A Passion Most Pure (46 page)

Faith followed into the parlor and took a seat, a familiar peace settling in her soul. She knew it was inevitable Mrs. Gerson would want to know why she was here without her family. For the first time in many days, she allowed herself to focus on the pain of Ireland. With an edge in her voice, she relayed the whole agonizing sequence, from her engagement to Mitch until the moment she found him in Charity's arms. Other than Mitch, no one but Mrs. Gerson knew more about the hurt Faith suffered through the years at the hand of her sister. Now, Faith found herself spilling all the sordid details of the bitterness that had imprisoned her since Mitch's betrayal. As good as it felt to have wounded them at the time, it felt even better now to speak it out in the open. She needed to rail against God without condemnation, baring her wounds to another human being who would listen in love. Mrs. Gerson was as patient as Faith had known she would be, and when she finally finished, the old woman was beaming.

"Why do you look so happy, Mrs. Gerson?" Faith asked, her voice tinged with the same bitterness she'd just espoused.

"Do you know what I see, Faith?" Mrs. Gerson asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"No," Faith responded curtly, "what do you see?"

Mrs. Gerson smiled a broad smile. "I see a golden opportunity, my dear."

Faith stared at the old woman, and for the first time in her life, a hint of irritation rankled. "And what would that be, Mrs. Gerson?" Faith asked, her tone clipped.

The old woman's smile remained unwavering. "Why, an opportunity to put God's Word to the test, of course! A golden opportunity, my dear." Mrs. Gerson hovered on the edge of her seat, her face aglow with the same excitement Faith had once known herself.

"You've always encountered problems with your sister Charity as long as I've known you, and you were always faithful to return love for the pain she inflicted. But this ..." she said, stretching her hands out in front of her, "this, my dear, is the answer to your prayers. It's the way home, the resolution! You have an opportunity here to take the narrow path Jesus spoke about, and I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever, that you, Faith O'Connor, will choose life!"

Faith bristled, wondering if Mrs. Gerson had always spoken in riddles like this. What on earth was she rambling on about? "I'm afraid I don't understand your point."

Mrs. Gerson ignored her terse tone and smiled, picking up the Bible next to her chair. She held it aloft. Reluctantly, Faith reached for the book, surprised that her heart jumped as she touched its leather binding.

"Open it to Deuteronomy 30:15, please," Mrs. Gerson instructed.

Faith sat back in the chair and flipped through the pages of the book she'd read so often, up until a week ago. She found the passage and read it aloud.

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command thee this day to love Jehovah thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, that thou mayest live and multiply, and that Jehovah thy God may bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days in the land ..."

Faith's voice trailed off, and Mrs. Gerson lifted her face, her eyes glowing. "Read on, Faith, the next paragraph, please."

Faith rolled her eyes and puffed out a sigh.

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed ..."

Faith couldn't go on. Her voice balked as she slapped the book closed. "These are just words, Mrs. Gerson. I don't even know what they mean."

The old woman bent forward, teetering on the edge of her chair, her eyes shimmering with joy. "It means, my dear, that every moment of our lives we have the opportunity to reap blessings from the hand of Almighty God. It means you have a choice in your future, Faith, that every decision you make shapes the course of your life, whether there will be joy or sorrow, blessing or curse. He's begging you, Faith-he begs each of us-to choose life! Choose his way, the way of forgiveness and prayer. In the face of pain such as you've encountered, my dear, the choice is clear. You can choose to hate your sister and Mitch and hold on to your bitterness, or you can choose to forgive and be set free. If you choose hate, your heart will grow hard and cold as I suspect you've already seen, and you will be destroyed. God is very clear about that. But, if you choose life-his way and his precepts-you choose blessing, not only for your own life but for the life of your children after you."

Faith shook her head. "I can't forgive them; it's too hard."

Mrs. Gerson chuckled. "Skip up to verse 11, my dear."

Faith scowled as her fingers slapped through the pages once again. When she found the verse, she cleared her throat. "For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it."

Mrs. Gerson's face was rapt with excitement, and Faith's eyes blinked wide. She slumped in the chair and pushed the hair from her face, the Bible splayed in her lap. Could it really be that easy to reap the blessings of God? With all of the hurt and hate within her, was it really within her reach to forgive? It was not an impossible thing to do-God was saying it right there in his Word. It was not too difficult or beyond her reach. No, his Word, which commanded her to forgive and love, could be in her mouth if she spoke it, and then in her heart to perform it. It was simply a decision, a choice, one that God himself begged her to make. And all because he wanted to bless her.

Faith closed her eyes; she had no power whatsoever over the flow of tears streaking her face. Suddenly, it all seemed perfectly clear, as if blinders had fallen from her eyes and shackles from her heart. Crumpling to her knees she sobbed before the Lord, her heart broken with grief at the path she had chosen. It had enticed her, taken her down before she ever realized, and only now was she able to see the folly of her ways. She felt the warmth of Mrs. Gerson's palm on her head, stroking like the hand of God on the prodigal child. Faith moaned and grabbed the old woman's hand, pressing it against her tearstained face. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Gerson," she wept, her voice broken and rasped. "Please, God, forgive me and heal me."

She thought of Mitch, and pain seared her heart. She thought of Charity, and bitterness rose like bile in her throat. She shuddered. "No! I will forgive them, I will! Dear God, please help me to obey ... to forgive. It's your will I choose, not my own."

She lay there in the old woman's arms until the trembling stopped and peace filled her soul. She felt as if she had returned from the brink of death, shivering while Mrs. Gerson held her. When she could finally speak, she lifted swollen eyes to peer into the face of the woman who had never failed her, not unlike their God. "Mrs. Gerson, will you pray for me? Will you pray I never turn on him again?"

Mrs. Gerson smiled and gently touched Faith's cheek as she stared straight ahead. "My dear Faith, I've never stopped," she whispered.

A smile trembled on Faith's lips. Slowly, she rested her head in the old woman's lap once again, quite forgiven ... and quite ready for the peace that would follow.

Charity hadn't had this much fun since Collin. She studied the man across the table and decided if her sister ever spoiled her plan to become Mrs. Collin McGuire, she could be reasonably happy with someone as wonderful as Mitch Dennehy. Not that he entertained such thoughts, she suspected, judging from the dispassionate look on his face, but there were ways around his hesitation, she knew. And no one knew them better than Charity Katherine O'Connor. Smiling, she lifted the almost-empty glass of wine to her lips.

Mitch slid the bottle of wine out of her reach. "I think you've had enough," he remarked dryly, miffed he'd allowed her any at all.

Charity giggled. "It's my first, you know," she said with a grin, and he couldn't help but think he liked her this way, more the little girl than the vamp.

He reached for his wallet. "It's time to go home, young lady. Your mother will have my head."

Her eyes flitted closed. "I don't want to go home. I'm having way too much fun."

He signaled the waiter. "Hot coffee, please, and very strong." The waiter nodded and disappeared as Charity lounged against the booth. Tipsy as she was, he knew she was well aware of his gaze, and she made the most of it by stretching lazily, arms high above her head and seduction in her eyes. He shook his head and laughed.

A hint of fire sparked in her eyes as she opened them. She dropped her arms-and the act. "Why are you laughing?" she snapped.

His smile was patient. "Because you're such a little girl. You've got plenty of time for all of this, Charity. Why don't you just slow down?"

Her back squared, and for the first time, he saw the same Irish temper he'd seen in Faith. He grinned, despite the blistering look on her face.

"You didn't think I was a little girl when you kissed me," she said.

The smile froze on his lips. She thumped back against the booth, her arms rigidly crossed while the golden curls spilled down the front of that amazing blue dress.

His eyes smoldered as the waiter reappeared, setting the cups of coffee down. Mitch shoved a cup toward her, and the dark liquid sloshed into the saucer. "Drink it," he ordered, and she sulked as she grabbed the spoon to stir in the cream.

He brought his own cup to his lips and sipped while he watched her, then set it down again. He sloped forward to glare like a stern parent. "So help me, Charity, you tripped me up once; you can rest assured I'll do my level best to see it won't happen again. You are a handful, little girl, and one of these days it's going to get you into trouble way over your head."

Her eyes narrowed as she drank her coffee. "You know, Mitch, you can treat me like a child if you like, and you can even place yourself in the role of wise adult if it makes you feel any better. But the truth of the matter is, you wanted to kiss me. You know it, and I know it, and we're both well aware no child could have elicited that response."

Her smile was smug as his jaw slacked open. She picked up her cup to sip again, leveling her gaze. He snapped his mouth shut, and a muscle jerked in his cheek. He gulped his coffee and opened his wallet to pay the check, avoiding her eyes.

She took her time finishing, then stepped from behind the booth, never looking back as she calmly made her way toward the door. Mitch threw some money on the table and followed, completely aware of the stares she drew walking through the restaurant, shoulders back and head high. Outside, she waited for him with a frosty look on her face. "Will you give me a lift home?" she asked, her tone chilly.

He nodded and opened the door of the car, and she slipped in without so much as a thank-you. He pinched his lips together, afraid to risk any dialogue. She had a knack for turning things around on him, and he wasn't in the mood to give her the chance.

When he pulled up in front of Bridget's house, he left the engine running while he waited for her to get out, his jaw clamped tight. Despite the cool of the night, he was sweating. Not only because he'd sat in this same spot with Faith more times than he could remember, but because Charity made him downright nervous. In his book, she was only a kid of eighteen. Yet when it came to men, she was truly wise beyond her years, and he had already gone down that road one time too many. "Good night, Charity," he said, hoping the finality of his tone would tell her he wasn't interested.

"Good night, Mitch." She leaned over to kiss his lips. The shock of it caused his heart to stop as she balanced a hand on his leg.

He grabbed her wrist and jerked it back. "So help me, Charity-"

She lunged at him again, causing a surge of heat to roll over him. Blast it all, it wasn't fair, he moaned to himself. He pushed her away, his breathing too fast to suit him.

She fell hard against the seat, hair disheveled and defiance glowing in her eyes. "I know you're attracted to me, Mitch," she said, her voice tinged with anger and hurt.

He tunneled his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Whether I am or not is beside the point. You're too young, Charity."

"I'm only two years younger than Faith. Age didn't seem to be an issue with her."

Mitch sighed. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I'm not looking for what you're offering. Before Faith, I would have gladly accommodated you. But not now. Your sister taught me something I never would have believed possible. True passion-the kind that really satisfies-isn't cheap. It doesn't manipulate and coax for a moment's pleasure. Believe it or not, it's tied to real love ... and it always has God's blessing."

Tears welled in her eyes, and he sighed. He lifted her chin with his finger. "The truth is, Charity, yes, I am attracted to you. A man would have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not to be. But it's not enough. There's more out there than turning a head. And I'm really afraid if you don't find that out now, you're going to be one unhappy lady."

Charity sniffed and swiped a tear from her cheek. Mitch wiped another off with his hand. "Promise me you'll stop this. You're only going to end up getting hurt. Trust me, what you're selling, only the wrong guys will be buying."

For the first time, the facade appeared to be gone as she slumped in the seat, a sigh quivering from her lips. "I don't know how," she whispered. "This ... comes so easily for me."

He nodded. "With your looks, I don't wonder. But you need to straighten up. Get yourself right with God. It'll do wonders in finding the love you're looking for."