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"Anne?" His voice was laced with concern

"Sorry Having a moment of inconvenient self-revelation"

Murphy se, she would have to as well

"No, I couldn’t swim Would have made it much harder for Liaer at the -dead stepfather "You told me he killed you, but you never told me why"

"Clearly he didn’t like lib reply wouldn’t satisfy hier, she’d been able to distract Murphy froer a young immortal He watched her with calm expectation

"Liam O’Dea married my mother when I was a child, but he never liked me Barely liked his own children when rew, the more he hated me"

"But you kept his name?"

"It was my father’s na, strong, jovial man everyone loved" Anne forced a smile to her face "Nobody much loved Liam"

"Do you look like your father?"

She nodded "Everyone mourned Da when his boat was lost, especially my mother She never truly recovered Sheand pretty and that omen did then"

"And she had er brothers and sisters" This hy she didn’t speak of the past The pain in her chest was excruciating "My est was only a few months old Severe postpartum depression, I believe Or an accident? She loved the sea, but she couldn’t swi skirts then…" Anne shook her head "I was nearing twenty, , and desperate to leave Liam’s house, but no one wanted me"

"I find that inconceivable," Murphy said "You’re intelligent A beautiful woman You’ve always been a hard worker--"

"But I was very desperate and very ada four children with me" Her sgested strongly that I marry him And not even the priest objected I knew… I tried to run away That did not go well"

She let her silence speak Anne felt wrung out

Inconvenient self-revelation, indeed

"I’d finish hirowled

"No need," Anne said blithely "Father took care of hi us for soht he was a tras and wandered down at the shore by our cottage at night"

"Do you think he loved her?"

"In a way" She couldn’t stop the smile "She was a very delicate woman She inspired that instinct in men"