“What’s awful? Tell me what happened.”
“Robert’s friends showed up. I think they killed Ruairi,” she sniffled. “I mean, I don’t know if it was him, but I’m afraid it was. And if it wasn’t, then they killed some other poor pooka, and I’m so sorry, Tadhg. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t know.”
Someone else had killed a pooka, and she was apologizing? “First, Ruairi is fine. There’s no fear for him, all right? Second, there is no need to apologize because you did nothing wrong.” I’d have to let Rían know when I got home later. He’d see if there was any truth to the matter and deal with things how he saw fit.
“I’m one of them. Isn’t that wrong enough?”
“You’re human, but you’renotone of them.” Not by a long shot. “I know better than to judge an entire population based on the actions of a few.” That’s what the humans had done to us. Doing it right back wouldn’t make things better. It would make life worse. “This isn’t a rare occurrence. My people have been persecuted for centuries. There is risk involved for those of us who choose to live outside of Tearmann. Everyone knows that, including the pooka they killed.”
“You’re sure it wasn’t Ruairi?”
“Positive. Ruairi spent the evening with me. We had to get Marina’s body to the castle.” The confession made me feel weak and pathetic. I should’ve been able to clean up my own messes instead of relying on everyone else to do it for me. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said about her children. So, we went to her cottage and . . . It was bad. So much worse than I’d imagined.” What would’ve happened if we hadn’t helped? I shuddered at the thought.
“Tell me.”
“It’ll upset you.”
“Tell me anyway.”
I told her what had happened at Marina’s. The sorry state of her children. “We may have stolen them.”
“Youstolechildren?”
“Technically, Ruairi did.” And Rían. “I just took a pig.” My truth curse made me a liability. If we were ever caught and charged, I couldn’t lie about my involvement like the others.
“A pig?”
I explained a bit more, about Cian and Jordie, and where we’d taken them. Even though we would be going our separate ways, I wanted to make her proud of at least one thing I’d done.
“Look, I am dreadfully sorry for the way I treated you earlier. You’d think at this stage I’d be used to not getting what I want, but for a moment, I saw a light at the end of this long, miserable tunnel and thought it was within my grasp. I never should have suggested we stay married. No one deserves that kind of punishment.” Least of all her. “And I shouldn’t have asked you to kill me when Rían will be more than happy to do it when I get home.”
That’s what waited for me back at the castle. Death as punishment for kidnapping a bunch of children and breaking a lock to do it. A punishment I deserved and would gladly pay. The only upshot was that I got to kill him too.
Keelynn’s brow furrowed, then smoothed the moment our gazes locked. “I forgive you. For everything.”
There must me something wrong with my ears. I could’ve sworn she said she’d forgiven me.
“You do?” How?Why?
Keelynn nodded.
“Youforgiveme.” People didn’t just forgive. “That’s it? You have no requests or bargains? You don’t desire reparations?”
“Padraig always said true forgiveness is freely given.”
She forgave me. For lying. For marrying her without her consent. For treating her like shite today in the pub. For being a murderer.Sheforgaveme.
“Padraig was a good man.” I should’ve given my life to bring him back.
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “Yes, he was.”
The coals in the fireplace burned a dull orange, reflecting off the marble hearth. I could sit here all night, enjoying the silence, so long as she was by my side. But Keelynn didn’t belong to me.
She never had.
“I’m . . . um . . . I’m going to go.” Otherwise, I was going to say or do something to muck this up. This was the sort of memory I wanted to leave her with. This was how I wanted her to remember me.
I drank in the sight of her. Hair long and loose about slim shoulders.