Tiernan A Dark Irish Mafia Romance - Jane Henry Page 0,43

share the lass, will you?”

Maeve’s sitting, perched at the end of a loveseat. She smiles and rises to her feet. Her reddish hair’s gray at the temples, twisted in a bun at the nape of her neck. She looks older than when I knew her, but her eyes are still young and childlike.

“Do you remember me, lass?”

I nod shyly. “I do.”

Like Fiona, she embraces me warmly, but she kisses each of my cheeks.

“Come and sit with us,” she says. “I’ll introduce you to Caitlin.”

Caitlin’s Keenan’s woman, wife to the chief. A matriarch-in-training, then, one might say.

Thankfully, she doesn’t rise, but stays seated, her hands clasped over a knee. It puts me at ease.

“Pleased to meet you,” she says in a soft voice. She doesn’t have the Irish brogue like the others, but speaks with an American accent. Caitlin’s tall and willowy with dark black hair that contrasts dramatically with her pale complexion and stark blue eyes.

“Hello,” I say shyly. I don’t know where to sit or what to say next. Thankfully, Tiernan does.

“Tea, girls?” he asks.

“And this is why you’re my favorite,” Maeve says with a grin. “Still calls me girl. Seamus would’ve liked you, son.”

“Aye, Tiernan, please.” I’m suddenly exhausted.

I look around the room, and Fiona pats the seat next to her. “Come here and sit beside me, Aisling.”

I do.

“Now, then,” Maeve says, still smiling. “You’ve grown up to be a beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.” I feel shy and reserved.

“We’ll speak plainly, Aisling,” Caitlin says, her pretty eyes sober. “We know that you’ve seen Tiernan take a life. You were chief witness.”

I swallow hard and nod. “I did.”

Maeve’s eyes look troubled. “Are you alright, lass?”

I sigh and nod. “I’ll pay you the courtesy of speaking plainly as well, then. The night of that fight, I wasn’t sober. I was high as a kite, to be honest. And I don’t remember… much of anything except making a damn fool of myself.”

Fiona’s brows draw together. She sighs. “You looked like you were in so much pain. I felt so terrible for you.”

There was a woman who wept in the hallway when I did. It was her, then.

“It was bloody awful,” I say, my voice hoarse. “But Sebastian and… and Tiernan helped.”

Fiona’s eyes go from me to Tiernan, who’s putting teacups and saucers out.

Maeve leans in, her eyes twinkling. “Makes a bloody good cup of tea, he does.”

“Good. Could use a cup laced with the good stuff.”

Caitlin giggles, and Fiona grins. Tiernan frowns. “I don’t think so, lass.”

I roll my eyes. “It was sarcasm, Tiernan.”

“Saw that,” he mutters. I shake my head.

“Oh, they’re all the same,” Fiona whispers. “Goddamn bossy, eh?”

We share a smile. “Oh, aye.” I used to give her crap about the way Lachlan bossed her around. Now it looks as if I’ve got a caveman of my own.

“Now, we’ve come to help, Aisling. If you’re to be a woman of the Clan, we wanted to give you a proper Clan welcome.”

“Ah, no,” Tiernan says, pouring the steaming hot water. “She’s coming with me to St. Albert’s.”

“Doesn’t have to be anything formal, Tiernan,” Caitlin says. “I just meant that the women wanted to welcome her is all.”

Why would I need a Clan welcome when I’m only here for a brief time?

What will happen to me after this?

Caitlin smiles. “Would’ve brought Megan and Aileen as well, and even Sheena would’ve liked to see you again, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

I nod. “Appreciated.”

“Now tell us, Aisling,” Maeve says, her eyes growing sober. I can see why she’s garnered respect from the highhanded men of the Clan. “Are you sober?”

“Aye,” Tiernan says. “Fully.”

I nod and swallow. “Aye.”

“Ah, good to hear,” she says, her eyes warming. “I’d hate for you to still suffer.”

Though the worst of it’s over, I still do feel the withdrawal symptoms. I’m ashamed I ever let any of that into my body.

“Do you have anything with you?” Fiona asks. “Any of your belongings?”

I shake my head.

“Good, then,” she says with a grin. “Will give us an excuse to shop!”

I must look bewildered, for Maeve grins at me. “We’re always looking for an excuse to shop. We’ll get you right fixed for your trip to the school.”

I look sharply at Tiernan. “School?”

He sighs. “Was planning on telling you that. We’re heading to St. Albert’s for the weekend.”

“St. Albert’s?”

He nods. “Aye. It’s the Clan finishing school. I went there myself as a lad. Keenan’s afraid if word gets out what happened, investigations will happen here. If you’re not on the premises…