She turned and when she saw him, after a word with Herreo’s parents, ran back to him.
Isabelle leaped into his outstretched arms, and he spun her around and around. “I love you,” he shouted.
“And I love you.” She slid from him to stand as close as she could. “Could anything be more perfect? I promise I will come back as soon as they are settled in the hospital.”
“No one will bring you back, Isabelle. After what happened when you came, no one will take the risk. I will come with you. Esmé agrees with you that love is the key that will unlock the curse.”
“The healer? She told me that her mission in life is to see that you are cursed for eternity. How can you believe what she says?”
Sebastian took her hand and began to cross over to the big island. “Silly woman. You’re the one who taught me that you have to learn to trust.”
Epilogue
“I swear this island never changes.” Sebastian stood at the entrance to the castillo, his back to the door, and watched as the villagers returned to work after their very enthusiastic welcome.
“It never changes because that’s the way you want it.”
Sebastian conceded the point with a half nod. “There has to be one place where I am still the master.”
“The only place,” Isabelle reminded him.
“Admit it, dear wife, you don’t want to have computers in every cottage and generators polluting the air here any more than I do.”
“No, so I guess this is our escape from reality.”
“Or our return to it.”
They walked into the castillo to find the courtyard a beehive of activity. The usual welcome-h ome celebration was planned for the evening, and benches and tables filled the space.
Everyone stopped to welcome them back, to ask where the children were and promise a party “even better than the last one.”
“Where are the boys?” Sebastian asked their mother.
“I wish I knew,” Isabelle countered and began to walk back toward the entrance.
“Mom! Dad! We can’t wait to go to the beach.”
With a glance at Sebastian, Isabelle answered, “All right, but take an adult with you.”
Herreo popped up behind them, his shy smile a welcome that was always one of their favorites. “Am I adult enough, mistress?”
He was tall and strong and one of their dearest friends.
“Yes, Herreo, and thank you. Will we see your parents tonight?”
“Of course. Mistress Healer is coming too. Her newest nurse will be with her.”
There were times when Esmé did not come and times when she could not stay away. Isabelle was glad they would have a chance to see her.
“We can’t wait, Herreo,” the boys shouted. “We can’t wait to go to the beach.” They pulled on Herreo’s hand and were out the side door before anyone could say good-bye.
Sebastian turned to his wife. His dimples had deepened with age, his hair showed just a little gray and the smile lines around his eyes were more pronounced than ever. He often told her he felt wonderful for a man more than two hundred years old, and she assured him he looked wonderful too.
“I can’t wait either,” she said, pulling on his hand like a little girl.
“To go to the beach?” he asked, teasing her.
“No,” she answered, laughing. “If you will come with me, master, I’ll remind you why this is our own corner of paradise.”
Author’s Note
My original intent in using singing as a key part of the story was to include words from hymns I sing in church regularly. I thought that would illustrate that the message of love in the hymns has a meaning beyond their spiritual context.
When it became clear that using most of the hymns I chose would not be possible, I wrote my own words with the exception of the use of one line of the hymn “Be Not Afraid,” with permission of OCP, and words from the hymn “Hosea,” which are from the Bible and therefore not subject to copyright.
If you will take a moment to read the words of the hymns you sing, I know you will see, as I did, that many of them are about love. While the composer certainly had a spiritual view in mind, the meaning of the songs can be expanded to include the kind of love we encounter in dealing with people we are closest too, people we meet by chance and friends.
At the heart of “Lost in Paradise ” is my belief that love is why we are here, and accepting love can redeem even the most hardened of hearts. Isabelle convinces Sebastian to accept love and frees him from his curse. I hope that they will convince you.
Legacy by Ruth Ryan Langan
To those still searching for family.
And for Tom, the heart and soul of ours.
One
“Miss O’Mara?” The young man’s voice was thick with Irish brogue.
“Yes.” Aidan O’Mara watched him doff his cap.
“The car is waiting. Right this way. I’ll take your luggage.” His big hand clamped around the handle of her overnight bag, and he tucked it under his arm as though it were a toy. He shouldered his way through the crowd at Dublin Airport, slowing his pace whenever she fell behind.
“Here we are.” He helped her into the backseat of a vehicle the size of a small boat before stowing her bag.
As he started the car he glanced over his shoulder. “There’s a bottle of water if you’d like. We’ve a bit of a drive ahead of us.”
“Thank you.” Aidan watched the flow of traffic, the passing scenery, with the fascination of one who had never before been to Ireland. Not only was she out of her own country for the first time, but completely out of her element.
How was it possible that just a week ago she’d buried her mother and watched her whole world unravel? Yet here she was, an ocean away from all that was familiar, being transported in a vintage Rolls by a red-haired, freckled lad in a jaunty cap who looked like a model for a travel brochure, on her way to meet a perfect stranger who hinted of secrets from her family’s past.
She was so weary, both physically and emotionally. So much had happened to her in the past few days. Too much for her to take in. The steady flow of traffic, the moving river of humanity inching along the streets of Dublin became a blur.
Drained, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift back.
“Aidan. I’m sorry for your loss.” Father Davis handed the young woman a small wooden cross from her mother’s casket before turning away from the gravesite. He paused. “You know, of course, our church pantry can assist you with some meals until you’re back on your feet. If you need anything at all…”
“Thank you, Father. I’ll be fine.” She could feel the stares from those who were standing nearby, and could hear their whispered comments about her mother’s long illness and the drain on her finances.
She thanked the friends and neighbors who had come to offer their condolences, holding herself together by sheer force of will.
She experienced an odd sense of relief when she was finally alone. Dropping to her knees, she let out a long, deep sigh and looked at the headstones of her family members that surrounded her mother’s fresh grave. Thankfully her parents had bought the sites many years ago, in order to be buried near their own parents. If Aidan had been forced to buy a cemetery plot along with all the other funeral costs, she could never have afforded it.
These past months had been so hard. At first she’d been able to juggle her work at the bank and the care of her mother. As the illness progressed and things became more difficult, a neighbor suggested a private nursing facility. Aidan had looked into it, only to learn that the cost was more than she could manage. She spoke with her supervisor at work, hoping for a leave of absence, but that was denied. Ultimately forced to choose between quitting her job and putting her mother in a public facility, she’d stayed home and tended her mother to the end.