Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SELENE
The following morning at breakfast was practically intolerable. The night before, Maeve had sat on my bed, demanding details after I arrived home from my romantic outing with Bren. And I’d capitulated, knowing I’d get no sleep otherwise.
That should have been the end. And I should have known it wouldn’t be.
I sat at the kitchen table, across from Nora and Maeve, listening to the rain patter softly against the window as I hurried to finish my tea. Obviously, Maeve had filled her in because they both stared at me with delight glimmering in their eyes.
Maeve nudged the keeper. “She’s glowing, wouldn’t you say?”
Nora nodded, unable to hold back her smile. “Like a Christmas tree.”
I scoffed. “Would you two stop? I shouldn’t have said anything.”
The wrinkles around Nora’s eyes deepened as she widened her smile. “It wouldn’t matter. Love is written all over your face.” She hesitated for only a second. “He’s a good kisser, isn’t he?”
Heat rose into my cheeks, and I flung open my hands to direct their gazes elsewhere. I opened my mouth to tell them I wasn’t discussing anything of the sort, but the thought of Bren’s lips on mine derailed me. “Yes.”
They shared a look, grinning at each other. I gathered my dishes and pushed back from the table. “Enough, okay? We’re not in high school.”
My declaration only served as more fodder, and they both laughed. I shook my head at them and strode to the sink. “Do you want help with these, Nora?”
“Of course not.” A chair scraped against the floor. “You girls need to get yourselves to work.”
She elbowed in next to me at the sink as I rinsed my plate. “And you need to get yourself to the castle where a handsome man waits for you.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and sighed.
Nora patted my hand. “Just enjoy it, hun. There’s nothing quite like falling in love.”
Maeve joined us, sighing woefully. “Take it from someone who would love to be in your shoes.”
The keeper turned to her. “You’ll have your turn, Maeve. Just wait. A real man will come along, one who wants more than just a night in your bed. Then you won’t know what to do with yourself, just like our Selene.”
I couldn’t help but smile. I let them enjoy their teasing, but only because I knew how much they cared for me. “Grab your coat, Maeve. I’m outta here.”
They shared another laugh before I heard my friend’s boots on the floor, hurrying to catch up. We piled into the car and drove the short distance to the castle. Maeve sighed again as we passed Bren’s house. “You’re a lucky girl.”
A snort slipped out of me before I could stop it. “I’d agree if we could be with each other without worry.” The familiar ache rolled through me. “It’s not fair.”
Her humor faded as she nodded. “Have faith that things will work out. If anyone could make them, it would be a man like Bren.”
I pulled to a stop in front of the castle and gazed up at the rain-soaked tower. “I hope so.” I turned to my friend. “Come on. Let’s go see what the castle’s been up to overnight.”
Maeve finished securing her long red curls with a band and pushed open her car door. “Another loose stone, at the very least.”
We’d arrived before anyone else, so I unlocked the door and let us in. The scent of old rock and new mortar, along with the familiar pressure, greeted us. Though it had slightly lessened once we’d completed the fireplace. “There’s part of me that can’t wait until we’ve fully restored this place.”
My friend shut the door behind us. “It’s a struggle, isn’t it? The wanting to be done just to see it, but also not wanting to finish, because then we can’t come here every day.”
I clicked on the nearest light as I drew my brows, realizing I hadn’t allowed myself to think of a future beyond restoring Mystwood. I forced a smile and glanced at Maeve. “Let’s not think about that and just enjoy today, okay?”
She agreed with a grin and a nod.
We both headed straight for the inlay as we did every day and hovered over it, studying the tiny pieces comprising the intricate design. My instincts led me to the exact piece that had come loose overnight, and I pointed at it. “There.”
Maeve scoffed. “I was certain I’d find it first. One of these days, I will.” She turned to me with a sassy look. “Or maybe you need to give me a five-second head start since you have an unfair advantage.”
I chuckled. “Deal. We’ll do that tomorrow.”
She clapped her hands together and strode toward the long oak table, shrugging out of her coat as she did. I followed, and we both piled our belongings there.
Maeve glanced at me with raised brows. “Do you want to clean up the stone while I grab the mortar?”
I nodded, grateful to have something else to think about besides what the future might hold for Bren and me. I retrieved my work belt before returning to the inlay and dropped to my knees.
My small scraper was cold in my hand, along with the stone beneath me. I gazed over the unique Celtic knot created from tiny pieces and knew this was one thing I’d miss seeing every day. I lifted the loose, angular stone and turned it to scrape away the old mortar that remained.
Once done, I set it aside and moved to doing the same in the vacant space it had left behind. I enjoyed the familiar sound of scraping as I worked.
Maeve approached and knelt next to me. “Out with the old. In with the new.”
I brushed away the remains of mortar and dust and set the tiny stone inside to ensure I had it at the right angle. It didn’t go easily, so I tried different directions, but only one barely fit.
Maeve huffed. “Well, that’s likely why this one popped. With that tight a fit, I’m surprised it didn’t give long ago.”
She opened the small tub of mortar, but instead of scooping some, she lifted her gaze to me with a frown. “You’d think with the time someone obviously took creating this art, they would have done a better job. It’s no small thing to bring it all together.”
I turned to the inlay as I nodded. “You’d think so.”
Another piece that had little space around caught my attention, and I tapped it with my finger. “This one is the same way. Hardly any room around it.”
Maeve leaned in, scanning what was once a portal to another realm. She sucked her teeth as she pointed out another. “Look at this one. It has all the space in the world. Too much, if you ask me.”
She held out her hand. “Here. Let me see that one.”
I passed the piece, and she bent farther over the decorative stones, twisting the cut stone this way and that at different points in the design.
Then she nodded. “Look. Don’t you think this piece would fit better here? It’s the same shape, and yet it has far too much room. It would be happier in the other place.” She lifted her gaze to me. “Should we switch them?”
A thought washed over me, and I stared at her in wonder as I followed the threads of it. I moistened my lips. “Yesterday, at the beach, I lost myself in the way the ocean came in and flowed out. Nothing fought the tide, and everything gave way to what came naturally.”
The confusion in her expression lessened, and she shot a quick glance at the circular display of stones. “Are you saying that it’s possible if we move the stones so that they fit properly, it might ease some of that pressure you’re always on about?”
I pressed my lips together, barely daring to hope I’d discovered the answer. “Maybe.” I inhaled a steadying breath. “Let’s try it.”
She grinned and shrugged. “You don’t need to convince me.”
We studied the design and decided seven of them would fit better somewhere else. It didn’t take us long to pry them free, but once we had them out, finding their proper homes wasn’t as easy.
I considered the pattern and glanced at the pieces, choosing one that seemed right and placed it.
Maeve leaned back and shook her head. “That’s not right.”
I lifted my gaze to her. “It fits better.”
She gave me a droll look. “Use your instincts. Even I can see it doesn’t work.”
I sat back to create some distance and allowed my inner senses to guide me instead of my eyes. I picked up another piece and tried. Maeve shook her head again. “Does your gut tell you that’s right?”
My answer was a shake of my head. She picked out another one. “Try this.”
I accepted the tiny stone and set it in place. A sense of rightness fell over me. “That’s the one.”
Maeve encouraged me with a nod, and we continued until they were all in their rightful places. She gazed over it and smiled at me. “You truly have a way about you, Selene. Whether you’re working with big spaces or small.”
I nodded as it sank in. Maybe this had always been my gift. Maybe I’d simply never known where it came from.
I chuckled softly. “I guess I can thank my ancestors for that.”
“Absolutely. I know there are scary things about it you’ve discovered, but look at all the wonderful things you’ve done with your given power as well. Others, including me, would be happy to have that gift.”
I took her hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for that reminder. I needed to hear it.”
Her gaze grew serious. “I know you’re worried about what may come, but I believe you’re strong enough to handle it. Those stories Gran told us? Those were about strong, brave women. That’s what you come from. Don’t forget it.”
I nodded as I accepted the truth of what she said. “I won’t.”
Maeve wrinkled her nose as she smiled. “Good. Now let’s get these stones sealed into their proper places. If nothing else, it will look as it should.”
As we worked, her words drifted through my thoughts. Restoration was my gift. At the surface level, it might not seem like a big deal. But my heritage allowed me to change places, to correct energy, and bring things back into alignment.
Maybe there was more to that than I realized, and coming to Ireland hadn’t been a mistake after all.
It took little time to clean up the stones and the spaces. We both cemented pieces back into place until there was only one remaining. Maeve added the mortar and held it out to me. “For luck and love.”
I chuckled as I took it and pushed it into place.
The floor rumbled beneath us, strong enough to make the nearby lamp clatter, and we gazed at each other wide-eyed.
A second later, it stopped, and I could breathe again. But just as I exhaled, I fully acknowledged the change.
Maeve looked around the room with wide eyes. She glanced at me and then reached down and drew her fingers across the surface of the inlay.
“Selene,” she whispered, her expression alight with wonder. “You actually did it.”
“Yes,” I said, blinking back tears before they could fall. For the first time since I’d stepped foot in Mystwood Castle, the great hall felt at peace.