No Peace for Amelia

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by Siobhán Parkinson


  When they had all simmered down a bit, and there was just the occasional chuckle around the table, Patrick filled in the story from when he had left. He had managed to get through with his message, and as soon as the surrender happened, he had been summarily arrested along with the rest of them. But there wasn’t much space in the local barracks for the detention of dangerous rebels, so the constabulary had been looking for ways to weed out some of the prisoners for release. Patrick, being young and wounded, was one of the first to be let go.

  He had been given the name of a safe house near by, and he had made his way there and lain low. Although he was in the clear, having been released from custody, he felt he would be best keeping out of sight until his wound had healed. In the first place, he didn’t want to draw the attention of the authorities on himself, and then he was afraid of the local people, too, so strong was the initial reaction against the Rising. When the executions started he was sickened with grief and rage, but then the tide of opinion began to change, and he felt safe to show himself. Then, when the arm had finally healed, he had thought it time to come and set Mary Ann’s mind at rest, and of course to return the greatcoat.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind, Ma’am?’ Patrick turned to Amelia’s mother.

  ‘About the coat?’

  ‘No, not just about the coat. About me coming here at all. About me being here that night. About the trouble we might have caused you and your family. We know you don’t agree with our politics.’

  ‘No, I don’t mind. I’m glad I slept through it all, but even if I hadn’t, I would of course have been pleased to help a person in trouble, regardless of the politics of the situation.’

  ‘Thank you, Ma’am. You’re very good. But it’s really Amelia I need to thank for all she did for me that night. I brought something for you, Amelia. Just a moment, I think I left it in my – I mean, the – coat pocket.’

  He went out to the hall and returned in a moment with a smallish package, which he held out to Amelia.

  ‘I couldn’t return your shawl, which you gave me for a sling,’ he said. ‘It’s in shreds by now.’

  ‘Oh, that old thing!’ said Amelia, tugging at the string.

  ‘So I brought you this in its place. I hope you like it.’

  Out of the folds of brown paper fell a soft shawl of the finest wool, so fine it looked like linen, but softer than any linen could possibly be. It was a deep, deep royal blue, so blue it was almost purple.

  ‘Oh, it’s lovely!’ exclaimed Amelia, and she shook it out. Out of its folds shone a searing gash of sunshine yellow, streaking diagonally across the shawl. ‘Oh!’ said Amelia again. ‘It’s beautiful. The colours are so wonderful. It’s just like an iris.’

  About the Author

  SIOBHÁN PARKINSON lives in Dublin (very near the road where this novel is set), with her woodturner husband Roger Bennett and her son, Matthew, who acts as her personal proofreader. She has won many awards for her books, which have been translated into many languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Japanese, Latvian. Siobhán is one of Ireland’s best-known and finest writers of literature for children.

  Copyright

  This eBook edition first published 2012 by The O’Brien Press Ltd,

  12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, Ireland

  Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777

  E-mail: [email protected]

  Website: www.obrien.ie

  First published 1994

  eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–486–4

  Copyright for text © Siobhán Parkinson 1994

  Copyright for typesetting, layout, cover design © The O’Brien Press Ltd.

  UNAUTHORISED COPYING IS ILLEGAL

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or my any means, including electronic, digital, mechanical, visual or audio, or mounted on any network servers, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Carrying out any unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim for damages and criminal prosecution. For permission to copy any part of this publication contact The O’Brien Press Ltd at [email protected].

  British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

  Parkinson, Siobhán

  No Peace for Amelia

  I. Title

  823.914 [J]

  The O’Brien Press receives

  assistance from

  Editing, typesetting, layout, design: The O’Brien Press Ltd.

  Other books by Siobhán Parkinson

  AMELIA

  Shortlisted for the Bisto Book of the Year Award

  All that matter to Amelia are dresses and parties. But when the family fortunes decline she must face hardship and poverty she has never known. And when Mama ends up in prison, what is Amelia to do?

  ‘A tremendous read’

  ROBERT DUNBAR

  THE MOON KING

  Ricky is put in a foster home which is full of sunshine, laughter and children of all ages. But Ricky has withdrawn from the world; the only words he speaks are in his mind. He has lost the ability to become part of family life. Then, he finds an unusual chair in the attic, which becomes his special place. In his chair he becomes the Moon King and finds some sense of power and inner peace. From this situation relationships slowly begin to grow, but it is not a smooth path and at times Ricky just wants to leave it all behind …

  FOUR KIDS, THREE CATS, TWO COWS, ONE WITCH (MAYBE)

  BEVERLEY: the bossy one, stuck up and fussy.

  ELIZABETH: easy-going, a bit of a dreamer.

  KEVIN: a good looker and cool dude.

  GERARD: takes his cat everywhere, and is barely tolerated by the girls.

  THREE CATS: Well, there’s Gerard’s Fat Cat, or Fat, for short. And then there are the two Pappagenos.

  TWO COWS: What are they doing in this story?

  ONE WITCH: (maybe) Well, is she or isn’t she? Kevin seems to know but he’s not telling. And what is a witch anyway? The four, plus cat, set out for Lady Island, hoping for adventure, maybe even a little danger. But nothing prepares them for their encounter with the eccentric Dymhpna and the strange events that follow.

  ‘One of the best children’s books we’ve ever had, full stop!’

  ROBERT DUNBAR, THE GAY BYRNE SHOW

  SISTERS … NO WAY!

  WINNER Bisto Book of the Year Award

  A flipper book

  When Cindy’s father becomes involved with Ashling and Alva’s mother, all hell breaks loose. No way will these three ever call each other sisters.

  CINDY: If her father thinks he can just swan off and actually marry one of her teachers, Cindy will show him! But worse than that are her two daughters – so prissy and boring! It’s gross!

  ASHLING: If only her mother could find a nice man – but the new man in Ashling’s mother’s life comes with a daughter, the noxious Cindy, arch-snob and ultra opinionated.

  ‘Extremely clever … Much insight and good humour … teenage fiction at its most sophisticated.’

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  A WINTER OF SPIES

  Eleven-year-old Sarah wants to be part of the rebellion in Dublin in 1920. But Dublin is a dangerous, shadowy world of spies and informants in the aftermath of the Rising. Who should Sarah trust? Sequel to the award-winning, The Guns of Easter.

  DREAM INVADER

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  When Saskia goes to st
ay with her uncle and aunt she finds them worried about her little cousin, Simon, who is having terrible dreams. Then an old woman enters the scene. The forces of good and evil fight for control over the child while Saskia watches the horrible events unfold …

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