Later that afternoon, Arthur was tidying up his porch when he caught sight of someone going across the headland. Convinced it was Barney, he put on his coat and climbed the hill toward him.
When he got to the spot where he thought he had seen Barney, there was nothing there, not a bird or a rabbit, or anything, save for the winter-chill that swept across the land when evening came.
“That’s funny!” Arthur was sure he’d seen someone up there. Cupping his mouth, he called against the wind. “BARNEY! Where the devil are you!” but there was no answer.
Puzzled, he made his way back to Casey’s Farm. “I could have sworn …” He shook his head. “Arthur Chives, you must be losing your marbles.” But then, he chided himself, was it surprising he’d begun to imagine things, when his best and only real friend in the world had told him he would probably not live to see another Christmas.
Farther down the hill, the figure remained hidden until Arthur had gone on his way, then furtively it emerged, to continue along the path in the direction of Overhill Farm.
The two Davidson boys were in the barn and had been for the past hour. “No, no!” Barney rushed forward, just in time to stop Ronnie from laying the section too close to the corner. “You need to leave room for the dancing,” he said. “If you take it too far into the corner, there’ll be no space for folks to swing about.”
Ronnie laughed at that. “Oh, so you do intend we’ll all be swinging about, do you?”
“I hope so!” Thomas brought forward another two sections. “I’m bringing the prettiest girl ever, and I’d be real disappointed if we weren’t able to dance!” He winked at Ronnie who told him he was fortunate, because so far, he himself didn’t have a partner.
“You’ve got Lucy,” Barney reminded him. “And if you think she can’t dance then you’d best think again, because from what me and your mammy have seen, she can cut a rug along wi’ the best of ’em!”
In fact, he had often caught Lucy when she was playing the gramophone and dancing on her own across the parlor. “What’s more,” he added, “she’s a fine-looking young woman. You should be proud she’s agreed to dance the evening away with you, my lad.”
“How many more sections do you think I need to make?” Thomas had been making wooden-slatted squares all morning, and now it seemed his father was right and there wouldn’t be enough of a dance-floor to cope with all the folks that were invited.
Barney walked the area with him. “We’ll need it right up to there,” he said, pointing to the barn wall. “That’s where the food will be. Then it needs taking to within three feet of the far end. That’s where the benches will be set out, and folks can sit if they’re not dancing.” He scratched his chin and mentally calculated. “I reckon if you could make another two, that should do it.”
As Thomas went back outside, Barney informed Ronnie, “That’s your job when once you’ve finished laying the floor. We’ll need at least four long benches for folks to sit on.”
“I like the way you say ‘we,’” Ronnie quipped. “I haven’t seen you lift a single thing yet, Dad!”
“Cheeky young divil!” Barney wagged a friendly finger. “Some of us have more to do than prepare for a barn-dance. There’s plenty of other work wants seeing to.”
Just lately, Barney had found it increasingly necessary to delegate the work he was physically incapable of doing. Thankfully, so far he had managed to hoodwink everybody. “Stop your moaning and get on with it, the young scoundrel. And be quick about it. Afore we know where we are, tomorrow will be here and so will all the folks.”
By the time evening came the barn was ready, with colorful trimmings hanging from the rafters, a long table set up to hold the food and a whole wall of benches to accommodate weary bottoms. Much to Barney’s delight, the makeshift dance-floor was not only a job to be proud of, but large enough for the dancing of many party-goers. “You’ve done a grand job,” he told his sons. “I couldn’t have done better myself.”
Ronnie reminded him that the tables for the guests to eat at were not yet put up. “There’ll be time enough to root them out tomorrow,” his father said. “If I remember rightly, the fold-up tables are buried under all kinds of rubbish at the back end of the wood-shed.”
It was gone nine by the time Barney and his sons returned to the house. “That’s us done for the night,” he told Joanne who, together with Lucy, was still taking trays of pork pies out of the oven. “It’s over to you now, girls.” He was concerned at the late hour. “It might be best if Lucy and the child stayed the night,” he suggested to Joanne. “She looks far worn out—you both do. Leave it all now, and get up early in the morning. The party doesn’t start till evening. There’ll be plenty of time to finish off whatever needs doing.”
“I’ve already asked Lucy to stay.” With the back of her flour-speckled hand, Joanne wiped away a wisp of hair. “Bless him, little Jamie’s fell asleep hours ago … Lucy’s just about to go up.”
Bone-tired and ready for her bed, Lucy washed her hands at the pot sink, said her good nights and climbed the stairs to be with her child.
After checking little Jamie she stood for a while at the window, looking at the night sky and thinking how strange life could be. One minute she was footloose and fancy free; then along came Frankie Trent, who promised her the world, made her with child then cleared off; then back he strolled into her life, fooled her into thinking he’d mended his way and was ready to make her his wife and give his son a name, when he ran away again—in the most cowardly fashion yet.
Somewhere along the way, her life had gone very wrong, and now here she was, without a husband and Jamie without a daddy, and in a couple of weeks’ time, her dear friends would sail away and she would be left here alone.
She worried about Barney. No matter how hard he tried to reassure her that things were fine with him, Lucy could not rid herself of a niggling doubt. Was he ill? Or was it, as he said, “summat and nowt”?
Too weary and weighed down with regrets to make sense of it all, she undressed and, climbing into bed, drew the child to her. It was only a matter of minutes before she, too, fell asleep.
Sixteen
When, after a fitful few hours Lucy woke, it was to hear the stairs creak as someone crept down them. Darting to the door, she inched it open and saw Joanne on her way down to the kitchen. She turned to see Lucy and hissed, “Go back to bed! It’s only half-past five. I’ll call you in an hour.” With that she continued on tiptoe down the stairs.
Lucy went into the bathroom, had a wash at the basin and quickly got herself dressed. A look to make sure that Jamie was still deep asleep, and then she was down the stairs and after Joanne.
“I thought I told you to go back to bed?” Joanne already had the mixing bowl out and the flour jar in her hand. “You could have had another hour’s sleep.”
Grabbing a pinafore, Lucy wrapped it round her. “While you’re doing the scones, I’ll make the apple-pies,” she said, and before Joanne could answer, she was inside the pantry, collecting together all the ingredients.
Over an hour later the men came downstairs, followed by a very sleepy Susie; the pleasant aroma of baking filled the air and Barney commented on the array of goodies covering the dresser. “By! There’s a table fit for a king,” he said, licking his lips at the pies, cakes, scones and joints of meat ready for the slicing.
Joanne scrutinized him. “Are you all right, love?”
“’Course I’m all right.” Barney’s heart turned somersaults. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He had suffered another bad night, pacing the floor half the time or propped up against the pillow, massaging the ache in his chest.
“No reason.” Joanne shrugged her shoulders. “You seemed restless, that’s all.”
“How d’you mean?”
“Well, you shifted about a lot, turning this way and that.”
“So, did I disturb you?” He was afraid she might have seen him pacing the floor.
Joanne chuckled. “You know me,”
she answered. “Once I’m out, it would take an earthquake to wake me. No, you didn’t disturb me,” she assured him. “It’s just that when I got out of bed to visit the bathroom, you seemed a bit unsettled.”
“I expect I was dreaming of all the things that could go wrong with this party.” He looked round. “Where’s the birthday boy?”
“Still fast asleep.” Lucy poked her head out from the pantry. “So don’t you go waking him.”
“And don’t you go worrying about things going wrong with the party!” Joanne advised. “Because everything is in hand. It’s all been checked and double-checked; Jamie’s presents are all wrapped and ready, the birthday cake is setting and will be perfect for cutting tonight, the trimmings are up and the barn is all ready … or so you say!”
“It is!” Ronnie grumbled, falling into the room. “Apart from a few finishing touches which’ll only take a few minutes.” Hunched in his chair, unshaven, unwashed and with his hair standing on end, he looked like he’d been fished out of the river.
“Right!” Clapping her hands together to release a flurry of flour, Joanne went to the tap and filled the kettle which she then put on the stove. “Lucy! A dozen rashers of bacon and a bowl of eggs, if you please. We’ve a hungry mob waiting to be fed.”
“I’ll have three eggs if they’re going.” That was Thomas, bleary-eyed and yawning.
“God Almighty! Look at the state of the pair of you!” Joanne laughed. “I hope you can both manage to recover for tonight.” She did a little jig on the spot. “’Cause your mammy’s expecting you to give her a dance or two!”
Lucy saw how Barney’s strained face lit in a smile at his wife’s antics. “There you go, Joanne.” Placing the eggs and bacon on the side, she peeped again at Barney, and suddenly in that one precious moment, there was not another soul in the room but herself, and him.
At 6:30 p.m. the first partygoer arrived. “I’m a bit early,” Arthur apologized. “Only I thought there might be summat I could do to help.” In truth he had wanted a quiet talk with Barney.
“You’d best come wi’ me.”
Barney guessed the reason for his early arrival. “We’ll check the barn and see if I’ve forgotten anything.” In his gray corduroy trousers, best blue shirt, and with his unruly hair tamed to a shine, Barney looked good.
“The ladies are upstairs titivating theirselves and the boys are in the kitchen picking at the food.” He chuckled. “If Joanne catches them, they’ll wish they’d never been born.”
As they strolled to the barn, Arthur asked, “How are you feeling, matey?”
“If you mean am I looking forward to the party,” Barney replied, “the answer’s yes. If you mean have I accepted what’s gone on with me …” He shrugged his shoulders. “What choice have I got, old friend?”
Saddened to his heart, Arthur nodded. “And what will you do about America?” He was reluctant to interfere but knew the dilemma Barney faced. “There’ll come a point when you have to tell the family.”
“I’m dealing with it.”
Arthur sighed. “Remember, you’re not on your own, Barney,” he said softly. “I’m here for you. Any time you want me, I’ll be here.” When the tears filled his eyes he blinked them away.
“I know.” Throwing an arm round the little man’s shoulders, Barney walked him to the barn, where he threw open the door. “Well, what d’you think?”
Arthur was mesmerized. The barn was festooned with color from one end to the other: paper chains and streamers hung across the roof and down the walls, and in between, strategically hung so as to be safe, were a dozen long lanterns, all lit and twinkling. The benches were set out; the food table was dressed in a long pink cloth, and the dance-floor stretched away as far as the eye could see.
“It’s like Wonderland!” Arthur marvelled and Barney laughed. They went inside and walked round the floor. Then Susie came running in. “Mam says you’re to come and help carry the food,” she said, and ran out again.
For the next half-hour it was mayhem, with everyone trotting backward and forward with plates and dishes of food, cutlery and jugs, dodging each other and making a second and third trip, and when the long table was filled to bursting, the guests started arriving: the butcher and his wife; Doris Dandy from Everton, various villagers and others who had known the Davidsons for many years.
Jamie was getting very over-excited; dressed in his best clothes and overwhelmed by all the noises and strange faces. Lucy let him enjoy himself for a half-hour or so, then she popped back to the farmhouse with him and put him to bed, waiting until he had fallen asleep before returning to the festivities.
Leonard Maitland arrived alone, his attention instantly drawn to Joanne, who looked very fetching in the new cream-colored skirt and pink lace blouse, with her hair loosely looped up on top of her head, and long wispy strands curling round her face. She was a picture of loveliness.
There were two neighboring farmers and their entire families, and finally, arriving in a flurry of excitement with one of her new girls trailing in her wake, Bridget came waltzing through the doors. “Jaysus, Mary and Joseph, will ye look at this! It’s like heaven come to earth!” she screeched with excitement
A moment later, taking the young woman aside, she reminded her, “You’re not here to enjoy yourself.” She kept her voice low. “Sure, haven’t I suffered the bad atmosphere in the house these past few days, the pair of youse, fighting and arguing like two alley cats! I’ve only brought you here tonight so I can keep an eye on you, while the other one calms down.”
She wagged a warning finger. “Watch your tongue and keep yourself to yourself, Brenda. I don’t want ye messing with the men tonight.” She edged closer until they were eyeball to eyeball. “I swear, if I so much as see you look at a fella, I’ll thrash the arse off ye, so I will!”
Wisely, the young woman backed off. “What am I supposed to say if anybody comes talking to me?”
“Oh, you’ll think o’ something, I’m sure.” Bridget gave her a gentle shove. “Now be off and fetch me a glass o’ that wine they’re handing out.”
With everybody safe inside and a glass of best homemade wine in their hand, Barney stood on the chair and welcomed them all. “This is really a triple celebration,” he said, winking at his wife. “Not only is it to mark little Jamie’s birthday and christening although the little chap in question has gone to his bed, but as most of you will already know, the Davidson family are away to start a new life in America.”
Pausing for breath, he thought about the imminent journey, and his secret heart was heavy. “It’s good to see you all here,” he finished. “And now let’s have a toast—to Jamie … and America!” There was an almighty cheer. “To Jamie and America!”
“God bless you and your family, Barney, and all the luck in the world. It’s no more than you deserve.” The glasses were raised again, and when they were empty, Joanne and Lucy and Susie were on hand to fill them up again.
While the toasts were given, Dr. Lucas stood at the back of the barn and raised his glass along with everyone else. But, with the exception of Barney and Arthur, he was the only one who knew that Barney might never be going to America. And if that was the case, then his family would not be going either.
It wasn’t long before the music started, in the form of old Victor and his accordion and beside him, the blacksmith, who could not only shoe a horse in record time but could also play a mean flute. Between the two of them, they played a merry tune and soonever the music struck up, the party-goers flocked to the dance-floor and let themselves go.
“Would you look there!” Barney nudged Lucy, gesturing across the dance-floor to where the butcher was swinging his wife round on the edge of his podgy arm. “I reckon he must think she’s a side o’ beef,” Barney joked, “the way he’s chucking her about!”
Lucy’s attention was caught elsewhere. “It didn’t take Leonard long to get Joanne on the dance-floor,” she remarked, and when Barney looked across he was taken by
the manner in which his boss held Joanne, close and tight, as though he did not want to let her go.
The smallest surge of jealousy rippled through him. “Come on, lass, let’s show ’em how to do it!” Grabbing her by the arm he ran her onto the dance-floor, and when the music suddenly changed to a waltz, he slid his arm round her waist and bent her to him. “You look lovely,” he whispered in her ear. “I meant to tell you that soonever I saw you, all dressed up like a princess, with your pretty eyes shining.”
Lucy laughed. “Why, thank you, sir, and you don’t look bad yourself either.”
Secretly, she was thrilled to be in his arms, and as he moved her slowly round the dance-floor, she closed her eyes and imagined he was her real partner; having brought her to the dance, later, when it was over, he would take her home again. On the doorstep he would kiss her goodnight, and she would go to bed and dream of him.
She laughed as Barney swung her round again. She knew it would end, but it didn’t matter. Tomorrow was reality. But tonight was a memory she would keep forever.
While dancing with Lucy, Barney kept an eye on Joanne. Looking up at Leonard, she was talking, seemingly unaware that he might be holding her too close, or that he wasn’t listening to a word she was saying. Instead he was looking into her eyes, discreetly content to be holding the woman he loved.
Barney saw all this and now, as Joanne turned to smile at him, he smiled back and winked; pleased when his wife blew him a conspiratorial kiss.
Barney laughed with Lucy, and swung her round like a young man with his sweetheart, yet all the while he was thinking of the future, and his lovely Joanne. He knew how devastating the news of his illness would be to the family, and to her, and he would have done anything on God’s earth not to have to tell her. If only there was a way, he thought. If only he could somehow save his family from the pain and anguish they were bound to suffer.
The Journey Page 23
