1863 Saratoga Summer Read online

  He caught her before she fell to the floor. Grimacing from pain and cursing softly under his breath, he propelled her around in the right direction to leave the building and grabbed Egan’s arm, too. “Come. The odor in this place will kill you. Let’s go outside. Then, I’ll get us a carriage.

  She stopped. “I told you. My da is out there, waiting for us. He has the carriage he drove to the piers yesterday. It’s his and he’ll take you any place you want to go,” she mumbled, trying to pull her arm away from his grasp.

  “I just want to get away from the smells of degradation and wastes permeating this place.” Connor turned to Egan. “Are you able to maneuver, laddie?”

  “Aye,” came the reply. “I’ll stay right behind you and the missus,” Egan said, although his steps were slowing. “Och, Connor, I’m not feeling too steady right…”

  Connor whirled around and caught Egan before he fell. He lifted him in his arms and cradled him like a baby. “Don’t be conking out on me now, laddie. I need your smiling face and foolish ways.” Egan was limp, his arms hanging over his brother’s, his head back and his eyes closed. “Egan, are you there? Can you not answer me, lad?”

  “I’m alright. Just need a bit of rest, I’m thinking,” Egan responded, bringing his head erect and struggling to stand by himself.

  “Och, God. Let’s hurry, Connor. I’ll hold the door for you,” Sinead cried out, her voice packed with nervousness. “ Come now,” she continued while holding the door open. On she went as if she couldn’t stop her tongue from flapping a she turned to Egan. “We can’t be letting this young fellow give in to sickness on his second day ashore, now, can we?” She jostled his arm. “Speak to us, Egan.”

  “Later, lass, later,” Egan croaked and seemed to faint away.

  Connor hurried down the stairs of the Tombs with Egan in his arms and passed the policemen, who were laughing and smoking.

  One tipped his cap to the two of them. “Yer brother still drunk? Glad she got ye both out of there.”

  The man with the cigar, who merely mouthed it now, shouted, “Good luck to ye. I hope yer wife won’t be too hard on ye.” He laughed uproariously.

  The carriage was no longer across the street. Bowes had turned it around until it was directly in front of the jail. He gestured to them. “Hurry lads. Hop on in here.” He jumped down from the driver’s seat and helped Connor get Egan onto the backward seat. “Here ye go. Put this rug over yer legs, so…”

  “Nae. Don’t be doing that. It’s too hot, Da.”

  Bowes nodded in agreement, and hopped back up onto the driver’s seat. “Robbie, son, come sit up here with Grandda Bee.”

  Robbie shook his head and looked to his mama.

  Sinead smiled at him. “Nae, son. You stay right here next to Mama.” She patted the seat.

  She turned back, laid her hand on Egan’s brow and quickly removed it. “Och, Lord, he’s feverish.”

  Connor grabbed her about the waist and hoisted her up into the carriage. He leaped into the back and sat beside Egan, shoving him over a bit in order to rest Egan’s head in his lap.

  He spoke in the Gaelic. “Egan, don’t be going away from me. I’ll take care of you, I promise. Da, would never forgive me if anything happened to one of his boyos. I’d be losing my head, everything.”

  A soft voice whispered, “’Tis alright, Con. I’m just a mite off me feed. I’ll be right as rain by morning. Let me sleep some. Too noisy last…”

  Connor rubbed his hand over Egan’s face, pushing the red hair from his brother’s forehead.

  Sinead was amazed at the tenderness she saw in Connor, and, for one brief moment, wondered how those very same hands might feel on her brow, on her body. Heat rushed to her temples. She pursed her lips to release a contained breath. She looked away and hugged Robbie, who sat close.

  Bowes flapped his whip in the air. The horses took off at a smart trot and the carriage bounced over the cobblestone road. Egan groaned slightly.

  Throughout all the activity, Robbie barely took his eyes off Connor and Egan. He tilted his head to one side and up, staring at Connor, before asking, “Are you my new da?”

  Sinead gasped. “Robbie, this is not the…”

  Connor tried to smile. He could hardly move his damaged lips. “Aye, I am that, son. I’m to be your new da. Is that all right?”

  Robbie sighed. “You’re ugly for a da!”

  Egan must have heard for he began to chuckle. Bowes let out a huge bellow of laughter. Connor joined in, seconds later. Sinead thought them all crazy.

  ~*~

  The carriage hustled over dirt and cobblestone streets to get Egan to a place where he could rest. By the time they got to Bowes’ boardinghouse, Egan was asleep with his head on Connor’s lap, a snore or two rising from his mouth.

  “Jaysus, the lad’s exhausted. Had to be, I guess, to fall asleep like that, what with the bumpy roads and all,” Bowes commented while drawing the horses to a stop. “Well, we’ll get him settled in my rooms and he can sleep the night and the day away if he chooses.”

  Robbie sat in the carriage watching everyone but his gaze returned to his mother. “How are they going to get that man up the stairs to Grandda Bee’s? He’s too big.”

  Connor looked down at the boy and ruffled his hair. He spoke through swollen lips. “But I’m bigger. I’m going to carry him, as I’ve done before when he’s been in his cups.”

  Robbie tugged on Connor’s trousers. “What’s ‘in his cups’?” He mimicked the funny way Connor said the words.

  Connor again tried to smile at the lad. It took too much painful effort. He looked at Sinead instead. “You handle that wee one, will you now, lassie? I don’t know how you want it explained to the child.”

  Sinead did no more than stare at him. Connor shrugged, slid from under Eagan’s body and stepped from the carriage. He pulled Egan over to the door then hoisted the limp man onto his shoulder.

  Robbie’s giggle followed them to the boarding house’s painted red door. There, Bowes, carrying Egan’s trunk, preceded Connor inside. Connor followed the man up the stairs to a second floor bedroom.

  He deposited his brother on the bed Bowes indicated. “Don’t worry, Bowes, I won’t be breaking or stealing any of your valuables. I’ll just be fixing my brother. I’ll clean away some of the grime, if you’d be giving me a basin and some cloths. I’m sure he’ll be walking around and sassing everyone within a day or so.”

  “I surely hope so. Other than the bruises he’s carrying, the lad seems quite fit.”

  “Aye that he is.” Connor looked out the single window and around the sparse room. “This neighborhood doesn’t look too comforting,” he mumbled and turned to Bowes. “Should I go back downstairs to wait in the carriage with Sinead and the boy. I wouldn’t be wanting anything to happen to them. Once they’re settled at their home, I’ll come back and tend to Egan.”

  “Yer right, laddie. This is a great place for terrible things to happen, but don’t ye be worrying. I’ll get me body down there to watch and bring the two of them into the parlor. Don’t be too long, now. Make yer brother comfortable and I’ll be coming back here to feed him shortly. And don’t ye be worrying about things, like I said.” With a slight wave of his hand, Bowes smiled and went out the door.

  Sinead, her da and Robbie waited in the downstairs parlor while Connor stripped the barely-awake Egan down, bathed him and put a sheet over his clean body.

  Slightly revived, Egan rolled to one side. “Con, I thank ye mightily and well ye know it.”

  “Aye, I know, laddie. But you’d do the same for me, I’m sure. Listen carefully. I won’t be staying here. Not enough room.” He stood and gestured around the small room. “Bowes will bring you food later, after you’ve had a good sleep, and he’ll care for you during the night.”

  “Con, what do ye intend to do about yer new missus and the boy…about the whole relationship?” Despite the bruises, Egan’s face was clear, except for the scowl.

  “’T
is not sure, I am. I’m not favorably impressed with a lass who can scream like a shrew.”

  Connor stood by the window. He glanced out as if the whole world had crumbled. So dejected was he, his lips turned down and he leaned against the window frame. He rubbed his forehead with his thumbs.

  Egan coughed to get his attention. “Con, ye have to be making up yer mind to make this thing work.” He yawned then murmured, “Maybe, change yer attitude toward the lass.”

  Connor whirled around to face his brother. “Perhaps she should be changing attitudes. I didn’t ask to marry.” He stared out the window. “Now, at this point, all I want is to consummate the marriage and return to Ireland, the family and my horses. I swear they’re the only things that kept me sane over the years.”

  “I think ye’re being a bit impatient.” Egan yawned and lay back against the pillow with a sigh. “Ye’ve only been in this country less than two full days.” Another yawn overtook him.

  “And I haven’t liked a single thing I’ve seen in this country, not this city, not…” Connor flashed a look at his brother, who had curled up on his side, holding the pillow close to his face.

  Egan was asleep. Connor shrugged and descended the stairs. Standing at the bottom of the stairs, in the archway to the parlor, he heard soft voices and peered in.

  Sinead and Bowes were sitting on a sofa, lit only by the three windows in back of it. They fell silent when he appeared. Even Robbie, playing on the floor with a top, barely moved when Connor walked further into the parlor.

  “Well?” Connor frowned. He stood in the center of the small rug, his hands across his chest. He looked about him, at them, at the room. The dark color of the furniture and the dim light from the windows made the room dingy, somber and depressing.

  A thick layer of apprehension lay upon his tongues, muffling the voice to a low murmuring. “I’ve made a decision, lass. After the boy is taken care of, we’ll stay the night in a hotel.” He paused and refused to look at her. “We’ll settle our differences there, later.”

  The huskiness of his voice irritated Sinead. She wanted to shout at him that he wasn’t her boss, but couldn’t. Not in front of Robbie. Her eyes narrowed but she stayed seated.

  “Are you dictating or asking, Connor O’Malley? Did you not hear my words?” Sinead asked softly but with malice. She plastered a smile on her face and stood slowly, her head cocked to the side. She was livid, flushed with red-cheeked, suppressed anger. Her eyes flashed green fire at this bully of a man.

  Rage made her stutter. “Do you expect me… just to obey… your every word…? If so, I’ll be wanting…to know…why.”

  She jammed her emotions into a wee box, slammed the lid down tight and locked it. Glumly resigned for a brief moment to a fate, to which she had agreed, she glared at Connor before snapping, “If you expect me to obey, because you’re legally my husband…you are so wrong. Nothing makes you my lord and master.” Her mouth settled into a thin line, even as she tried a smile more like a grimace. She took a deep breath. “But you are right about one thing…We will discuss this later.”

  She whirled around and stamped out of the room. The males reluctantly followed her out of the house to the carriage.

  ~*~

  Darkness descended before they traveled the full route to the Dewitts’. Connor unwillingly left Egan to sleep off the ravages of Saturday evening and to Bowes’ further care later in the evening after he dropped Sinead at the Dewitts and Connor at a hotel.

  A bewildered Connor spoke to Sinead with great respect. “Lass, we’ll drop you and Robbie at the Dewitts for a bit. Shall we wait for you?” Connor murmured, not wanting to irritate her further than he already had.

  “Nae. You go ahead to the hotel and wait. My da will come back for me. I’ll need some time to put Robbie to bed.”

  “I’m not sleepy. I don’t want to go to bed,” Robbie piped from the corner of the carriage, where he huddled, half-asleep.

  “No matter, love.” She pushed the hair from his forehead. “‘Tis past your bedtime, so I’ll just settle you in.”

  “I want to go with my new da.”

  “Not tonight. ‘Tis important for you to listen for tonight.” She kissed his cheek and turned to Connor. “After my son is settled, I need to inform the Dewitts I’m leaving for the evening, what my plans are and when I intend to return.”

  “Aye, however you wish it, lass. But allow me to ask, do you always treat them with such respect and obedience?”

  Inside, she boiled with outrage and shame at the fact she did. “They’re older than I. They’re Robbie’s grandparents, and, as such, they deserve respect.”

  Yet, the embarrassment of discussing such circumstances with the Dewitts made her legs rubbery. Humiliation turned her innards to water, but she got out of the carriage without a word to anyone. She lifted Robbie, set him on the ground and took his hand in hers.

  Robbie yanked on her arm. “I want to say goodnight to my da.”

  Sinead sighed and lifted him up to the door of the carriage. Connor bent and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. He ruffled Robbie’s hair. “Good night, laddie. Sleep tight in your bed.”

  “Night, Da. Night Grandda.” Robbie slid his arms around Sinead’s neck and hugged her. “Can we watch them go away?” he asked sweetly.

  “Aye.” Sinead set him on his feet on the stone sidewalk and took his hand. The two of them stood gazing after the carriage until it turned the corner.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” she said, pulling on his hand. “Mama Jane will put you to bed and tell you a story.”

  On the porch, Sinead picked Robbie up so he could ring the small bell. Its clear tinkling made him giggle

  Nigel answered the door. “Ah, Jane,” he chortled with his usual superior air. “The Dewitts wish to see you upon your return. They were a bit worried, thinking you kept Robbie out a bit later than usual.”

  “I know I did.” She pushed past Nigel. “And I’m rushing to get him down in his bed for the night. Please, tell them that I will report in as soon as he’s asleep,” she said, crossing the foyer and going up the center stairs. “I don’t want to drag his evening out any more than it already has been.”

  She hurried up the stairs, wanting to get Robbie to bed without allowing him to tell his grandparents about the day’s activities. Sinead took him to his room, bathed him and told him a story until he fell asleep.

  She dashed to her room in the suite she shared with Robbie and scoured her dresser for clean clothes fit to take with her. Her hands fluttered as she discarded one outfit after another.

  As she packed the few decent garments she owned, fat tears tracked down her cheeks. They settled in the corner of her mouth then dribbled over her chin. She sighed and took a deep breath. In order to regain some control over her emotional well being, she mopped the tears with a towel she used to cleanse her face.

  She grabbed her beads from the dresser. Rosary clasped in her hand as if to fight off the devil himself, she waited, her lips moving in a fervent prayer, hoping to rid herself of a hard core of germinating resentment.

  Condemned! Headed for the gallows! She bowed her head and slid to her knees at the side of the bed. “Does every woman feel like this? God help me, if that’s true…”.

  Chapter Eight

  Bowes stopped the carriage a block before the entrance to the Fifth Avenue Hotel, the grandest of all the hotels in the City of New York. Its layered levels and its clean, shining façade were impressive as they reached for the night sky, their gas lit lamps twinkling as bright as stars.

  “Lord, that building is huge,” Connor said, craning his neck upwards and sideways. “Bigger than some of the castles in England and Ireland.”

  “It’s the biggest and most beautiful hotel in the City. Everything in there is done on a grand scale. They have rooms for everything imaginable, including a place where ye can clean up, son.” Pride in the city brought a glow to Bowes’ face.

  Connor grinned at him. “’Tis large, for
sure, and I can readily believe it’s the most beautiful in the world. ‘Tis most magnificent, with its pure shimmering pink and golden touches from the fading sunlight.”

  “Och, the lyricism of the Irish. Lord, how I miss it,” Bowes chortled. Suddenly he became serious. “Listen to me, laddie, the folks in there are not going to be too pleased to serve ye.”

  “Probably not with the look of me right now, but I imagine money speaks as well in America as it does in Ireland. And I have enough of it with me.” He patted his pocket. I have a pouch strung around my waist by a cord.”

  “The police didn’t take it from ye while ye were in their care?” Bowes asked, a surprised and puzzled look on his face. “They usually do, ye know.” He nodded. “Maybe ye and yer brother were just too big for them to risk it.”

  “Maybe they thought I was just another downtrodden Irishman with no funds. Both Egan and I looked that way coming off the steamer. Besides, that’s something we heard stories about, all the way over in Ireland. My brother and I discussed it on the voyage to America and decided to keep most of it in our trunks. Not show it around much.” Connor chuckled. “’Tis all we have with us.”

  Smiling, Bowes shook his head in approval and climbed down from the driver’s seat. “Och, ‘twas a good plan, also a good thing I was able to get yer trunks from Clancy’s before anyone noticed them. Clancy’s an honest saloon owner, but he gets caught up in things and people he really doesn’t understand. Being hard-working like he is, he’d be thinking everyone else is too.” He tossed his whip into the back of the carriage.

  “Well, I’d best be going in and seeing to a room,” Connor replied, untying his trunk from the back of the carriage and hoisting it up. He winced as it settled on his shoulder.

  “Still hurting, lad?” Bowes asked with compassion.

  “Aye, a bit,” he said, slightly readjusting the trunk and looking down the block at the hotel. “Does this place have somewhere I can get rid of this scratchy beard, get a haircut and bathe my sore body?” He chuckled. “All your poor daughter’s seen is me frightful parts and I’ve never looked so bad.”