Under the July Sun (18 page)

She tried again. ‘Louis?' But he ignored her attempt once more.

‘And do write to your auntie and uncle and thank them for a splendid wedding reception. I had no idea it would be so wonderful.'

‘Was it wonderful, Louis?' she asked softly. He kept walking and looked ahead as he answered her.

‘Yes, Cat it was truly wonderful. All of it. And I shall remember your dancing for the rest of my life.'

She glanced up at his face for a second and felt sure there were tears in his eyes.

Feeling alarmed, she begged, ‘Louis, please look at me. I need to know how ye feel about me.'

He stopped walking and stood pondering for a moment while Cat's heart fluttered wildly in her chest. Then something caught his eye in the distance and he said to her, ‘Stay here,' and strode off into the crowd.

Cat stood there being buffeted by the crowds milling around in different directions. There were thousands of soldiers marching to embark as well as civilians going about their business and it seemed to her they were all intent on pushing their way through the crowds, not caring if they shoved aside everyone in their path.

She tried to spot him amongst the rest of the soldiers teeming around the station but he was lost to her. Cat felt he had abandoned her and resolved to go back to the train where Ellie was waiting if he didn't reappear when she had counted to one hundred. She began counting.

On the count of eighty-nine and three quarters, for she had slowed the process down by adding in quarters after sixty, he reappeared holding something behind his back. He was smiling.

‘Close your eyes,' he said drawing near, and though the last thing she wanted to do was play games, she did so. ‘Open your hands,' he whispered.

She felt something placed across her palm and when he said, ‘Open your eyes,' she saw he had given her a single red rose.

Cat looked up at him and he was smiling at her, but then she saw his face crumple and he bit his lip to stem the tears already gathering in his eyes. She was confused, didn't understand, but was speechless.

‘Goodbye, Cat. Take care of yourself,' he said putting his arms round her shoulders.

Then sobbing she pleaded, ‘Louis, don't go like this, can't we talk?' But he released her from his embrace, held her at arm's length, took one last look and turned away into the crowd.

She watched him go and could see his cap bobbing up and down above the rest of the crowd as he went further and further away.

Ned sat at the table slowly sipping his glass of porter while viewing his family. All of them were there, as was tradition, to celebrate Midnight Mass together, except Tom and his wife Norah.

Maeve nudged him with her elbow, ‘Sure aren't those two late again?' She let out a sigh.

Ned took his pocket watch out and flipped the lid open.

‘They've a little while left yet. They'll be here in time.' He swallowed a mouthful of porter and looked at Peggy sitting opposite.

Peggy, their eldest child, turned thirty-four last birthday. Time was running out for her to find a husband and become a mother, Ned thought.

He couldn't understand why nobody had walked out with her. She was a pretty woman with fair wavy hair and clear blue eyes. He had to admit though that she was very timid and reminded him of a little mouse scurrying away if anyone as much as looked at her.

Perhaps, Ned concluded, she had never given anyone a chance to ask her out. She would probably have darted away before they opened their mouths. Ah what a waste, she would likely remain an old maid now.

Ned's gaze drifted to Ellie, the second of their children, and as though sensing his scrutiny she looked up and winked at him. Ned thought her green eyes looked very mischievous tonight.

‘Penny for yer thoughts, Dada,' Ellie laughed.

Ned raised his glass to her and smiled. ‘Aye, there's more than a penn'orth in lookin' at ye,' he said, then continued to take stock of his children.

Ellie was the only one with Maeve's frizzy auburn hair and freckles and he knew how she hated them. But he'd told her often enough that a face without freckles was like a sky without stars. Anyway, he thought, they suited her, even if there wasn't much unfreckled skin left to see.

He knew she could be a fiery little minx from bitter experience, but quick to laugh and forgive. Thank goodness. Nobody could fool her. If Ellie disliked someone, there was always a good reason. Her judgement of character was sound. Ned thought Ellie was the shrewdest of the lot.

I thank the Lord that Ellie and Michael Nagle are to be married in spring. One spinster in the family is enough, he decided. Ellie is thirty-three now and 'tis about time she got a move on! I would be even more content though if Michael Nagle managed to stay in a job, Ned thought.

Each time they had a letter from Ellie, they learned Michael had lost another job. Ned hoped he would settle on one particular line of work and stay in it soon. At least there had been no mention of them going to America when they married as was Michael's original intention. If that were to happen he knew he might as well kiss goodbye to ever seeing her again.

Ned checked his pocket watch again and wondered where in God's name Tom and Norah were. Maybe they'd had trouble with the animals he thought.

He thanked the good Lord daily that he had a son to pass the farm to. Tom was his third child and he watched with pride to see Tom's confidence grow now he had handed the daily workings of the farm over to him.

Tom at over six and a half foot was tall, fair, handsome and good-humoured. Norah had a good catch there, Ned felt.

Tom was full of fun and had deep laughter lines round his eyes, which constantly gave people the impression he was inwardly amused by something.

Ned relied on Tom much more now as he had let the reins of the business fall and Tom had picked them up - but not in such a way that made Ned feel redundant. Tactfully, Tom would regularly ask Ned's opinion and this helped the older man ease the feeling in him that he was losing his place in the world.

Cat, his fourth child was chatting animatedly with Ellie. He watched her ebony curls bouncing each time she laughed. She still looked like a young girl with her pretty face and large innocent-looking slate-grey eyes. Nobody, he thought, would believe she was twenty-eight, the mother of two children and a third on the way.

Cat had stolen his heart from early on in her life, and even though it was years since she had left Monroe, not a day went by without him missing her.

‘What's the joke?' he asked Cat.

‘Ah, ye wouldn't want to know, Dada. 'Tis women's gossip.'

‘Well, so long as the joke's not me, then go ahead.' He shifted in his seat and watched the two sisters.

Ned had not noticed until then how alike Cat and Mary, his next daughter were. Mary at twenty-six was newly married to Daniel, a doctor, and this was the first opportunity they had all had since their wedding to get together.

He studied Mary. She had the same ebony curls, milk white skin and grey eyes as Cat. Everyone used to say they both took after him for colouring, but fortunately, he thought, they had Maeve's small features and neat little nose rather than his.

Mary was like Cat, and was as petite, but she did not have Cat's vivacity. Mary would shrink away from people, much like Peggy really. It was a surprise to him that she had managed to get herself up the aisle to be married at all. Well, good luck to her and Daniel. He was a fine figure of a man and would one day take over from that old drunkard Dr. Murray.

Old Murray, Ned decided, should be put out to grass as he was always roaring around the town in his carriage blind drunk. If it wasn't for the fact his horse knew the way home, he would have probably been found long since laid out somewhere in the middle of a bog and pecked clean by birds.

Breda, his youngest offspring, now twenty-four had inherited from him, along with her large manly frame, the ‘Delaney nose'.

He felt sure this was the reason for her not being able to attract a partner, coupled with the fact she was not given to smiling much. He knew she could look positively fierce at times and often thought that maybe she scared men off.

He'd heard tales of children not wanting to go into the shop if Breda was serving. She had a good head of hair though; mid-brown and so thick that when she wore it in a pleat, it took more hairpins to keep in place than any other of the women in the family.

Ned wondered about Breda's discontented nature. She always seemed cross about something; but he had long since given up trying to find out what. Perhaps, he decided, that's the way she is now and always will be. Maybe it's better if she doesn't marry; she'd lead a fella a merry dance that's for sure.

But for all their little quirks, Ned decided they were a pretty fine family and he was proud of them all. He stood up and with a fork tapped his glass.

‘Eist now. I said
Eist
, I want to make a toast.' He lifted his glass, and then waited for the chatter to subside. ‘As this is the first time we've all been together since Mary and Daniel's wedding, I know as a family we wish them all the luck and blessin's in the world.'

The family broke into a babble and began raising glasses and cheering. Mary looked down and blushed, twisting her shiny wedding ring round and round as Daniel raised his glass and nodded to them all in turn.

Ned went on saying how proud he was that he had such a wonderful family, which was growing by the month, and here he looked at Cat and Louis who were trying to control their fidgeting two-year-old Billy, and a fretful, teething, one year old Marie.

‘It gives Maeve and me so much pleasure to know that ye're able to be with us on our Holy day.' Then there was a pause. He ran out of words at this point, so just raised his glass saying, ‘Sláinte to y'all,' then sat down heavily on his chair.

Ned continued watching his daughters and saw them now as grown women for the first time, not children. It came as a shock to him. Where had all the years gone? He suddenly felt old. Here were his girls, all grown up.

His eyes misted up as he looked at his grandchildren. Billy, a rascal if ever he saw one, and little Marie, so like Cat to look at, even at a year old. He wished he saw more of them but had to resign himself to the fact that this would never happen. He'd have to make do with whatever God had planned for him. He just wished He had it in His plan to bring Cat home.

He winked at Billy who tried winking back by screwing both eyes shut together.

‘Here Louis,' Ned said holding out his arms, ‘pass the boy over to me and we'll teach him a trick or two.'

Ned was about to show Billy his trick about finding a penny behind his ear when Peggy stood up and said they ought to get the children to bed so that they could all be ready for Midnight Mass.

The children were then passed around to them each in turn to be kissed, cuddled and finally handed back to Cat who turned to Peggy.

‘Will ye help me to get them to bed, Peggy?'

‘Sure I will, just try stoppin' me.' Peggy smiled, pleased to be asked to help.

Peggy and Cat left the room like ships in full sail in a flurry of white blouses and rustling skirts as they took the children to bed.

Ned looked at Maeve. ‘Well woman, are ye happy now ye've all yer chicks back home to roost?'

Maeve drank the last of her porter, put down the glass, and tying her scarf under her chin said, ‘I will be as soon as Tom and Norah put in an appearance. They're very late now, as usual! That girl really doesn't know a thing about time keepin'.' She frowned looking at the clock on the wall above the bar.

‘Ah c'mon give her a break, 'tis all new to her runnin' the farm. Ye weren't so hot yerself when ye came to take over from me mam.'

‘I was too, Ned Delaney. Yer mother only had to show me once how to milk a cow and never twice.'

‘Aye, but she had to show ye the first time did she not? And how is Norah to know all that it has taken ye a lifetime to perfect?' He laughed, then softening his tone said, ‘Try not to be so hard on Norah, she tries her best.'

‘Well maybe her best should be a bit better!' Maeve sounded angry and pulled her rosary beads out of her pocket to begin saying a Hail Mary and Ned took it as the signal to shut up.

He was puzzled as to why she could not take to Norah. Maybe, he considered, once a baby appeared Maeve would soften towards her as he knew that usually did the trick with women. Perhaps, he thought, Maeve had too much time on her hands now. A grandchild would be welcome as it would give Maeve something to concentrate on. He hoped Tom and Norah would get a move on in that department.

Then he remembered there were Mary and Daniel who may also produce a grandchild. Who could tell which of these couples, Mary and Daniel, or Tom and Norah would have a baby first? He thought maybe he'd put a bet on that one after Christmas.

His mind returned to Peggy. He worried about her. All the best ‘pickings' in the area were now gone, so it did not seem likely that she would ever marry. At least though, she and Breda were making a success of the shop, despite losing Mary's help when she got married and left.

Ned abandoned his reverie as Tom and Norah arrived apologising for being late; so in order to offset Maeve's annoyance, he stood up and began telling everyone they should be leaving for Mass. Coats were then buttoned, scarves tied, hat donned and rosaries at the ready, the family left the hotel.

The feeling of Christmas was inside them all when they walked across Main Street just before midnight towards the church as the first snows of winter fell slantwise from the sky.

Nellie O'Connell tiptoed into Cat's bedroom and placed a jug of water beside the bed.