Page 23 of Irish Betrayal

She saw the curve of his mouth tilt up in a smile before she looked at her phone screen. Instead of speaking again, she decided to text so that her words would be boldly displayed before them both.

Blair: I couldn’t hear you come, but I could see it…and feel it. You know my sense of touch is better than most.

They’d been driving the scenic coastal road of north Wicklow, turning inland at the town of Bray. They were just turning into a long driveway when her message popped up on the car’s screen.

Daniel came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the lane and turned to face her. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to skip the entire party tonight, take you home, and strip that barely there dress from your body.

“I can assure you, there won’t be a repeat of me coming. Not outside your body anyway. You keep looking at me like that, and I can assure you that you won’t be getting your surprise. Well, not the one I had planned.”

eleven

DANIEL

The speculation in Blair’s eyes made turning his gaze back on the lane’s path torture. She wasn’t even trying to hide how much she liked his threat.

Daniel was a heartbeat away from turning around and saving the surprise for another day when he heard her swift intake of breath.

She’d seen the manor. He couldn't wait until she realized that the real surprise was waiting in the back.

True to form, his dad immediately called Daniel’s mom after their meeting about him buying a house. She video called him yesterday along with his aunts. There had been a lot of clapping and whoops of joy. His mom and aunts all had unique personalities—together, they were a lot.

He asked if they could stage one of the rooms in the house to surprise Blair on short notice. They owned a successful interior design business, so it was definitely doable with their contacts.

“Oh, Daniel,” his mom had squealed, her hands clasped against her chest, his aunts River and Rowen grinning beside their sister, “a forever home. This is your forever home, isn’t it? And one Blair will love.”

Normally, Daniel would have grunted and rolled his eyes at his mom’s excitement about a house, but since he was having a hard time containing his own excitement, he simply smiled and nodded.

“Enjoy your Christmas party tomorrow night, sweetheart. Your aunts and I will do something perfect.”

Now, pulling up, he wondered if he should have asked a few more questions about what his mother had in mind. Too late now.

Blair touched his arm. “Who owns this place?”

“We do. For the next two hours, at least.” He told his real estate agent that he needed access to the house and grounds that night and would either make an offer the next morning or he wouldn’t.

The owners agreed. The house had been renovated two years ago and had been empty since. The London gentleman who owned it passed away, and his relatives were only interested in selling and splitting the proceeds.

Daniel couldn’t fathom not wanting to keep the property, but then, O’Faolains were always in the market for land.

“I can’t believe it,” Blair said, clapping her hands twice. “Does anyone live here? Give me a tour already. Are your parents looking to buy it? I wouldn’t blame them. It’s stunning.”

Blair’s hands were a blur as she excitedly asked questions. He almost wished he’d waited until morning to bring her, but his mom assured him that when she’d come last night, the property looked “romantically spectacular” in the moonlight.

“No one has lived here for a few years, and my parents have looked at it.” Not a lie, his mom had looked in person, and his dad had gone through the pictures online.

He exited the Range Rover and rounded the vehicle to help Blair. When he carefully pulled her free of the vehicle, she wobbled when her high heels landed on the stone drive. He cursed under his breath. He should have thought of bringing tennis shoes.

True to her nature, Blair didn’t care, she tugged on his hand to get him moving toward what he hoped was their future.

The manor’s pale, creamy stone block façade featured hundreds of windows. The front doors were seventeenth-century, ornately carved wood.

He typed the code into the concealed security panel and stood aside for Blair to get her first look of the grand entrance.

Thankfully, Daniel liked the owner’s remodel. The entire home was done in white, all shades of yellow, and gold fixtures. The floors were a classic white marble.

He smiled while watching Blair practically making herself dizzy spinning through each room and exclaiming over every detail, especially the yellow and green kitchen.

As soon as he saw the interior, he knew without a doubt that Blair would approve of the color scheme. She’d always said she loved bringing the outdoors inside, whether it was through décor or her plants.