Irish Lace by Andrew M. Greeley

Author:Andrew M. Greeley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2011-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

I followed him just as quietly.

We had gaslight in the house, of course, though not in all the rooms at that time. But I risked neither light nor candle as I led him down the stairs and out of the house through the kitchen. A quarter moon shed some light on the yard. It had turned bitter cold. I remembered that my only outer garment was my robe.

Tom laughed softly and then whispered, “Mandy will never believe that I spent part of the night in a bedroom with three beautiful young women and never once had a temptation concerning them.”

“You do not flatter us, sir, with that comment.

We both laughed softly.

I conducted him to the barn, helped him to saddle one of our horses, and pointed the path through the dead prairie grass he must follow if he wished to avoid Colonel Sweet’s patrols.

He bent down from his horse and kissed my forehead.

“Thank you, ’Titia. I have no understanding of why you’re doing this for me.”

“A wedding present for Mandy.”

“I trust that in God’s time you will meet her, and on a much better day.”

“You let him kiss you!” Captain Murray would later protest in mock horror.

At that moment, he was caressing me most provocatively, not quite beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable to a refined Catholic girl, but close enough to them. I realized that we must marry soon. It was not that I did not trust him, but I was no longer sure that I trusted myself.

“On the forehead, Captain. I thought it was a perfectly appropriate reaction in the circumstances.”

“You saved his life, ’Titia. You realize that, don’t you?”

“Naturally.”

“I’m glad you did. Too many men died in the war as it was.”

I knew that was what Paddy, poor dear man, would say.

The next day we read horrid headlines in the Tribune:

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