Totally stunned, Abbey stared across at him. She watched as a whole range of confused and conflicting emotions crossed Jed's stricken face. Finally he looked down again and covered his face with his hand. Abbey moved quickly to sit beside him. She put her arm round his shoulders, and his other hand reached out to find hers and grasp it tightly. They sat like that for several minutes and Abbey felt the tears welling in her eyes, her heart going out to him as he struggled to come to terms with the enormous shock.

Eventually drew in a deep breath then sat upright again and looked round at her with a shaky smile. "Can I have a cigarette, Abbey?"

Abbey looked at him through her tear-filled eyes and nodded. Now was absolutely not the right time to lecture him about his smoking.

Jed reached for the cigarette packet and lighter from his pocket, lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. "So – I guess I got more than I bargained for, huh?"

"You want to talk about it?"

"Maybe – except I don't even know where to start."

She drew in a deep breath. "Okay – so – so let's start at the beginning. It's March 1946 – and Annie Egan and Eddy Bartlet meet in Galway City–"

"Too many unanswered questions already – how did they meet? How long did they know each other before–? Or was it just a one-night stand? A quick tumble in some seedy hotel bedroom, maybe? Oh God," he ended bitterly.

Abbey put her hand on his knee. "She went to America to marry him, Jed. That has to mean that it was more than just a one-night stand."

Jed nodded slowly in acknowledgement. "Yeah, I guess so – thanks for that, sweetheart." Then he sighed. "But there are so many things we'll never know, aren't there? Did she just turn up at the farm and say 'Hi, I'm going to be your new daughter-in-law'? Did she get there before or after Eddy died? Did Eddy even know she was pregnant? We'll never know."

"But we do know that she married your–" Abbey caught back the word quickly, "–that she married John Bartlet."

"Yeah, and they got married in September '46. I only found that out after his death, remember?"

Abbey nodded. "Yes, when you found their marriage certificate. That really shocked you, didn't it?"

"At the time, yes, but then it actually seemed to clarify things and I started to think that maybe he resented me so much because he'd had to marry her, because he'd got her pregnant. But now we've gotten ourselves a whole new ball-game, haven't we?"

Abbey frowned slightly. "I can't help but wonder why she married him though – just two months after Eddy died?"

Jed thought for a few moments. "She was alone and pregnant in a strange country – and this was 1946, remember, there was a real stigma then to being an unmarried mother."

"Did they love each other?" Abbey asked.

"Hard to say," Jed said, thinking back to the home in which he'd grown up. "They weren't very demonstrative, I never saw them in a hot passionate embrace. That was their generation though, wasn't it? But yeah, I think they did care for each other, in their own way – and of course they had Jonathan–"

Jed's voice tailed off and Abbey knew that they had reached the other huge issue that had been opened up – John Bartlet's very different treatment of Jed and his younger brother.

"Jed–" she began.

Jed shook his head. "Don't go there, Abbey. I need some time. I need to get my head right round this one."

"Okay." She squeezed his hand reassuringly and he gave her a small smile – but one that didn't reach the inner anguish that clouded his eyes.

After a few minutes of silence, Jed stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go." He stamped out his cigarette and hand-in-hand they walked slowly back down the path into the town.

"That old fellow must have thought me exceedingly rude," Jed commented. "Firing all those questions at him – and then walking out."

"He's probably forgotten by now. I slipped him a twenty Euro note before I came out after you."

"Enough for a few more pints of Guinness, then," Jed grinned.

As they reached the car, Jed clicked the key and moved to open Abbey's door for her. "We're leaving already?" she asked. "What about the church?"

Jed hesitated for a moment, then clicked the key to lock the doors again. "Okay. But let's not go back in the pub to ask for directions – I couldn't cope with the old man yanking any more skeletons out of the Egan family closet. One is more than enough."

"Stay there a minute then," Abbey said and walked a few steps to a hardware store. "Okay," she said as she came out again, "along here, and second street on the right."

As they turned into the street, the church came into view and Jed gave an ironic laugh. "And wouldn't you know it? They've demolished the old church and built this nice new modern one!"

The notice board told them the church had been built in 1977, on the site of the original Catholic church which had dated from 1832. It was all concrete and glass, albeit a reasonably attractive design with a steeply pitched roof.

"Can I help ye?" a voice asked and they looked round to see a young sandy haired man who was tidying the small garden in front of the church.

"Is the church open?" Jed asked.

The young man nodded his head. "Aye, Father Michael went in there about a half hour ago."

Jed looked at Abbey. "Abbey, I'd like to go inside on my own. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded understandingly. "Of course it is. I'll wait here."

As Jed disappeared through the door, the young man turned to her. "Ye're American?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Did anyone tell ye that y'r husband looks a bit like the President? The one who's just finished, I mean."

"Well, yes, a few people have mentioned it," Abbey said with an innocent smile.

"There were some Yanks here last year – they said he was the best President ye've ever had over there."

"Oh yes, I absolutely agree with that," she nodded, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Funny t'ing, but my gran'ma had a friend who went out to America years ago and married someone called Bartlet – she says she's sure it was the same fam'ly as the President. But then she's gettin' on a bit, so she does like to imagine t'ings sometimes."

Abbey's heartbeat quickened. "Does – does your grandma live around here then?"

"Aye, and still cooks and does for herself. She's lived in the same cottage all her life – back there on the main street, next to the Post Office."

"That's wonderful," Abbey said warmly, while her mind worked overtime. "And she tells you a lot about her life?"

"All the time. For all she's eighty-one, she's still sharp – man from the history society came to ask her all about the town and what it was like when she was a child, and then they put a lot of her stories in a book. I t'ink you can still buy it at the bookshop on the main street. There's even a photo of her in the book."

"That sounds very interesting, we'll have a look for it," Abbey replied. "What's your grandmother's name then – so that we'll know which is her photo?"

"Mary Cavanagh."

"You don't happen to know her friend's name, do you? The one who went to America?"

The young man thought for a moment. "Sorry – can't remember," he said finally.

Abbey shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she said then turned as Jed came out of the church. "Okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, fine," he smiled reassuringly at her.

Turning back to the young man, Abbey flashed him one of her dazzling smiles. "It's been good talking to you – thank you."

As they walked back up to the main street, Abbey looked round at Jed. "Were you – all right in the church?"

Jed glanced sideways at her and grinned. "If you're asking whether I ranted at God, the answer's no. But maybe I did just ask Him not to send me any more gut-wrenching revelations – at least for the time being."

"Jed, that young man was telling me about his grandmother who's in her eighties and–"

"Oh no – no, no, no, no!" Jed replied. "I really do not want to talk to any more old people in this town."

Abbey went on, choosing her words carefully. "From what he said, I think she may have known your mother."

Jed stopped and turned to her. "Abbey, didn't you hear me? I don't want to talk to anyone. Just let me deal with all this my own way – okay, sweetheart?"

"Okay." As they walked on, she knew that the initial raw shock had worn off and that Jed had shut himself down. It was his way of dealing with something so enormous. With national problems and international crises, his quick brain and keen intellect could react immediately. But with something so intensely personal, he had to pull the shutters down on his thoughts and emotions until his mind was ready to absorb, analyse and then resolve the issue. There was no way that he could take any more just yet.

But Abbey knew that she had already made up her mind – somehow she was going to find a way of visiting Mary Cavanagh before they left Ireland.

TBC