She blinked. “What?”
He walked over to his father’s desk where he opened the top drawer and withdrew a miniature. “Unbelievable,” he whispered.
Curiosity gaining the best of her, Fallon walked over to join him.
He handed the portrait to her. “Do you know who this is?” he asked when she’d taken it.
She stared at the male likeness and shook her head.
“That is Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburgand Gothaand brother to Prince Albert.” He shook his head. “It waswhenyou read that your father could be German that it suddenly struck me thatyourresemblanceto himwas oddly familiar.”
Fallon snorted. “Just because we might share a few similar features doesn’t mean that a German duke is my father.”
“And yet,” Atticus pointed out. “He visitedParis frequently and wasknownto be unfaithful because his wife never bore him any children.”
“Even so, I find it highly unlikely.” She handed the miniature back to him where he put it back in his father’s desk. “Why does Mr. Clare have a picture of him anyway?”
“It was the duke’s way of showing gratitude to my father for votingona proposal in the House of Commons that turned the tide in hisbrother’sfavor.”
“How generous of him,” Fallon murmured. She turned to Atticus and lifted her chin. “I’ve decided that whoever my father was, thatit doesn’t matter after all. Whatthis womanwrote to me was right. I know thatEoinO’Malley loved me, and while his parents didn’t have to take me in when they knew I wasn’t their true relation, they didsoanyway. I’ve come to realizethatis all thatcounts.They loved me and that’s all I need to know.I don’t have to knowthe past to shape my future.” She put her arms around his neck. “All I neednowisyou.”
He bent down and kissed her soundly on the lips. “Is it too early for the husband to abscond with his wife?”
She appeared to think about it for a moment, just to tease him, but it didn’t take her long to say, “I don’t care if you don’t.”
Without another word, he reached down and lifted her into his arms. She gave a squeal of delight that turned to a pleasurable moan the moment they reached their bedchamber.
Epilogue
March 1870
Southampton, England
“She’sa beautiful girl, Fallon,”Elizaheld the newborn baby in her arms and smiled at her.“I daresay it was about time. Here I’m already a mother oftwo! My children needed another playmate.”
Fallon offered a weary smile. After years ofhopingand praying, at long lastshe and Atticus had been blessed as parents.The poor man had been in a fit of rage when he hadn’t been allowed into the birthing room and it had takenboth Brendanand Sean to keep himbarricadedin the study. Buttheir sweet daughter had finally been born on St. Patrick’s Day, after a rather long and tumultuous labor.
“Have you decided on a name yet?” Eliza asked.
Atticus entered the room at that moment and overheard her query. A broad smile showed off his white teeth and caused a handsome contrast to the features of his chiseled face. Hisdarkeyes sparkled with pride and so much adoration that it touched Fallon’s heart.
Heheadedover to Elizawho was holding the babyand gently touched the downy cheek ofhis daughter. Hethenwalked over to the chair beside the bed andsat down to takeFallon’s hand.“We’ve named her Abigail Rose after Fallon’s grandmother and the Raven’s ship, theCrimson Rose.”
Eliza laughed, for it hadn’t taken long for her to tell Fallon that she had known the truth about Atticus after all since Brendan had been a close confidante.“How perfectly apt.”
When Atticus returned his attention to his wife, concern laced his features.“How are you?”
Sheoffered a brief smile,and although she wanted to tell him she was fine, shecouldn’t lie to him.“The doctor saidI’m improving.At least the bleeding has stopped.”
He hung his headwith a shudder of his broad shoulders. “Thank God.”
She reached out and touched the side of his face. He still wore his overlonghair pulled back inaqueue,even though it was decidedly out of fashion, but she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It reminded her of the man she had married, the pirate that still continued to lurk beneath.
Shelaid her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes in contentment.She was grateful to have such loving in-laws, for Atticus’s parents had accepted her into their family rather graciously. While Wade continued his work in Parliament in London, with Onelia at his side most of the time, she had returned for Fallon’s confinement, being a mother hen andstrong shoulderthrough it all.
Months later,the family of three decided tomake their way across the sea toCastlebarto revisit the village Fallon had livedin with her parents. It had been the first time Fallon had set foot on Irish soil after theunfortunatecircumstances had caused them toflee. Although she had kept up on the rebellion, it appeared that Ireland would never achieve independence in her lifetime.
When the Fenian’s efforts had failed, most of the activity had died down for a time, with a few troublemakers awaking now and then to cause strife.
