Alannah’s stomach dropped with a sickening thud. This was exactly the kind of interaction with Kiernan Mrs. Shanahanhad warned against. Now the woman would follow through on the threat to send her away without a penny.
Alannah pressed a hand to her middle.
Kiernan’s grin faded, and he leveled a stern look at his mam. “What business do you have with Alannah? You’re not intending to punish her for talking with me, are you?”
Alannah liked how direct Kiernan was. It was a refreshing change from the games most people played. Even so, she didn’t dare glance down the hallway again at Mrs. Shanahan. No doubt Kiernan’s question would only stir up more trouble.
“Kiernan Shanahan.” Her tone was like that of a mother scolding a five-year-old boy. “’Tis not your concern what I am doing or not doing with the hired help, so it isn’t. See to your own matters, and let me take care of mine.”
“You’ll leave her be. She’s innocent.”
Alannah kept her attention on the floor. Even so, the matron could likely see everything inside her—everything she was feeling toward Kiernan and how much she was thinking about him.
“If you’re upset about the interaction,” Kiernan continued, “speak with me instead.”
“Very well.” Mrs. Shanahan’s voice took on a haughty note. “Then, Alannah, be on your way to do your evening duties. And, Kiernan, let’s go sit on the front veranda, and we’ll speak there.”
Alannah didn’t have to be told twice to leave. She sidled past Kiernan and exited, letting the door slap closed behind her.
All the while, mortification burned her cheeks. What would Kiernan tell his mam? That Bellamy was setting upa match between them? Or maybe Mrs. Shanahan already knew.
Either way, Mrs. Shanahan disapproved of her and was making that clear.
Alannah honestly couldn’t blame the woman. Who would want a penniless immigrant maid for a man of Kiernan’s potential?
Wager or not, the next time she saw Bellamy, she’d tell him she’d given his idea great consideration, but that there were more chances of leprechauns flying than of having a match with Kiernan.
10
The past few nights of visiting with Bellamy’s prospects had gone well. Kiernan had met with three possible brides, and each one had potential. Bellamy had assured him he had four more meetings lined up for next week.
Kiernan tugged off his cravat and tossed it on his bed. If everything was going splendidly, why did he feel so restless?
Unbuttoning his vest, he stepped to his open window and let the cool night breeze soothe him. After the recent rainy days, the heat and humidity had dissipated, replaced by cooler temperatures.
Even though his dinner with tonight’s prospect had taken him to the city, he’d decided to return to Oakland. It was more convenient for reaching the brickyard. And it was safer. Every day, they were getting reports of the increasing death toll in the city. While cholera was still more rampant in the immigrant communities than elsewhere, it was no respecter of a person’s neighborhood or family and would eventually reach everywhere in St. Louis.
Kiernan finished with his vest and shed it. As he startedunbuttoning his shirt, his gaze snagged on a flicker of light in the field beyond the summer kitchen. He stopped short and peered more closely. The light was too big to belong to an insect. It had to be the flame from a lantern. Alannah’s lantern.
“Blast.” He scowled, frustration curdling inside his gut.
She hadn’t gone back outside at night since that time he’d caught her and warned her against it—at least that he’d been aware, and aye, he’d been looking. He’d assumed she’d heeded him. But maybe the reason she’d refrained was because of the wet weather. Now that it had finally stopped raining, had she decided to resume her nightly ventures?
He should have known she was too independent to rely upon him for advice. And she was too much like a wildflower to be confined inside. She seemed to thrive on the fresh air and the beauty of nature and the openness of the sky. Already in just a week of her living at Oakland, her skin had gained color, her hair was more golden, and her cheeks were rosier.
The move to the country had been good for her. If only he could convince his mam of the same.
He expelled a tight sigh. He could admit another reason he was coming back to Oakland every night was to make sure his mam didn’t fire Alannah after she’d witnessed them talking together by the back door earlier in the week.
Mam had expressed her concern about his forming an attachment to a maid, reminding him of their household rule not to dally with the hired staff.
“She’s a pretty young thing, so she is,” Mam said, as they sat stiffly together on the front veranda. “And naturally you might feel some attraction.”
Oh, he felt attraction to Alannah, and it was only gettingstronger. However, he didn’t intend to do anything about those feelings ... except douse them, which he’d been trying to do, especially since his conversation with Torin. Kiernan still had a knife prick under his chin to remind him of Torin’s threats.
“You’ll be keeping your eyes and hands off that maid,” Mam continued in her usual blunt manner. “I won’t stand for you using her or any of the staff.”
“Don’t worry.” He’d been slightly embarrassed by the nature of the conversation, but he couldn’t fault Mam for bringing up the issue. “She’s like a little sister. That’s all.”
