What Once Was True (Robinswood #1)

by Jean Grainger

more like her father’s side. Tall and well built, strong from all the manual labour, with copper-coloured hair that was neither curly like Kate’s nor shiny and straight like Aisling’s but just kind of wavy with a mind of its own. Her hazel eyes were set wide apart, and a sprinkling of freckles dusted her nose. She didn’t take the sun, unlike her sisters and mother, who in the summer were the colour of conkers. She felt so dowdy beside them and was sure that where looks were concerned, she’d really drawn the short straw. Aisling burst in the door. It was unusual for the three girls to be at home alone, but their mother had gone to settle Mrs Kenefick in for the night and Daddy was out looking for poachers. Someone was helping themselves to rabbits and pheasants off the estate, and he was determined to find out who it was. ‘Well, how was the big occasion?’ Kate delivered the last word in a high-pitched warble that had her sisters giggling. ‘Stop!’ Aisling took off her coat and hung it up behind the door. ‘She was grand. Not exactly welcome-to-the-family, but fine. Poor Sean was mortified, though, with her going on and on about how he was top of his class in school, and all the hurling medals he won, and how he was basically the best person for four counties. Poor fella nearly died. He kept trying to change the subject, but she’s determined, you’d have to give her that. I had to see his certificates and medals and everything. That house is like a shrine to him. He was disgrac...