Chapter Fourteen
They stood side by side in front of the fresh grave long after the other mourners had left. They clasped each other's hands tightly; a bitter reminder that all they had left was each other.
Sheamus squeezed his baby sister's hand. She turned toward him and smiled sadly.
"Do ye think the minister's right? That Mum's happier now?" her small voice hopeful.
Sheamus paused momentarily before answering. "Aye, LizzyB. I do. She's at peace now, no more pain. And she's with Da." He flashed her a smile he didn't feel to comfort her.
"With Da." She repeated softly as she gazed at the twin headstones that marked the graves of their parents.
Sheamus stared at the cold stone and tried to make sense of everything. It had been a chaotic, mad five days since the night he was fired. He had raced home with Elizabeth to find his mother in a deep sleep, burning with fever. The doctors toiled day and night for two days to bring her fever down, but nothing succeeded. She did finally awake, but in such a state of delirium that she was barely aware of her surroundings.
He closed his eyes against the bitter memory. In a final moment of lucidity, she had called for her two children. She gazed lovingly at them and told them that she loved them and was very proud of them. Her final words replayed in Sheamus's mind.
"Sheamus, I don't have to tell ye to look after your sister. Ye've been doing that since the day she was born. But I will tell ye, Elizabeth, to look after your brother. He needs ye more than ye know. And ye Sheamus, all I ask is that ye be happy and trust your heart. It will never fail ye."
Shortly afterwards, she fell back into her sleep and that night she quietly passed away. The last couple of days had been a blur of notifying friends and distant relatives, and making arrangements. Fortunately the financial burden of the funeral had been lifted from Sheamus's shoulders when the minister informed him that everything had been taken care of by an anonymous donor. Sheamus had yet to even ponder who their secret benefactor had been.
Sheamus inhaled an anxious breath. He hadn't even thought about the future. Where would they live? {Room and board for the two of us would probably take most of Mum's meager savings - and even that won't last long. And Elizabeth's wages won't get us far, either. I have to get a job - soon.} He sighed. They'd be able to make a small living in that manner. If they were frugal they could even maybe save for the future. But he had hoped for better. Better for him and for Elizabeth. He didn't want for her to have to work for a living. It was only supposed to be temporary. Once their mother was well, then Elizabeth would quit working and go back to school.
{But that was before.} he reminded himself. {Don't worry Sheamus. We'll make it somehow. I'll get a job and everything will be okay. I wonder how Rhianna's doing. Mum was very dear to her, to the both of them.}
He thought about their last meeting with regret. He hadn't seen her since then, although he was sure she had heard the news. It was strange. Even in the midst of his pain and grief, he still found himself wondering how Rhianna was doing. He smiled wryly and shook his head.
Elizabeth clutched her brother's arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked down at his little sister and into her large, watery eyes. She gazed up at him, feeling lost and frightened. Her mother had been the most important person in her entire life. Before her illness, she had been mother, teacher, and best friend. And now she was gone, just like her father.
Sheamus's heart wrenched at the naked pain on Elizabeth's face. They hadn't yet grieved for their mother - hadn't really had the chance. Before now it hadn't sunk in, been real to them. But now as they stood before her grave, it hit them with the force of an icy wave.
Elizabeth began to shake as tears fell out of her eyes. Sheamus wordlessly gathered her into a tight embrace, hoping to protect and console her with his strong arms.
They watched the grieving siblings from a respectful distance.
"Should we go over there?" Sean asked his sister. He watched Sheamus comfort Elizabeth. His heart went out to the girl, lovely even in her grief. She and her brother stood in front of their mother's grave, looking very much alone in the world and Sean knew first hand what that was like.
Rhianna watched the same scene, feeling her own grief and pain. She watched the way Sheamus sought to comfort his sister and smiled sadly. Even now, he was the strong one, the hero who put other's needs before his own.
"No," she answered her brother. "They need some time. Besides, we have our own respects to pay." She reminded him.
They walked through the church's cemetery, past the long rows of weathered stone crosses. They finally came to a separate gated enclosure that housed the Cassidy family plots. They walked past the graves of their ancestors until they reached the most recent graves. Their parents lay side by side in front of them.
Sean gazed at his father's headstone. "Hasn't even been three weeks." He remarked softly. "Yet so much has happened. So much has changed."
Rhianna nodded. After a moment's quiet reflection, she knelt and placed a small bouquet on each grave. She ran her hand lightly over her mother's stone, feeling the rough surface beneath her fingers.
"Bye, Mum." She said simply, having no words for the woman who had died when she was very little. She had already shared so much with her during her frequent visits to her grave.
But she paused though, at her father's grave. Here the pain was fresh, the wound still raw. Her hand trembled as she reached out for her father's headstone. She smiled to feel her brother's reassuring hand on her shoulder, comforting her."
"Da, it's me. Your little Ree. I just wanted to let ye know that I miss ye, and I love ye. And I'm keeping your business alive." Her voice faltered and she choked on the sudden thick swelling of her throat. Despite her attempts to be strong, she had to express the grief she felt inside. Salty tears streamed from her eyes and Sean gathered her in a crushing hug.
"Let it out, Ree." He whispered, his own voice thick with emotion. They themselves hadn't really begun to process their grief at the loss of their father. The death of Mrs. Brady just served to reopen wounds that hadn't really healed.
Rhianna buried her face in her brother's neck and released her pain and grief.
In another part of the cemetery, another girl cried in her brother's arms. Elizabeth pulled back from her brother as she neared the end of her tears. Sheamus smiled tenderly as she sniffled and hiccupped.
He cupped her chin gently and stared into her luminous blue eyes. "It's going to be okay, LizzyB. I promise." He assured her with as much faith as he could muster.
She smiled hesitantly and nodded simply. She noticed people approaching and prepared herself to receive them. As they neared, Elizabeth recognized Sean and his sister and her heart seized within her chest. She didn't know if she could take being around him now.
Sheamus turned to greet the twins, similarly affected by their presence. He glanced at Rhianna and it was all he could do to hold on to his remaining composure. She was lovely, as always. He noticed her tear stained cheeks and his heart went out to her.
The four mourners stood in an uncomfortable silence. Sean finally spoke up. His eyes glanced briefly at Sheamus, but then rested on Elizabeth. "We just came by to offer our deepest condolences. Your mother was.well she was a very wonderful woman. She was very nearly like a second mum to Rhianna and me. I'm.very sorry for your loss." He said haltingly.
Elizabeth merely gripped her brother's hand, feeling her tears returning.
"Thank ye." Sheamus replied simply, his eyes on Rhianna.
Sean cleared his throat and continued. "We also wanted to ask if there was anything we could do for ye."
"Thank ye again, but we're going to be fine." Sheamus interrupted softly. The last thing he needed now was pity or charity. Especially not from her.
"But then we figured ye'd say that," Sean continued with a small smile, "so instead we're asking if ye could do something for us."
"What?" Sheamus asked cautiously.
Rhianna answered. "The castle is really much to large for just my brother and I, and we are very lonely, and there are lovely rooms just sitting empty, and Elizabeth is there so much working anyway, we were wondering if ye would please move into the castle?" she offered with a hopeful smile.
Elizabeth looked up at her brother hopefully. "What do ye think?" she asked him, looking for permission.
Sheamus hid the grimace he felt behind an insincere smile. Charity. Great. He inhaled deeply. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his sister. "If ye want to, Elizabeth, that's okay. But I'm afraid that I have to turn down your gracious offer."
"And again I figured ye'd say that; your stubborn pride would never let ye receive help from the likes of me." Rhianna said loudly, but with a kind smile. "So instead we have a proposition for ye."
Sean continued for his sister. "Ye remember me telling ye about the Ladies? They live in cottages on our property. There's a vacant cottage beside them, just big enough for ye, and in decent shape. We need someone to live there, to provide the Ladies with a sense of security and spend a couple of hours a week looking after their needs, bringing their food for the week, and fixing small repairs, and things of that nature. Does that seem like something ye would like to do?" He asked simply.
Sheamus considered the offer thoughtfully. It would solve his problems, and was so disguised so as to not feel like charity, even though it was very nearly that. He looked down into his sister's large pleading eyes and felt lost.
"Okay." He agreed.
They stood side by side in front of the fresh grave long after the other mourners had left. They clasped each other's hands tightly; a bitter reminder that all they had left was each other.
Sheamus squeezed his baby sister's hand. She turned toward him and smiled sadly.
"Do ye think the minister's right? That Mum's happier now?" her small voice hopeful.
Sheamus paused momentarily before answering. "Aye, LizzyB. I do. She's at peace now, no more pain. And she's with Da." He flashed her a smile he didn't feel to comfort her.
"With Da." She repeated softly as she gazed at the twin headstones that marked the graves of their parents.
Sheamus stared at the cold stone and tried to make sense of everything. It had been a chaotic, mad five days since the night he was fired. He had raced home with Elizabeth to find his mother in a deep sleep, burning with fever. The doctors toiled day and night for two days to bring her fever down, but nothing succeeded. She did finally awake, but in such a state of delirium that she was barely aware of her surroundings.
He closed his eyes against the bitter memory. In a final moment of lucidity, she had called for her two children. She gazed lovingly at them and told them that she loved them and was very proud of them. Her final words replayed in Sheamus's mind.
"Sheamus, I don't have to tell ye to look after your sister. Ye've been doing that since the day she was born. But I will tell ye, Elizabeth, to look after your brother. He needs ye more than ye know. And ye Sheamus, all I ask is that ye be happy and trust your heart. It will never fail ye."
Shortly afterwards, she fell back into her sleep and that night she quietly passed away. The last couple of days had been a blur of notifying friends and distant relatives, and making arrangements. Fortunately the financial burden of the funeral had been lifted from Sheamus's shoulders when the minister informed him that everything had been taken care of by an anonymous donor. Sheamus had yet to even ponder who their secret benefactor had been.
Sheamus inhaled an anxious breath. He hadn't even thought about the future. Where would they live? {Room and board for the two of us would probably take most of Mum's meager savings - and even that won't last long. And Elizabeth's wages won't get us far, either. I have to get a job - soon.} He sighed. They'd be able to make a small living in that manner. If they were frugal they could even maybe save for the future. But he had hoped for better. Better for him and for Elizabeth. He didn't want for her to have to work for a living. It was only supposed to be temporary. Once their mother was well, then Elizabeth would quit working and go back to school.
{But that was before.} he reminded himself. {Don't worry Sheamus. We'll make it somehow. I'll get a job and everything will be okay. I wonder how Rhianna's doing. Mum was very dear to her, to the both of them.}
He thought about their last meeting with regret. He hadn't seen her since then, although he was sure she had heard the news. It was strange. Even in the midst of his pain and grief, he still found himself wondering how Rhianna was doing. He smiled wryly and shook his head.
Elizabeth clutched her brother's arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked down at his little sister and into her large, watery eyes. She gazed up at him, feeling lost and frightened. Her mother had been the most important person in her entire life. Before her illness, she had been mother, teacher, and best friend. And now she was gone, just like her father.
Sheamus's heart wrenched at the naked pain on Elizabeth's face. They hadn't yet grieved for their mother - hadn't really had the chance. Before now it hadn't sunk in, been real to them. But now as they stood before her grave, it hit them with the force of an icy wave.
Elizabeth began to shake as tears fell out of her eyes. Sheamus wordlessly gathered her into a tight embrace, hoping to protect and console her with his strong arms.
They watched the grieving siblings from a respectful distance.
"Should we go over there?" Sean asked his sister. He watched Sheamus comfort Elizabeth. His heart went out to the girl, lovely even in her grief. She and her brother stood in front of their mother's grave, looking very much alone in the world and Sean knew first hand what that was like.
Rhianna watched the same scene, feeling her own grief and pain. She watched the way Sheamus sought to comfort his sister and smiled sadly. Even now, he was the strong one, the hero who put other's needs before his own.
"No," she answered her brother. "They need some time. Besides, we have our own respects to pay." She reminded him.
They walked through the church's cemetery, past the long rows of weathered stone crosses. They finally came to a separate gated enclosure that housed the Cassidy family plots. They walked past the graves of their ancestors until they reached the most recent graves. Their parents lay side by side in front of them.
Sean gazed at his father's headstone. "Hasn't even been three weeks." He remarked softly. "Yet so much has happened. So much has changed."
Rhianna nodded. After a moment's quiet reflection, she knelt and placed a small bouquet on each grave. She ran her hand lightly over her mother's stone, feeling the rough surface beneath her fingers.
"Bye, Mum." She said simply, having no words for the woman who had died when she was very little. She had already shared so much with her during her frequent visits to her grave.
But she paused though, at her father's grave. Here the pain was fresh, the wound still raw. Her hand trembled as she reached out for her father's headstone. She smiled to feel her brother's reassuring hand on her shoulder, comforting her."
"Da, it's me. Your little Ree. I just wanted to let ye know that I miss ye, and I love ye. And I'm keeping your business alive." Her voice faltered and she choked on the sudden thick swelling of her throat. Despite her attempts to be strong, she had to express the grief she felt inside. Salty tears streamed from her eyes and Sean gathered her in a crushing hug.
"Let it out, Ree." He whispered, his own voice thick with emotion. They themselves hadn't really begun to process their grief at the loss of their father. The death of Mrs. Brady just served to reopen wounds that hadn't really healed.
Rhianna buried her face in her brother's neck and released her pain and grief.
In another part of the cemetery, another girl cried in her brother's arms. Elizabeth pulled back from her brother as she neared the end of her tears. Sheamus smiled tenderly as she sniffled and hiccupped.
He cupped her chin gently and stared into her luminous blue eyes. "It's going to be okay, LizzyB. I promise." He assured her with as much faith as he could muster.
She smiled hesitantly and nodded simply. She noticed people approaching and prepared herself to receive them. As they neared, Elizabeth recognized Sean and his sister and her heart seized within her chest. She didn't know if she could take being around him now.
Sheamus turned to greet the twins, similarly affected by their presence. He glanced at Rhianna and it was all he could do to hold on to his remaining composure. She was lovely, as always. He noticed her tear stained cheeks and his heart went out to her.
The four mourners stood in an uncomfortable silence. Sean finally spoke up. His eyes glanced briefly at Sheamus, but then rested on Elizabeth. "We just came by to offer our deepest condolences. Your mother was.well she was a very wonderful woman. She was very nearly like a second mum to Rhianna and me. I'm.very sorry for your loss." He said haltingly.
Elizabeth merely gripped her brother's hand, feeling her tears returning.
"Thank ye." Sheamus replied simply, his eyes on Rhianna.
Sean cleared his throat and continued. "We also wanted to ask if there was anything we could do for ye."
"Thank ye again, but we're going to be fine." Sheamus interrupted softly. The last thing he needed now was pity or charity. Especially not from her.
"But then we figured ye'd say that," Sean continued with a small smile, "so instead we're asking if ye could do something for us."
"What?" Sheamus asked cautiously.
Rhianna answered. "The castle is really much to large for just my brother and I, and we are very lonely, and there are lovely rooms just sitting empty, and Elizabeth is there so much working anyway, we were wondering if ye would please move into the castle?" she offered with a hopeful smile.
Elizabeth looked up at her brother hopefully. "What do ye think?" she asked him, looking for permission.
Sheamus hid the grimace he felt behind an insincere smile. Charity. Great. He inhaled deeply. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his sister. "If ye want to, Elizabeth, that's okay. But I'm afraid that I have to turn down your gracious offer."
"And again I figured ye'd say that; your stubborn pride would never let ye receive help from the likes of me." Rhianna said loudly, but with a kind smile. "So instead we have a proposition for ye."
Sean continued for his sister. "Ye remember me telling ye about the Ladies? They live in cottages on our property. There's a vacant cottage beside them, just big enough for ye, and in decent shape. We need someone to live there, to provide the Ladies with a sense of security and spend a couple of hours a week looking after their needs, bringing their food for the week, and fixing small repairs, and things of that nature. Does that seem like something ye would like to do?" He asked simply.
Sheamus considered the offer thoughtfully. It would solve his problems, and was so disguised so as to not feel like charity, even though it was very nearly that. He looked down into his sister's large pleading eyes and felt lost.
"Okay." He agreed.
