“But she isn’t giving in to him. She is telling him that whether or not they have responsibility for what happened to you, providing you with a place to recover is the right thing to do. It is… ‘common decency.'”
“To her it would be. But Niall—”
“He says it would be too expensive to keep the troupe fed for the whole winter. She says that the cost is nothing to the Munroe fortune, and the charity performances in spring will more than make up for it.”
“Go on.”
“He tells her that she had no right to make such promises without consulting him, and she asks him what he’s so afraid of.”
“That will make him angry.”
“Yes. But she…” He lost his train of thought as he watched Athena, the proud lift of her head and the set of her shoulders. Niall ranted and bullied, but she did not buckle.
“You’re proud of her, aren’t you?” Caitlin asked.
Proud? He began to deny it, but the word rang true. Yes, he was proud. She had stood up to her brother not once, but twice—both times for the sake of people she hardly knew.
Would she do the same for herself alone?
“She says,” he continued, “that if he cares anything about you being able to walk or ride again—” He met Caitlin’s eyes. “She asks how much he is willing to do to make sure that what happened to her does not happen to you.”
Caitlin closed her eyes. “I never asked Athena what made her—”
“An accident. That is all I know.” He looked at Niall’s face. “Munroe is wavering.”
“Because she compared herself to me. I wonder… He is so protective. Maybe it’s more than just the duty of looking after a crippled sister.”
Her statement caught Morgan’s interest. Was there more to it? Was Niall’s vigilance driven by something other than brotherly devotion? When the opportunity arose, he would ask Athena…
No. He didn’t want more details of her life, poignant little facts that would work their way deeper into his heart. “Do you want to go to their ranch, Firefly?”
Caitlin shifted her body and winced. “I dread the thought of staying in bed for months.”
“It is not likely to be months, is it?” Morgan had learned soon after he joined the circus that Caitlin had an ability to heal almost as strong as his own.
“Niall doesn’t have to know how quickly I can be on my feet again.” She smiled slyly. “What about you?”
Morgan had deliberately avoided imagining what it would be like to stay at a snowbound ranch through a long winter, idle and restless, with Athena in reach. Had she thought of that? Had she even considered what would happen if she and Morgan were thrown together time and time again?
“If you go to the ranch,” he said, “I may not stay.”
“Because of Athena?”
“You will not need me anymore.”
“You are avoiding the obvious, Morgan. It’s Athena you are afraid of.”
“As you are ‘afraid’ of Munroe, Firefly?”
“Maybe I am.”
They fell silent. Morgan saw that the troupers, satisfied with Caitlin’s care, had dispersed. The doctor had left the tent; Ulysses and Harry stood talking a few feet away. The Munroes had finished their debate and Niall was pushing his sister’s chair in Harry’s direction. Nothing in either face suggested who had won the skirmish.
Miss Hockensmith chose that moment to return. She minced her way up to Munroe’s side and bent an apologetic smile upon Athena. Words were exchanged, with a certain coldness on Munroe’s part and a plaintive question by Miss Hockensmith.
“Please do go speak to Miss Hockensmith, Niall,” Athena said. “I would like to say good-bye to Mr. French.”
Niall’s expression was as stormy as an August sky. “Very well. I will come back for you in a few minutes.” He glanced at Caitlin and allowed Miss Hockensmith to lead him out of the tent.
Athena was already wheeling herself toward Caitlin and Morgan. Harry and Ulysses joined them—Harry, as usual, torn between worry and apology.
“Mr. French,” Athena said, holding out her hands to him as if the past hour had been perfectly pleasant and unremarkable. “I must go now. The children have had a rather exciting day, and I wish to make sure that they return to the orphanage in good order.”