Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

S itting on the living room couch in the glow of the blazing fireplace, Maeve began to make a list in her mind of everything she could pack into her smallest duffle bag. She'd need warm clothing for both her and Daisy, but that was bulky. Maybe she could take the bare minimum and buy more once she reached her destination. But how would that work, she argued with herself. Daisy went through multiple outfits a day. Something was always getting wet or stained. No, she'd have to pack Daisy's things and leave her own behind. That could work…

"A penny for your thoughts," Kyle whispered in her ear.

She had allowed herself one last moment of comfort in the strength of his arms. They were cuddled close together in one corner of the couch; the house was finally growing quiet after a long day full of way too much food. She knew that when they went to bed in a short while, she would wait just until she knew he was deeply asleep before sneaking out to grab Daisy and make their way to this mysterious Port Hope where she was to meet Finn. She only hoped that her brother had gone on ahead of her. If it had truly been him on the driveway the other night, there was always a chance that he was somewhere much closer than the safe house location.

"I'm not really thinking of much," she lied. "I was just considering going into the kitchen to get another piece of pumpkin pie. I've never had it before but now I only want to figure out how to make it. It's delicious."

"It is good. I'm pretty sure my mother would be delighted to share all the steps. She loves it when someone asks for an old family recipe. That one comes from several generations ago. I remember my grandmother making it. But I guess you can trace your family tree back further than me, huh?"

"No, not really. My family was originally from a small village in Ireland. I only visited there once, when I was a little girl. Finn's been back a few times but once my parents moved us to London, they didn't look back. I don't think they have fond memories of ‘the troubles' and all that went with it."

"I hate to admit that I'm not so familiar with modern Irish history. I just know that it was a terrible time to be living there."

"That it was. But I was raised almost entirely in London. I was only five years old when we arrived there."

"Right. It's interesting. This country is only about two hundred and fifty years old, so I think of anything European as ancient in comparison."

"Don't get me wrong. There's great beauty in the old architecture and the winding cobblestoned streets near where I had my shop. But there's no greater destination than the USA. I mean, this is where everyone I knew aspired to live someday."

Maeve settled back against him once more and thought about how he might feel in the morning when she was gone. She could imagine him waking up to her side of the bed empty, him going into the room where Daisy had been staying and realizing that she had cleaned out most of her daughter's things. It made her sad and more than ever she wished that she had another option.

"Are you ready for bed?" he asked her, the implication clear between them.

"Yes," she whispered, shifting her body around to look in his eyes. "With you, always."

"Let's go," he replied, and she stood first, turned and reached out her hand to help him up off the soft cushions.

Just then both Conor and Tim came back down the staircase. Each had a gun in their hand.

She felt a shiver run up her spine.

"What's going on?" Kyle asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Someone's in the backyard. We're going to see who it is and handle it."

"Not without me, you're not." Kyle turned to his brothers and said, "Wait for me. I'm going to get my gun."

Then he grabbed Maeve's hand, and she could feel the intensity in his grip. "Go get my mom and Sibby and tell them to take the kids to the cedar closet. Send my dad to me and take Daisy to the safe room. Remember what I told you to do?"

"Lock the door and be very quiet?"

"Exactly. Do it now. Go and hide. I'll come get you when we know more."

She nodded her head. "Wait. What about Millie?"

Just then Kyle's youngest sister appeared, gun in hand, Geoff trailing behind her. "Let's do this, boys," was all she said.

As he was about to let her go, Maeve pulled Kyle close and said, "Please be careful." Then, in a whisper she hoped only he could hear she said, "I love you. Come back for me."

He looked at her and she instantly knew one thing for sure. She was never going to be able to go and leave him behind. She had never loved anyone the way she loved him and that had to count for something.

Maeve hurried up the stairs and found the door to Sibby's room open. She was not there, but Maeve realized that she must have gone to get her children and rouse her parents. Moving further down the hallway, she found them huddled together in the boys' room.

"We're heading to the basement. I'll go get Daisy. Take a warm sweatshirt. It's cold down there."

Sibby just nodded her head in agreement as she tried to wrangle her sons together, all three of them sleepy and confused. As she held her youngest child, Maeve noticed a crack in Sibby's armor. Her hands were shaking.

"It's going to be okay, Sib. Kyle won't let anyone harm us. I know it." Maeve reached out and placed her hands over Sibby's, squeezing lightly.

Sibby's eyes widened for a second, but then she drew in a deep breath and composed herself once more. "Let's go boys. Time for an adventure," she said quietly in a falsely upbeat tone.

Maeve gave her a quick wink and ran down the hallway for Daisy. The baby was sleeping soundly, blissfully unaware of what was going on around her. She lifted the warm child up into her arms, hoping that she wouldn't wake. Then she grabbed a blanket, threw it over Daisy and rushed back to the staircase just as Sibby, her mother and the boys started to make their way downstairs. Kyle's father had already grabbed his own gun and was formulating a plan with his sons.

It was dark. Just the faint glow from the dying embers in the fireplace offered the dimmest light in the corners of the room, but the house was now familiar to her, and Maeve knew the way. Kyle was waiting for them at the basement door. He had one finger over his lips to indicate to his nephews that he didn't want them to say a word. He silently ushered them all down the wooden steps and when Maeve, who was bringing up the rear, reached him, he whispered in her ear. "We talked about this eventuality. You know what to do."

"Be careful, Kyle. Please."

"Don't come out until I give you the ‘all clear' signal, understand?"

"Yes," she whispered as she took one final step into the cedar closet. She turned to him. "Just promise me that you'll come back."

"I won't be able to stay away," was the last thing he said before he shut the door, leaving her with his family and the overwhelming guilt that she'd brought this plague into this house. She turned the lock and looked at Sibby and Colleen. "I'm so sorry," was all she could say.

"Don't be," Sibby said. "You're family now, and that means you have our protection. We stand up for one another. Always."

The tears threatened again, and Maeve willed them away. She had to be strong; that's what Kyle would want of her.

Colleen was pulling some of the ski jackets off the rack and creating makeshift sleeping bags for the children. "Come gather around, you hooligans," she said to her grandsons. "I'll tell you a story." Her lilting tone was calming, and the boys settled down quickly.

Sibby and Maeve both sank to the floor, each holding a sleeping baby, backs to the now locked and secured door.

"Do you think it's those two men again?" Sibby asked. "You know, the ones who were trailing us at Halloween?"

Maeve blinked. "You know about that? Kyle didn't want to scare you and tell you about them. He thought he'd succeeded."

"Right," Sibby said. "I may not have gone into law enforcement like most of my siblings, but I've been around long enough to know the drill. Plus, I'm a mom. As you know, that makes us the queens of observation. No one comes within two feet of my children without me knowing about it."

"That makes sense," Maeve said, glancing at a sleeping Daisy. "Did you ever see them again after that day?"

"No, but let me tell you that if I had, they would have been sorry. You might not have noticed, but I can be very scary myself if necessary."

It was the moment of levity that they both so badly needed, and both did their best to disguise the nervous laughter that bubbled up between them.

"Do you think that's who showed up here tonight?" Sibby asked.

"I have no idea, but I can't imagine who else it might be. Kyle sent them off the trail by mailing that tracker to someplace in Canada, but I'm sure they have resources to put them back onto where I am now." Maeve hesitated. She didn't want to tell Sibby the truth as she now understood it, that she was being hunted down by representatives of Britain's royal family. The way it all sounded, the perception of who royalty was to Americans was so different than it was for the citizens of England. Here, as Maeve had come to appreciate, royalty was equated to a Disney creation. Princes and princesses, elaborate ball gowns and diamond encrusted tiaras. In England it was both a business and a burden; half the population thought they were useless, expensive saps and the other half would lay down their lives for the monarchy. Maeve wasn't one of the latter.

But for as much as she didn't want to tell Sibby the truth, she knew that she should. Sibby and the rest of her family had taken Mia and Daisy in, had treated them like one of their own. It no longer felt right that the rest of the adults in the group didn't know the real reason that Maeve was on the run. She could only hope that when she told Sibby the story, the other woman would believe her. She took a deep breath and began to speak.