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Emerald Isle (A Stacy Justice Mystery)

Page 23

by Annino, Barbra


  I flicked my eyes to her and caught her staring back at him, smiling.

  I put my fork down. “You’re not coming home, are you?”

  She sighed, gave me a coaxing look with those impossibly emerald eyes of hers. “I thought perhaps you could stay here for a while. We could catch up, spend some time together.”

  I wanted to, I really did, but I was needed back home. I couldn’t leave Derek in the lurch that long. Goddess only knew how Monique’s column was working out. Plus, with Cin pregnant, she needed help at the bar. Not to mention I missed Chance.

  “I have a business, a relationship. Responsibilities,” I said.

  My mother said, “Tell you what. You can fly your boyfriend out here. At least stay through Samhain.”

  That was six weeks away, and this was the busy season for Birdie. I couldn’t do that to her. Not after all she had done for me. Not after we had grown so much closer.

  “I can’t, Mom. I’m sorry.”

  She nodded. “I understand.” She set her napkin down, folded her hands. “How about we come for Christmas?” She looked at Birdie, then at me.

  Birdie beamed. “I would love that.”

  My grandmother excused herself, and my mother and I sat there for hours, talking. I told her about my father, about how his death wasn’t an accident. She cursed his killer, said she had wondered about that. Said that “accident” never felt right to her. She told me about her life here, how Pearce had made the imprisonment bearable.

  Suddenly she teared up, dabbed her eyes, and said, “I missed so much.”

  I put my hand over hers. “You gave me so much, Mom. You sacrificed your life, your freedom, for me. I know that, and I’m grateful.”

  She choked back a sob. “Promise me you’ll visit often. And bring that man in your life. Birdie tells me he’s wonderful.”

  “He is. You do the same.”

  “And promise that you’ll be careful always. I don’t care if you are the Seeker of Justice—you’re still my baby girl.”

  Before breakfast, we had all attended a council meeting. Tallulah had been appointed head of the council, slipping into Aedon’s place. She, in turn, had nominated Birdie to take her seat. The first order of business was granting Ivy two more nomination points. The second was freeing my mother. Last on the agenda was my coronation as the Seeker of Justice.

  “I will. Just keep sending me riddles.”

  She laughed at that.

  I hugged my mother close, wanting never to let go, the locket pressed between us like a conduit linking the past to the future. When I had asked Tallulah’s mother about its power, she had pulled me aside and said only one thing.

  “It does whatever you need it to do. It’s only a tool. The power is within you.”

  I could get used to that.

  THE END

  Author’s Note

  This book is about the journey. It’s about roots and wings and finding a stable balance between them. The journey I took in researching this story led to some magical real-life places that you can visit should you find yourself on the Emerald Isle. Or, if you prefer, explore the sites below for an armchair vacation.

  Hill of Tara, Meath: http://www.megalithicireland.com/Hill%20of%20Tara.htm

  Heritage Ireland: Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre Newgrange and Knowth: http:/www.heritageireland.ie/en/midlandseastcoast/BrunaBoinneVisitorCentreNewgrangeandKnowth/

  County Kildare, Ireland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kildare

  Ashford Castle: http://www.ashford.ie/

  Howth Castle: http://www.howthcastle.ie/

  Mythical Ireland Fourknocks: http://www.mythicalireland.com/ancientsites/fourknocks/

  Tuatha Dé Danann: http://www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/danann.html

  Grace O’Malley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_O%27Malley

  MABON

  The story you just read takes place on the fall equinox, called Mabon. Light and darkness are equal on this sabbat. It’s a time when crops are harvested, daylight will soon wane, and people are preparing for wintering. Rededication ceremonies are common, as are feasts of thanks for the bounty of the fields and the orchards. It’s a good time to smudge the home, invoke a protective spirit by ringing a bell, and sweep out the negative energy with a broom. To ensure a healthy winter, pluck a fresh apple (a symbol of immortality) and cut it in half. Share one half with the members of your household and freeze the other until spring. Then bury it in your yard as a gift to the Goddess.

  Irish Stew

  When you visit Ireland, you are required to drink Guinness. I’m pretty sure it’s a law. Luckily, they export it to other countries as well.

  2 pounds stewing beef

  2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into chunks

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon pepper

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  8 large garlic cloves, minced

  2 tablespoons butter

  2 tablespoons flour

  2 bottles Guinness stout beer

  4 cups beef broth

  2 large onions, peeled and chopped

  3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

  4 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped

  8 red potatoes, quartered

  2–3 sprigs thyme

  2 bay leaves

  Season meat with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add butter, and brown beef and lamb. Sprinkle with flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  Pop open one bottle of Guinness and share with a friend. Add the other bottle to the pot, along with beef broth. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add thyme and bay leaves. Remove from stove, cover, and bake in a 300-degree oven for 3 hours. Before serving, remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

  Yield: 12–16 servings

  Cheddar-Chive Biscuits

  Irish cheddar is sharp, tangy, and nutty. A lot like the three Geraghty Girls!

  2 cups buttermilk baking mix

  ⅔ cup milk

  ½ cup shredded Dubliner cheese

  ⅓ cup fresh-snipped chives

  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine baking mix, milk, and cheddar cheese in mixing bowl. Carefully blend in chives. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8–10 minutes or until golden brown.

  Yield: 10 servings

  Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

  Plant rosemary in remembrance of a loved one.

  2 pounds red potatoes, quartered

  1 teaspoon minced garlic

  2 tablespoons fresh rosemary

  Pepper

  Salt

  ¼ cup olive oil

  4 tablespoons butter

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle next six ingredients over potatoes and toss to coat. Dot with butter. Roast 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  Yield: 4–6 servings

  Green Isle Sauce

  Fresh mint placed on an altar will call on the spirit guides to aid you in magic.

  4 cups spearmint leaves, loosely packed

  Water (just enough to cover leaves)

  Sugar

  Green food coloring (optional)

  Place leaves in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer 30 minutes. Strain mixture through coffee filter or jelly bag. Discard leaves and rinse pan. Return strained liquid to saucepan and add 1 cup sugar per 1 cup liquid. (So if you have 4 cups minted water, add 4 cups sugar.) Simmer 15 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. If desired, add a couple drops of food coloring. Chill 2 hours. Pour on ice cream or chocolate cake, or use to sweeten tea or coffee.

  Yield: 6 servings

  Hot Buttered Cider

  In pagan cultures, the apple was a symbol of immortality and used in many love spells. For a simple love charm, cut an apple in half, remove the seeds, and share it with the one you adore. Then bury the seeds beneath a full moon for a long and prosperous
relationship.

  1 gallon real apple cider

  6 whole allspice berries

  ½ nutmeg seed

  3 cinnamon sticks

  8 cloves

  4 pats butter

  Chamomile flowers

  Suggested liquor: spiced rum

  To a large pot, add cider and spices. Simmer 20 minutes. Strain, add rum if desired, then pour into a pretty punch bowl and dot with butter. Garnish with chamomile flowers and serve warm.

  Yield: 12 servings

  No-Sew Sweet Dreams Sachet

  Valerian has long been used in sleep potions. Nestled alongside relaxing lavender and calming chamomile, you cannot help but drift into dreamland. The moonstone is there to stabilize emotions and promote lucid dreamscapes. You can stitch this up, if you prefer, but this is the quick and easy method.

  You’ll Need:

  2 3-inch fabric swatches

  1 teaspoon each dried bee balm, valerian, chamomile, and lavender

  1 moonstone

  Hot glue gun

  Instructions:

  Put dried herbs in the center of one piece of fabric. Top with moonstone. Trace hot glue gun along all four edges. Top with the second piece of fabric and press ends together. Place at the head of your bed or beneath your pillow for pleasant dreams.

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to warmly thank Terry Goodman for bringing me into this publishing family. Thanks to Danielle Marshall, marketing guru extraordinaire, and Jacque Ben-Zekry, who is so good at her job, she makes me feel as if she is my personal assistant. Thanks also to my tireless beta readers who read my work before the spit shine: George Annino, Leslie Gay, and Selena Jones. Your suggestions make a better storyteller out of me. Huge thanks as well to Alison Dasho for her editorial mastery and brainstorming sessions. Also to Annie Morgan, whose copy edit is just the right touch for this author.

  This book was molded by the gracious people of the Emerald Isle who made my research trip even more enjoyable than it already was, especially Fiona, who was so much like Fiona Geraghty in beauty and charm (although not age) that I couldn’t believe it. And to Carlos, the Italian import with the Irish brogue who offered us a very welcome ride across the country, and to John, who picked up a pair of rain-soaked travelers numerous times so that we could drink in every drop of County Kildare, home of Brighid Geraghty and the Great Geraghty Clan. You made a memorable trip magical.

  Finally, endless thanks to my own clan. My grandmother, who left me a sign that she was with me in Ireland in the form of a penny. And my mother, who showed me long ago that strength often comes in small packages.

  About the Author

  Photo by George Annino, 2011

  Barbra Annino is a native of Chicago, a book junkie, and a Springsteen addict. She’s worked as a bartender and humor columnist, and currently lives in picturesque Galena, Illinois, where she ran a bed-and-breakfast for five years. She now writes fiction full-time—when she’s not walking her three Great Danes.

 

 

 


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