Another Man’s Child. Anne Bennett
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that’s what will happen and whatever temper or tantrum you get into it will not change the outcome one bit. And what’s more that is my last word on the subject.’
‘But, Mammy—’
‘I said that was my last word on the subject, Norah.’
‘Daddy—’ Norah began hopefully.
‘Your father will feel the same as me,’ Peggy said. ‘It was his ultimate decision. He has no desire to keep Celia locked up for the rest of her natural life.’
And Norah realised then there would be no America for her. Knowing it was hopeless she did appeal to her father but he just said the decision was final and refused to discuss it at all.
Now the news was out, the rest of the family were told as they sat round the table having their evening meal and Celia looked at her father as if she couldn’t believe her ears. She felt shocked to the core and suddenly very frightened because she had never had any sort of desire to cross the Atlantic Ocean and go miles from her family.
‘I don’t want to go to America,’ she said.
‘Your behaviour means that what you want or don’t want has no bearing on anything,’ said Dan. ‘I have said you are going to America and that is where you will go and you only have yourself to blame.’
Celia looked across at her mother’s sorrowful eyes fastened on her and knew in her heart of hearts she didn’t want her to be sent so far away, but her views would count for nothing either. Tom looked unhappy and Dermot couldn’t understand why Celia had to leave the home she loved, when her father had said he was bribing McCadden to go away from Donegal. Ellie and Sammy didn’t understand any of it and were asking questions they knew might not be answered. They had known for ages that it was Norah who was going and they couldn’t understand why it was Celia who was now going and why she was so upset about it.
Celia in fact felt full of misery and she could hardly bear to look at her sister, who was completely silent and stiff. Celia knew Norah was holding her emotions together with difficulty and if she had tried to speak they would likely burst uncontrollably from her and she sighed for she had no idea that hurting those she cared about would cause her such anguish.
Dan seemed unaware of the bombshell he had released and in fact the only thing he seemed concerned about was how Joseph O’Leary knew it all to tell Norah. She explained that Tom had told him and Dan tore Tom off a strip for discussing the business of the family with outsiders.
‘I did ask him to keep it to himself,’ Tom protested. ‘I didn’t know that he was going to run slap bang into Norah the very next day. Anyway, I’m surprised he remembered anything I said, for he was well away when I saw him.’
Norah pulled herself together enough to say bitterly, ‘Oh he remembered all right, and though he hid it well he actually took great delight in telling me my dream of going to America wasn’t going to happen.’
‘I don’t want family business discussed with half the county.’
‘It was hardly that,’ Peggy said. ‘Anyway, everyone will know about this soon enough. People can’t just disappear, especially in a place this size, so our business will be known and discussed everywhere before long.’
Norah got to her feet and began stacking the dishes, noticing again how little Celia had eaten and thinking she would be worse now she knew. Celia had no desire to go to America and the thought of going there would take away what little appetite she had. Norah was amazed that no one else had noticed how thin her sister had become and how ill she looked.
She was still thinking of it when she climbed into bed beside Celia that night, trying not to get too close because she was incredibly bony, and she had resolved to say something to her parents the following day and make them listen because Celia was literally fading away. And then suddenly the solution for all their problems came to her. Celia could run away with Andy McCadden. Norah wondered why she had never thought of such a thing before. She was sure it could be done and had to be done quickly before the ticket came. Then Celia would have her hireling man and she could go to America as planned and everyone would be happy, except perhaps Joseph O’Leary, but despite that thought, Norah went to sleep with a smile on her face.
There was a funny atmosphere in the house the next morning as they got ready for Mass. Celia thought her mother seemed vexed about something. She seemed angry with all of them and even Ellie and Sammy, sensing it too, were quieter than usual. There was no breakfast eaten before Mass on Sunday for the family would take communion so Celia was surprised to see her mother making up a tray with a bowl of porridge on it and a cup of tea. She exchanged a surprised glance with her sister and it was Norah who asked who the tray was for.
Peggy sighed. ‘Well I suppose you’ll know soon enough,’ she said. ‘Tom isn’t well and he’s having a morning in bed.’
Celia knew that wasn’t true because their mother seemed almost cross that Tom wasn’t well and for a minute wondered if he had taken a drop too much the night before, but she had known him do that before and yet he had never missed Mass over it. Anyway, if he had taken a drop too much, would he have wanted porridge and tea?
Celia watched her mother lift the tray just as Dan came in with Dermot and Peggy caught her husband’s eyes and her eyes flashed fire. It was the sort of look the younger children dreaded for when it was directed at them it was usually the forerunner of smacked legs, but this time she was looking at their daddy that way. It was very strange and so was the very pointed sniff Peggy gave before she left the kitchen. Celia glanced at Dermot and he shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands and it was obvious he could shed no light on anything.
Later, as they made their way to Mass, Norah, Celia and Dermot walked ahead of their parents and Dermot said quietly, ‘Don’t know what’s up with our Tom, but there was a bit of moaning and groaning when he got into bed last night.’
‘Wasn’t half,’ Sammy agreed.
‘You were asleep,’ Dermot said disparagingly.
‘No I wasn’t,’ Sammy protested. ‘And if I had been I’d have woken up quick enough with all the turning and tossing Tom was doing.’
‘What is it all about?’ Norah said, perplexed. ‘Daddy said nothing, I suppose?’
‘Are you kidding?’ Dermot said. ‘Daddy has enough trouble bidding me the time of day on the normal run of things. And if I’d dared ask him, the mood he was in this morning, then I would have had the ears scalded off me.’
‘But what did Tom look like?’ Celia persisted. ‘Did he look strange?’
‘How would I know that, Celia?’ Dermot said. ‘It was dark when he came in and he didn’t light the lamp and this morning when we got up the covers were pulled around him.’
‘One side of his face was like black,’ Sammy said.
‘And how do you know?’ Dermot said disbelievingly.
‘Cos when you went downstairs he pulled the covers away a bit and I saw before he tucked them in again.’
‘Well we’ll likely know all soon enough,’ Norah said. ‘And we’d better shut up about it now because we’ll be at church in a minute.’
Norah welcomed the silence that fell because all morning she had been thinking that it was all right to come up with this great idea about how she could make it to America anyway and also give Celia her heart’s desire, but how it was going to be achieved was another thing. She needed to see Andy McCadden alone and see if he really loved her sister enough to take her away out of this before she was spirited across the Atlantic.
But they had reached the church now and were greeted from all sides by fellow parishioners. Among those that usually greeted them were Mr and Mrs Fitzgerald, but