Kissing his neck, she murmured, “Don’t make promises you won’t want to keep.” She pushed him back and raced for home, with Dunmore on her heels, ensuring she arrived safely. Her words rang in his mind, and he worried he would never be able to soothe her fears.
Chapter 11
Maggie sat in her bedroom in an overstuffed chair that her father had hauled in for her, staring out the window. The air was crisp with the scents of fall in early October, and she stared at the burnished colors from the safety of her window. She had a blanket thrown over her legs, her mind wandering. Although she’d been home for nearly two months now, she had yet to overcome the insidious fear that she was not safe. That she’d never truly be safe again.
She hated that she jumped at the slightest noise. That the appearance of a stranger on her parents’ doorstep provoked terror rather than curiosity. That she never wanted to be far from a family member. She was terrified of her own shadow, and she didn’t know how to overcome it.
At the gentle knock, she looked to her door. “Yes?” she called out. She forced a weak smile, as her father poked his head in. “Da.”
“Come, lass. Why are you hidin’ yourself away in here?” he asked, as he entered and shut the door behind him. He perched on her bed, watching her with unveiled concern, as he rested his elbows on his legs, his weight canted toward her.
“I … I wanted to think,” she murmured, her glance flitting to him for a moment, before she looked out her window again.
“Think?” Seamus mused. “Do you ever wonder if you’re not thinkin’ a little too much?” He waited for her to respond, sighing when she remained quiet. “Talk with your mum. With me. With any of your siblings. Scream. Rage. Cry. Get it out, love.”
After taking a deep breath, she turned to look at her father, a deep sorrow in her gaze. “You wouldn’t know what it means to have to purge what I feel.” She shook her head before he could say more. “And I’d never share this with Mum or Niamh. They have their own burdens to overcome.”
Seamus took a deep breath and nodded, reaching forward to squeeze her shoulder. “Aye.” He slipped from the room, leaving her alone for many long minutes. A late-season robin chirped, and Maggie looked for the woodpecker making a rat-tat-tat noise on a nearby post.
At the knock on her door nearly a half hour later, she sighed. “Yes?”
“Maggie,” Madam Nora murmured, “Seamus thought you might enjoy a visit.”
Maggie spun to face Nora, sitting up straight and attempting to smooth down her rumpled navy-blue day skirt. “Nora,” she gasped. “I never thought to have you visit.”
Smiling, Nora sat on the bed, looking as regal as a queen, bestowing a visit on a wayward subject. Today she wore a rich purple wool dress, with a shawl over her shoulders. “How disappointing. I like to believe we are friends.”
Flushing, Maggie nodded. “Of course we are.”
Nora rose, pulling the desk chair forward and sitting on it, so she was more comfortable. “As a friend, I have to say you look dreadful.” Her hand reached forward to grasp one of Maggie’s, giving it a soft squeeze. “You’ve lost everything that gave you your sparkle.”
Huffing out a mirthless chuckle, Maggie shook her head. “I doubt I’ll ever sparkle again.”
“Don’t,” Nora said in a harsh voice, nodding when she saw Maggie stiffen at her tone. “Don’t let him win.” When Maggie hunched over, Nora leaned forward, her brown eyes intent, as they gazed at Maggie. “Don’t become meek and biddable now. You must have struggled to escape such a man. Continue to fight to free yourself from whatever control he still exerts over you.”
“I’m ashamed, Nora,” Maggie whispered. “I’m so afraid of Dunmore. Of any man now.” Her eyes filled. “And that’s so unfair to him. He deserves someone better.”
“Hogwash,” Nora snapped. “He deserves you. He fought to return to you, just as you did to return to him. To me, that makes you perfect for each other.” She nodded again, as Maggie stared at her in wide-eyed wonder. “Do you not see how he looks at you still? You are precious to him, Maggie.”
“I’ll disappoint him,” Maggie whispered.
“Only if you believe you will. He doesn’t want an experienced Siren. He wants you.” Nora gazed at Maggie with deep concern. “How badly did that man hurt you?”
Taking a deep breath, Maggie whispered, “He didn’t …” And shrugged. “I beat him off with a rock to his head.”
Nora grinned. “Take pride in what you did. Few of us are so fortunate.” She took a deep breath. “And few of us have a family willing to take us in, no matter what has happened to us.” At Maggie’s horrified stare, Nora smiled with chagrin, as she stroked a hand down her finely hewn dress. “This was never the life I dreamed about. However, this is the only life available to me.”
“Oh, Nora,” Maggie whispered, her eyes filling. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t pity me,” Nora said, her gaze filled with determination and strength. “I refused to be a victim. Just as you should. Be strong. Take pride that you survived and that your man is waiting for you. Take a chance and trust, Maggie.”
* * *
Dunmore worked in the livery, eager for any excuse for hard work to take his mind off of Maggie and the growing distance between them. Although he had dinner with the family most evenings and sat either beside her or across from her, he had never felt farther away from her. The
