At least she could make a real life for herself, a life with a job and a place to live, important things to occupy her day.

She’d stopped at the shop that morning, just to chat with Maeve about her job responsibilities. Though Gelsey couldn’t offer any retail experience, she could offer enthusiasm and she saw incredible potential in the business that Maeve had started. When Maeve mentioned she was interested in selling the shop, the foundation of a new life had begun to take shape in her mind.

Why not make a life in Ballykirk? She could live at Winterhill and turn the shop into a thriving business. There was a huge market for unusual boutique skin-care products, especially those made of natural ingredients. She knew women who paid thousands of dollars for a small jar of sheep placenta.

But until her problems in Italy were solved, until she faced the consequences of what she’d done, there could be no future for her in Ballykirk and no future with Kellan. The thought of jail, for something as silly as a punch in the face, was almost more than she could bear. She wasn’t a criminal, but she’d done something that had broken the law.

Six months had passed and it still loomed over her like a big black cloud, obscuring any sunshine or hope she had. Antonio had been there and up until their fight, had promised to testify to what had happened. But now, she wasn’t sure he’d hold up his end of the bargain.

The stone pillars flanking the driveway at Winterhill appeared out of the fog. A feeling of relief washed over her at the sight of the old stone house. This was the only home she’d ever really known. Every summer, she’d arrived still dressed in her school uniform, ready to throw aside the rules and regulations for a summer full of fantasies.

Her grandmother had died six years ago, and since then, she hadn’t been back. But three months ago, it had been the only place left to her, the only place in the world she could hide. Gelsey still expected her to be waiting at the door when she drove up to the house, her arms thrown wide and her eyes filled with tears of joy.

This would be a good place to start again, Gelsey mused. She could be happy here. She honked the horn, then smiled as the front door opened. Her grandmother’s housekeeper came rushing out, her hands clutching her apron. Gelsey stepped out of the car only to be enveloped in Caroline’s embrace.

“Oh, I should be livid, I should,” Caroline said in her thick Irish brogue. “Why haven’t you phoned more than once? I’ve been worrying myself sick.”

“I told you I was safe,” she said.

“Safe? Look at this car you’re drivin’! It’s an accident waitin’ to happen.”

Gelsey looped her arm through Caroline’s. “Come on, then. Let’s have a cup of tea and I’ll tell you all about my adventures in the real world.”

“I’m not certain I want to hear,” Caroline teased. “Are you driving without a permit?”

“No, I have a Spanish driver’s license. I think it’s good here.”

“And where does that car come from?”

The housekeeper knew all of Gelsey’s problems. Confession had been good for the soul and Gelsey had needed at least one person who understood what she’d done to her life. But no she couldn’t wait to tell Caroline about her job and all the possibilities for her future in Ballykirk.

“Your mother and father have been calling,” Caroline said. “They’ve been keeping up with the news on your case and they’re worried.”

“It’s my problem,” Gelsey said. “I’ll deal with it.”

Caroline gave her hand a squeeze as they walked to the front door. “Now, I want you to know that I haven’t finished yet.”

“Finished what?” Gelsey asked.

The housekeeper threw the door open and Gelsey stepped into the spacious foyer. “Christmas.”

Gelsey gasped as she saw the beautiful pine garlands and twinkling lights. “Oh, look at this.” Slowly, she took it all in, then stopped in front of a Christmas tree that sat just inside the parlor. It was decorated in an old-fashioned style, with faded blown-glass ornaments and tinsel and real candles on the tips of the boughs.

“Your grandmother used to insist that we do it up well,” Caroline explained. “Christmas was her favorite day of the year, except for the day that you arrived at Winterhill for your summer holiday.”

“I remember these,” Gelsey said, reaching out to touch one of the candles. “I spent Christmas here one year when I was-”

“You were seven. I wasn’t sure that you remembered.”

“Oh, I do,” Gelsey said. “It was magical.”

“I thought, since you might be spending the holiday here again this year, I’d do it up, like your grandmother did.” She gave Gelsey a quick hug. “Come, let’s have tea. I want to hear all about this man you’ve met.”

“Man? I didn’t mention a man,” Gelsey said.

“What else would have kept you away?”

Gelsey groaned as she walked back to the kitchen. “All right, there is a man. But it isn’t want you think. At least, not entirely what you think.”

She followed Caroline back to the kitchen, then sat down on one of the stools that surrounded the huge worktable in the center of the room. Cupping her chin in her hand, Gelsey watched as the housekeeper placed a plate of shortbread biscuits in front of her, then fussed with the preparations for tea. When the pot was filled and the tea steeping, she set it down on the table and joined Gelsey.

“Where have you been?”

“Ballykirk,” Gelsey replied. “I’ve been staying with…with-a friend. His name is Kellan Quinn.”

“Quinn? My cousin Aina married a Quinn from Ballykirk. Jamie Quinn.”

“I haven’t met him, though I’m sure there are a lot of Quinns in Ballykirk.”

“Oh, they don’t live in Ballykirk anymore. They moved to Galway years ago. I wouldn’t think you’d have found Ballykirk very exciting.”

“There’s something in Ballykirk that I’m very interested in.” Gelsey explained her hopes for Maeve’s Potions and Lotions, describing the shop and Maeve’s merchandise and the potential to turn the business into something special. When she finished, she looked at Caroline, waiting for her opinion.

“What is it?” Gelsey asked at the odd expression on the housekeeper’s face. “I know it’s silly to make plans with everything hanging over my head as it is. But I want to think positively. I need to believe that everything will work out.”

“Oh, it’s not that. You look…different.” Caroline reached out and smoothed her hand over Gelsey’s cheek.

“I do?”

Caroline nodded, her silver curls bobbing. “You look happy. Relaxed.”

“I am,” Gelsey said. “So do you think I should do it?”

“Let me ask you one question. How much of your interest in staying in Ireland has to do with this Quinn bloke?”

“I suppose some,” Gelsey admitted. “But I’m not really counting on that for the future. I think it’s time I begin to plan my life for myself and not whatever man I happen to fancy at the moment.”

“Antonio has been ringing here, trying to get in touch. It sounds like he’s very sorry for what he did and he wants to make amends.”

“Of course he’s sorry. All men who cheat are sorry. And I suppose I shouldn’t blame him. I ran away to Ireland and he needed someone. In his case, anyone would do.”

“He wasn’t ever right for you, Gelsey.”

She drew a deep breath and nodded. “I know. But after the fight we had, I’m not sure he’s going to want to testify for me in court. He was there when it happened. He saw the whole thing.”

“Perhaps you should try to smooth things out,” Caroline suggested. “For the sake of your future.”

Gelsey shook her head. “I’m done with Antonio,” she said. “And that life. I want to start a new life, here at Winterhill.”

Caroline took her hands and gave them a squeeze. She stared down at Gelsey’s ring finger. “Where is your engagement ring?”

“I threw it in the ocean,” Gelsey said.

“That was a foolish thing to do.”

“I suppose I should have kept it. I could have traded it for all the things I left at his villa in Portugal.”

“That would have been the sensible thing.”

“Agreeing to marry a Spanish race-car driver with an ex-wife, an ex-mistress and a girlfriend on the side was not sensible. From now on, I’m going to make myself happy first.” She paused, then grinned. “Not that I’m giving up men entirely.”

“Well, I think that’s a grand plan,” Caroline said. “Just grand. I have always thought that you deserved more happiness than you allowed yourself.” Caroline’s eyebrows arched. “Now tell me more about this man.”

Gelsey laughed. “He’s very sweet and far too serious for me. And, even though I’m afraid I’ll find some way to muck it all up, he makes me feel…safe.” She shook her head. “I’ve spent my life living dangerously and now I’m happy with a cozy cottage and handsome architect in my bed. How strange is that?”

“You haven’t had an easy time of it, Gelsey. I’ve been witness to that. But it would fulfill your grandmother’s fondest wish if you could find some happiness here.”

Gelsey drew a ragged breath, then smiled. “I love this house. Maybe that’s why I came running here when things with Antonio fell apart.”

“Well, I’ll make sure everything is just so for you,” Caroline said.

“And I’m going to help this year.”

“You’re going to come back, then?”

Gelsey thought about it for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes. And I’m going to bring Kellan with me. Just as soon as I tell him who I really am.”

“Just who does he think you are?” Caroline asked.

Gelsey winced, then shrugged her shoulders. “At first, a mermaid. But now, probably an escapee from a mental hospital.”

“Oh, dear,” Caroline said. “It’s going to take more than a pot of tea to explain that.”


“WHAT THE HELL are we doing here?” Danny grumbled.

“Waiting,” Kellan said.

“I can see that. What are we waiting for?”

“I’m not sure.”

“When you asked to borrow my car, you told me you had an errand to run. We’re not running. We’re sitting here at the side of the road staring at a huge house. Who lives there?”

“I don’t know,” Kellan muttered. “Do you?”

Danny shook his head. “Not really. I’m not sure anyone lives there, at least not year-round. But it looks like a nice place. Well tended. The ironwork on the gates looks original. I’d like to get a closer look at those hinges.” He reached for the door handle, but Kellan grabbed his jacket sleeve.

“Wait,” he said. “Look. There’s someone coming outside. Pull ahead and then turn around.”

“Who’s coming?” Danny asked.

“I don’t know. Someone that Gelsey knows. She came here this morning. Drove the Fiat over. I couldn’t stick around because she would have recognized my car, so I decided to come back and check it out once she returned to Ballykirk.”

“You followed her here?”

“Not exactly,” Kellan said. Then he cleared his throat. “Well, yeah, I did. I was driving back to the cottage to try to convince her to go to Cork with me after Jordan canceled. And I saw her turn down the coast road, so I followed her-at a discreet distance. I was curious. And this is where she came. To this house.”

“What kind of sick obsession is this?” Danny said.

“I was beginning to think she was a feckin’ mermaid. I’m losing my mind, here. She won’t tell me anything about herself. I decided to find out on my own. Now I just have to figure out why she came here.”

“Maybe it’s where she lives?”

“If she lives here, why is she staying in the cottage with me? This place looks a lot more posh than anything I can offer. Look at the bleedin’ chimneys. There must be five or six fireplaces in that house.”

“Look, a woman’s come out,” Danny said. “She’s putting a wreath up on the door. I’m going to go talk to her.”

“No!”

“I’ll just tell her I’d like to take a photo of her gates. I do it all the time.”

Danny hopped out of the Land Rover and started off toward the woman, leaving Kellan no choice but to follow him.

“Hello, there!” Danny called, striding confidently up the driveway. “We were just looking at your gate. I’m a blacksmith. Would you mind if I took a photo?” He glanced back at Kellan and motioned him forward. “Do you have your mobile with you?”

Kellan reached into his pocket, then handed Danny his phone. “Just flip it open and press that button on the side. Then press it again to take the photo.”

“Would you mind?” Danny asked again.

“No, not at all,” the old woman said.

“How long have you owned the place?” Danny asked.

“Oh, I don’t own it. I work here. I’m the housekeeper. For thirty-five years. My mother worked here before me.”

“Big house,” Danny said. “A lot to keep up with, I’d reckon.”

“Oh, it’s not all that bad. The owner only comes now and then. She’s here now, so I’ve been a bit busier.”