Chapter Sixty-Four

Eamonn and the party from the Irish Consulate had been driven out to the Barkley ranch. He noted how the carriages were well sprung, bearing the family's crest – well that is what he took it to be – painted on the door. The horse flesh was top notch, he noted.

Once they were through the receiving line – Eamonn privately chuckled that Victoria Barkley and his mother were undoubtedly cut from the same cloth. Jarrod Barkley, the oldest son Eamonn knew because of the briefing notes, was next to his mother. The man was a highly regarded lawyer, with impeccable tailoring, and polished manners.

Eamonn had done his duty to Sir William Farnsworth, and the British Empire. He had been very impressed with the grand house – all white brick and columns. The wrought iron gate, topped by an elaborate letter B led into a formal driveway, with gardens on either side.

Eamonn saw Sharon in the open courtyard and went over to greet her. She was wearing a fluffy lace yellow dress, embroidered with violets. Her hair was formally put up, with floral violets scattered among the curls. Without a second thought he hugged her, noting how she returned the embrace. They smiled at each other, before she turned to her right where a man of medium build and height stood.

"Heath, this is Lt. Commander Lord Eamonn Burke" Sharon announced, as she went on. "His sister is Lady Emily that I worked for in Ireland."

"Please, Eamonn. I am happy to meet you." He extended his hand, knowing what was expected in America. "Sharon was very dear to our family. It has been great to see her again." Eamonn gave her a fond smile, his blue eyes going very soft.

"Eamonn." Heath shook the hand that had been extended to him. "Sharon has talked of Lady Emily." He carefully studied the tall man, noting his well-tailored summer weight suit in cream broadcloth. His hat was a wide brimmed Panama woven in bleached straw, with a ribbon of dark brown.

"I would like to say thank you to your family for hosting this event for us. We are looking forward to the evening." Eamonn smiled encouragingly at Heath as he made the statement.

"We hope you have a good time. What is your position with the Consulate?" Heath had noted the man's military title before the honorific title.

"I am acting Naval Attaché." Eamonn said with pleasure. He then went on "I hope I could ask for a tour of your stables? I understand you have excellent horseflesh. Have to say that pair of matched greys with our carriage was first rate." Just as Heath was set to reply Nick came up to the group.

"Eamonn, good to see you." Heath watched as his brother greeted the man like an old friend. Of course, Nick made friends easily, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

"Can I show you how we do roasted meat? Those pigs have nothing on us." Nick declared with pride. "Heath, you have to hear about that."

"Please! Do I get to see the chuckwagon and meet McGregor?" Eamonn asked, knowing that Nick wanted to show off.

"We only take the chuckwagon out on cattle drives. However, you can certainly meet McGregor." Nick offered, going on "just so you know he is a dour Scotsman, and hates the English."

"Probably nothing I have not seen or heard before." Eamonn smiled a knowing smile. He was rewarded when Nick laughed and escorted him over to the back of the property.

"What was the comment about pigs?" Heath asked, trying to get a handle on the conversation. He was also thinking about how Eamonn had looked at Sharon, and the greeting the man had given her.

"Eamonn and I ran into each other last night at the reception. We spent a while catching up, and then had supper with Nick and Priscila." Sharon explained simply. "Eamonn told us a story about how they do pig roasts in Polynesian, which involves digging a hole and hot rocks."

"Senora Heath, sorry to interrupt but can you come to the serving area? We might need to add more tables." Pedro, one of the housemen that worked under Silas came up and bowed to Sharon.

Heath watched as Sharon, after excusing herself, walked away from him. He tried hard not to notice trim her figure, and how lovely she was in the yellow lace dress. It was bothering him, how he found himself admiring her so often; this was not in his plan.

Taking a deep breath, he thought about the evening so far. The greeting Eamonn had given Sharon, and her reciprocation of the embrace had had almost an intimate quality to it. There was also the way Eamonn had looked at her when he referenced Ireland and his family. Heath chided himself, for not finding out more about her time in Ireland. He decided that tonight he would focus on Sharon.

The moon was high in the sky, the stars a brilliant silver, and the torches surrounding the open courtyard lighting the area. Eamonn had to admit that the Barkley's knew how to throw a party. He had not been surprised when he had heard that Sharon had overseen the outdoor decorations, was sure that she remembered the parties on the estate in Kilkenny.

The dinner had been amazing – Eamonn had made it a point to go back and compliment the dour Scotsman on the beef. The man had only grunted, but Eamonn was sure that he saw gratification in the older man's eyes. Now that dinner was done, he knew there would be dancing.

Eamonn would have been happy to claim the first dance with Sharon but knew better. It was not done to dance with a married woman before her husband did so. Instead, he danced with Elspeth first; he had eaten supper with the woman where they had discovered a mutual kinsman. Eamonn's oldest brother's wife's mother had been a cousin to Elspeth's late husband. He had been pleased when the woman had announced to the group that he was family.

He carefully danced with everyone he was expected to; he was after all representing the British Empire. Finally, the sixth dance was a waltz, and Eamonn, who had been keeping track of Sharon, saw that her husband was nowhere around. He made a beeline to her, and bowed, as he extended his hand.

"Are you having a good time? And Sir William?" Sharon asked, trying to keep calm as Eamonn took her in his arms. Dancing with him was so easy, they moved together without a thought. She then remembered who she was and focused on that.

"Amazing! Brilliant! Honestly, we are all enjoying it very much. The food was delicious. The next time I am in Polynesia I will need to educate the natives." Eamonn laughed, giving her a mischievous smile.

"I remember reading that some of the natives are headhunters and cannibals. You might want to be careful about offering your vast store of wisdom." Sharon tossed her head merrily. It was so fun to dance and chat with Eamonn – it was light and easy.

"Well now you see those are old customs. But the natives like to pretend they still exist when us foreigners come into port. It makes the local festival so much more thrilling – they actually have a dance that the men do, reenacting the old ways." Eamonn swung her around smoothly, pulling her just slightly closer to him. The scent of her perfume and warm body filled his senses.

"Good to know! You must have seen so many amazing things." Sharon declared, wishing she was not enjoying the feeling of his body against her. Eamonn had been the only person who had understood her desire for education, and knowledge about the world.

"Yes, I have. However, unlike last night I cannot monopolize your time since you are one of the hostesses." Eamonn knew the dance was about to end, mentally he crossed his fingers that he could get one more in before the night was over. "Would you allow me to call on you so I can tell you all about everything. I am sure you know how to do a proper cup of tea." They settled on the day after next, and Sharon let him know where her house was.

"I hope I can get one more dance before the end of the evening?" Eamonn asked, as the music ended. He just now became aware that Heath was coming up to the couple and moved back several paces. However, before Heath was next to them, someone else approached first.

"I would like to have the pleasure of dancing with one of our beautiful hostesses." Consular General Sir William Farnsworth came up to Sharon, and bowed, just as Heath came up next to the group. Eamonn could see that Heath understood he had to defer to the older gentleman. He admired the man's bland expression, even as he noticed the tightening around the eyes.

"What say we go get a drink?" Eamonn asked with a smile, thinking that maybe he could get to know Sharon's husband better. "I can tell you about the pig roasts in Polynesia?"

"Actually, I see our butler Silas wants to talk to me." Heath replied, the cool expression on his face never changing. "I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening." In fact, Heath was privately thinking that if he never saw Eamonn and the Irish group again it would be just fine with him. Eamonn would be the last person he would want a drink with. Heath had not cared for how close Eamonn held Sharon during the dance. Further, the man's pleased, self-satisfied look on his face rubbed Heath the wrong way.

Eamonn watched the man walk away and would bet good money that the butler was an excuse. It struck him as odd, but then he remembered last night, how Heath had not been around. He then thought about the brief conversation he and Heath had had earlier in the evening.

Probably the man was just very reserved in social situations; Eamonn recalled the barn tour, where Heath had been more talkative. The man was a puzzle to Eamonn, who prided himself on understanding people. For now he would give Heath the benefit of the doubt, and hope that he would get to know him better.

Sharon and Heath were in the surrey, heading to their house after the party. Heath was set to stay and help Silas and the housemen clean up, but Victoria said it was all under control. Heath was not happy at how the evening had unfolded but was careful to keep his annoyance to himself.

His plan to spend time with Sharon did not work out – she was busy with party details, while he had to give the Irish party a tour of the barn. Yes, he did get to eat dinner with her, along with six other people. The opening dance had been a two-step, which he was able to dance with Sharon.

Unfortunately, JR had stopped to talk to him about some mining equipment, and by the time he was done the waltz had already started. It took every measure of Heath's self-control, as he watched the handsome naval officer dance with Sharon. It bothered him that she had never looked at him while dancing, as she was looking at Eamonn.

Of course, he reminded himself, they had a business arrangement, not a marriage. Heath recalled how he was almost ready to back out of his plan before the marriage. However, his stubbornness, and Simon had stopped him.

"Would you like some madeira?" Heath asked, as they entered the house. Maybe they could talk, and she would tell him about Ireland. Even as he asked, he scolded himself for the situation that could occur.

"Oh, I am so tired! Priscilla and I spent all day getting the decorations ready." Sharon replied, going on "I want to just go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow evening?"

Sharon was so happy to get up to her room and think about her time with Eamonn. As she fell asleep, Sharon knew that she would never be disloyal to Heath – it would be the same as being disloyal to her children. Further, she knew that Eamonn would never want that kind of a relationship.

However, having someone to talk to about her interests was nice; Priscilla was her best friend, but not all their interests were the same. Sharon saw no reason why she and Eamonn could not spend time together.