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Liam soon discovered he was right; when he returned home, Iseult was in a fiery mood. "Your stupid grandmother has decided to go headhunting," she said angrily, eyes blazing as she yanked weeds out with a fury that suggested she wanted very much to rip Nora's hair out. "She came here in a temper, demanding I hand over the name of the doctor who 'betrayed' her. I told her to kick rocks and get lost, and Patrick threw her out on her arse when she refused to go. He called the cops, and once they learned she wasn't meant to be in spitting distance of the place, they tossed her arse in jail for breaching the temporary restraining order." She sat back on her heels with a sigh, brushing hair out of her face with the back of her hand. Her arthritis was giving her hell, but she refused to let it beat her for once. "Now Leah's breathing fire, but she's got the good sense to stay away, seeing as how she doesn't want to follow her sister's example. The good news is, your first cousin once removed has been, well, removed from Leah's home, and he's currently in the care of some relatives who are a little less crazy than Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber."
Liam let out a sigh. "Thank god," he said. "D'you think this might give Niamh a chance to get her son back?"
"God knows," Iseult admitted, "but for the moment, your grandmother and great-aunt are out of our hair. Let's pray it becomes permanent."
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Two weeks later, Nora was charged with a raft of charges, including sexual assault of a minor, and Liam all but collapsed in relief as she was sentenced to a hefty stint in jail. Leah didn't escape justice either, and she joined her sister in prison - figuratively speaking, since it was determined the sisters were better off as far away from each other as possible. So Leah was sent to a prison on the opposite side of the country, and Liam thanked the judge afterwards. "You've taken a great load off my mind, Your Honour," he said.
The judge sighed. "I've got a history of sexual assault in my family," he said grimly. "So when you brought up the assault of your first cousin once removed, it brought back some very painful memories. Which is why I decided to have the matter pursued. And sadly, young Daniel isn't the first minor to suffer so. I can't name further names, but those two women will be a very long time seeing the light of day, if ever."
"Let's hope it's 'if ever'," Liam said fervently.
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A week later, the "if ever" never happened; Leah and Nora were found dead in their cells hours apart. Autopsies were carried out, and it was concluded they'd died by hanging. Kate was horrified, but relieved. "Good riddance," she said, shaking her head. She and Liam had begun a tentative relationship, and while there was still a very long way to go, Iseult had determined that Liam was safe with his birth mother for the time being. "I'm rather shaken they decided to take their own lives," she added, "but now we don't have to worry about them getting out of jail and trying again." She sighed. "I'll be honest. I did want to see you, very much, and I wanted you to see me on my own merits. But Mam insisted she come along, and I was still very much keen for her approval. Hence why it all went pear-shaped that day. I don't expect you to forgive me, for a lot of the mess was my own bitterness as well. But I had no right to take it out on you, or anyone, and if I had that time again, I'd hand you to Iseult the moment you were born. She's done a wonderful job of raising you, and I'm glad it was her who had that task and no one else."
"I'm sure she'll thank you most kindly," Liam said, and Kate laughed. She and Iseult were on speaking terms, but that was it, and Iseult had point-blank stated that, as glad as she was that Kate had seen the light, there were too many painful memories. Patrick had agreed, adding that the two women weren't in a good enough place for a face to face meeting, and Kate had accepted the terms, knowing a lot of the trouble had been her own fault. 65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49ZHwaPttR
"Knowing your mam, she'll probably frame it in a less than polite way," she said. "But I don't blame her in the slightest." She sighed. "I do wish I'd had the chance to get to know you growing up," she said. "But fate and circumstances weren't kind enough to give me the chance, and personally, I don't think I want to go through that again."
"You could always adopt," Liam suggested.
Kate shook her head. "I don't think I'd be allowed, and given my history, that's probably for the best." She rose and kissed the top of her son's head. "But do me one favour," she said, pulling out her purse. "When you're blessed with a child of your own, I'd like to meet them. Not for any nefarious purposes, but just so I can hold a baby in my arms again, without fearing I'm going to lose them through my own stupidity."
"I will," Liam promised. "Niamh is already talking about finding a flat of her own, and I might join her. I won't ever be a squidder, and it seems Calum and Aoife might be expecting a new squidder to join the ranks."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "Well, it seems like you've grown up," she said, smiling. "I'm very pleased to hear that. But do us both a favour, and don't mention any of this to your mam. She tolerates me, but if she ever found out I wanted to see my future grandchild, she'd raise the roof!"
Liam sighed. He was a bit hurt by Iseult's refusal to see the inherent good in Kate, but there was no changing the past. And he knew Kate was hurt as well by Iseult's refusal to at least try and bury the hatchet. "She would," he agreed. "Don't worry. I hate keeping secrets from me mam, but this is one secret I don't mind keeping."
Kate gave him another kiss. "You've inherited at least some of my brains," she admitted. "Maybe your mam will come around, and maybe she won't. But if it's worth anything, I promise I won't do anything nefarious towards you, Niamh or your unborn child. I've learned the hard way, and I don't intend to let lightning strike twice."
But as she paid and left, Liam was left with an uneasy feeling in his gut. He didn't thin it had anything to do with her, but with Iseult, and as he too paid and departed, he knew she was going to do something stupid to keep him from branching out and making his own path in the world.
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