Hope Remains: A Hope Springs Fanfiction

Chapter 19

Finbarr found himself smiling more than he had ever smiled before when he was with Emma. She was like a light in his life, that even though he couldn't see it, he felt it with every fiber of his being. This was exactly what he had been missing all these years. While he wandered in darkness, his light had lingered just beyond the corner, waiting to take him out of the miserable darkness that had been his life.

And now that he had found his light, he never wanted to let it go.

"You play the penny whistle exceptionally well, Finbarr," Emma said as they strolled around the house. He knew the yard and fields of this house like the back of his hand, yet he didn't want to tell Emma that, otherwise she might've released his arm.

"Why, thank you, Miss Emma," he smiled. "I ought to teach you. That way you can play at ceílís alongside me."

"I don't know about the penny whistle," she laughed, and the sound alone created a warmth inside him, fanning the flame that had already existed for years. "But I do play the piano."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Really? I think I should have known that already."

"My father thought I needed a hobby other than reading. I do enjoy playing. Very much."

Although he tried not to sound too eager, he knew it was likely a hopeless case. "Will you play something for me?"

She paused, and for a moment, he thought she might refuse his request. But finally, she tightened her grip on his arm and steered him toward the house. "I'll indulge you, Finbarr O'Connor. But only if you sing with me."

"Sing?"

"It's only fair," she laughed, leading him inside. She took his hand and touched it to the surface of something smooth, like the wood of his cane. It was then that he realized it was a piano. He trailed his fingers along the large instrument, feeling the keys, touching the wood, and then he situated himself at the corner, resting his arms on the top as he smiled at her. It wasn't always easy to guess where her eyes were unless she was talking, but if he didn't look her in the eye, she didn't seem to mind.

"How about I just listen?" he suggested. "I've never heard you play or sing before. Besides, I'm not the best singer."

"Oh, hush," she said as she playfully swatted his arm, and he could hear the eye roll in her voice. "I've heard you sing plenty of times and you can put songbirds to shame. If I play, you will sing with me. That's the deal."

He smiled and shrugged, listening to the bench squeak as she sat down at the piano. He didn't have any qualms against singing with her just as long as no one else could hear them, and from the sound of it, he didn't hear anyone else in the house. At least as far as he could tell. Besides, his curiosity had him dying to hear her play.

"This should be a song you already know," Emma said softly. "Katie taught it to me. It's one from Ireland."

Her fingers began moving, starting with a slow, gentle melody. Finbarr recognized it immediately as Red is the Rose, though he had never heard it played on the piano before. A blush crept up his neck before he had a chance to stop it. This was a traditional love song from his homeland. Why had she picked it?

Emma began singing the first verse, and his mouth dropped open at the sound that came out of her mouth. It was the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. Feminine, mature, and it made him view Emma in a completely different light.

"Red is the rose that in yonder garden grows, Fair is the lily of the valley; Clear is the water that flows from the Boyne, But my love is fairer than any."