“Meredith, we’re not to include family on our lists. This is to be about you and me.”
Her brow rose. “But—”
“I’ve already determined that if I return with you, we’ll first make a trip to Ireland. My younger brother is nearly grown. I’ll bequeath my half of the Hannigan & Cavanaugh partnership to him, and I’ll see to it that he is properly educated, thereby securing my family’s future. I’m sure Charles would be willing to take on the role of guardian until David reaches his majority. He’ll train my brother in all he needs to know to become an equal partner.”
Her breath caught. Well this is huge and mind-altering. He’d obviously given the matter a lot of thought. Hell, Daniel had even come up with a solution for fulfilling his promise to his family. Still, thinking wasn’t the same as doing. “What would you do in the twenty-first century?” she asked.
“I’d take my time, learn the lay of the land, and once I chose a lucrative career path, I’d continue my education to that end.” He moved to the cook stove and lit the fire already laid for morning.
Meredith filled the kettle, mulling over everything he’d revealed. Now his questions about how Brían’s clan went about assimilating into the modern world made sense. “You’d give up everything you’ve built here and start over from scratch … for me?”
“I wouldn’t give up everything, love. I’ll bring a fortune in gold coins with me.”
How would that work? How would he explain having a horde of nineteenth-century gold coins in his possession? He’d be accused of counterfeiting, or at least he’d be under scrutiny. “I suppose you could sell them over time to collectors,” she muttered. “I wonder if they’d test as genuinely from this era?” she mused.
“What’s that?”
“The gold coins would be considered collectibles.” She set the kettle atop the stove. “Gold coins aren’t used as currency in my time.”
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t they be worth even more than their face value?”
“I suppose they would.” For the next several minutes, they both worked to get the tea ready and the table set for their task. Meredith went over what she’d write as she fixed her tea and took a seat. She picked up a pencil and drew four columns along the sheet of paper. Two for staying; two for returning. One column for pros, and one for cons. “I’m ready.”
Daniel chuckled. “It’s not a footrace, love. Go ahead. I’ll be with you in a moment.” He gathered a lantern, lit it and brought the light to the table. The sun hadn’t set, but it would soon. Finally he sat down, and the inside of the cabin grew quiet except for the scratching of pencil against paper and the occasional sipping sound as they drank their tea.
The top of the pro columns for staying or returning were easy. She and Daniel would remain together. As far as her era went, she listed advances in medicine, technology, and gains made regarding women’s rights and equality. She considered a lifestyle that was considerably less physically difficult due to grocery stores, central heating, electricity, and indoor plumbing.
Meredith bit her lip, unsure whether the lack of physical activity could really be counted as a pro. Maybe not, but on the other hand, people lived longer in the future. She waggled her pencil and frowned.
“What has you so perplexed, Meredith?”
“Trying to decide if an item is truly a pro, a con, or neutral.”
“Put it under both columns, and we can discuss the matter together.”
She nodded. “I know this is random, but ever since I arrived, I’ve been wondering. Who smokes the pipe sitting on the end table? I’ve never seen either of you smoke.”
“No one. Charles lost both his parents during the potato famine. The pipe belonged to his father. Charles brings it with him everywhere and sets the pipe where he can see it and be reminded of his da.”
“I had no idea he was so sentimental.”
“Aye. He also brings his mam’s tortoise shell combs with him everywhere we travel.” Daniel grinned. “He tries hard to hide his softer side.”
Several minutes ticked by as they finished their columns. When leaving out family, the list of cons seemed short, while the loss of her family caused her the most pain in considering the cons. Still, this was not her century, and who could say how being here might affect the future?
She’d been inoculated against the diseases that were the most deadly in the nineteenth century,