Page 25 of The Secret Bookshop in Ireland

‘Thirty-four,’ Ronan replied, crouching beside Brian. ‘Isn’t Brian a lovely fella?’

‘He is the beautifulest dog in the world,’ Nancy said with a happy sigh.

‘I like that word,’ Ronan said, smiling. ‘Not really in theOxford Dictionary, but it should be.’ He rose and looked at Ciara. ‘And now I have to say goodbye. I have to get back and do a few things in the office and then head home.’

‘I’ll see you to your car,’ Ciara said, feeling she needed to talk to him alone after what he had told her.

‘Thanks,’ Ronan said. ‘Bye, Mrs Doyle.’

‘Bye, Ronan,’ Maureen said, smiling at him. ‘Come back to see us soon.’

‘I will,’ Ronan promised. ‘Nice to have met you, folks,’ he said, before he leaned down towards Nancy. ‘Bye, Nancy.’

‘Bye, bye,’ Nice said and waved her little hand.

Ciara followed Ronan to his car. ‘Well, it was great to see you here,’ she said.

‘I’m glad I came. There is so much more I’d like to say to you, but for now, I just want to thank you for listening. And I’d love to know how you get on and what you’re going to do with this place.’

‘I’ll keep you posted,’ she promised. ‘Whenever I have a signal.’

He nodded, looking more cheerful. ‘Great. You know where to find me. I’ll send you a text so you have my mobile number. We could chat on WhatsApp, if you like.’

‘That would be great. I have a feeling I’ll need lots of advice. I was wondering, actually if…’ She paused for a moment.

‘If what?’ he asked.

‘If you could find out more about Martha Fitzgerald,’ Ciara said. ‘I mean, you’re a genealogist, so you must know where to look.’

‘I could do that,’ he said. ‘But it could be hard to find. Martha didn’t leave many traces. She seemed to not have wanted anyone to know much about her. A real mystery woman, that’s for sure. You know what?’ he said after a brief pause. ‘I actually think that you will find most of the clues to Martha Fitzgerald’s past in the house you have just inherited. Look around the shop, the house and even the garden. Ask around, try to get to know people in the village. That couple in there talking to your mother, for a start. They must have known her.’

‘Yes, that is probably true,’ Ciara said. ‘I’ll ask them what they know.’

‘I’m sure they’ll be able to tell you something,’ Ronan said. Then he stopped for a moment. ‘I envy you, you know. I have a feeling there is a whole new adventure waiting for you here. If you want to take a few risks.’ He opened the door of his car. ‘I have to go. See you soon, I hope.’

‘Come back when you can,’ Ciara said as he got into the car and started the engine.

‘I will,’ Ronan said through the open window. Then he put on a pair of sunglasses, smiled and waved as he pulled away from the kerb.

Ciara stood there for a moment, looking at the car slowly disappearing from view, thinking about what he had just said.It’s true, she thought,I’m young and free with nothing to tieme down. Why shouldn’t I stay in Cherrywood and solve the mystery? It’s waiting for me to be solved. All I have to do is to set it in motion. I can put the rest of my life on hold for a while.

THIRTEEN

When Ciara woke up the next morning, she discovered that she had slept until nearly half past nine. Yesterday had been a tiring day and then, after dinner, Maureen had suggested they walk down the main street of the village, just to get an idea of how many of the houses were inhabited. So in the gathering dusk, they had walked slowly up the village street, noticing that a lot of the houses were empty, the gardens overgrown and the windows broken. Some of the cottages were, however, well maintained with flowerbeds and well-tended shrubs and newly painted façades.

‘About a third of the houses are abandoned,’ Maureen had remarked as they walked along. ‘I wonder what it was like in the old days when all the shops and the pub were open.’

‘Probably very nice,’ Ciara had replied. ‘And look, there are two churches here, opposite each other.’

‘One Church of Ireland, the other Catholic,’ Maureen had said. ‘And there’s the vicarage,’ she added, pointing at a pretty two-storey Victorian house that looked empty.

‘Nobody there,’ Ciara said. ‘But the garden is looked after, though.’

‘Somebody must come and do it from time to time,’ Maureen said. ‘I wonder what the story is?’

‘I’d say there are many sad stories here,’ Ciara mused. ‘People and families living here for generations and then they finally left and never came back.’

‘That’s sad,’ Maureen agreed. ‘But maybe the village will come back to life one day? I mean, there are people who seem to be happy here, like that nice couple, Liam and Mary Lincoln.’