He leaned over and kissed me lightly on the forehead, then tiptoed out of the darkened library. I lay in a daze. Had I been dreaming? Surely so. The thought of Aidan O’Hanlon picking me up and carrying me from the kitchen to the library was clearly absurd, but even more so was the notion of him holding my hand and kissing me on the forehead. What a fool I was. The shock of my memory of that awful night must have affected my reason. Still, I thought, it had been a lovely dream.

I must have dozed off. When I awoke it was dark. The rain and wind had stopped, and the silence was almost more unnerving than the storm had been. I got up and went into the hallway. At the top of the stairs, I met Aidan coming out of Lily’s room.

“Is she all right?” I whispered.

“She is safe, thanks to you. The question is, are you all right, Nora? You gave me quite a scare earlier.”

“I-I’m fine now, sir,” I whispered.

He turned on the light and grinned at me—the mischievous grin of a young boy.

“I think it’s time you let go of this ‘sir’ business,” he said. “Please call me Aidan. And, besides, when we get to Texas you will find that people are much more informal there. My friends would laugh their heads off if they heard you referring to me as ‘sir.’”

I swallowed hard. This could not be real. Heat flooded my cheeks. Surely this was a joke. Sensing my distress, he came close and took me by the shoulders.

“I know Texas is very far away, but think of it as an adventure, Nora. No need to cry about it.”

I looked straight into his eyes. “I-I thought you were joking with me,” I began. And then the words tumbled out. “I would like nothing more than to go to Texas with you and Lily, sir. Er, Aidan. Ever since Mr. Sullivan mentioned it, I have been reading about it, but I never thought I’d have the chance to see it. I-I assumed you would go alone with Lily, and . . .”

He smiled. “And why would I do that, silly girl? I can see how much Lily likes you, and you have been good for her. Before you arrived, she seldom seemed happy. Now she is a different child altogether. And,” his voice fell to a whisper, “I can see how much you care for her.”

I nodded. “Oh, I do. I would miss her something awful if I was separated from her.”