Beneath an Irish Sky (Choc Lit)

by Connor, Isabella

  ‘Hello, Jessie.’

  ‘Luke! My darlin’ boy.’ She stood aside to let him in, and once inside, he hugged her tight. This woman was like a grandmother to him. What a grandmother should be, totally unlike Grace. She stroked his cheek, tears in her eyes. ‘I heard what happened. Your poor Mammy, God rest her. Are ye all right, son?’

  ‘I am now, but it took a few weeks,’ Luke said. No point letting Jessie know he didn’t think he’d ever be all right again.

  ‘Ye look tired,’ she said. ‘I’ll make some tea.’

  Luke sat down on the bench sofa. ‘Mam’s buried in England, Jessie. My da’ turned up at the hospital and brought me home with him. He sorted the funeral.’

  Jessie sat down next to him. ‘I know. A lass called Emer was here yesterday. She told me.’

  ‘What!’

  ‘Lookin’ for ye. Worried like.’

  Luke was touched Emer cared enough to come looking for him.

  ‘Worried? Or mad?’ Luke asked. ‘I hit Jack before I left, Jessie.’

  Jessie frowned. ‘Well, happen he deserved it. But they didn’t seem mad. Just anxious to find ye.’

  ‘They?’

  ‘Another lass was with her. Kate. Said she was your girlfriend. Do ye think it’s wise to get with country folk after what happened to your mammy?’

  Kate! That wasn’t good. He wanted her to forget him not follow him – he didn’t want to have to tell her they were brother and sister, but there was no way he’d be able to look at her and say he didn’t care.

  ‘They left a message for ye,’ said Jessie. ‘Thought ye might come to see me. Now, let me remember it right. They said it was important – that ye’d want to know. Let me think on it while I make that tea.’

  ‘Did they say why they’re here, Jessie?’ He hoped nothing bad had happened, maybe to Matt or Maggie.

  ‘The Irish lass told me they were worried about Joe and Liam catchin’ up with ye. After what they did before.’

  Matt would know he’d taken the money. Maybe he thought Luke was going to give it back to Joe and Liam. As if.

  ‘Ye weren’t happy in England then, darlin’? Even though ye had a lass?’

  ‘For a bit,’ Luke told her, not keen to go into details, not even to Jessie. ‘It wasn’t all bad. But it wasn’t home. I didn’t fit in there.’

  ‘Then they’re fools.’ Jessie was emphatic. ‘And it’s their loss. Anyone should be proud to have ye in their family.’

  ‘We didn’t get on, Jack and me,’ Luke told her.

  ‘Well, the lasses said he was here in Ennis with them. Him and your brother.’

  Christ! Should he be pleased about that? It would depend on Jack’s reasons for coming, but if Emer, Kate and Matt were with him, then it seemed he’d come to help.

  Jessie handed him a mug of tea and sat down on the bed. ‘Luke, the lasses told me somethin’ you need to know. It’s about the letter your mammy sent to the Stewart one’s sister.’

  It took a few seconds before Luke realised the implication of what Jessie had just said. ‘What? Mam wrote to Claire? No, that can’t be right. The reply was from Jack.’

  Jessie explained she’d advised Annie to write to Claire in the hopes that she could talk Jack round into taking Luke away from Joe and Liam.

  Luke’s thoughts were all over the place. ‘Jessie, Claire never knew about me, and I’m sure of that. She did like Mam, and she was great to me in England.’

  ‘It seems one of those Stewarts at the big house took the letter before Claire could see it.’ Jessie’s voice was trembling with emotion now. ‘Sent her a fake letter back with the necklace.’

  Luke’s mind was in turmoil. He thought back to the time when Joe had forced the letter in front of him, made him read the cruel words. ‘That letter wasn’t written, Jessie. It was printed. Anyone could have sent it. Jesus! Maybe Jack’s been tellin’ the truth.’ Luke now had a gut feeling. ‘Jack, Maggie, Matt, Claire – they all said Jack didn’t know about me. Said he and Mam had a good marriage and wanted a kid. I need to get that letter. I’d have taken it with me if we hadn’t left so quick. I’ve got to show it to Jack so he can find out who wrote it. It’s the only way to get justice for Mam.’

  ‘No Luke,’ Jessie said, shaking a warning finger at him. ‘Ye can’t let that pair know ye’re here. Ye aren’t goin’ back to that house.’

  ‘Not when they’re there, I’m not,’ Luke reassured her. ‘Don’t worry, Jessie. I’ll be careful. But listen to me now … it’s why I’m back in Ireland. This mornin’ I phoned a doctor in Limerick. You’re goin’ to get that hip replacement you need …’

  It wasn’t until after Luke left he realised Jessie had forgotten to give him the message from Emer and Kate. It couldn’t be more important than the news about the letter. He’d phone Emer tomorrow when he’d achieved what he was planning to do.

  Luke thought his heart would leap from his mouth when he saw Joe and Liam. He was seated on a bench next to a bus stop between his old house and his uncles’ local pub. True to form, they were heading off for their nightly binge, following the usual route.

  Luke had his head down, pretending to read a newspaper, but despite his attempt at anonymity, he felt conspicuous. Probably looked it, too. How many people sat around on benches reading newspapers in the fading light? Hopefully, Joe and Liam weren’t paying attention. He prayed they wouldn’t break the habit of a lifetime and cross the road.

  As soon as they turned the corner and were out of sight, Luke ran to what was once his home, hoping his key would still fit. Ten minutes was all he needed. At least, that was what he’d thought before he realised someone had been in his room. He knew exactly where the letter and the cheque had been, and both were gone. Had Annie taken them? He closed the drawers and cupboards and hurried to her room, where he was hit immediately by the pain of her loss as he looked around at the familiar reminders. ‘Sorry, Mam,’ he said aloud. It seemed wrong to be going through her private things.

  Despite the light from the street lamp filtering through the window, it was getting difficult to see. Luke was rifling through the dressing-table drawers, feeling for paper, but there was none. Joe or Liam must have taken the letter, for whatever reason. He would have to look in their rooms. But before he could, the sound of a key in the front door put paid to that idea. Luke felt as though he was going to throw up. They were back.

  As he heard footsteps on the stairs, Luke was sure the sound of his heart would give him away. He lay pressed against the side of Annie’s bed, his legs slightly bent so they didn’t stick out past the foot of the single divan.

  ‘Everything okay?’ he heard Joe call out, and light from the landing came into the room as Liam pushed the bedroom door open. The wardrobe was just behind where Luke lay, and for a moment he was convinced his uncle was going to come right into the room and look inside it. What the hell was going on? It was almost as if Joe and Liam were expecting intruders.

  ‘Seems to be,’ Liam replied to Joe, but he didn’t come right in, and Luke heard him move along the landing, probably looking into their shared room now.

  Luke closed his eyes and sighed in relief when Liam went back downstairs. The immediate danger was over, but he still had to get out. And he hadn’t found the letter. He could hear the television in the living room and he weighed up the chances of getting downstairs and out the front door without being seen. Possible of course, but the stairs tended to creak and the door to the living room was almost certainly open. Could he risk it? As he lay there, his mind drifted …

  Annie checked her watch for the tenth time in as many minutes.

  ‘Mam, will you stop doin’ that. It won’t make us move any quicker.’

  ‘Luke, they’re going to be so mad when they get home. We should have taken the old car.’

  Luke shrugged. ‘Th
ey’re always mad about somethin’. They’ll get over it.’

  In truth, Luke wasn’t feeling that confident, but his mother didn’t need to know that. It had been hard enough to persuade her to come out with him in the first place. But he’d passed his driving test that day and wanted to drive her to the Shannon in Joe’s Espace to celebrate. An hour, there and back again, he’d told Annie. Joe and Liam had gone off to a bare-knuckle fighting contest earlier in the day, in a mini-bus that had been laid on for those who planned to drink themselves senseless after the fight. The Espace had been just sitting there in front of the house, almost begging Luke to take her for a spin. Unfortunately, a brewery truck flipped over on the main road between Limerick and Ennis, causing an almighty tailback on their way home.

  Annie checked her watch again. ‘I should never have let you talk me into this.’

  ‘Mam, come on, don’t ruin the day! We can’t change it now … and you enjoyed it, didn’t you?’ His mother just gave him a weak smile in reply, looking so worried that Luke reached out and gave her a hug. ‘So they’ll mouth off a bit – what’s new? I promise I won’t give them any lip to make things worse, okay?’

  When Luke and Annie finally arrived home, the brothers were waiting outside the house, swigging from beer cans. Joe walked to the driver’s side and wrenched the door open, snarling, ‘Where the fuck have you been with my car?’ and dragging Luke out by his hair. Luke tried to protect himself with his arms as he was thrown to the ground and a heavy boot hit his ribs. Dazed, he heard Annie pleading, ‘Leave him alone, Joe. He didn’t mean any harm … he passed his test today.’

  ‘Did he now? And that gives him the right to take my fuckin’ car, does it?’

  ‘Don’t touch her, you bullyin’ bastard!’ Luke had managed to stand and saw Joe push Annie against the garden’s wooden fence. He grabbed a piece of wood and hit out at Joe, a jutting nail catching his uncle on the forehead, immediately drawing blood.

  Luke held the wood defensively, breathing hard, waiting for Joe to react. A dog started barking a few gardens down, and Joe glanced out to the street. He wiped the trickle of blood away with his sleeve and raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. ‘Okay, let’s get inside and calm down a bit. We’ll have a jar and you can tell us about your test.’

  Luke wondered why Joe had backed off and would have taken the piece of wood into the house with him, but Annie signalled him to drop it. He was about to follow her into the kitchen when Liam pulled him into the living room and kicked the door shut before throwing Luke to the floor, where he was subjected to a vicious kick from Joe. Luke tried to roll into a ball, but both brothers kicked him repeatedly, in his chest and his side, before Joe dragged him to his feet and slammed his fist into Luke’s cheek. Luke fell back into Liam’s arms, and his uncle gripped him tightly as Joe punched him hard in the gut twice. When Liam released his hold, Luke sank to the floor, gasping for air, but Joe wasn’t finished.

  The beating was brutal. Worse than anything to date. With each punch, Luke became more dazed, more desperate. He was sure he was going to die. Somewhere far off, Annie was shouting and hammering at the door. Why didn’t she come in? Finally, Luke was hauled up from the floor after another kicking, and his head was forced back painfully by a rough hand grabbing his hair while another tightly gripped his throat. Through a fog of pain and panic, Luke could feel hot breath in his face as Joe spoke. ‘Don’t you ever cross me again, you filthy little half-breed.’

  Luke was fading now. Couldn’t breathe. The last thing he knew was the sensation of something connecting again with his chest and his side, and then he drifted away from the pain and knew no more.

  He woke up hours later in hospital, with Annie pale-faced beside him. She kept saying how sorry she was, how guilty she felt for not being able to stop them, but Liam had blocked the door with the armchair. Luke stayed there just long enough to know dying was more a possibility than a probability then discharged himself. It took him half an hour to walk out of the hospital. The doctor had asked him what happened, but Luke – and Annie – knew better than to tell him. No point in making things worse ….

  As the memory ended, Luke found himself dry-retching. The terror that had been at bay for the last few weeks was back in force. He’d have to get out of here. They might kill him this time. He took out his phone. He could call the Guards, but how long before they showed up? Joe could make them get a warrant, and then he’d find Luke. Make sure no one ever found his body …

  Call if you need me – any time. Luke suddenly remembered Matt’s words. Big brother to little brother. He buried the phone under the duvet to muffle its musical welcome tone and texted Matt his whereabouts, with a warning not to call or text him back. He couldn’t think straight – couldn’t remember how to put the phone on silent. If he played around with it, he might trigger off an alarm or something.

  He was getting cramp – and panicking. What if the text hadn’t gone through? He had to try and get out. What was there to lose? Maybe they wouldn’t hurt him. Well not much, because they’d want their money back. That would be a good bargainer. He carefully eased himself up and went out onto the landing. The door to Joe’s room was open, and for a moment he was tempted to carry on looking for the letter, but that was just asking for trouble. Heart in mouth, he crept downstairs.

  Luke slowly opened the front door. Almost there. Then Joe’s voice yelled ‘Gotcha!’ and his uncle grabbed for him. Luke was yanked back inside, but Joe looked shocked when he saw him and his grip loosened for a split second. It was enough to allow Luke to wriggle free and run outside. He just needed to get down the road to where it was busier, but he hadn’t bargained on his injured knee. It was obviously still weak, choosing that time to give out, and the sudden pain pulled him up. Joe was there instantly. They struggled, Luke finding strength he didn’t know he had and resisting his uncle’s attempts to drag him back to the house. Suddenly, though, he was pulled roughly around and a fist connected with his face. The last thing he heard as he fell back and cracked his head on the kerb was the voice of his uncle Liam. ‘Feel the force, Luke.’

  When Luke regained consciousness, he was sprawled on the living room floor. There was a killing pain in his cheek and jaw.

  ‘He’s awake,’ called Liam. Joe ambled into the room, swigging from a can. Luke’s heart pounded as he remembered the last time he’d seen him. But this time he had something they wanted. He carefully got himself up, half expecting to be knocked back to the floor. Liam moved towards him, but Joe checked his brother with a raised hand.

  ‘Go on then – hit me again,’ Luke said, trying to sound braver than he felt. ‘It won’t get you anywhere. Not if you want your money back.’

  ‘Might be worth it,’ said Joe. ‘You think we’re just goin’ to forget what you did?’

  Despite his fear, Luke managed a laugh. ‘But I should forget what you did?’

  ‘So – you didn’t find what you wanted last night?’

  ‘I wasn’t here last night.’

  ‘Someone was,’ said Joe. ‘Forced the back door and closed all the curtains. Obviously wanted something in particular because nothin’ was taken. Seemed a bit weird. Then tonight, someone sittin’ at the bus stop, readin’ a paper when it’s nearly dark … well, that was suspicious.’

  So they had seen him. Luke was annoyed with himself but shrugged as though he didn’t care. ‘You’re not as stupid as you look. Anyway, last night was nothin’ to do with me.’

  ‘I want that thirty grand.’

  ‘Can’t,’ shrugged Luke. ‘It’s gone. I burnt it after Mam’s funeral.’

  Jesus, why did he say that? If they thought the money was gone, they might just dump him in the Shannon. It was good, though, to see Joe was shaken. His uncle knew the old Traveller tradition of burning a dead person’s possessions. Luke had had a taste of living life without having to worry about how to pay for s
tuff, and he liked it. He had no intention of giving the money back.

  ‘You’d better be lyin’,’ Joe said.

  ‘I’m not lyin’,’ Luke replied, which technically, he wasn’t.

  ‘Well in that case, you’d better find it elsewhere,’ said Joe. ‘Because if you don’t …’

  ‘You’ll do what?’ mocked Luke, determined not to show fear, although inside he was shaking with it. ‘If anythin’ happens to me, they’ll know it was you.’

  He felt in his pocket for his mobile. Maybe he’d get the chance to call someone. It was gone, and then he saw Joe holding the phone. Must have taken it from his pocket after Liam knocked him senseless. Joe sat down, slid open the phone. ‘Well, you’re a popular boy. Look at all these texts.’ He read aloud.

  ‘Come back, bro. We can work it out.’

  ‘Luke, please phone me. Emer.’

  Luke sighed. ‘So?’

  ‘This is the one I like best,’ said Joe, grinning. ‘Jack’s not my dad. I love you.’ That one from ‘Kate’ sounds a bit juicy. So little Lukey has a girlfriend …’

  Luke hardly heard him. Kate wasn’t his sister! That must have been the message they left with Jessie. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

  ‘I take it you wouldn’t like anythin’ to happen to her.’

  Joe’s words were a heart-stopper. Surely he was bluffing? Considering the thug he was, he’d never been in real trouble with the law. But could Luke take that risk with Kate’s safety? He decided to test the water. ‘Okay, I didn’t burn the money – though I nearly did – but you’ll have to give me some time. I haven’t got it all.’

  ‘Why not?’ Joe asked, quietly. ‘Been on a spendin’ spree?’

  ‘I paid for Jessie to have a hip replacement.’ He hadn’t, yet. But there was no way he was going back on his promise.