Beneath an Irish Sky (Choc Lit)

by Connor, Isabella

  He switched off the phone and ran out of the kitchen. Jack called after him as Matt pounded up the stairs. When he didn’t respond, Jack followed him to his bedroom, where Matt was standing by the open safe.

  ‘What is it, Matt? What’s wrong?’

  ‘Dad, we’ve got to get after Luke. I know where he is. Luke texted Tim that he left Betsy – Tim’s car – at Holyhead.’

  ‘Sounds like he’s gone home. What’s the problem?’

  Matt gripped the edge of a table. ‘Dad, your son is alone, depressed, and has two psychopaths looking for him, because he’s walking around with thirty thousand euros he took from them.’

  How much more could Jack take? They were back at the kitchen table, having been joined by Tim and Kate. Matt was telling them about Luke’s stash of money. That certainly explained why he’d been so jumpy about the suitcase.

  ‘So is he planning to give the money back to his uncles?’ asked Tim, munching his way through some toast. He was the only one with an appetite.

  ‘Oh God, he can’t go near them!’ wailed Kate. It was the first time she’d spoken in ages. She’d looked shell-shocked when Matt told her about Sarah’s lies. ‘Luke’s uncles nearly killed him,’ sobbed Kate. ‘That’s why he and Annie were running away.’

  ‘What?’ Jack was feeling something close to panic. All his neat little assumptions about Luke – about Annie – were slowly being peeled away. He’d suspected Joe and Liam but hadn’t really wanted it confirmed. Facts could soon lead to involvement. It was hardly surprising that everyone else knew so much more than he did, though. Jack was the last person Luke would trust.

  ‘They – they beat him so badly … he ended up in hospital …’ Kate said, struggling through tears.

  ‘As Emer suspected then,’ muttered Jack.

  ‘They abused Luke for years, Jack.’ Kate’s expression seemed part appeal for belief, part accusation for Jack’s sins of omission. He listened, feeling increasingly sick, as she related the catalogue of abuse Luke had shared with her. His eyes were closed, but the images Kate had conjured up played in his mind with sickening brutality. And these were the men Luke might be going back to? Had Jack treated him so badly he would rather return to Ennis? Was he that desperate for a family – or did he have a death wish?

  ‘So what do we do now?’ asked Matt.

  Jack opened his eyes. Everyone was watching him. Waiting. All his doubts and indecision suddenly crystallised into a hardness like a fist. ‘We go to Ireland. Bring him home.’

  Matt nodded. The approval in his eyes made Jack feel better than he had in weeks.

  ‘Tim, see if you can book Matt and I on a flight to Ireland this afternoon …’

  ‘I’m coming, too!’ Kate insisted.

  She might slow them down, be too emotional, yet she was probably the one person Luke would trust. He’d listen to Kate. ‘Okay, get ready. I’ll be back in an hour. I think my mother owes me answers.’

  ‘I’m coming with you,’ said Matt. ‘Don’t argue, Dad. Luke is my brother. They’re my grandparents. This is family business and I have a right to know what’s going on.’

  Grace might clam up if Matt was there. Or lie. He’d have to risk it, though. There wasn’t time to argue.

  As he got up from the table, Kate came and hugged him. ‘Thank you, Jack,’ she whispered. ‘For caring about Luke …’

  Her words touched a place in Jack’s heart he didn’t know existed. If Luke was his son – as now seemed likely – he’d been deprived of everything that was rightfully his. Not just material things, but love and security, a decent chance in life. The extent of his ill-treatment was gut-wrenching. Was it any surprise the kid was so bitter? Jack wasn’t suddenly filled with love for his maybe-son. But he had finally found compassion and understanding. And guilt.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jack was barely able to keep his anger in check on the drive to Edenbridge. The pieces of the puzzle were fitting into place and the resulting picture was ugly. Shocking. The people closest to him had conspired against him and changed the course of his life. Wild horses couldn’t drag him into Edenbridge after today. Just walking into the chilly hall with its oppressive portraits was enough to set his teeth on edge.

  ‘We’ll keep our coats, Henderson,’ he told the butler. ‘We’re not staying.’

  ‘Sir Nicholas is not home today, but her ladyship is in the morning room, sir. Shall I announce …?’

  ‘Let’s make it a surprise, shall we? Richard’s here – yes? Tell him to join us.’

  Jack and Matt made their way up the grand staircase with its dark wood banisters polished to perfection. As a child, Jack had loved to slide down them until one day he was caught by his father and punished. At the top, before the turn, was a vast family portrait of privileged Victorian ancestors taking tea in the estate gardens; he’d once used crayon to black out the teeth of the youngest boy – it was months before it was discovered, and the pleasure this small act of rebellion gave him was worth the thrashing he received. How he hated this museum of a house, where all his natural childish urges had been suppressed. As a childhood, it didn’t compare with the nightmare Luke had endured, but he was thankful his son had known a mother’s love. Jack hadn’t.

  He opened the door without knocking and entered the morning room where the usual tableau greeted him: country gentlewoman busy at her writing desk, soothed by the fragrance from vases of hothouse roses, secure in the knowledge her word was law for all who were fortunate enough to dwell in her home.

  ‘Morning, Mother.’

  Grace looked up, startled. A second later, she switched on a smile. ‘Jack! I wasn’t expecting you. Your father’s playing golf and Claire’s watching Gavin play rugby … but they’ll all be back for lunch – will you stay, too? It will be so nice to have the family together.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ said Matt.

  ‘Matt – darling!’ Grace stood up and moved to give Matt a kiss on the cheek but he drew back. She frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘You’re what’s wrong, Gran.’

  Grace stared at him in amazement. ‘I beg your pardon.’

  ‘Yes, you really should,’ Jack told her. If this situation hadn’t been so serious, he’d have enjoyed seeing her discomfited.

  Matt stepped forward. ‘The balloon’s gone up, Gran. We know you paid the Kiernan brothers to keep Annie and Luke away. Sarah told me everything.’

  Grace grabbed the chair arm and lowered herself into the seat. It looked like her defences were about to crumble but she rallied. Grace Stewart was nothing if not a fighter. ‘I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about!’ she protested. ‘Sarah’s obviously unhinged!’

  Matt shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. The evidence is quite conclusive.’

  He pulled out the image of young Luke and thrust it in front of Grace, who recoiled in her chair as if she’d been struck, but then her mouth set defiantly in a firm line and she said nothing.

  Jack sighed. ‘Well, I sent Henderson to fetch Richard. Perhaps he’ll be more communicative. I particularly want to hear about his affair with Sarah twenty years ago.’

  ‘What!’

  ‘Ah – didn’t you know? That one went under the radar, eh? You must be slipping, Mother. Foiled by an unhinged woman.’

  ‘I think you should leave,’ said Grace, coldly.

  Jack sat down on the sofa near the window. ‘Not till we’ve got some answers.’

  ‘This is my house – I say what happens here.’

  ‘And Luke is my son!’ Jack snapped, increasingly convinced now that he was. ‘Denied to me for twenty years. So – let’s hear the details.’

  At that moment, the door opened and Richard came in. ‘Details about what?’ He glared at Jack with his usual disdain. ‘Grace, is everything all right?’
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  ‘No, Richard,’ she said. ‘Everything is far from all right. Jack is making all kinds of accusations.’

  Jack had been waiting years to finally get something concrete on his brother-in-law. This, at least, would be satisfying. ‘See, here’s the thing, Richard – ten years ago, you found—’

  ‘Stole,’ Matt interrupted.

  ‘Ten years ago, you stole a letter from Annie to Claire,’ Jack continued.

  Richard glanced at Grace before saying in a flat voice, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘That’s exactly what Mother said. I daresay the two of you have got your cover stories planned.’

  ‘Careful, Jack,’ Richard warned him. ‘There are laws against slander …’

  ‘And there are also laws against theft,’ Jack replied. ‘Not just of a letter that wasn’t addressed to you, but of Annie’s necklace which you gave to Sarah. So you be careful, Richard.’

  ‘What is it you want, Jack?’ asked Grace.

  ‘A confession. I deserve that, don’t you think? So does Luke.’

  ‘That little shit deserves nothing!’ raged Richard.

  Matt sprang forward, grabbed Richard by the lapels, and shoved him down into the nearest chair. ‘Luke is my brother and worth ten of you.’

  ‘Tell me everything, Mother.’

  ‘Grace, you don’t have to say anything!’ said Richard. ‘Let me call Nicholas …’

  ‘Yes, you do that,’ Jack retaliated. ‘And I’ll call Claire – it’ll be hard to tell her about you and Sarah, but it’s time she knew.’

  Grace glared at Richard, whose shocked and embarrassed expression told Jack he was now on the ropes and would likely give no further trouble.

  ‘No one’s calling Nicholas,’ asserted Grace. ‘He wasn’t involved.’

  According to Luke, though, Nicholas had tried to bribe Annie to leave, so that was small consolation. However, Jack had found the gap in his mother’s defences. She would want this matter dealt with, hushed up, before Nicholas came home.

  ‘So, Mother – Richard showed you Annie’s letter. Then what?’

  When Grace spoke, her eyes were downcast. Like she was defeated. ‘Richard went to Ireland, but he didn’t see Annie. He dealt with her brothers – they said that was the Traveller way. Men dealt with finances. They said Annie would use the money to get herself a small house – she didn’t want to come back here, and obviously it was better for the child to remain with its mother.’

  Jack felt sick. Grace was so cold and detached, referring to Luke as though he was an object, or at best, an animal. He turned to Richard. ‘You sent Annie her necklace, knowing she’d take that as a sign we were truly over. So why did you then go to Ireland?’

  Richard shrugged. ‘Joe Kiernan got in touch. Said it wasn’t enough. That there should be regular payments. Maintenance.’

  ‘The money was enough to ensure their comfort until the boy was twenty-one,’ Grace added, as though she’d done Annie a favour. She was seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d denied her own grandchild his rights as a son. Jack’s rights as a father.

  ‘And what then, Gran?’ Matt demanded. ‘You washed your hands of them? Luke and Annie never saw a penny of that money. The brothers kept it all.’

  Grace tutted and threw up her hands. ‘What was I supposed to do, Matt? Check receipts? Play social worker? I did my best to ensure they were provided for.’

  ‘Not good enough, Gran!’ said Matt savagely. ‘The whole thing stinks!’

  Grace had always adored Matt, so his reproach must have been wounding. She stood up and walked over to the window, keeping her back to them. ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Matt. Perhaps when you have children of your own, you’ll understand how strong the need is to protect them.’

  ‘Protect!’ exploded Jack, rocketing up from the sofa and moving swiftly over to his mother. ‘You didn’t protect me! You ruined my life. And Annie’s. You were just protecting yourself and your precious status. And what about the protection I should have given my child? Protection from two thugs who made his life hell. Your own grandson, Mother!’

  Grace didn’t move or speak, and Jack felt an overwhelming urge to wrench her round, to shake her. She’d given her confession and obviously planned to brazen it out, hoping it would all blow over. Jack turned away from her in disgust. ‘Okay,’ he said, ‘But none of this explains why Annie left. She wasn’t always a victim. She had a spark, could stand up for herself.’

  ‘Who knows?’ said Richard, casually. ‘Maybe she thought you and Sarah were at it in Brussels. It’s what everyone else thought.’

  Could that be true? Jack dismissed the idea even as he contemplated it. Annie would only ever have believed that story if it had come from Jack’s own mouth.

  ‘I never …’ he began, then noticed Matt shaking his head anxiously, and he stopped short. They’d agreed not to tell Richard he was Kate’s father. No good could come of it – she loathed the man. Not to mention the hurt it would cause Claire. If Grace had a brain in her head, she’d come to the same conclusion about Kate’s parentage, but at some point Jack would warn her not to tell Kate. Then he’d probably never speak to her again.

  ‘The letter from Annie wasn’t even about money,’ said Jack, changing tack. ‘She wanted me to take Luke because her brothers were being abusive.’

  ‘The letter never said anything about abuse.’ Grace’s voice was cold and controlled.

  ‘She was worried for Luke’s safety. What did you think that meant? That they lived near a busy road?’ How could he make his mother see her actions had been callous in the extreme. Negligent.

  ‘I thought that was her ploy to get you back.’

  ‘Jesus!’ Grace had judged Annie by her own manipulative standards. ‘I’d have you both behind bars if I could. Let me ask you one thing – was it worth it?’

  Grace avoided his gaze and instead walked over to the fireplace, her back to them once again, as she rearranged ornaments. ‘At the time I thought it was,’ she said. ‘I didn’t want Annie back here, I admit it. I never wanted you to marry her in the first place. When I heard she had a son, I knew you’d be too weak to resist and you’d bring them both here. Then all the bitchy remarks about my gypsy daughter-in-law would start up again. My family’s name has been respected in this part of the country for nearly a thousand years and I didn’t want it tarnished. Reputation matters to me and I won’t apologise for that.’

  So that was it. This whole mess was down to snobbery, Grace’s relentless quest to always be at the top of the social tree. ‘You’re a disgrace to all your noble ancestors,’ Jack told her. ‘And your gypsy grandson has more decency in his little finger than you have in your whole body. You’re no mother of mine.’

  Grace whirled round. ‘Well, I certainly hope he’s happy. He finally got his revenge!’

  ‘Happy?’ cried Matt. ‘How can he be happy? His mother’s dead at forty but would probably still be alive if it wasn’t for you. And I’m sickened because you don’t even care. You’re just upset you’ve been found out.’

  Grace finally showed some emotion, some sadness and regret at Matt’s angry tone. ‘I was trying to protect this family, Matt. To protect your future. Stewart Enterprises will be Jack’s one day, and then yours.’

  ‘Stuff it!’ said Matt, and Grace flinched. ‘Offer the business to Gavin. He’s your only grandson now. My brother is more important to me than your money. C’mon, Dad – don’t let them take up another minute of our time.’

  ‘You don’t know he’s your brother,’ said Grace. ‘Just because he says so.’

  ‘I say so!’ snapped Jack. ‘Because there never was another man, was there? And you never hired a detective. You fabricated it all.’

  For a few telling seconds, there was silence before Grace reacted. ‘Nonsense!
Now you’re becoming ridiculous.’

  ‘Nice try, Mother,’ said Jack. ‘But your eyes just confirmed it.’

  He and Matt moved towards the door, and then Jack turned back. ‘One more thing – have the Kiernan brothers been in touch with you since Luke got here?’

  Richard stood up, shrugged his shoulders. ‘Why would they? Your ex is dead. They aren’t likely to expect the payments to continue even if the kid isn’t twenty-one yet.’

  ‘Luke’s gone back to Ireland,’ said Jack. ‘If he comes to any harm, I’ll hold you both responsible. Like I hold you responsible for his mother.’

  Richard smirked. ‘So much misplaced emotion for your slut of a wife …’

  Jack couldn’t hold back any longer and swung a punch into Richard’s smug face, watching with satisfaction as his brother-in-law stumbled backwards, blood spurting from his nose. He fell onto the table, smashing Grace’s favourite Lalique bowl.

  ‘That’s for my wife and son – and for my sister,’ Jack snarled. ‘Start planning a future elsewhere, Richard. I don’t want Claire contaminated by you any longer.’

  Jack left the morning room and went down the stairs so quickly that Matt couldn’t keep up with him. His breathing only returned to normal once the car had put some distance between himself and the lies and deceit of Edenbridge.

  Jack saw signs for Ennis not long after they left Galway Airport in their hire car. The journey to Ireland had taken almost nine hours. Flights had been fully booked because of the Bank Holiday so they’d roughed it as foot-passengers on the ferry – the holiday also meant there was no room to take their car. It was the worst possible time for Luke to do a runner.

  Once the ferry reached Dublin, they took a taxi to the airport, where Emer met them for the next leg of their journey, a flight cross-country to Galway. She’d also booked hotel rooms and hired the car she was now driving along Ennis’s narrow streets. Definitely the kind of woman you wanted with you in a crisis. Definitely the kind of woman Jack wanted, full stop. Despite their recent problems, she’d come up trumps after he’d phoned to tell her the latest developments. It was obviously because she was concerned about Luke, but Jack didn’t care. It was enough to have her with him, even if it was only temporary.