Page 1 of An Irish Kiss
CHAPTERONE
Aurora Fairall smiled at the American gentleman and handed over his receipt.“There you are, sir.I hope you and your wife have enjoyed your time here in west Ireland.”
“Oh, we have,” Ronald said with a decided nod.“To be sure and be sure.”He winked.
“It sure is pretty,” the man’s wife—Gloria—piped up.“I can’t believe how green everything is, and all the old buildings.And the little towns—oops!I mean the villages are justdarling.”
Aurora—Rory to her friends—kept her professional smile intact, even as part of her rankled at the words which sounded just a wee bit patronising.“We trust you enjoyed your stay at the Castle Griffin Hotel.”
“Oh, we did, for sure and for certain,” Ronald said, winking again, like he thought that was the first time Rory had ever heard that joke.If she only had a euro for the number of times people had greeted her with a “Top of the mornin’ to yer.”
“Then I hope you’ll write something suitably complimentary on TripAdvisor and in the visitor’s guest book.”She gestured to a nearby cream leather-bound book.Mam had installed a version of this same book when the castle had first opened to paying customers, back when Rory had been in Brownies, and Aisling, two years younger, had been in the most junior of Irish Girl Guides groups, the Ladybirds.
As his wife started scribbling, Ronald glanced around the castle’s stately panelled hall with its parquetry and flagstone entry and soaring stained glass windows where the reception desk was located.“I can’t believe you people actually live in this kind of joint.”
She’d heard similar things many times before, and had never found an easy reply.The castle might be where she and her siblings had run along the long stone halls while growing up, but finances meant the castle had needed to be opened up to paying guests.While the family retained a separate private wing, none of them considered this place a true family home anymore.It wasn’t like what they’d been used to.And if it was hard for her, then she couldn’t imagine how challenging it was for her mother to see the changes to what had been her family’s home.
The castle had fallen into the Fairall management as overseen by the Killorglin Group when her mother—last surviving relative of this particular Derryloughlin branch of the Griffin family—had met and soon married Kieran Fairall, and together they’d turned the castle into a luxury hotel.But her mother never complained, and often spoke of the deep love she’d had for Rory’s father, love that Rory believed still existed to this day.Her father had been instantly smitten by Maeve, insta-love, some might call it, but it seemed to be the Fairall way.And judging from the way her brother, Colin, had so quickly fallen for Kara last year, it still seemed to operate today.
Not that she’d know.The men she knew were more like boys, more interested in football or drinking beer than real conversation or ever getting to truly know her.
Not that this couple needed to know any of that.“We know we are very blessed.”
There.Blessedwas her word bait for moments like these, to see if anyone would bite and show themselves as fellow believers.Many Americans did, she knew…
Gloria put the pen down and nodded, her blazing white teeth not quite matching the age lines on her face.But nothing more was said about blessings, which meant this conversation could end, so she wished them safe travels and waved as they paused to take in the surroundings one last time.
They departed, and she soon heard the crunch of gravel on the drive as their hire car turned in the circular driveway.As if sensing it was just them at last, Rover skidded across the hall, then completed two circles, before pausing, eyeing her with pleading brown eyes.
She laughed and ruffled his head, gently drawing the velvet of his ears.“I’ll take you for a walk soon, boy.Just let me finish up here first.”
His tail thumped on the herringbone parquetry floor, as it always did whenever he heard the word “walk.”
She soon completed the tasks, then nodded as Rebecca entered, her cleaning kit in hand.“Just room two today.”Where Gloria and Ronald had stayed.Business had proved quiet lately, unexpected as usually there were still plenty of tourists until at least November, when the wild winds from the west blew most visitors away until spring.Normally so few visitors would see Rory or Aisling do the cleaning, but Rebecca had already been booked to come and it wasn’t fair to cut her hours, not when the single mother needed all the work she could get.
Rebecca nodded.“Want me to do the public restrooms down here after?”
“That would be great.Thanks.”God bless those who took initiative like this, instead of working more slowly to fill their hours, like some people she knew.
Her thoughts flashed to the little bookshop in town where Rory worked part-time, whose owner, sweet Mary Connolly, had a lot more patience with her employees than Rory did.But then Mary was a gentle soul, a combination of earth mother and Irish patriot, the bookshop hosting everything from knitting groups to Irish language lessons.And if Mary didn’t want to pull her workers into line, then that was her business.Literally.
“I’ll be back in half an hour,” she called, as Rebecca nodded and moved to the carpeted stairs.
Rory clicked her fingers, and Rover bounded close.“Ready now?”She clipped on his blue harness and lead, laughing as he tried to lick her hand.
She tugged her jacket from the hook and escaped through the front doors, their stained-glass inserts drawing appreciation as always.Then it was outside, down the shallow stone steps, and an immediate left and away from the visitor parking area.
This was the quiet time of day, with several hours free until check-in began at four.Late afternoon and evening were generally pretty busy, and considering they had several guests checking in today she could only afford a short walk.Still, a short walk was better than none, especially for someone who liked to keep busy, but whose work generally meant she spent too much time on computers.
“Come on, let’s go.”They passed through the narrow entry in the hedge, hidden from unobservant guests, into the more private section of garden that few ventured into.This wasn’t exactly the family’s private area, but was secluded from being overlooked by most of the guest rooms and suites.She unclipped Rover’s leash, found a ball, and kicked it.
He barked, then raced after it, delighting in the game, as she rolled her neck and shoulders, releasing latent tension.Niggles about her future, the constant sink or swim state of her finances, which ensured more hustle than sleep sometimes.Worry about her family—her Mam, the continued rift with Fiona, and Aisling’s general lack of drive to finish her university studies.At least Colin was happy these days, having found a perfect match with Kara.Kara might be English, and work at a hotel 600 miles away, but from the way Colin had talked when they’d returned from their trip it seemed she was warming up to the idea of moving to Ireland one day.Not that Colin’s work required him to live here, but with Da gone, she knew Mam was reassured to have him near.
Her heart see-sawed, as she thought back to when Colin had first mentioned Kara, and they’d realised the Fairall legacy that saw near instant recognition of one’s perfect partner had passed from grandfather to father to son.Was it true for the Fairall females too?
She had never met a man who had intrigued her enough to want to spend time with him, let alone that sense of immediate connection Colin had reported feeling for Kara upon their first meeting.Neither of her sisters had reported experiencing such an immediate heart connection either.Perhaps it was only a quirk in the male Fairall genes, and she was destined to remain waiting for Mr.Right to appear for another ten years or more.If at all.
Rover returned with the ball, and dropped it on the ground, waiting.She kicked it again, harder this time, and it propelled straight into the rhododendrons.“Oops!Sorry, boy.”
