The Irish Heiress

by Kaitlin O’Riley

  Mara spoke up. “Well, since Sara and I are both proper wedded ladies now, it only stands to reason that you will be the next Hamilton cousin to get married, Phillip.”

  “Oh, no!” he cried with a shake of his head. “Don’t tell me I must get shackled so soon just because you two did! I’m still a free man.” He grinned wickedly and raised his eyebrows up and down. “A fact I enjoy immensely.”

  Both Foster and Christopher laughed.

  “It’s not so bad,” Foster attempted to explain. “Marriage to the right woman definitely has its advantages.”

  “I can’t get married. It wouldn’t be fair to all the lovely ladies I know to choose just one to be my wife,” Phillip said. “Think of all the broken hearts!”

  Sara rolled her eyes and laughed. “Really, Phillip!”

  “You just haven’t met the right woman yet,” Mara said.

  “Perhaps you should come visit us in New York,” Sara suggested with a sardonic look. “There are lots of beautiful girls there who haven’t had the privilege of meeting you yet, Phillip.”

  “That’s a very good point,” Phillip replied gamely. “I may just do that! I could leave a trail of broken hearts on two continents . . .”

  Mara and Sara immediately began to protest their cousin’s vanity.

  “Leave the poor boy alone,” declared Jeffrey Eddington, the Duke of Rathmore, as he joined their conversation.

  “Thank you for defending me, Uncle Jeffrey,” Phillip said, looking quite satisfied. “You see, he’s a man who knows how it is.”

  Jeffrey Eddington gave a roguish grin. “Beware of American women, Phillip. They won’t fall for your charms as easily as you think.” Laughter ensued as Jeffrey continued, “But I actually came over to congratulate the beautiful bride.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Jeffrey,” Mara said as he hugged her. Then she subtly pulled him aside so she could speak to him privately. “I would also like to thank you for being so understanding of everything.”

  “There’s no need to thank me, Mara.” Jeffrey’s expression grew earnest. “We’ve had our discussion and you know I am always at your service. I hope you forgive me for writing to your parents about our conversation. I only had your best interests at heart.”

  “Yes, I realize that, and I appreciate your concern. Of course I forgive you. I more than likely would have done the same thing in your position,” Mara admitted.

  “Thank you. And I am quite thrilled to see that you are so happy with your new husband. He seems a good man,” Jeffrey said. “I trust that he knows about your visions?”

  “He does and he still loves me in spite of it.” Mara laughed a little.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Ah, here is the groom now.” Jeffrey turned his attention to Foster, who came to stand beside Mara. “Take good care of our girl.”

  “I intend to.” Foster gave a knowing look. “Her father and her brother have already made clear what will happen to me if I don’t.”

  Foster took Mara’s hand in his as her uncle rejoined the cousins.

  “Are you completely overwhelmed by my family?” she whispered to him. The day had been a blur of introductions for her new husband. She had watched all afternoon as he greeted each of her aunts and uncles, and gamely and candidly answered all their questions.

  “I admit that I don’t quite have all the names down yet, especially of the youngest cousins. All those names that begin with the letter V! And your aunts look remarkably alike, and that will take some doing, but it seems a very small price to pay to be your husband.” He squeezed her hand lovingly.

  “I still can’t believe that we’re really married!” Mara said.

  The last week had been a whirlwind of events that culminated in their wedding in the Cashelmore chapel with only her parents present. It was a lovely ceremony and Mara had never felt so much love in her heart. Then they returned to London to share the news with her family, who had received word of Mara’s surprise marriage with unfailingly good grace and candor.

  “Well, we are married, my sweet Mara. After the last ten years, I never knew being married could make me so happy. Thank you for bringing love into my life and becoming my beautiful wife. I love you more than I can possibly say, but I intend to spend my life showing you just how much I do love you.” Foster leaned over and, in spite of a drawing room full of her relatives, kissed her on the lips.

  “I love you,” she whispered back, looking into her husband’s beautiful green eyes. It was his eyes that had mesmerized her from the start. “From that first night we saw each other, I knew you were the one for me. I saw it in my premonition.”

  “And what a wonderful premonition it was.”

  Epilogue

  Afew months later, the Earl of Sterling stood with his wife at the grand opening of the new Hamilton’s bookshop in London. The name of the new store had been quite a surprise for him and his wife.

  Mara’s Book Shoppe was an enchanting little store.

  The interior was something special to behold, indeed. It sseemed like it was torn from the pages of a storybook. Warm and inviting, it was the perfect place for a child to feel at home and wish to read a book. There were little reading nooks, small tables and chairs, colorful pillows and area rugs, and shelves and shelves of children’s books edging the upper gallery.

  Mara had been so stunned, and deeply touched, that her aunt Colette had named the shop after her that it brought tears to her eyes.

  “But I thought we had agreed”—Mara wiped at her eyes—“that it was to be called Hamilton’s Book Shoppe for Children.”

  “That name sounds as dull as paste to a child! Besides, the entire endeavor was your idea, darling Mara! How could we not name the store after you?” Colette beamed with pride at her niece. “Your mother and I wanted to surprise you on the opening day as a way to thank you, as well.”

  Mara looked to Paulette. “You knew about this, Mother?”

  “Yes, and I couldn’t agree more.” Paulette hugged her daughter tightly, becoming a little teary-eyed also. “You’ve worked so very hard on this shop, as well as the others, and you deserve some recognition.”

  “Thank you so much,” Mara said. “I’m very honored.”

  Foster also knew how many long hours Mara had worked to make her idea of the shop a reality, and he was quite proud of her. In fact, he was proud to be a part of the Hamilton family. During the last six months he had gotten to know them quite well, and he was even more impressed with the Hamilton sisters than he had been at the start.

  Mara’s parents, brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins had readily accepted him as one of the family. They loved Mara, so they loved him too. It was quite remarkable really. After all he had been through in his life, to suddenly have such an extended family was a wonderful and welcome change. And now he and Mara were adding to that family. As if his happiness couldn’t become any greater, only yesterday the doctor confirmed that Mara was expecting a baby.

  “You look like you could do with a bit of a rest,” he said to Mara. “Come with me.”

  “Yes, Mara, you’re looking a little pale,” Paulette agreed, eyeing her daughter carefully. “Make sure she sits for a little while, Foster. We’ll take care of all this.”

  In spite of protesting that she was fine, Mara allowed Foster to guide her to the private office in the back of the bookshop that was named for her.

  “Now, my beautiful wife,” he said as he ushered her to a comfortable leather armchair, “you shall just have to get used to not working so much and resting more often for the next six months or so. Can I get you something to drink?”

  Suddenly his heart raced as he stared at Mara. With one hand she gripped the arm of the chair and the other hand was pressed against her temple. Her eyes were shut tight and she could not hear him when he called her name.

  She was having one of her premonitions!

  Mara hadn’t had one since before the fire. During the six months that they had been married, the two of them had spent many
an hour having long discussions about the sight and her visions and what it all meant. Mara was definitely not afraid of them or worried that she was going mad any longer. She now considered the fact that she had the sight as simply a quirk of her personality.

  It didn’t matter to Foster either way, as long as Mara was comfortable with it. He just wanted her to be safe and healthy. Especially now.

  Foster waited patiently until Mara was lucid again.

  After a moment her eyes fluttered open and she sank back against the chair with a sigh. A slow smile spread across her pretty face and her wide gray-green eyes sparkled with joy.

  “Are you all right?” Foster asked, as he sat on the ottoman at her feet. He took her small hand in his. She didn’t look worried in the least and that made him relax a little bit. It didn’t seem as if she’d seen anything foreboding.

  “I am more than all right,” she murmured slowly.

  “It was a premonition, wasn’t it?”

  She nodded happily, still smiling. “Yes. It was the most wonderful vision I’ve ever had.”

  “That sounds promising. Was it about the baby?”

  “Yes.” Her cheeks turned pink as she blushed. “I had a vision about our babies . . .”

  “Babies?” Foster’s heart began to race. How far into the future had she seen? “You mean to say that we’re having more than one child eventually . . . ?”

  “No.” She shook her head slowly, but the stunned smile did not leave her face. Her hand covered her belly. “We’re having more than one child right now.”

  “What?” He could not reconcile what she was saying to him.

  “Twins,” she murmured breathlessly. “We’re having twins. A boy and a girl.”

  “Twins!” he cried in wonder. His wife was giving him the family he had always wanted. He couldn’t imagine being happier. “Oh, Mara, that is the most wonderful news!”

  “It is, isn’t it?” She rose to her feet as he held her hands. “And my premonitions always come true.”

  Foster wrapped his arms around the woman he loved. “Your premonitions have come true, my love, but so have my dreams.”

  And then he kissed her.