Read A Mighty Quinn Seduction (The Mighty Quinns) for Free Online

didn’t you answer your phone?”
    “I forgot to charge it.”
    “Look at this. Remember when we were talking about Aileen’s time in the orphanage and you said she wasn’t specific about where the place was? I think I’ve figured it out. In the manuscript, Aileen mentions learning to read and a nun named Sister Bernadette. And I remember coming across a book on the Magdalene laundries in Ireland when I was doing some research for my master’s degree. It was written by a nun who used to live at the Good Shepherd convent in Cork. She was known as Sister Bernadette. Aileen’s Sister Bernadette. She even talks about Aileen in her book, but doesn’t mention her by name.” Claire pulled him toward the table. “Here, let me show you.”
    Ian sat down beside her and watched as she flipped through the book. Had she forgotten about their agreement? Or was she just so excited about her discovery that the though of sex with him got dropped down her “to do” list?
    “Where did you get this?”
    “I drove to Dublin yesterday,” she said.
    “Didn’t you have to work?”
    She shook her head. “I bunked. I called in sick. Here. Read that.”
    Ian scanned the text and then went over it again. She was right. “I’m impressed,” he said. “But what difference does this make?”
    “Well, now we have visuals that we can use to tell the orphanage story. Good Shepherd Orphanage.”
    “But if Aileen wanted you to tell that part of her story, she would have told you the name of the orphanage. I asked her and she said it wasn’t important. I don’t see the point.”
    “Of course you don’t. A book is just letters on a page and maybe a few pictures. But Dex’s film has to have images. And this will be very powerful.” She stared at him. “You have heard about the Magdalene laundries, haven’t you?”
    Ian had read the stories. How girls and young women had been forced into servitude, how they toiled in the laundries under outrageous conditions, simply because they were poor or without family or deemed impure by society. The stories had recently come to light and it had caused quite a scandal—a scandal Aileen Quinn had deliberately chosen to avoid.
    “Have you told Dex yet?” Ian asked.
    “I told him yesterday. He and Marlie were visiting the orphanage today to scout the location. They’re going to talk to Aileen about filming her there and getting her recollections.”
    “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ian said. “You need to call Dex and tell him to hold off. Aileen does not need to deal with this. It would only bring back bad memories.”
    She gave him an uneasy look. “But her omitting it doesn’t mean that we can’t use it. Our film has nothing at all do with her book.”
    “Your film? It’s your brother’s film, isn’t it? You don’t really have a stake in it. You’re just helping out.”
    Her forehead creased into a scowl. “I—I can’t believe you just said that.”
    “I’m sorry, but I completely disagree with the need to include this information in the film. Never mind that I don’t think you should invade her privacy like this, but this is entirely her choice.”
    Ian had grown very fond of Aileen. She’d given him an incredible opportunity in working with her. They had become friends and he’d learned to be very protective of her legacy. Though his instincts as a historian had always erred on the side of the truth, she was writing an autobiography and, as such, she was the only one who determined what would be included on the page.
    “Can we discuss this later?” he asked.
    “There’s nothing to discuss,” Claire said. “I’ve given the information to Dex and he’ll do what he wants.”
    “Even though it’s a bad idea?”
    Claire studied him for a long moment, as if trying to discern the depth of his sincerity. “He’s my brother. It’s his film.”
    “And I’m...”
    “I don’t know what you are,” Claire said.
    Ian drew a deep breath, then stood up.