The Liars

by Ida Linehan Young

  Danol stood at the end of the wharf waiting for the boat to dock. First to get off was Captain Dicks. Danol shook the captain’s hand.

  “Thanks for this.”

  “Happy to do it, Danol,” Captain Dicks said. “We have a couple of crates to unload and some mail for here,” he said. “The men will get it to the store shortly.”

  Danol helped the men unload the freight. He went aboard once they were finished and handed out a bonus to each of the men. Some were reluctant to take it. “I know you fellows haven’t been in port for a while,” he said. “I want to show my appreciation for all you have done.”

  Danol met with the captain shortly after.

  “Who knows?” Danol asked.

  “Two of my most trusted,” he said. “That’s all.”

  “Here’s something for them and for yourself,” Danol said as he handed the captain another envelope.

  “You pay me well, Danol,” Captain Dicks said. He pushed the envelope away. “I don’t want this.”

  “I’m sure Marg would like one of them fancy hats,” Danol said. Captain Dicks reluctantly took the envelope. “I won’t be around much from now on. I’ll be here if you need me.”

  Captain Dicks looked toward the store. “Can’t say as I blame you.”

  Danol invited them for a meal, but the cook had already put a fish stew in the pot, so Captain Dicks politely declined. He shook Danol’s hand, and Danol watched as the boat left the way she came.

  Before Danol could get inside the house, he heard a commotion. Once he saw his way clear, he nodded at John MacDonald. “You look pretty good for a dead man.” He clapped John on the back. “You had me worried when you didn’t turn up right away.”

  “I was tempted to take my chances for the land and disappear,” John said.

  “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “Me, too,” Alice said as she embraced John once more. Beatrice was already in his arms and hugging her father fiercely.

  “How did you get out so quickly?” Danol asked.

  “Your wife,” John said. “She was waiting with the pry bar as soon as the men left.”

  Erith came from the store, wiping her hands in her apron. She looked up at Danol and smiled.

  “You have many talents, my dear,” he said. “I might have to hire you on.”

  They gathered in the kitchen, where Erith had prepared a meal for the eight of them. Once the children had finished and left the table, Danol had some questions for John.

  “Eddy had the tin of blood ready for me when I went below,” he said. “It was only knowing which pocket to put it in so the other crew wouldn’t see it. When I hit the water, it spread.”

  “It was convincing,” Danol said. “Almost too convincing. I thought Eddy had really shot you.”

  “He missed by a good distance,” John said. “Good thing the cook was making blood puddings. I’ll have to thank him and thank the lad.”

  John went on to explain that he had swum to the Bell Island Explorer, hung on to the rope ladder, out of sight, and waited for Captain Dicks to signal the way was clear. “I lay on the deck, and two men threw a sail over me.”

  He had stayed still on the deck under the sail until they got to port. Nobody had troubled him, as the captain had ordered. “When Alice came, she did carry on something shocking, crying and calling out my name after she saw me,” John said. “I thought she didn’t know at that point, even though we had talked about it the night before.”

  “You would have been proud of her at your graveside, too,” Danol said. “I also told Mr. MacDonald what was going on. He showed up for the service.”

  John looked sad for a moment. “I won’t get to see him again,” he said.

  “Give it some time, John. Maybe there’s a way.”

  “I won’t discount your ideas like I did the other night, Danol.” John smiled. “Even a pitiful idea is better than no idea, you said. I must admit I never thought this would work.” He reflected for a moment, then slowly shook his head from side to side. “I don’t deserve this.”

  “You’re a fine man, John MacDonald,” Alice said. She reached over and laid her hand on his. He looked up at her and smiled.

  “You’re too fine a woman for me.”

  Alice smiled brilliantly. “We’re free, John. We’re finally free.”

  “Ted White is dead and buried,” Danol said. “Confirmed by a couple of fellows in the graveyard. If they weren’t convinced, Alice helped them with that.” He told John what had happened. “Mr. MacDonald being there made all the difference.”

  “I can’t believe he came,” John said.

  “He told me you were his son,” Danol said.

  John bowed his head once more and remained quiet while Erith and Alice cleared away the dishes. When they were gone, he said, “We never planned any further than this moment.”

  “You can’t go home, John.”

  “It wasn’t home. It was a hideout and a prison. For both of us.”

  “I wouldn’t recommend that you stay here in the harbour, but you can always settle somewhere close,” Danol said.

  “Alice and I were never married, you know.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Danol said. “But that’s your business, not mine.”

  “It’s yours when it comes to the child,” John replied.

  “How so?”

  “We put Beatrice in danger because we kept her.”

  Erith heard the comment as she entered the room. “You kept Beatrice safe and loved because you kept her,” she said.

  Alice gasped behind her after following Erith from the kitchen. “Does that mean you won’t take her?” she asked.

  “Make no mistake, Beatrice will always be welcome here. As will you. But why do you think I would take her?” asked Erith.

  “As John said, we put her in danger,” Alice said. Her hooded eyes barely contained the tears that were waiting to spill.

  Erith reached out and embraced Alice. “You love Beatrice. She loves you. I love her, too, but she’s not mine to take.”

  Alice started to cry. “I was so afraid,” she sobbed.

  “I’m sorry, Alice,” Erith said as she tried to console her. “I told you that I hadn’t changed my mind.”

  “But that was before all this happened with John.”

  “You still love her?”

  “Yes, of course. More than anything,” Alice said as she wiped at her eyes. John came around the table and gathered her close.

  “And you, John? Now that you’re a free man?” Erith asked.

  “I’d give my life for that little girl,” John replied.

  “Well, there you go,” Erith said.

  John reached for Alice’s hand. “Can we talk outside, Alice?”

  36

  They left the house, and Danol watched them walk to the end of the wharf. He scooped up Erith when she returned from the kitchen. “You are one fine woman,” he said. Danol hugged her tight, and she nestled into him. He rocked her gently in his embrace.

  Erith pushed away from him. “I almost forgot, there’s a letter from my solicitor. He’s probably inquiring about where to send the payment for the MacDonalds.”

  Danol followed her to the store. “We’ll have to see what they decide,” he said. “Did you get a chance to look at the article Jeffries brought?”

  Erith nodded while sorting through the mail. “The papers could be wrong,” she said. “It did say that, according to Ezra, they had a child together.”

  “What if they were right?”

  “Do you think John knows?”

  “I’m not sure,” Danol said. “That’s hard to say.”

  She stopped sorting the letters and looked at him. “Maybe she doesn’t think there’s a way,” Erith sai
d. “I know I put Beatrice out of my mind because I couldn’t consider anything else. Do you think we could do something about that?”

  Danol thought about it for a moment. “Are we meddling in something that is none of our business?” he asked.

  Erith nodded. “It is absolutely none of our business. We should burn those papers.”

  “I know she is terribly worried about her sister. Maybe she would like to visit her.”

  “Would that be too risky?”

  “I doubt that anyone would know where Alice’s sister lives. As far as I can tell, nobody has connected the incident with Ezra to John,” Danol said. “You didn’t see the paper yet, but Ezra’s sentence was changed from hanging to life in prison.”

  Erith gasped. “Why? Poor Alice! What will she think?”

  “The judge wasn’t sure that the courts here had jurisdiction over the sentencing.”

  “So, will that mean that he goes free?”

  “No, no, nothing like that. He will still be imprisoned for life.” Danol leaned on the counter.

  “For Alice’s sake, maybe getting away to see her sister would be good for her,” Erith said. Absently, she pulled a letter out of the pile and tore the seal. “I don’t think we should tell her about Ezra. Does it really matter as long as he is out of her life? One less torment for her.”

  Erith pulled out the sheet and started to read. Danol watched her eyes widen before she dropped the letter. She clasped the counter and breathed deeply. Danol came around to where she stood and put his arm around her waist. “What is it?”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “What? Believe what? Erith, honey, what is it?

  She picked up the letter and handed it to him. “I didn’t finish it.”

  Danol took the letter and started to read.

  “Out loud,” Erith said. “Please.” Her voice quivered and cracked.

  “My dearest Erith,” he began. “I wanted to inform you that I had a visit from a woman who claims to be the daughter of Kathleen Ryan. She said that she wanted to see you, as well as her niece and nephews. She had somebody claiming to be a solicitor with her. However, I haven’t heard of the fellow. He said she wants custody of the children. You can expect to see them very soon. I have court proceedings that I cannot change, but I will be along within a few days. I will have the children’s papers with me.”

  Danol folded the letter and laid it on the counter. Erith put her hand over it then crumpled it into a ball. “This is fit for the stove,” she said.

  “This can’t be true. You would have known. Somebody would have said.”

  “I have to see Mrs. Patsy, Danol,” she said.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, you stay here. Please.”

  “Erith, nobody is going to take those children from you. I don’t care who they are or claim to be. They’re mine, too.”

  She threw her arms around him. “I know that. I love you for that. But Mrs. Patsy might not tell me what I want to know if you’re there.”

  Danol nodded and fetched her coat. Despite his better judgment, he helped her into her jacket and watched her hurry down the path that followed the shore. John and Alice returned moments later.

  “Is everything all right?” Alice asked.

  “Erith had something to take care of, that’s all,” Danol replied.

  “We should get out of your way,” John said.

  “Nonsense,” Danol said half-heartedly.

  “It’s getting late,” John said. “We should be going.”

  Danol nodded. His heart was following the path behind the woman who was going out of sight on a bend in the trail.

  Alice left to get Beatrice.

  “You’re sure there is nothing I can do?” John asked him.

  “Sorry, John. I’m distracted. Erith got some news that she has to deal with. That’s all.”

  The children came behind Alice. Beatrice and Annie were pleading to stay together for the night.

  “Can I go?” Annie asked.

  “Not tonight,” Danol replied.

  “Please,” Annie begged.

  Danol picked her up and hugged her. “That’s not going to work on me, young lady.”

  Annie squealed and pecked him on the cheek. “Can Beatrice stay?”

  “That’s up to her mommy and daddy.”

  Beatrice looked at her mother and said, “Please, Mommy?”

  Alice raised her eyebrows as she looked at Danol. He nodded.

  “You be a good girl for the Coopers.” Beatrice hooted and squeezed her mother and father and took off with Annie toward the back of the house. “You’re sure?” Alice asked when they were gone.

  “It’s no trouble at all,” Danol said. “They love being together.”

  “Yes, but is it putting you out tonight?”

  “Honestly, it’s fine.”

  “We’ll be back early tomorrow,” John said.

  They said their goodbyes, and Danol watched them go in the other direction. Alice linked into John’s arm as they made their way toward the crossing. The MacDonalds were getting more use out of his house than he was. Danol looked back in the other direction. His brows furrowed as he waited for his wife to return.

  37

  “Get a cup of tea for yourself,” Mrs. Patsy said. Her bony finger shook as she pointed toward the teacups on the shelf. The old woman hunched on the daybed. Her hump was covered by a yellowed woollen sweater that was buttoned at the neck and draped behind her like a cape. She fixed the sweater about her shoulders. “Bit of a draft today.”

  Erith fixed the tea and offered the woman a cup. The strong brew was sitting in the teapot on the stove. Erith added hot water from the kettle and stirred in some milk that was clotting on the table. She brought a cup to Mrs. Patsy, who signalled for her to lay it on the table. Erith helped her up, and they both sat facing one another at the corner of the table. The room was warm and welcoming.

  “What brings you here, child?” Mrs. Patsy asked.

  “I want to know something,” Erith said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Please be honest with me, Mrs. Patsy. It’s important,” Erith said as she patted the old woman’s hand.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Did Kathleen and my father have a child?” Erith asked.

  “A child, goodness gracious, no,” the old woman said. “What would make you think something like that?”

  “Are you sure?” Erith prodded.

  “Of course I’m sure.”

  Erith heaved a sigh of relief and told Mrs. Patsy about the letter. Mrs. Patsy looked at her wide-eyed and blinked several times.

  “You know something,” Erith said. “Please, Mrs. Patsy. It’s important.”

  Mrs. Patsy nodded and motioned for Erith to fill up the teacup. “You know why Kathleen came here years ago, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I believe I do,” Erith said. “Her mother died, and Dinn was sent to be reared in Cape Dog with his father’s people, and Kathleen was sent here with her mother’s people.”

  Mrs. Patsy nodded. “That’s right. Kathleen was only nine or ten when she came here. She went to live with the Whalens. Hester Whalen had a brood of her own almost reared up and she didn’t take too kindly to having another mouth to feed. She was hard on Kathleen.”

  Erith nodded. That reminded her of how her stepmother had treated her. She felt a shiver go up her back.

  “When Kathleen was fifteen, a boat came ashore on the point. Some of the men stayed with the Whalens while it was being fixed. One young lad took a liking to Kathleen.”

  Erith listened attentively. She feared that Kathleen’s story would mirror her own. She shuddered at the thought.

  “Well, Kathleen t
ook a liking to him, too. He told her he would take her away from here and marry her. The morning the crew was supposed to leave, Kathleen packed her bag and left home without telling anyone and walked to the place where they were moored. It was dark, and when she got there, the boat had gone. She waited until light to be sure. Mr. Whalen found her crying on the beach that morning and beat her the whole way home. It was something awful.”

  Erith felt a wave of pity come over her for the cruel woman who had raised her. “What has that got to do with a baby?”

  “Well, Kathleen wasn’t seen for months after that. Then old Hester said that Kathleen was sick and had to go away to the hospital. Folks started talking that Ern Whalen had hurt her when he beat her. It was a bad time here then. Hester and Ern weren’t welcomed anywhere. By and by, Hester confessed to her sister that Kathleen was pregnant and that she wasn’t going to feed another youngster, especially belonging to a youngster she had already been saddled with.”

  Erith gasped. Mrs. Patsy patted her hand. “Kathleen returned to the harbour a few months later, and Hester didn’t speak of it again. Kathleen became a midwife and stayed unmarried until she met your father. She was tending to your mother when she died.”

  “I often wondered why Kathleen was so mean to me. Maybe it was all she knew,” Erith mused.

  “She didn’t have it easy, that’s for sure. Kathleen was a bitter woman. We all wondered why your father married her.”

  “I’ve made peace with what my father did. I don’t know if I can ever truly forgive Kathleen,” Erith said. “I knew cruelty at her hands, but that made me want to be even kinder to the children, not treat them as I had been treated.”

  “I know, dear,” Mrs. Patsy said. “But not everyone has the same mind. Maybe Kathleen thought that was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe, if your father had lived, he would have shown her how to be a better mother. It’s all a mystery.”

  “That’s for sure, Mrs. Patsy.”

  “I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, Erith,” Mrs. Patsy went on. “I hope Kathleen has found peace.”