New York Bound

by Rachel Wesson

  As she walked, she thought about her mam’s suggestion. Could she marry a stranger and leave New York? Sure, they didn’t have much but it was where she’d grown up. For as long as she could remember, she’d walked these streets with newspaper boys, street sweeps and a whole host of other workers including those like Charlie who worked on the railroad. Thinking of her brother always made her smile. Thank goodness he was away. If he’d been home and saw her mam’s face, their da would be lying in the gutter somewhere. Charlie was a man now and he didn’t take kindly to any man putting a hand on a woman. Maybe if she could find a man like her brother, she would be happy. Looking around her, she considered the boys she knew who had expressed interest in her. They were good Catholic boys who went to mass every Sunday. But they had the same lifestyle she had. They worked themselves to the bone, drank some of their wages and gave some up at home if their ma’s were lucky. That was the sum total of their existence. Working all day every day but barely making enough to survive. She wanted something more than that. But what? Would Doc Erin and her friends have the answer?

  Chapter 6

  The train’s whistle drowned out all conversation as they pulled into Grand Central Depot in a cloud of steam and screaming iron as the brakes were applied. Relieved the worst part of their journey was behind them, Erin and her companions left the train.

  “This is so exciting,” Alicia murmured as she looked around her. Erin was overcome. She had forgotten the sheer number of people in New York. Even on the busiest day in Clover Springs, you wouldn’t experience a big crowd. She edged closer to Lily and Michelle. Lily looked terrified as she held the baby close to her chest. Erin looked for Mick and Aaron but the two men had temporarily left them alone in order to secure transport to the hotel.

  “Lily, would you like me to take Michelle?”

  “No thank you Erin,” Lily replied, her eyes widening.

  Erin looked behind her to see what had attracted Lily’s attention. She caught sight of several children dressed in rags, weaving their way in and out of the traffic. They were selling everything from newspapers to little flags. The children were all similar, their grey skins, puny size and clothes several sizes too small for them marking them out as members of the New York poor. Erin glanced at Alicia’s two adopted sons, comparing their fresh faces and healthy glow with those of the poor unfortunates.

  “Come on Lily, let’s get out of here. The hotel can’t be too far away.” Erin led her friends to the exit of the station where the men had secured some cabs. At first the journey was grim, the filthy streets enclosed by large numbers of buildings, most of which seemed in a sorry state of repair. But then the vision cleared somewhat. The paths were less populated and the mounds of horse droppings were fewer. The buildings were spaced out, allowing for some natural light to shine through. There was an air of prosperity rather than desperation.

  The cab drew up outside a formidable looking residence. Erin had to take a deep breath. It was one of the most beautiful buildings she had ever seen. Painted white, columns rose on either side of huge glass doors. The sheer number of windows gave the impression it was always filled with light. Clearly no expense had been spared on the restoration of the old property. She waited until the Cab Driver helped her down and then she followed Alicia into the building. The lobby was just as striking with marble floors and a beautiful mahogany desk. A couple of small coffee tables were scattered around the lounge area. Chic upholstered sofas were occupied by small groups of well-dressed ladies in the latest New York fashions. The male guests appeared to have claimed sanctuary in the bar. Elegant and wealthy didn’t come close to describing the picture greeting them, and, for a second, Erin’s confidence faltered. Could she possibly belong in such a magnificent building?

  “Good afternoon, I am Mr. Floyd, the general manager.”

  Erin turned to look at the small man who had greeted them. Her clinical mind couldn’t help assessing his health. His red vein lined face showed a fondness for strong spirits while his straining waistcoat suggested a diet rich in fatty foods. His clothes, the uniform of hotel managers, a dark suit and crisp white shirt, were fastidiously kept. As if reading her mind, he flicked a speck of imaginary dust from his jacket as he stood appraising his new guests. Although his greeting was friendly, there was nothing about his manner to suggest it was sincere. In fact, she spotted a look of derision in his eyes as he cast his gaze over her traveling companions. They had likely been found at fault as their clothes, although clean, were hardly as expensive as the outfits worn by the existing clientele. Before she could comment, Alicia moved forward.

  “Why thank you Mr. Floyd. It is so wonderful to be here at last. Uncle Randolph told me so much about his lovely new hotel. Isn’t it just delightful, Erin?”

  Erin brought her gloved hand to her mouth to smother her grin. Alicia was playing the part of rich society heiress to perfection. Nobody listening to her friend would think she was, in reality, a rancher’s wife and mother to two orphans.

  Alicia’s attitude provoked a marked change in Mr. Floyd’s demeanor. He nearly fell over himself trying to be polite and subservient.

  “I am sure you would like to see your rooms and get comfortable. We, my staff and I, are here to make your stay an enjoyable one. Please do not hesitate to make any request.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Floyd,” Alicia said, but her tone was dismissive.

  Again, Erin had to hide a smile. Alicia was used to dealing with mine managers and other employees. She could see straight through Mr. Floyd and wasn’t impressed by his attitude. God help him if he crossed Alicia as she would have no hesitation in setting him straight.

  Two uniformed men escorted them to the elevator, their suites being on the top floor. Erin gave Lily a reassuring gaze as the younger woman paled at the sight of the elevator cage. This trip to New York would be a series of new adventures for them all. She just hoped she remembered them in enough detail to satisfy Wilma and Mrs. Grey on their return to Clover Springs.

  Chapter 7

  “It’s worse than Grand Central Depot,” Mick said, answering yet another knock on their door. Their previous visitors had been maids sent by Mr. Floyd to help them unpack, followed closely by a couple of waiters carrying afternoon tea.

  “Good afternoon, I was told to ask for Mrs. Alicia Higgins,” said the young man who looked to be in his early twenties.

  “That’s me. How can I help you?” Alicia stood up and went to shake the man’s hand.

  “Mr. Prentice sent me ma’am. My name is Robert Fenton but my friends call me Robbie. Mr. Prentice said you were unfamiliar with New York and it would be advisable if I were to accompany you on some of your outings. I’m at your disposal.”

  Aaron stood up. “That’s very nice of you Mr. Fenton, but my wife doesn’t need your protection.”

  Erin saw Alicia hide a smile.

  “My husband is right, Robbie, I do not need protecting but it would be nice to have someone who knows New York well. You can show us around and tell us the best things to see while we’re here.” Alicia smiled.

  “We have a guidebook to do that, darling.” Aaron’s sharp tone increased the tension in the room.

  “Perhaps I should wait downstairs while you discuss this matter,” Robbie spoke with the confidence of someone used to getting his own way. Erin wondered why he was really there. To put a guide at their disposal seemed a bit over the top, but perhaps Mr. Prentice was overprotective. Alicia’s parents had been murdered back in Boston, so it’s possible he was afraid something would happen to her in New York. He hadn’t met Aaron, her husband, who would die before he let anyone hurt his precious Alicia.

  “Thank you, but there is nothing to discuss. We’re grateful for your kindness but your services are not needed.” Aaron’s curt dismissal was barely polite.

  Erin hoped Mr. Fenton would leave. Aaron had been the man of his family since his father was killed in an Indian attack when he was a boy. He didn’t take kindly to anyone inferring he
needed help to protect his loved ones.

  “Excuse me, Mr. Higgins, but I take my orders from Mr. Prentice. I will wait down in the lobby.” The young man walked out the door closing it gently behind him.

  “Aaron Higgins, there is no call to be rude,” Alicia exclaimed.

  “Rude? I think it's rude of your Mr. Prentice to assume I can’t protect my wife.”

  Erin exchanged a glance with Mick. This wasn’t the place for an argument, especially not with the children around, but Alicia and Aaron seemed to have forgotten that.

  “I don’t think he meant any offense, Aaron,” Mick said gently. “New York is a big city and he’s very aware of Alicia’s history. As a friend of her father, he’s probably just being overprotective.”

  “Mick’s right. New York, while lovely, can be dangerous. I am sure Mr. Prentice meant nothing against you, Aaron.” Erin rushed to help placate Aaron.

  “Of course he didn’t, darling.” Alicia moved to her husband’s side and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “He knows I have a wonderful husband, I tell him often enough in my letters. It’s just he is a mite old fashioned. I get the impression Mr. Fenton is one of his private protection people rather than a friend.”

  “Probably true, Alicia, given he said orders, not instructions,” Mick said.

  “I think we should take Mr. Prentice up on his offer. Don’t look at me like that, Aaron Higgins. I’ve lived in New York, you haven’t. I would prefer to have someone like Mr. Fenton escort me when I am out, rather than having to tie you and Mick to my side. We’re here to have a good time, and Mr. Prentice has been very generous. It would be wrong to turn down his kind gesture and risk offending him.”

  “Quite right, Erin. Please, Aaron, let me go down and tell Robbie we have changed our minds?” Alicia asked.

  Aaron looked mulish for a few minutes but finally saw he had no choice. “I’ll go tell Mr. Fenton.”

  After he left, Alicia turned to Erin. “Thank you for thinking on your feet. I don’t want to upset Uncle Randolph, he means a great deal to me. But I love Aaron.”

  “He’ll be fine. He just got a little upset. I guess he feels a bit like I do. In Clover Springs, we know the perils: snakes, scorpions, cattle rustlers, etc. In this city, it is a whole different level of danger. The papers are full of crimes committed by different gangs. There seems to be trouble between the Irish and the Italians, not to mention the English or the Germans,” Mick said. He’d been reading newspapers for the whole trip and telling them the condensed versions. Erin was sure he had left out the most distressing details. Good news never sold a newspaper.

  “There will always be trouble when there are too few jobs for men to sustain their families. The arguments between the Italians and the Irish have been going on since before the famine. The English issue we all know about. God only knows what’s wrong with the Germans. Aren’t we all the same people underneath?” Erin asked.

  “Yes, but not everyone thinks like we do,” Alicia said quietly.

  The suite door opened again, admitting Aaron and Mr. Fenton. Neither were smiling.

  “Mr. Fenton, Robbie, would you like a cup of coffee? We were just about to plan our day,” Erin offered.

  “Thank you, ma’am. Are you the lady doctor?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Mr. Prentice told me about you. I think it’s wonderful you got your medical degree. It’s a real pity there aren’t more women like you.”

  “Women like my wife are rare indeed, Robbie. Now tell me what do men like myself and Aaron do in a city like this? Our wives want to go shopping, but neither of us plans on spending much time at the store.”

  Erin and Alicia grinned at each other. Mick would do his best to get Aaron used to having Robbie around.

  Chapter 8

  Nora Doherty’s stomach grumbled at Sunday morning mass. She hadn’t managed to find more than a couple of hours work and the pennies she had earned had gone toward the rent. Her ma was worried sick about the rent collector calling, preferring to go hungry rather than risk being thrown out of their apartment.

  Nora hated the fact they had to give pennies to the collection in order to come to Church. Although Father Devine didn’t stand there counting who gave what, he had some way of knowing, as he often remarked, on the contribution made. This was usually done in front of other neighbors. Most people Nora knew would go hungry rather than risk the priest’s wrath.

  Nora wondered if Father Devine ever got sick of the sound of his own voice. He repeated the same words in Latin day in, day out, and yet he could talk for hours. Didn’t he know none of his congregation had yet eaten breakfast and were starving? The continuous stomach growls would have given him a hint if he paid any notice at all to the people at his mercy. She prayed for forgiveness at the line her thoughts were taking. How could she be sitting in the house of God and thinking badly of the priest? But Mass was so different with Father Devine. When Father McKenna had been there, he had said the mass so much quicker, especially when the weather was cold. She missed Father McKenna, he was the kind of man you could talk to. Even though he was a priest, he never seemed to judge anyone. Instead, he found the best in everyone. He’d even told her one day that Ned Duffy had a heart. She wasn’t so sure she believed that, but Father McKenna had.

  He’d left the parish some years previous. It was said he had a falling out with Father Devine when the latter arrived as a new curate. Father Devine hadn’t felt the older priest was respectful to the teachings of the church. He had made various complaints to the Bishop, and the end result was that Father McKenna left. Nobody was quite sure where he went. Some said out West but others said he had gone back to Ireland. Either way, it was their loss. Father Devine had become parish priest and he had molded his new curate, Father Donnelly, in his beliefs. Each was as bad as the other.

  She glanced around the church under her eyelashes. Scanning the people was one way to make the time go faster. She knew most of the congregation. A few of the boys caught her eye and some even winked, but she ignored them. She hadn’t yet met a man who interested her. Not seriously anyway. She had enough problems at home without adding a boyfriend to the pile.

  Her prayer of thanks mass had ended was a little loud judging by the stares she got from the people around her. Gran hadn’t noticed, thankfully, as she wouldn’t like Nora drawing negative attention to the family. She followed her gran out of the church and waited while she spoke to Nora’s aunt Nancy. Nora sensed the conversation was private, otherwise she would have joined the two ladies. Instead she used the time to catch up with her friends Lizzie Carpenter and Sadie O’Riordan. Both girls worked in a sewing factory, but currently there were no vacancies. They suggested taking a walk to blow the cobwebs away. Nora checked her gran was alright to walk home on her own before she followed her friends. She might not have much money but she had plenty of good things in her life. Her mam, gran, siblings and these friends.

  Carmel walked back to the tenement alone feeling thankful Nora had gone walking with her friends. Her granddaughter needed some time away from the financial strain clouding the Doherty family. It was rare for Carmel to have time alone with her thoughts. She was usually chatting with someone. As she walked, she tried to block out the sights around her. She was glad her husband Joseph was gone. Her Joseph, the love of her life, would have been devastated to see his family living in squalor. They’d never had much but they always kept a decent roof over their head and food on the table. When she thought about how her grandchildren were living, Carmel Doherty wanted to cry. And she was a woman who never gave in to tears. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but her Joe was a huge disappointment. She knew the accident hadn’t been his fault and the blindness he suffered was a curse. But why did he have to turn to the drink?

  The first time he had hit his wife, Ruth, she’d convinced herself it would never happen again. It was completely out of character. Her darling son had been raised better than that. But now it occurred on a weekly basis. She preten
ded not to see the bruises or the fact that Ruth was wincing as she moved. She knew Ruth preferred it that way. But there were days when she had to restrain herself from taking a pot to her own son. Something had to be done about him and soon. If her grandson Charlie came back and saw the state of his mother, he would teach Joe a lesson he’d never forget. But violence was never the answer. Would Doctor Erin be able to help them? She wondered if Erin had yet arrived in New York.

  Chapter 9

  “I reckon this has to be one of the biggest beds in all of New York,” Mick said as spread out across it.

  “I don’t know, darling.” Erin laughed as she unpacked their clothing. The maids had offered but she declined, not wanting them to see their old clothes.

  “But you used to live here,” he stated as he plumped his pillows.

  Erin smiled at him, wondering if he had any idea of the types of places where most of the Irish in New York lived. She’d had a nice house when she married Cooper, but before that she’d lived with her parents in an apartment suited to her father’s role in the fire department.

  “Yes, but I didn’t frequent places like this. Alicia’s uncle Randolph must be very wealthy,” she said.

  “Robbie said Mr. Prentice made his money investing in the railroad.”

  “How did Robbie meet him? He is a nice young man but I doubt they move in the same circles,” Erin said.