Mr. Mallon crossed his legs and flicked a piece of lint from his trouser leg. “Indeed?”
Emmet felt the heat rise in his face. He knew that Mr. Mallon knew this. “Yes. I have been promoted…” Emmet spread his hands to gesture at his office “and I have been nominated for an award for my work.”
“Which you did not win.”
Emmet gritted his teeth. “As you know, I was invited to the recent ball at the Mansion. I am engaged in important work, Mr. Mallon. Bridie is proud of me.”
Bridie’s father remained silent and Emmet felt his heart race.
“Mr. Mallon. I may not have won the award, but I will not fail to win something far more important, and that is, Bridie’s hand in marriage. We love each other, and I can provide a good life for her.”
Mr. Mallon raised one eyebrow. “Was there anything else you wish to say to me?”
Emmet took a deep breath. “I would again like to ask for your blessing and agreement that we become engaged.”
Mr. Mallon studied Emmet for a moment. “Very well.” He smiled then and Emmet felt the blood pound in his head. “I know when I am beaten.”
He stood, and Emmet jumped up to grasp his hand. “Thank you, Mr. Mallon. You won’t regret it.”
Bridie’s father nodded. “Be sure that I don’t.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dublin, May 1922
Bridie met Emmet in front of the General Post Office. The GPO had taken a beating during the 1916 Rising but it was looking good again. It continued to be a favourite meeting place, perhaps because of its place in the history of Ireland. The scarred building stood proud on O’Connell Street.
Bridie linked her arm through Emmet’s and they walked towards the market on Moore street. “I have been instructed not to come back without strawberries.”
“Strawberries? Are they already available?”
“I hope so. Mammy has it in mind to create some sort of fancy confectionary masterpiece for the desert table.”
Emmet nodded. “My mother is going a bit mad as well. I think she’s a little worried that your family will look down on mine because they’re from the country.”
Bridie stopped to look at Emmet. “But that’s silly. They’ve met several times now and everyone’s gotten along so well.”
Emmet rolled his eyes. “I know. That’s what I’ve told her, but now she’s in a dither about the wedding lunch.”
“But your parents are bringing the ham and the chicken. They’re doing more than their part. I know Daddy has said something about feeling guilty at accepting so much kindness from them because it should be him paying for everything.”
“Now that’s nonsense. Perhaps we should have eloped. We could have gone to America.”
“Don’t even joke about that. I don’t want you ever going to America again. The first time was your last time.”
Emmet patted her hand resting on his arm. “Yes, dear.”
She pinched his arm. “I mean it.”
“And what if Michael Collins calls upon me to go again?”
Bridie frowned. “You’ll just have to send him to me. I will tell him that you have too many responsibilities as a married man and can’t just be running off whenever it suits you.”
Emmet smiled. “Right, then. I’ll do just that. Send him to you.”
“Family comes first, Mr. Ryan.”
They reached the market. Emmet pointed out a display of fruit including a basket of strawberries. “There now. Will those do?”
Bridie did her shopping with Emmet by her side. They knew many of the vendors, who all wished them well on their wedding day and picked out the best produce to give Bridie.
Walking home, Bridie squeezed his arm. “Emmet, I don’t know how I’d manage if you weren’t there at home with me every evening.”
He slipped his arm around her waist. “Shush now. I’ll always be there for you.”
“Will you, though?”
“Of course, I will.”
She bit her lip. “So, you agree that the family always comes first?”
There was a hesitation before he answered. “Family comes first, but sometimes the bigger picture affects the family, so we always need to be able to look at that. We need to be able to see what the best for the family will be. Don’t you think so?”
She sighed. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”
“It’s not always one or the other, right?”
“Hmm.”
He squeezed her. “Now don’t upset yourself about trying to think through every possibility that might come to us. As long as you and I are together, we’ll find a way through.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I’ll stop being a miserable git now. Let’s get these things home and then we can sit out with a cup of tea before you have to go.”
Emmet leaned in to kiss her temple beneath her straw hat. “And then next time I’m with you, I won’t be going anywhere without you.”
Bridie’s smile seemed shaky.
Emmet seemed to feel her thoughts. “Are you nervous?”
She shrugged. “A wee bit.”
“Me too.”
She looked at him. “Really? I thought men were all brave and strong and never afraid.”
Emmet laughed. “You can’t be serious. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve known fear, and I think the idea of being married is one of the most fearful.”
“Why? Do you not want to be with me?”
He stopped and set the shopping basket on the ground. He took both her hands in his. “Bridie. How can you think that even for a second? I want to be with you more than anything I’ve ever wanted. I’m afraid of making a bollocks of it.”
She cheeks grew pink at the curse, but she left her hands resting in his.
He went on. “I see how my Mam and Da are together and I want to be like that. I want to be good to you and make you happy, but I’m not sure I know how.”
She smiled and squeezed his hands. “We’ll figure it out together.”
• • •
The wedding day dawned with a grey drizzle, but Emmet felt the day perfect. Liam was there to serve as best man. Emmet had taken on a proper flat in Drumcondra and it seemed too big and strange to him. He missed his little bed-sit.
Liam clapped him on the shoulder. “Are you ready?”
Emmet nodded.
“You don’t want me to hire a cab and we’ll make a run for it? I know places up in the hills where we can hide for weeks, no questions asked.”
Emmet grinned. “I can imagine. Probably a cache of guns under the bed so that we could fight off the whole of the Mallon clan when they track us down?”
“You’ve got it.”
“No, you’re all right. I can’t wait to start my new life with my wife.”
Liam pulled a small flask from inside his jacket. “One last drink as my bachelor friend.” He took a deep sip and handed the flask to Emmet.
Emmet took a long draw and then coughed. “Jaysus. What is this?”
“Poteen of the finest.”
Emmet took another small sip. The illicit liquor made from potatoes burned its way down his throat and made his eyes water. “From the stills of your mountain pals?”
Liam smiled. He took the flask back and capped it after taking another sip himself.
“Right, so. Let’s go.”
• • •
The organ played, and Emmet turned to watch.
Bridie’s sister Katie walked down the aisle in front of Bridie who followed in a beautiful ankle-length dress that fell straight from her shoulders, simple in its elegance, with lace trim at the shoulders and hem and with a matching lace ribbon below her waist. She wore a long veil that fell across her shoulders and was pinned to her red hair.
Bridie held tight to her father’s arm. Emmet watched as Bridie glanced at her mother in the front row and saw his bride’s eyes fill with tears. She looked away from her mother to Emmet, and he felt the heat and knew his ears must be turning deep red. He l
ocked eyes with her, seeming to pull her towards him. Bridie loosened her grip on her father’s arm as they reached the altar, slipping her hand away, and transferred her grasp to Emmet’s arm. He felt strong and warm under her touch.
The solemn words were spoken and then they walked together back up the aisle, as husband and wife. Friends reached out to greet them as they passed. The drizzle had cleared, and they stood in the sun of the early summer’s day surrounded by family and friends.
Bridie leaned in and brushed Emmet’s ear with her lips. “My heart feels like it will burst.”
“When can I take you away to be alone with you?”
She laughed. “Not for a long time yet. Look, we are gathering for a photograph.”
They crowded together; their two families mashed together as tightly as they could get while the photographer that her father had hired kept calling out instructions to squeeze in and stand still now.
They all laughed when Emmet’s brother Kevin muttered “Jaysus, when can I take this jacket off?” His gripe was loud in one of those moments of silence that sometimes happen.
They made their way back to the Mallon house and then the jackets came off and cool drinks were served. The plan was that Bridie and Emmet would take a cab to the Shelbourne Hotel for the night. It was expensive, but Emmet had been saving money from his trip to America for the wedding trip.
At Bridie’s house, the men all gathered in the garden to drink pints of porter. Mr. Mallon had gotten in barrels for the occasion. Emmet had a drink with his brothers and father, and while his oldest brother and father became embroiled in a discussion about the likelihood of Kilkenny making it to the hurling finals this year, he and Kevin moved to a quiet corner of the garden.
Kevin clinked his glass against Emmet’s.“Slainte, brother.”
“Sláinteagad-sa.”
Kevin grinned. “We’ve had some adventures, you and I.”
“We have, that.”
Kevin nodded. “You’re done with all that now, but you’re starting a whole new adventure now.”
Emmet tilted his head. “I’m not giving up on my beliefs.”
“Ah, no. I didn’t mean that. I meant that I promise I won’t call on you to drag you into mischief.”
Emmet smiled. “You’ll have to look after yourself without my steadying influence.”
“I’ll do my best. I’ll miss you, but I’m happy for you. She’s a lovely lass.”
Emmet drained his drink. “She is, and I think it’s high time I find her.”
He gave his brother a quick hug and then turned away to find his wife. He spied her in a corner of the room with her friend Elizabeth who had come with the Carsons for the wedding. It was always a bit of a shock to Emmet to hear Elizabeth’s English accent, but he knew Bridie and her friend were close, so he liked the girl for that reason.
He joined them in time to hear Bridie say to Elizabeth: “I’m so glad you all came down for this.”
Emmet nodded. “I am too, Elizabeth.”
Elizabeth straightened a fold of lace on Bridie’s shoulder. “I’m very glad as well. Bridie, I consider you one of my dearest friends by now and I’m delighted to be here to help you celebrate.”
Bridie reached for Elizabeth’s hand. “What are your plans now? We haven’t had five minutes to really catch up since you’ve been here.”
Emmet wondered if he should leave the two girls to talk. “I should go have a drink with my brothers.”
Elizabeth rested her hand on his arm. “Don’t leave on my account. You’re both my friends now.” She turned back to Bridie. “I have been pleading with my father to let me come home.”
Bridie frowned. “Oh, no. That’s not what I want to hear. Are you not happy with the Carsons?”
“I’m happy enough, but it really doesn’t feel like home. They’ve been so very kind to me, but they have their own busy lives, and I feel that it’s time I go back to my own.”
“You’ll be twenty-one in another month, won’t you?”
“Yes, and that means that I have a small inheritance coming to me. I have a dream to set myself up in a little business.”
“A business? What sort of business?”
“I plan to tutor young ladies in the arts. I can play piano reasonably well, and I can paint.”
“You aren’t going to be a governess, are you?”
“No, my inheritance should allow me enough independence to live a quiet life in some rented rooms where I could live and work from. Perhaps for some people I would go to their homes to give the lessons.”
“What about your father? Could you not live with him?”
Elizabeth furrowed her forehead. “No, I think not. He prefers to live at his club and quite honestly, I think I prefer to live independently. I love him and miss him. I hope to see him often, but I would rather live alone.”
“How brave you are.”
Elizabeth squeezed Bridie’s hand. “You helped to show me what was possible with your work at the shop.”
Emmet felt a glow of pride. “Our Bridie is an inspiration.”
Elizabeth nodded. “She is that. Go on now, the pair of you. Everyone wants to chat with you. I’m going to help in the kitchen.”
Bridie linked her arm through Emmet’s. “It’s time for the men to come in and sit down to lunch. Come. We’ll go fetch them in.”
Emmet nodded and tilted his glass to finish his drink. His head swam a little and he realized he’d had more to drink already than he usually drank. “Right. Lead the way, wife of mine.”
Bridie raised an eyebrow. “Are you all right?”
“Never better.”
They went out and called for those in the garden to come for lunch and then led their way in to the long table that had been set up. The table spanned the length of the house by opening the French doors between the parlour and living room. Emmet heard laughter from the far end of the table as his brothers and the girls squeezed into their places.
To start, Bridie’s father made a speech to welcome Emmet to the family and to thank all the guests for coming to share the day.
Emmet felt a lump in his throat as he listened to his father-in-law’s voice, thick with emotion. Once Mr. Mallon had consented to the marriage, he never expressed doubt again. He ended by lifting his glass to the group. “Please lift your glasses to Mr. and Mrs. Emmet Ryan and wish them a long and happy life together.”
The toast was repeated along the length of the table while Bridie turned to Emmet. “To a long and happy life together.”
He smiled and clinked his glass to hers. “To a long and happy life together.” He drank down half the glass of wine in one gulp.
Bridie leaned over to touch her father’s hand. “Thank you, Daddy.”
He shook his head and turned away, his eyes shiny with wetness.
Next Mr. Ryan stood and welcomed Bridie to the family. “We have been blessed with gaining one daughter already when our Michael was married, and now we have a second one to make our family even more complete.”
Finally, Emmet rose to thank everyone. He thanked her parents for hosting the day. Then his parents for their contributions. After that, the other guests for joining in the celebration and finally he looked down at Bridie sitting beside him. “And last but not least.” He shifted unsteadily on his feet. “My beautiful bride. I must thank her for having the patience to wait for me while I travelled to America and..”
Liam called out from where he sat on Emmet’s other side. “She’ll be running out of patience if you blather on much longer, as will we all. I’m starving.”
Everyone laughed. Emmet lifted his glass, abandoning the rest of his speech. “To my lovely Bridie.”
Emmet looked proud of his pun, linking the notion of his bride with Bridie’s name.
Bridie shook her head but smiled and clinked her glass against his.
Bridie picked at her lunch. A piece of ham stuck in her throat and she coughed. Emmet handed her a glass of wine.
Bridie
shook her head as the coughing subsided. “I’ve had enough to drink.”
Emmet lifted his glass and drained it. “It’s a celebration, love. Let’s enjoy the day.”
Liam immediately came around to Emmet and refilled his glass. Bridie rested her hand under the table on Emmet’s thigh. “I just don’t want to overdo things.”
The evening was drawing in as the guests finally drifted away. Emmet and Bridie stood at the door wishing everyone safe home. Emmet wished he could stretch out on the settee for a nap. Liam was one of the last to leave. He gave Bridie a hug. “You’re a lovely girl and Emmet’s a lucky man.”
Bridie smiled. “Thank you, Liam. I hope you know that you’ll always be welcome in our home.”
Liam nodded. “That’s a blessing and an invitation I’ll be sure to take you up on.”
He turned then to Emmet. “Will you not come for one small drink to the pub?”
Emmet grinned and nearly stumbled into Liam’s arms. “I better not.”
Liam nodded. “You’re probably right. I’ll run down to the corner to get a cab for you, will I?”
Emmet blinked. “I can do it.” but Bridie quickly answered. “Will you, Liam? That would be grand. Thank you.”
When Emmet closed the door behind Liam, Bridie pointed to the suitcases that her father had brought to the front hall. “Will you be able to manage?”
“Are we on our way, then?”
“Yes, I think it’s time. Don’t you?”
“I thought one more drink would be in order.”
Emmet’s father stood in the doorway of the parlour along with Mr. Mallon. The Ryans would head for home as soon as Emmet and Bridie were gone. He stepped forward and put his arm around Emmet’s shoulders. “Time for all of us to go now, Emmet. You’ve kept your lovely wife waiting long enough for your company.”
“Right, Da.”
A cab pulled up then and together Emmet’s father and Bridie’s carried out the cases while Bridie’s mother came to give her one final hug.
“I’ll see you soon, Mam.”
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