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Maisie smiled at Finn, knowing that must feel nice to have his granny dote on him, but the light in his eyes dimmed. Had it been the mention of Eton?

“Maisie?” Niamh said, moving toward them. “How’s the parsley comin’?”

“Finished,” Maisie said, raising up the cutting board.

“Fine, fine. Now you can peel more carrots. I don’t think we have enough just yet.”

“You don’t need to peel the carrots,” came another grumble from Finn’s granny. “Never did when I was a child.”

“I know, Mammy, I know.”

She turned her back on her mom and looked at Maisie, mouthing out, “Peel them,” to Maisie, who hid her smile and nodded.

As she peeled the carrots away from his grandma’s eyes, Maisie looked at Finn, who’d appeared more serene than before, though the smile on his features had returned.

“What?” she asked softly.

“Nothin’,” he said.

She eyed him suspiciously, wondering what it was he’d been thinking of until Mr. O’Meara appeared in the doorway next.

“Smells beezer, love,” he said.

“Ach, Dom,” Niamh said. “You’ve come to fine Mammy, right?”

She gave him a look of pleading.

Mr. O’Meara nodded. “Aye, I just need to speak with Finn for a minute.”

Once again, Finn’s smile faltered, and he and his father exchanged uneasy glances before Finn gave Maisie a departing smile, then followed his dad out of the room.

Maisie stared after them, instantly feeling the tension shared between the two. The women still argued near the stove, apparently unaware of what had just transpired, but Maisie looked to the doorway they’d disappeared through, still wondering at the sudden shift.

Her thoughts strayed too deeply, however, as in the next moment, she missed the carrot with the peeler and snagged the tip of her thumb’s knuckle instead.

She gave a quick gasp, the peeler and carrot falling from her stunned hands to the floor.

“Alright, love?” Niamh asked, looking over her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Maisie said swiftly, bending down to pick up the peeler and the carrot. “Just dropped them. I’ll get a new one.”

Niamh didn’t respond, her attention already on her mom who was attempting to hide the salt so Niamh wouldn’t use it in the stew.

Maisie grimaced, looking at the blood pooling from the sliced skin of her thumb. What a rookie mistake.

She looked around, too embarrassed to admit what she’d done as she found a paper towel. While the women argued, Maisie wrapped up her finger to stop the bleeding, then sanitized the cutting board and peeler before grabbing another carrot and checking her wound again.

With the blood still spilling forth, she chewed on her lower lip. This needed a bit more attention.

“Can I use your bathroom, Niamh?” she asked, gently inserting her comment between the women’s words.

“’Course, love. Up the stairs. Toilet’s the first door on your right.”

Maisie nodded her gratitude, then left the kitchen, holding the paper towel securely around her thumb as she walked up the stairs. She only hoped she could get the bleeding to stop before anyone noticed her stupid mistake.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

“Take it,” Da said, pushing the full envelope towards Finn.