Page 55 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

“No!” She held up her hands. “Sorry, that was loud. No, I do not want to cancel our night out.”

“People might not have read the article in the national paper, but they will likely have seen this one as it’s closer to home. News like this travels fast as a fox in lambing season.”

“I’m not going to hide and pretend we’ve done anything wrong.” She rose and crossed to him, putting her hand on his chest. “Unless you want to keep away.”

He took her hands. “Not from you. Never from you. I was only trying to protect you. Sophie, I’m on a kind of ice I’ve never skated before. I want to be a help to you.”

“And you!” She squeezed his hands. “Jamie, they’re bashing you too. I can’t believe they told that story about you being in a water-gun fight, acting like a child in public. And what they said about you living with other artists at Summercrest Manor. They might as well have implied you were a bunch of hippies up to no good.”

Jamie’s eyes roved over her face. “And shame on them for implying any of it. If others find those images—or your design, for that matter—sexual or provocative, that’s their issue. I personally don’t find them arousing or threatening. They’re art!”

“Exactly!”

“And as for using approved art books in our children’s arts programs,” he continued, his blue eyes ablaze, “we’re introducing children of a certain age to important masterpieces that happen to have the human body as a subject. If you ask me, I think children who are brought up to see the human body as a beautiful and natural thing will have healthier attitudes toward human sexuality. And that’s exactly what I plan to tell any parent or concerned citizen who asks me about it.”

“Oh, Jamie, you arethebest!” She threw her arms around him, feeling him grunt in response. “This is the worst firestorm I’ve ever been in professionally, and here you are, making me tea and snapping off comebacks. I can’t think of anyone better to go through this with.”

She leaned her forehead against his chest. “Let’s have that tea and then I need to get Greta up. You both have school today.”

“We do.” He cupped the back of her head. “I wish we could all stay home and forget about this for a while.”

“But life doesn’t work that way,” she said, raising her face. “I hid as a kid. I won’t do that anymore. It’s too important not to make a stand, Jamie. And what they’re doing is wrong.”

“They want to makeuslook wrong.” He lifted the back of her hand and kissed it. “But we won’t let them. Will we?”

“No, we sure as hell won’t.” She traced his jaw. “Will you do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Bring wood for a fire on the beach tomorrow night, will you?”

He smiled slowly. “If it doesn’t rain. Otherwise, we’ll figure out something else.”

“Jamie, I don’t want all this crap to stop us from being together.”

“It won’t.” He put her hand over his heart. “You have my word. We’ll weather this. The truth always wins out,mo chroí.”

She desperately wanted to believe it.

The stone in her stomach told a different story.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Things were getting out of hand.

Jamie wanted to crumple the letter he’d just opened and throw it against the wall. He was known for being a bottomless well of patience, but the letter he’d just received from the Irish Censorship of Publications Board was the last straw. Someone had issued a complaint of indecency and obscenity about two of the children’s art books he’d chosen for the Sorcha Fitzgerald Arts Center. Given his role as an educator, they requested he send a list of every book he was currently using in school.

His stomach rolled like he had the flu. How could they! They were calling his very character in question, as a person and an educator.

Only yesterday, he’d told Sophie the truth would win out. Today, the burden on his shoulders felt like a yoke.

He picked up the phone and called Bets.

“Jamie! Sophie told me you gave an impassioned speech yesterday and made her feel better. Can you give me one? I’ve been inundated with people wanting to talk about Sophie and her sculpture. Linc said this kind of blitz is normal, but I’m exhausted.”

“It’s understandable with people spewing this kind of filth.” He took a breath. “I wish I could give you the kind of speech you’re looking for, Bets, but my mouth went dry when I received a letter from the Irish Board of Censorship in the post.”

She swore. “How bad?”

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