Poppy woke the children up early to say goodbye to Isaac. They all hugged him, and Poppy gave him a chaste kiss before sending him off with shouts of, 'be careful' and 'come home soon'.

She didn't wake Siobhan, who was upset that Isaac had left without telling her he was going.

The following week was as normal as most. The only difference was that Isaac wasn't there, and she realized how much she had missed him. He called her phone at exactly eight o'clock every evening, which was four o'clock for him in Chile.

On Wednesday, he told them he would be there longer than he had thought but wasn't sure about a return date. The devastation was worse than reported, and things were rough. Every pair of hands were needed. They were all disappointed but understood.

On Friday, Poppy dropped the kids off at school and went to the little cottage she rented in the village. She had one more month on the lease, so she still had a few things there. Since Siobhan was at the castle for the tour and she now knew Poppy's hiding place, Poppy decided to use the little garden to draw. It was chilly, but talking to everyone walking by was fun. They all raved about the party and told her how much fun they had had.

There were a few jokes about Isaac kicking her out because of the mess they had made of his castle, but Poppy assured him that she had one month left on the lease and was just checking up on the place.

The sun was shining, and she didn't have to pick the children up until that afternoon, so she had all day. At lunch, she wandered down to the pub and had a sandwich, enjoying the visit. On her way back to the cottage after lunch, Morgan Brown popped up in her path, blocking her way.

"What are you doing here!" she demanded, walking past him. How dare he show back up and approach her.

"I'm just visiting," he said as he threw his arm over her shoulder in a casual way, pulling her close and causing her to fall off balance. She was forced to put her hand on his arm to avoid falling. Poppy felt her anger rising.

"Let me go!" she hisses as she squirmed from under his arm, stomping on his foot to let him know that she meant business.

"Look. I'm sorry," he said, blocking her way and leaning down in front of her, lifting her chin up with his finger. The look he gave her was all remorse, but Poppy didn't believe it for a minute.

She swatted his hand away and pushed past him, hurrying to the cottage. The best thing she could do was put some distance between them. When he followed her, she was angry, but there was also a touch of fear. There was something different with him this time. She didn't think he would be so easy to fight off this time.

"What's the rush!" he called after her, catching up with her quickly.

As she pushed through the gate, he was right behind her. Letting the gate slam behind him, and the sound was ominous.

"GO AWAY!" she yelled as she turned to face him, hoping someone would hear her.

He backed her up against a tree and placed one hand to the side of her head. "And if I refuse to go?" He looked down at her and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear just as he had the last time he had cornered her, but his look was full of such hate and anger that it made Poppy start shaking in fear. She wouldn't be able to surprise him this time.

Poppy took the only move open to her with her back against a tree, brought her knee up, and caught him in the groin. He doubled over, and she got away for a moment, but by the time she had passed him, she was pushing into the cottage door. Morgan didn't wait for her to get inside. Instead, he grabbed her by the hair and threw her down to the ground, where she hit her head against a rock, and her world started to spin.

"Why are all the pretty girls such teases?" he asked before he kicked her in the stomach. Poppy curled into herself, unable to breath or see a way out of the situation. She was afraid for her life, and she thought of her cousin Mave for a moment, wondering if this was what it had been like for her.

Morgan had the upper hand, and she took a few more blows to her back and legs before he was hauled away.

Poppy's world was spinning from the hit to the head and the pain she was in, but she heard a few muffled curses and dull thuds before she was picked up and put into a car.

Someone called Boyd and Siobhan, and Siobhan came to the hospital to sit with her. Boyd had to wrap up the tours and get the children, so she offered her time.

Poppy wished she could think it was from the kindness of her heart, but she didn't believe it. Siobhan waited in her hospital room alone while they ran all the necessary tests, which determined Poppy had a probable concussion, internal bleeding, and broken ribs.

When she returned to the room hours later, Siobhan was gone, so she reached for her phone; she was disappointed when she saw that Isaac had called but also noted that the call had been answered. She tried to call him back, but he didn't answer, and all Poppy could do was hope that Siobhan had explained everything.

They wanted to keep her for one night, maybe two because they thought she might also have some internal bleeding, but they couldn't be sure. Poppy talked with Boyd and told him to keep the kids home. She didn't want them to know that she was in the hospital.

They decided to tell them that she had a family emergency and had to go to London for a day or two.

It was a long night, and the hospital stay was boring. She wanted to be home, but it helped when Sally visited the next morning on her way to work, and she brought her some drawing supplies.

Word had gotten out about the attack, and the town had all sent their best wishes.

"Wow, you look terrible," Sally said as she sat in the chair beside the bed. "When are they going to let you out?"

"They said they'll keep me at least another day." Poppy shook her head, worried about Issac, Peter, Mary, and Boyd. "I still don't know why Morgan Brown showed up. I've been thinking about it, but the only thing I can come up with was his ego was hurt when I beat him up, and he wanted to get even."

"You can never figure men like that out." Sally shook her head as a pained look crossed her face.

"You're lucky you have Isaac. He is such a good man."

Poppy realized this was her chance and took it, no matter how uncomfortable. "I'm surprised you think so." She watched Sally's reaction to her comment.

"Who said what," Sally asked softly, standing and walking to the window to look at the parking lot below.

"Siobhan told me that Isaac got your sister pregnant and then killed her in a car accident, and the judge told him he had to join the army," Poppy said quickly and softly. It was such an uncomfortable conversation.

"This is the same woman who brought Morgan Brown into your life, isn't it?" Sally turned to face her.

"Are you saying she's lying?" Poppy asked with a frown. "Isaac heard her telling me the story, and he didn't correct her."

"He wouldn't." Sally shook her head as tears started.

"Oh, Sally! I shouldn't have asked! I don't want to upset you. Let's just forget the entire thing."

"No, I can't do that. As Isaac's wife, you deserve to know the truth, and he won't tell you out of loyalty." Sally sat in the chair and took a deep breath. "I don't know which story Siobhan heard. Maybe all of them or maybe one or two, and she picked the one she thought would hurt you most, but the one she told you was not true."

"Bonnie was beautiful. She was a year younger than Isaac, and they were best friends from the moment they met in school. Bonnie was so innocent and sweet that she tended to get herself in trouble, and Isaac was always there to get her out. He loved her, but I don't think he was in love with her." Sally frowned as she thought back. "We had a stepfather who was not a nice man. He only liked to hit me, but he took a liking to Bonnie." Her voice broke, and she looked at Poppy to ensure she understood, so Poppy nodded.

"Because of his interest, Bonnie got pregnant. Of course, he said everything you would expect him to say. Bonnie was loose, a whore, sleeping around, anything to keep my mother off the scent. Bonnie knew that an abortion wasn't an option because she was a very religious person like our mother. I was so angry that I went after my stepfather in anger, and he put me in here."

Sally stood and walked around a little before she sat again, and Poppy waited patiently, knowing that she was reliving the entire experience all over again.

"Isaac came to see me. He hadn't known what was happening at home, and I was so desperate and worried about Bonnie that I told him everything." Sally crossed his arms. "I never saw Bonnie again. When I got out of here, she was gone." Sally perched on the edge of her seat and leaned forward. "I thought she would come out alright. The same religion that kept her from getting an abortion would keep her from doing anything drastic, like taking her own life, but in the end, that was exactly what she did. Whether it was on purpose or not, I don't know. Afterward, Isaac told me that he got her to agree to say that the baby was his and to marry him, but then she changed her mind and they fought. Bonnie told him that she had ruined my life and her life, and she wouldn't ruin Isaac's, too. Then she stole his car and drove away. Isaac went after her with Boyd, but it was too late, and by the time they caught up, Bonnie was dead. She had run Isaac's car off the road and flipped it. It threw her from the car, and Isaac found her at the bottom of a steep hill. They never could determine if it was the accident or the fall down the hill that killed her and the baby."

Sally was silent for a moment, and Poppy's mind raced. That Isaac was willing to do that for Bonnie didn't surprise her. Isaac was extremely loyal. It also explained why he had an interest in search and rescue. She wondered if he blamed himself. If he believed that if he had arrived more quickly, he could have saved her.

"In the end, Isaac said he had been driving and that the accident was his fault. I don't doubt that he thinks it was for letting Bonnie take his car. He also claimed the baby when it came out that she was pregnant. Most people who knew him and Bonnie knew it wasn't true, but there were plenty of old cronies in the village who judged him harshly, so he left to make it easier on his uncle and sister."

Sally took a cleansing breath. "He gave Bonnie and the baby dignity, and they were buried in the church cemetery."

Sally stayed for a few more minutes, leaving her with a sad smile.

Poppy had nothing to do but think. If she hadn't already been in love with Isaac, she would be after that story. What would it be like to have his love, to have all of him? Had he ever been in love?

The day was long but made better because she could draw. Boyd came to see her that afternoon before he had to pick up Mary and Peter. He told her that Siobhan was staying to help with the children and that she had told Isaac to call her since she would be with the children and not Poppy.

"What aren't you telling me, Boyd?" Poppy asked.

"I don't know he admitted. On the surface, she's being super helpful, but I can't help but think that she's up to something. I just can't put my finger on it." He shook his head.

"I know. I feel the same." Poppy admitted. "What happened with Morgan Brown."

Boyd gave a mean smile that changed him completely. "The boys in the village took care of him. I'm only sorry I wasn't there to help, and I know Isaac will be too."

"Don't tell him, at least not until he's home. He has enough on his plate, and I don't want him to worry." Poppy begged, and Boyd frowned.

"I think we should," he disagreed.

"No, I don't want him rushing home. I'm fine, and I don't want him distracted." Poppy was insistent. She didn't know if he would consider her being in the hospital worth rushing home for, and part of her was afraid to find out.

"Fine, we'll do it your way," he agreed reluctantly.

Poppy nodded. She had until tomorrow to work out what Siobhan was up to. She only hoped she could catch on to what it was before Siobhan did too much damage. She was also sorry that she wouldn't get to talk with Isaac that evening. She would love nothing more than to hear his voice.