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“Yes.”

Xavier looked over his shoulder to confirm their security detail was still nearby, attempting to blend into the neighborhood, which was hard enough, given their rural location.They were currently pretending to change a flat tire.

Annie’s hand slid toward the small of her back.Did she have a knife there?

“No,” Colum said, running his hand through his hair.“No, sorry, sorry.I’m just being daft.Er…” Colum glanced between Xavier and Annie.“Annie, you go first.”

“Well, chivalry is dead, I see,” she teased, turning and leading them the half dozen steps to the front door.

She raised her hand, but the door jerked open—fast enough that Xavier startled—before Annie could knock.

A small woman with short brown hair, wearing slacks and a tidy sweater with a tissue tucked in her sleeve, stood inside the door.Xavier looked behind her, expecting to see someone else, someone bigger, who could have opened the door with that much controlled force.

Nope, just her.

“Were you to be standing there all day?”She looked over the three of them, then stepped back.“Come on with ye.Inside.”

Xavier looked at Colum, who had a resigned expression stamped on his face.

Annie shot them a nervous glance over her shoulder before stepping inside.The entrance hall was dark and cool, and when Mary closed the door behind them, Xavier resisted the urge to shift closer to Annie.

Mary opened a door on her right, and light spilled in.They followed her into a small formal parlor.The large window had a view of the front garden, trees and shrubs blocking their view of the road.A small round table was draped with cream linen, a floral tea set sitting on a tray in the center.The dark wood chairs looked too delicate, and Xavier gingerly lowered himself onto one as Mary instructed them to hand over their coats.

She deposited those in the hall and then returned for the teapot.

“I was expecting ye a fair bit ago, so this’ll be cold.”

Xavier snuck a glance at his watch.They were ten minutes early for the agreed-upon time but apparently already late.

“Don’t go to any trouble,” Annie said with that sunny smile.“You don’t need to make us?—”

Annie cut off sharply, wincing.Colum must have pinched or kicked her under the table, and Xavier could see why.The small woman seemed to grow ten centimeters as she stared at Annie in outrage.

“You’ll be having a cup.”

It wasn’t a question.

Annie rallied.“A cup of tea would be lovely.”

Mary’s gaze snapped to Colum.“You’re Irish.”

“Aye,” he said warily.

“You’ll be helping me, then.If you’re one of those boys who thinks someone should be putting one in your hand rather than putting on the kettle yourself, you’ll be fair surprised in my house.”

“Normally I’m the one to make the tea,” Colum said as he rose.

Mary nodded in approval.“Good to meet a man with a bit of cop on.”She gestured to the tray with the tea service.Colum gingerly picked it up, following Mary through a different door than the one they’d entered through.

Slowly, Annie and Xavier turned to one another.

“I love her,” Annie breathed.“I want to be her when I grow up.”

Xavier snorted in amusement but didn’t admit that he’d only understood about half of what she’d said.Not that he didn’t know the words, he simply didn’t understand how she’d put them together.

Instead, he tipped his head to a stack of containers—a small black trunk, one wooden lidded box, and then two cardboard boxes heavily reinforced with tape.“Should we peek?”

Annie glanced warily at the door.“You go ahead.I’ll keep watch.”