AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for updating this after such a shamefully long time! Well, we're nearing the end, aren't we? Just two more chapters. A big thanks to T.J (refugee2010) for his constant prodding. Another big thanks to everyone who are still reading Seven Years Later. Reviews are more than welcome.
Wade slumped in the one of the many chairs of the hotel lobby. He was tired- he had searched the docks for Mawkins for four hours, and yet no sign! How could he go to County Meath without arranging the boat! He knew he would have to go to Meath by water, there was simply no other way. The renegades were patrolling the railway stations making sure nothing but the essentials and the driver were on the trains. He had had it all planned- he had employed Mawkins, the trusted Irish overseer of Ballintober, to get him a boat and an Irish crew (a British crew was suicidal), then with the boat waiting at the bay, he would get Scarlett and Cat and get out of this burning country.
But now he realized there were so many brutal flaws in his plan- there was chance of getting caught in every step. The biggest of which was his 'crew' getting caught up in the rebellion. Wade was desperately searching for something that would at least take him to Ballyhara, how he would get them out of Ireland, he could always think later. But everyone around him was busy booking tickets on England-bound ships, and eyed him suspiciously when he asked for transportation across the three counties.
He closed his eyes languidly as heavy rain came pelting on the glass window, just a few feet from his chair. It was going to be even more difficult to find Mawkins or any alternative. The sun would set in an hour or so, and Wade just couldn't come around the idea of sitting in the hotel, doing nothing to save Mother and Cat. He had to fight the pessimistic thoughts that seemed to flood him very often these days. He rested his head on the back of the chair and stared out of the window. The thick sheets of rain obscured the view, and the glasses were fogging.
He saw a man flailing his arms about, probably arguing, though he couldn't hear his voice in the din of the lobby. The man looked frustrated and a woman beside him was sobbing and trying to calm the man. Not just a woman, but a lady! Oh how this macabre revolt has brought down courtesy and etiquettes taught over ages, mannerisms cultivated for years.
It was then he realized, he knew the man and the lady! It was none other than Ralph and Leticia Leynard!
Wade ran out of the lobby, down the steps towards them, when he saw Ralph was actually shouting his head off at a burly man, a few years older than them.
Wade brushed past the men and women huddling around the steps of the hotel towards them, and asked, "What is the matter, Ralph?"
Ralph Leynard hadn't noticed him coming, and he looked taken aback. His surprise showed in his voice, when he said, "What are your doing here, Wade? It's a ghastly time to visit this wretched country!"
The burly man before them flexed his muscles- apparently he had a different idea about the shortcomings of his country.
"I came for Mother and Cat," said Wade, stealing a glance the other who looked displeased at this interruption.
"By God, Wade. Haven't they escaped already? County Meath has been taken over by the Irish. Our own plantation was burned to ground!"
"Oh, I am hopeful, Ralph. Mother has Irish descent, after all. But what is this all about?" asked Wade, eyeing the brute of a man.
"This is Caughey, who had agreed to buy our boat, now wants his advance back because he doesn't want the boat!" shouted Ralph, looking ready to launch physically at Caughey.
Wade put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He couln't understand. The Leynards were one of the most well-off families in colonial Ireland- why was Ralph so intent on selling his boat?
Ralph must have understood Wade's confusion. He cast another scorching glare at Caughey, before turning to Wade.
He spoke to him in such a low voice, Wade actually had to lean forward to hear him, "I know it's odd, me getting so skittish about a Goddamned boat, but these Irish won't touch British pounds. You give anything other than Irish punts, they'll slit your throat! I don't have anything without the Queen stamped on it, I need the Irish money."
Wade felt relief surge into him in waves. "Give him back his advance. I will buy the boat from you. With punt."
Ralph looked too surprised for words. He opened his mouth several times and closed them again, searching some trick in Wade's face. When he understood Wade wasn't joking, however, he looked very grave. "No, Wade. I certainly cannot take such a paramount favour."
Wade couldn't help but laugh. "But it is you who is granting me the favour! I have been wandering in the docks like a stray dog, looking for the boat I had arranged for, but it never came. I will immediately book tickets for you and Miss Leynard for tonight's ship to Bristol. Please, Ralph, let me do this, you have no idea what a help you are being."
Within an hour, Wade had bought off 'Hamlet and was sitting on the deck as the light boat sped like wind towards Meath along the inky waters of Irish Sea. So many thoughts were crowding his mind, he felt his head would burst. Wade decided to put his worries and speculations aside and went down to the captain's cabin to go over his plan.
The cabin was a small room, which was inevitable, given the size of the boat. But, just like the rest of the boat, there was an aristocrasy about it.
"Good evening, Mr. Hamilton. I hope your stay will be comfortable, though very trying times we may be in," said Gavin Ferguson, the portly captain of 'Hamlet'.
"So do I, captain. When do you think we would reach County Meath?"
"Seeing that it is almost six now, the tides will turn, so we must slow down. It's a long way, I hope you understand, I expect we would reach by ten tonight," said Ferguson, cautiously waiting for Wade's reaction.
Wade had not expected much better. "I don't doubt that you will try your best captain. But, do you know why I am making this trip to Meath?"
Wade was certain he knew, but he had to ask.
"I am afraid I don't have a very clear idea, sir," he said courteously.
"Well, I am going to bring my mother and sister from their plantation house in Meath. I would like you to wait at the port, while I go and find them. After that, you can take us to the British shore, can't you?"
"Of course, sir, as you wish."
Back on the deck, Wade couldn't shake off a feeling of uncertainty, even though everything was going smoothly. So, he had a boat and a faithful crew- so what? There was every possibility of something going wrong, there was so much of task ahead. He wondered how Mother and Cat were, if his Irish cousins, despite being in the thick of war, were protecting them.
He sighed and laid back on an easychair, tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Soon everything was peacefully black and calm. He welcomed sleep.
Wade had no idea how long he had slept, when he was politely shaken off slumber by a cabin boy.
"Sir, we are almost there," said the spotty teenager.
Wade rubbed his eyes to adjust his sight- a small lantern was hanging from a post in one corner of the deck, and Wade could not make out anything in it's dim light. After about a minute he began to see the silhouette of the shoreline, almost a mile from their boat. Tiny spots of light dotted the darker horizon and Wade wondered if they were friendly or hostile men beckoning the lonely seyfarers. He just couldn't be sure, and he couldn't let the boat run the risk. He climbed down the steps to the captain's cabin.
"Captain Ferguson, can I have a word with you?"
"Of course, sir," said the man, looking confused.
"I don't want you to drive the boat to the shore."
The captain looked quite startled. "You don't want to go to Meath?"
Wade walked over to the window. "Do you see those lights? Those are Irish, ready to char down your boat and crew to coal, if we get anywhere near the shore. I know a small jetty around Craigsland Creek. Please steer the ship that way. It is abandoned and located near the Diabhail Forests- no Irish would enter the forests in fear of evil spirits. We will be safely moored there. I will be back with them before dawn, I promise."
The plan sunk into the captain slowly and he nodded. "I will steer towards Craigsland Creek, sir."
Wade jumped off the boat on to the jetty, which creaked threateningly. He waved his torch at the boat, signalling that he was safely on land. He set off walking into the forests, and couldn't help but be a little annoyed that his nerves were a little jangled. The Irish were superstitious, but it would not do for a shrewd American businessman to be afraid of fairies and djinns. He tightened his grip around the Springfield slung to his back.
Under normal circumstances, the screams would have terrified Wade. But he was so busy trying to decide if any of those belonged to Cat or Mother, or any of his Irish cousins, that he could only push past the hordes of crying women who ran out of their burning houses, clutching their babies to their bosom. Ballyhara was on fire, as Ralph Reynard had suspected and Wade had feared, and the Irish rebels were racing their horses through the helpless crowds trying to disband them, all the while yelling about glory of Ireland. Wade threw off his coat and rolled up his sleeve upto his elbow, trying hard to camouflage as an ordinary Irish peasant- he certainly looked the part what with the mud spattered in his clothes from the long walk through Diabhal.
It generally took about ten minutes to get to the main house of Ballyhara from the entrance of the estate, but Wade covered the distance in less than four minutes, and ehat he saw was not a happy sight. The entire house was itself a giant inferno, with the roof almost gone. The windows were spouting flames every once in a while, and the small balcony, where Cat used to ride her play pony was hanging precariously. Well, no time for romancing the past, thought Wade, he needed to find them.
Then he noticed. The rebels had flocked in front of the house, throwing burning woods at it, but they had not touched the stable. The stable was not attached to the main house, so evidently, it was not on fire. The rebels, however, were chanting in a trance, and an intact stable was hardly worth their worries.
Wade broke into a run for the stables, trying to stay in the shadows of the trees; the last thing he'd want was to draw the rebels' attention to the stalls. Once hidden by the remains of the house, Wade started shouting for Cat and Mother. The stalls were empty; maybe the rebels had been there and taken all the horses.
"Cat! Mother! Are you there?" shouted Wade at the top of his voice. He felt his limbs getting heavier- they weren't there, everything gone to waste!
"Wade!"
The squeal brought Wade, who had started shaking, back to his body.
"Cat!" choked Wade as Cat jumped into his arms, "Oh, darling Cat! Are you all right? Where is Mother?"
"Wade, oh, I knew you'd come," Scarlett answered his queries. She looked distraught- her dress was filthy, and torn at places, her hair was out of place- there had been struggle.
"What happened to you?" started Wade.
"Oh Wade, there is no time to explain now," cried Scarlett in urgency. "Let us get out of here. You can take Cat with you on your horse, and I will take get Half Moon. All the other horses have been stolen."
Wade felt the excitement and happiness he had felt a minute ago ebb away. "Mother, you take Cat by Half Moon. Take the way round the back, across the Loghalia patch, it'll lead to Craigsland Creek. My boat's waiting there."
"Why, Cat and I will weight much more, it will slow down Half Moon by ages! You have to take her on your horse, Wade!"
Wade waited a beat before calmly replying, "I did not bring a horse, Mother."
A little 'oh' escaped from Scarlett's lip, and they fell into a silence, where mother and son stared at each other, both judging their priorities as thought their life depended on it. And it did.
After a few moments, Scarlett looked resolutely, right into Wade's eyes. "Then you will take Cat and go. Don't you even dare argue with me, Wade Hamilton."
Her strength shook Wade, and made him even weaker. "I will stay here, Mother. Sooner or later, the troops will come and drive these scoundrels out."
"No, Wade. I will not have that. You are going, and that is the end of this discussion," said Scarlett strongly. When he did not move an inch, she broke into a teary smile.
"Wade, please understand. You are my son, and though I have not exactly been a citable example of motherhood, it is still my duty to think of my children first. Please let me be your mother. You are all Ella has got, and Cat too. Promise me you will take care of them," she said, gripping Wade's hands tightly.
Tears were trickling down Wade's cheek, as he realized he was going to keep her request and abandon her in this hell.
"Go, Wade," whispered Scarlett, slightly pushing him towards Half Moon, who kicked at the door of his stall.
Wade felt like it was somebody else controlling him, as if he was a stranger to his own hands, as they untied Half Moon, mounted Cat in front of him, and waved Scarlett goodbye before marching off into the dark night.
Wade rode in silence through the rolling plains of Loghalia. He could see huts bordering on the east, all of them burning desolately like the last embers of the hearth in the morning. The countryside was burning, but Wade felt nothing; no sympathy, no fear, nothing. He could not know what Cat felt either, she was silent too.
Suddenly, a gunshot brought Wade back to his senses. Cat sqealed and clamped her hands on her ears. With horror rising like bile in his throat, he realized a group of four or five rebels had started chasing them.
"Shh, Cat, don't you worry, we are getting out of here," he whispered urgently, "Here, can you hold the reins for a while?"
"What are you going to do, Wade?" asked Cat, scared.
"Nothing, just a little game. Here, hold this," said Wade as he shoved the reins into Cat's hands. Another gunshot sounded, and Cat whimpered, but held on to the reins. Wade unlatched the Springfield from the strap and tried to twist his body back as far as possible, to get a good shot. But it was too dark to make out their outlines and Wade knew better than to fire randomly. He aimed his gun at the swinging torches that the rebels were carrying. He said a quick prayed, and pulled the trigger.
Cat shuddered wordlessly in front of him, and one of the torches fell down on the ground. Wade heard a loud neigh as the other torches slowed down. Wade had hit a man.
With neither remorse, nor guilt, Wade took three more shots and shot down two other rebels. Now only one torch swung, still at their heels. Wade felt a tingling on the back of his neck, as he aimed his gun again and shot. As the last of the torches fell to the ground and extinguished, the Wade had a fleeting sensation of freedom.
He swung his rifle back, and gently took the reins from Cat's hand. There was a light splashing sound as Half Moon sped into the Spiorad Marsh- they were nearing Craigsland Creek.
"Hey, Cat! You're a brave one, aren't you?" he said, trying to sound cheerful, as he enveloped Cat's cold, shaking hands in his palm.
Cat nodded, but didn't make a sound. Wade carried on, trying to divert her six-year-old mind. "Well, we are going to have a nice big story to tell Ella. Yes, I will tell her exactly how our brave Cat drove Half Moon through the Loghalia patch to the Marsh."
"Where are we going, Wade?" asked Cat, after a while.
"To England, and then America, Cat. Do you remember how you wanted to go to America?" he asked, cajoling Cat to speak.
Cat did not answer and Wade concentrated in trying to keep to the obscure path, half immersed in the brine water that flow into the marsh during high tide.
With relief, Wade smelled salt in the air and through a small crack amongst the stilted trees, saw the lights of Hamlet glowing. He shouted for the attention of the crew, when suddenly something like a war cry broke out behind them.
Half Moon almost stumbled in surprise and Wade turned back to see another group of rebels riding towards them. With a sinking feeling, he urged Half Moon to go faster and dug his heels into his sides.
"Start the engine!" he shouted so loudly that he felt his lungs might burst. "Captain, start the engine, set off, I will jump!"
Wade did not know if his voice had carried over to the boat, and for a few looming seconds he thought it had not. But before his fear could grow and cripple him, Hamlet's engines roared into life, and he heard the crew shouting to clear the deck, so that he could jump. With one last glance at the rebels, who were closing in, Wade guided Half Moon to the jetty at breakneck speed. Cat was trembling in front of him, and she clutched Half Moon's mane- Wade realized, with surprise and admiration, she was more excited than scared. The gypsy, his sister was!
"Come on, Half Moon," he urged, with growing suspicion at his ability, as Hamlet drifted away from the jetty.
When Half Moon propelled himself off the jetty with a last, forceful step, Wade thought time had stopped. The war cries behind him were silenced, or maybe he was bereft of his senses. Finally, after a few long moments, with a sudden jolt, Half Moon landed on the deck, trotting a few steps before coming to stop.
Amidst whoops of admiration from the young crew, Wade stepped off the panting horse. He patted between his flaring nostrils. "Good job, Half Moon, good job," he whispered, as a young boy brought him a pail of water.
"Are we off to England, then, sir?" asked Captain Ferguson, down to business as swiftly as possible.
"Yes, captain," said Wade wearily, as he helped Cat off the horse.
After hesitating for a moment, Captain Ferguson asked, "Pardon my interference, sir, but I thought your Mother was going to accompany you."
A tight knot in Wade's throat made it impossible to answer. He simply stared at the reducing pitch black outline of the Irish coastline in reply.