Page 78 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

“I suppose we should have expected it,” Bets said with a hard edge to her voice. “But most of them won’t be from our village. We have support here. Still, twenty bucks says Mary Kincaid and Orla MacKenna are there with bells on, leading the charge.”

Mary and Orla had more than bells on, Linc noted as they arrived. They had megaphones and were shouting something to the dozens of women standing shoulder to shoulder behind the now cordoned-off section of the road beside the driveway. Denis waved at them with a sneer, standing beside his police cruiser blocking one lane.Asshole.

“I’ve never been at a protest.” Bets gripped her seat belt. “You?”

“Not my style. But from what I’ve seen on TV, the signs are about what I’d expect.”

Not In Our Villageone placard read in black while three others screamed in loud redNudes Are Sinful, Remove Your Filth,andNo Sex Here.That last sign had him chuckling —that was probably the sanctimonious woman’s problem—before his eyes landed on a sign readingProtect Our Children.His humor died, and he continued to scan the messages.

The carefully stenciled sign with the wordsGo Home, Sluthad Linc tightening his grip on the steering wheel. It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? “The same words the vandals painted on Jamie’s front door are on that sign to our right. Do you recognize the woman holding it?”

“No.” Bets turned to face him, looking away from the women shouting at the car. “And I don’t want to. I feel ill. Mary and Orla looked at me like they’d like to beat me with a stick and drive me out of town. This is really ugly, Linc. Worse than anything we’ve faced before with the center.”

“Yes, so I’ll have security take pictures of the crowd just in case.” His list had just gotten a little longer. “Identify who’s here. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the woman holding that sign will turn out to be the mother of a teenager who might be one of our hoodlums. Jesus, this is going to be fun. But don’t fret none. We’re in good hands.”

Ghislaine more than proved his point when she met them in the entryway of the arts center, Donal standing at her side with an impressive glower. “Welcome to the party! I had a little inkling we might have protesters. It’s like someone’s been tickling me behind my ear. After all these years, I can smell them from a mile away. I shared my suspicions with Donal, and we came a little earlier than planned to check.”

Linc inclined his chin toward his friend.

“It’s nice having a man listen to you, isn’t it, Bets?” Ghislaine continued. “Anyway, I’ve sent out mass texts warning everybody about the protesters. We’ve already cordoned them off. Of course, your dear little policeman out there said the protesters had everything in order, and he was going to close one side of the road for them. Nice fellow. I could hear Donal grinding his teeth as we chatted under your daughter’s beautiful window. When I asked him why he hadn’t notified us, given the public safety concern and this being private property, he said he’d followed procedure.”

“I’ll bet,” Bets said, radiating frustration.

“I know it’s never fun to see that kind of hate in person, but don’t worry.” Ghislaine laid a hand on Bets’ forearm for a moment in comfort. “This is a good thing. Now the press will have a personal view of what’s been happening. Photos too.”

“I told Ghislaine there are only two women I recognize out there,” Donal said in a grim tone.

“Yeah, we saw Mary and Orla.” Linc tucked his hands into his pockets. “All right, Ghislaine. What do you want us to do until this circus officially begins?”

She gave a dazzling smile. “Do what you do best. Greet people. Make them feel welcome. After people run the gauntlet of a protest, they tend to have plenty on their minds.”

“I should have baked some cookies,” Bets mumbled.

“We have a full buffet prepared,” Ghislaine said, misunderstanding her. “Sophie should be arriving shortly, as will the first members of our esteemed press. Get ready, folks. It’s showtime.”

She wandered off, her heels a brisk rapping on the floors. Donal’s eyes followed her like they had from the moment she’d arrived.

“Isn’t she incredible?” he murmured. “I tell you…the moment I saw her, I was thunderstruck. And I never want it to end.”

Linc sent Bets a smile. “I haven’t known you as long as Bets, but even with all this hoopla going on, you should check the gooey expression on your face. People might think you’re addled.”

Donal turned his head to look him dead in the eye. “Gooey?”

“Sweet.” Linc mimed the face. “Lovey-dovey. You know…”

His friend arched a brow in his direction. “I’ll do my best not to look either addled or gooey, but trust me, it’s the same look you’ve been wearing every time you’re with Bets.”

“Shh— Sophie’s here.” Bets strode forward and met the pale woman at the door, grateful to see she was hand in hand with Jamie. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“At least they didn’t have rotten eggs,” she joked badly. “It’s not my first time, but I’ve never had the signs directed at me.” She patted Jamie’s shoulder. “He’s more upset. Maybe. I’m pretty upset too.”

“No need to measure it,” Jamie said, shrugging out of his coat like he was burning with anger. “Did you see the placard that saidKeep Your Hands Off Our Kids?”

Donal put a reassuring hand on the man. “Other than Mary and Orla, was there anyone else you recognized?”

His mouth twisted. “Besides Denis? Not a soul.”

“These women aren’t from our community,” Donal said with a firm shake of his head. “Take comfort in that, man.”

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