“James was as poor as the rest of us, but there was something inside of him. A light that people could feel. He was different from us.”
“And the sister wanted him,” Sara said.
“She did. This was before I was born, but my mother told me of it. The sister wore red and let her hair hang down. She exposed bits of her body—shameful things then.”
“And Mary?”
“She did the washing on Mondays, the baking on Fridays. She hardly ever left the little stone cottage of her parents. There was no man courting her. The sister made sure of that. If a man came near Mary, the sister stepped in. She was so bright and vibrant that the men turned away from Mary.”
“But not James,” Sara said. “A true hero. He could see beyond the flashing eyes and the exposed skin.”
“Mother said no one was more surprised at the proposal than Mary was. James walked to the cottage, went to her father, and asked for Mary’s hand. Of course the man agreed. James had an aura about him that a person could feel. After Mary’s father approved, James asked Mary if she’d marry him. She was hanging clothes out to dry. She was so astonished all she did was nod. Mother said Mary was so shy that she never spoke to James until the morning after the wedding night.”
Sara laughed. “I love that! Wish I’d used it in a book. Sex before words. Perfect.” She paused. “But what did the sister do?”
“My mother told of the rage of the girl in the weeks before the wedding. Mary had somehow won the man every female wanted. The man everyone knew was going to achieve success. There were lots of little ‘accidents.’ Mary was burned, things fell on her, her wedding dress was torn. On and on.”
“I’ve written about jealous sisters.” Sara paused. “She was the mother of the first Reid. Who did she marry?”
“No one,” Alish said. “The sister found a man who looked like James. He was tall and handsome. He wasn’t from our village but from the city. He was also a thief, a liar, and some said he was a murderer.”
Greer had been silent through this, but she spoke up. “Your husband’s father. My great grandfather.”
“He was,” Alish said. “I was told that the sister cried to Mary that she’d been raped and was to bear the man’s child. But my mother had seen her with the man. She knew it was a lie.”
“Is this why the families left Scotland?”
“Yes. Had they stayed, the sister’s life wouldn’t have been worth much.”
Sara grit her teeth. “I know about women being blamed for whatever happens to them from a man. So the sisters gave birth to boys who looked alike but one had a birthmark.”
Alish nodded. “Reid had a big red mark on his neck. It was said that his robber father also had that mark, but no one knew for sure. When they got to America, the sister wanted to live with James and Mary, but he said no. Mother said James knew the true nature of the sister and didn’t trust her not to kill Mary.”
“In an accident, of course,” Sara said.
“With no question. James found a good husband for her, but she treated him badly. When her son looked like Mary’s boy, the sister hinted that James was the father. It hurt Mary, but she never confronted her sister. Mary was generous and kind to both of the boys.”
“Was Reid always bad?” Sara asked.
“Yes,” Alish said. “But not to me. I have never been...” She broke off, her eyes sad.
“A man magnet?” Sara said cheerfully. “Femme fatale?One of the buxom beauties on the covers of my novels?”
Alish smiled. “Exactly so. I wasn’t asked to dances by other boys, but Reid did. He was so handsome! I ignored the stories of what he did to others. He—”
Greer interrupted. “But didn’t youseewhat he was? With your powers?”
Alish closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “I did. But I was so young and so in awe of this beautiful man that I paid attention only to the parts I wanted to see. My future was linked to him. That’s theonlything I wanted to see.”
“He hated Aran,” Sara said softly.
“Passionately. Even more than the sister hated Mary. Aran had the money, the house, the father everyone admired. Reid’s mother was scorned, his father laughed at. Reid’s hatred of Aran was all-consuming. It ate at him.”
“But I saw them together on the horse,” Sara said. “They looked like friends.”
“How did you see that?” Greer asked.
“A dream I sent her,” Alish said, then looked back at Sara. “Reid covered his hatred. Only I knew of it. He said he’d been acting all his life and that’s what led to him to leave Florida.”
