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)
“What about Finn?”
“My father wants to meet him too. I told him that Finn is going to be part of our life. Father is excited to welcome his first grandchild to the family. And I’m sure Finn will love the manor. It can be kind of spooky, and there are endless corridors and rooms to discover.”
My eyes prickled with tears. Would the Devaneys really welcome Finn with open arms?
“It’ll also give you a chance to discover your roots. The Killeens always lived in Kenmare too. An aunt and uncle plus several cousins still do.”
“Okay. But I’m really terrified of meeting your father. It feels like a test.”
“My father will probably like you right away, and you’re in luck. He blames me for our breakup. I’ll get my head washed again for sending you away.”
I smiled sheepishly. I had to admit I was really glad almost nobody knew the truth. I wished I could turn back time and undo it, but maybe Lorcan and I had needed a wakeup call. Who knew?
I could barely sit still on our one-hour drive from Cork Airport to the Devaney manor near Kenmare. Finn was asleep in the child seat, his mouth wide open in utmost exhaustion. My heart felt full as I watched the countryside rush by, but my nervousness about meeting Lorcan’s father was almost crushing.
Lorcan sat in the front beside his brother Aran, who had picked us up in his Land Rover, which was covered in dirt. Aran had offered me a friendly greeting, no sign that he knew anything about the unfortunate events of the past. Maybe he was willing to give me a chance if Lorcan did.
It made me feel better.
“There it is,” Lorcan said, his voice full of pride.
I looked to the front where an ivy-covered mansion with countless chimneys and several towers rose up among the lush greenery. It had a slate roof and a row of windows reflected the few rays of sun that broke through the clouds. Finn sat up in his seat and stared out as well.
His mouth fell open when he saw the manor. I’d never seen such a sprawling estate that wasn’t a historic sight, but tourists definitely never set foot in Devaney manor.
Aran pulled along the cobblestone driveway. He and Lorcan got out of the vehicle, but Finn and I remained in a sort of stunned stupor. Lorcan opened my door and held out his hand. I took it and allowed him to pull me out.
I craned my neck to get a good view of the mansion. Why would anyone need so many chimneys? I tried to count them but lost track eventually.
“Fifty-two ornate chimneys and 365 leaded windows,” Lorcan said as he lifted Finn out of his child seat and put him down on the pathway.
I shook my head. “It’s a castle.”
“My father can tell you every little detail about it. If you want to impress him, ask him if it’s gothic revival.”
I stared blankly at him.
“Many think it’s gothic but it was built later.”
I nodded then laughed. I’d definitely forget all about it by the time I met Devaney senior. I was nervous anyway. “This is a place where you expect royalty to live. A lordship or something of the sort, not a mob family.”
“No royal blood whatsoever. Our family used to be farmers, and this area was part of their plot, which they leased from a big landowner. It was a small plot, barely producing enough potatoes to feed my ancestor’s, and then the Great Famine hit the country, and people started dying left and right. Our family split back then. They were two brothers who tried to save their families. One brother risked passage to New York in the hopes of a better future for him and his family, but three of his six children didn’t survive the journey. Two had died in the famine before that. Once in New York, they were treated like scum, and he became a railroad worker and his wife a washerwoman, but they still barely got by … until he and a few fellow Irish men came together as a gang. The other brother went to Dublin, and after trying to feed his family with honest work, he too eventually became part of a gang that he soon led. So two brothers, unbeknownst to each other, were forced to take the same direction to survive.”
“Is this true?” I asked. It sounded too good to be true, almost as if they were modern-day Robin Hoods.
“It is. Ask my father or read our family history. There’s a fat tome in the library.”
The salty scent of the ocean hung in the air. In the distance, I could make out the boisterous sea. Devaney Manor sat on the shores of Kenmare Bay. The coastline wasn’t as rough here as it was at the Cliffs of Moher.