Page 84 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

Inside her chest, her heart was starting to feel warm again. “That’s a good one. I can’t wait to see the look on her face. Jamie, let’s eat our dessert fast. I want to go home with you.”

His eyes brightened as he signaled the server. “We’re of the same mind.”

The bread pudding was laced with a whiskey caramel sauce, and her enjoyment of it was another sign she was coming back to herself. She’d always withdrawn to someplace inside herself when dealing with conflict and criticism, but the ice had melted faster and easier in Jamie’s company.

As they were leaving, she swung his hand, watching as seagulls crested on the wind over the dark lake. “You know, you really do match me. In every way I seem to need. I’m grateful, Jamie.”

He stopped and framed her face between his hands. “Me too,mo chroí. More than you could ever know. Let’s hope the fairies hasten our trip home. I can’t wait to love you.”

Raising on her toes, she laid her mouth gently on his, feeling her pulse quicken. “I like all the uses these fairies have. You’ll have to tell me more stories about them as we travel home.”

“I will,” he said, caressing her cheek. “And we’re going to take a different way home. There’s more of the country I’d like you to see.”

So they got in the car, and he regaled her with tales about the raised Irish hills called fairy forts and superstitions about leaving a pub with one’s jacket turned inside out to thwart apooka, a fairy known for its mischief making. The views on the way back were different but equally breathtaking. The mountains tore into the cold, gray sky, sometimes with clouds dancing around the peaks. She watched for trails of water between the rugged stones and smiled as Jamie shared with her his delight about finding an old Roman coin in a fairy glen when he was a boy, which he showed to his class each year while teaching world history.

Their progress could be marked by the changing landscape. As they got closer to home, the roads grew less windy, and the mountains faded into lush valleys and then the rolling green hills she was becoming accustomed to. Her earlier tension edged its way back inside her, like a foot inserting itself in a door one wished closed.

She shut her eyes and focused on Jamie’s voice, breathing deeply. When he slowed and Rex’s bark sounded, she knew they were home. The gate to the cottage slid open, and she had to admit she was relieved to see it close behind them. In France, she’d never given her gate a second thought. Homes had them for privacy more than security. But here in Ireland, she was starting to see them in a new light, and as she left the car, she saw a flash in her mind: a door made out of glass separating two people, one angry and the other afraid.

She’d never truly expressed her own personal experience in her art until now—nothing like her parents had, that was for sure. It was as if a wheel had turned inside her, ushering her into the greater level of her art she’d been craving.

Oh, what an installation it would be!

After her current one, of course, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t start initial planning. It was always good to have another installation design in the wings. The vision felt like another sign of miracles loving company, even amidst their current hardships.

“Jamie, I just had the most glorious idea for a sculpture,” she said as they left the car.

“But that’s wonderful,” he said after she described it to him, “and powerful too. Sounds like we have something to celebrate.”

When they arrived at the front door, a note from Ghislaine was taped to the freshly painted wood.Your dog adores me. Turn on your phone! Support is rolling in.

The news was welcome, of course, but her heart didn’t blip with a happy response. She still wished none of this were happening. “She’s relentless,” Sophie said, pulling the note down. “But great at what she does.”

He unlocked the door and waited for her to precede him before stepping inside and securing the deadbolt. “Good thing Rex knew her. Do you think she scaled the wall alone?”

“Donal probably gave her a leg up,” she said, shaking her head.

“Indeed. Go on and see the news. I’ll make some tea.”

She stopped him with her hand. “It can wait. Come and make love with me.”

He cradled her face tenderly, searching her eyes, his love shining brightly. “For all my days, Sophie. For all my days.”

Leading her to their bedroom, he undressed her slowly after adjusting the heat. “You’re always concerned with me being warm enough. It’s sweet, Jamie.”

“Can’t have you covered in gooseflesh.” He started unbuttoning his shirt after taking off his jacket. “Not that you wouldn’t be beautiful with those bumps on your skin as well. Sophie, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

She took over, undoing the buttons slowly. “And you’re the most wonderful, handsome man I’ve ever met.”

He undid his belt and pants so she could pull his shirttails out. “Aren’t you lucky then that I’m your soulmate?”

Laying a kiss over his heart, she caressed his chest, making him inhale sharply. “The luckiest. Maybe I really am Irish deep down.”

He picked her up and walked the few steps to the bed. “I’ll have to investigate. I hear some people’s freckles resemble shamrocks, and I know just where I want to look.”

She was laughing as he settled her onto her stomach, stripping out of his remaining clothes before pressing an agonizing kiss to the bottom of her spine. He gripped her hips in his hands, continuing to press kisses along her back.

“Funny, Jamie.”

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