‘Like you said, Frederick is a liar. He couldn’t shine your shoes.’
‘My poor parents would have died. I thought I was saving the castle, not killing it!’ Dan paces again in the snow, his footprints making circles.
‘I see that now, and you will.’ I put my hands on both his shoulders to steady him. ‘You can do this.’
‘You’re right. It may kill me but I’ll save Castlemoon. It’s my destiny,’ Dan says, his voice wrought with emotion.
‘Exactly, the castle, it’s everything. How I feel about this building, the village, it’s beyond my wildest dreams.?.?.’ I tell him honestly. Dan’s eyes don’t leave mine as snow sticks in his dark hair. A huge truck noisily drives up and smothers the rest of my sentence.
‘The céilí band, that’s Seán and the lads,’ Dan says as Red barks and jumps up and down. ‘I gotta help them in.’
‘Let me do it.’ I clutch his arm. ‘You go.’
‘Sure?’ His eyes are filled with gratitude.
‘Yes,’ I tell him firmly.
‘I can’t believe tomorrow is your last night.’ His eyes seem darker as Seán jumps out of the truck.
‘Me either.’ I gulp.
‘Fáilte, Dan, mo chara,’ Seán greets him in Irish.
‘Maggie’s gonna get ye set up in the Heart Ballroom, I’ve to run off for a bit.’
‘It’s not true, is it? That yer selling the castle?’ Seán asks, sliding open the truck doors.
‘No, Seán. Castlemoon is not for sale.’ Dan smacks his wellington and Red bounds beside him as they traipse through the snow, off towards the jeep.
Shivering, I move back inside into the welcome heat of Castlemoon as the trad band follow me. The Heart Ballroom is ice cold. I light all the candles, pull the chairs into a smaller circle.
‘Tea? Coffee?’ I offer the band as they tune their instruments.
‘No thanks, Maggie,’ they call back. I see Mary’s notepad and pencil stub on a table and I scribble down my cell number.
‘Here’s my number, just shout if you need anything at all,’ I tell them.
As the band continue to soundcheck, my head is spinningwith an idea. It’s been spinning around and around and now it won’t stop. I run up the stairs.
Back in my room, I busy myself at my desk. I re-read my article. It’s really good if I do say so myself. Maybe the best thing I’ve ever written! Before I get to work, I open my email and bring up the address I’m looking for:
from: [email protected]
date: Dec 22, 2025, 19.29PM
subject: CASTLEMOON
Amanda,
Sending me to Ireland was the best thing you could ever have done, I can never thank you enough.
Unfortunately, I will not be in a position to file my article and I am officially resigning from my position atUltimate Locations Wedding Magazinewith immediate effect.
Maggie Grace.
A wave of relief floods through my veins. I have no time to think about what will happen when I get back to New York. I have no time to think about being unemployed and having to move back in with Mom and, soon enough, George. Right now I’m bursting with this idea. Right now I have to go find Kate and Jimmy.
