By Donna and Toni
Now almost seven months pregnant with
twins, Fiona wasn’t getting out on the town as often as she liked. It was spring in the Secret Garden, and the air was filled
with the heady scent of all the trees and bushes in full blossom. As her
husband, Fr Philip Callahan, came in with his arms full of lilac blooms for the
centerpiece of the table, Fiona smiled at him.
“Darlin’, haven’t I got a grand
idea? Could ye be invitin’ Alec and the others to come fer dinner in a few
days? And wouldn’t they be after bringin’ their women folk with them?” she
told him. “I could roast some chickens, along with some of that wild rice ye
brought home and the baby carrots the girls have been digging up in the garden
for us.”
The young priest looked at his wife a
long moment, then said, "Well, sure, but...are you feelin' up ta it, love?
Maybe I could help ya with some of the preparations or somethin' earlier in th'
day." Modern as he was, he still worried about Fiona taking on more than
she should, at this stage in her pregnancy.
"Wouldn't I be countin' on yer
help?" she said with a smile. "'Tis no spot of bother. If I know me
friends, won't they be bringing a fair share of the dinner? Now go! See you for
tea!"
He kissed her goodbye, and went off to
prepare for the first service of the day. While he was doing so, he mentioned to
Alec, "Fiona told me this mornin' she wants to have a dinner for the clergy
and their ladies in a few days, so can ya help me pass the word? I tried talkin'
her out of it in her condition and all, but ya know her once she gets her mind
set on somethin'."
Alec laughed. "Tell her I would be
honored to come. All of us? Counting you and her, that is twelve, you
know!"
"I know, believe me. At least she's
lettin' me help; do ya think some of the ladies might bring a few dishes, to
lighten her load?"
Alec rolled his eyes. "I don't think
we could stop them, do you? I better go tell Liam first though. Maybe he could
ask Grace to come with him. That way all of the MacDonald sisters will be
involved."
"They'd like that...an' so might
Liam, as well." He smiled conspiratorially at his fellow priest, as they
finished straightening their robes to go out.
They found Liam and Ralph in the Mission
and told them about Fiona’s invitation. The other two Irish priests both
thought it was a grand idea, and they went off to find Grace and Hope.
Philip then went off to the little house that Hydra and Jose shared to
tell them, while Alec went across town to the little rectory house next to the
Presbyterian Church to invite the McBains. He knew that Fiona would want them to
come as well.
So, two days later, all the clergy made
their way to the Secret Garden, carrying the baskets full of goodies that the
women had insisted on bringing along. It was the first time for some of them to
be in the garden, although by this time, all of them knew about it.
Fiona was kept busy answering questions
about it, as the group all sat down to dinner - Philip, being the man of the
house, had said grace, of course, then added with a grin, "Dig in!” which
they promptly proceeded to do. They had seated Liam between Grace and her sister
Hope, and as they started to eat, she asked the priest, "Have you ever been
here, to the garden, before, Father?"
"No," he told her. "Though
haven't I heard tales of its beauty? And here I was thinking Philip was full of
the blarney all this time."
She giggled, and admitted "So did I;
I couldn't imagine a garden as perfect as this. Of course when a place is the
home of the fae, I would be surprised if it was anything less!" Then she
lowered her voice to a whisper, as she continued, "And you've got to be
careful where you splash water on your face, as well. Fiona's twins are a result
of an enchanted fountain!" Then she blushed deeply, remembering that she
was talking to a priest. Her dinner plate suddenly seemed to hold a lot more
interest than it had.
Everyone at the table laughed. "I
want to see this magical fountain," Ralph chuckled as he slathered a
homemade roll with butter and honey.
If it were possible, Grace turned even
redder. But she looked at him, gathering her courage, and said, "I can show
you the exact one after dinner, Father; Fiona and Faith have both explained
exactly which it is." Never
let it be said Grace MacDonald shirked a request made of her!
Next to Father Ralph, a very flustered
Hope was hiding her face in her hands. Ralph glanced over at her and laughed out
loud. "Don't worry," he told her. "I'll keep my hands out of
it!"
Grace's face softened as she saw her
sister embarrassed a bit, but she knew that Hope certainly knew her well enough
by now to forgive her outspokenness, as she always had. Still, she had to reach
across and touch her arm, and when the younger girl looked up, she smiled,
"I'm sorry, Hope; forgive me? There are times I wish I was as quiet as you,
it might keep me out of trouble!"
Hope nodded as she sat up and tried to
look dignified while all the other women at the table giggled at her.
"Here I thought Faith was the quiet
little mouse, not Hope!" Father Ralph chuckled. Hope shot him a look, and
he could tell from the flashing in her eyes he would hear different later on
from her. There was nothing Ralph liked better than to tease Hope, and he often
got her good and riled up.
The rest of the meal passed without any
further incidents, and after the dishes had been cleared and washed, including
dessert and those used for tea, Grace was just coming into the parlor to sit
down when Liam stopped her. Her inquisitive look to him was answered by a
mischievous one from him, and she knew what was coming before he said it.
"Don't get too comfortable," he
said. "Ralph and I both want to see this famous fountain!" He held out
his hand and pulled her to her feet. "Anyone else coming?" he asked.
Hydra shook her head. Next to her, her
husband was playing with their daughter, Aquarius. "I know where it
is," she said with a smile as she snuggled up to Jose. "I'll stay here
and keep Fiona company.
The other couples all decided to go
along. Once outside, the McBains drifted away from the others for some private
time together, as did Father Alec and Faith.
Once out of sight of the others, Alec
reached out to take Faith’s hand in his. “We don’t get a chance to be
alone too often,” he said softly. He tipped her chin up so that he could look
into her lovely blue eyes. “We should come here more often, don’t you
think?” he asked.
“Aye,” she whispered, closing her
eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. It was a long and tender kiss, just deep
enough to let her know that there could be much more waiting for them both in
their near future.
Meanwhile, that had left two couples,
Ralph and Hope, and Liam and Grace, to go see the fountain. The oldest MacDonald
led them to it, and said, "Here you are, gentlemen; this is where Fiona's
babies got started, you might say." She was watching both men to see if
either was going to put their hand in it.
Liam folded his hands behind his back as
he looked at the beautiful statue of a nursing mother and her child.
"Lovely! But I'm not touching it. Who knows, after catching one of Endora's
wee ones at the Thanksgiving dinner, I might already be *richly blessed*,"
he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Both he and Monica were still getting a lot of teasing about that!
Ralph on the other hand, made as if to
scoop some water out and toss it in Hope's direction. Seeing his hand dip to the
water, she squealed and lifted up the heavy layers of her petticoats and skirt
as she raced away. Laughing, Ralph took off after her.
Grace sighed as she watched them go.
"Those two deserve each other, I think. She could do worse." Then she
looked at Liam standing there, and turned deep red again, looking at the ground
as she said, "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it to sound like I'm planning Hope's
wedding already. And Father Ralph is a fine man, really." She wondered if
she could go to Hell for speaking that way about a priest.
"He is," Liam agreed. "And
he is doing a good job of behaving himself around her. He told me he wants to
give her the time and space she needs to grow up a little before going any
further. But what about you, Grace? I heard you have a couple of suitors that
have been pursuing you. Is there a reason why you haven't allowed them to catch
you yet?"
She looked back at the ground, then at
the fountain, as she told him, "They're fine men, honestly, but....we're
getting along on what seems to be a friend level. I think they called it casual
dating. I know it sounds very selfish of me, but I don't want to commit myself
until I find....well, the man that will cause that special spark in my heart.
Like my parents had, and like Philip and Fiona have. Surely you've watched them
together, so you know what I mean." She felt she could be honest with Liam,
which was a relief. She could not
have been so open with the men back in her former home.
It just wasn't considered ladylike to speak her mind the way she did!
He nodded, offering her his arm as they
strolled away from the fountain. "That’s a good thing then," he
said. "But," he grinned at her, "don't you go missing out on
something that could grow into something beautiful simply because you felt an
obligation to make sure your sisters were taken care of first." From the
surprised look on Grace's face, he knew he had hit the nail on the head.
Clearing her throat softly, she told him,
"Well, I am the oldest, Liam; with Mother and Father both....lost to us,
it's my responsibility to see them settled with good men. I've prayed every
night for it, from the first night we got here."
Liam stopped and smiled. Illuminated
softly by the moonlight, the two of them could see Alec and Faith in each
other's arms by a fragrant lilac tree. "I do believe your prayers have been
answered," Liam whispered as he steered Grace away.
Grace felt happiness go through her on
seeing that Faith did indeed seem to be doing fine; then her smile faded
slightly, as she confided, "Now there's just Hope to worry about. There are
times I think that girl will never marry; she seems to enjoy the attentions of
the young men too much to even think of it."
Liam nodded. "But she is making
progress I hear," he said. Coming down the garden path towards them was the
sister in question, Ralph's arm around her shoulder and a grin on his face. Not
knowing they were being observed, Ralph stopped and after plucking a spray of
flowers from a nearby bush, he placed it into her hair. “Lovely,” he said
softly, and ever so gently, he leaned down and gave her a kiss.
This time it was Grace who pulled Liam
aside, without thinking, as she whispered, "I don't want them to see us!
Our Lord has truly answered my prayers for both my sisters!" They were
hiding behind a large oak, Grace still clutching his arm; when she saw that she
was holding him captive, in a way, she blushed again, and told him, "I'm so
sorry! You must think the worst things of me."
"No," he said. "I think
you are a good and loving woman, who cares deeply for the ones she loves. And
that the man you eventually pick will be a very lucky one indeed!"
They looked into each other's eyes for a
moment, before she looked down again, blushing as she said softly, "Thank
you; and, if you are of a mind to take up with a young woman, she will certainly
be lucky as well! You may not believe it, because I know you come from a later
time, but in my time it was hard to find a man that would let a woman speak her
mind."
Liam smiled. "Grace, I'm Irish. And
I'm a *lot* older than I look, so I've been around. Women from the Emerald Isle
have always been speaking their minds more oft' than not!"
A smile creased her face, and she said
before she could stop it, "That must be true; Fiona certainly does!",
laughing softly before clearing her throat and trying to look proper once again.
Liam laughed with her, and together, they
made their way back to Fiona's cottage.