“Don’t ask me to do that,” he said.
Marie gripped Fegan’s shirt in her fist. “Do you swear?”
Her eyes flared with hope, but something else burned beneath. Something Fegan didn’t want to see.
“Swear and I’ll believe you,” she whispered.
“I swear,” he said.
Marie nodded slowly and turned to look out to sea.
They walked without words along the beach, across the bridge, and into the cottage garden. Neither Ellen nor the dog showed any signs of wearing each other out as they ran in circles around the shrubbery. Mrs. Taylor was on her knees, her bottom in the air, as she tugged grass from beneath a flowering bush.
She looked around at the sound of the gate. “You weren’t long,” she said. “Too fresh for you?”
“We’re a bit tired,” Fegan said.
“I’ll help you with that,” Marie said.
“Oh, no, sure I’m fine,” the bright-faced woman protested.
“Please, I’d like to.”
“Well, all right.” Mrs. Taylor looked up to Fegan. “Why don’t you go on inside? You can keep Albert company while he watches his films.”
Fegan questioned Marie with his eyes. She pressed on his arm, telling him to go. He went inside to find Mr. Taylor with his feet up on the coffee table, watching a John Wayne movie.
“Ah, George,” said Mr. Taylor. “Grab yourself a seat. It’s just started.”
“What is it?” Fegan asked.
“
. Have you seen it? It’s a classic. The Duke’s best.”
“No, I haven’t seen it,” Fegan said. “I’ll hang my jacket up.”
He walked back to the coat hook in the small porch. Voices drifted in from the garden through the slightly opened door. Soft voices, women’s voices, punctuated by a child’s laughter and a dog’s excited yips.
“Don’t tell me if you don’t want to,” Mrs. Taylor said.
“There’s nothing to tell,” Marie said.
“All right. It’s just what it said on the news, a woman about your age, blonde hair, and her daughter.”
“No, it’s not me. Must be someone else.”
“That’s okay, love. Just remember, if there’s anything you want to tell me, anything you’re worried about, I’m here. You’re a smart woman, I can tell, but even smart women do silly things when they’re afraid.”
Fegan listened to five heartbeats of quiet. Only the dog’s panting rose above the waves.
“That’s the thing,” Marie said. “I’m not afraid of him.”
Marie didn’t look at Fegan as they ate lunch. Ellen’s appetite had been inflamed by almost three hours of chasing Stella around the garden. She attacked a stack of sandwiches with fervour. Stella lapped up a bowlful of water and collapsed in a contented heap on the thick rug at Mr. Taylor’s feet.
Fegan felt Mrs. Taylor’s eyes on him. Not accusing or fearful, but cautious, as a mother regards her daughter’s first suitor. He smiled at her once or twice, and she returned the gesture, but her gaze remained firm.
When lunch was finished, Mrs. Taylor allowed Ellen to take a nap upstairs in one of the comfortable bedrooms. The child had complained of noises disturbing her sleep the night before and seemed glad to climb onto the bed and bury her little head in a soft pillow. Stella hopped up and joined her, circling Ellen’s feet before curling into a dozing ball.
Marie insisted that Fegan and she should do the dishes while Mrs. Taylor put her feet up. They were alone at the sink, passing soapy plates back and forth.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” Marie said. “I’m going to trust you because I’ve no choice. You’re the only person I know who’s prepared to stand up to McGinty.”
“I won’t let him hurt you,” Fegan said.
“So you keep telling me. But what does that mean? When will it be safe to go home? How long do we stay in Portcarrick? These people are so kind, but we can’t impose on them for ever.”
Fegan added a plate to the dried stack on the worktop. “I’ll go to Belfast today. I’ll sort it out.”
“How?” Marie turned to face him. There were no more dishes. “How are you going to sort it out?”
“There’s people I have to see,” Fegan said. “In a couple of days you won’t have to worry.”
Her stare would not leave him. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ll sort it out,” he said.
“No. I need to know what you’re going to do. Tell me.”
Fegan threw the towel on the drainer. He gripped Marie’s shoulders with his wiry hands. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure you and Ellen are safe. That’s all.”
