and my hair is straight and a shade or two lighter even though it has auburn streaks.’
‘And you have fair skin that I guess burns easily,’ Karina said, smiling. ‘Just like me. I burn to a crisp if I’m not careful. How on earth did you manage the Aussie sun?’
‘Well, as they say down under: slip, slop, slap,’ Marian said. ‘Slip on a T-shirt, slop on sunblock and slap on a hat.’
Karina nodded. ‘I’ve heard of that slogan. Very sound advice, I have to say, and it should be everywhere, even here.’
‘Yes,’ Marian agreed. ‘It really should. But here I feel you can still sit in the sun for a while without fear. It’s positively dangerous in Australia, especially in Queensland. It gets very hot there, even in the winter.’
‘Not a real winter, I assume. So how long do you plan to stay?’ Karina asked.
‘Oh, I don’t really know,’ Marian said. ‘I’d like to stay for a long time. I want to get to know the area and the family. I’ve actually just agreed to help your brother in the office for a bit as he needs someone to organise all his various jobs.’
‘He certainly does,’ Karina said drily. ‘And if you’re as disciplined as Claire, he’s lucky to get you on board. But his messy ways might drive you crazy. He never seems to get his paperwork in order.’
‘I think I’ll cope,’ Marian said. ‘I’m used to disorganised men. My husband is a bit like that. Messy, I mean. He’s more interested in surfing than office work, so I did most of that stuff.’
‘Won’t he miss you if you’re away so long?’ Karina asked.
‘No, I don’t think he will,’ Marian said, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her.
‘He’ll get someone to help him. We’re kind of separated,’ she added after a moment’s reflection.
She hadn’t been sure how to explain it, but now it came out and she felt suddenly that it was the right way to describe what was going on between them.
‘Separated’ sounded like halfway to divorce but it was less final.
Karina put her hand on Marian’s. ‘I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. That was very rude of me. I hope things will improve between you, though.’
‘Thank you,’ Marian said. ‘I wasn’t offended by your question anyway. You weren’t to know what was going on.’
‘Good,’ Karina said, looking relieved. She raised her glass of champagne. ‘But let’s not dwell on it and enjoy this marvellous day and the fabulous food. Cheers for Claire and Pierce, too. I couldn’t ask for a nicer sister-in-law.’
‘Or a better brother-in-law, in my case,’ Marian said and clinked glasses with Karina.
‘I like Pierce already.’ She looked down the table at Claire and Pierce chatting and laughing with the Fleury family and smiling at the children who were now enjoying the food.
Sylvia and Arnaud sat together, talking in hushed voices in what seemed like a very private conversation.
How happy they all looked with their spouses and partners.
Marian felt envious of them all and wondered if she would ever find happiness again.
It didn’t seem very likely at this moment and that thought made her sad again.
Karina put her hand on Marian’s arm. ‘I’m sure you’re looking forward to the wedding.
It’s not a church wedding as they have both been married before, so it’ll be at the registry office in Tralee.
But then the party will be here, in the ballroom afterwards and it’ll be fabulous.
The Fleurys and the O’Farrells together again. ’
‘Again?’ Marian asked.
‘Yes. Sylvia is an O’Farrell by birth,’ Karina explained. ‘She and our mother were first cousins. She married Liam in nineteen sixty-two, only six months after they met.’
‘On a train,’ Marian filled in. ‘At least that’s what Claire told me.’
Karina smiled. ‘Yes, that’s right. So romantic.’
‘Where was this train journey taking place?’ Marian asked.
Karina frowned. ‘You know, I have no idea. She never said. Could have been anywhere. I know Liam travelled a lot in those days.’
‘Travelled where?’ Marian asked, intrigued.
‘Oh, everywhere. In Ireland and Europe and Scotland, too, I think. For the family business when he was young.’
‘And Sylvia?’ Marian asked. ‘Did she travel a lot too? Before she met Liam Fleury, I mean.’
Karina thought for a moment. ‘I think she did. She went somewhere on the continent at some stage to study, and she was in London during the swinging sixties, she says. But I don’t know much about her life before Liam, so to speak.
Way before my time. If you want to know, why don’t you ask her yourself? ’
‘Yes, maybe I should,’ Marian said as she looked across the table at Sylvia. ‘But I have a feeling she wouldn’t tell me much. There is a mysterious air about her.’
Karina nodded. ‘Yes, she keeps her cards close to her chest, that’s for sure. That’s what makes her so fascinating.’
Marian nodded, gazing at Sylvia, who was smiling adoringly at Arnaud.
There was something about her that seemed slightly at odds with her official image of a matriarch, a much-loved grandmother and a countrywoman born and bred.
She watched the elderly couple, still engrossed in their intimate conversation, and wondered if Arnaud knew Sylvia’s whole story.