Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126485 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 632(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
She clucked her tongue. “You said yes, lass.”
“Do you think Lorcan would have accepted my answer if it was no?”
She gave a small shrug. “Seamus always talks highly of Lorcan, and what I’ve seen of him so far hasn’t been unpleasant.”
“I suppose he didn’t beat someone to death with an iron chain in front of you, then.”
Maeve shook her head, her lips pressing together, but apart from that she didn’t give a reaction. Maybe Seamus shared the gruesome details of clan business with her. I didn’t dare ask if they’d married for love. I didn’t want to rip open possible wounds.
“I hope I didn’t reveal too much. You know what Seamus does, right?”
She laughed. “I do. Hard not to. I’ve lost count of the times he came home covered in blood or injured. Had I known I would have taken a few medical courses.”
I tried to imagine what my life with Lorcan would be like? So far my mind refused to think farther than our wedding day. I couldn’t for the life of me imagine being Lorcan’s nurse when he returned home with injuries. I couldn’t imagine sharing a life, apartment, or bed with Lorcan. Period. I would be dragged into Lorcan’s darkness, no doubt, but I would try my hardest not to let it change me.
“Shall we?” Maeve motioned at her watch. I followed her down the street, looking behind my back to see if someone was following us. “Are we being watched?”
Maeve looked over her shoulder then frowned at me. “Seamus doesn’t watch my every step. Maybe Lorcan thinks you need to be watched so you don’t run. Will you run?”
“No. I’m here for a reason.”
She nodded, curiosity reflecting in her kind eyes, but she didn’t prod. Maybe she could see in my face that I didn’t want to talk about it right now. She linked our arms. “Even if you’re not excited for your wedding, that doesn’t mean you can’t be excited about the dress. I couldn’t go dress shopping with my younger sister last year when she married, so I need to live vicariously through you, Aislinn.”
Despite the cheeriness in her voice, I could hear a subtle note of sadness.
“Did you come to New York for Seamus?”
“Yes. When he asked for my hand, I knew I’d have to move to America. Seamus won’t return to Ireland as long as Lorcan is in New York.”
“Here it is,” Maeve said as we arrived in front of a small store with a shop window with frosted glass so you couldn’t see inside.
A faded sign above the door read: “Talulla’s Sewing and laundry Service”.
I cocked an eyebrow. I didn’t have high expectations, but this wasn’t what I’d imagined when I thought about wedding dress shopping.
Maeve patted my arm. “Trust me, Talulla is a magician with a sewing machine and especially an embroidery needle.”
Maeve opened the door for me. A tiny bell over the door announced our arrival. When I stepped inside, the scent of detergent hit me. The shop was small and the walls behind the counter were covered with laundry waiting to be picked up.
Nobody was inside.
“Tal!” Maeve roared, making me jump. She was short but apparently her ample chest could resonate. “Tal!”
I had to stifle a snicker. It was the first time in days that I felt like laughing. Maeve slanted a look at me with a sheepish smile. “I had to watch my four younger siblings. That’s where I learned to shout.”
The row of trousers draped over clothes hangers parted right in the middle of the counter and a tall woman, probably only a couple of years older than me, with black hair and brown eyes slipped out. She was what we called Black Irish because of her dark hair.
“Why are you causing such a ruckus?” She gave Maeve a disapproving look before her eyes settled on me. Her expression remained stoic.
“I’m here with an important customer.”
“All customers are equally important,” Talulla corrected, and I immediately liked her despite her rough charm. I hadn’t expected to find so many Irish women my age in New York, but the Irish community in this part of the city was tight-knit and reminded me of home, which diminished my homesickness a tiny bit.
“Oh shut up,” Maeve said, grabbing my arm and dragging me behind the counter. “I doubt that’s what you said when you measured Lorcan for his suit yesterday.”
“Lorcan was here?”
“Of course,” Talulla said with a hint of pride. “Follow me.”
She shoved the trousers aside, revealing a narrow door. When we stepped into the room behind it, I couldn’t help but smile. This looked more like a place where I could see myself buying a wedding dress. Shelves stacked with rolls of fabric lined the walls on the left and right. A table with a sewing machine was squeezed into a corner in the back, and another table with sketches was pushed against the wall right beside it. In the center of the room a low podium and a tall mirror waited for whomever needed to be fitted.