Mandie held her baby, stepped onto the gangplank, and walked onto the ship. They were finally, after two days of train traveling, getting onto the ship that would take them to Ireland.
'I wonder why Joe didn't wait for us to go with him to Ireland. He didn't have to wait long, and it just isn't like him to do that.' Mandie thought.
The two men who escorted her, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Walsh, were no help to her. They repeated the same story, and were quite silent for the most part. Mandie found it suspicious, but then again, if Joe trusted them to escort her, wouldn't they be good men? Mandie sighed, confused and tired, and sank down on the bed in her cabin, put Ned down next to her, and took a nap.
"Now, Woodard, you stay quiet, and you do as I say, or else." Sullivan said, warningly, as he untied Joe's ropes, and took off his gag.
Joe nodded grimly, frowning. They were following Mandie, and if Joe just went along with them, he would still be close to Mandie. They walked along the gangplank, and onto the ship. Sullivan's threats kept Joe in check, and Joe, with either man by his side, walked to a cabin. Joe sat down on the lower bunk bed.
"Now, you'll stay in this room the whole voyage. We'll bring you your meals, and if anyone knocks, you hide in the bathroom, unless you want your wife and child to get hurt." Sullivan said.
Joe nodded, frowning.
"I get the point. I do as you say, and my family isn't hurt. I'm not dumb, and I'm not about to start being dumb." Joe said in a low voice, similar to a growl, and glaring into Sullivan's eyes.
Sullivan looked away, as he just couldn't stand the way Joe glared at him, and sighed impatiently.
"Yes, so you understand. Now, if you'll stay quiet, Sean and I will get you something to eat." Sullivan said, putting the pistol into his holster, and walking towards the door.
Joe nodded, and the men left.
Joe laid down on the bed, and sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. Joe dug into his pants pocket and brought out his wallet. In it, there was a few dollars, and some cents, and a picture of Mandie and him, on their wedding day, and one of Mandie holding Ned. Joe lovingly stroked their forever smiling faces, and whispered to himself,
'I'll get you back. Some way, Somehow, I'll get you back.'
Joe put the wallet back in his pocket, as he didn't want his captors to find it. He stared up at the bunk above him for a while, thinking. He knew it wasn't Mandie's fault at all, but why did she always attract adventure?
~~~~~~~~~~~Ireland~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mandie walked off the boat, with Mr. Walsh and Mr. Murphy on either side of her. Mandie held her baby, Ned, and they walked to a waiting carriage.
They got in the carriage, and drove for a while, into the countryside, where a huge, three story house came into view. Mandie gasped. Her worst fears were coming true.
"W-who owns this mansion?" Mandie asked, as they pulled into the large driveway.
"Mr. O'connor." Mr. Walsh replied, avoiding Mandie's gaze.
"W-who lives here?" Mandie asked, hoping against hope that Adrian had moved out.
"Mr. and Mrs. O'connor, and their son, Adrian." Mr. Murphy replied, jumping off, and offering Mandie his assistance.
Mandie stared at the house, and absent-mindedly got off, and held her baby, who gurgled.
They walked towards the house, Mandie still staring, her thoughts spinning her head.
Before Mandie could stop, they were inside the house.
Mandie looked around at the extravagant house, and was led into the parlor. A horrible sinking feeling came over Mandie.
'My Grandmother wasn't hurt at all! It was all Adrian's plan, to get me to come here and somehow get me to stay with him! And where is Joe? What happened to him? He must be worried sick!' Mandie's thoughts whirled in her head.
Mandie could feel herself flushing with anger.
There, in the parlor, Adrian sat, and looked surprised to see her, and his cousins.
"Walsh? Murphy? Amanda? What are you all doing here? So I was told Amanda came back to her senses, and divorced the country boy? And with a child too? How disgraceful!" Adrian declared, glancing at his cousins.
"How dare you, you evil, evil rat! You dare to disgrace yourself by lying to me about my Grandmother, and tricking me into coming here!-" Mandie yelled, hugging her baby close to her.
Adrian interrupted.
"How dare you call me an evil rat!? I did nothing of the sort that you are yelling about!-" Adrian raised his voice back at her.
Mandie interrupted him.
"And leaving my husband to worry about where I went! Joe will find me, and when he does, he will thrash you for once and for all!" Mandie continued, her eyes flashing blue fire.
"Joe will do nothing of the sort. He has also been taken, and you will both sign divorce papers, or Joe will be killed." Walsh said coldly.
Adrian looked at Walsh, startled, and Mandie gasped, and sat down on a settee, and took in the shock.
"Oh, dear God, help us!" Mandie choked out, burying her face into her hands, and sobbing.
"Begad! Walsh, Murphy, what have you done?! You just sent me a telegram that Amanda was divorced, and now you're saying she isn't? And Joseph will be killed? What kind of scandalous things are you trying to disgrace me with?" Adrian demanded.
"We brought her for you, of course! We can't let anyone know that you, one of the o'connors, was rejected! It will bring a shame upon us all!" Walsh stammered, now realizing the full impact of what he had done.
"It's been over a year! Everyone of her relations must know she married Joseph, and she had a child! Only my Parents know she rejected me, and no one except you two and Sullivan and Sean know that too. Who else would even know that I had a fancy for her in the first place?! What you have already done will shame our name forever!" Adrian yelled at them.
Walsh and Murphy squirmed uncomfortably.
"It doesn't matter anymore, We already got her and Woodard, you're going to marry her, and hide the child until you get married, and as for Woodard, he will either take his leave and never say anything to another soul, or he will die." Murphy said firmly, knowing that the damage had already been done.
Adrian's eyebrows raised.
"You do know that I am courting Philipa?" Adrian asked them in a low voice.
Murphy's look was of pure dismay.
"You fools! We'll never live this down! Never!" Adrian Shouted, pounding a fist onto the table, his face flushed with anger, while Mandie wept.
Mandie only thought of Joe, and her baby. Her whole world was collapsing.
