Blackthorns of the Forgotten Read online

  “But, I, I’m—”

  She stood up straight, regarding him with bewildered amusement. “You are helpless, that’s what you are! Now come on and help me with the slippers you knocked to high heaven.”

  “My name is—” Sully choked.

  “Mr. Kinsey, I know. Clever one, Gillean. You think you could travel the country unnoticed with your mother’s name? I received a phone call this morning from a B&B to verify your charge account. No doubt your travels will be in the local news soon enough. Sorry you couldn’t get your proper rest, dear.”

  “Gillean? What? I, I’m trying to tell ya…”

  She wasn’t paying attention to him. She was busy rooting through the grass for her slippers. “Don’t try and be cute with me. It won’t get you anywhere. You will still be sleeping in your study.” She lifted one slipper from the ground, waving it victoriously in front of him.

  Sully’s mind was racing. All he knew was that he did not want to take his leave of this woman just yet. She was special, and in desperate need of something. That much was clear from those winter eyes.

  “Adara!” He pointed at her as if he had solved a cold case.

  “Very good. Nice of you to remember my name, at least, Mr. Kinsey.”

  He pulled the other slipper from his pocket and handed it to her.

  “How did that get there?”

  He shrugged like a renegade thief, “Magic?” he offered.

  She threw back her head and laughed, revealing the charming young girl she’d once been. He must have been a sight with no shoes, wrinkled trousers and a burned shirt. He endeavored to remain composed.

  “I don’t need to sleep inside. If ya have a barn, I’ll be just fine.”

  “What are you talking about? Sleeping in the barn? Honestly. I may not have completely forgiven you your tantrum, but have I ever sent you to sleep in the barn? Besides, you look like hell, I hardly recognized you. You need a good, long shower, my beloved husband.” She proceeded back to the house calling after him. “Then again, maybe you should sleep in the barn. That’s where all little piggies belong anyway!”

  “Touché, Adara!” Sully was tickled by the woman’s sense of humor. “Yer really funny.”

  “I have to know how to take a joke. I married you, didn’t I? Now get a move on before the media set up camp out here as well!”

  She was almost at the front door, but stopped to wait for him.

  Good God. She thinks I’m Gillean!

  Sully pleaded for any power to take mercy on him and his plight. He must escape this potentially devastating situation, but in a way not to cause more harm to Gillean or his wife. Gillean’ own words provided him the guidance he needed.

  One thing I do know, Sully, is how to pleasure a woman.

  Gillean had been so smug in his statement, but it was obvious his wife was not pleased with him. Her eyes could not hide her years of disappointment. She struck him as an intelligent, sensitive woman. How could Gillean have been taken in by the likes of Ciar? Granted, her artistry was deception, but Gillean already had all he could possibly want.

  That is it! Sully’s predicament was not a punishment. Keelin had somehow seen to it that he arrived here. Only she could have persuaded the Elders to agree to such a thing.

  Now he had the benefit of fully experiencing Gillean’s life and with the experience would come answers. Now he could truly help Gillean unimpeded by any laws or rules, but also without any powers. It would be a great challenge, but Sully believed he was ready. His life as a child had been snuffed out, overcome by the dark forces which occupied men’s hearts. He would make sure that his second chance would not be wasted. Not only could he help Gillean find his way back, but perhaps, just perhaps, he could help the striking woman to see the obvious beauty she overlooked in herself.

  Once inside, Adara walked ahead with Sully keeping a respectable distance. The beauty of the Faraday inner dwelling astounded him. The home was huge, filled with all the luxuries which made it beyond the means of an ordinary person. Each of the rooms he passed was filled with hand-painted vases containing fresh flowers, antique furniture, and precious pieces of artwork. The many pictures displayed of Gillean, Adara, and their children at various stages of their lives encouraged Sully. He sensed Gillean’s love for each of his four children.

  Adara turned around. “The children will be so disappointed they missed you. Ena asked if she could have them for a fortnight, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her about your little trip.”

  “Ena?”

  Adara resumed walking. “Yes, Ena, your mother for God’s sake. Honestly, Gillean Faraday, if you’re trying to convince me you are innocent of treachery, you are doing a terrible job of it.”

  The hallway was dim, with only the light of a small table lamp. Sully hesitated, wishing for the right words to tell her about himself, praying she wouldn’t put him out.

  She stopped with her back to him and drew her robe tighter around her slight waste.

  “I’ll give you the night to think of a proper reason as to why someone named Ciar would call here claiming it was urgent she should speak with you. I thought we were done with such nonsense years ago.”

  Appalled at Ciar’s audacity, Sully stood behind Adara assembling his words.

  “I would like to talk—” He broke off as the pain from his wounds took his breath. He bent over clutching his chest.

  “What is it? Are you hurt?” She reached for him.

  Sully shook his head, wanting desperately to be anywhere than where he was at that moment. He cursed his vulnerability and the stupidity of his plan.

  “I’m…fine…”

  “The hell you are!” She lightly moved his hands away, seeing the burn marks in his shirt.

  “Don’t, please.” Sully tried to back away.

  Paying him no mind, she unfastened the buttons. His skin was covered with blistered pieces of flesh.

  “Gillean, oh Gillean…”

  She took his hand and led him to a black and white titled bathroom. It was bigger than any living room he had ever seen. Sitting him on the edge of the porcelain tub, she turned on the light and knelt in front of him to get a better look. Her eyes were on his chest. She didn’t bother to look at his face, Sully assumed, because she believed it was the same face she had seen for the last twenty-some years. People are so utterly blind sometimes, he thought.

  “You need a doctor,” she said in all seriousness.

  “Adara.”

  “I’ve never seen burns like this. What in heaven’s name were you do—” She raised her head to finally look at him. “You’re not Gillean.” The sudden change in her expression showed no alarm, only the obvious question.

  “No, kind lady, I’m not.”

  “Well if you won’t let me fetch a doctor, at least let me put something on those burns. And you’ll need something for the pain of course.”

  She was up and rooting through a cupboard loaded with first aid supplies. She knelt down again with a yellow tube, squirting the contents onto her finger.

  “I’m sorry, but this is going to smart a little.”

  ~~~

  A flash of memory, the sterile smell of hospital, the biting of broken bones, and unexplained bruises, a concerned doctor questioning a stout man standing by a child’s bedside gripping his hand, meaning to keep him quiet. “I just turned me head for a minute, and he fell down the stairs. I didn’t have a chance to get to him, ya see?” A tall blonde woman with coal eyes impatiently pacing the corridor outside his door. Her hatred more painful than the beating he had just received, and one hundred times more terrifying.

  “Are you quite ready?” Adara was smiling at him with her finger in mid-air.

  Sully blinked his eyes hard and was once again in the bathroom with Gillean’s wife. He could hardly believe she wanted to minister to his wounds.

  “But ya don’t even know who I am.”

  “I don’t need to know right now. I am certain you don’t mean to do me harm,
and you need medical attention. Now prepare yourself.”

  She smoothed the paste onto his chest. It felt like a hive of hornets.

  “OUCH!”

  Adara quickly removed her hand. “I’m sorry!” they said simultaneously.

  “Now ya know why I don’t want a doctor!” Sully declared wryly.

  “On my word, I’ve borne four children into this world and, no matter how old a man may be, he’s still a little boy when it comes to pain.”

  She held her hand out again as if to prove she would be gentle.

  “Some men more than others.”

  “You aren’t going to cry on me now, are you?”

  She sat back, her face flushed, her hair pulled into a pony-tail. The slight lines around the corners of her eyes and mouth hinted at the story of her tumultuous life as Mrs. Faraday.

  “Yer somethin’.” Sully ran a hand through his matted hair. “Providin’ first aid to a man who not only trespassed on yer private property, but mowed ya down in yer own driveway and almost lost yer precious pair of slippers.”

  “Hey, I love those slippers. They were a gift from my—” She caught herself.

  “Yer husband, from Gillean?” Sully finished her thought.

  “Enough talk, patient! You won’t distract me with your attempts to draw me into conversation. I am putting this cream on you, and if you behave in a civilized fashion, I may just let you tell me who you are and why you are here before I throw you back out into the meadow.”

  Sully shook his head. The whole situation was unfathomable.

  “Don’t look so baffled. You are a relative of Gillean’s, I gather by your looks. I assume you are here to do his dirty work.”

  She placed her hands on him again. He squirmed, trying not to feel the sting. Her warm fingers blending with the cold liquid made it bearable.

  “Dirty work?” he repeated between gritted teeth.

  “You’re here to tell me he has taken up with this Ciar woman. Of course he wouldn’t want to tell me himself. No, no.” She made sure she covered each sore with the ointment. “He’s too kind, cares too much for my feelings to have to look me in the eye. Or maybe he simply pays someone to clean up his messes. It’s more his style.”

  He placed his hands over hers, entreating her with his eyes to listen to him. “I promise ya, Ciar is not and will never be a threat to yer marriage. Yer husband may have his faults—after all, he’s human, right? But he loves ya. And he didn’t pay me anythin’. Would I look this crappy if he did?” He mustered a faint smile to assure her.

  She stood, putting the cap back on the tube and grabbing for a bottle of tablets. She handed him one with a glass of water.

  “If I believed that, why would I be left alone, tending to a strange man in my bathroom?

  ~~~

  Adara put aside the book she had been attempting to read. Her eyes rested on the words, but her mind was examining every aspect of the strange man who slept down the hall. His youth and sincerity resonated with her. She had taken him in because of how much he reminded her of her husband. He possessed the endearing combination of the perpetual dreamer with a touch of the devil-may-care attitude. But there was something about Sully which was completely alien to the young Gillean who now stood before her in memory; the slight young man in blue jeans that fell to the tops of sneakers which had been worn well past their prime. His dark hair needed a good brushing. His brooding eyes captured her with their mystique. There was the promise of profound passion in his glance, and a most definite hint of the high price to be paid for falling in head first.

  A night from a lifetime ago came to mind. She was secretively dancing in the auditorium he was set to play later the same evening. It was an unparalleled pleasure to have this time to herself—better than sneaking a stolen hour in a cozy café with coffee and a good read. Being on the road with Gillean and their six-month old son, Arlen, occupied most of her time. Adara was extremely proud of her husband’s rising success, but, giving up her dancing was more difficult than she expected.

  Gillean arrived several hours before the sound check. Arms and legs akimbo, he looked none too happy as he addressed her just as she was moving into an arabesque penchée.

  “What are you doing here?”

  She looked to the band’s piano player who had been kind enough to accompany her.

  “Thanks so much, Kev. I’m sure you want to get some rest before the show tonight.”

  “Ya sure, Adara? This was fun.” The man stayed at his instrument until a furious Gillean charged to the foot of the stage.

  “Yes, she’s sure. We have a show tonight. And I’d thank you to be in top form for it.”

  Kevin raised his hands in the air as if Gillean had pointed a pistol. “Take it easy, Faraday.”

  Adara quickly intervened. “Gillean, it’s not his fault. I asked him to play for just a half hour.” She turned to the keyboardist. “Why don’t you get some rest, Kevin. And thank you.”

  He hesitated, but appeared to know full well the singer’s stormy nature. “O.K. then. See ya tonight.”

  He took his leave, but not without casting a look of disgust at his fellow musician.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me?” Gillean sounded like a ten—year-old boy with a school project.

  “I’ve got all the T-Shirts and programs ready. No worries,” she assured.

  “Well, by all means, take the afternoon to flit around the stage while I get ready for the biggest concert of my career! Do you see all the seats in here?” He motioned to the empty theatre.

  “Gillean—”

  “No, truly. I’ll be fine.”

  “I just needed a break from the baby and all.”

  “All what?”

  “Nothing. You’re right.” She stroked his arm. “I should have been with you. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m sorry too. Your humble servant, Mrs. Faraday.” He knelt and kissed her hand. “I’m just so damn nervous, ya know?”

  “There’s no reason to be. You’re going to be wonderful, as ever.”

  He grabbed at the thin material of her leotard, pulling her against him.

  “I just need you with me.”

  “I know.”

  He whispered in her ear, “And if you repeat to anyone the bit about my being nervous, I’ll lock you out of the bus tonight.” He nuzzled her damp hair.

  “Don’t worry, my love. All your secrets are safe with me.” She stepped out of her dancing shoes.

  Adara’s sleepy eyes took in the night sky dappled with pieces of starlight. Somewhere she had lost her husband out among the stars. He shone with them now, competing for the attention. She was still here on earth, but she had long since given up searching for a way to reach him. And now this mysterious man had appeared. Letting sleep take her, she drifted off thinking this man must be very rare indeed.

  For a Dancer

  Sully awoke to the tempting smells of food, finding himself lying in a luxurious bed.

  “I’m sorry to let myself in, but when you didn’t answer my knock, I got a little worried. It’s gone on afternoon now. You needed the sleep, I see.” Adara set a sterling tray laden with various breakfast items on the table next to him.

  He sat up and leaned against the oak headboard, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

  “What…Yes, I’m sorry.” He stretched his arms over his head. “Did I sleep so late?”

  She was wearing blue jeans with a long white sweater. Her ginger hair was piled on top of her head, fastened with a colorful barrette. She appeared younger in the morning light and dressed casually. Looking at her now, Sully could see that Adara was quite the beauty; not the obvious, socially endorsed kind, or the sort that relies on overt physical allure like Ciar. Adara held a grace and dignity bestowed by the wisdom of age. Wisdom Sully wished for.

  Her presence caused him to wonder if he had already known what it felt like to have grown into an adult and shared his life with someone. He now had the appearance of an adult, and indeed the i
ntelligence and certain sensibilities of one, but had he at another point in time had the real life experiences—the great passions and struggles which make up an earthly being, a man such as Gillean. Sully shivered involuntarily.

  “You don’t remember my seeing you off to bed last night, do you?” She poured some tea.

  “No.”

  “You were so tired. I hadn’t the heart to send you out to the barn.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Let’s have a look at those burns.”

  The throbbing pain was blessedly absent.

  “It doesn’t hurt at all now,” he offered a bashful glance.

  She reached over to unbutton his top.

  He flushed at the direct gesture.

  She paused. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to attack you. I just want to check on your injuries.”

  “It’s not that.” He noted his new pajamas. “Ya changed me clothes!”

  Adara laughed, a rich, full chuckle, inviting like a warm fire. It was a heat Sully had felt before, familiar and welcomed.

  “You really do think I’m a desperate woman! I gave you a pair of Gillean’ pajamas before I sent you to bed. You took care of the rest.” She started up from the bed. “But if I honestly make you feel uncomfortable, perhaps it’s best if…”

  Sully fingered the soft material. The unique musk of Gillean permeated the purple silk fibers.

  Odd, yet exciting feelings churned inside him like the muddied waters of a once-pure stream as he breathed in the scent. She was almost out the door when her words registered with him.

  “No! No! Not at all. Please.” He motioned for her to sit. “It’s me who is the desperate one. Ya’ve been so kind to me. I’m sorry if I offended ya.”

  “No offense taken.” She remained standing. “I would like to see that you are alright, and then if you wouldn’t mind telling me who you are, and why you’ve come here.”

  Sully didn’t know how he could explain himself in a way that wouldn’t leave her questioning his sanity. A few hours ago he was sure he could help both her and Gillean, now he wasn’t even convinced he could help himself. He lay back nervously.