Time's Secrets (Taylor's Girls Book 3)

by Sabra Brown Steinsiek

  Maureen chimed in, “Your sister? Betta? Hearing that you’re both adopted explains why you don’t look like each other. Where is she from?”

  “Oh, yes! Betta—that’s short for Elisabetta—is Italian. After my mother died, Taylor and I moved to Italy. Betta’s aunt was our housekeeper. She lived with them because her parents had been killed in a car accident a year or so earlier. Betta began to come to work with Rosina and she and I became inseparable—the sister each of us wanted but had never had. When it came time for us to move back to New York for Taylor’s career, I’m afraid I threw a fit at the thought of leaving Betta behind. Laura persuaded Rosina and her husband Matteo to move to New York with us and, when Betta turned sixteen, Taylor and Laura asked to legally adopt her. She agreed and we were finally, officially, sisters.”

  “Family is family,” the elder Jamie pronounced. “Sounds like yours is one to be proud of.”

  “I am proud of them…of us, really. I wish my Abuelo—my grandfather—could meet you. I think you’d get along splendidly.”

  Chapter 8

  “They liked you, you know,” Jamie said as they left the house to go to a concert in the park.

  “I liked them, too. You weren’t kidding about it being a crowd! How many Jamies are there in your family?”

  “At least one a generation, sometimes more.”

  “Your Aunt—Sister Eileen? She’s really very beautiful.”

  “She always has been. She was our favorite when were kids. Always full of laughter and fun…at least until just before she chose the convent. I never knew what happened but all the adults talked in whispers and Sha’leen cried all the time. But she seems happy enough now.”

  They walked in companionable silence, hand in hand, for a while. Then Jamie said, “Can I be asking you something personal?”

  “Of course. I’ll answer if I can.”

  “You told us all about your family. Except you never mentioned your birth father.”

  “I never knew him,” she said. “He abandoned my mother while she was pregnant with me. The only thing I know about him is that he died. . .here in Belfast, actually.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know and I never asked my mother much about him. She died before I got very curious. Truth is, I always had Taylor so I never missed him. The only reason I’d like to find out more about him is to figure out if I have more family on his side. I thought about looking while I was here but a certain tall Irishman has been keeping me distracted.”

  “He has, has he?” Jamie asked with a smile. “Maybe this will help.” He leaned down and kissed her for the first time. A kiss that went on and on until they broke apart, breathless.”

  “Well!” Meg said. “It doesn’t help me find my father but I like being distracted. More please,” she said with a wicked smile. And Jamie was happy to oblige.

  * * *

  Meg was late getting back to the house but the light was still on in her grandfather’s room. She knocked softly then opened the door. “Abuelo, I just wanted to let you know I’m home.”

  “Come in and tell me about it, Meg.”

  She came in and sat on the end of the bed. “They’re a nice family. A big family! Bigger even than Abuelita’s. And they made me feel very welcome.”

  “Meg? I wasn’t very good at this with Laura. Probably worse now, but are you sure you and young Jamie aren’t moving a little too fast? He’s a nice boy and I don’t want to see him left with a broken heart when we leave.”

  “I don’t know, Abuelo. I’m not sure what’s happening. Maybe it’s just because we’re here for such a short time, it makes it all seem more urgent. I like Jamie a lot—maybe more than is good for either one of us.” Meg took Sean’s hand. “But we’re not children, Abuelo,” she said gently.

  “I know, Megan. It would be easier if you were.”

  She stood and leaned down to kiss top of his head. “Thanks for worrying about me. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Meg.” Sean watched as she closed the door. She was right. Meg and Betta were young women now, more than capable of making up their own minds. He just hoped that Meg was using her head and not just following her heart this time.

  * * *

  “I’m home, Betta.”

  “About time!”

  “Meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes if you want to hear the details.”

  By the time Betta came downstairs in robe and slippers, Meg had made hot chocolate for the both of them. A plate of Katyrose’s cookies was on the table.

  “If we keep eating like this, Betta, we’re both going to be huge by the time we go home.”

  “I know,” Betta answered. “It would help if Katyrose wasn’t such a good cook. So, how was dinner with Jamie’s family?”

  “Overwhelming and a lot of fun. He has zillions of cousins it seems. And half of them are named Jamie, too! But they were very kind to me. Jamie’s father has let him take a few days off from the pub so we can spend some time together—if you and Abuelo don’t mind him tagging along with us.”

  “It will be better that way. Remember, Abuelo wanted to spend some time with us.”

  “I didn’t expect to meet Jamie!”

  “It’s okay, Meg. I understand. We just missed having you with us today. Carrickfergus was pretty impressive.”

  “After tomorrow, we’ll be at your disposal.”

  “Why? What’s happening tomorrow?”

  “Jamie has an aunt who’s a nun. Hard to believe because she’s really very beautiful and, from what the family said, she could have had anyone she wanted. Jamie said something happened when he was a kid and it was like all the light went out of her and she joined the convent. She’s invited us for tea in the morning. You, too. Will you come?”

  “Sure. Abuelo will be at his conference. You’re sure I won’t be a third wheel?”

  “You won’t. We’d better get some sleep. Maybe we can borrow one of Jamie’s cousins to keep you company!”

  Plans set, the two girls made their way up the stairs to bed.

  Chapter 9

  Jamie arrived early and was fed by Katyrose while he waited for Megan and Betta to be ready. He was a little disappointed that Betta would be joining them but it couldn’t be helped. He smiled at them both as they came into the kitchen.

  “Lucky me, Katyrose. I’ll have the two prettiest girls in Belfast to spend the day with.”

  “Not that you deserve them, Jamie O’Hearn. You take care where and how you go with them.”

  “Now, Katyrose. I’m taking them to the convent to see my Auntie Sha’leen. She’s invited us to see the church and have tea. How could that get us in trouble?”

  “You’re an O’Hearn boy, Jamie. Trouble usually finds you!”

  The three of them were laughing as they left the house.

  * * *

  She was waiting for them in the convent gardens. Meg was struck again by how lovely she was, while Sha’leen struggled to catch that elusive familiarity she saw in Megan.

  “Come and sit here under the tree. I’ve made some lemonade as well as tea in case you’d prefer something cool after your walk.”

  “This is Meg’s sister, Betta, Auntie Sha’leen.” Jamie said in introduction.

  “You’re the Italian fashion designer if I remember what Megan was telling us yesterday.”

  “I am. It’s very nice to meet you, Sister Eileen.”

  “What city are you in?”

  “Milan. It’s fashion central for Italy. I’m an intern with a designer there.”

  “It must be very satisfying to create something beautiful.”

  “It is,” admitted Betta. “I love what I do most of the time.”

  “Only most of the time?” Sha’leen asked.

  “All of the time, really. It’s my passion. I just work for a diva desig
ner and he can be a bit much to take at times.”

  “And you, Meg? You’re going to become a doctor?”

  “I hope so, Sister. I start med school in the fall.” Sha’leen noticed the brief look of anguis that passed across Jamie’s face. He wasn’t happy that Meg would be leaving.

  “Have you chosen a specialty yet?”

  “I’m thinking psychology. I’d like to become a children’s grief counselor.”

  “A noble ambition. Now if Jamie, here, would decide what he wants to be when he grows up…When he was little, he wanted to grow up to be an airport!”

  Everyone laughed. “I meant an airline pilot,” Jamie said with mock indignation.

  With that, the conversation turned to laughter as Sha’leen told more stories about Jamie as a child. She was careful to choose those that he could laugh at too and never slipped into embarrassing him.

  Finally, she said, “It’s been lovely to have you here but I have a music class to teach in an hour and I must finish preparing.”

  “Wait a minute, Auntie. I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about Meg’s birth father. He died here when she was a child.”

  “Now why would I know anything about that, Jamie?”

  “I thought maybe there’d been a news story or something about a Yank dying here.”

  “He was a television reporter,” Meg said. “I have no idea what happened to him but I’ve wondered about it from time to time.”

  Sha’leen caught her breath. It couldn’t be…could it?

  Then, without knowing what it would do to Sha’leen, Megan said, “His name was Cary Edwards,”

  With that simple sentence, Sha’leen’s world came crashing in on her as she realized why Megan seemed so familiar. A face she’d carefully shut out of her memory suddenly loomed in her mind. Raven black hair…cobalt eyes…as handsome as Megan was beautiful. She was the image of her father—the man who’d changed the course of Sha’leen’s life years before.

  Sha’leen went white and stood up suddenly. “I really must be getting back to work. Please, go along now.” She walked swiftly to the gate and held it open for them, closing it firmly behind them once they had passed through. There were no lingering goodbyes and Jamie was shocked at how abrupt she had been.

  “Jamie?” Meg said. “What just happened? It had to be more than overstaying our welcome.”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never seen her act that way before.”

  Betta spoke quietly, “I think she knows something and it’s not good. Whatever did your father do, Meg?”

  * * *

  Moira O’Hearn, Jamie’s mother, opened the door to find Sha’leen standing there. She rarely left the convent during the day so Moira was surprised to see her.

  “Do you have time for tea, Moira?”

  Sha’leen had been close to Moira before everything that had happened and their friendship had helped her through all. Moira had supported her when she made her decision to enter the convent and had been the one who broke the news to the family and helped her brother Jamie accept the decision.

  “Of course, Sha’leen. Come in. You look as if you could use a friendly ear.”

  Sha’leen’s eyes filled with tears. “More than you can imagine, Moira.”

  With Sha’leen seated at the table, Moira set two cups of tea on it then removed her apron to hang it by the door. She waited patiently for Sha’leen to begin but was surprised at what she finally said.

  “It’s that girl of Jamie’s, Moira.”

  “Megan? He’s certainly old enough to be looking at the girls, Sha’leen. And you’d think it would be his mother not his Auntie who would be having trouble with him bringing home a young woman he’s so obviously interested in.”

  Sha’leen wrapped her hands around the hot cup. They’d been freezing ever since she had realized the truth about Megan. It wasn’t until Moira reached across the table and took one of her hands that she looked up and the tears she’d held back all afternoon overflowed.

  “Sha’leen! What is it? It must be more than Jamie and that girl!”

  “It’s her, Moira. She’s…she’s his daughter.” At the confusion on Moira’s face, Sha’leen whispered, “Megan is Cary Edward’s daughter.”

  Moira crossed herself and whispered, “Holy Mother of God! How do you know?”

  “When Jamie introduced her, she seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place where I might have seen her. This morning, Jamie brought her and her sister by to see me. He brought up that Meg’s father died here and she said his name was Cary Edwards.”

  Moira was speechless. It had all been so long ago. Sha’leen had been a barmaid at the hotel, working with her oldest brother, Jamie. The American newsman had taken a liking to their Sha’leen and no one saw the harm in it—until the morning they’d found her in her room nearly dead from an overdose of sleeping pills, a note on her pillow telling them that Cary Edwards had raped her and she couldn’t live with the shame.

  Moira would never forget the rage that filled her Jamie’s face as he and his brothers rushed off to the hotel to find the man. Had the others not been policemen, Jamie might have killed him then and there. Instead, they hauled him off to jail and a fancy lawyer had gotten him a sentence that had him deported, hardly a punishment for the taking of a young girl’s innocence.

  Never once in all these years had she asked her Jamie where he’d been that night the newsman had disappeared from his guarded hotel room—never asked what he knew about the battered body that had been found out in the woods on Cave Hill.

  She’d stood beside her weeping husband as his adored baby sister had taken her vows and renounced the world. It had been the right answer for Sha’leen but Jamie had wanted so much more for her. He’d never forgiven himself for inviting the wolf into their fold.

  “Sha’leen, what did you tell her? What could you say?”

  “Certainly not the truth! There’s no harm in the girl, Moira. She’s not responsible for what her father did, but she has a right to know where he’s buried at least. The rest she’ll have to find out on her own. I’ll let you tell Jamie I rang up to tell him where. You know where he is as well as I do.”

  “And you, Sha’leen? Are you going to be all right?”

  “I’ll be fine, Moira. I shouldn’t have to see her again and I don’t mind admitting that’s a comfort. But we can’t let my brother know. He wouldn’t let it be. Moira, I’d best be getting back to the convent and explaining to Mother Superior why I had to go running out.”

  The two women stood and hugged one another. “Sha’leen? I’m here if you need me—you know that.”

  Sha’leen smiled into Moira’s worried eyes. “I know that. No one could have asked for a better sister than you. Jamie chose well when he let you catch him.”

  Chapter 10

  Jamie borrowed two scooters and his cousin Diarmid for the afternoon so they could take Meg and Betta to Cave Hill, the natural landmark that dominated Belfast. Home to Belfast Castle and the Belfast Zoo, it had miles of paths for exploring the woods; miles of paths for Meg and Jamie to get “lost” on for stolen kisses.

  “Jamie!” Diarmid’s voice came from a distance. “Jamie! Lunch!”

  With another quick kiss, Jamie took her hand and followed the path to the glen where they’d agreed to meet. He opened his backpack and brought out bottles of water and thick sandwiches that he’d gotten from the pub.

  The four of them were famished and chose food over conversation, at least for the moment. The sun was bright, the day was warm, and they all felt content with the world.

  Diarmid was the one who broke the silence. “Do you remember when they found that body up here, Jamie? We must have been thirteen or fourteen then.”

  “A body!” Betta’s eyes were huge. “We’re picnicking where a body was found?”

  “No, it wasn’t found here bu
t up over the crest near MacArt’s Fort.”

  “That’s still too close for me!”

  “It’s much too nice a day to be thinking of that, Diar,” Jamie said.

  “It was such a big thing, though…him being a famous American newsman and all.”

  Betta looked at Meg who sat up suddenly from where she’d been leaning against Jamie’s chest admiring her new ring. “A newsman?”

  “I think that was the story. He worked for the television and disappeared suddenly. They found his body up here a few days later.”

  “Had he wandered away and gotten lost?” Meg asked, knowing that it probably wasn’t true.

  “If he did, then somebody found him. They said he’d been beaten to death.”

  Meg’s face went white and Betta moved over to her. “We’ll be right back,” she said as she took Meg away from the glen and into the shelter of the trees.

  “You idiot!” Jamie chided his cousin. “That’s not a subject to be bringing up with ladies around.”

  “I just thought they might be interested…him being American and all. It’s not like he haunts the place!”

  Suddenly, Jamie remembered what Megan had told Sister Eileen that morning. “He was a television reporter…” It couldn’t be! Diarmid’s story couldn’t be about Megan’s birth father, but it was too much of a coincidence! He looked toward the wood where Meg and Betta had vanished and he knew it was true. He’d brought the woman he loved to the very place her father had been murdered.

  * * *

  Betta made sure they were out of hearing range of their companions before she found a rocky outcropping to seat Meg on. By then her sister was shaking so hard she could barely walk. Betta knelt in front of her and took Meg’s icy hands. “Megan, it doesn’t have to be him. It could just be coincidence.”

  Meg could barely speak for the tremors that shook her. “No, Betta, it couldn’t be. It was him. My father…my father was murdered! When I was growing up, I always thought he stayed away because he didn’t want me. When I found out he died, it was easier thinking that he hadn’t chosen to stay away; that he might have come back for me one day. But I always imagined he’d died peacefully somehow, not beaten to death on a lonely hillside!” Meg’s voice dissolved into sobs that even the waiting men could hear in the distance.