It was the last day of the year and the metallic thump of the big Heidelberg press competed with the rattle of carts in the road outside. Dingle was waking up after the excesses of Christmas and, below in the town, the livestock auction was in full swing. The half door of the printer's shop was open, allowing in the occasional gust of wind but letting out the stomach churning fumes from the glue Kitty was using to paste end papers in a growing stack of books. The cousins had fallen into their usual routine with Bella handling the temperamental press and Kitty cutting and binding the pages as soon as they were judged to be dry. The din of the machinery fortunately drowned out her singing: Kitty had many gifts but, as her cousin was fond of pointing out, music wasn't one of them!
Eventually, the run was finished and Bella lifted the handle to press the last page.
"Well now Kitty a stor, that's us done!" she sighed, releasing the paper from its setting and transferring it gingerly to the drying rack. The print was crisp on the page and she smiled contentedly. She took off her brown Holland pinafore and hung it on a hook before peeling off the long sleeves she wore to cover her dress. He clothes were immaculate but, as always, her hands were blue with ink and she had managed to transfer a large streak to one of her cheeks.
"Have you given any thought to what you'll do when I go?" Kitty asked worriedly, watching her cousin scrubbing at her hands in the sink with a large block of green carbolic soap they kept for the purpose. When they'd re-opened the press after Bella's parents' death, the work had been a real struggle and there were many days when the cousins would happily have closed the door and walked away but the thought of maintaining the family legacy had kept them going. Now Bella loved working with the finicky lead type and ink ran though her blood. What would she do when Kitty left and she was married? Surely Edward wouldn't want his wife working! Yet again though, Bella surprised her cousin:
"I have it all planned… well it's maybe not all my idea but it's grand! Rose and Alice are going to join me. We'll have a new family business. We've even got ideas for a new range of ballad sheets to go with John McCormack's latest recordings."
Kitty looked at her cousin in amazement. The famous Irish tenor was a big star over in America so that part of the story made sense but the Cullen wives working…! The town would have a field day!
"Ah now Kit, stop gawping! Sure you look like you've been slapped with a wet fish! Isn't it a great idea altogether? And all Mrs Cullen's doing, she had the whole scheme mapped out! Rose is a beautiful artist, she'll illustrate and Alice will help with the typesetting. We'll take on Sean Og's eldest as an apprentice after school. "
Ah… now the plan made sense. Kitty smiled to herself as she imagined either Jasper or Emmett standing up to their Mammy! And the press would be in good hands.
"God was smiling on us when He brought the Cullens into our life!"
"He was indeed Kit asthoreen, and thanks to Him and his Blessed Mother" replied Bella, blessing herself.
Fixing the lid on the large pot of glue, Kitty stood and stretched. Glancing casually at the clock which hung under the cross of Saint Brigid which Bella had made from rushes last year, she started and swung into action. It was gone four o'clock! The pair had been so focused on printing that they hadn't noticed the light fading. Less than two hours to be home, changed and get to the Big House for the final gathering of the year.
"Ah no! Would you look at the time? We'll be late for dinner! Come on there now!"
The pair grabbed their hats and hurried out of the printers, pulling the door closed behind them. Dusk was setting in and the gas lights were being lit. The streets were empty as shops had closed up early and the tapping of the cousins' boots and the occasional rattle of a late returning cart punctuated the silence. Glancing into lit windows, they could see families gathering around tables, faces warm in the candlelight. Reaching their cottage, they burst in through the door and dashed upstairs to dress.
"Will you wear the cream dress, a chara?" called Bella from her room.
"I will, and you the lavender? Will you do me up when you're done? This dress is a devil for buttons."
"For sure!" called Bella, dragging a hairbrush through her tangled hair and simultaneously groping around her dressing table for her mother's earrings. Abandoning the brush, she held up the delicate gold filigree bobs, remembering how as a young girl, she had sat on the bed watching as her mother dressed for parties.
"I wish you were here Mammy," she whispered "I'd want for you to love Edward as much as I do. I know you're looking down on us and God grant that one day we'll all be together again. I miss you."
Hooking the earrings into her ears, Bella shook herself. "Now isn't the time to be moping!" she said sternly to her reflection, wagging a finger at the mirror. Smiling at her own foolishness, her wistful prayers over, she gave her hair a final pat with her brush and took the stairs two at a time in her haste to be off. The departure was delayed by Kitty's dress and an attempted escape by the cat but eventually the two cousins were crunching up the gravel driveway which lead to the Big House, lanterns in hand.
Light streamed from every window of the house and the big double doors were flung open. Bella's heart leaped as she recognized Edward's broad shouldered silhouette in the doorway. Leaving the house, he strode down the steps and along the path to meet them.
"God's greeting ladies!" he called as he approached. Coming closer to the house, the girls were illuminated in the light of their lantern and that of the large chandelier in the hall.
"By the grace of God, I didn't think you could look any lovelier Bella a gra, and yet here you are!" He looked down at Bella and stroked her cheek gently with his finger. The lantern trembled in her hand, sending the shadows dancing.
Kitty cleared her throat, the raw emotion in Edward's voice was incredible and the two lovers were transfixed, locked into a world of their own. Sure they'd never get inside at this rate and the damp was setting in! Shuffling her boots in the gravel, she laughed:
"And what am I? An auld turnip?!"
Turning to her cousin, Bella kissed her on the cheek "more like a swede asthoreen!" The pair laughed and followed Edward into the house where Maggie took their coats and led them to where the family was assembled in the drawing room, glasses in hand.
"The Blessings of Saint Brigid on you girls" called Esme from the corner where she was handing a glass to Father Moran. "You'll have a glass of sherry and then we'll eat! And after that… well, I hope that you're ready for a bit of dancing? The boys are coming up from the town and we'll have ourselves a bit of a ceilidh. There's nothing like a few set dances to end the year on a high note!"
Dancing! This was unexpected. Bella looked at Edward under her eyelashes, the thought of being held in his strong arms and whirled around the floor made her thrill with anticipation. She couldn't wait to get through dinner. As though he read her thoughts, Edward looked across the room at his betrothed. Pretending to be listening to Jasper's detailed explanation of a case he had just been defending at the Four Courts in Dublin, he admired the way that Bella's eyes lit up at the mention of the ceilidh and wondered what her face would look like when she was alive with the dance.
"And so we pelted the judge with rotten spuds and all adjourned to the pub for a hooley!" finished Jasper, aware that his brother was no longer listening and identifying correctly the source of his distraction.
"Grand, so" answered Edward to Jasper's intense amusement. He was delighted that his brother had found a companion who would provide the love and support that Jasper had found in Alice but his joy didn't stop him poking fun at Edward.
"You are lost boysie!" he crowed. "Sure haven't I been spouting nonsense these last five minutes and you lapping it up like an auld cat with milk?"
"Lost? Not at all!" answered Edward thoughtfully. "For the first time in years, I think I have found my place in the world. And now it's been a long time since any word of sense came from your mouth buddy boy! I'd sooner listen to Flanagan's goat!" He stepped nimbly out of the way as Jasper's arm swung around in an attempt to grab him in a headlock.
"You're not too grand to give you a beating boysie!" he threatened, advancing on Edward with a menacing expression. "Commander by God! In here you're just the annoying brat you always were!"
"Boys! Sure anyone would think that you were raised in a barn! Would you stop behaving like a couple of yahoos and have some respect for the company!" Esme called from across the room.
"Sorry Mammy" the two muttered, Edward pulling Jasper in and hugging him tightly. "Brat!" Jasper hissed in his ear "Goat!" returned his brother. Both burst out laughing and hugged each other as Bella stared fascinated to discover yet another facet to Edward's personality. Seeing peace resumed, Esme rose and lead the family into dinner.
Seated around the long table, Carlisle surveyed his family.
"Truly God has blessed us this year. We give thanks Lord for Thy goodness and ask for your love and peace to be ever present in this home. We pray to Saint Brigid and Saint Patrick to watch over your people wherever they may be. Keep them safe and, if it be the will of God, bring them all home to Ireland. For those we have lost, we pray that they are at home with you in your Kingdom and we live in hope that one day we will be together with You and the Blessed Mother. We ask for your mercy and goodness for all people for the year to come. " Blessing himself, Carlisle gazed down the table at his wife.
"A good year, Mammy. And pray God next year will be even better."
"It will of course! Aren't we starting with a wedding? And sure isn't my heart overflowing at gaining another daughter?"
Bella met Edward's eyes, overwhelmed by the pure love shining out. She blushed, ducking her head down and studying her plate in apparent fascination. Seeing her discomfort, Edward started a conversation about the latest scandal in the town which concerned a dispute over whether Mrs Donovan could lay rightful claim on the eggs laid in her garden by Mrs Quilter's escaped hens. The two women were at each other's throats.
"Sure the pair of them make the rebellion look like a nursery squabble. We should recruit them immediately!" To general laughter, the conversation moved on to other topics and the chatter rose as course after course was served and eaten. Finally, Esme rose and led the ladies out with a stern warning to her husband and sons:
"Tarry long, Carlisle, and I'll be back in to pull ye out! I can hear the musicians arriving!"
Taking the threat seriously, the doors to the dining room were only closed for five minutes before the men wandered out. Linking his wife's arm, Carlisle led her into the ballroom. Bella had never been in the room before and gasped at the sheer size of the dancefloor. In the corner, she recognized a few men from the Town who were tuning up fiddles and accordions. The bodhran player was drumming his stick on the goatskin of his and held drum and a few of the neighbours were starting to arrive.
"Welcome!" called Carlisle "Blessings of the Holy Mother to you all and let's welcome in the new year! How about we start with the Kerry Polka?"
Moving over to Bella, Edward held out his hand "You'll join me on the floor a gra?"
"I will" she answered, eyes bright with excitement. The Kerry Polka was fast and furious and was her absolute favourite. The sound of feet stamping on the floor as couples swung each other around was exhilarating. And to dance it with Edward!
The pair joined the three couple in the centre of the room and the musicians burst into the music. Faster and faster, the couples circled, stamping feet and letting out wild whoops. Bella's hair collapsed and flew out behind her as she whirled around in Edward's arms. Eventually the dance finished and the pair held each other, panting with exertion and grinning delightedly.
Edward reached out and lifted one of Bella's long locks. "You are the most enchanting creature I have ever seen" he said in a low voice. "This year has been the happiest of my life but it will be nothing compared to the joy I'll feel when we become one in the eyes of God, acushla."
Looking up at Edward, Bella replied in the same low tones, "I never thought that I'd know such happiness. After my parents died, may they rest in peace, I was in darkness. You've brought such life and love into my world. Praise be to God who gave me you!"
Alone in the middle of the room, the pair were unaware of the joyous faces watching them. Their love shone out and the utter devotion between them was almost tangible.
"God is good" Esme whispered to Carlisle as she smiled over at the pair. Stroking his wife's arm and looking at his son, Carlisle nodded. "We should never doubt but that he has a plan for all of us. And my plan for you my love, is to hold you close." Nodding to the band, Carlisle led his wife into a waltz. Even with three grown sons, their love and respect for each other shone like a beacon.
The couples circled around the floor, Edward holding Bella as close as he dared. He could feel the warmth of her body and the sweetness of her breath on his neck. It was all he could do to hold himself back from kissing her there and then. Bringing his head to her ear, he whispered to his betrothed:
"A gra mo chroi, you are the beat of my heart. Every night, I go to bed thinking that I am one day closer to our wedding."
"As do I" she replied "being in your arms is like coming home."
Sighing with love Edward pulled Bella closely and, under cover of the waltzing couples, kissed he quickly on the forehead.
"This year will be the best of my life." And with that, he swept his love into the dance, knowing that, whatever happened, they would always have each other. God was good.
Happy New Year Everyone! Thank you all for your kind words. I wish you and yours a happy, peaceful and joyous New Year.