Page 55 of Question Everything

“Right,” Sibby said. “I may not have gone into law enforcement like most of my siblings, but I’ve been around long enough to know the drill. Plus, I’m a mom. As you know, that makes us the queens of observation. No one comes within two feet of my children without me knowing about it.”

“That makes sense,” Maeve said, glancing at a sleeping Daisy. “Did you ever see them again after that day?”

“No, but let me tell you that if I had, they would have been sorry. You might not have noticed, but I can be very scary myself if necessary.”

It was the moment of levity that they both so badly needed, and both did their best to disguise the nervous laughter that bubbled up between them.

“Do you think that’s who showed up here tonight?” Sibby asked.

“I have no idea, but I can’t imagine who else it might be. Kyle sent them off the trail by mailing that tracker to someplace in Canada, but I’m sure they have resources to put them back onto where I am now.” Maeve hesitated. She didn’t want to tell Sibby the truth as she now understood it, that she was being hunted down by representatives of Britain’s royal family. The way it all sounded, the perception of who royalty was to Americans was so different than it was for the citizens of England. Here, as Maeve had come to appreciate, royalty was equated to a Disney creation. Princes and princesses, elaborate ball gowns and diamond encrusted tiaras. In England it was both a business and a burden; half the population thought they were useless, expensive saps and the other half would lay down their lives for the monarchy. Maeve wasn’t one of the latter.

But for as much as she didn’t want to tell Sibby the truth, she knew that she should. Sibby and the rest of her family had taken Mia and Daisy in, had treated them like one of their own. It no longer felt right that the rest of the adults in the group didn’t know the real reason that Maeve was on the run. She could only hope that when she told Sibby the story, the other woman would believe her. She took a deep breath and began to speak.

CHAPTER 31

Sibby listened to Maeve’s story.

She took in the details about the quaint bakeshop, the wedding cake, the late-night visit from a prince bearing an expensive bottle of wine and the indiscretion that followed. Maeve wasn’t proud of herself; she was more embarrassed and ashamed than anything else. She wasn’t sorry that she had her precious daughter, however. She was just mortified that she’d gotten so drunk on wine and the closeness to royalty that had allowed herself to be seduced by this near mythical figure. He was just a man, after all. And not a particularly good lover, either, although that detail, she kept to herself.

“You’re telling me that your real name is Maeve Byrne. Plus, the man who is sixth in line to the throne is Daisy’s father. Do I have that right?”

“Yes. After his older brother and that man’s four sons, Daisy’s father is sixth in line to the crown.”

“Let me get that right. This little girl in your arms is seventh in line to the throne… she could be the Queen of England someday? C’mon. It sounds like something I’d read ina supermarket tabloid. I mean, this kind of thing just doesn’t happen.” She paused and then said, “Wait. Is she a princess?”

Maeve pointed her chin at a sleeping Daisy. “Yes, I suppose so, but she’ll never claim the title. The Firm – that’s how they refer to the royals where I come from – will want Daisy eliminated. There can be no trace of royal blood left on the outside of the family. That’s why I ran.”

“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Sibby said softly.

“It’s part of the reason that I’m glad I did the DNA test. It’s like an insurance policy. Aside from proving to you and the rest of the family once and for all that I am Daisy’s mother, not some child abductor, it is undeniable evidence. If I can’t get away from them at least I can try and get the test to someone who matters, someone who will protect Daisy from them.”

“Who would that be?”

“The very people who if they had this information would make it public. The British press.”

“Now I know you’re crazy. Even I know that the British press is ruthless. They’ll destroy you and your daughter. You’ll never have a private moment again.”

“It’s a small sacrifice if I know that it will keep Daisy alive.”

Sibby sat up straighter then. “What if you just run? Change your identity, go somewhere they can’t find you?”

“Didn’t I do that already? Where did it get me? I pulled you and everyone you hold dearest in grave danger. No. There’s no more running away. It just won’t work.”

“That’s because you were on your own in a foreign country. Now you have us. If we all put our heads together, I’m sure…”

“No, Sibby, no. I can’t let your family do that. I’ve taken advantage of you for too long already.”

Maeve felt Sibby’s stare and felt pinned in place. She knew what was coming next.

“Tell me that you haven’t fallen in love with my brother. How are you going to turn your back on him now?”

“I have to, Sibby!” Maeve said, this time not able to stop the tears from forming. “And my love for him is the reason that I have to go.”

“Oh, please! Stop being such a martyr and lose the self-pity. You need us, you need Kyle’s help. Plus, the two of you belong together. I see it in his face every time he looks at you. He’s madly in love with you.”

Maeve felt her heart skip a beat at Sibby’s words. She knew how he felt about her. She felt the same way about him. She just hadn’t realized that the rest of his family had seen it too.

“I don’t want him to get hurt, or…” Maeve whispered, unable to finish her thought. It was unspeakable.

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