Song of the Spirits by Sarah Lark Read Free Book Online Page B

real name. Oh yes, there was another name mentioned in connection with the matter. Something about a John Morley.”
    Ruben smiled. “Then it’s surely nonsense. John Morley of Blackburn is the chief secretary for Ireland. He resides in Dublin, and he supports home rule. That means he’s on the side of the Irish. It would certainly not be in the interests of the Land League to kill him.”
    Fleurette began to fill the plates. “Like I said, the Chesfields did not express themselves very clearly on the subject,” she said. “It could very well be that there’s nothing to the story. Only one thing is clear: William Martyn is now here and not in his beloved Ireland, which is strange for a patriot. When they emigrate of their own volition, it’s usually to America, where they meet like-minded people. An Irish activist in the gold mines of Queenstown strikes me as rather strange.”
    “But not sinister,” Elaine declared fervently. “Maybe he wants to find gold to buy the land from his father and—”
    “Very likely,” Georgie said. “Why doesn’t he just buy all of Ireland from the Queen?”
    “We should, in any event, see the young man for ourselves,” Ruben said, bringing the subject to a close. “If he’s really to go walking with you”—he winked at Elaine, whose breath nearly caught at the prospect—“and that’s an intention he’s voiced, a little bird told me, you might invite him to dinner. There, and now on to you, Georgie. What did I hear this morning from Miss Carpenter about your math work?”
    Her brother turned to find out what exactly he had heard from Miss Carpenter. Meanwhile, Elaine was so excited that she could hardly eat anything. William Martyn was interested in her! He wanted to go on a walk with her! Maybe even go dancing. Or even to church. Oh, this was marvelous. Everyone would see that she, Elaine O’Keefe, was a sought-after young lady who had managed to catch the eye of the only British gentleman to ever wander into Queenstown. The other girls would burst with envy. And her cousin most of all. This Kura-maro-tini whose beauty everyone spoke of endlessly. And whose visit to Queenstown hid some dark secret that definitely had something to do with a man. What others sorts of dark secrets were there, after all?
    Elaine could hardly wait for William to ask her to go walking. And she wondered where he would take her.

    Elaine finally did go for a walk with William—after he had artfully asked her if she would not mind showing him around town once. Elaine knew he didn’t need to be shown around. After all, Queenstown still consisted only of Main Street; and the barbershop, the smithy, the post office, and the general store did not really require further explanation. Daphne’s Hotel presented some excitement, but Elaine and William would naturally make a wide detour around that establishment. In the end, Elaine decided to extend the term “town” a bit and lead her romantic interest down the riverside promenade to the lake.
    “Though it may not seem all that big because of the surrounding mountains, Lake Wakatipu is gigantic. It covers one hundred and fifty square miles, and it is continually in motion. The water is constantly rising and falling. The Maori say it’s the heartbeat of a giant who sleeps at the bottom of the lake. But obviously, that’s just a myth. The Maori have a lot of fairy tales like that, you see.”
    William smiled. “My country also has a wealth of stories. About fairies and sea lions that take human form at the full moon.”
    Elaine nodded excitedly. “Yes, I know. I have a book of Irish fairy tales. And I named my horse after a fey: Banshee. Would you like to meet Banshee sometime? She’s a cob. My other grandmother brought Banshee’s ancestors over from Wales.”
    Though William pretended to listen to her intently, he was not especially interested in horses. Banshee would not have mattered any more to him if Gwyneira McKenzie had imported the