Loving Ireland

by Mac Flynn

  "You said you were okay," he pointed out.

  "I am, but my wrist is telling me it could use some ice." I lifted the injured hand and winced when it reminded me it was still not happy. "And some of my painkillers. They're in my coat pocket."

  Sean fetched the painkillers, and we were interrupted by a knock on the adjoining bathroom door. "Maggie, are you okay?"

  I whipped my head to Sean who sat on the end of the bed like before. His lips pursed together and he turned his head to the door. "Lily, would you come in here?"

  My friend hesitated to obey the command, and when she did she peeked her head into the room. Her eyes were owlish and she glanced hesitantly at us like she was afraid she'd find us without our clothes on. I smiled and waved to her to come in, which reminded me again that I shouldn't be waving around my injured wrist. "It's all right, we're decent," I assured her through gritted teeth.

  Lily slipped inside and hurried over to the bed. "I thought I heard you curse. What happened?" she asked me.

  "My clumsiness decided it hadn't been working me hard enough and I fell off the bed," I replied.

  Lily glanced over to Sean. "And Sean. . .?" She didn't want to suggest any wrongdoing, though I had to admit this looked really bad. The scene didn't help with my pajamas askew from the fall and the sheets all over the floor.

  "He just came in to see how I was sleeping," I told her. That didn't come out quite as well as it sounded in my head.

  "I came in here for a tryst," Sean admitted. "It seems I was overzealous in my efforts and Maggie fell off the bed."

  "And I tried to catch myself with my hands, and I can feel the result," I chimed in.

  "Did you need Doctor Jacob?" Lily asked me.

  "No, but that ice pack would feel really good about now."

  Sean shot up from the bed. "Of course, I'm so sorry. I will return in a moment with the ice pack." He hurried out of the room, which left me alone with my interrogator.

  Lily slowly turned to me with a wide smirk on her face. I glared at her. "Don't you dare say a word," I warned.

  "What did I tell you about him?" she teased me.

  "That he's rich?"

  "That he's in love with you."

  "He hasn't said that."

  "Does he need to after such a show of love?"

  "He's getting me an ice pack."

  "After he tried to be so amorous with you-"

  "-that he injured me."

  "It was an accident, and I believe you're frightened," Lily replied.

  I furrowed my brow. "Frightened? Frightened of what?"

  "Frightened that he love you, and you're unsure how to return his feelings."

  I crossed my arms over my chest and huddled down in the bed. "Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."

  Lily smiled and placed a gentle hand on my arm. "It's all right, Maggie, you don't have to hide your feelings from me or him."

  Speaking of the devil, Sean hurried in with a couple of bags full of ice. Lily moved aside so he could take his usual place by me, and he put the bags down to clasp my wrist in his hands. "We should unwrap the bandages to give room for any swelling," he advised. Sean gently pulled off the wrappings, and I had time to look him over while thinking about Lily's theory. He was definitely handsome with his dark hair and perfectly sculptured face. His touch was soft but strong, and I found myself blushing at the slightest brush of his fingers against me. "Is something the matter?" he asked me. Damn those blushing cheeks!

  "What? Oh, no, just warm in here." I tried not to shiver against the cool draft.

  "There, done." He pulled off the last of the wrapping and glanced over the wrist. It was a little swollen, and he placed an ice pack on the injury. "Keep that to yourself for a few minutes to see if the swelling goes down." He glanced over to Lily, who stood behind him. "Did you wish to stay with your friend?"

  A mischievous grin spread across her face and she shook her head. "No, I'm sure you'll be better at caring for her than I. If you won't be needing me any more I'll go back to my room and get some sleep." My so-called friend was abandoning me in my hour of need so she could play matchmaker between Sean and me.

  "Goodnight then," Sean replied, oblivious to the evil eye I gave to Lily.

  "Goodnight," Lily returned, and gave me a wink before she disappeared into her room.

  My head turned to follow her retreat, and I snapped it back when I heard Sean say something. "What? I didn't catch that."

  "I asked if you were hungry," he repeated.

  "Oh, um, not really." I glanced around for a clock, but there was nothing to tell me the time.

  "One-thirty," Sean told me.

  "That early? You snuck in here pretty fast."

  "I waited only long enough for Anna to fall asleep."

  "Aine," I playfully reminded him.

  "I much prefer the name Anna. It has a quality I find appealing."

  "It's a palindrome?"

  "It's simple," he explained. "Much like the name Maggie. No pretension with such a name."

  "You obviously haven't met that many Maggies."

  "All I need is one." I squirmed on the bed, and the ice bag accidentally slipped from my hand. I set my hand on it to grab it, and Sean's hand covered my hand. I lifted my head and was caught in his bright, deep eyes. "You don't trust me, do you?"

  "It's not that, it's just. . ." It's just that Lily was right, I was afraid to find out how deep were his feelings. Maybe they were only skin deep, maybe this was just a schoolboy infatuation with someone who didn't treat him as a lord. Maybe I was just a novelty, like a souvenir tossed in the trash after the trip was over with him wondering why he ever bought me. I didn't want to end up like so many miniature Eiffel Towers. "I think I'm just tired."

  "And I think you're lying, though more to yourself than to me," he countered. He took my injured hand and examined the wrist. "The swelling is already going down. A few more minutes with the ice pack and you should be able to sleep with it. Tomorrow I'll call Doctor Jacob and he can bandage the muscles again."

  "Thank you," I whispered. I felt so ashamed of myself for giving out that bald-faced lie, and then being caught by him made it worse.

  "I am ever at your service," he gallantly replied.

  "Even at one-thirty in the morning," I answered with a smile.

  "I am to blame for your rude awakening."

  "I've had worse. At least you weren't a drunk trying to get into my room." He raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged. "I lived in a college dorm for a few years. You see a lot of stuff like that."

  "It sounds very much like the taverns in the village, or at least from what I've heard."

  "Don't you get a night out to go to a tav?"

  "A man in my position has a great deal of responsibilities, and one of them is perpetual sobriety."

  "Ouch. Ironically, that sounds like a good way to become a drunk."

  "I'm afraid many lords have stumbled down that path."

  "You seem to be on a different path, but I don't think you're too fond of this one, either," I pointed out.

  Sean slipped on a wry smile. "Is it so obvious?"

  "Throngs of adoring fans on the verge of tearing off a piece of you for a souvenir with a dab of hero worship that leaves them in awe. Does that sound like the right diagnosis?"

  "Perfectly for some, but others don't quite fit that mold."

  "Duffy and Anna?" I guessed, and he nodded. "I think you wish Anna had the same mentality as some of the others."

  "If she were in awe that would give me more peace, but I won't judge her for wanting a friend. Ours can be a lonely life."

  "All that money and responsibility, and nobody to share it with?"

  "You're very adept at reading people," Sean complimented.

  "It comes from keeping my mouth shut except when I need to change feet."

  He was bewildered by my comment. "Change feet?"

  "Yeah, open mouth, insert foot. I make an ass of myself if I talk too much, like I did when we met in the
hall a few days ago."

  "I see. I must admit my ancestors are a little, well-"

  "-stiff?" I suggested.

  "Stoic," he corrected me. "But I fear this conversation is getting us nowhere but to a lack of sleep. If you need anything else feel free to holler to your friend. The walls are too thick for me to hear your cries."

  I cringed. "That isn't very comforting. What if some invaders come crashing down the hall?"

  He stood and wickedly smiled down at me. "Then take comfort that you won't see the end coming."

  I rolled my eyes. "Thanks. Real comforting."

  "Goodnight."

  "'night."

  He left me to my thoughts, but they weren't very good company. They kept telling me to stop being such a fuss-butt and give him a break. I had to admit I had a point. The poor guy seemed to just want some company. I figured I could humor him while I was here, and expect to use my return ticket after my few weeks were up.

  Chapter 13

  The next day was dreary, but the rain had turned to a drizzle and the wind had died down. I awoke to find my wrist had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. It was sore and a little puffy. Lily peeked into my room and found me juggling my towel and bath supplies so I could get my first dibs on the bathroom. My wrist wasn't helping with holding anything, but it was doing a great job of causing me pain.

  Lily strolled into the room and picked up my fallen shampoo bottle. "How is your wrist?"

  "Angry," I replied. "It feels just like it did when I first hurt it."

  "Were you wanting any help taking a shower?"

  I dropped my bar of soap for the third time and sighed. "I think I'll skip the shower and just wash my hair. Can I borrow one of your hands for that?"

  "Only if you promise to return it," she teased.

  With our powers combined we managed to wash my hair, and Lily helped me dress. Just as we finished there was a knock on my bedroom door. "Miss O'Brien, Miss Magee?" Kelly's voice called to us from the other side.

  "We're here, Kelly. Is something wanted?" Lily replied.

  "The Master was wanting to know if you were ready for breakfast."

  "That would be lovely. We'll be down in a few minutes."

  "Yes, miss." His shadow beneath the door retreated down the hall.

  "I suppose we'll leave after breakfast?" I asked Lily.

  "If you were wanting to," she absently replied as she finished buttoning my shirt.

  "Actually, I was thinking maybe we could stay here for the day and leave after dinner."

  Lily froze over the last button and whipped her head up at me. "And why would you be wanting to stay?" she wondered. There was a look of curiosity and triumph in her eyes.

  I shrugged and tried to act like it was nothing. "I don't know, I guess we don't really have anything to do at the cottage except talk, and there's a lot more people here to talk to."

  "And?" she persisted.

  "And we get free room and board."

  "And?"

  "And you're not going to ask any more questions."

  She smirked. "Well, perhaps we should, if only to give Duffy more of a chance to fix the leak in the roof."

  "The roof, right. We also need to wait for that to get fixed, so we might as well stay here," I agreed.

  Lily laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear you've changed your mind."

  I sighed. "That, or I'm out of my mind to be believing any of this. It feels like it's some bad romance story. You know, where guy nearly runs girl over, girl insults family, they fall in love and live happily ever after."

  "What a lovely story that would make were it to happen to either of us," Lily sighed.

  "Except I'm going back to the States in a few weeks. That doesn't leave much time for the whole falling-in-love part," I reminded her. "Now let's get downstairs before that Lady Anna shows how much she hates the cook's cooking by eating half of breakfast."

  Lily took her shower and we hurried downstairs to the dining hall situated on the right side of the castle in front of the stairs. Sean and Lady Anna were already there, but didn't start until we took our seats. Sean glanced at my wrist and frowned. "I'm afraid you haven't improved since last night."

  "Yeah, it kind of hurts today," I agreed.

  "Last night? Did something happen?" Lady Anna asked us.

  "I rolled off my bed, and hurt my wrist" I told her. It wasn't a lie, just a convenient omission.

  "Let me call for the doctor at once," Sean insisted. He wouldn't take no for an answer, or any other word, because he hurried out of the room too fast for anyone to speak up.

  Anna watched him go, and turned to me with her lips pursed tightly together. "If you fell from your bed how did Sean happen to come to your room to learn about the injury?"

  "A good host always knows when his guests need something, and he was there to get me a bag of ice for my wrist," I told her. She looked like she didn't believe me, but she couldn't prove I was lying without getting the truth from Lily or Sean, and they weren't talking.

  Sean came back and sat back down at the head. "I'm afraid all of Duffy's favors have been used. The doctor won't be available for house visits until the afternoon."

  "Just keep up a steady stream of ice cubes and those great drinks we had last night, and I think I can make it," I assured him.

  "Are the ice cubes for the wrist or the drink?" he teased.

  "Both, but naturally the drink comes first."

  "Naturally."

  Lady Anna scowled at our combat and entered the fray. "Sean, didn't you promise to take me for a drive this morning?"

  Sean didn't do a very good job of hiding his disappointment at losing a chance to ply me with alcohol. "Had I?" he asked her.

  "Indeed you had."

  Sean glanced out the nearest window; rain pattered against the glass. "I'm afraid there won't be much chance of enjoying the scenery today, Anna-"

  "Aine."

  "-so what do you say to calling it off?"

  "I'm sure we can find something lovely to view. I so adore watching a wild, untamed river as it makes love to the soft banks."

  "That's called erosion," I spoke up.

  Anna whipped her head over to me and scowled. "I know its name, but science takes all the beauty out of nature."

  "Except for beauty products," I countered. I recalled what Sean had said about her night makeup, and looked her up and down. There were other parts of her that were more plastic than person. "Helps a lot of people out with deficiencies."

  I knew I'd struck my mark when Anna's eyes narrowed; she didn't take kindly to my expert marksmanship. "There are some people even science can't help."

  Sean interrupted our back and forth before more than words started flying. "You're right that there are sights to enjoy, and I'm sure we can include everyone in the fun. Would you two ladies like to accompany us? We can more than fit into one of my vehicles."

  I didn't look forward to literally rubbing elbows with Anna, but I hadn't seen much of the countryside. Even a half-drowned countryside was better than four walls. "Sounds like fun, doesn't it, Lily?"

  She smiled and nodded. "Like an adventure," she agreed.

  "Then it's settled. We'll all attend the drive," Sean replied. The finality in his voice told Anna that dissent would not be tolerated.

  Anna lapsed into a sullen silence, for which we were all glad, and breakfast finished on a high note when I accidentally knocked my wrist against the table while getting up. I don't know how my scream of pain didn't shatter the windows, or at least everyone else's eardrums, but they were more unscathed compared to my pulsing pulse along that traveled along my wrist.

  Sean was at my side in a half second and examined my wrist while Lily watched with wringing hands. "Is it broken?" she asked in alarm.

  "It feels broken," I whimpered through clenched teeth.

  Sean shook his head. "No. Another pack of ice will probably bring down the new swelling, but you must be more careful in handling
yourself," he scolded me.

  "That's easy for you to say. Your body isn't trying to kill you slowly and painfully."

  "Let's get you to the comfortable fire and I'll fetch the ice pack," Sean suggested. He guided me out into the hall and over to the fireplace with Lily and Anna behind us. Anna was mildly interested in my infirmity; she probably liked to watch stupid creatures suffer. Sean sat me down and went to fetch the ice pack while Lily seated herself at my side.

  "I don't think that four-leaf clover is doing me much good," I told my friend.

  Lily smiled and shook her head. "Nonsense. You would be worse off if not for the charm."

  I doubted her words as my wrist pumped me with pain. "Maybe I shouldn't go on that car ride. With my bad luck I could doom us all to death by sheep inhalation."

  Lily snorted. "I don't believe that happens here."

  "I don't want to start a fad for the sheep, so I'd probably better stay here." What I most feared was being confined in a space where I would continuously bump my wrist.

  Sean returned with the ice pack, and overheard my last words. "What if I promised not to jostle the car too much?" he asked me with a smile.

  "Or I could drive," Lily offered. My blood ran cold with fear, or with the chill of the ice pack Sean set on my arm.

  "I'm sure I'll survive if I stay here," I told them. If Lily was driving I could guarantee it.

  "Then I'll stay here, too," Lily offered.

  "And that makes just you and me, darling," Anna cooed.

  I detected a shudder from Sean. "Perhaps it is a little wet for any of us to be out right now."

  "Oh nonsense, silly," Anna argued with a wave of her hand. "The weather now is no worse than usual so you should have no trouble driving these roads."

  Poor Sean looked so desperate that I wished there was something I could do. That's when an idea hit me, or rather I hit my injured hand against the arm of the chair. "Damn it!" I swore beneath my breath. I'd done too good a job with the whacking as bolts of pain shot up my arm. "If I stay in this condition any longer I'm going to whack my arm clear off. Maybe you can drive me to the doctor's he can just bandage this really quick," I suggested.

  "I don't know about moving you," Sean replied. I frantically blinked at him hoping he understood Morse code and understood I was faking some of the pain. Not most of it, but some. "Or perhaps you should be taken to the doctors house. The road should be fine in that direction."

  "And I can go with you for a shoulder to lean in," Lily offered. She was mild-mannered, but even she wouldn't be abandoned to the company of Anna cheated out of her scenic drive.