The Wedding Journey

by Cheryl St. John

  “You will always have the memories of your time together.”

  “And I’ve let them go. Released them into God’s care. I know they’ve been there all along, but on my part, I wasn’t letting go. It seemed a betrayal.”

  “I understand.”

  “I realized something else, too. For me death was always defeat. Death meant I hadn’t been successful at my job. But I’ve been able to accept that death is a natural part of life, as odd as that sounds.”

  “It doesn’t sound odd at all.”

  “You’re satisfied your loved ones are in a good place, waiting for you. Our years here on earth are but a blink of an eye to God. We’ll join them soon. Death isn’t the end of life, but the beginning of life eternal. That gives me comfort.”

  Maeve blinked back the sting of tears. “As it does me.”

  “I’m finished with this shipboard life. I need a purpose again. I’m ready to move on.”

  “Meaning you won’t be sailing again soon?”

  “I hope not to sail for a long time. I want a home. A family.”

  Her stomach lurched. He had told her he wasn’t interested in Kathleen.

  “What’s your deepest desire, Maeve?”

  She’d only recently admitted it to herself. The wish was still fragile. “Not so different from everyone else’s, I expect.”

  “Won’t you tell me?”

  She shook her head.

  “Tell me,” he coaxed.

  She took a deep breath. She’d made a fool of herself before, what was once more? “I want to be loved. Wholeheartedly. Unselfishly. I want a love that knows no boundaries. A love that age only deepens. And I want it while I’m young.”

  “Your wish is easy to fulfill. In fact, it’s already done.”

  In the background the music and gaiety was a contrast to their serious conversation. “How can that be?”

  He reached for her hands. She hadn’t realized how chilled hers were until the warmth and strength of his captured them.

  “Because I already love you. I fell in love with you when you saved Sean’s life and insisted he let you scrub him and wash his hair. I fell in love with the way your brogue is exaggerated when you’re arguing a point or when you’re put out. I love your bravery and the way you challenge my thinking. I love how you do what’s right—what comes straight from your heart—without compromise or question.”

  Maeve was listening, but her mind was catching up with her ears.

  “I love how your hair curls around your ears when you’ve tried so hard to tame it. I love the twinkle in your eyes when you’re amused. I love that you sing a little off-key.”

  “I don’t.”

  “You do, but it’s endearing. I love how you can talk to anyone and how you really, really care about them. I love how real you are, Maeve. How touchingly, beautifully real you are. You don’t possess a single affected trait. Not one.

  “My hair’s too red.”

  “It’s the perfect color to me.”

  “I’m too small.”

  “You’re the perfect size for me.”

  She took a breath and released it. “I’m a poor farm girl with one good dress, and it was a gift I haven’t even worn yet.”

  “There’s only one thing that could be a problem.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll not ask you to marry me if you don’t think you could love me in return. I wouldn’t want—”

  She reached up and placed her fingertips over his lips.

  “I don’t foresee a problem, Dr. Gallagher. But before I say it, I have one more question.”

  “Amssmms-bfft.”

  She removed her fingers from his lips. “What?”

  “Ask anything you like.”

  “Are you able to love me as much as you loved Johanna?”

  “I don’t deny I loved her. But God and I had a long talk. I actually listened this time. I released her and Jonathon. I will always remember them and love them, but I’m still alive and I want to live the rest of my life loving you. I promise I’ll make you a good husband, and you’ll never want for anything.”

  “I don’t want to be spoiled.”

  “It could never happen.”

  “Do you think you might stop talking long enough to kiss me and see if this still feels right?”

  Flynn scooped her against him. She wrapped arms around his neck so tightly her toes lifted off the ground. She kissed him back.

  And it still felt right.

  Epilogue

  Maeve felt like a princess in her taffeta day dress. Aideen had been right about the exquisite French silk plaid in shades of orange, yellow, green and blue being striking on her small frame. Even her underclothing was made of quality fabric and lay smooth beneath the dress. Since her headpiece had become a wedding veil, Mrs. Kennedy had added a ruffled piece of ecru lace to her tiny hat accented with yellow silk flowers made to look like wild iris. The hat smartly covered one side of Maeve’s forehead.

  Martha Conley had done the honors of placing the hat and veil upon Maeve’s head, because tradition called for a happily married woman to do that task.

  Maeve wasn’t much for superstition, but she loved the traditions of her homeland. The fact that sun shone on her now was thought by some to bring good fortune. She preferred to believe God had brought a bright day to assure her He was present and blessing their union.

  Her sisters took her breath away in their new dresses, as well. Bridget’s emerald-green sateen showed off her lovely hair and sparkling eyes. Nora stood regally tall and elegant in vivid blue linen. Grace wore a gown fashioned from one of Flynn’s embroidered white shirts and trimmed with lace and pink ribbon. Nora had even managed to get a tiny bow to stay in her wispy auburn hair.

  Nearly every passenger had gathered on the foredeck to witness the occasion. Maeve’s gaze took in the Atwaters, Goldie McHugh with her husband and children, as well as Kathleen and her mother. She gave Mrs. Fitzwilliam and the McCorkle brothers a warm smile.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman ever to cross the Atlantic.” Flynn’s voice made gooseflesh rise on her arms. His dark eyes made a million promises, and her heart swelled.

  The captain stood before them, looking resplendent in a dark blue uniform with his beard neatly trimmed and his hair cut. Beside him Martha dabbed her eyes. “I’m so pleased that the last wedding the cap’n performs is yours.”

  Gulls and pelicans flew overhead in profusion. The Annie McGee now sailed only a few miles from Boston Harbor, the entire coastline in view. Butterflies set up a wild flutter in Maeve’s stomach.

  She reached for Flynn’s hand.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  She turned and looked up into his handsome face, and everything else faded into the background. This was the most important day of her life. The day that united her with Flynn Gallagher for life, a day they would tell their children about…a day to rejoice and be glad in.

  “I’m ready.”

  * * * * *

  Dear Reader,

  I’m excited about this new miniseries, Irish Brides, and honored to kick it off with The Wedding Journey. The series starts toward the end of the Irish potato famine, 1845–1852, when a million people died and a million others immigrated. At this time, nearly all the land was owned by rich English families and overseen by agents or middlemen. The tenants were powerless, penniless and lived on potatoes and water. It’s no wonder why so many dreamed of a new life and the possibility of owning their own land.

  In The Wedding Journey, you’ll see how the shipowners took advantage of the fleeing Irish by selling passage on overcrowded and unsanitary ships, where thousands upon thousands died at sea. One of the best things about what I do as an author is my ability to create characters who deal with the worst conditions history can throw at them and survive. Meet the Murphy sisters, three young ladies determined to leave their lives of poverty and forge new lives in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

  I believe
you’ll be inspired by their stories of courage and their discoveries of love.

  Best to you,

  Cheryl St. John

  Questions for Discussion

  Much to her sister’s chagrin, Maeve repeats a saying she learned from her mother. A lot of us find ourselves repeating things we learned from our parents and grandparents. Some sentiments are helpful and others aren’t. Can you quote something one of your parents used to say?

  Maeve and her sisters find themselves starting over in a brave move to a new land. Life changes are always difficult. Has there been a time in your life when you felt as though you were starting over? How did you handle it?

  Maeve has seen so many friends and family die that at first she doesn’t trust herself to nurse injured and sick people on the ship. It’s human nature to be wary of reliving unpleasant things from our past. What would you say to encourage an obviously capable person who’s insecure about her abilities?

  Nora tells Maeve that working as the doctor’s assistant is a divine opportunity. Have you ever reached a point when you knew a particular breakthrough was no coincidence, but was part of God’s plan? Did that knowledge give you confidence?

  We’ve all met someone like Kathleen or Mrs. Fitzwilliam, who seem to think it’s their lot in life to appear richer, prettier, more refined or smarter than the rest of the population. It’s often difficult to remember that their own insecurities have shaped them. If you’ve been able to put yourself in the shoes of a disagreeable person and find compassion, can you share how your perspective helped the situation?

  Maeve and her sisters are thankful for little things, like a can of peaches or a particularly beautiful rainbow. We are often so caught up in our daily routine that we don’t take time to reflect on our blessings. We must develop an attitude of gratitude in order to take the focus off our problems. Make a list of ten things that you are thankful for. Is there something on that list you can share or give away to another? Perhaps you can write a note of thanks to two or three people.

  The Murphy sisters, though busy with their own positions aboard ship, were perfectly happy to take on the responsibility of caring for an abandoned newborn. Flynn was impressed by their selflessness. Do you know someone who is always willing to help out, even if it requires taking on what we might see as a burden? How do you suppose some people seem to do it all and others can barely find their way through their own day?

  There were men and women in history, like Flynn, whose hard work and dogged lobbying created standards for ships, jails, schools, hospitals and the like, saving lives and creating better conditions for future generations. How much responsibility do you feel to continue the legacy of great leadership by involvement in your community and government?

  When thinking about their uncertain future, one of the characters quotes Matthew 6:28: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” The Bible tells us over sixty times to fear not. Do you have any verses that help you overcome fear? What does Psalm 18:2 mean to you?

  Maeve chose to forgive Kathleen for her rude behavior, and even prayed for her, with deep compassion. Everyone has had an opportunity when they could either nurture an offense or recognize the source of the other person’s venomous actions and let it go. If you can recall a time you forgave an offense, how did that change your feelings about the person?

  Mrs. Fitzwilliam and Maeve share the experience of seeing a person who looks like a loved one they lost and, for a moment, forgetting it couldn’t be that person. Has that ever happened to you?

  We often pray for guidance or help, but then pick the burdens right back up and carry them. What do Psalm 18:2 and Proverbs 3:5 say about putting our trust in God? Does faith in God mean we don’t have to do anything on our own?

  When the women friends observe Dr. Gallagher holding the newborn, they grow silent. Maeve thinks of the moment as too pure and beautiful to spoil with words. Are there times you’ve been reduced to pure appreciation and felt that words were unnecessary?

  Maeve is deeply moved by witnessing a crime and then a gruesome punishment. What sort of things do you find disturbing about the condition of people’s hearts and the lack of respect for life or even other people’s property? What needs to change in our society?

  Flynn challenges Maeve’s thinking, but nothing can move her unshakable faith. What is the difference?

  Denial is an unhealthy way to deal with hurt and grief, but most of us do it in some form. Flynn couldn’t allow himself to think about his wife or child or even say their names. If there’s something in your past that you’re unable to release, would this be a good time to ask for God’s help and comfort? He has promised to take our burdens and give us peace.

  ISBN: 9781459226562

  Copyright © 2012 by Harlequin Books S.A.

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