“Cemetery! How refined. We call them graveyards. The dead decay in a grave. No sense in sugar coatin’ it. You Yanks!” Declan laughed and shook his head.
Lili’s face sank. She stood up and poked a piece of wood in the fire with a long thick stick that rested against the grate.
Coleman shot a dirty glance toward Declan. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Like back at, All Hallows?”
“Classes don’t resume for another week,” Declan said. “Aw, Jaysus…don’t tell me I’ve offended ya? I’m just trying to help you describe your dream with Irish wit.
Lili quickly turned around. “No, I’m not offended. But you did make me feel like an outsider for a second,” she gazed into the fire in deep thought.
“I’ve offended ya, then.”
“I am an outsider!” Lili laughed.
“What makes you feel like an outsider, Lil?” Coleman asked.
“Because I don’t have roots here like you do.”
Coleman moved toward Lili by the fire. “You’re a part of everything, Lil. I’d say that makes you pretty damn…”
“Ugh!” Lili pressed her face into his chest.
“What now?” Declan asked.
“I was about to give the woman a compliment. It’s not easy.” Coleman said.
“I don’t have roots here,” Lili said. “I initially described the dream as taking place in a different century because I’m not from here so it didn’t look familiar to me. What do I know about graveyards in Ireland? She is walking in a graveyard, just like Declan said, not a cemetery. A graveyard has a church on the property, right? That’s the difference. This isn’t a saint or an ascended master trying to reach me from centuries ago. This is someone who is still alive. She’s here in Ireland.”
“Didn’t you start having these dreams in New York?” Declan asked, his interest peaked.
“Yes.”
Declan looked at his mother when he said, “That’s extraordinary.”
“Why?” Lili asked.
“Dreams are full of metaphorical associations, this we know, but for someone to connect with you at such a distance is incredible.”
“I don’t know what to say about that,” Lili said.
“Well, I do,” Declan continued, “…she knows you. That’s my theory, anyway.”
“We won’t solve this mystery tonight so do you mind if I change the subject?” Anne interjected.
“Please do,” Lili begged.
“What have you decided about the wedding?”
“All I need is the brownstone here and I can get married alongside the sheep for all I care,” Lili laughed.
“So you have no preference about the menu or location?”
“No, I don’t. I gave up on marriage a while ago so I don’t have a notebook full of dreams and ideas.”
“I think Ballymurrough will be the best setting for you,” Anne said.
“I understand you want to keep it simple but the Kavanagh family is a large clan.” Paddy entered the room and sat down. “We can just invite the adults and have a wonderful celebration at Ballymurrough. Would you agree to that?”
Coleman sat down by Lili and she slipped her hand into his. “That sounds lovely,” she said.
Lili rested her head on his shoulder and thought about where she was sitting and who she had become. This was happiness. Lili was beginning to feel like she really belonged in Ireland.
“Good, because the brownstone starts arriving next week and we move into Ballymurrough tomorrow.”
She lifted her head off his shoulder. “How did you manage that so quickly?”
“Quickly? I’ve been planning this for years. I just needed you to show up,” he tapped her nose. Coleman released a deep chuckle and scratched the scruff of a beard on his face. “James, Keith and Katherine insisted on traveling with Liam and your brother. So, it makes sense to get married while they are all here, don’t ya think?”
“It’s perfect. What can I do to help?”
“When Ballymurrough entertains we use invitations with the estate name in calligraphy which are sealed with the Kavanagh family crest. All I need is a date and I’ll send those out immediately. Here is a copy of the menu,” Anne pulled a sheet of paper off of a clipboard she had on a table beside her. “Here is the guest list. Please make sure I haven’t forgotten anyone.”
Lili was surprised not only to see the brownstone on the list but her friends from Sri Lanka and Mr. McCarthy, the caretaker of the bed and breakfast back in Tully, New York.
“I doubt Jack and Skye Adair will be able to make it from Australia with this short notice. And I don’t think Nayaba and Isaiah will be able to make it either. However, I would like to text Neal to see what date suits him and his grandfather, Chief Taddahua.” Lili pulled out her phone from her sweater pocket and began texting.
“The only thing you need to do is pick out your wedding dress.”
“Oh, that won’t be a problem.”
“Why, because your Aunt is a famous designer?” Finnegan smirked.
Lili laughed, “Aunt Emmeline starting making my wedding dress when I was 15 years old. I’m sure it’s almost finished!”
Their laughter lingered for a minute.
“What about the wedding party?” Finn asked.
“I’m sure you want me to be your best man?” Declan stood up with a proud look and smoothed his hair.
“Ya know my best man is going to be Liam, ya copper knob.”
“What about you, Lil? Care for a handsome ginger on your side?” Declan winked at her.
“Uh, sorry, Declan, my attendants consist of three warriors; Keith, Katherine and James.”
Coleman showed them several videos of Lili dancing and told the story of Keith calling Lili out in the pub, Shakespearean style. Then he told them how Lili transformed Liam’s pub by offering French cuisine in the Abigail room.
“Chef Oli and Lili worked very hard to combine traditional Irish fare with French dishes. Liam made a fortune that first year.”
“Well done, lass,” Paddy said.
There was a knock on the door. Coleman patted his father on the shoulder so he wouldn’t get up. He pulled the front door open and saw Emmeline and Gabriel standing there.
“What a surprise!” Coleman said.
“We’ve been invited for tea, darling,” Emmeline stepped in and handed Coleman her wrap.
“Oh, you have?” Coleman laughed and shook Gabriel’s hand.
“Aunt Emmy!” Lili jumped out of her chair. “What are you doing here?”
“We flew in yesterday after an invitation to tea,” she hugged Lili. “I am also visiting the town of Borris tomorrow to obtain a very significant, unique piece of needlelace for your wedding dress.”
After some chatter and more tea being poured they all settled down to listen to Anne.
“I’ve arranged this tea because I would like to talk to all of you about something,” Anne said. She reached down and pulled the wooden box out from under her chair. It was wrapped in a towel.
“Oh, I see you have my father’s wooden box,” Lili scooted herself to the edge of her chair.
“This box doesn’t belong to your father, Andrew, it belongs to his mother.”
“Oh, yes, Uncle Thomas did say it was a family heirloom. It’s nice to know it originated with my grandmother’s side of the family?”
“Yes, Lili, and your grandmother was my sister.”
Coleman looked at Anne with a pained curiosity. Anne was his stepmother. She made sure he attended mass every Sunday, taught him how to be a gentleman, made him take ballroom dancing lessons when he was just a lad, and sent him off to school every day with a homemade lunch. “All this time you’ve been related to Lili. All this time and you never said a word.”
“Welcome to my world, sweetheart,” Lili patted his hand.
“I wanted to tell Lili myself when the time was right.”
“I understand that, but you could have let me know,” Coleman said.
“And have more secrets between the two of you?” Anne said. “I learned at a very young age not to rush information. It takes more skill to be silent and patient, than it does to be open and expose everything.”
“Hmm,” Lili pondered.
“What is it, Lil?”
“Oh,” Lili shook her head; surprised he had noticed her quiet almost inaudible utterance. “I always assumed it was easier to be silent.”
“So you’re my aunt.” Lili gathered her thoughts, putting the pieces together.
“Your great aunt,” Anne smiled. “I was born during WWII.” Anne unraveled the box from the towel it was wrapped in, yet was careful not to touch it with her bare hands. “We were Gifted so we always knew it would come to this.”
Anne slid a key into the lock and opened the wooden box. It played a song. When it stopped playing Anne used the other end of her key to wind it up again. Inside the box were two pieces of paper folded in half. Anne carefully picked them up handing one to Coleman and one to Lili.
“This says Margaretha Melchner. Our grandmother’s name was Grayson, Margaret Grayson.” Lili folded the birth certificate in half and handed it back to Anne as if it didn’t belong to her and there had been a mistake. “She was English,” she added. “My parents even named my brother, Grayson after her.” Lili looked at Emmeline to confirm with a nod but Emmeline made no such gesture.
Coleman read the name off of the old yellowed paper he held. “This birth certificate says Annaliese Melchner,” Coleman folded it in half and looked down at the floor. When he allowed it to register, he looked at Anne. “Is this you?”
“Yes.”
“We have all known that Annaliese Melchner was whisked away from England to work for a family in Ireland,” Gabriel said. “The Kavanagh family.”
“We left it up to Aunt Anne to decide when to tell you,” Emmeline said, patting Lili’s hand. “We wanted to keep Germany out of our heritage. It is as simple as that.”
“Why?” Lili asked.
“We wanted Germany to be a safe haven for you,” Emmeline said.
“You mean like a hideout?” Declan leaned in.
“Yes,” Gabriel continued, “A hideout for Andrew and his family.”
“Aye,” Coleman mumbled. “I never could figure out your family history; one big dead end after your grandmother. I was about ready to take DNA swabs of your entire family!”
Everyone laughed.
“I’ve heard the stories as well, Lili. Just as you are now.” Gabriel Kohn stood behind Anne sipping his tea. “Our ancestor’s, yours and mine, were in business together,” he said. “They were the best of friends. That is how your father and I came to know each other.”
Emmeline reached for Anne’s hand. “Go ahead, darling.”
“My father, Wolff Melchner, was a wise man. He was your Great Grandfather. After he arranged work Visa’s for the Kohn’s and they were safely out of the country, he put his only daughter’s on the Kindertransport.”
“The Kindertransport?” Declan spun his chair around and sat closer to his mother.
“It was a train that ran for two years. Morning and night it took Jewish children to adoptive families in England.”
“How did your father manage to get two German girls on that train? That train was for Jewish refugees.” Finnegan knew a little more about history than his brother, Declan.
“Lies of course,” Anne smiled wryly. “It was the best lie we ever told. Our mother sewed the Jewish star onto our coats and Margaretha had to dye her hair brown.”
“You must have been so scared,” Lili whispered.
“I don’t remember. I was just one-year old. My sister was fifteen, almost sixteen. She carried me in her arms.”
Anne took a sip of tea. “My family could not leave with us…” Anne felt a rush of anxiety. “My father was commanded into the Nazi army but he secretly continued to get Jewish people out of Germany.”
Gabriel rested his hand on Anne’s shoulder. “Eventually, he was executed by a Nazi firing squad, for treason,” he said.
“Yes,” Anne whispered, “Then my brothers were caught one by one,” her voice trembled, “and my mother too. At least they were together when they died. I take some comfort in that.”
Lili felt the shadows surround her with gentle touches on her shoulder. They were her family. Her great grandfather was patting her head. She could sense him there beside her.
“Let me explain the rest as simply as possible,” Anne said, looking directly at Lili. “The Wentworth’s were a large family in England that decided to adopt two Jewish sisters during WWII before the rage of persecution began. Your grandmother and I were those Jewish sisters and of course you know that we were not Jewish at all. The Wentworth’s raised their family on a little farm just outside Liverpool, England. Your great grandfather made a good living fishing along the River Mersey. He even had his own boat docked at the Liverpool Marina. His wife was a fabulous cook and the family owned a tiny restaurant by the docks, with endless lines of people wanting her fried fish. One of their children was Robert, your grandfather, Lili.”
“Grandpa Bobby!” Lili was fascinated with her family history.
“Yes, right!” Anne laughed. “He went to war and came home wounded. Margaretha, your grandmother, spent most of her time nursing him back to health. She read to him and helped him walk around the farm. She even ate all of her meals with him. They fell in love. He proposed after he gained his strength. They had 3 children, Thomas, Andrew, and Emmeline.”
“Our mother renounced her gift, but not before she saw Andrew as a Gifted,” Emmeline explained. “I don’t think she renounced her Gift because she was afraid,” Emmeline added. “I think family became the most important thing to her, and she would not accept any other distractions.”
“And you know better than anyone, Lili, how distracting the Gifts can be,” Coleman smiled at her.
“She was the best at everything,” Emmeline continued. “She was the best baker and the best cook and the best mother and wife. She was light and love, and we all wanted to be around her all the time,” Emmeline smiled at the memory of her mother. “She taught me to live from my heart, my passion, and helped me to believe in myself. I know that’s why I was successful at such a young age.”
“Your grandfather had a nickname for your grandmother,” Anne said. “He called her his blonde angel.”
“Did he really?” Lili said brightly. The connections were all tying in together.
“I spent many years growing up in their company,” Anne continued. “Margaretha was my sister but she also felt like a mother to me. I listened to her advice so when the time came I answered the calling and moved to Ireland to help this widower and his sons,” she pointed to Paddy.
Paddy tapped his pipe into an ashtray and slowly stood up. His weathered face showed a life of toil and passion for his land.
“My wife, Kiera, died shortly after giving birth to Liam, some sort of brain aneurysm, they said. Coleman was only two years old. I was left with two bairns and not much clue how to care for them. Anne came to our home as a nanny. She rescued us. Couldn’t manage a sunrise without her.”
“And then I got pregnant at the age of 50!” Anne looked at her boys.
Coleman was processing the story Anne told. “I know you came here as a glorified babysitter and housekeeper but you will always be my mother. The only mother I’ve ever known.”
“And you will always be my son,” Anne said, as she patted Coleman’s hand.
“I guess the rest is in the history of these two copper knobs!” Coleman jumped up and grabbed Finnegan and Declan around the neck.
They wrestled for a moment while everyone laughed.
“I’ve told the story of the blonde angel many, many times over the years,” Anne said. “I was describing my sister’s heart and passion for life. I didn’t realize I was creating a mythological creature!” Anne laughed.
“It wasn’t meant to become an Irish Myth but Anne told the story with such conviction and prowess and you know how the Irish love a good tale,” Paddy winked.
“Today, it’s considered good luck for a woman to be called a ‘blonde angel’,” Paddy smiled. “All because of your grandmother, Margaretha and your aunt, Annaliese, who told a story very, very well.”
“Aye, and her hair doesn’t even have to be blonde,” Declan laughed.
“What my brother means is, ‘blonde angel’ sort of became Irish slang for ‘a good woman’,” Coleman kissed her cheek.
“Terrence called me a blonde angel,” Lili’s eyes widened with a delightful gaze.
“Yes, he did. Liam and I picked right up on that.”
“I’m sure my sister, Chloe, used the term many times,” Paddy explained. “It doesn’t surprise me he heard it from his mother.”
“You never call me that,” Lili said to Coleman.
“No, and I never will. That belongs to you and Terrence.”
Lili rested her head on his shoulder allowing the love to surround her.
“So as the story goes, I am your grandmother’s baby sister. This was my sister’s treasure box. She gave it to me when I left England for a job as a nanny to Coleman and Liam. I’ve held this box in my hands many times over the years and thought of all the stories that I was told, and all the memories that I formed around them. I returned it to her just before she died, so she could pass it down to…well, I assumed she would give it to Emmeline. For reasons I now understand, she gave it to her son, Andrew, instead.”
Lili closed the lid of the wooden box. It had more value than any amount of money that could be offered. Lili zoned in on the carvings and within a few seconds she could see the faint outline of her grandmother’s hands holding the wooden box. Lili’s grandmother, Margaretha, was letting Lili know she was on the right track. Lili touched the corner of the box and in doing so touched the faint outline of her grandmother’s hand. No one could see what Lili could. It was a private moment between Margaretha and her granddaughter, Lili. The blonde angels.