JOE WROTE TO her every day, letter after letter, some days including a few lines of his poetry. When Grace read the words of ‘New Love’, a poem he had written about her and their love for each other, she felt exhilarated and giddy with happiness, for she knew that Joe truly loved her.
Their engagement had been published in Irish Life magazine a few days before Valentine’s Day, so now the whole world knew that she and Joe were to be wed. Furious, Mother refused to speak to her, she was so angry and annoyed with her. So Grace divided her time between visiting Joe at Larkfield and staying at Muriel’s.
Joe was still unwell and Grace worried that Mother’s suspicions that he had TB might be true, but he stated resolutely that the doctor had said that it was not consumption and that soon he would be his old self again.
Joe was always busy, searching for books or writing. She could not help but see that the dining table at Larkfield was covered with maps and plans of the city and of train and tram lines; there were also scrawled lists of numbers and names. He was clearly involved in some kind of planning or strategy for the Volunteers.
Nellie had certainly found the perfect man to assist Joe not only with the Plunkett financial affairs but with the Volunteers: Mick Collins was at his side constantly, totting up and working out figures too. He and Joe had already established an easy, close friendship and Mick helped with training the ‘Liverpool Lambs’, as the growing number of men staying at Larkfield were known. Sometimes Grace watched from the window as he took a few men out to the shooting range for target practice.
One day when she arrived, Mick Collins got up from his pile of bills and ledgers and offered her some tea from the pot in the kitchen. Sturdily built and handsome, Grace suspected that many young women would lose their hearts to him.
‘You are proving a great help to Joe,’ she said gratefully.
‘I’m glad to be useful to Joe and the family,’ he replied, his blue eyes sincere as he passed her the milk jug before discreetly disappearing off to another room with his ledgers to let them have time on their own.
Joe’s health rallied and they went to a concert. Another night they went to dinner in Jammet’s restaurant, where they were given a warm welcome by the head waiter, who led them to one of the romantic corner tables in the restaurant.
Over the meal they discussed their wedding plans and the future. Joe was keen for them to get married around Easter time, as they hated being apart from each other and longed to be together. He felt a wedding during Lent would be best.
‘We cannot marry then,’ Grace protested. ‘Lent is not the proper time to hold a church ceremony. Why don’t we marry at Easter instead? I’ve always liked Easter.’
‘We may be running a revolution then,’ he answered cryptically, his dark eyes serious as he watched for her reaction. ‘But if we are married, we can go into it together.’
Grace did not know what to say … A revolution. She thought immediately of the maps and diagrams scattered about his room and all over the dining table at Larkfield.
Joe refused to be drawn any further and Grace tried to push her fears aside, for she had no idea of military matters. Besides, it might never happen.
‘Joe, all I want is for us to be married,’ she said quietly, meeting his gaze.
‘Then as you say, my love, we will arrange to marry at Easter,’ he agreed. ‘It will be a double family wedding with my sister and Tommy Dillon.’
‘That sounds absolutely wonderful,’ she sighed, relieved, folding her fingers in his.
‘That way if your family do not attend at least there will be plenty of us Plunketts,’ he teased.
Although Joe and his sister were very close, Grace felt Geraldine would certainly not be pleased with the idea of such a wedding. She looked down on Grace because she was not academic and considered talk of science and political matters tedious. Grace’s passion was reserved for the colourful world of art and theatre and writing.
She knew that people often considered her aloof and rather arrogant – too independent and carefree – but with Joe it was different … she was different. For Joe Plunkett knew her heart and soul with no pretences. Neither of them was perfect, but they loved each other dearly and were committed to one another … and in only a few short weeks she would be his wife.