“We have to hurry,” Robert declared, his military training taking over. “Right now we have the advantage. They are trying to smoke us out and do not know of this passageways’ existence. Can you run?” He looked at Katie, his eyes alert.
“Yes,” she nodded, brushing sweat and soot from her forehead.
Robert took off sprinting towards the pasture where he had left his horse, with Katie running hastily by his side. The sound of timbers crashing echoed behind them.
“Katie O’Connor! Ya and that English spy come out!” Katie heard Ian McAllen’s surly voice shouting.
Katie’s heart was pounding in her chest. Tripping over roots and stones, she fought to keep her balance. It was as she lost her footing and fell to the ground, that she heard her father’s voice begin singing a song that sent shivers up her spine as his voice was soon joined by the voices of the other men.
“We’re taking back our country lads, we’re taking up our arms. We’ll shoot the scoundrels one by one, till at last this land is ours! Against the spy, against the Brit, even our kin if they be foe, we shall be delivered men! We shall have the final blow!”
Katie felt cold. As she starred in the direction of the voices, the words continued to hold her frozen to the ground. She barely noticed as Robert reached down and pulled her back onto her feet. Her father was lost to her, the property of a cause becoming one of terror, and she was now truly afraid for hers and Robert’s lives.
Stumbling slightly, Katie resumed following Robert in haste. It was with anguish, Katie knew they had no choice but to flee Ireland, and she did not know when or if ever they would return. When they reached the paddock, Robert quickly mounted his stallion then reached out his arm and pulled Katie up behind him. Spurring his mount forward, they fled galloping into the night, the manor and its attackers a blaze of flames and hatred behind them.
The wind tugged at their clothes and hair as they flew onward, the crickets chirping their nightly melodies oblivious as they passed. Reaching the top of a hill near the forest, Robert pulled on the reins. Both he and Katie turned and gazed behind them and watched in silence as Kerney Hall, a blazing beacon in the darkness, began collapsing into a pile of rubble and flames. Katie leaned her head against Robert’s back, her muffled sobs the only sound he heard as he began coaxing the horse into the woods.
They rode through the forest all night not wanting to be seen on the main road, and upon reaching Carlingford at daybreak, headed towards the docks. The morning ferry would be arriving in five hours and the harbor master had generously allowed them to stay at his house. As they sat at the kitchen table with cups of tea looking as though they had just survived a battle, Katie and Robert were still stunned in disbelief that they were alive. Anyone who saw their faces and clothes smudged with soot and whiffed the smell of smoke radiating from them, as if they were human ashtrays, would be in awe by their escape.
“Katie,” Robert uttered, breaking the silence. “I do not know what to say except for I am sorry.”
Robert hoped his words spoke more then they said, for he had no idea how to convey all the sorrow he felt for her. Not only had she lost her home and was now losing her country, but she had truly lost her father. He was a man who had no love left in his heart, a man who had not even blinked when it came to almost killing his daughter! Robert was appalled. Never again would Katie be unloved, he thought, he would love her for a thousand lifetimes if that were possible he vowed. In any case, he would love her for the rest of their mortal lives.
Katie smiled in gratitude at Robert. He truly was an amazing man. How had she ever allowed herself to be so blind? The hollow feeling within her heart ached. Never in her life had she ever felt so abandoned yet so appreciated at the same time. Her mind was a mixture of emotions, and her heart was going to take time to heal, but she knew that Robert would mend it. And staring down at her cup of tea, she allowed herself for the moment to retreat into her thoughts trying to arrive at some logical resolution for her father’s actions even though she was most certain that she never would.
After more time had passed, Katie finally looked up ready to contemplate another matter. “Ya did see them?” She asked, her eyes full of earnest, “I mean I’m not insane right?”
Robert smiled, “Yes,” he spoke softly still perplexed by the night’s events, “I saw them.”
In silence they sat staring at one another, for they both knew it had not been their imaginations, but rather an experience explainable only as surreal. The lovers of Kerney Hall’s legend had unmistakably been real, and living again for a moment, had come to their aid.
Katie watched out the window as the ferry docked. Robert had left a little while ago to find the harbormaster. Even though he had said he had a small request to make and would be back soon, Katie could not help but feel worried all the same. It was only natural, she told herself, after what they had just experienced. Unable to quell her uneasiness, she began pacing the room; and it was with great relief when she saw the door open and Robert standing in its frames, his arms laden with parcels.
“I'm sorry it took me longer than I thought,” Robert apologized, closing the door and crossing the floor to set his bundles on the table. “I wired the Royal Constabulary. I gave them a full account of tonight’s events as well as my observations from the port and interviews with the ship captains. McAllen and the others should be arrested shortly.” If he could help get McAllen and his fellow conspirators arrested, then maybe his time spying had not been useless, maybe he had made a difference... maybe he had helped postpone another full scale war.
Robert saw the pained expression on Katie's face upon hearing his last words. Her father would undoubtedly face charges of attempted murder, arson, and terrorism. If only he could also be charged for the cruel and unloving father he had subjected Katie too, he thought bitterly, then justice would truly be served.
“I'm just glad ya are alright.” Katie smiled. “Where did ya get all of this?” She added in order to distract herself from thinking of her father.
“I had some money in my pocket, so I asked the harbor master if he would pick up a few things for us. Here,” he continued untying one of the brown paper packages, “this is for you. Your hair is lovely, but we might not want to draw anymore attention to ourselves if possible.” He concluded handing Katie a light gray scarf.
“Yes, I agree.” Katie remarked, slowly running her fingers across the material.
Robert proceeded to pull out a bar of soap, a dress for Katie, and a shirt for himself. After quickly scrubbing the soot off their faces, they donned their new apparel. Although still smelling of smoke, they at least looked a little bit more presentable. Upon leaving the harbor master’s house, Robert found him and after thanking and insisting to pay him for his hospitality, collected their tickets.
It was not until they were safely on board and the ferry had departed from the dock, that Katie allowed herself to breath freely. Watching the Irish coast slowly begin to fade in the distance, a strand of hair escaping from beneath her scarf and blowing wildly about her face, Katie found she did not have the words to describe the emotions she was feeling. It was in silence, with Robert’s arm around her shoulders, that she stood at the railing until her life she had known disappeared against the horizon.
Chapter 33
When they arrived in London, Robert secured their train passage then sent a telegram ahead to Mr. Dearing and Mrs. Sparrow letting them know they would be arriving at Evanshire later that evening. Now, sitting down to an early lunch at a small cafe, Robert was happy to see that Katie’s vivacious demeanor had not perished with Kerney Hall, but was rapidly returning.
“I cannot wait for you to see Evanshire,” Robert declared, his eyes twinkling with delight.
“If it is as marvelous as ya described to me earlier, I’m look’in forward to see’in your home as well.” Katie spoke, her words full of elation.
“Seeing your home too.” Robert corrected, causing Katie�
�s smile to widen. As they stared into one another’s eyes, for they truly saw each other and knew without a doubt that their hearts were no longer torn by war.
The events that had transpired, the Great War, the time he had spent in Ireland, all seemed like passing memories. Time had flown. It had been months since they departed Ireland and arrived in England, and holding Katie in his arms, Robert now knew why he had survived the war. He had been meant to love and care for this beautiful woman who had brought him back to life, who had shown him by her heart that love can exist even after the horrors and carnage of fighting and death. Looking into her face, her green eyes laughing with happiness, Robert felt as though he had been entrusted with a gift so precious it must not be for him. As he continued to gaze at the beautiful woman held in his embrace, there was nowhere he knew that he would rather be than here.
Katie saw the love and tenderness Robert had in his eyes as he beheld her in his arms. It seemed like ages ago they had been standing on the deck of the ferry watching the Irish hills slowly fade in the distance, she thought. If anyone were to have glimpsed the bright green Irish coast that had bobbed on the horizon, they would never have guessed it was a violent feud, a caldron that was bubbling and boiling over. All her life Ireland had been her home, and as she had watched it disappear on the horizon, it was as if a piece of her very soul had been broken. Now, peering into Robert’s face, however, Katie knew she had been and would continue to be healed, for with him she had found her new home, a home where she would be cherished and protected, a home she would never have to leave.
Smiling at Robert, Katie turned her face towards the beautiful rolling acres and forests surrounding Evanshire. It had been everything that he had described and more. It was Robert’s own Pemberley. The ivy climbing up the old stone manor, the breathtaking landscape and Elizabethan garden, vast fields and forests...it truly was so similar to her own beloved Kerney Hall. The tranquility and happiness of standing here on the veranda with Robert was almost more than her soul could take.
A knock sounded on the glass patio door, and as Katie and Robert turned, Mrs. Sparrow appeared.
“Captain Wesley and Miss Williamson have just arrived,” Mrs. Sparrow spoke. “Shall I show them into the parlor and bring some tea and sandwiches?”
“Yes,” Robert smiled, “Thank you Mrs. Sparrow, that would be lovely.”
Mrs. Sparrow nodded, then departed leaving the patio door open for them behind her. Robert chuckled as he heard his friend’s voice.
“Where is old Robert?” Captain Wesley’s voice sounded brightly, “He’s not the only one we’re celebrating anymore,” he laughed.
“Charles,” Emma’s voice sounded cheerfully, “Give them a few minutes.”
“They’ve had nearly eight months!” Charles retorted in good humor. “Newly weds.” He laughed.
Wrapping her arms around Robert’s neck, Katie smiled, unable to contain her joy, as Robert beaming looked down upon her face.
“Well, Lord Clifton, when are ya go’in to kiss me?” She grinned watching the happiness dance across his eyes.
“All the time Lady Clifton,” Robert smiled knowing he was worthy of salvation, and knowing he was a man who was finally healed, “all the time my love.”
Then kissing Katie with the utmost tenderness, he carried her over the threshold as he had done the first day he brought her home as his bride.
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