Chapter 18
We returned to our humble abode and I absently rummaged through the kitchen for a snack. The rummage turned to a desperate search for edibles, and when Lily came into the kitchen to see what the clattering cupboards were about I had some terrible news to give to her. "We're almost out of food."
"Really?" Lily browsed through the cupboards and found I was telling the truth. "With the art show I must have forgotten to go shopping." She spun around and smiled at me. "What would you be saying to a trip to town?"
"By car?"
"Of course. How else to carry the food back?"
"On our backs?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "I promise to drive slowly."
I sighed and nodded my head. "All right, but is there a lawyer in the town?"
"Yes, why?"
"I need to make out my will. You're driving is going to drive me straight to an early grave."
Lily laughed at my misfortune and pushed me out of the kitchen. A few minutes later found us in town, and we stopped off at a small store that supplied most of the food for the town and outlying areas. That's why I saw the familiar faces of the McClure family in one of the aisles. Mary noticed me and hurried over with a bright smile on her face. She clasped my hands in hers so I couldn't escape. "A good morning to you, Maggie!" she greeted me.
"Good morning, Mary," I replied, grateful I was able to remember her name. The rest of the family came up behind her.
"We haven't gotten a chance to thank you and Lord MacKenna properly for what you did for us."
I blinked in bewilderment. "What we did for you?"
Mary nodded her head. "Aye, with the lord lowering our rent after we helped you. That was very kind of both of you."
"If he did that the he's the one you should be thanking. I wouldn't have anything to do with that," I assured her. I tried to pull my hands free but she held on tight.
"Nonsense, Maggie. I'm sure he wouldn't have been so kind if you hadn't mentioned it to him before you left."
"You're really giving me-"
"Maggie is a very kind person," Lily agreed as she came up to us. There was a mischievous grin on her face that was mistaken as authentic by the McClures. "Maggie here does have a fair amount of influence over Lord MacKenna, and I'm sure they both were wanting to help you along in such a way."
Mary smiled at us both. "We're very glad for it, Maggie, and hope well for you and yours." They left and I spun around to face my so-called friend.
"What are you doing?" I hissed at her. "You know I didn't have anything to do with that, and I sure as hell don't have influence over Sean!"
"A man is madly in love with you and you don't have influence over him?" she teased.
I crossed my arms and turned away, but I couldn't hide the happy smile on my face. I could still feel the burn of his kisses down my neck. "Maybe he's just really into me." I noticed Lily's take on a lecherous expression and I realized I'd given her a sexual innuendo. "Not that way!"
She held up her hands to defend herself. "If you insist, my dear friend, but as a portrait artist I know love when I see it."
"Uh-huh. Come on, Cupid, we have some food to get."
We fetched our food supply and stepped out of the store to find Kelly, Sean's butler, outside in the parking lot standing beside the van. He saw us, swept off the chauffeur's hat on his head, and bowed. "Good afternoon," he greeted us.
"Good afternoon," we both replied.
Lily glanced around, no doubt hoping to create more intimate moments for Sean and me. "Where is Lord MacKenna?"
"Attending to duties. I only came in to town because the cook didn't have any other way to fetch the groceries," Kelly explained. I'd never seen the cook before, and was curious what sort of person could create those delicious delicacies. "Ah, here she is," Kelly spoke up. I tracked his eyes to the store doors and out stepped a plump, buxom woman of middle age with her arms full of bags. She had a wide waist and an even wider smile, and everyone she met she greeted them with that smile and a nod of her head. I had no idea how she managed to nod that often without her head falling off.
She bounced up to us, nobody that chipper ever walked, and noticed Lily. "A pleasant surprise meeting ya here, Lily." She glanced over to me. "And ya have a friend here. Who is she?"
Lily gestured between us. "Maggie Magee, this is Mrs. Maggie Finnin." I had to admit she had a lovely name, and the last one sounded vaguely familiar.
Mrs. Finnin bowed her head to me. "A pleasure to meet ya, Ah'm sure."
"Nice to meet you," I returned.
She looked me up and down, and nodded approvingly. "You must be the nice miss that master's taken to. Very nice build, and a very good name."
"She isn't stock, Maggie," Kelly scolded her. I'd never seen the stoic butler flustered before, and had to stifle a laugh.
Mrs. Finnin scowled at him. "Ah've seen enough of those ladies coming in and out of the master's life to know they wasn't worth their weight and didn't eat enough. Bones and skin, all of 'em. Now ya take this young lady, a good, healthy body shows she ain't afraid to eat."
"Eating isn't everything, Maggie," Kelly countered.
The older woman scowled, turned up her nose and sniffed the air. "Ah know what Ah know and won't be having you tell me anything about food, Robert Kelly."
"How is Mr. Finnin?" Lily saved Kelly from the browbeating.
Mrs. Finnin smiled. "Very good, thank you. Had a mighty big laugh ta other day with a girl flying into the post office."
My eyes widened when I recalled the postmaster had the last name of Finnin. Brendan Finnin. I meekly raised my hand. "That girl would be me," I sheepishly told her.
The older woman laughed and slapped her knee. Unfortunately, that meant half her groceries toppled to the ground, and we scrambled to pick them up. Our own were safely stowed in a cart. "Ah have ta say ya gave my old man quite a laugh. He's still chuckling about it," Mrs. Finnin told me after all the food was saved.
"I'm glad I made an impression, even on the front of his desk," I replied as I rubbed my head where I'd knocked on the desk during my charge into the post office.
"And you've made quite the impression on the master, if ya don't mind my saying," Mrs. Finnin added with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
My damn cheeks blushed. "I guess. . ." I mumbled.
"Ah hope you ladies are going to be visiting us this evening. That Lady Anna is a devil to handle for the master. The foolish girl won't take the hint that she's not wanted," the old cook told us.
"Maggie!" Kelly scolded. Nobody could fluster the poor manservant like Maggie Finnin.
She waved off his concern. "Ah haven't said anything that isn't true, and you know it, Kelly. That girl will drive him back into that depression he gets and then it'll be the end of happy times there for a good many days." Mrs. Finnin sighed and clutched onto the bags of groceries while her eyes took on a faraway look. "Ah remember when the castle was a might livelier than it is now. We used ta have parties most every weekend, and the ladies would be so gay and the master so happy."
At the mention of parties a wild idea struck me, and I rubbed my chin while balancing a bag of celery in the other hand. "Maybe we could have a party to cheer him up," I suggested.
Mrs. Finnin sighed and shook her head. "He won't go for it, Ah've tried."
"What if he doesn't know it's going to happen?" I added. "He can't object to it if he doesn't know what's going on."
A smile slipped onto Lily's face. "A surprise party! That would be brilliant."
"It would be, but for a surprise party you kind of need a reason to throw it," I pointed out. I glanced around the group. "You guys know him better than me. Any ideas?"
Kelly hesitantly raised his hand. "I may have a suggestion." We all turned to him, and he shrank from the attention. "Or perhaps it isn't of much use."
Mrs. Finnin wasn't having any of that. "Out with it, man! We haven't got all day!"
"Well, the master recently had his fathe
r's portrait cleaned and placed over the mantle," Kelly explained to us.
Lily's face lit up. "Of course! Old Lord MacKenna! He was well-liked by his tenants!"
"And his servants," Mrs. Finnin added.
"So we throw a party for the painting?" I guessed.
"It would be quite ta honor for that," Mrs. Finnin replied. "Te late lord was a good man and everyone hereabouts would be glad ta honor te son as well as te father."
"Then it's settled," Lily chimed in. "We're to have a surprise party for Lord MacKenna in honor of both his father and himself. Now all we need do is distract him while the castle is decorated." Her eyes guided over to me, and were soon joined by Finnin and Kelly.
I frowned right back. "Wait a sec. A know he likes me, but distracting him isn't going to be easy."
Lily's eyes had a hint of mischief when she leaned in and winked at me. "I'm sure you can find some way to distract him."
Chapter 19
I really feared for my sanity around all these crazy locals intent on hitching me to their lord, but I couldn't argue that I'd be the best decoy for said lord. A week later the day arrived for me to dress my finest and perform my womanly wiles to lead him deep into the woods. This had disaster and doom written all over it, especially since Anna was still at the castle. I didn't want her along for the distraction, and the decorators needed as much help as they could muster.
That fine afternoon Lily and I walked up through the forest path and stopped at the opening to the field. Our target lay in sight, one Lord MacKenna being dragged along by Anna to the creek. I noticed he looked pale, probably from his dealing solely with Anna all these long seven days. Once the lord was in my clutches and out of the way, Lily would round up the others who waited down the road with their cars and carts full of surprises.
I glanced at my evil friend. "So I drag him off to sights unseen and you take Lily back to the castle?"
"Exactly," she agreed.
"How are we supposed to get him off his arm? Crowbar?"
"I haven't any of those, but I do have flattery. I'll ask her her opinion on something I want to show her, and while she's distracted you lead Sean away."
I sighed. "All right, I'll take one for the team-er, village, but you guys owe me."
Lily smiled in her wicked way. "Perhaps you may finish by thanking us."
"Or we may never finish this if we don't get started." I grabbed her hand and dragged her toward our targets. They spotted us coming and Anna's eyes zoomed in on us like targeting lasers. It gave me the feeling she wasn't glad to see us. "Good morning!" I greeted the pair.
"Good morning," Anna sniffed with a turn up of her nose.
Sean's face lit up and he bowed his head at us. "Good morning. What brings you out here?"
"Well, I was hoping to toss you into the creek again, but Lily says I have to behave myself and stick with a walk," I replied.
Lily elbowed me in the ribs. "What she meant to say was it's a fine morning for a walk, won't you join us?"
"Another one?" Anna suspiciously asked us.
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Sean chimed in.
Anna frowned and tugged on his arm to pull him away from us and our designs. "Wouldn't you rather see the fields, dearest?" Dearest looked like he'd rather be dunked in the creek again.
Lily stepped in to save the day. "My Lady, I was wanting your advice on a certain matter."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What sort of matter?"
"I'm afraid it's quite a private one. Would you step this way with me so I might speak with you in private?" Lily pleaded.
Our adversary wanted to say no, but Sean extracted himself from her hands and gently pushed her toward Lily. "Go ahead, I'm sure this will only take a moment."
Anna scowled at us, but smiled sweetly at Sean. "Very well, dearest. We'll be right back." Lily led her away toward the castle, and soon I noticed my friend gesturing toward the castle and Anna's eyes lighting up in surprise and glee. Lily could please a leprechaun out of his pot of gold, and he'd still be happy about it being swiped.
I still watched them when an arm slipped into mine, and I glanced up into Sean's smiling face and twinkling eyes. He nodded toward the woods. "What say we start the walk. They'll catch up soon enough."
I smiled and nodded, and off we went into the cover of the woods. It was an unfamiliar path just on the other side of the creek, and had all the wilderness of a path little used and meddled with by humans. The day was beautiful with the warm sun overhead and the birds chirping in the trees. We were the only humans along that narrow, muddy path, maybe even the only ones in the woods. Sean realized that, too, because his arm wrapped around my waist and pressed me up against him. The romantic effect failed when my weight knocked us both off balance and we went toppling off into the brush. Thankfully I landed on him, and he landed on a comfortable bed of hard rocks and thorny bushes.
"Ouch," he groaned.
"You okay?" I asked him.
"I'm in need of air," he wheezed out.
"Oh, sorry." I scrambled off of him and he sat up with a grin on his face.
"You're pretty hefty," he teased.
"It comes with being the size of a small continent," I told him.
Sean looked me up and down, and shook his head. "Modesty is an admirable trait, but perhaps you take your words too far."
I shrugged. "That's what Lily says, but that brings us back to that whole realist talk we were having before you crashed the car into the tree."
"Then perhaps it's time we finished that conversation." He grabbed me and dragged me onto his lap so my back pressed against his chest. His arms wrapped around me and pinned my arms to my sides. "Comfortable?"
I squirmed in his grasp but he wasn't letting go. "As comfortable as a prisoner can ever be," I replied.
"Good, then I shall give you a lesson in self-assurance."
"I'm pretty sure of myself when I say I'm going to kill you when you let me go."
"Who said anything about letting you go?" he teased. I scowled and madly fidgeted in his arms, but he pressed me up against him. I stiffened when I felt his face nuzzle into my neck.
"T-that's not fair," I stuttered. "Using sex is just cheating."
"Perhaps I'm just wooing you," he countered.
"Uh-huh, and I'm supposed to believe that?" I jumped when he nipped at my skin.
His voice was low and sultry. "I just want to show you how terribly wrong you are in your estimation of yourself." My breathing stopped as his hands reached up and cupped my ample breasts. He squeezed and teased them, and heat swelled in my body. I grasped onto his pants and bit back a moan as sensual feelings of lust penetrated my thoughts. "Very nice," he whispered to me. I knew Lily wanted me to distract him, but Sean was turning the tables.
"M-maybe we should get going," I suggested. "Lots of trails to walk over-"
"We have time, and I don't believe anyone will be interrupting us," he insisted. "Not with Lily distracting Anna for us." At least he had no inkling of the surprise party.
"B-but maybe you don't really want this. Maybe we're moving too fast and-" He turned me in his lap so I sat across his legs, and took my lips in a heated, passionate kiss. His hands clutched at my back and one slipped beneath my shirt to massage my thick, rounded hips. We broke the kiss to catch some air, and his blue eyes showed me the hidden lust welling up inside him. It was enough to heat the space between my thighs, and I shuddered and turned away. "Y-you're a really good kisser," I complimented.
"And you're very stubborn," he countered. He clasped my chin and turned so I faced him again. "And I do love you. You may not like your body, but I will gladly take you all if it means having your heart."
My cheeks blushed and the warmth of joy rose up inside of me. Here was a man, rich, handsome and kind, who was willing to take me as I was, chunkiness and all. I smiled, wrapped my arms around his neck and rubbed my nose against his. "You're pretty stubborn yourself to break through all my stubbornness, but there's one
thing that might ruin your intent."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
I pointed down at the ground. "You're sitting in a puddle and covered in mud."
Sean glanced down and saw that I was right. I was always right. "You may be right."
"And I'll make another prediction and say you wont' be well enough to make a coherent sentence, much less love to me, if you don't get up before you catch cold." I wriggled out of his arms and heaved him up off the filthy ground. "See? All-" He leaned down and captured my lips in another hot, eager kiss. We both came away gasping, and I pushed off his chest to give a few feet between us. "Will you stop that!"
He knavishly shrugged. "It can't be helped."
"Uh-huh, and my name's Darby O'Gill."
Sean grinned and bowed at the waist. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. O'Gill."
I rolled my eyes, grabbed his muddy hand and marched him deeper into the woods. We were hot, wet and filthy, and all I wanted was a warm bath, but I still had to distract him from the castle and the surprise party. He tugged on my arm and glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the castle. "Wouldn't you want to clean yourself?" he asked me.
"Yes, and that's why I'm taking us to Lily's house."
"But-"
"No buts, cute or otherwise, until we get there."
"But-" I stopped us and glared at him. He quickly plastered a grin on his face. "Yes, miss."
It took me an hour to realize I had no idea where I led us, and by that time we were so thoroughly lost even Sean didn't quite know where we'd gone. I stopped us at a crossroads of three trails with large tree that looked oddly familiar, and I jerked my thumb at the trunk. "Does this look familiar?" I asked Sean.
He had this annoying smirk on his face as he nodded. "We've passed the same tree three times." He frowned and rubbed his chin. "Or perhaps it was four."
I sank down on a rock and cupped my chin in my hands. "I think I've doomed us."
"To what?" he wondered.
"Death by exercise. My feet are killing me." I popped off my shoes and rubbed my sore soles. Sean mocked me by pacing from one trail head to another, showing off his lack of exhaustion. "Can I plug into your battery? You've got plenty of juice left," I quipped.
"I always thought it was the boy who plugged into the girl," he teased.
I threw up my arms. "How can you make sexual innuendos at a time like this?"
"Well, I first think of the right words to use, piece them together-"