by L. E. Waters
She speaks in Gaelic, “You’re making a big mistake, outlaw. She’s not your kind. She’s used to all of this.” She puts her hands up to point out the high ceiling and wood carvings of the fine house. “No matter how much you steal, you’re going to end up with a noose around your neck, and she’ll be left with nothing but a bad reputation.”
Her words hit me hard, and instead of realizing she’s only speaking the truth, I yank my arm from her grasp and bend down again for the chest. I walk out and stack it on the cart. Every time I go back in, she says something else to me, but I pretend not to hear her and keep filling up the cart until the last chest. She gets in front of me and blocks the door this time.
“You’re taking her away from her family, and once you’re gone, she’ll have nobody, and her father won’t ever take her back.”
“Get out of our way,” is all I can think to say.
She huffs and moves away toward the fireplace. “I’ve said my piece.”
I open the door and throw the last chest in. Once on the seat, I give Muirin another big hug, but I don’t talk the whole way to our cottage. My mind can’t block those words out.
The cottage is only three farms away from my Ma’s and ’tis the last house on the path. There’s a slight incline up, and once we’re on the top of the little hill, Muirin brings her breath in quick. “Oh, it’s perfect, absolutely perfect.”
She clasps her hands together, jumps out, and I watch her run down the hill toward the little thatched cottage nestled against another hill. I drive the cart down to the house as she reaches the door. She screams once she’s inside, and I’d hoped ’twas because she liked all the furniture I’d stocked it with. I appear at the door, and she’s rocking back and forth quickly in the pine rocking chair.
“I thought I was supposed to carry you over the threshold?” I smile, leaning against the frame.
“We’re not married yet.” She laughs as she looks around, studying every corner, every beam, and every catin-clayed wall.
“Have I done this all going after my back?” I scratch my head jokingly.
“No, I wanted to see the house before I married you.”
“Oh, then the truth comes out. You’re after me for my money.”
She laughs, gets up, and throws her arms around my neck. “Let’s go.”
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
We drive all the way to the church in Newry her parents were married in. As I come up the narrow dirt lane and see the small stone church, a strange feeling washes over me. I search my memory, trying to figure out if I’d ever been here before.
“There ’tis! Oh, isn’t it beautiful,” Muirin coos.
“Grand,” I answer, but I don’t really know quite how I feel about it. We pull up in front of the sleepy church, quiet now in the late afternoon. I lift her down from the carriage, and she goes inside where a church lady welcomes her to change. I look out from the top of the hill down into the lough valley. The hillside is lined with small fisherman’s houses, and boats dry upside down on the thin, rocky beach. A shiver runs through me, yet the wind off the ocean is warm. What is it about this place? Newry is both welcoming and foreboding all at once. I feel like staying here and running at the same time.
Nevertheless, this is where Muirin has her heart set on being married, and I’ll have to put my superstitious feelings right where they belong—far from my matrimonial thoughts. I check back to the church to see if Muirin is ready yet, but the door’s still closed. I follow the worn grass path back behind the church, and I’m surprised to be comforted by the ancient graveyard sinking into knobby ground. Most of the stones are so old and worn by wind there is little left of them, and the moss obscures any carvings on some of the less ancient ones. One grave draws me from the path, and I place my hand to trace the faint Celtic symbol.
A strong breeze whistles from behind suddenly and lifts the cap clear off my head. I lunge to hold on to it, but it rolls along the uneven grass with the spirited wind. It settles at the far side of the graveyard against a tall stone. I cram it back on and almost turn back to the church, but I catch the odd carved bird in the corner of my eye. I wipe some of the dirt away, and there perches an ominous crow staring back at me. Rubbing away more sediment, I expose elaborate scrolls that trail all the way down to the dark soil. I place my hands on the cool ground and feel something, something resonant. Is this some ancestor of mine, pulling me to where his bones are buried?
“Ahem.” I turn to the priest standing halfway into the graveyard with his Bible in his hands. I hurry from my crouched position and almost stumble among the graves. He nods and starts back to the church, and blood rises to my cheeks that he should spot me in his graveyard on my wedding day.
I catch up beside him and try to explain my strange behavior. “That is a beautiful grave, that one with the crow on it.”
“That’s no Christian grave. It’s a rune left by the Norsemen that invaded this area hundreds of years ago.”
“You don’t say,” is all I can think to say as I scratch my head, wondering why I was so drawn to it.
The priest opens the heavy worm-holed door, and the setting sun shines through the high windows down on Muirin waiting at the front of the church for me. She looks so pretty standing there in her blue dress, the one I robbed her in. The priest begins our prayers, and it all blurs into a distant song as I watch her blush when she senses me staring at her. The priest’s words echo in the small church, since I’d decided not to scare Muirin away with meeting my acquaintances all at once. When ’tis time for the ring, I slide a well-worn gold band with a crowned-heart clasped between two hands down her dainty finger. She sees it and smiles, thinking most likely of where I got it from. I hold her gaze and the words barely come out, “Let friendship and love reign.”
Tears well up in her sparkling eyes as the priest wraps our wrists together with rope in the sacred handfasting. When we reach our cottage, I pick her up and carry her light body in through the door, then place her on the small roped bed. I couldn’t have asked for more.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
In the morning, we awake to a loud knocking on the door. I put my hand up to my lips to make sure Muirin stays quiet and go to grab for my gun.
“If you’re grabbing for your gun, don’t bother, it’s just me, Art!”
I walk to the door and open it halfway. “What’re you doing here?”
“Funny thing, I was talking to Sean last night, and he asked me how you like your new place. I said, ‘Redmond got a place?’ And he tells me where he heard ’twas. So I had to see for myself.”
“I bought it two days ago, Art. I haven’t seen you since then.”
“Right, but here’s the other funny thing. You told all us outlaws not to rent a house but to stay in a different spot each night. So why would you go and buy a place if you tell us that?”
“I’ll explain all of this to you later tonight, okay?”
He raises his eyebrows at this and nods, but then quickly pushes me into the house and breaks through inside. He sees her right away.
“Redmond, what are you doing?” He puts his hands out, baffled.
“It’s not what you think, Art. We’ve been married.”
He hits his hand up to his forehead. “Why were you keeping this from me? Aren’t I your best friend?”
“You are my best friend, Art, but this is between me and Muirin.”
He glares at me and then gives a quick look to Muirin, who huddles under her blankets, and flies back out the door.
Chapter 12
The rest of the week, I stay home with Muirin. I check in occasionally to our meeting spot and the tavern, but it seems like they’re off taking care of business, and I’m enjoying my time with her. But after eight days goes by, I feel like I have to go back on the road for a few days to contribute. Muirin walks out to see me get on Ghost. “I’m going to worry every minute you’re away.”
I kiss her head. “I’ll be back soon.”
> I ride Ghost far out by Monaghan, trying to stay away from the mercenaries. ’Tis past noon when I hear someone coming. I get on the road before the rider appears, and I start trotting. The person takes an unusually long time to catch up, and I practically have Ghost at a walk. I almost fall off my horse when I see her. She has thick raven hair down to her seat, and it shines like a brand new shilling. She’s petite but has a beautiful form, and even though she sits on a nag, she sits like a seasoned rider.
“Good day, miss,” I say in English.
But she replies in Gaelic, “I don’t speak English.”
“Well, lucky for me I speak some Irish as well!”
She studies me as we trot side by side, and it makes me uneasy.
“What’s a young lass like you doing out on these dangerous roads alone?”
“Well, I’m not alone now, am I?” She gives a small smile.
“Would you like me to accompany you, then? Two shorten the road.”
She just nods.
“Where are you headed?”
“To Newry. I have to fetch £100 from a merchant man there by nightfall.”
“That is a small fortune. You best keep such things to yourself, since there are those that’ll take advantage of your trust. Some say Redmond O’Hanlon frequents these very roads.”
She laughs roughly. ”Well, I’ve heard he’s a blazing handsome man, so I think I’ll know him when I see him.”
I grin at the assault she dealt unknowingly. I steal some glances at her here and there, and I’m captivated by the wildness she seems to exude—like some unbreakable horse or earthly sprite. We ride down the road for a few miles until she comes to a turnoff.
“Here is where we part ways. Good luck on your mission, lass. Remember, tell no one of your errand.”
“Good luck to you too, and if you see O’Hanlon first, tell him to go to hell for me!”
Again I laugh and couldn’t wait to reveal myself to her. I wait by that pass for hours, listening for the slow sound of her nag. Finally, I hear her coming. This time I wait for her to pass.
Then I quickly dash out after her, saying, “Did you get back safe?”
She keeps moving her horse forward. “Sure enough.”
I pull my gun out. “Well, then, hand it over.”
She simply laughs and keeps going. “You wouldn’t rob a lady. I’ve heard about your three rules.”
“With respect to you, I said I’d never harm a lady, but I don’t have any problem robbing one.”
She laughs again witchy-like. “So why for, are you pointing that gun at me if you’re not even going to use it?”
She really begins to frustrate me. I pick up speed, grab the bridle of her horse, and pull her awkwardly to a stop. But her horse is not only old but has a nasty temperament. It starts kicking and rears away from my grasp. The girl laughs all the while, but I go and block her.
She continues, “With respect to you, I can’t give you this money. I promised my master I would bring it all back, and he threatened to cut an ear off if I handed it over to you.”
I try to read her large honey-brown eyes to see if she’s telling the truth or not. “A shame, you have such pretty ears too.”
I try to get hold of her horse again. She takes off one of the two bags she has tied to her saddle, and she throws it into the bog on the right of the road.
“Why for did you do that?” I try to control my anger.
“Well, I promised him I would never hand it over, so if I throw it, then I can say I still didn’t hand it to you.”
“You couldn’t have just dropped it at my feet?”
What a strange girl this is. I’m beginning to wonder if she’s normal at all. But I smile and dismount with pistol needlessly pointed in her direction as I slowly inch into the mud backwards. Halfway in, I hear a commotion and watch as the imp stands on her nag’s saddle with her other heavy bag in hand and jumps over to Ghost’s. She digs her heels in and takes off. I grab the bag and run to jump on her nag, but the nag bucks when I come near. I go after the horse on the road as she goes in circles, and I finally grab her reins dragging on the ground and bring her near. I jump on the short and plump pony and dig my heels in but only get a slow trot out of her. I scream to the sky as I realize she’s tricked me.
After the sick feeling comes over me that I’ve lost Ghost, I try to cheer myself up by opening the bag on my tired ride and scream again when I see they are just coppers! I think about the day over and over again and by the end of the night, I begin to see the humor and laugh out loud to myself. My only thought is to get Ghost back, and since she was headed toward Monaghan, my only hope is to try to go back to where Cahir’s dealing. I dig out a stash I have off Monaghan road, since I know ’tis going to cost a fortune to get Ghost back, especially once Cahir realizes how much I care about him.
I haven’t seen Cahir since I acquired Ghost. I usually send Liddy or Berragh to sell the horses we get our hands on. The fat, gruff man’s still in the place I saw him previously, and before he can ask my business, I say, “I’m looking for Cahir,” and keep walking.
He pulls a gun on me immediately. “Not until I remove your weapons, boy.”
I let him remove my pistol, and he nods that I can go in. Cahir’s facing the wall in his chair, and as soon as I walk in, he says, “Good to see you, O’Hanlon” and he spins around “It’s been too long.”
“You know why I’m here.”
He smiles a knowing smile. “I hate to tell you this, but he’s already been sold.”
“She only nabbed him yesterday! How could you have sold him so fast?”
He keeps his cool. “I had a man come last night looking for the finest horse we had, and you know there’s nothing better than him.”
I wonder if he’s lying to get me to pay more, so I turn and go to the corral I bought him from. Instead of seeing Ghost there, I see another familiar figure leaning against the stall, cleaning her fingernails. Cahir comes up behind me. “Oh, I see now, she’s working for you.” I lean against the side of the wall. “Oh, she’s good, Cahir. I never saw it coming. Had the plan right from the beginning, she did.”
She looks up, slightly interested.
“You’ve got to tell me your name. I need to know the name of a girl so clever and daring, who can pull one over on me.”
“Síofra,” Cahir says.
“Well, Síofra, I’d pay you handsomely if you hand my stallion back over.”
“He’s sold.” She swipes her hair away from her forehead, revealing a white scar.
Cahir says quickly, “But Síofra, you delivered him to the gent and know where he is, don’t you?”
She glances up, suddenly very interested. “You give me ten pounds, and I’ll go get him back for you.”
“Ten pounds! You’re already making his sale three times over!” I walk around in frustration. “I’ll give you five pounds if you tell me where he is, and I’ll go get him.”
“No sell,” Cahir says, “Ten or nothing.”
I kick the wall behind me. “Fine, ten, but I want him tonight, and I’m not paying until he’s back.”
Cahir and Síofra both agree, and Cahir goes to get Síofra’s horse, a beautiful, shining thoroughbred. She doesn’t need any assistance mounting and throws her dainty leg over to ride astride. I look away at her lower legs showing obscenely from under her skirt. She and Cahir laugh at seeing my modesty for her. She doesn’t seem to care in the slightest and gallops right out of the stables.
After some time, just sitting in Cahir’s office, I say, “You’re not worried about her at all?”
“Worried?” he scoffs. “She’s one of my best. She'll steal the sugar out of your punch, she will.”
“Is she your sister?”
“No, not my sister.”
“Your wife, then?”
He laughs. “No, not my wife.” He changes the subject. “I’ve heard you’re running a whole racket from here to Tyrone. That true?”
“Might
be.” I lean back in my chair.
“Well, I got a little problem with that, you see, since I work seven counties that include your three.”
I pause a moment. “Well, I’m always looking for a good horse thief.”
He laughs again. “I can see why too.”
“Look, I’ve brought together all the best men to unite against the English. We can’t make it on our own for long, but this way, the way I see it, we’ve got safety in numbers.”
“How does it work, though? You sticking your nose in everybody’s business? Dipping your hand in everyone’s pockets?”
“My men listen to me, but I let each one govern their own area. If you joined us, you can keep doing what you’re doing. We’ve just got each other’s backs is all.”
He thinks for a moment. “I might be interested.”
Our negotiations are interrupted by the sound of someone galloping into the stables. I go out the door to see the bless’d sight of Ghost standing there. I whistle, and he comes right up to me, pushing his roman nose into my chest.
“Ten pounds, thank you.” Síofra pants.
I walk back out and down the path a bit to where I left the money, since I don’t trust a soul there. When I walk back in, Cahir and Síofra are discussing something.
“Here ’tis, all ten in guineas and shillings.” I take Ghost’s reins and say, “Pleasure doing business with you both,” and lead Ghost toward the exit. “Oh, and as a reward for besting me, Síofra, I’m giving you back your noble steed.”
She laughs.
“Hold up, O’Hanlon!” I turn slightly to see Cahir getting on his fine animal. “We’re coming with you.” On the way up the path, Cahir yells to his man, “Keep things going, Mickey, until I get back. And don’t put a dirty finger on my liquor!”
Chapter 13
By nightfall, we reach the main cave, having picked up Berragh and Liddy along the way since we crossed their turf. Strong John and Kelly are sitting by a fire outside the cave when we approach. Strong John yells out, “Síofra!” and he comes running to her and picks her small frame up high in the air like a child. I don’t understand until John puts her down. “’Tis my big sister.”
