Jean Grainger Box Set: So Much Owed, Shadow of a Century, Under Heaven's Shining Stars

by Jean Grainger

  ‘Do you mean, like, move her from home, get her out of the neighbourhood?’ Scarlett asked.

  ‘No, nothing as drastic as that. Patients often do well after a little vacation maybe, somewhere away from the scene of the episode, where the potential triggers are limited, somewhere that the patient can continue their recovery in the weeks after discharge from hospital. I have found that immediate replacement of the patient into the environment from which they came can lead to a regression, not always of course, but sometimes. A little vacation, somewhere calm, can be like a stepping stone back into life, rather than plunging head first. But it’s just a thought since I don’t know if it is possible, or even something you would want to do. Meanwhile, you can think about it and we will continue with the course of treatment. I am hopeful to see some positive developments over the coming weeks.’

  He got up and smiled. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to do my rounds. Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions, and drop in to visit as often as you like. Feeling loved and wanted is absolutely crucial to your mother’s recovery.’

  He shook her hand warmly and ushered her out. Before she went back to face Lorena, she needed a moment to gather herself.

  Charlie was doing the interview tonight. She hadn’t decided whether to watch it or not, but she was dreading it. Artie had been calling for the past few days, so she decided to drop in to him after the hospital.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon with Artie drinking beer in his garden. Kathy was visiting a friend across town so he was smoking incessantly in her absence. Scarlett tried to admonish him, but it was pointless.

  Waving a cigarette in her face, he growled, ‘Y’know kid, the only reason I put up with the nagging about the smokes from my old lady is cause there’s somethin’ in it for me, but I don’t gotta listen to you, y’hear? So if you are comin’ round here bein’ all preachy, then you know what you can do. Now shut up and tell me what that jerk is gonna say on TV tonight.’

  Scarlett sighed. ‘I don’t know. But I can guess it’s not going to be good.’ She told him about the phone call.

  ‘You’re worth ten of that worthless loser, you know that, don’t you? Whatever he says, remember people ain’t dumb. He’s saving his own sorry ass and people will see that.’ He patted her hand roughly. She was touched at how protective he was of her these days. How strange that her two best friends were a chain smoking old editor and an ancient old lady.

  She told Artie the story of Eileen’s flag, the bit she knew anyway.

  Artie listened. ‘Hey, that might be something there. Sounds like an interesting story. Why don’t you write it?’

  Scarlett shrugged. ‘I don’t know. She might not want me to. She was so scared it had been taken. Her house is full of Irish political stuff, not shamrocks and all that, but actual photographs, and probably loads of other stuff to do with the Easter Rising in Ireland. She’s a tough lady even if she looks like someone’s grandma. She doesn’t have an agenda. She’s perfectly happy to keep her flag and never tell anyone anything about it. I’d hate her to think I was just after a story’

  ‘Suit yourself. What are you doing for money?’

  Scarlett hated the way Artie knew what buttons to press to drive her crazy. She fought not to rise to his bait.

  ‘Not much. I wasn’t at the Examiner long enough to make any real money. I kinda went a bit crazy buying stuff at the start. I’ve saved a bit over the years so for now that will do. Charlie offered...’

  Artie crushed a cigarette butt into the patio and then immediately lit up another.

  ‘He’s that desperate, huh, paying you to keep schtum? The guy is even more of a lowlife than I first thought. Look, I’ll lodge a few bucks in your account, just to tide you over, ok?’

  She started to protest, but he interrupted her. ‘Look kid, I have it, you don’t right now. Pay me back when you can. Now shut up about it.’ He took a sip of his beer. ‘Has the Examiner contacted you at all?’

  ‘No, nothing. I got a letter from the legal department requesting that I don’t give any interviews about the thing with Charlie, and that if I mention the Examiner, I am open to litigation, but apart from that touching little correspondence, nothing. One or two guys from the foreign office sent texts, but no, I’m a pariah, it seems.’

  She knew that, despite his gruff attitude, Artie cared about her and worried about her.

  ‘But you gotta be entitled to something? Shouldn’t you get yourself a lawyer and see what the game is? They aren’t gonna want their name dragged through the media spotlight again, not after last time. Maybe they’ll give you a payout just to shut you up.’

  ‘Maybe. I’ll think about it. I was so shell shocked when it happened that I couldn’t think of anything but how shameful the whole thing was. And now I’ve got this thing with my mother to sort out, and a job to find, and I’m just waiting for the fallout from whatever Charlie is going to say. But I’m tough.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll be ok.’

  ‘Attagirl’ he said, clinking his bottle off hers.

  Chapter 26

  Scarlett was looking at the photos in Eileen’s small living room and then she read the copy of the Irish Proclamation of Independence which was framed on the wall. To her surprise the prose really moved her. She found profoundly uplifting the idea that a document, intended to be the declaration of a free country in 1916, would open with the lines ‘Irish Men and Irish Women’ when women didn’t even have a vote. These people didn’t just seek liberation from England, but they wanted a truly equitable and free society, where ‘all children of the nation are cherished equally’. The leader of the rebellion, Padraig Pearse, was a poet and a teacher and it showed in this composition.

  Eileen had called her cell phone as she was leaving Artie’s to ask her to come over, and explained why she wanted to see her.

  ‘Forgive me if I am being presumptuous, Scarlett, but I know the interview with Charlie Morgan is airing tonight and I didn’t want you to be alone watching it. I thought if you had no other plans, you could come over here and we could watch it together?’

  ‘I wasn’t going to watch it at all actually, Eileen.’ Scarlett’s heart was heavy.

  ‘Oh dear, I know you must be dreading it and of course you know best, but sometimes it’s better to face our fears head on. At least if you hear for yourself his take on it, and see him saying it, it will make things clearer for you, and you’ll know exactly what you have to deal with.’

  Scarlett knew she was right. She had to watch it.

  As Eileen walked into the room carrying a tray, there was the unmistakable sound of the theme tune to the CBS Evening News. Scarlett felt sick with nerves. The voice of Jordan Flint filled the small room. She had met him a few times and didn’t like him. He was charming and good looking, but she got the impression that he’d do anything for a story.

  ‘Welcome to Evening News. Tonight our top story, Congressman Charlie Morgan on his fall from grace. Then Lara Crosbie is reporting from Aleppo on the worsening situation in Syria, and finally the nation speaks on the ongoing debates on Obamacare.

  His smile never faded as he turned to his guest. Charlie looked like his old self again, well groomed, tanned, and happy. The time out with his family had done him good. Scarlett’s stomach lurched at the sight of him.

  ‘Congressman Morgan, thank you for agreeing to talk to us this evening. I understand this is your first interview since the story of your relationship with the political analyst from a leading city newspaper broke.’ Flint would have to get in that he had scooped everyone else.

  Charlie smiled, a totally fake smile, but Scarlett realised only she would know that.

  ‘Yes, Jordan, I have been devoting my time to my family, who have been incredibly supportive during this very difficult time. But I felt the people of this country, those hard working Americans who elected me, deserve to hear the truth.’

  ‘And that truth is that you had an extr
amarital affair and potentially compromised your position as an elected member of Congress...’ Flint’s reasonable tone belied the sharpness of his accusation.

  ‘Yes. I am guilty of betraying my beautiful wife, who has been a rock of support, and my wonderful family. But I must state this clearly: At no time did I do or say anything that would in any way compromise the integrity of our political system.’ Charlie was adamant.

  ‘Interesting that you should use the word integrity, Congressman. Don’t you think the people you represent deserve better from you? After all, you were elected because people could identify with you, the ordinary Joe image. People liked and respected you. A hard working family man, upholding family values, and yet you proved to be totally unworthy of that respect. You lied to everyone,’ Flint said.

  Scarlett’s heart went out to Charlie. It must be horrific to have to sit there and take this condescending crap from this guy who was acting like butter wouldn’t melt.

  ‘Well, Jordan, you are right. I have let people down. My marriage is the most important thing to me, and my children, of course. I wasn’t lying about that. Look, I’m not going to sit here and make out like I did what I did because my wife didn’t understand me, or because I wasn’t loved as a child. The truth is I was pursued relentlessly by a young woman who had her career in mind. I was flattered, of course I was. And as time went on and she became more persistent, I succumbed. Should I have? Of course not. I should have rejected her advances out of hand, but I’m weak. That’s the reality. An attractive, career driven young woman made me her goal and I fell for it. She was determined and I wasn’t strong enough to resist.’

  Charlie spoke directly to the camera. She could swear tears were glistening in his eyes. She felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. How could he say that? Making out like she was some kind of power crazy stalker. Eileen held her hand.

  ‘So Ms O’Hara, she really is the Scarlett woman?’ Flint chuckled. ‘She is the bunny boiler and you’re the victim of her evil plan. Come now, Congressman, you surely don’t think you can blame her for all of this?’

  Charlie smiled ruefully. ‘Of course not, we were both involved, but I have lost a lot more than Ms O’Hara. I was foolish and flattered, and I wasn’t able to see what she was trying to do, which was further her own career.’

  Flint looked incredulous. ‘Are you seriously expecting the nation to accept that someone as politically astute as you was seduced by a self-serving young woman who set out to ruin you?’

  Charlie ran his hand through his hair, ‘I guess I am, because it’s what happened.’

  Eileen pressed the off button on the remote.

  ‘I think we’ve heard enough from him, haven’t we?’ she spoke quietly.

  Scarlett tried to speak but no sound came out. This was a nightmare, surely. Charlie hadn’t just gone on national TV and said that it was all her fault? Like Glenn Close in the Michael Douglas movie, she couldn’t think of the name of it right now. How could he do that? Then she thought back to the last phone conversation, when he begged her not to react to the interview. Sam Winters would have made him make the call. She was sure now that he was standing behind Charlie each time they spoke. He was protecting himself, and she was going to be his scapegoat.

  ‘I never...that’s a lie...I thought he loved me,’ she croaked. She needed Eileen to know that she wasn’t the horrible calculating monster like she had been painted as.

  ‘I know you did, Scarlett. He’s a horrible, self-serving man and is not worthy of you, or of his wife, for that matter.’ Eileen was gentle.

  ‘He...he’s not really like that. Not really. He’s kind and funny and...’ She wanted so much to believe that. Her phone beeped.

  Sorry was all it said. She threw the phone at the wall.

  Eileen picked it up. ‘Perhaps getting a new phone would be a good idea? And a new number? That way all those people who texted and called when the story broke won’t be able to contact you. And neither will he.’

  Scarlett knew Eileen was right. She needed to protect herself now, and the first part of that would be to cut off all communication with Charlie. She looked at the phone, her last link to him. Once she cut that off, she would have no way of contacting him, nor he her.

  It buzzed again and she looked, disgusted with herself for hoping it was him. It was Artie.

  He’s an Asshole. You are great. A x

  Eileen held her hand as she cried.

  She slept that night, eventually, in the pretty floral bedroom at the back of Eileen’s house. She couldn’t bear to be alone so Eileen offered a bed for the night, and she accepted gratefully. Eileen had been amazing, kind and gentle last night and had allowed her to cry for as long as she needed to, then made her a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee. Scarlett was so touched. When she had no more tears left she sat, drained, in Eileen’s sitting room. Eileen held both her hands and looked straight into her eyes.

  ‘Now, listen to me, Scarlett. I don’t know much about relationships. I never married, but I did have a few boyfriends over the years. I do know this with absolute certainty. Charlie Morgan is not worth your tears. You’re a lovely, kind, smart woman and you’re so much better than him, for all his money and power. I know you loved him, maybe a part of you still does, but honestly, you should try to put this whole sorry mess behind you. Put it down to experience and move on. Don’t beat yourself up endlessly. You fell in love, and I’m not saying you are totally blameless. You did know he was married, but he was the one who made a promise to someone else and broke it. You deserve a man of your own, one who’ll treat you properly. Now go on off to bed, and try to sleep. Everything will look better in the morning, I promise. At least the press can’t find you here.’

  Scarlett slept all night and when she woke, she showered and dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the previous day. She’d have to go home, but the thought of the gathered media outside her house made her nauseous. She went downstairs. Eileen was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea. She was immaculately groomed as usual, wearing a grey skirt and a pink blouse, and her silver hair shone. Scarlett noticed how Eileen’s nails were always manicured and her bathroom had some lovely skincare products. Taking care of herself was obviously important to her and it explained how she looked so good for her age.

  ‘Coffee?’ she asked smiling. ‘Did you sleep?’

  Scarlett smiled. ‘Very well, thanks, that bed is so comfortable. Coffee would be great, thanks.’

  ‘How about some eggs?’ Eileen asked.

  ‘I’m fine. I don’t want to put you to any more trouble.’ She was mortified about everything Charlie had said and that Eileen had had to comfort her.

  ‘It’s no trouble at all, dear. I’m making some for myself anyway. You’ll need your strength. How are you feeling this morning?’

  Scarlett put her face in her hands and sighed, ‘Oh Eileen, where to start? Embarrassed, ashamed, let down, heart broken, like a complete fool. Take your pick. I know I said it last night, and I know it doesn’t make what I did go away, but it really wasn’t like he said. It was mutual. I’m not the kind of person that goes out to wreck other people’s marriages just for the hell of it, or to advance my own career.’

  Eileen filled the kettle with water and said, ‘I know that, I know you’re a good person, Scarlett, one who made a mistake. Very few can say they’ve never done that. As I said, I think the best thing to do now is forget about it. Throw your energies into something else and the pain will go away, the press will lose interest, and you’ll get your life back. And that starts with a good breakfast, so what about those eggs?’ She smiled kindly.

  ‘Well, thanks. Sure, some breakfast would be great. Can I help?’ She looked around the small bright kitchen.

  ‘Sure,’ Eileen answered. ‘There’s some bagels in that container there. You could toast them?’

  After they’d eaten, Eileen announced, ‘Now let’s turn our attention to somethin
g more worthy of our energies. I want to show you a letter I received a few weeks ago. I haven’t replied yet except to say I had received it and would revert to them in due course, but I want to hear what you think about it.’

  She handed the letter to Scarlett. The first thing she noticed was the letter was written on heavy embossed paper and a green harp emblazoned the top of the sheet. She scanned down to see who the letter was from. The words at the top were in another language and impossible to understand, but along the bottom was written ‘Department of An Taoiseach’.

  ‘What’s that?’ Scarlett asked, pointing to the last word.

  ‘An Taoiseach is the name of the Irish prime minister. It’s pronounced Tee-shock. It comes from the days of Celtic mythology, when it meant the chieftain. A lot of public office positions within the Irish government use Irish language names from that era.’

  Scarlett wondered how Eileen, who had lived all her life in America as far as Scarlett knew, was able to understand this impossible-looking language. Dan had a few words in Irish, curses mainly, she presumed, but he wasn’t much of a scholar, so Scarlett knew nothing really of the language.

  ‘So this letter is from the Irish president?’ Scarlett was confused.

  ‘Read it,’ Eileen said.

  Scarlett read aloud,

  Dear Mrs Chiarello,

  I sincerely hope this letter finds you well. It has come to our notice that some documents, letters and/or other items, that made up part of the estate of the late Mrs Angeline Grant of Strand Road, Glenageary, who died here in Dublin in 1960, may now be in your possession as a result of your relationship to the late Mary O’Dwyer of the same address. In the course of our current research on the 1916 Rising, to coincide with the centenary of that event, we are contacting anyone who we think may have artefacts, photographs, letters or anything of that nature pertaining to the events of the Rising.