by Charles Todd
“I believe I do. I don’t think it really mattered to him whether their plan was successful or not. The Constable must have hoped to put the blame on Terrence as their leader. There were rumors he might be in Galway, but there was an even better chance that he’d be seen at his cousin’s wedding. Think what it would do for that career if the Constable brought in the man everyone has been searching for?”
“You could be right, Bess.” He paused. “Your father thinks that the Government is going to crack down on the Irish Problem, as they call it, and soon. To stop the mounting unrest. Harsh measures to stamp out rebellion altogether. I’d have said it would work before coming here. Now I have my doubts.”
I shivered. It wasn’t from the cold. I looked once more out at the empty sea where a little currach was moving steadily back to Killeighbeg. I owed him so much . . .
“There’s tea below. There’s nothing more you can do, Bess. Try to put it behind you.”
“I was thinking how beautiful Ireland looked, flying over the countryside as I came in.”
As I turned back to the man standing so close to me, I added, because I thought it might matter, “I’ve finally made a decision, Simon. When I’m back in Somerset, I’m going to send my resignation to London.” But I intended to keep my flat in London. At least for a while.
There was silence for a moment.
“And then?” he asked.
Before I could answer, an officer was coming down from the bridge to speak to us, hailing us as the engines began to pick up speed, a low rumble that made talking more like shouting.
The officer greeted us, asking if I was Sister Crawford.
“A pleasure to meet you, Sister. Glad to have you safely aboard.”
“Thank you, sir. I can’t tell you how happy we were to see you.”
“I’ve sent a message to your father, letting him know that everyone was safe.”
“That’s very kind of you. May I present Simon Brandon?”
“A pleasure as well, Brandon. The Colonel ordered us to see you both back to Somerset. And any of your party who cares to come with you.” They shook hands, and then the officer said, “Do come down. The wind is picking up as we add speed. It will be cold out here.”
I started forward, but Simon answered, “I think I’ll stay on deck a little longer.”
“Whatever you prefer. Sister? This way.”
There was nothing to do but follow him below.
Ever since that moment in the orchard when I’d realized just how much he meant to me, I’d been afraid that Simon might not feel the same way. There was Scotland to consider. And my parents. I wanted to believe that Terrence was right—but I still didn’t know how I’d hurt Simon, that day on the strand, when he’d walked away from me. If he’d even forgiven me.
What if he hadn’t?
I’d always tried to find answers to problems—that was why I’d been such a good nurse. But this was different. This was my future. The future I’d tried so hard not to think about.
And I wasn’t sure how reach for it.
I dared not make a mistake . . .
Acknowledgments
To Ruth Dudley Edwards, our thanks for her talks in Indiana about the Rising. They helped us understand the personal feelings of the people involved on both sides, not just what the history books had to say about 1916. It was a much better story because of that.
And our thanks also to Lindblad Special Expeditions, and the Endeavour, which got us to Inishmore and Dun Aonghasa, the Aran Islands, and a pub in Galway where the music was wonderful.
And finally our thanks to our agent, Lisa Gallagher, who took photographs of the places in Dublin where the fighting took place during the Rising, to be sure we remembered it all aright.
About the Author
CHARLES TODD is the author of the Bess Crawford mysteries, the Inspector Ian Rutledge mysteries, and two stand-alone novels. A mother-and-son writing team, they live on the East Coast.
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Also by Charles Todd
The Bess Crawford Mysteries
A Duty to the Dead
An Impartial Witness
A Bitter Truth
An Unmarked Grave
A Question of Honor
An Unwilling Accomplice
A Pattern of Lies
The Shattered Tree
A Casualty of War
A Forgotten Place
A Cruel Deception
The Ian Rutledge Mysteries
A Test of Wills
Wings of Fire
Search the Dark
Legacy of the Dead
Watchers of Time
A Fearsome Doubt
A Cold Treachery
A Long Shadow
A False Mirror
A Pale Horse
A Matter of Justice
The Red Door
A Lonely Death
The Confession
Proof of Guilt
Hunting Shadows
A Fine Summer’s Day
No Shred of Evidence
Racing the Devil
The Gate Keeper
The Black Ascot
A Divided Loyalty
A Fatal Lie
Other Fiction
The Murder Stone
The Walnut Tree
Tales
A Hanging at Dawn
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
an irish hostage. Copyright © 2021 by Charles Todd. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by Yeon Kim
Cover photographs © Mark Owen/Trevillion Images; © Shelley Richmond/Trevillion Images; © Plainpicture/Willing-Holtz; © Dave Walsh/iStock/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Todd, Charles, author.
Title: An Irish hostage / Charles Todd.
Description: First edition. | New York, NY : William Morrow, [2021] | Series: A Bess Crawford mystery |
Identifiers: LCCN 2021011589 (print) | LCCN 2021011590 (ebook) | ISBN 9780062859853 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780062859877 (paperback) | ISBN 9780062859884 (ebook)
Subjects: GSAFD: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3570.O37 I75 2021 (print) | LCC PS3570.O37 (ebook) | DDC 813/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021011589
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021011590
Digital Edition JULY 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-285988-4
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-285985-3
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