Chapter Twenty-six
“Go inside with Emma,” Aidan said to Finbarr in an insistent whisper. He had driven Dr. Jones’ sleigh back to the Archers’ house, where Finbarr had assumed only Emma was being dropped off. “Ivy and Sean will be happy to see you.”
“I don’t want to impose,” Finbarr said.
“I don’t know why it is the two of you think I can’t hear you.” Emma sat on Finbarr’s other side.
“If you can hear me,” Aidan said, “then help me convince him.”
“You would not be an imposition,” Emma said.
“In fact, Ivy will likely be absolutely impossible if she finds out you were here and didn’t come inside.
And, though it means admitting that my family has commandeered your home, I suspect things are a little crowded at your house just now.
Might be easier for everyone if you stayed here for just a little bit longer. ”
“All very compelling arguments,” he said to her.
“Compelling enough to convince you?” she pressed.
“My only real motivation is avoiding another few minutes with Aidan.”
Aidan laughed at that. “Hop down, then. And take the dog with you.”
“You say that as if I have a choice.”
A moment later, Madra at his side as always, he and Emma stepped inside the Archer home against the sound of Aidan driving off.
Mrs. Paxton spotted them first. “The guess was right, it would seem. Our girls holed up at Finbarr’s house.”
“We did. Eimear’s there with Papa and Katie still.”
“Ivy will be pleased to see you.”
“She missed us?” Emma asked.
“Mostly, she’ll be excited to crow over everyone about how correct she was.”
“That sounds about right.” The fondness in Emma’s voice eased Finbarr’s momentary worry that she’d be hurt at the idea that Ivy hadn’t missed her.
Finbarr knew the Archers’ house almost as well as he knew his own. He held his cane, but didn’t really need to use it. They turned from the entryway into the parlor.
“Ivy’s spotted you, and she’s rushing this way,” Emma said quickly and quietly. “And Sean is pulling me away.”
In the next instant, arms were flung around him. Ivy, no doubt.
“I knew they were with you. I told everyone.”
“Clearly you are the cleverest person in all of Hope Springs,” Finbarr said.
“Hope Springs? I suspect my cleverness is unmatched far beyond that.”
He grinned. Ivy was dramatic and a great deal of fun, but she wasn’t actually arrogant.
“Give your sister a hug,” he said. “She’s been through quite an ordeal.”
“Emma is far too independent for such things,” Ivy said. It wasn’t criticism that Finbarr heard in her tone, but a bit of hurt.
“I think she tries very hard to appear that way. But I am just as right about this as you were about her whereabouts during the storm.”
Ivy pulled him over to the sofa and then tugged him down to sit.
“Sybil said she’s never seen a snowstorm like ours before.”
From his other side, Sybil said, “Emma told us many times in Baltimore that the weather here is far more drastic than what we see. After the last three days, I would say she understated the situation.”
“With snowfall like we had, I don’t think it’ll be possible to make the journey to the train station within at least two weeks,” Finbarr said. “You’ll be stuck here until then, assuming it doesn’t snow again.”
“Mrs. Archer told me the same thing. And Mr. Archer confirmed it.”
“Do you regret coming yet?” Ivy asked with a smile in her voice.
“No. I like it here. Staying a little longer won’t be terrible. I just wish there were a way to let my parents know so they won’t worry.”
“A journey to the telegraph office will be possible sooner than getting all the way to the train depot,” Finbarr said.
“Besides,” Ivy said, “Sybil can’t leave until we settle our bet.”
“The two of you have a bet?”
In near perfect unison, they said, “Mm-hmm.”
“A bet about what?”
They both laughed. It was the sort of laugh that said, “We’re not going to tell you, but we’re going to make certain you know it’s something you want us to reveal.”
“The two of you are trouble when you’re together, aren’t you?”
That brought on more laughter. “Has Emma abandoned me entirely?” he asked. “I think I need an ally.”
“Hasn’t abandoned you,” Sybil said. “She’s talking with Sean.”
“But they seem to have finished talking and are now walking over here,” Ivy added.
Sybil and Ivy had, without prompting or pleading, taken the same approach Emma had, giving him bits of information.
Surely if they were so willing to do it, his own family would be.
It might not solve every difficulty or make being with the entirety of them possible all the time, but maybe it was a start.
“Sean has a question for you,” Emma said, standing just a bit to his side. “He’s standing right in front of you.”
Finbarr nodded and leaned forward.
“How did you train Madra to stay with you?” Sean asked.
“It took some time and a lot of treats.”
“And now she loves you?” The boy seemed very intent on getting the answer.
“You don’t have a dog. So why the sudden interest in training one?”
“I’m not trying to train a dog.”
“Then what?”
“Finn,” he said, as if it were the obvious response.
“Finn?” That was unexpected.
“He’s closer to Eimear’s age, so he’ll probably like her better. But he’s my brother. I want him to like me too.”
“I’m the youngest brother in my family.” Finbarr reached out and was able to hook an arm around Sean and tug him a little closer.
He lowered his voice, wanting the little boy to feel that this moment was specifically for him.
“I can tell you, Sean, I always wanted to be with my older brothers. Everything they did, I wanted to be part of. Everywhere they went, I wanted to go there too. Finn will be the same. I promise you he will be. He will probably follow you and Rigger around all the time, whether you want him to or not. You won’t have to train him, bribe him, or beg him. He just will.”
“Rigger likes to follow Michael,” Sean said.
“Because he’s his older brother. It’s the way of things, Sean. You’ll see.” He gave Sean a quick squeeze. “But sharing your cookies with Finn when he’s a bit older wouldn’t be a terrible thing.”
Sean laughed and pulled away, apparently reassured.
“I didn’t realize he’d been worrying about that.” Emma wasn’t one to talk about someone as if he wasn’t present, so Sean must have been far enough away not to overhear.
“He hasn’t said anything to any of us,” Ivy said. “But, now that we know he’s worrying about how he fits in the family, we can make sure he knows his place is secure and he’s wanted.”
If Emma hadn’t been standing right there, Finbarr would have pleaded with Ivy to help Emma know the same things. He knew the pain of feeling like an outsider. He knew how it felt to feel alone and like he didn’t belong. He didn’t want Emma to have to feel that even a moment longer.