Under the July Sun (5 page)

She felt extremely stupid trying to pull on her lace gloves which refused to slip over her clammy swollen fingers, so, unable to stand Louis watching her ridiculous attempts at looking refined any longer, she rushed out of the door and disappeared into the crowded bar.

Once outside the hotel, Cat crossed Main Street and walked briskly up the pathway to the church. She opened the huge wooden door and slipped into the cool gloom of The Holy Trinity. After the bright sunlight outside, the church appeared dimmer than ever and she paused, allowing her eyes to adjust.

Suddenly someone grabbed her hair from behind and an arm came round her throat as she was dragged away from the entrance, further into the church. She knew instantly that it was Paddy Hogan. Her fear lifted to be replaced by a rich and powerful anger.

'Let go of me!'

‘C'mon ye soldier's whore.' He shoved her against a wall. ‘So ye don't want to see me anymore eh?'

She smelt his hot beery breath. ‘Get off ye animal,' she shouted and brought her knee up, catching him in the crotch. She heard his sharp intake of breath, but he just tightened his hold. His face was only inches from hers and she could see wildness in his eyes; his top lip curled up in a snarl revealing his teeth and gums. There was spittle at the edges of his mouth and his nose was bleeding.

‘Get yer hands off now or—'

‘Or what? Tell yer dada? So, if 'tis not me yer seein', then is it that feckin' soldier?'

‘No!'

‘I
don't
believe ye.'

‘Ye can believe what ye like.'

‘Ye go out with me and we'll say no more about it.'

‘Go to Hell!'

‘I'm warnin' ye. Think it over.'

‘I've no need to think it over. I've made up me mind. I don't go out with murderers!'

She knew instantly she had made a mistake saying that. His expression changed and he pushed his arm against her throat even harder. Then with his free hand he took out a knife and held it up against her check.

Her head swam. ‘Oh no, Paddy. For the love of God. Let me go and I'll—'

Paddy cut across her conversation. ‘If ye want yer family to remain safe, then don't go repeatin' what ye just said. This is the only warning. Open yer mouth and ye'll be sorry. D'ya hear?'

She nodded, prepared to concede to anything and felt the pressure of his arm ease from her throat. She bent over gasping for air. Then as quickly as it had all happened, he was gone, leaving her alone in the corner of the church.

She heard a rustling sound coming from the confessional box and realised Father Ryan must be inside and that he would have heard it all. He would help her. She stumbled across the church, wrenched open the door to the confessional box and slumped onto the chair inside. He would console her, make it all better.

It seemed ages before Father Ryan slid the partition aside, and she heard the priest's familiar voice.

‘Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.'

'How long is it since your last confession my child?'

Already, she felt the awful trembling inside begin to subside. ‘Two weeks, Father. I wasn't very well last week.'

'And are ye recovered now my child?'

He was concerned about her she felt and soon he would tell her that everything would be all right. Composed she answered him. 'Yes, Father, I am.'

'What is your confession?'

'Father, I have to confess I have had bad thoughts about a man.'

'Ye have my child?'

'Yes, Father'

'What kind of thoughts were they?'

Forbidden thoughts, Father.' There, she had said it!

‘And was that what the commotion was all about just now?'

‘Yes, Father. Ye see it's all about me not wantin' to marry the man I was engaged to.'

‘So are these thoughts about some other man?'

‘Yes, Father. 'Tis an English soldier.'

There was a long pause and Cat waited for the penance to be announced. It felt so good to have got it off her chest. Now she would hear the gentle voice of Father Ryan, who had know her all her life, giving her a little penance and telling her to go on her way and sin no more. Relieved of her burden, she waited for the words he would say to soothe away all her troubles.

When Father Ryan spoke, his tone was harsh as he spat out her penance, stinging her with every word. 'As an act of contrition say fifty Our Fathers and fifty Hail Marys each day for two weeks; and pray to God for your soul to be redeemed for such
wickedness!
'

Cat was stunned. She didn't understand. Surely he had heard every word that had passed between her and Paddy? He had witnessed Paddy attacking her. Maybe, she decided there would be words of consolation to follow.

'Yes, but, Father—' The little sliding door slammed shut!

Bewildered, she staggered from the confessional box, made her way across to the other side of the church and sank down onto a pew. Confused and humiliated, she lowered her head to pray. She sat in the darkness waiting, feeling as though time no longer moved nor mattered, until she heard the church door open.

Ned stood as she had done inside the doorway, his eyes adjusting to the gloom; then seeing her waiting he nodded to her.

Her immediate reaction would have been to run to him, seek his protection, cry on his shoulder about Paddy's attack and the unfairness of Father Ryan; but she vowed never to speak of it to anyone.

The peace and security she thought she knew were gone. Her life had changed and whatever happened from now would be steered by her own actions. She could not bear to have her family hurt on her account.

The memory of Private White lying in the road and of Louis kneeling to cradle him in his arms came to her. She knew that a threat she barely understood had moved into her life.

Ned turned towards the confessional box, went inside, and Cat tiptoed over to wait nearby.

She heard Father Ryan slip the wooden slider back, and as she had done, her father began his confession.

'Bless me, Father for I have sinned.'

'How long is it since your last confession my son?'

'A week, Father.'

'What sins do ye want to confess my son?'

'Well, Father, I hit a fella on the nose today.'

'Did ye indeed, and what compelled ye to such action my son?'

'Well ye see, Father, he was tellin' lies.'

'And ye took the redemption of his soul into consideration?'

'I did, Father.'

'Say two Our Fathers and two Hail Marys and ask God to forgive a soldier of His great army when he's fightin' for the truth.'

Ned left the confessional and Cat hurried to his side, linking her arm in his and squeezing it in comfort as they walked out into the summer sun. It felt so good to hold on to him. She now understood why Paddy had been so mad; Ned had punched him on the nose! Well serve him right, she thought and felt the scales had somehow tipped back into balance after the priest's admonishment.

Usually, holding on to her father's arm filled her with security, as he felt substantial and strong, but today she didn't know what had upset her most: Paddy's threats or Father Ryan's attitude. She found herself brooding over both problems.

Ned interrupted her thoughts.

'I thought we'd cut the hay in the high meadow tomorrow, and get yer mother to roast a pig. We'll have a bit of a craic
⁸
after.'

She didn't answer immediately, even though haymaking was her favourite time. Cat loved it at the end of the day when everyone who had helped stayed on eating, drinking and dancing well into the night.

She was still trying to unscramble her feelings about the encounter with Paddy and Father Ryan's reaction to her confession when Ned, without looking at her, added that Louis had told him he had to attend an inquiry about the bombing in the morning.

‘But I asked him to join us afterwards. I thought ye'd like that.'

Louis found the room set aside for the inquiry into Tommy Hogan's shooting. Hopefully, he thought, it would be an open and shut case.

He put his papers on a desk and quickly began to flick through his evidence. The report had been drastically reduced each time he read it, and this morning he had cut it even more, hoping to shorten the hearing.

Louis knew that Tommy Hogan was Paddy's brother, and that Cat had been engaged to him until recently. He had already formed conclusions about Paddy Hogan and Private White's murder but this inquiry was not about that, though he would like to have voiced his opinion about the connection in his evidence. He just hoped things went his way during the questioning and that enough was said to tie Paddy Hogan up with both events.

The seats began to fill around nine thirty and Major McIntosh, presiding, arrived at nine fifty, arranged his papers on the desk, and laid out three sharply pointed pencils and a note-pad. At ten o'clock he told the guards to close the doors and after introducing the matter, he nodded to Louis, who stood to make his address.

‘This is my account of the incidents leading up to and including the death of Tommy Hogan,' he began to speak looking directly at Major McIntosh, then read from his report.

‘Nationalist Tommy Hogan was involved with a company of Irish National Volunteers
⁹
who had rioted at the Waterford by-elections in May and was consequently jailed for three months. Upon his release, he allegedly planned with Michael Ryan to hold up some R.I.C men in Fethard and take their car and weapons.'

Major McIntosh looked up. ‘Allegedly?'

‘We have information, Sir, that Tommy Hogan and Michael Ryan planned this together.' He waited, expecting Major McIntosh to intervene once more, but in the silence that followed he decided to continue. Just as he was about to speak, Major McIntosh interrupted again.

‘I suppose this comes from a reliable source, this information?'

‘Yes sir.'

McIntosh scribbled something down on his pad and nodded at Louis who moved across to a board and easel where a local map was pinned showing where the hold-up took place.

Returning to his desk, he eased a finger between his neck and shirt collar. God it's hot, he thought, and if he keeps interrupting me, this could go on all morning! He waited for permission to continue until Major McIntosh finished writing and looked up. ‘Go on,' he said.

Louis explained at length the sequence of events and how the police had just surrendered when confronted by Hogan and Ryan until Major McIntosh interrupted him again.

‘Wasn't there any resistance from the police?'

‘No sir, they just held up their hands and were led away.'

Major McIntosh raised his eyebrows and sighed as Louis continued.

‘Michael Ryan took four small calibre revolvers from the R.I.C. Officers and forced them across some fields to a cow shed where he locked them in.' He waited until Major McIntosh finished writing, then continued. ‘Tommy Hogan stayed on guard for some time, but later on, he unbolted the door and left. When the policemen discovered the door unbolted, they went into town and alerted the military who turned out to search for the car and weapons.'

‘Who led the search?'

‘I did, Sir.'

‘Right, go on.'

‘The following morning we received intelligence that Ryan and Hogan had gone to a nearby farmhouse and had breakfast. The farmhouse was surrounded and shots were fired from a window, then Ryan and Hogan were seen running from the back of the farmhouse across a field.'

McIntosh interrupted him again. ‘Was any fire returned by either the military or R.I.C.?'

‘Yes Sir, Private White of the 110th Battalion Royal Artillery fired on them, and shot Tommy Hogan in the hip. But he continued to run, so he received another two shots in the back from R.I.C. officers McClure and Quigley, after which he collapsed.' Louis paused. ‘Any questions Sir?'

‘No. Continue please.'

‘Tommy Hogan was taken to Fethard Military Barracks, and then transferred to Tipperary Town Military Hospital. Father Donovan was in attendance and stayed with him until he died at 2.30 pm that afternoon.'

Major McIntosh decided not to call any further witnesses and adjourned the court.

Louis marched quickly down Main Street to O'Connell's Hotel and changed out of his uniform. For once he didn't hang his clothes up, but threw them impatiently on the bed.

His mind shed the depressing courtroom events of the morning, the revulsion falling from him like autumn leaves fluttering in his wake as he left the hotel and headed out of town.

Approaching the fields of Monroe he stood at a distance on the roadside where he could see people cutting hay and smiled, wondering how long it would be before he spotted her.

At the meadow, where Ned had said he would find them, Louis leaned on a gate and watched men scything the sweet smelling grass. He felt the tension of the morning melt away as he watched cow parsley blooms swaying crazily back and forth, bowing in unison under the weight of butterflies that landed and took off from their floral platforms.

He felt at peace for the first time since the bombing and knew that getting away from the arena of army life would put him back on an even keel. But more importantly, accepting Ned's invitation gave him the chance to see Cat again.