exist, what would it mean to her? To Liam? And for that matter, to Nan and those who had come before them?
Liam appeared to relax. “Fine, then. Think today and tomorrow you’ll tell me?”
She shook her head. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready. Now I’ll be walking back to the pub.”
“I’ll run you back.”
“My legs still work,” she replied.
New voices sounded from the front room—booming male sorts that precipitated the heavy tread of Meghan’s feet upstairs. Vi quickly realized that she was hearing none other than her da, but with more enthusiasm than she was accustomed to. And with finer timing than usual, too.
“You’ve found me,” she said as she reentered the room with Liam at her heels.
“From what I’ve heard said today, all one ever had to do was look for Liam. Your nan never told me you were soft on a Rafferty, Violet.”
Liam’s father nodded. “You’d no sooner drop her with your mother each summer than she’d be at our doorstep looking for my boy,” he said. “Regular as a clock, she was.”
James Rafferty had the right of it, though Vi didn’t much appreciate the tidbit sharing with her father. Vi had indeed viewed Liam as a special gift, straight from Nan’s spirits to her. Even now, when she trusted him none, she also found herself desiring him—the very last thing she wanted to do. She looked about for a means of escape.
“Did you happen to stop by the pub, Da?”
He shook his head. “No, we were straight here. James wanted to show me the fine job Brian and his crew did on renovating Liam’s house.”
Vi worked up a regretful sigh for the elder Rafferty. “Ah, well, much as I’d like us to stay and visit more, I’ve left Roger at the pub with Jamie. We’d best be moving on. A bit of a pest, he can be.”
“Roger or Jamie?” Liam asked, humor dancing in his blue eyes.
“Apparently, both,” Vi replied. “Liam, I’ll be out to Nan’s tomorrow, getting in my first day of real work, and with no interruptions, if you please.”
He frowned. “Then I’ll be seeing you…?”
“When I arrive,” she said simply.
Vi linked her arm through her father’s. “Slán,” she said to the Raffertys junior and senior and gave a glance up the stairs to see the shade of Meghan slip round the corner. “ Slán to you, too,” she called, then made good on her escape.
“You needn’t have rushed so,” Da complained as they walked in the direction of the pub. “It was inhospitable of you.”
“I had my reasons,” she replied, skirting past a mother carrying a fractious toddler, his legs kicking as though he meant serious harm. “Did Nan ever talk to you of Rafferty’s gold?” she asked her da.
“She did,” Da said. “Though she made it clear that as a mere male of her blood, it could never be mine.” He smiled. “The sting was lessened by the knowledge that it was imaginary.”
“And you’re sure of that?”
“Of course I am. With my father so long dead, we were always wanting for something in that little house. If not for an inheritance, I’d never have made it out of Duncarraig and to university. If only some distant relative would up and die and do the same for Danny.”
Vi slowed. “Who did Nan inherit from?”
Da tucked his hands into his suit jacket pockets and ducked his head to fight the biting wind that had begun pushing through town. “A second cousin from County Laois. I think I might have seen her once at a family Christmas.”
Miraculous, Vi thought. Miraculously convenient.
And how very like Nan.
Liam’s da was trolling for a chat when Liam wanted none. He’d managed to avoid conversation alone with Da for three whole weeks, which was perhaps the sole advantage of being part of a large family.
Da watched all and managed the Rafferty children with a quiet sort of authority. The time had come to draw Liam back into the fold, and there was no escape. His father pulled out a chair from the dining table and motioned for Liam
Liam appeared to relax. “Fine, then. Think today and tomorrow you’ll tell me?”
She shook her head. “I’ll tell you when I’m ready. Now I’ll be walking back to the pub.”
“I’ll run you back.”
“My legs still work,” she replied.
New voices sounded from the front room—booming male sorts that precipitated the heavy tread of Meghan’s feet upstairs. Vi quickly realized that she was hearing none other than her da, but with more enthusiasm than she was accustomed to. And with finer timing than usual, too.
“You’ve found me,” she said as she reentered the room with Liam at her heels.
“From what I’ve heard said today, all one ever had to do was look for Liam. Your nan never told me you were soft on a Rafferty, Violet.”
Liam’s father nodded. “You’d no sooner drop her with your mother each summer than she’d be at our doorstep looking for my boy,” he said. “Regular as a clock, she was.”
James Rafferty had the right of it, though Vi didn’t much appreciate the tidbit sharing with her father. Vi had indeed viewed Liam as a special gift, straight from Nan’s spirits to her. Even now, when she trusted him none, she also found herself desiring him—the very last thing she wanted to do. She looked about for a means of escape.
“Did you happen to stop by the pub, Da?”
He shook his head. “No, we were straight here. James wanted to show me the fine job Brian and his crew did on renovating Liam’s house.”
Vi worked up a regretful sigh for the elder Rafferty. “Ah, well, much as I’d like us to stay and visit more, I’ve left Roger at the pub with Jamie. We’d best be moving on. A bit of a pest, he can be.”
“Roger or Jamie?” Liam asked, humor dancing in his blue eyes.
“Apparently, both,” Vi replied. “Liam, I’ll be out to Nan’s tomorrow, getting in my first day of real work, and with no interruptions, if you please.”
He frowned. “Then I’ll be seeing you…?”
“When I arrive,” she said simply.
Vi linked her arm through her father’s. “Slán,” she said to the Raffertys junior and senior and gave a glance up the stairs to see the shade of Meghan slip round the corner. “ Slán to you, too,” she called, then made good on her escape.
“You needn’t have rushed so,” Da complained as they walked in the direction of the pub. “It was inhospitable of you.”
“I had my reasons,” she replied, skirting past a mother carrying a fractious toddler, his legs kicking as though he meant serious harm. “Did Nan ever talk to you of Rafferty’s gold?” she asked her da.
“She did,” Da said. “Though she made it clear that as a mere male of her blood, it could never be mine.” He smiled. “The sting was lessened by the knowledge that it was imaginary.”
“And you’re sure of that?”
“Of course I am. With my father so long dead, we were always wanting for something in that little house. If not for an inheritance, I’d never have made it out of Duncarraig and to university. If only some distant relative would up and die and do the same for Danny.”
Vi slowed. “Who did Nan inherit from?”
Da tucked his hands into his suit jacket pockets and ducked his head to fight the biting wind that had begun pushing through town. “A second cousin from County Laois. I think I might have seen her once at a family Christmas.”
Miraculous, Vi thought. Miraculously convenient.
And how very like Nan.
Liam’s da was trolling for a chat when Liam wanted none. He’d managed to avoid conversation alone with Da for three whole weeks, which was perhaps the sole advantage of being part of a large family.
Da watched all and managed the Rafferty children with a quiet sort of authority. The time had come to draw Liam back into the fold, and there was no escape. His father pulled out a chair from the dining table and motioned for Liam
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