A crowd of people had gathered around a man standing on a wooden crate in Roden Place. Kelly’s monument loomed behind him, a stark reminder of a courageous sea rescue just off the coast at Blackrock, which had cost the lives of four local men. Catherine had been a child when the Mary Stoddard ran aground but the memory of such a tragedy had stayed with her into adulthood.
The very articulate man standing in front of the monument was beginning to attract even more people, but his speech was constantly interrupted by two hecklers trying their best to shout him down. Patrick ran forward and grabbed hold of their scruffy jackets. Dragging them from the centre of the crowd, he chased them away, shouting abuse after them. Catherine saw the man on the box tip his hat to her husband before carrying on with his speech.
“Do you know him?” she whispered, when he returned to her side.
“I was supposed to be here today to give him my support. He will think it odd if I were to walk away now,” said Patrick.
Thomas spoke quietly to Lily, who nodded and moved nearer to Catherine, linking her arm. “Why don’t you and I have a look at the fabric in that shop window over there, and leave the men to their own devices for a while?”
“Why Lily, that’s a splendid idea. What do you say, Patrick?” Thomas winked at his brother-in-law.
Catherine didn’t even try to hide the accusing glare she gave her husband, but Patrick was happy to agree with the suggestion and ignored her.
“But the shop is closed,” said Catherine.
“I can see a woman looking into the street from the window above,” noted Patrick. “If she sees you approach I daresay she won’t be long in opening the door. Maisie could do with a new pinafore,” he reached into his pocket.
“No, no, Patrick. It shall be a gift from us. Thomas has always said what a neat seamstress his sister is. I would love to help you choose some fabric, Catherine,” said Lily.
For a few seconds it looked as if the young mother would refuse the offer, but she had never been one to make a scene and her face relaxed into a smile.
“It’s very kind of you both to make such a gesture. Maisie will be delighted, thank you.”
The men watched as their wives crossed the street. It wasn’t long before the shop door opened and the two young women had disappeared from view.
“If I know my wife, they will be in there for as long as the speech goes on,” Thomas nodded in the direction of the crowd. “Shall we join the onlookers in the meantime?”
Patrick was impressed by the younger man’s maturity but worried that trouble might erupt among the growing crowd.
“I fear there could be more hecklers still mingling, waiting for an opportunity to cause trouble. I would not like any harm to come to you, Thomas. We can listen from where we stand.”
“Come now, Patrick, I have been swept up in rioting crowds much larger than this one, and have managed to survive. I think I can handle a wee bit of trouble if it rears its ugly head.”
Thomas was already at the edge of the men surrounding the speaker.
“Let’s stay here, where we can get away more easily at the first sign of a riot.” said Patrick.
Touched by his brother-in-law’s concern, Thomas smiled and removed a small notebook and pencil from his pocket.
“My editor will be pleased to see this report. The Irish in New York are very active in politics. Sure who could blame them, Patrick? Even their children who were born there, and have never set foot on Irish soil, are as enthusiastic as their parents.”
Patrick’s attention had been drawn to a doorway where two priests stood in the shadows, observing the crowd. He had seen the two hecklers run in that direction earlier and wondered if they had paid them to disrupt the speech.
“Look over yonder, Thomas. The Church is very nervous about the First International. The bishops fear it a threat to their flock.”
“It won’t be an easy task to bring about change, but it will come, Patrick, from small beginnings such as this.”
As the speech was winding down, three young boys passed through the crowd, dispensing leaflets. One of them greeted Patrick by name as he walked by.
“He seems to know you but he never offered you a handbill, is that because you are already involved?” asked Thomas.
“I am, but not as much as I would like to be. Not a word to Catherine, mind. She cannot understand why I would risk bringing trouble upon my shoulders when I’m not even a factory worker.”
“Is that why she has taken on such a sombre nature, Patrick, or is there more to it? She is not the sister I grew up with.”
“She is not the woman I married either. But you will have to ask her yourself why that is, Thomas. I have no wish to bring any more of her wrath upon my head.”
The speaker came up to the two men and shook their hands while Patrick introduced him to his brother-in-law.
“Are you planning on attending the rally in Cootehill?” he asked.
Before Patrick could say a word Thomas said that he was, “We shall both be there, even if not another soul from Louth attends.”
“And you’d be very welcome. You must come to my home for a meal afterwards, unless you have other plans,” the man looked behind where the three boys with the handbills continued offering them to passers-by.
“I had best be getting my sons home, my wife worries that some harm might come to them should there be any trouble. I’m much obliged to you, Patrick, for stepping in there when you did. Those hecklers could have drawn the militia down on us if a fight had broken out.”
The men shook hands once more before parting and as soon as they were alone, Thomas saw their wives emerging from the shop carrying brown paper parcels tied up with twine.
“I hope we haven’t kept you waiting too long, but the lady in the shop insisted that we have tea with her. Is that usual in Ireland? She opened her shop especially for us, and it a bank holiday today,” said Lily.
“It was because you made so many purchases. I daresay it’s been a long time since she sold so much in one day. Even the gentry are tightening their purse strings of late,” said Catherine.
As the two young husbands took the parcels from their wives Thomas felt the weight of them and declared that he was going to sew up his purse the next time Lily was in sight of a shop.
“I’m sure that poor woman thought we would come to blows on her premises,” said Catherine. “No matter how much I argued against it, your wife continued to buy more and more fabric. I hope you have a prepaid ticket home, Thomas, or you may be staying here a lot longer than planned.”
Later that evening, Thomas watched his sister relax as she chatted to them, the old familiar sparkle back in her eyes. He was relieved that Mary-Anne was not on duty in the dining room as her presence might have generated an uneasy atmosphere at their table.
When they had finished eating, Thomas suggested a stroll through the village, as the evening was still bright and there wasn’t even a hint of rain in the air. Patrick was taking the boat out that night and had to return home to make preparations.
“You’ll come with us, won’t you, Catherine?” asked Lily.
“Of course she will, sure isn’t Maggie there with the children,” said Patrick.
“That settles it so, I’ll be the envy of all the men in the village with a beautiful woman on each arm,” Thomas smiled as his wife and sister linked his arms.
Patrick listened to their laughter as the trio walked away and hoped that Catherine’s good spirits would last. It had been a long time since he had heard such lightness in her voice.
Thomas was thinking along the same lines as his brother-in-law as he matched his step to the two young women at his side. While Catherine leaned across him to whisper something to Lily, three figures coming towards them caught his eye. He recognized Mary-Anne straight away but it took a little longer to identify the couple she was with. The woman walking between his sister and the tall, large framed man seemed frail. Her arms were linked through her companions on each side of her for support.
Catherine felt Thomas come to a halt and looked up to see Mary-Anne smiling at them. Introductions were made and small talk about the weather and fresh sea air ensued.
“You will be the first in the family to hear my good news,” Mary-Anne announced. “Doctor Gilmore has taken a house for the summer here in Blackrock and I shall be live-in companion to Mrs. Gilmore while they are here.”
Catherine feared the thumping of her heart would be heard, it felt so strong. A sharp pain shot across her chest and she doubled over. Thomas and Lily sat her on the sea wall and Doctor Gilmore quickly stepped in front of her, telling everyone to give her some space. She could feel his hands loosening the buttons at her throat and pulled them away in panic and disgust. “Leave me alone,” she hissed into his face.
“Now, now, my dear. I am a doctor after all. Surely you can’t have forgotten me already?” he whispered back.
Thomas could see how upset his sister had become and sensed that something was wrong with the scene before him. He placed a hand on Gilmore’s shoulder and suggested that he, too, give her some space.
“Thank you for your concern, sir, but my sister was never one to enjoy being the centre of attention. I fear we may gather a crowd around her if you make such a fuss and that will only add to her distress.”
Gilmore stared back at the younger man and looked as if he was about to argue. Instead, he nodded and bid them a good evening. “Come, my dear,” he offered an arm to his wife, “We must finish our walk before it gets any cooler. It will not do for you to breathe in the air if it is chilled. Is that not so, Mary-Anne?”
“It is, Doctor Gilmore, and I shall be mindful of that while you are away, you need have no fear,” Mary-Anne assured him.
She smiled at Thomas and told him in a voice loud enough for Catherine to hear, that she would be staying in the Gilmore’s rented house that evening and would collect her belongings from home the next day.
“Have you spoken with our parents of this arrangement?” asked Thomas.
“Don’t ask such a foolish question. I’m a grown woman, I do not need anyone’s permission before I make a decision. Ma will be delighted for me to be a companion to Mrs. Gilmore,” Mary-Anne shot a defiant look at Catherine. “Much better than cleaning floors and changing bed linen for a meagre wage.”
Thomas watched on in frustration as Mary-Anne walked away from them. Loud sobbing erupting from Catherine took him by surprise and he knew immediately that something much more serious than sibling rivalry had reduced her to such a state. Lily was at Catherine’s side, holding her hand and speaking quietly to her.
The only discreet place that Thomas could think of bringing his sister to, was back to their hotel room, so he took her by the elbow and guided her across the street towards the entrance. Lily followed behind, explaining to those giving them curious glances that her sister-in-law had taken ill. She asked that some tea and a measure of whiskey be sent to their room.
Once Catherine had let her emotions free, there was no stopping them. She cried so hard that Lily suggest they leave her on their bed until her energy was spent.
Thomas walked across to the window and looked along the street but could see no sign of Mary-Anne and the Gilmores. Replaying in his head, the scene that had caused Catherine so much distress, Thomas allowed his eyes to rest for a while on the changing colours of the sea in the sun’s fading light. He never even turned around when the knock came on the door, announcing room service. It was Lily who took in the tray.
Catherine’s sobs were easing somewhat and she raised herself into a sitting position, dabbing her eyes with the cold wet cloth that her sister-in-law had given her.
When Lily’s arms encircled his waist and he felt the press of her face against his back, Thomas sighed and turned to embrace his wife. He glanced across the room and could see that Catherine was beginning to regain control of herself. In a low voice, he asked Lily what they should do next.
“I think that you should pay a visit to your Aunt Maggie, Thomas, and tell her that you have given myself and Catherine some time alone to become better acquainted,” whispered Lily.
“Good suggestion, my love. I fear that something very serious is troubling her. Perhaps she will confide in you.”
Thomas kissed Lily’s forehead before crossing to the bed to sit beside his sister. She allowed him to take hold of one of her hands.
“I know you may not wish to confide in me, Catherine, but it isn’t good to keep such pain locked up inside of you. Perhaps you and Lily should spend a wee bit of time alone, while I pay Aunt Maggie a visit,” Thomas was relieved to see his sister nod in agreement. “You know what she is like, I may be there till midnight listening to all of her news. On my return, whenever you are ready to face the walk home, I shall accompany you.”
Thomas kissed the top of his sister’s head and squeezed Lily’s hand before leaving the room.
“Would you like me to pour the tea, Catherine?”
“Please, Lily. I could do with a sup. I don’t know what came over me. I have never before made such a show of myself in the street. What will people think of me?”
Lily poured a drop of whiskey into the sweetened tea, before handing it to her sister-in-law.
“I explained to one or two people that you had taken ill, so no doubt that will satisfy their curiosity,” Lily thought for a moment about her next question.
“But I do not think that explanation will be sufficient for your brother. He will worry over it until you confide in him. Is there anything I can do to help, Catherine? I can assure you, I never betray a confidence. If only you knew me better, you would understand why that is.”
Catherine was not sure if it was the kindness in Lily’s voice or the cosiness of the room, or even the small amount of whiskey in her tea, that melted her reserve. Once she began to share some of her fears, the whole sorry account of her traumatic encounter with Gilmore some years before, came flooding out. She was incapable of holding anything back, in spite of a burning humiliation colouring her cheeks.
Poor Lily had not expected to hear the anguish and torment that her sister-in-law had been carrying around for so many years. She had thought it would be a marital problem of some sort that would be divulged, the usual one being of a husband’s infidelity. As Catherine continued to speak, Lily found it hard to focus on her words and wished that Thomas had not left her alone with his sister.
“So, do you see why I cannot tell Patrick why I am so against Mary-Anne being in the company of such a man, never mind living in the same house as him?”
Lily put her arms around Catherine and held her close. Any feelings of regret she had about listening to such a litany of distressing events left her instantly. Instead, she was filled with sympathy and love for the young woman sitting on the bed beside her.
“I do, Catherine, I do. We cannot tell Thomas of this either. Not just yet, while that wretched man is here in the village. I know for sure he would not be able to restrain himself from thrashing that beast to within an inch of his life. I’m sorry, love, but I’m afraid I may not be much help to you in offering any suggestions.”
Having regained her composure, Catherine patted the back of Lily’s hand and assured her that she was not expecting anything from her.
“You’ve given me the chance to share a terrible secret that haunts me. If I had been within earshot of my Aunt Rose, you would not have had to suffer such an outburst. It’s me who should be apologizing to you. When Thomas returns I will let him walk me home and on the way, I’ll tell him that I worry about Mary-Anne’s jealousy of my marriage. He’s well aware of her belief that I took Patrick away from her, so it shall not be too difficult to convince him that we have been having our usual sisterly conflict.”