Chapter Ten

"Do ye need anything else Mum, before we go?" Elizabeth asked her bed- ridden mother.

Mrs. Brady stifled a cough and smiled weakly at her precious daughter. "No thank ye sweetie. I'll be fine. Ye go on now."

Sheamus bent down and gently kissed her warm forehead. Try as he might, he could not keep the concern from shining in his blue eyes. "Okay. We'll be back soon." He said and then with one last worried glance back at their mother, they left the small cottage.

A carriage from the castle was waiting for them. They loaded up the dishes of food and entered the carriage. Sheamus pulled at the stiff collar of his starched dress shirt. Why was it that the nicest clothing he owned was also the most uncomfortable? "I don't see why we have to go to this stupid thing." He grumbled angrily as he shrugged uncomfortably in his wool suit. "Like we don't see enough of these people." He added lowly.

Elizabeth shot a sidelong glance at her big brother. "Ye have been cranky ever since this afternoon. What's the matter, did baby not get enough sleep?" she teased.

"No, I didn't. After working all day yesterday and all last night, Aye, I'm a little tired."

"Hello? Where d'ye think I was? Right there with ye last night - working just as hard, I'll wager."

"My point exactly." Sheamus replied. "After all the hard work we've been doing for them, they invite us over to dinner, but guess who's doing the cooking?" his sarcastic remark hung in the cool evening air.

"I don't mind cooking." Elizabeth said sweetly.

But Sheamus continued his little rant. "It's like, 'You're cordially invited to dinner at the great Cassidy Castle, oh and by the way, you're doing the cooking.' As if ye don't do enough work there during the week." He added bitterly.

"I don't mind." Elizabeth insisted with a smile. "I like working for Sean."

Sheamus stopped short suddenly and looked at his sister, not missing the dreamy smile on her face. "Sean? Not Lord Cassidy? Ye call him by his Christian name?"

Elizabeth simply shrugged. "He doesn't want to be called by his title. Makes him sound like an old man. He calls me by my Christian name." She explained, her expression questioning. What was wrong with her brother now?

"Of course he does." He mumbled angrily.

Elizabeth rolled her blue eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sheamus sighed deeply and addressed his little sister the way an adult would talk to a small child. "LizzyB, ye're young, innocent. There's a great deal that ye don't know. Men of nobility like Lord Cassidy are always the same. Treat their young female servants kindly and with sweet words and while the girls are thinking of love and marriage, the lords are thinking of a quick dalliance with a mere servant."

Elizabeth stared at her brother incredulously. "Are ye finished? I'm innocent? Like ye're so wise'n worldly. Do I have t' remind ye that Sean is just a little older than me, some would still consider him t' be a boy."

"Aye, well I know what 'boys' his age think about." Sheamus replied firmly.

She just smiled wickedly at her big brother. "Is it anything like what ye think about?" she asked innocently.

"Excuse me?"

"I seem t' remember hearing a certain someone moaning in his sleep a few nights ago."

A faint blush crawled over Sheamus's cheeks. "I don't know what ye're talking about."

"Oh, Rhianna!" Elizabeth moaned loudly to her brother's dismay. She laughed to see his blush deepen to a deep crimson hue.

Sheamus fought to recover his composure. "Anyway, I will be keeping an eye on Sean tonight. If he so much as looks at you the wrong way, I'll."

"Oh please. Ye'll be too busy looking at Rhianna the 'wrong way' to pay any attention to Sean." Elizabeth laughingly teased.

"Let's just get this over with." He grumbled sourly.

"What is with ye? Ye wanted to go this morning."

"That was this morning." He replied, deep in thought. A great deal had changed since that morning. That afternoon Sheamus had met up with a good friend of his, James, for a pint at the pub. They were meeting in celebration of Sheamus's promotion. As they laughed and talked Sheamus confided in his friend his plans to marry Rhianna and gain the factory.

James nearly spit out the beer in his mouth. "Ye're joking!" he cried with a loud laugh. "That's a good one, Shea."

Sheamus just looked at his friend. "What?"

"Shea, Lady Cassidy is the most eligible girl in all of Ireland. There isn't a red blooded man in this town who wouldn't like to marry her. Not only is she a beauty but there's the castle and factory t' boot. There's just one problem - she's nobility. As in of noble blood. Ladies like her only marry men with titles or men with money. Usually both. Ye my friend, have neither."

The grin on Sheamus's face vanished in the light of James's words. His friend continued.

"What makes ye think that she would ever marry someone like ye? Ye have nothing to offer her. Even if by some miracle she were to fall in love with ye she still wouldn't marry ye. Tis a well known fact that the Cassidy fortune is all but gone; the estate is falling into ruin and the factory is barely managing to stay afloat. They need money and a lot of it. Besides," he finished with a laugh, "your whole plan is moot. I hear Lady Cassidy is betrothed."

"What?"

"She's already been promised to someone. Her father arranged it. Some wealthy industrialist, I believe. The bans were read a few months back. Ye'd know that if ye ever bothered to go to church."

Sheamus quietly soaked in the new information. {That must be the suitor she spoke of then. I wonder who he is.}

James noticed the dejected slump of his friend's shoulders. "Look, don't feel bad. Believe me you're better off. I wouldn't get involved with that family for all the money and factories in Ireland."

"Why not?"

"They're cursed!"

"Oh not ye too! What is it about the Cassidys that has half of Dublin spooked?" Sheamus asked as he took a deep swig of ale.

"Well, I don't know - maybe it's because they're so close to Banshee Forest. Ye know their estate used to be part of the forest until they cleared it out for Cassidy Keep. I guess people still remember the old legends about that place."

"Ye mean about wailing spirits that bring death and doom?" Sheamus snorted.

"Hey, ye've got to admit the Cassidys have seen more than their share of tragedy."

Sheamus thought about his friend's advice during the ride to the castle. {James is right, Rhianna is from a completely different class.} He couldn't believe that he had managed to forget that. {Girls like her don't marry men like me.}

He paused and wondered why the thought made him so sad. Surely he didn't actually care for Rhianna. No, he just wanted her dowry. {People have married beneath their class before. Why can't it happen again? If this is an arranged match, then she probably doesn't love her betrothed. If I can make her fall in love with me, then her heart would overrule her head and.} His mood lifted with this new plan and he silently urged the carriage to go faster.
"Wow."

"Aye, I had the same reaction when I first saw it. It's funny, ye can't really tell how big the castle is from the front. It isn't until ye step inside that ye get an idea of how enormous it is. And this is just a small portion of it. They've closed off the rest of it and live in this one wing."

Sheamus gaped openmouthed at the large drawing room he was in. He was pretty sure his entire house could fit in this one room. {And this is just a small part of the castle.} His amazed eyes traveled slowly around the room. He took in the richly upholstered antique furniture, the fine tapestries that hung on the stone walls, the brightly polished silver serving set that sat on a side table. There was more money in this one room than he'd ever see in his entire life. His friend's words echoed in his mind. {Two different worlds. No. Don't think of the obstacles, just think of the goal.}

His eyes fell on a larger than life portrait of the late Lord Cassidy that hung above the fireplace. The painted face seemed to scowl down on him, sneering at him as if to say, 'Ye're not good enough for my daughter. She's going to marry someone of wealth and power, not the poor son of a dead employee.' Harsh imaginary laughter rang in his head and for a moment he felt ashamed of who he was and where he came from . But the shame was fleeting and vanished to be replaced by an even stronger resolve. Sheamus shot an irreverent smirk at the portrait and continued his study of the room.

A noise on the far side of the room caught his attention. He turned to see the doors open as Rhianna entered the room. Sheamus's heart actually skipped a beat and he felt the blood leave his face. So stunned was he by her beauty.

Rhianna wore a long fitted gown of rich green velvet. The bodice was cut tight around her chest and the off the shoulder sleeves revealed a good amount of her creamy skin. Her red gold hair fell in waves down her back, contrasting her milky skin. And as always her bright green eyes stood out on her face, captivating him, drawing him to her.

Rhianna smiled welcome to her guests. Sheamus shook himself out of his stupor and put his plan into motion. {Just think about charming the girls at the pub. She's no different from any of them.}

He stepped forward and gave her his most dazzling smile and took her hand. "Lady Cassidy, ye're looking very lovely this evening." He bent forward and placed a light kiss on her knuckles. He was unprepared for the electric surge that rocketed through him at the touch.

Rhianna appeared slightly confused as she withdrew her hand from his grasp. "Thank ye, Mr. Brady. That's a very nice suit. Ye look.almost civilized." She remarked with a small smirk.

"Well, I try."

Rhianna turned her attention to Elizabeth. She hugged the girl and kissed her cheek. "Elizabeth! I'm so glad ye could come. Ye look lovely - that's a nice color on ye."

"Thank ye, Rhianna. I love your dress! The fabric is so nice." Elizabeth chattered.

Rhianna laughed at the girl's infectious enthusiasm. "A girl after my own heart! We'll have to go shopping together some time."

"That sounds great! I'll show you the best places to go for your money. I'm the best at bargain hunting."

"That's true." Sheamus cut in. "No one stretches a penny like my dear sister." He placed his arm around Elizabeth and hugged her tightly, causing the girl to frown in confusion.

"Are ye feeling okay?" she asked.

"What? Can't I show my baby sister how much I love her?" he inquired innocently.

Rhianna observed the interchange with narrowed eyes. Sheamus seemed to be acting so strangely. {Normally he would've called me names and we'd be fighting by now. What's he up to?}

"Well, let me welcome ye to my home. I'm so glad ye could make it. I wanted to thank ye both for your hard work last night. Ye really saved the day. My brother Sean will be with us shortly. He was called away on estate business. Until then we'll just make ourselves comfortable." Rhianna poured glasses of wine and they sat down by the roaring fire. Sheamus squeezed into a tight spot beside Rhianna.

"This is a lovely.home ye have here, Lady Cassidy." He complimented, his voice oozing charm.

".Thank ye. It needs a great deal of work I'm afraid. It's all Sean and Mr. Callahan can do just to maintain it. Ye should have seen it before."

Sheamus caught the dreamy expression in her emerald eyes. "Ye really love the place, don't ye?"

"Aye. How can I not? It's my home. I love it like it's a part of me. But as much as I love the castle, my heart lies with the factory."

Sheamus smiled at the expression on her face. "Then we have something in common."

Rhianna smiled then and their eyes locked. Elizabeth watched with interest the looks they gave each other. {He's not interested in her. Right.}

Sean heavily sank down into his chair at the end of the dining table. "I apologize for my tardiness. I was busy checking on The Ladies." He said breathlessly as he placed his linen napkin in his lap.

The two guests murmured that it was quite all right. Sheamus took in Sean's casual dress and swallowed his biting comment. {I have to wear my $##$%#@ Easter suit, yet the Lord of the Manor can come to the table wearing flannel and denim breeches. Typical.}

Sean's gaze fell on Elizabeth who sat on his right. She was dressed in a beautiful off the shoulder gown of deep royal blue. Her shoulders seemed so satiny smooth and inviting. He wanted to run her fingers along her skin. Her hair was pulled up on her head and long curls danced down her back. Her blue eyes sparkled and her porcelain cheeks had a rosy glow. Her lips were especially red and full that evening. Sean's mouth fell open in astonishment.

"Wow, Elizabeth.Ye look beautiful."

Elizabeth smiled and playfully batted her lashes. "Thank ye. Ye do too. I mean, ye look very handsome."

Sean chuckled. Sheamus observed the interplay with narrowed eyes. He saw the adoring glow on his sister's face. He heard the flirtation in Sean's voice.

"Elizabeth, this looks delicious!" Sean praised to the girl's delight.

"Aye," Rhianna agreed, "And thank ye again for cooking. I would've tried to make something but I've been banned from the kitchen." She related with a smile. "If ye ask me though, they're all over reacting."

"Over reacting?! The kitchen was on fire! Ye made stone burn!" Sean replied.

Sheamus smiled and glanced at Rhianna. The idea of her in a kitchen trying to cook was strangely arousing. {I wonder what she would look like in an apron. And nothing else.} He stared at the silky smooth skin of her neck and envisioned himself caressing the smooth contours, inhaling her sweet fragrance, trailing sweet kisses along her collarbone.

"Do ye need something, Mr. Brady?"

Sheamus glanced up to see Rhianna staring back at him, her eyes reflecting brightly with some unknown emotion.

"Um, pass the salt, please." He stammered. As he took the silver shaker from her hand their fingertips lightly brushed against each other. He drew a sharp intake of breath at the electrifying contact and glanced at her to see if she had been affected.

But Rhianna simply stared down at her plate, her dark eyelashes contrasting sharply against her fair skin. She finally looked up and smiled hesitantly at Sheamus and then turned her attention to her brother.

"And how are The Ladies doing?" She asked as she took a bite of the stewed potatoes.

"Och, they're fine. I was just dropping off their food and supplies for the week." Sean caught the confused expressions of their guests. "Mrs. Ceannt and Mrs. Plunkett are poor widows whose only sons were killed in 1916." He explained.

Sheamus furrowed his brow, thankful for the chance to get his mind off of the ravishing creature to his right. {1916?} "Ah, the uprising?"

"Aye. Our father was an underground supporter and member of the IRB (Irish Republican Brotherhood) - In fact I remember him holding many late night meetings here. All the great leaders were here at some time or other, most notably Padraic Pearse. And others including The Ladies' sons. When they were executed, the poor widows were left with no one to care for them. So our father moved them into some old cottages on our land. We provide them with the food and supplies they need. They've been here so long, they're like family to us." Sean explained.

"What a wonderful story!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "What a nice thing for ye to do!" she gazed at Sean with admiration in her blue eyes.

Sheamus frowned as he caught the continued looks between his sister and her employer. He could tell that Elizabeth already had a sizeable crush on Sean. And he didn't like it. "Aye, Lord Cassidy was QUITE generous." Sheamus replied blandly, his statement ringing with a cynicism remembering the drunken gambler who made others do his work for him while he grew rich from their profits. Plus, he'd never really gotten over his father's death and blamed the late Lord for the poor working conditions at the factory.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rhianna asked.

"Oh, I was just agreeing with my sister." Sheamus answered innocently. "Why, what did ye think I meant?"

Rhianna stared at him for a moment as if trying to read his mind. "Never mind."

The rest of the dinner passed with relative ease. Elizabeth and Rhianna made polite conversation about benign topics such as the weather, mutual friends and ladies' fashion. Sean groaned from his position at the table. He smiled and winked at Elizabeth. "Please don't get Ree talking about shopping. No one knows more about spending money than she." He said, his warm brown eyes twinkling.

"Speaking of money, I want to congratulate ye, Lady Cassidy," Sheamus spoke up.

"On what?"

"On your engagement. I understand your betrothed is fairly wealthy." Sheamus smiled inwardly at the sudden frosty tension at the table. He watched the color flee from her face at the reminder of the engagement. And even Sean seemed none too pleased. {Hmm, doesn't appear to be a happy union. I wonder who it is.} "I'm sorry, is this not a pleasant topic?" he asked innocently.

Rhianna struggled for composure. "Nae, it's fine. Aye, I'm engaged. Thank ye for your kindness."

"May I ask who the lucky man is?"

She paused just noticeably. "Mr. Alexander Dimera." She answered simply.

{Dimera! He's our chief rival! What could she be thinking? Wait, Lord Cassidy arranged the match. Still , even in his drunken stupor I can't believe that he would promise his daughter and his company to the likes of Alexander Dimera.} Sheamus remembered suddenly the funeral and seeing Dimera and Rhianna together. He had wondered why the man was even there and had chalked it up to professional courtesy. He remembered how Rhianna had seemed around him. {Definitely not a happy union. I just might have a shot at this.}

"When's the happy day?"

"The marriage will take place on my 17th birthday, little less than a year from now." Rhianna paused. "And if ye don't mind, I'd really rather not talk about it."

Once again there was an uneasy silence at the table. Sean cleared his throat and turned to his sister. "Perhaps some after dinner music is in order?" he turned his attention to their guests. "Rhianna has a very lovely voice, ye may have heard her sing in church. She even trained in England for a summer at a very prestigious school there." Sean told them, eager for a chance to brag about his twin sister. "Everyone says she sounds like an angel come to earth."

"Sean." Rhianna moaned, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "I'm sure they don't want to hear all about my singing." She felt slightly mortified at being praised by her brother in front of Sheamus. She knew that the insufferable lout was just waiting for another opportunity to insult her.

"Oh no, please your Ladyship. I would like to hear this angelic voice of yours." He challenged.

Rhianna narrowed her flashing green eyes. "Ye can hear my 'angelic voice' tomorrow morning at Mass." She smiled coldly at him.

"Oh I don't go to church."

"There's a shocker." She shot back sarcastically.

But Sheamus simply smiled that infuriating, teasing grin of his. He raised his blond eyebrows in question. "Well, Lady Cassidy? I'm waiting for you to grace us with your heavenly voice."

"Fine." She answered proudly. She could never resist a challenge. She took her position at the piano in the drawing room as the others gathered around, settling themselves on the nice furniture. She smiled inwardly as she made her selection. {I'm going to wipe that obnoxious smirk off his face.}

She straightened her posture and closed her eyes as she began to sing. She had chosen a difficult classical song. Her pure, strong voice rose and filled the room and everyone present agreed that it was heavenly.

Even Sheamus. Yet, despite his untrained ear he could tell that she was holding back. She wasn't singing with everything she was capable of. While the voice had been perfect, it had seemed to him that the heart of the song was missing. It was soulless.

She cocked an eyebrow in Sheamus's direction. "Well?" she prompted.

He shrugged casually. "It was nice."

"Nice?!"

Elizabeth motioned to Sean. "I think we should leave them alone." Sean was reluctant to leave his sister but Elizabeth reassured him. "It's just something they need to get out of their systems." She said and fairly dragged him out onto the adjoining balcony.

"Wow, those two certainly are.something." Elizabeth commented with mild embarrassment over her brother's behavior.

"Aye, a regular match made in hell," Sean agreed dryly. He noticed Elizabeth shivering from the chilly spring evening. He took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

Elizabeth stood quietly looking out over the balcony railing. She appeared to be calm on the surface as she gazed at the estate's rolling hills, but inside was turmoil. Just the sweet, simple act of placing his jacket on her had caused her knees to shake and her stomach quiver. And when he looked at her with those warm brown eyes that seemed to smolder, she was lost. She had never felt this way before. Had never thought the things Sean made her think. She found herself noticing things, like the way his tight denim breeches hugged his body, the way sunlight bounced off his tanned body when he worked outside, the way the sweat ran down the hills of his muscles. Even now as he stood beside her on the balcony she found herself noticing the way he smelled; like earth and sweat and soap. Intoxicating.

Sean looked up at the brilliant white moon that hung against the purple backdrop of the evening sky. "Beautiful," he murmured, bringing Elizabeth out of her reverie. She looked at him in question. "The sky, I mean. It's beautiful."

Elizabeth looked up at the moon. Sean looked at her face, watched her face light up with the beauty before them. The moon light radiated off her skin, making it glow. She glimmered with ethereal beauty.

Sean racked his mind for something to say. funny, he had never had any problem talking to girls before. {Of course, Elizabeth is no ordinary girl,} he realized. His eye fell on the shiny fabric of her dress. "That's a lovely dress."

Elizabeth turned away from her sky gazing. "Thank ye. My mum made this for me for my last birthday. It's imported silk. Cost a pretty penny, but Mum likes to spoil me when she can. I only hope one day I can sew as well as she can."

He noticed the dreamy expression that cam over her face. "Is that an aspiration of yours, to be a seamstress?"

"Not only that. I just want to be a mother and a wife. I know it's kind of old fashioned. Women in America and Europe are smoking and cutting their hair and proclaiming their independence. (Story takes place during the roaring '20's) Even here in Ireland women are taking more liberties. Your sister is running a business, something she wouldn't have been able to do ten years ago. But when I think about what makes me happy, that's it. Running a house and raising children of my own. I don't know, maybe it sounds silly."

"No, it sounds perfect. There's something so.freeing about living a simple life; of living off the land. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than running the estate. There's something about working with your hands, getting your fingers dirty in the rich soil of your won lands. I guess I'm the one who sounds silly now."

"I understand what ye men. This is a lovely estate - I just love it here. Ye must be very happy."

Sean looked at her, amazed to have found someone who shared his passions. He gazed at her sparkling blue eyes. "Now I am."
"Nice? Ye think ye can do better?" Rhianna questioned hotly.

"Oh, I know I can."

"Prove it."

Sheamus grinned and winked at her. "Another time, Lady Cassidy." Why did he love to fight with her so much? It was going to make winning her heart difficult. But maybe this was better - by appealing to her baser emotions. Her anger, pride, passion.

"So in your 'expert' opinion, what was wrong with it?"

He shrugged again. "Look, Lady Cassidy. I don't want to start an argument. It was nice, really. Beautiful."

"But ye think there was something wrong with my singing." She persisted.

"Not so much your singing. It was very nearly perfect. It was the performance that was lacking."

"Lacking what?"

"Soul." He said simply.

"Soul?" Rhianna questioned loudly.

"Yes. Soul. Emotion, heart, life. Passion." He explained.

Rhianna floundered, searching her mind for a retort. "And what do ye know about passion?" she demanded hotly her eyes ablaze.

"I know it when I see it. And when I don't." He replied, his eyes flickering briefly over her figure. "But don't ask me about passion. I'm sure your fiancé will teach ye all you need to know about that." He said with a mocking smile.

Rhianna's blood froze into rivers of ice in her veins. "What do ye know about my betrothed?" she asked icily.

"Nothing. I'm sure the two of ye will be very happy together."

He reached out and gently grabbed her chin that trembled with rage and desire. He tilted her head back and studied her face for many long, agonizing seconds. "Very happy indeed." He whispered softly. She blinked back sudden tears. His eyes flickered briefly but before she could name the emotion that flared in his blue depths, they were shuttered again. He released his hold on her and turned away.

"See you around, Lady Cassidy." He called as he left the room.