Song of the Spirits by Sarah Lark Page A

very obliging when a few perquisites for their families came in exchange, while others had put on exceedingly virtuous airs. Elaine, however, awakened his protective instincts. William saw her, at least for the moment, more as an endearing child than as a woman. Surely a fascinating experience—but what if the girl took it seriously? There was no doubt in his mind that Elaine was head over heels in love. The feelings she nourished for William were impossible for him to miss.
    Nor did they escape Fleurette O’Keefe. She was more than a little concerned when she greeted the two young people on her veranda.
    “Welcome to Nugget Manor, Mr. Martyn,” she said, smiling and holding her hand out to William. “Come in, and enjoy an aperitif with us. My husband will be joining us presently. He only has to change his clothes.”
    To William’s surprise, the O’Keefes’ house bar was well stocked. Fleurette and Ruben seemed to be wine drinkers. Elaine’s father uncorked a bottle of Bordeaux first thing in order to let the wine breathe before dinner, but there was also first-class Irish whiskey. William swirled it in his glass until Ruben toasted to him.
    “To your new life in a new land! I’m sure you miss Ireland, but this country has a future. If you let yourself, it’s not hard to love.”
    William clinked glasses with him. “To your beautiful daughter, who has made my move to town so marvelous!” he replied. “Thankyou very much for the tour, Elaine. From now on I shall only see this land through your eyes.”
    Elaine beamed and sipped some wine.
    Georgie rolled his eyes. His sister couldn’t possibly deny that she was in love!
    “Were you really with the Fenians, Mr. Martyn?” the boy asked curiously. He had heard of the Irish independence movement and was hungry for adventure stories.
    William suddenly looked alarmed. “With the Fenians? I don’t understand.”
    What did this family know about his past life?
    The situation was visibly uncomfortable for Ruben. The young man was not supposed to learn about Fleurette’s spying within the first five minutes of their acquaintance. “Georgie, what are you talking about? Of course Mr. Martyn wasn’t a Fenian. That movement has all but disappeared in Ireland. Mr. Martyn must still have been in diapers when the last uprisings took place. Excuse him, Mr.…”
    “Call me William!”
    “William. My son has simply heard rumors… for the boys around here, every Irishman is a hero of independence.”
    William smiled. “Unfortunately, not everyone is, George,” he said, turning to Elaine’s brother. “Otherwise, the isle would long since have been free… but let’s move on. You have a beautiful estate here.”
    Ruben and Fleurette explained a bit about how Nugget Manor came to be, during which time Ruben wittily recounted the story of his fruitless gold-mining efforts. That encouraged William. If Elaine’s father had failed at mining himself, he would undoubtedly appreciate William’s troubles. For the moment, however, he did not mention them, and instead allowed the O’Keefes to determine the topics of conversation throughout dinner. As he’d expected, they listened closely to what he had to say, but that was not a problem. He artfully delivered extensive and relevant information about his origins and education. The latter was the norm for his social class: a tutor in his early years, followed by an elite English boarding school, and finallyuniversity. William had not graduated from the last one, but he left out that detail. After giving only a vague account of his work on his father’s farm, he went on to embellish his legal studies in Dublin. He knew that Ruben O’Keefe would be interested in that, and when Ruben then brought the conversation around to the Home Rule Bill, William could more than keep pace. By the end of the dinner, he was rather convinced that he had made a good impression. Ruben O’Keefe appeared relaxed and friendly.
    “And how is the