Page 43 of Irish Betrayal

“The main house…” River started before falling silent.

Raven’s hands fluttered uselessly about her chest. “Should we come with you?”

Rowan felt her shoulders rise defensively but took a deep cleansing breath before she said something she would regret. Her sisters did nothing that didn’t come from a place of love. They were concerned, and Rowan understood that.

“Absolutely not, you guys. You’ve been looking forward to this vacation, and I’m…I’m looking forward to mine.”

“Oh,” River said softly, her eyes filling with tears.

Raven turned her head away from the camera, composing herself and probably furious that Rowan was seeing her get upset. Rowan wasn’t the only one affected by Hugh’s death. Her sisters needed to let themselves be vulnerable too.

Rowan swallowed deeply before saying, “Maybe when we all see each other again, we can stop pussyfooting around one another. What do you guys think of that?”

River lifted her eyes, and Raven’s head whipped back around.

“All I’ve wanted is to have you back, Row. All of you,” Raven said fiercely, her attention briefly flickered to Bran, who was now standing by his wife’s side.

“I say, hell yes!” River grinned. Patrick, thankfully dressed, joined the chat too.

“Ulf said to tell you that he’s picking you up at six in the morning. Since we’re taking our jet, you and Daniel will be going in his.”

“Oh, that was nice. I expected Dan and I to go commercial. Perfect. But why does Ulf need to pick me up? Why can’t Daniel do it?”

Bran’s smirk made Rowan’s eye twitch. “He’s picking you both up. Says he’s going with you.”

Before Rowan could deny him the right, Patrick butted in. “Apparently, our dear older brother is pissed that Blair chose to go to Oklahoma instead of his precious Wales. He’s hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on anyone connected to Blair, believing she was coerced in some way.”

“He wants to speak to Blair personally.”

“Don’t you dare let Ulf take up all of Blair’s time, Rowan. He will be absolutely oblivious if Daniel signals him to get lost.”

“Is there no changing his mind about going?” Rowan asked, sighing, knowing the answer before Bran answered.

“No chance.”

nineteen

BLAIR

Katy Stanton: You are formally (or not so formally) invited to dine with William and me this evening. We are having some good friends over, and I would love for you to tell them about your project. I hope you can make it. If you plan on taking any more soil samples, I thought if you stayed the night in the guest house, we might be able to watch you take them. Let me know. ~kisses

Blair was never happier to receive an invitation in her life.

Blair: Of course! I look forward to it. Thank you.

She’d been forced into a stilted evening with Peter the night before after his relentless insistence. She agreed to eat in the university dining hall, because they would never be alone.

Blair had known before she’d come to Oklahoma, before Peter had followed her, and every nightmare-filled evening when she tried to sleep—no matter what it cost her in crushing embarrassment, she needed to tell her father.

Her dad and her uncle Thomas would eliminate Peter as a threat.

Her health was deteriorating, her stomach was a constant pit of aching, her eyes were dry and sore, and the headaches and nausea were debilitating.

She knew she’d been taken in, duped, betrayed…assaulted. Peter might have fooled her for years, but her eyes were open now.

He was a predator of children. Women. And every one of the students who had trusted him to lead.

She couldn’t let it stand, and yet, his bark still got her attention. When he told her no. It was no. When he told her to walk. She walked. When he said he would die without a hug.