Page 74 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

Sophie felt more goose bumps break out across her arms.

“Sorcha Fitzgerald!” Her mouth curved. “So I’ve heard.”

“You have?” Bets asked.

Ghislaine smiled slowly. “I’m well informed. I read the story of her passing and how the center was the home she’d wanted, built posthumously after her death by her husband before he donated it to the village for the new arts center. He’s married to Angie Newcastle.”

“Your mind is a marvel,” Donal said, his gaze fixed on none other than her. “Welcome to Ireland, by the way. We’re very glad to have you here.”

They shared another long look, one Sophie was both shocked and delighted to see was filled with banked heat. Goodness, they liked each other! How about that? Then she remembered Jamie telling her that miracles loved company. Wasn’t this the proof?

“I happen to be very happy to be here,” Ghislaine finally said, her voice more hushed now. “Linc, do you remember how I told you I wasn’t sure if I could fit you in as a long-term client?”

“Sure do,” he drawled.

“Well, I’ll make room.” She traced her coffee cup with a well-manicured fingernail. “I feel like my connection to this place is just beginning.”

Sophie lifted her cup to conceal yet another shock. She knew Ghislaine’s listandwaiting list were full. “That’s wonderful! There’s no one better.”

Ghislaine shot her a winning smile. “Wait until you see where we are come Friday.”

* * *

The days couldn’t have gone any faster. Ghislaine steamed ahead, guiding everyone along with her. Sophie refined her statement again and again until she could say it as fluidly as if she were telling Greta a bedtime story. Jamie patiently listened to her as they sat in the quiet cottage in the evening, sometimes after having dinner alone and other times after a drink at the Brazen Donkey with friends. Keeping busy didn’t stop her from missing Greta, but itdidhelp knowing her daughter was having a ball with Sandrine and Eoghan.

A few people called in with information about the vandalism, but the investigator didn’t consider them solid leads. That concerned her more than she wanted to admit, and she knew her troubled sleep was from the awareness that the person or people who’d orchestrated the vandalism were still out there.

On Thursday morning, she’d just finished getting dressed when Jamie came up behind her and rubbed her tense shoulders. “Maybe you should stay in bed a little longer this morning. You look exhausted,mo chroí.”

She almost purred from the magic he was working on her again. He’d already well satisfied her this morning. “You are too, and it’s not because school has suddenly gotten harder to teach, I imagine.”

He made a sound that had her turning around. “No, it’s the censorship board matters. They weigh on me. I know the center’s legal team has everything in hand, but I don’t like that I was also asked to submit my school curriculum. Some parents have asked me about the issue. Someone talked out of school. Literally.”

“Any ideas who?” she asked.

He hesitated for a moment. “My principal confessed to having some concerns about the letter. Nothing official, mind you. Part of me can’t blame her. It’s rare for the censorship board to get involved with a small school such as ours, and with her being the principal, she might worry it reflects on her leadership. She was aware of my book selections.”

Sophie could still feel a chill when she thought of the woman’s disapproving look. “And she didn’t find anything wrong with any of them?”

“No, of course not. They’re all widely approved books. Yet I’m still unsettled by it all.”

“As you should be.” She touched his jaw tenderly. “All of this ‘looking over your shoulder’ and ‘judging your work’ is designed to inspire fear and make you doubt yourself. I know. I’ve had those dark thoughts too, but neither one of us is in the wrong here, Jamie.”

“I know that, but it wears on me.” He exhaled sharply. “When I asked to take off Friday to be at the press conference, my principal was less than thrilled.”

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “What did she say?”

He lifted his shoulder. “She said, ‘If that’s the way you want to go.’ I didn’t like her tone. I told her this was personally important to me and the village. I even reminded her about my role heading up the children’s arts program, but I left feeling like I’d drunk sour milk.”

Now she felt the same way. “This is why I knew I’d never do well with a boss. Jamie, I appreciate you taking the day off for the press conference, but if you feel you need to—”

“No,mo chroí!” He took her in his arms. “You’re the most important person in my life. When you love someone, you’re there for them. You can count on me, Sophie. For always.”

She was starting to think in those terms more and more. Maybe it was time to raise it. “It’s always for me too. When this is over, we should talk more about what that means for us. And Greta. She’s one of the most important people in my life too.”

“And she’s one of mine.” He grasped her hands and raised them to his lips. “So I make that vow to youandto her. Now, I’d better be off.”

“We should probably take a nap after you get home from school.” She waggled her brows. “The dinner with the four new advisory board members tonight is probably going to run late.”

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