‘He supports this protest, you idiot!’ snapped Kate.
‘Can’t he speak for himself then?’ came the response. ‘Or do the Stewarts hire someone for that, too?’
Luke eased himself up. The audience looked at him, some with curiosity, some with suspicion. The room was silent except for the hum and click of the heating system. Luke swallowed hard. It was only the second time in his life that he was speaking in public, but there was no way this was worse than his mother’s funeral so would surely be easier.
‘I’m Luke Kiernan,’ he said. ‘I don’t use the name Stewart. My parents separated before I was born. I grew up in Ireland – as a Traveller. Travellers get pushed round by councils and the police. Our culture is always under threat so I can understand people tryin’ to hold on to what they’ve got. And I don’t agree with this development – everythin’ about it seems greedy and just plain wrong, and I’ll help you fight it, if you let me.’
‘What about your father, Luke?’ asked Duncan. ‘Won’t this cause problems for you?’
‘I’m an adult. I make my own decisions.’
‘How do we know you won’t tell him our plans?’ someone asked.
‘This is a public meetin’, nothin’ secret,’ Luke said. ‘And if Jack wanted to send a spy, it’d be stupid to send me.’
People nodded in agreement.
‘Thank you, Luke,’ said Duncan. ‘We didn’t mean to put you on the spot, but emotions are running high tonight.’
‘No problem,’ said Luke, sitting down again. Kate grabbed his hand and squeezed it like she was proud of him, but his heart was thumping and he hoped attention would move away from him. He didn’t know what he could do to help, but he wasn’t going to back out. Rose had decided him. One old woman bullied by men with power. It wasn’t right. He was sure Annie would approve of him helping.
‘Did you not like it, love?’
‘It’s grand, Maggie. I’m just not that hungry.’
Luke had left most of his dinner untouched. Jack had noticed him not eating, but kept quiet because the fact that they were all having dinner together was a first and he didn’t want to be the one to spoil it. Usually Luke chose to eat in his room, but Matt had told Jack yesterday he wanted them all to spend more time together as a family.
‘Give it here,’ Matt said, and he shovelled Luke’s leftovers onto his own plate. ‘I’ve only had nuts and crisps all day. Stuck in the bowels of the pub, stocktaking. Now the builders are here, Sarah wants to know every last can and bottle we’ve got in case they decide to help themselves.’
Sarah was not a safe topic when Luke was around. Any mention of her usually sent him out of the room. Jack was none too keen on hearing her mentioned either. ‘So, Maggie, how’s the baking going for May Day?’ This was surely a safe topic. ‘I heard Lillian Hooper in the bank boasting her rock cakes are going to triumph.’
‘That’ll be a first,’ declared Maggie. ‘Last year the mayor almost lost a tooth. I think she uses real rocks.’
‘What happens on May Day?’ asked Luke.
‘Oh, all sorts of things,’ Matt told him. ‘Drinking, feasting, wenching. Sacrifice of a virgin. Just your average village get-together.’
‘There are competitions for the best home-grown produce,’ Maggie added, ‘and games for the children. Riding events, Morris dancing, wrestling, tug-of-war. And they choose a May Queen.’
‘Our Katie was May Queen when she was sweet sixteen,’ said Matt, with a sly glance at Luke, who blushed right on cue.
The front doorbell chimed. ‘I’ll get it,’ Jack said, leaving the warm kitchen for the always slightly chilly hall. He prayed the visitor wouldn’t be Sarah. She’d phoned him a few times since Kate had left home. He’d responded to her tearful concern about her daughter with the advice to be patient and not push her.
It wasn’t Sarah. It was Nicholas. Looking furious. Jack wondered if a deal had fallen through. ‘Dad! I wasn’t expecting you. Come in …’
His father was over the threshold before the invitation had been uttered. ‘We have a problem, Jack. About Woodlands. You remember that the protest meeting took place tonight?’
Jack hadn’t remembered because his day had been spent out of the office on a construction site. ‘Did Lynda go to the meeting as arranged?’
‘She’s just reported back to me. And what an eye-opener it’s been. Where’s the Kiernan boy?’
‘Sorry?’
‘He has some explaining to do.’
Jack’s heart sank. He had no idea what his father was talking about, but anything involving him and Luke couldn’t be good. Matt’s voice floated out into the hallway and in a few strides Nicholas had entered the kitchen. Jack followed.
‘Well now,’ Nicholas said, surveying the room. ‘I’m sorry to disturb this cosy family dinner.’
‘Lamb casserole’s all finished,’ muttered Maggie, stacking plates.
‘Granddad, is everything okay?
‘No, Matt, everything is very far from okay.’
‘Do you want to talk in the study?’ asked Jack. He’d expected Luke to get up and walk out of the room as soon as his grandfather appeared, but no such luck tonight.
‘This is something that concerns everyone,’ declared Nicholas. ‘Do you know what this boy has been up to?’ He flung his hand in Luke’s direction. ‘Today, there was a protest meeting in Marsham. Agitators planning how to disrupt Stewart Enterprises’ Woodlands development.’
Matt frowned. ‘What does that have to do with Luke?’
‘I was there,’ Luke said calmly.
Jack wanted to put his head in his hands. Whatever happened next wasn’t likely to help family unity. ‘You were there? Why?’
‘To publicly announce his opposition.’ Nicholas read from a piece of paper he’d taken from his pocket. ‘Everything about it seems greedy and just plain wrong, and I will help you fight it. Is that an accurate quote?’
Luke tilted his head to the side, his finger on his chin, giving the comment blatantly mock consideration. ‘Hmm, pretty much.’
Jack stared at Luke. The kid certainly had guts. But he was also insane. Nobody took on Nicholas Stewart and got away with it. It just wasn’t done.
‘So you did have a spy there,’ Luke continued.
‘Damn right!’ growled Nicholas, almost shaking now, his face flushing with anger. ‘And lucky we did or we’d have had no idea about the extent of your backstabbing treachery!’
There was a jangle of cutlery in the sink. Maggie had her back turned to the scene but her tensed shoulders spoke volumes.
‘Granddad!’ cried Matt. ‘It was a public meeting, and this is a free country.’
Nicholas kept going. ‘He took Kate Walker with him too. You see how it starts, Jack? Before long this – this – trash will turn everyone against us. Who’s next in line, I wonder – Matt?’
‘You’re going to manage that without Luke’s help,’ Matt told him. ‘My brother is not trash.’
Nicholas snorted. ‘Your brother? So he claims.’
‘That’s enough, Dad,’ Jack said, but the enormity of what Luke had done started to sink in. ‘Can’t you see how this could hurt the family? You’re part of the Stewarts now, Luke, like it or not. We need to stick together.’
Luke shot him a venomous look. ‘Oh, when it looks like I might do some damage, I’m suddenly a Stewart? Well, maybe I don’t want to be part of a family that doesn’t give a shit about people.’
‘Come on, Luke, you don’t mean that …’ Matt pleaded.
‘Oh, I’m sure he does,’ said Nicholas. ‘Easy come, easy go. Just like his mother.’
He’d gone too far. Best if his father left now. They could continue this discussion tomorrow at the office.
‘So what now, Sir Nicholas?’ Luke spat out th
e title contemptuously. ‘Are you goin’ to try to pay me off like you did her? You’ll find I can’t be bought either.’
There was a terrible silence in the room as everyone absorbed what they’d just heard. Jack was first to speak. ‘What the hell does that mean?’
Luke jabbed a finger in Nicholas’s direction. ‘He offered my mother money to leave here.’
‘Dad?’ asked Jack, desperate for some explanation.
‘I’m not staying here to listen to baseless accusations. I’ve said what I came to say. Fifty years I’ve spent building up this business, and I’m not going to stand by while some worthless little no-mark tries to destroy it.’
Before anyone could speak, Nicholas turned and left the room. His shoes could be heard clicking in the hallway, then the front door slammed and he was gone. They were all silent for a moment. Maggie looked upset. Matt was shaken. Luke stared at the door, his expression unreadable.
‘Luke, that’s a very serious accusation,’ said Jack, eventually.
‘It’s not an accusation, it’s the truth. He tried to bribe her to go. She told me they never wanted her here. I saw the cheque. Fifty grand. And in case you’re wonderin’, Mam never cashed it. As if she would.’
‘Annie told you this?’ Jack asked. When the hell had that happened? Could that have been the reason why Annie left?
‘I saw it. I found it in a book of Mam’s. She said she’d rather have starved than cash it. She didn’t realise how hard things would get, though – by the time they did, it was too late to cash it anyway.’
‘Do you still have it?’
‘What’s the matter, Jack? You want proof your wife wasn’t a liar? Or me? More likely to be the pikeys lyin’ than Sir Nicholas Stewart, right? And I suppose you’ll deny you wrote to Mam telling her you didn’t want her – or me.’
‘That’s enough, Luke!’ snapped Jack. ‘How could I write to your mother when I didn’t know where she was? If she told you that, she lied. This isn’t some sort of game, you know. Or is it? Is that what you’re doing – playing us all off against one another for some sort of revenge?’ That seemed much more likely than Nicholas trying to pay Annie off. His father would have known she’d tell Jack about it. Would he have risked a major argument?
Luke ran his hands through his hair, scowling. ‘What’s the point? I know you’re lyin’. I can’t prove it now – but I will.’
Jack was now feeling beyond angry. ‘I said that’s enough! I don’t want to hear another word about cheques or letters – if you want to continue living here, you’ll start treating this family with a bit of respect.’
‘Dad!’ Matt shot Jack a warning glance.
Luke put up his hand. ‘No, Matt, let him say what he’s really feelin’. Better than bein’ a hypocrite like Old Nick.’
‘This is my house and I won’t just stand here while my family is insulted!’
‘Trash. Worthless no-mark.’ said Luke. ‘Thanks for provin’ your precious family doesn’t include me. You never wanted me here in the first place. I’m just an embarrassment.’
‘Luke …’ Matt stood up and tried to put a hand on his brother’s shoulder, but it was shrugged off.
‘I won’t trouble you any longer,’ Luke said. ‘I should never have come here in the first place. My mistake.’
‘Luke, please …’ Maggie was crying, and Luke’s expression softened slightly.
‘Maggie, it’s just not workin’. I’ll go in the mornin’.’ He turned to Jack. ‘And if you don’t want to hear about the cheque and letter from me, you might just read about them in the newspapers. You’ll find this trash is hard to get rid of.’
With that threat, he left the room. Maggie dropped down into a chair. ‘Do you think it’s true, Jack? That Nicholas tried to buy Annie off? It might explain …’
Jack shook his head as if to wake himself from some stupor. ‘His mother filled his head with God knows what. She obviously lied about me writing to her – who’s to say she didn’t lie to him about this, too?’
‘He says he saw the cheque, though,’ Matt reminded him, ‘and you not believing him pushed him over the edge.’
‘Come on, Matt. He can’t expect to drop a bombshell like that without knowing we’d want proof.’
‘It might be unreasonable, but I think he just wanted one show of unconditional support – and if what he says is true, then this has been simmering away and was bound to boil over at some point. If he takes this to the press, they’ll have a field day.’
‘It’ll be his word against Nicholas’s,’ said Jack.
‘Unless he’s still got the cheque.’
Jack and Matt stared at each other. That was an uncomfortable thought.
Luke sat by his bedroom window, packed carrier bags at his feet. He could hear dishes clanking as Maggie prepared breakfast, then he saw Jack leave for work. Sometime later, Maggie left for the supermarket. Matt would still be sleeping. It was safe now to get some tea and wait for Kate.
Except it wasn’t safe because Matt was in the kitchen. No chance of escape, either. He’d looked up the minute the door opened. ‘Hey, bro – tea or coffee?’
‘Tea … thanks,’ mumbled Luke.
With any luck Kate would arrive soon. The last thing Luke needed was an awkward conversation with Matt. He was done talking to the Stewarts.
‘You waiting for a bus or what?’ asked Matt, glancing round at him. ‘Take a pew.’
Luke remained standing. ‘Kate’s pickin’ me up. We’re stayin’ at Tim’s for a bit.’
Matt turned round, disappointment on his face. Luke felt a pang of sadness. Leaving his brother was going to be tough.
‘Luke, I know Granddad was out of order last night. He always has to feel he’s in control …’
‘Well, he’s not goin’ to control me.’
Matt nodded, looking thoughtful. ‘Why did you go to that meeting?’
It seemed more question than accusation. Maybe Luke could win Matt over. ‘Matt, people are goin’ to be forced out of their homes so’s Stewart Enterprises can build high-rise eyesores for profit – and ruin a beautiful area in the process. I don’t agree with that.’
‘I understand that – really I do, but there are others ready to try and stop it. Why do you have to be one of them?’
‘Why shouldn’t I be?’
‘Don’t play dumb, Luke – you know why. Look what’s happened already. A big argument, and you’re moving out.’
‘I didn’t start the argument.’
‘Well, in a way you did – by going to the meeting.’
‘I have a right to choose what I do.’
‘We’re just going round in circles …’
They were interrupted by a click. Saved by the electric kettle. Matt finished making the tea, then sat down at the table and pushed a cup in Luke’s direction. Luke stayed where he was by the door. ‘Don’t go, Luke.’ Matt was almost pleading. ‘I know it’s not been easy, but these things take time. We all need to get to know each other and learn how to live together.’
It was time for honesty. ‘I don’t think I can learn to live with Jack. I don’t think I want to.’
‘Could you at least give it a try for a few more days?’
Luke tutted in frustration. ‘I’m sick of tryin’! Every time I do, I get accusations flung in my face – I stole a necklace, I’m not Jack’s son, I’m turnin’ people against the family. What’s it to you, anyway? You’re busy and not around much. I’ve had enough. I’m sorry but I’m leavin’.’
‘Did you mean what you said yesterday,’ asked Matt, ‘about going to the press?’
‘If people push me too far, I will.’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea …’
Luke bristled. ‘Course you don’t! What you want is for everyone
to bow down and do as they’re told.’
‘No, Luke. That isn’t what I meant,’ said Matt. ‘If you get in the papers, your uncles might track you down.’
Fear settled at the back of Luke’s neck like a cold hand. He hadn’t thought about Joe much lately. Could he really find him? Especially if he was no longer staying at Jack’s. He spoke with more bravado than he actually felt. ‘I guess that’s a risk I’ll have to take.’
‘Well then, it’s a risk we’re all taking. Including Kate. Remember, there’s thirty thousand euros still in the safe in my room. If your uncles are looking for it, the trail could lead to us eventually.’
‘I was tryin’ to get rid of it when you stopped me, Matt! Bring it here and I’ll burn it – end of problem.’
Matt shook his head. ‘That’s not a solution. We agreed it could be evidence. You need to keep it. And if you did burn it, your uncles wouldn’t know, would they? They’d still be looking for you. I’ve no problem with it being in the safe – our house is secure enough – but just be careful about going to the press. Okay?’
Luke stared at his brother. ‘Why do I feel you’ve backed me into a corner? I guess manipulation is a Stewart trait.’
‘If it is, you’ve inherited it!’ snapped Matt. ‘How would you describe what you threatened to do?’
‘That’s not manipulation! That’s tryin’ to get justice – for me and my mam!’
‘At any cost?’
Matt didn’t get it. How could he? He was a Stewart, one of them. Luke had been fooling himself if he believed his older brother would protect and defend him. ‘We’re never goin’ to agree. It’s best if I go.’
Matt looked disappointed. ‘At least think on what I’ve said.’
The doorbell rang. At last. Luke turned to go.
‘Take care of yourself. Call if you need me – any time. I’m still your big brother.’
‘Bye, Matt,’ mumbled Luke. ‘Thanks for everythin’.’ He didn’t look back. Couldn’t look back. How many more losses would he have to face?
‘Jack didn’t believe me.’
Kate glanced from the road to Luke’s troubled face. They were two orphans of the storm. Both at odds with their parents. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse.
Beneath an Irish Sky (Choc Lit) Page 25
