Hope Remains: A Hope Springs Fanfiction

Chapter 16

"A body's bound to be a dreamer, when all the things he loves are far away," Emma sang The Isle of Inisfree softly, stretching up on her tiptoes to adjust the clothespin she had just put in place. Laundry day had to be her least favorite of the week, and music kept her mind occupied while she worked. At this moment, she wished she could sit down at the piano and play until her fingers ached. It might help her sort out the tangles of emotion she felt.

She turned over her time yesterday with Finbarr again and again. He had made her laugh, so like the Finbarr she remembered.

"The foot ways here with gold dust, I still would choose my Isle of Inisfree."

Applause startled her as she finished the song and she turned to find Peter, making his way through the maze of clothing she had hung.

"That was quite good, Emma, you have a beautiful voice."

She blushed at his compliment as he stepped closer to her.

"Thank you, but I actually prefer playing the piano to singing," she smiled. "I started learning so I could play duets with Katie and found that I loved it."

"I should like to hear it sometime," he nodded as she hefted the basket of dry laundry into her arms. "Would you like me to carry that?"

Gratefully relinquishing the basket, she picked up the extra clothespins. "Thank you. There aren't very many chores I truly detest, but laundry is one of them."

"I confess I have a housekeeper who does all of those things for me," he chuckled as they walked toward the house. "So I have no idea about the travails of laundry."

She laughed, a smile spreading from ear to ear. Heavens, she liked it when he joked with her.

"It's a most trying chore I can assure you. Finbarr never minded it though, something I don't quite understand to this day."

An awkward silence descended between them, making her stomach clench uncomfortably. Why did she feel guilty for mentioning the man who, for all intents and purposes, was Peter's rival for her affection?

"What brings you here today?" she asked, hoping to distract from the awkwardness she'd caused.

"I came to speak to your parents about their will," he replied, clearly making a valiant effort to appear unaffected by what she had said. "And then I was hoping to ask a certain lovely young lady to take a walk with me down by the river."

She looked theatrically over her shoulder before looking back at Peter in mock surprise. "You mean me?"

"I certainly don't mean your little sister," he said, his solemnity quite ruined by the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "She is sweet, but she is rather young for me, don't you think?"

Putting on an overdone look of pondering, she shrugged. "Eleven years isn't too much difference, but I don't think she would enjoy your company as much as I would."

"Meaning I'm boring?" He tipped her a wink, but she shook her head with a giggle.

"Meaning that Ivy has a short attention span and she fancies Aidan O'Connor."

Peter nodded solemnly. "Well, that's terribly convenient for me because I rather fancy you."

Emma laughed as they stepped onto the porch. She held the door open and Peter stepped into the kitchen, setting the basket of laundry on the kitchen table.

"Well, a fine good day to you, Peter Kent," Katie greeted him with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron so she could shake Peter's hand. "Would you like something to eat while we wait for Joseph? He should be in shortly, he said he just needed to finish mucking out the cow's stall."