Free The Corrigan legacy by Anna Jacobs Page B

the house had warmed her up. One look at her companion and she decided not even to try the stairs, leading him into the sitting room instead, where she eased him down into an armchair and switched on the heater. He was clearly far too tall to sleep on the couch, so she dragged the cushions off it and laid them on the floor.
    He leaned his head back, closed his eyes and sighed. His expression was sad, even now, but there wasn't a hint of aggression about him. It was utterly stupid to have brought a complete stranger inside, but she didn't feel at all threatened by him. He simply didn't look aggressive.
    She went to find sheets and blankets for the makeshift bed. The blankets smelled a bit musty, but were of good wool, so would keep him warm. She made it up and tried to persuade him to lie down. The trouble was, he put his arms round her and pulled her down beside him. For a moment her body responded to his touch, just for one crazy moment. He made sounds of pleasure, nuzzled her neck then rested his head against her breast and fell instantly asleep.
    Smiling, she eased herself away from him. There was something very appealing about his face, which was narrow and elegant beneath dark hair lightly touched at the sides by silver. What had upset him so greatly that he'd had to drown his sorrows? Why had they taken his daughter away from him?
    And what on earth had brought him to her shed?
    It was one of Maeve's bad days. She felt weak and insubstantial, hardly stirring from the sitting room. They were getting more frequent, days like this. She hated the way her strength was declining because she'd always been a strong, energetic woman. It was feeling like this that had driven her to the doctor in the first place. She went to stare out of the window at the immaculate grounds of her house, her eyes blind with tears, then sniffed them away and shouted, 'Damn them all!' She would not give in to self-pity!
    Picking up an ornament she had always hated, she hurled it into the fireplace. It made a very satisfying smashing sound, so she prowled round the room, finding another that was just as ugly.
    The door opened and her housekeeper rushed in, only to stop dead at what she saw.
    Maeve grinned at Lena and hurled the second ornament into the fireplace with all her force before reaching for another.
    'Maeve, what are you doing?'
    She looked at the ornament she'd just picked up, a numbered edition that had cost rather a lot of money and drew a long, shuddering breath before setting it down on the mantelpiece with a hand that shook. 'I was feeling bad. Took it out on those stupid things. Sorry. You can clean up the mess later.' Though she wasn't really sorry. She'd enjoyed smashing them. But two were enough. She'd lost the desire to weep, at least.
    Lena gave an indignant snort. 'Well, if you have any other ornaments you don't like, let me know. I'll be happy to buy you some cheap ones to smash and I'll take the good ones off your hands.' She picked up a shepherdess's head, stroking it with her fingertip. 'I'd always liked this piece, too.'
    'I'll remember that next time.' Maeve watched Lena hesi-tate and guessed what was coming. They had grown up together and she didn't feel the need to treat her as an employee, though Lena was very correct in her behaviour when other people were around.
    'Was it bad news from the doctor, then? You've not seemed yourself for a while now.'
    'Yes. Bad enough. I'll be telling you about that later. She couldn't keep it secret from Lena much longer, but her old friend knew how to keep her mouth shut. 'How about a snack? I'm not too ill to enjoy a cup of tea and one of your scones.'
    After she had drunk three delicate china cups of finest Earl Grey tea and forced a scone down to please Lena, Maeve leaned back and closed her eyes. This was the way she'd planned all the major events in her life - drunk a few cups of good tea, then sat comfortably with her eyes closed and worked through whatever the current problem