Although Alannah had served as a maid first for Enya and then at Oakland, Zaira had never thought of her as a servant. It had been easy to see from the start that Alannah wasn’t an ordinary woman, especially to Kiernan.
As an avid reader, Alannah was a skilled editor. If not for Alannah’s help in editing, Zaira wouldn’t have been able to garner Mr. Knapp’s attention. In fact, Alannah had been the one to first suggest the need to enhance the authenticity and depth of emotions between her characters.
While Alannah’s feedback had been helpful, the kiss with Bellamy had maybe been even more so. Zaira had used the feelings from the exchange with Bellamy to stir her writing, pouring out her heart and emotions into the story. When she’d turned it in and Mr. Knapp had skimmed it, he’d offered her a genuine smile and told her that readers would enjoy the next chapter by K.S. Flanders and that he was happy to keep working with the fellow.
Zaira had left the office elated ... but only until she’d passed by Oscar’s Pub and witnessed a dozen or more fatherly aged men lined up outside. She’d only had to inquire of someone passing by to know that Oscar was serious about finding Bellamy a match and half of St. Louis’s Irish community had come out to talk to Oscar about it.
Of course, Bellamy was a catch for his influence and standing in the community, and it was no surprise that every single woman on the western side of the Mississippi was in love with him. How could they not be with how handsome,charming, and kindhearted he was? She’d already been halfway in love with him, even before experiencing that kiss with him at the pub. Now despite her intentions to hold off on marriage, she fancied him even more.
“So, what other news from the city can you tell us?” Da tapped his cigar into the crystal ashtray on the wicker table beside him. A chunk of ashes fell off before he lifted the cigar and took another puff, the sweet but spicy waft of tobacco lingering heavily in the air.
Kiernan glanced again at Zaira, and this time, the accusation there was more than she could bear. Oh aye, he’d definitely heard about the kiss that had transpired with Bellamy. But he’d likely been tasked by Alannah not to say anything, which would account for why he’d remained silent about the issue.
Yet, how long could he stay silent before blurting the truth?
Zaira needed to talk to him before that happened.
She pushed to her feet, and a moment later both Kiernan and Da stood politely too, as was done in the presence of a lady. But was she a lady anymore after her indecent behavior?
“Kiernan, would you like to take a short stroll in the gardens?”
He raised his brow at Alannah, as though seeking her permission.
She squeezed his hand. “Oh aye, take all the time you need.” The offer was gracious, especially since Alannah wasn’t entirely comfortable with Da and Mam and was still adjusting to her changing role in their family.
Da and Mam were likely adjusting to that changing role too. It would take time for them and the community to see Alannah as more than a maid. But at least they were being kind to her.
Kiernan held out the crook of his arm to Zaira. She took it, and together they descended the front stairway and meandered across the manicured yard toward the side of the house. Mam’s flowers along the house had wilted in the summer heat, but the raised herb beds as well as the vegetable garden were still doing well.
“So you’re enjoying married life?” Zaira asked as they rounded the corner and the front veranda disappeared from sight.
Kiernan glanced over his shoulder and then turned his full glare upon her. “What were you thinking, Zaira? Kissing Bellamy like that?”
“I figured from the scowls you kept giving me that you’d heard.”
“Everyone left in St. Louis has heard.”
She pressed one of her hands to her forehead. “Oh bother.”
“Oh botheris right.” Kiernan didn’t slow their steps but instead seemed to pick up the pace as though he was anxious to get her as far away from any listening ears as possible.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.” Technically she’d gone intending to only hug Bellamy. The kiss had taken things too far. Regardless of what she’d planned, she should have dragged him out into the alley, maybe even into his shed studio first. If only he hadn’t been brash and stubborn, and if only she hadn’t overreacted.
The muscles in Kiernan’s arm flexed. “Does that mean Bellamy took advantage of you? Because if he did, so help me, I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.”
“No, the kiss was my fault.” She wished she could explain to Kiernan that she’d done it to add more realistic emotion toher story. But she didn’t think Alannah had shared anything about her secret writing life with Kiernan.
“What happened?” Kiernan shook his head. “No, never mind. I don’t want to know. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that we do what’s right moving forward.”
“What is the right thing, Kiernan?” Zaira looked up at her older and wiser brother. “What should I do?”
“That’s exactly what we need to figure out.” Kiernan’s voice contained his usual authority.
She stooped over the fence and plucked a ripe cherry tomato from one of the plants. The garden spread out beside the summer kitchen, a low brick building that was whitewashed like the house. The barn with the conveyances and livestock stood behind the kitchen and was bordered by meadows of wildflowers and a woodland.
It would certainly be a pretty landscape for Bellamy to paint.
She gave a curt shake of her head. She didn’t want thoughts of Bellamy to invade her at times like this. She needed to put him from her mind once and for all. But how could she when she found herself reliving their kiss every quiet moment she had? And how could she when she was filled with an undefinable longing to kiss him again?
