Page 94 of Valley of Dreams

“Pompah.” Ivy tugged at Joseph’s jacket. “I need to find Aidan, so I can tell him he has to dance with me.”

“Don’t you think you’d better ask him instead of demanding it of him?” Joseph never seemed closer to laughter than when he was speaking with Ivy.

“Aidan is my friend,” his little girl said. “He will think dancing with me is grand.”

Katie looked to Emma, who had her little brother on her hip. “Are we needing to rescue Aidan from being too ordered about?”

“He’s known Ivy long enough to know what to expect,” Emma said. “I think he likes that she’s a bit bossy. He thinks she’s funny.”

“Does he thinkyou’refunny?” Katie asked.

Emma shook her head. “But he says I’m sweet. That seems almost as good.”

“I think being sweet is a wonderful thing.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “You’re my mama. Youhaveto think that.”

“Emma.” Katie whispered her name, the sound one of amazement. “You’ve not ever called me ‘mama’ before.”

She colored up, her gaze dropping. “Do you not want me to?”

Katie pulled Emma into a tight and teary embrace. “I’ve wanted you to since before I married your papa. I love you, my sweet girl.”

Eliza had to turn away. The love and tenderness between Katie and her sweet girl were beautiful and heartwarming, but the scene echoed as an ache in her own soul. Sometimes she let herself imagine moments just like this one, in which someone loved Lydia as his own child. Such a thing seemed more possible in this town of broken people and mended lives. It had, in fact, felt entirely within reach a few short days ago. But life, as it so often did, had snatched that dream away.

Maura rushed over. Her expanding belly grew more noticeable every time Eliza saw her. She offered Lydia a quick greeting before turning her attention to Eliza. “Mother Callaghan’s made barmbrack, the tea bread I told you about at the sewing circle. Everyone’s excited for you to try it.”

They walked together toward a grouping of chairs where the other O’Connor women sat other than Mrs. O’Connor, who always spent thecéilísrushing about and seeing to everything. Eliza didn’t see Cecily O’Connor, either.

“Is Cecily not here?” she asked.

Maura shook her head. “She and Tavish are making their annual drive around the territory, selling his preserves and cordials and berries. They’ll be back in a few weeks’ time.”

“The family must miss having them here.” Eliza had seen for herself the closeness that existed amongst this large and growing clan.

“We’re missing a few people just now.” Maura sighed a little. “Ian is gone.”

Eliza hadn’t heard that. Before she could ask the reason forthatbrother’s absence, Maura added to her list.

“We’re missing Patrick again, as well.”

“He had seemed to be getting on better with the family.” Eliza hoped to hear there was a reason for his absence other than their falling out.

“Everyone was very hopeful. We don’t know where the two of them have gone.”

The two of them?

“He and Ian are together?” There’d always been such tension between those two brothers. Eliza would not have guessed that they, of all the family, would take any sort of journey together.

As they arrived at the circle of O’Connor women, Maura whispered, “Wherever they are, they’re with each other. We’re hopeful they’re mending the rift between them.”

“Eliza.” Mrs. Callaghan grinned across at her. “We have barmbrack for you.”

“I look forward to trying it after all of you have spoken so highly of it.” She sat, setting Lydia on her lap.

Ciara joined them, handing Eliza a small plate with a thick slice of bread—a rich, golden brown with small pieces of dried fruit throughout. It smelled divine.

“I suspect if I eat this, I will crave it for the rest of my life.”

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