Born In Ice

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Book: Read Born In Ice for Free Online
Authors: Nora Roberts
voice. "It was Amanda he said before he died. Standing there at the cliffs at Loop Head, at that spot he loved so much. We would go there and he would joke about how we'd hop in a boat and our next stop would be a pub in New York." Now the tears spilled over. "In New York. Amanda was in New York."

    "He said her name." Brianna's fingers went to her mouth. She stopped herself, barely, before she gave into her childhood habit of gnawing her nails. "I remember now that you said something about that at his wake. Did he say anything more, tell you anything about her?"

    "He said nothing but her name." Maggie dashed at tears with a furious hand. "He said nothing then, nothing ever. He loved her, but he did nothing about it."

    "What could he do?" Brianna asked. "Maggie-"

    "Something." There were more tears and more fury when Maggie lifted her head. "Anything. Sweet Jesus, he spent his life in hell. Why? Because the Church says it's a sin to do otherwise. Well, he'd sinned already, hadn't he? He'd committed adultery. Do I blame him for that? I don't know that I can, remembering what he faced in this house. But by God, couldn't he have followed through on it? Couldn't he have finally followed through?"

    "He stayed for us." Brianna's voice was tight and cold. "You know he stayed for us."

    "Is that supposed to make me grateful?"

    "Will you blame him for loving you?" Rogan asked quietly. "Or condemn him for loving someone else?"

    Her eyes flashed. But the bitterness that rose up in her throat died into grief. "No, I'll do neither. But he should have had more than memories."

    "Read the others, Maggie."

    "I will. You were barely born when these were written," she said as she opened the second letter.

    "I know," Brianna said dully.

    "I think she loved him very much. There's a kindness here. It isn't so much to ask, love, kindness." Maggie looked at Brianna then, for some sign. She saw nothing but that same cool detachment. With a sigh, she opened the final letter while Brianna sat stiff and cold. "I only wish he..." Her words faltered. "Oh, my God. A baby." Instinctively her hand went to cover her own. "She was pregnant."

    "We have a brother or sister somewhere. I don't know what to do."

    Shock and fury had Maggie lurching to her feet. Teacups rattled as she pushed back to stalk around the room. "What to do? It's been done, hasn't it? Twenty-eight years ago to be exact."

    Distressed, Brianna started to rise, but Rogan covered her hand. "Let her go," he murmured. "She'll be better for it after."

    "What right did she have to tell him this and then go away?" Maggie demanded. "What right did he have to let her? And now, are you thinking it falls to us? To us to follow it through? This isn't some abandoned fatherless child we're speaking of now, Brianna, but a person grown. What have they to do with us?"

    "Our father, Maggie. Our family."

    "Oh, aye, the Concannon family. God help us." Overwhelmed, she leaned against the mantel, staring blindly into the fire. "Was he so weak, then?"

    "We don't know what he did, or could have done. We may never know." Brianna took a careful breath. "If Mother had known-"

    Maggie interrupted with a short, bitter laugh. "She didn't. Do you think she wouldn't have used a weapon like this to beat him into the ground? God knows she used everything else."

    "Then there's no point in telling her now, is there?"

    Slowly Maggie turned. "You want to say nothing?"

    "To her. What purpose would it serve to hurt her?"

    Maggie's mouth thinned. "You think it would?"

    "Are you so sure it wouldn't?"

    The fire went out in Maggie as quickly as it had flared. "I don't know. How can I know? I feel as if they're both strangers now."

    "He loved you, Maggie." Rogan rose now to go to her. "You know that."

    "I know that." She let herself lean. "But I don't know what I feel."

    "I think we should try to find Amanda Dougherty," Brianna began, "and-"

    "I can't think." Maggie closed her eyes. There were too many

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