MILITARY ROMANCE: The War Within Himself (Alpha Bad Boy Marine Army Seal) (Contemporary Military Suspense & Thriller Romance) (171 page)

Bridget

Mary and Patrick O’Riley entered the building with their three children, older sons Michael and Timothy and their youngest child Bridget.

At seventeen, Bridget was thrilled about coming to the new country. Her life so far had been privileged, and she just knew it wouldn’t change in America. Her father was determined that his children would succeed here, that his sons would go to a university and become doctors or lawyers—or even bankers like himself.

“Excuse me,” a young woman with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair said to Patrick.

“Yes, miss?” he replied in a thick Irish brogue.

She held her left arm out in direction. “If you would come this way, I’ll take you to someone who can take your information.”

“Thank you.”

While the family wandered along with the young woman, Bridget chatted with her. “Were you born in American?”

“Not really,” the woman replied. “I was born at sea when my parents came from Sweden.”

“That’s really interesting. My name is Bridget. What’s yours?”

The woman smiled. “Elise.”

“Do you know anything about Sweden?”

“I’ve never been there, but my parents told me some things before they died.”

Bridget was shocked. “Your parents are
both
dead? How sad. Where do you live if not with your parents?”

Looking a bit confused by Bridget’s questions, Elise replied as she led them toward a long table. “I live in a boarding house.”

“How sad.” Bridget turned toward her mother. “Did you hear that, Mum?”

“I did hear that,” Mary said. “I’m sorry that you’ve lost your parents, dear.”

Smiling, Elise nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, but they’ve been gone for many years now.”

“Surely, she has brothers or sisters,” Mary told Bridget.

“Do you?” Bridget asked.

“No,” Elise admitted, “I was never blessed with siblings. They all died before their births.”

“What a sad life you’ve lived here in America. Do you ever wish you’d been born in Sweden instead?”

“Not one day. I’ve
always
been happy to be an American.” They stopped at the table, and Elise motioned to the man sitting behind it with a paper, pen and inkwell in front of him. “This gentleman will take your information. I wish you well here in your new country.”

“Mum, we
can’t
let her be alone,” Bridget said as Elise walked away.

“To begin with, Bridget, we don’t know that she
is
alone. She might have other family.”

“But she’s living in a
boarding
house. She’s not living with family. She must be alone.”

Mary gazed over in the direction Elise had gone, as did Bridget. The young woman was talking to another family as she led them to a different table. “It does seem that way, doesn’t it, dear? But we just arrived here. We are staying with our own relatives for now.”

“But we have to ask her to live with us. We can’t let her be alone.”

“Bridget, we can’t take in every person we find who has no parents. Elise is old enough to be on her own. Maybe that’s how she wants it. And we certainly can’t impose on your uncle by inviting her to stay with us at his house.”

“Da,” Bridget said to her father, who had just finished talking to the man taking his information, “can we at least ask Uncle Ian if it’s okay?”

Mary turned to the man at the table while Patrick spoke to Bridget. “Ask him about what, Bridget?”

“If that girl can stay with us. Where would Mum be if your uncle Falkner hadn’t taken her in?”

“Bridget, I don’t understand why you’re acting like this. You’re not a child, and she’s not a puppy you found on the street. You’re a young woman now. You need to act like one. And this is no behavior for a seventeen-year-old.”

“Did I ask about that young lady on the ship who was coming here alone? No. Did I ask about the boy I talked to on the ship who was coming here with people he barely knew? No. That girl is different, Da. She’s not afraid to answer questions. She’s not afraid to work. She’s not afraid to be in a boarding house. She
deserves
to be in a happy home—just like Mum did when she was twelve and alone.”

Patrick shook his head. “You don’t know that girl, Bridget.”

“If I
get
to know her, could we at least ask Uncle Ian?”

“All right, but you must get to know her first. I won’t make a final decision until we know if it’s safe to let her into our home. We’ll find her before we leave for Ian’s house.”

Satisfied, Bridget scanned the area for Elise. When twenty-year-old Michael was finished talking to the immigration officer, he offered to take Bridget around the area looking for her. Since Bridget was still a minor in the eyes of immigration, her parents needed to report her, anyway.

“We’ll meet you at the door we came in,” Michael told his parents before he and Bridget wandered off.

“Thanks for taking me, Mikey,” Bridget said.

“My pleasure, Bridge,” he replied. “I’m surprised Da agreed so easily, so I thought I should at least offer to help you out. Besides, she’s kind of cute, so maybe I’ll have a friend, too, if Da lets her stay with us.”

“Don’t you take her away from me,” Bridget warned playfully.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

The sea of people began to dissipate as immigrants from different countries and all walks of life checked into America, and Bridget and Michael had an easier time navigating the enormous room. After many minutes of searching, Michael spotted Elise and directed Bridget toward her by the elbow.

“Elise!” he called out as they approached her.

Turning toward them, Elise smiled. “Did everything go smoothly?”

“It did, thank you,” Michael replied, stopping before her.

“Da sent us in search of you,” Bridget announced.

Elise’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Why? What did I do?”

“Nothing. He said that I could get to know you better and told me to go find you.”

“I came along to keep her out of trouble,” Michael inserted with a wink at his sister.

Bridget stuck her tongue out at him. “He did not. He came along because he thinks you’re cute.”

“Bridget!” he exclaimed. “Don’t listen to her, Elise. She’s always been too talkative. We can’t seem to get her to stop.”

With a frown, Elise nodded. “I always wanted siblings with whom I could banter. Unfortunately, God didn’t grant me that wish.”

“That’s why we came to find you,” Bridget said. “My da’s cousin took Mum in as a foster child. I thought we could do the same for you.”

Elise offered her a brief smile. “That’s very kind of you, but I’m a bit old to be a foster child.”

“Da said no, anyway, at least for now. He said I need to get to know you first. Mikey wants to be a writer someday, so he always has paper and a pencil with him. Why don’t you tell him your address?”

Reaching into her dress pocket, Elise pulled out a pocket watch and opened it before she said, “I have a better idea. I’ve actually been done with work for a while now, and I live nearby. Why don’t you walk me home so you can find the place when you’re ready to visit?”

“I can also write down the address, Bridge,” Michael offered, “and maybe some directions.”

“Thanks, Mike. Let’s go find Mum and Da.”

After introducing the rest of her family, Bridget linked her elbow with Elise’s while carrying one of her bags in the other hand. Then they all trudged to an awaiting carriage, where they introduced Ian to Elise.

“Don’t be silly,” Ian said when Elise offered to give Michael her address and let them follow her home only if they wanted. “We’ll give you a ride. Climb in.”

“There’s no room for me,” she insisted, “and I’ll be fine walking.”

“You can sit on my lap,” Bridget said. “I’m little, but I’m stronger than I look. Besides, you said it wasn’t far from here.”

“That’s right,” Mary O’Riley said. “You’ll ride with us.”

Outnumbered, Elise climbed into the carriage with Michael, Mary and Bridget. Patrick and Timothy sat on the driver’s bench to give Elise room in the passenger compartment with the baggage. When they reached their destination in a dirty part of town, Michael wrote down her address, and Elise got out of the carriage. Bridget vowed that she would return the next evening so they could start getting to know each other.

True to her word, Bridget appeared at the boarding house with Michael the next evening—and nearly every evening after for about a month. One day, instead of Michael driving Bridget, Patrick brought her.

“We have our own house now,” Bridget said enthusiastically. “I’m so glad we don’t have to share rooms with cousins anymore.”

Elise smiled. “I imagine that wouldn’t be very nice if you’re used to having your own room.”

“Oh, I don’t mind sharing. In fact, I like it. I have a really big room now, too big for just me.”

“That’s right,” Patrick inserted. “We would like you to live with us.”

“Really?” Elise asked in amazement. “Me? Why? No, I couldn’t impose on you like that.”

“It’s no imposition. Besides, this is not a good part of town for a young woman alone. We would like you to live with us. You’ve been to dinners at Ian’s house, so you are already starting to know the family. Michael you already know.”

“That’s very kind of you, sir, but …”

Patrick raised his hand in a halting motion, palm out toward Elise. “No buts about it. You two go to your room and pack your belongings. I’ll settle any bill you have for your room here. Go on, now. I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Yes, sir,” Elise agreed, obviously not knowing how else to respond to such generosity.

“And my name is Patrick, not sir.”

Filled with excitement at having the sister she’d always wanted, Bridget followed Elise to her room at the boarding house. Together they packed Elise’s clothes and the few mementos she had from her parents—her father’s family Bible, which contained births and deaths according to Elise, a few pieces of jewelry, and a locket her mother had given Elise before her death.

Bridget already knew about these things because Elise had told her during their many talks. Now it was time for Elise to move on, though.

Bridget couldn’t wait for Elise to see where she would be living. The house her parents had purchased was a two-story Victorian in a ritzy part of town. There were four large bedrooms, one of which she and Elise would share. The “boys” each had their own rooms, and of course, their parents shared one.

Downstairs, there was a smaller parlor for visiting, a formal living room, and a dining room that would be big enough for extended family and friends to sit comfortably at two tables. A large kitchen and pantry sat at the back of the house to keep the heat from the stoves away from the rest of the house during the summer. Every room had its own fireplace. Elise, Bridget declared, was going to love the house.

After Elise’s large and small carpetbags were packed, the young women headed downstairs to rejoin Patrick.

“You’re really very kind to do this for me,” Elise told Patrick, “but I don’t know how I’ll repay you.”

“We don’t expect you to. You can help with chores and cooking if you want, but since you’re working such long hours, we won’t require it. We want you to be able to save your money so you can purchase things, like new clothes, whenever you want.” He paused for effect. “And possibly a few new pairs of shoes. Don’t think we haven’t noticed how worn yours are.”

“You can be sure that I will help out, too,” Elise said. “My father told me take every opportunity I was given, though, and that’s the only reason I’m not staying here.”

“Your father was right, too. My family and I wouldn’t be here now if it hadn’t been for an opportunity I took.”

Shortly before Christmas, Bridget convinced Elise that she should join Michael at a party to which he’d invited her. Bridget was going, too, with a young man she’d met; and Bridget was sure that the four of them would have a grand time.

“This is what being sisters is about,” Bridget said enthusiastically, “going to parties together, sharing secrets, talking about suitors. We’ll have a wonderful time.”

“You realize,” Elise said, “that I’ll have to buy an appropriate dress for the event—and shoes and a handbag. That’s all going to cost money.”

Bridget laughed. “What else do you spend money on? You help out around the house all the time, every day, even when you work. You save every cent you earn.”

“I buy things,” Elise corrected.

“That you
need
. Not fun things.” Bridget paused. “Do you know what else sisters do? They go shopping. The next day you don’t have to work, we’re going to do just that.”

Eventually, Bridget convinced Elise to spend a little money and go to the Christmas party, which turned out to be more of a gala. There Bridget’s escort, Herbert Clement, introduced her to his cousin Matthew Clement.