Chapter 14
Clare swirled the fragrant wine under her nose and inhaled the alluring scent of the bouquet. The entire castle grounds, or what she’d seen of it, held a magical air of luxury, charm, and natural beauty. If she didn’t know any better, Gallagher Castle could be the locationfor a first-class resort or the set for an epic movie series.
She glanced toward the double French doors where Griffin had disappeared to take a phone call. From where she was sitting, she could see the curtains billowing from the second-floor windows. He’d excused himself when Pierce interrupted them about fifteen minutes ago, and she was starting to fret that he wasn’t coming back.
Was someone watching her from the window? Or did he already suspect her? What if he was searching her rental car? Fortunately, she’d hidden the diamond, and he’d find nothing other than ordinary clothes, no wands or wings, and the usual makeup and toiletries a young lady carried.
Still, she’d better be more careful and not get carried away by Griffin’s charming masculinity. She’d alreadypurposely confused him by not keeping her story consistent. At first, she pretended to be Brigid, the fairy queen, claiming her domain. But once he let on that the Heart of Brigid was missing and the supposed Brigid hadn’t been seen since the twelfth century when she was imprisoned by the Norman conqueror, Clare figured she’d try a different tack.
If his memory ever returned, he could possiblyidentify her as Clare Hart, who he’d decided was a witch or the Morrigan. She had to find his game plan and also figure out if there was any danger from the other guys who were after the Heart of Brigid.
A gemstone so valuable had to have contenders.
She looked around when a shadow fell on her from behind. Griffin was back, and he wore a friendly expression on his face.
“Ihope I haven’t been gone too long.” He sat down and motioned to the waiters to bring their food.
“I’m having a delightful time,” she said, taking a sip of the wine and licking her lips. “Am I keeping you from important business?”
She leaned back while the waiter placed a dish of white fish filets with a side of pear, pecan, and potato salad in front of her.
“You’re not. I’mbasically reviewing all of my notes and trying to piece together what happened to the fairy queen’s heart. It’s kind of strange that you have the same name.”
“Why would that be strange?” Clare tasted the tender flakes of fresh fish. “Brigid is a very common name in these parts.”
“True, but what are the chances that someone named Brigid who knows so much about fairies and the Otherworldshould happen to visit me soon after I lost the Heart of Brigid?” He cut off a small piece of fish and dipped it in the butter pepper sauce, all the while staring at her for a reaction.
“Spin the wheel.” Clare twirled her hand. “It’s fate. Are you saying you never have women visitors come up this way? I find that hard to believe.”
“According to my records, no,” Griffin said. “Nofemale companionship, thanks to the Heart of Brigid being lost.”
“Am I supposed to believe that for all your lifetimes, you have no pictures, portraits, love letters of any women you might have dated?”
He shook his head slowly, rubbing his chin. “I’m supposed to take better notes, but the annals have many gaps. It looks like I’ve been very unlucky in love. I might be a thousand-yearvirgin.”
“Unbelievable.” She giggled as she speared a piece of pear. “I shouldn’t say, but you are a sexy man. I find it hard to believe you hide behind these castle walls without meeting anyone.”
“I did go to America a few weeks back,” Griffin said. “Apparently, it was after a very long life.”
“Then you must have had a girlfriend or at least one date. Unless you were a completeass in that life.” Her mouth twitched, and she couldn’t keep a straight face, because the Griffin she met on the airplane was definitely an ass.
“You know something about my most recent life?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Have we met?”
Clare gulped and covered it by taking another sip of wine. “Do you have pictures on your phone? Selfies? Posts to social media?”
“Only ofmy grandfather and Pierce,” Griffin said. “There’s also Seamus, Mack, and Eamon. According to my grandfather, we are the four guardian knights of Ireland.”
“Did you say Seamus?” Clare’s fork bobbled, and she set it down.
“Oh, yes, Seamus O’Toole,” Griffin said. “We call him O’Fool.”
“He’s your buddy? When was the last time you saw him?”
“It must have been the last life,”Griffin said. “I haven’t spoken to him yet, but he mailed me a phony copy of the Heart of Brigid. He must have suspected I’d lose my memory.”
Griffin took a stone out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
Clare narrowed her eyes and stared at the rock. It was shinier than the rough diamond which had an oily sheen. But it was the same size, with a similar color.
