The Cursed Clan: The Complete Series, page 27
“Did you sleep well, Master Jack?”
“Yes. Now that I have met Sir Angus, I’m no longer dreaming of him.”
Maggie closed her eyes in irritation or mortification; he wasn’t quite sure which. Logan and the boy continued to chatter on about nothing important. Soon, the sound of their footsteps faded until the only sound was the ticking of the massive cuckoo clock behind him.
“Do you want to explain yourself?” she asked.
Gone was the sweet woman he kissed the night before. It wasn’t as if she had ever been that sweet to him, but that moment he had kissed her, he thought she had felt something for him. She apparently hadn’t been affected by it. Just that little thought irritated him. He felt like he was defending himself constantly.
“I dinna do anything wrong.”
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “I have several rules, but the primary one is in regards to my son.”
“I found him in the hall and he was hungry.” Anger colored his words. He hated losing control of his temper, but he didn’t like the way she was talking to him. She was acting as if he were trying to steal her son.
“Are you implying that I canna take care of my son?”
“No I’m not.”
“Then, what? Forget it. After breakfast we will find other lodging.”
He snorted but she moved to step around him and he realized she was telling the truth.
“That’s a stupid idea.”
She stopped just a few inches in front of him. “Are you calling me stupid?”
Dammit, how the hell did she go from concerned mother to being so bloody angry at him.
“No, I’m not calling you stupid, but you have no money, no passports, and you’re here illegally.”
“Truth is, I didn’t really leave according to official documents, so I can go where I want.”
She brushed her hair back over her shoulder with angry movements. He could tell she was trying to control her anger. Part of him was glad that she was still keeping the conversation going. Another part of him, the one that was now ruling his actions, wanted to push her more.
“No, you were declared missing, presumed dead. And this is a bloody stupid argument. He was in the hallway; I had him come down to breakfast with me. Good God, woman, you’d anger a saint.”
A flash of light filled the hallway as if they had been hit by lightening. A crack sounded behind him then another burst of heat knocked him back a step. Glass shattered behind him. Her mouth opened and she dropped her arms.
He turned and looked at the cuckoo clock. The glass had exploded, as if something had forced it to shatter. It lay in broken pieces on the floor behind him.
“Bloody hell, what was that?” Logan said as he came down the hall, Jack on his heels.
Angus looked at Maggie. She had that same look of fear that she wore a couple nights earlier in her apartment. “Maggie?”
In the next instant, her eyes rolled back in her head. Angus rushed forward in time to catch her before she pitched forward. He picked her up in his arms as Jack rushed closer.
“She’s fine, Jack.”
He nodded, that solemn look on his face again. “I knew this would happen though. She isna used to her powers anymore.”
“You think she did that?”
The clattering of feet told him the rest of the household was on their way to the scene. Nothing much went on in their residence without all of them knowing. Something like that probably gained the attention of their closest neighbor.
“What the hell was that?” Anice said, with Callum, Phoebe, and Fletcher running down the stairs. Ada the cook, several of the maids, along with Belvidore, were running toward them.
“Mummy got mad at Sir Angus and then she broke you’re clock. I’m ever so sorry.”
Callum came over closer. “Is she okay?”
“She’s breathing but Jack thinks the use of her power knocked her out.”
Just then, Maggie stirred awake. Angus looked down and watched as her eyes opened. They fluttered a couple times before she finally got them open all the way. Even with all the people surrounding them, it was one of the most intimate things he’d experienced in a long time. It was as if he had been watching her wake after a nap.
She shook her head as if trying to clear it.
“It’s okay, Mum.”
Her eyes widened when her gaze met his. “What are you doing?”
“I’m holding you.”
“Why are you doing that?”
“You almost fell, Mummy.”
Angus said, “You used your powers and you passed out.”
She frowned at him. “Put me down.”
He knew he should, but he didn’t want to. It was too nice having her in his arms. “You need to rest.”
“Then maybe you should take her to Callum’s office,” Phoebe offered.
Maggie sighed. “This is silly. Put me down.”
He wanted to argue. There was something telling him that he had the right to hold her, to protect her, but that was illogical. So, against his better judgment, he set her down.
She wobbled a bit, but straightened herself. “I suggest we get to eating, Jack. You get a little grumpy if you go without eating.”
Angus wanted to argue with her, but he knew there was no way to win. He watched as mother and son walked down the hall together. He needed to remember that she wasn’t an ordinary woman.
“Are you sure she’s okay?” Phoebe asked.
He glanced at her. “I’m not sure, but there is no way to win an argument with her.”
It was something he would be wise to remember when dealing with an Irish witch.
Chapter Twelve
After breakfast, Maggie walked Jack down to what Belvidore called the sitting room. It was a cozy little space with a thick Persian rug and a fire that always seemed to be lit. While the other rooms in the house seemed a bit formal, this one was not. Large comfy furniture dominated the room.
“I will take good care of Master Jack, my lady.”
For a moment she paused and looked up at the man and realized he had always shown deference around her.
“Belvidore, why do you address me as my lady?”
He hesitated, clearly not wanting to let her know the reasons, but he acquiesced.
“It is an old fashioned term, but one that I think is befitting of you, my lady. Especially with your connection to the family now.”
“I am not connected to the family.”
He frowned at her and she felt a wave of uncertainty sweep over her. It was followed by a bit of embarrassment. Why she worried about what the butler thought of her, she didn’t know. Still, there was some kind of connection to him.
“I knew some of your people, you know,” he said conversationally. After a glance in Jack’s direction, he looked back at her. “There is a reason you are with us. You will see.”
Maggie had a feeling she could argue with him as long as the day was and still lose, so she mentally shrugged and left Jack alone with him. As she was walking down the hall, she paused, thinking of what she had just done. She knew next to nothing about this family and the people who worked for them, but for some reason, she had a feeling that Belvidore would fight to the death to protect Jack.
“Lost in thought, Maggie,” Anice said as she stepped up beside Maggie.
Her happy voice jolted Maggie back into reality. “Just thinking about leaving Jack with Belvidore.”
“He will be safe with him. Belvidore adores little boys. He always complains there aren’t enough of them around here. Of course, now I can toss all of the inquiries about that to Callum.”
She was smiling at Maggie, which made Maggie feel like a slouch. While Maggie wasn’t tiny, she was compared to Anice, who was a statuesque beauty. If she weren’t such a nice woman, Maggie would surely hate her.
“What is going on in there?”
“What?” Maggie asked.
“Your head. Every now and then you disappear into your thoughts. It must be amazing to be in there. Do you come up with all kinds of dreadful ways to kill people?”
Maggie laughed. “No. Are you going to the meeting?”
“Everyone is going.”
Wonderful. She should have guessed they would all be there, but she had been hoping to avoid Fletcher, who didn’t seem to like her. Animosity was easier for her to feel now that her Magick was returning.
“Let’s go down there together,” Anice suggested.
Maggie nodded and turned in the direction of Callum’s office. Anice fell into step with her. Anice, for her part, kept up the chatter as they made their way down the halls.
“I still think we should take you to the hospital. I know that your kind—you don’t mind if I say your kind because you are different than we are—don’t like hospitals, but Phoebe and I are both worried about you.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Her concern was genuine and Maggie felt herself relax a little.
“Yes. It isn’t much different than when a witch first comes into her or his own power around puberty.”
“So, you hit puberty, have all the wonderful happenings that normally go with it and you get socked with Magick?”
Maggie nodded.
“How long does it take for you to get over it?”
“Get over? Like as in having a cold or something?”
Anice shook her head. “I mean, the transition.”
“Just like puberty, depends on the person. I was in and out of mine within nine months.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. So easy.”
“No. Actually it was pure hell. Some people have two years to get used to it. I was hit full force and it just kept hitting me. Mum had to keep me home from school because she never knew what would happen.”
“And you refer to men as witches too?”
She nodded, wishing Anice would walk faster. Maggie had a feeling the woman was slowing down while she tried to pick her brain.
“And you haven’t done much with your abilities since you had Jack?”
“Yes.” Not exactly true, but the cousins were not being truthful with her either. She knew they were hiding something from her. Granted, most people who would hire her to steal something were hiding bits and pieces of the whole puzzle, but this was different.
“How weird for you.”
A bubble of laughter caught her by surprise. Anice stopped, causing Maggie to look back over her shoulder at her. Mortification filled her expression.
“I’m sorry I said it that way. Bloody hell, donna tell Callum about this. He will never let me hear the end of it.”
“Don’t worry, Anice. I have a healthy respect for privacy and keeping secrets from men.”
“Ohhhh, what secrets are we keeping?” Phoebe said as she caught up with them.
“No secrets, other than I made a fool of myself again.”
Phoebe wrapped her arm around Anice and squeezed. “You’re too hard on yourself, but then you’ve been surrounded by all these men for too long. Don’t you agree, Maggie?”
Maggie shrugged. “I was raised by my mum, but for the last few years I have been surrounded by men. First my husband and his brother…not to mention his friends. Now, I have Jack.”
“Well, that is all that is important. He’s such a wonderful boy.”
The idea warmed her from inside. “Thank you. I’ve wondered if I let him down a bit.”
Phoebe shook her head. “No. I can imagine how hard it was to raise him by yourself.”
“We don’t have all day for the hen party.”
Callum’s voice echoed down the hall. Anice frowned and Phoebe shook her head.
“Come on. If we don’t go now, he’ll just get grumpy.”
Anice laughed and winked at Maggie. “Only Phoebe gets to call him grumpy.”
She smiled as she walked in behind the other two women. The moment she stepped over the threshold she felt it. Family ties looped throughout the room, their love and admiration for each other was strong. Stronger than just normal family relations. The cousins had connections that would take decades to forge, and not just the three or so decades they claimed to have spent on this earth.
“Let’s get on with this,” Callum said, his gruff voice belied by his actions. He pulled Phoebe to sit on his lap behind his desk. “I am sure you understand that we have a lot to cover today and I don't want to waste any time."
Callum was definitely the businessman his cousin had described. It was barely nine in the morning and he was dressed in his suit. He made her feel damned shabby, even though she had a very good excuse.
How it must have felt for all the cousins to put up with him for centuries?
The idea popped into her head before she could stop it. These kinds of things were not easy for her to deal with. Seriously, it had always been a problem having half truths pop into her head with no warning and no real explanation of what they meant.
It had been one of the things she had wished had worked better when she met Ian.
"Okay."
"Why don't you have a seat? I am sure Angus will be showing up soon."
Phoebe glanced at him then smiled at Maggie. "If you are not ready to talk about this, we can wait."
Her husband rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sassenach, I am trying to be business like here and you are ruining it. Now go sit down and let me handle this."
She would have laughed if she didn't think Callum would frown at her. She could tell that it was all bluster where Phoebe was concerned, but Maggie didn't want to count on that for herself.
"Now I understand that you will expect a monetary reward."
“And new identities. For Jack and my self."
He nodded. “It won't be easy hiding."
"It will now if I keep my powers. Still, I would rather have real documentation, or at least somewhat real documentation to pass inspection. I can probably keep ahead of my problems with enough money and the proper IDs.
He nodded and named off a figure that was three times the amount she expected.
"I..."
"You can take your time to decide."
That came from Phoebe and it earned her a hard stare from Angus. She ignored it.
"No, I am fine with the money and the IDs. That will work fine for us."
"And, once the heat dies down, I will happily fly you anywhere you want to go."
Suspicion curled within her gut. She hated it because the money was almost too good to pass. And truly she had no choice in the manner now.
"I promise this isna a set up. We plan on paying you and seeing you on your way. We just want the emerald."
"You could buy it for as much as you are paying me."
"Yes, but Sweeney won't sell to us. He holds that thing up as if it were the Holy Grail," Phoebe said, shaking her head. "But I am not sure if that would have worked anyway."
"I canna understand why he just doesn't sell it. He needs the money," Fletcher said.
"It's a status symbol," Maggie said.
“What?"
"Sweeney, unless he has changed, was a lazy man who never wanted to lift a hand to work in his life. At least that's what we heard of him when we did our research for the heist." She paused wondering how much she should tell them. Her life before...she just didn't talk about it. It was better to not to open up to people and put them in danger.
"Go on."
She nodded. "He had never accomplished anything. He was awarded the money after his brother died early. Accident in training. He was military. Here comes old Franklin Sweeney, so proud of himself, and scooped up all the money. He thought he would get the same respect his brother did but he did not. In fact, he got less. It drove him insane. But there was one thing he did...or at least one thing he kept from happening."
"The emerald. He kept it safe."
She nodded. “I am sure that he sees that as the only success he had in life. What I really didn't understand was why it is considered so valuable."
“It wasn’t all that special, in fact, it was seen as sort of ordinary by some but there are a lot of legends attached to it,” Phoebe said. Maggie could tell she was trying not to reveal too much. Maggie had no problem with that since she was keeping some of her own.
“Yes. It is supposed to be Magickal or at least that’s what Ian and Dylan had found out or heard. But they had a buyer who was willing to pay a large amount of money for it, so they didn’t ask.”
“And you did not either,” Angus said from behind her.
She glanced at him over her shoulder then settled back against the chair. “No but that wasn’t my part of the job. That was usually Dylan since his Magick was iffy.”
“You’re saying your brother-in-law isn’t powerful.”
She sighed. “I say he wasn’t, I am not sure if he is or isn’t now.”
“Why is that?” Phoebe asked.
“Dylan was always trouble. Ian skirted the edge of it, but rarely dipped over into the bad parts of magick.” Or at least she had thought he had. “Dylan though had dabbled in some black magick, and he had no scruples when it came to where he could gain power. Still, until Ian died, he had been happy enough to use his brother and to a lesser extent me.”
Callum had been following the conversation, his intent stare making her nervous. “You dinna like him.”
She shook her head. “No. He wasn’t much different than Sweeney to tell you the truth. Lazy, always ready to let his brother do all the work. Then, when Ian died…I heard he went dark. I’m not sure how dark or if the rumors were true. I was out of the loop during the last few years for obvious reasons.”
“They are not so obvious to us.”
She didn’t want to explain things with Angus around. She knew for a fact he didn’t like the idea of her being Magickal any more than she liked the idea he was some damned scientist.
Phoebe answered for her. “From what I read in the diary, your abilities serve as a bit of a beacon. You can reach out to others in the community but they can pick up on that.”
“So every time you use your Magick someone knows?” Angus asked. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
Phoebe frowned but Maggie decided to answer this one. “No. If I reach out…I was strong enough at one time to do that. Now though, I am not. But if I could, people would pick up on it and if they were as strong as I am, well they could find me.”
