Reunited Read Free Page B

Keely Mc--"
    "I know exactly who you are," the woman said, her Irish accent thick in each word. "You are Fiona and Seamus's girl. You're family, that you are, come all the way from across the ocean. And I won't miss a chance to share a cup of tea with a relative." She held out her hand and it trembled slightly. "I'm Maeve Quinn. I suppose I would be your cousin then. At least I'm cousin to your father Seamus. So what would that make us?" She waved her hand. "Oh, never mind. It makes no difference at all, does it?"
    Keely hesitated. Surely the woman had misspoke. Maeve was a Quinn. She would have been related to Keely's mother, not her father. Maybe she wasn't a relative at all. "I think you must be mistaken," Keely said. "My mother was Fiona Quinn."
    "Yes, yes," Maeve said. "And she married my cousin, Seamus Quinn. She was a McClain, as I recall. From the McClains that lived down Topsall Road in that big house. Yes, that was it. Topsall Road." Maeve smiled, her eyes lighting up. "She was the prettiest girl in the village and from a fine family. I was there at their wedding. And how is Fiona? Since her parents passed years back, we haven't heard a thing from her, or from Seamus, for that matter. But then you wouldn't have remembered your grandparents. You must have been just a wee child when they died. Donal and Katherine, God rest their souls, treasured each other until the day death separated them. Donal couldn't live without her and he died just a week after she did. Many say from a broken heart."
    "Donal and Katherine?" Keely slowly sat down on the chair she was offered, trying to digest all the information. Katherine was her middle name! But it had been over twenty-five years since her parents had left. It was no wonder the elderly lady got things mixed up, names and places.
    "I'll get tea," she said, as she hurried out of the parlor into the rear of the cottage. "I have the pot on right now."
    Keely glanced around the tidy room, from the handmade lace doilies to the delicate crystal figurines, pretty landscape paintings and embroidered pillows. Tiny reminders of her mother's home were scattered around the room, knickknacks that she'd never known were of Irish origin. She reached out and picked up a delicate Belleek porcelain dish, examining the fine basketweave surface.
    "Here we are," Maeve chirped. "Tea and a bit of gur cake." She set the tray down on the table in front of Keely and poured her a cup. "Milk or lemon?" she asked.
    "Milk, please," Keely said. She took the cup and saucer from Maeve, along with the thin slice of fruitcake tucked beside. She hesitated, then set the tea down in front of her. "There's something I have to clear up," she said. "It's about my parents. My mother's name was Fiona Quinn and my father's name was Seamus McClain. Maybe it's just a coincidence but--"
    "Oh, no, dear. You must be confused."
    Keely sighed in exasperation. "I can't be confused about my parents' names. They're my parents."
    Maeve frowned, then quickly stood. "Well, we'll just have to sort this tangle out." She crossed the room, opened a cabinet, and withdrew a leather-bound album. "Here," she said, returning to Keely's side. She sat down next to her and opened the album. "Here they are."
    Keely stared down at the picture. Her mother had never kept old photos around the house. She had never considered this odd until she'd grown older and asked about her long-dead father and her grandparents, suddenly anxious for any proof of their existence. There was even a time when she'd wondered if she'd been adopted or kidnapped by pirates or even left in a basket on the church...
    Her gaze instantly froze on the pretty young woman standing near the sea. It was her mother, there was no doubt about that. She pointed to the photo. "That's Fiona Quinn," she said.
    "Yes," Maeve said. "And there's your father, Seamus Quinn."
    "My--father?" Keely asked, her voice dying in her throat. She ran her fingers over the faded edges. "This is my