In the Mists of Time by Marie Treanor Page A

Ardknocken would anyone have considered it a serious romance!”
    â€œDid you?” he asked steadily.
    She hesitated, then shook her head. “I liked Dave. He was fun, and he was different, and when he stopped coming, I missed not have something to look forward to, but he wasn’t…special.” She reached for her wine, took a sip and then another before she confessed, “I may have wanted him to be in my weaker moments, but I always knew he wasn’t.”
    â€œWhat constitutes special?” he asked. “To you?”
    She shrugged. “When inconveniences don’t matter. Like Glenn to Izzy. And Chrissy to Aidan.”
    â€œHave you ever met anyone like that?”
    She shook her head, picked up her knife and fork. Her heart was suddenly beating too fast, because in some ways Thierry was already special, not least because she’d screwed him within minutes of their first hello. Twice, with abandon and violent pleasure. Worse, it came to her that the suspicion Aidan had sown was her inconvenience that didn’t matter. He intrigued her too much.
    But it was only intrigue. And, no doubt, sexual frustration. She didn’t know Thierry and probably never would.
    He said, “I can’t imagine no one’s tried to sweep you off your feet.”
    â€œAnd away from Ardknocken to the bright lights?” She smiled. “Believe it or not, I like it here. Even without ties to my parents, I wouldn’t want to leave.”
    He shrugged, swallowed some wine. “Why should you?”
    â€œPeople do. Young folk have to leave to get jobs, or to study. They don’t come back, as a rule, except occasionally when they’re successful enough to want to ditch the rat race. Hardly any of my school friends are still here.” She paused to raise her glass to him. “And then the Ardknocken House project arrived.”
    â€œReplacing the nice, ambitious kids who left, with a bunch of dodgy ex-cons.”
    â€œGives us something to talk about. And when Izzy took up with Glenn…” She threw up her hands in mock shock.
    â€œWhat did you think? Did you approve of the relationship? Do you approve?”
    â€œTo be honest, I was terrified, at first. I urged her not to take that job at the house, and when she did it anyway, I watched for her coming home—she stayed in the B&B flat then—like a mother hen afraid the fox has taken her chick.”
    â€œAnd now?”
    â€œNow…I see him with her, with Jack, and how he makes them happy and I like him for who he is. Whatever he’s done in the past, he’s paid for. I don’t think about it anymore.”
    His eyes were steady, searching.
    â€œMuch,” she added, just in case he thought her too easy a pushover.
    A smile flickered across his lips and died.
    â€œAnd funnily enough Aidan trusts him,” she said.
    Thierry took a last forkful of potato and laid down his knife and fork. “Does he trust me?” he asked.
    Louise paused, with her cutlery poised, and glanced at him. “He used to,” she said honestly, “until he discovered who Ron was. Now he’s afraid for you and the others.”
    â€œ Afraid is not a word I associate with Aidan.”
    Louise shrugged. “There are different kinds of fear. He’s not afraid of Ron; he’s afraid what will be found because of Ron.”
    Thierry’s lip twisted as if he wanted to smile and couldn’t. His face gave nothing away at all. In fact, she thought he was just going to leave it there, as though…hurt by her suspicion.
    Oh hell. She’d known this would wreck everything before it had begun, and she’d been right. Just as well, really.
    â€œNothing will be found,” Thierry said. “There’s nothing for anyone to find. I don’t have any London and Scottish money.”
    â€œThen Ron is barking up the wrong tree?”
    â€œOh yes.”
    She frowned suddenly, following