“Some of them are makin’ my cheeks pucker, but they are grand, altogether.” Dolly talked through handfuls of berries going at a rapid rate into her mouth. When the bowl of berries had been completely consumed, Dolly cracked a cooked egg, peeled it, took a bite and paused to savor another new-to-her flavor. When two eggs were gone, Dolly picked up a chunk of soda bread, spread copious amounts of butter on it, and began to devour that.
“Is this what the Bible means by manna from heaven?” she asked Annie.
“To you, it’s exactly what it means,” Annie replied with a smile.
While Dolly fixed another piece of bread and butter, Annie reached for a clean glass from the shelf and poured milk for her.
“Thank you, mum,” Dolly said through hard swallows. She took a gulp to help wash the bread down, and then put the glass down to finish the last bite of bread.
“Let me get ye a napkin. Ye have a milk mustache.”
“What do ye mean?” she looked up puzzled.
“Did ye ever have a childhood, darlin’?” Annie asked rhetorically with compassion.
~~~
It took Liam twenty minutes to walk to the brothel. At least it was a pleasant spring evening. He had put several pound notes from his dresser drawer in his pocket before he left, at least ten. As he walked, he steeled himself for his anticipated confrontation with Shaughnessy.
When he arrived, Liam reverted to instinct. He entered. The door slammed behind him. It was a slow night, and everybody startled at the noise. Liam spotted Shaughnessy behind the bar homing in on Liam with his beady, predatory eyes.
“You.” His voice was low and menacing. “Where’s my Cunt?”
“Safe, away from you,” Liam declared. As he walked towards the bar, he didn't hesitate. With purpose, his voice was strong and steady and his demeanor was quietly powerful. Shaughnessy took a few steps backward at Liam’s swift, aggressive approach, even though there was a mahogany bar between the two.
Liam spoke evenly and quietly. “She’s yours no longer.” He slapped the pound notes from his pocket on the filmy, sticky bar. Shaughnessy, wide-eyed, scooped the notes into his black, filthy hands. Liam grabbed Shaughnessy's scrawny black tie and jerked him close.
“If ye ever try for revenge and she’s in anyway hurt, I’ll sneak into yer room some night and slit yer throat. Ye won’t hear me comin’, I swear. Ye won’t know when.” Shaughnessy struggled a little, but Liam kept a steady squeeze. “If ye come fer me, one of my friends will come for ye somewhere in the night. I’ll have it all arranged. Do ye hear me?” Liam’s gaze was steadfast. He saw the smarmy pimp’s eyelid twitch. With that twitch, Shaughnessy had caved. He let go, took a few steps backward, eyes fierce and steadfast on the pimp.
“One more matter…” Liam said. He walked around behind the bar and cornered Shaughnessy. The pimp cringed and put his hands up in a feeble attempt at defense. Liam gave him a punishing overhand right, a dead aim on Shaughnessy's left cheek bone, knocking him to his hands and knees.
“That’s fer hittin’ Dolly, ye fuckin’ coward.”
As Liam turned to go, he heard Shaughnessy scramble to the money on the bar and say to his crowd, “Christ, ten pounds. She must give good head. I woulda settled fer five.”
Satisfied, Liam left.
~~~
Relieved the business with Shaughnessy was over, Liam hurried home to Dolly and some supper. He was hungry. And, only if she felt better, he was craving her. He wasn’t ashamed of his physical feelings. They made him feel alive—so alive and joyful.
Walking down the side of the house, Liam looked in a window and saw Dolly alone in the kitchen sitting in a rocker. Perhaps Annie’s gone to bed, he thought. It was quite late. Dolly was wrapped in a shawl in the chilly room. Liam entered through the outside door, through the laundry room. Dolly startled when Liam opened the door from the laundry room. She stood.
“Oh, Lord be praised," she said. "Ye’re back.” She ran to his arms. They embraced for a long moment. He felt her physical presence.
“Are ye hungry?” she asked.
He smiled down at her. “Yes, and yes.” He saw the perplexed look on her face and decided he needn’t pursue explanation of the double entendre right now.
“Well then, sit down and I’ll fetch somethin’. Annie showed me where things are for when ye come home.” She smiled seemingly at the domesticity of the scene. She set a plate before him and sat down opposite him.
Liam sat at the kitchen table, watching her. She appeared to be moving from one good feeling to the next as she watched him eat. He hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Are ye feelin’ better?”
“Yes, much better. I slept long this afternoon, and now I’m wide awake.” She looked coyly into his eyes. “I’m used to being up at these hours.”
“Ye’re quite fetchin’ in yer flannel," he said. "It’s better than the French lingerie. It makes ye look comfortable and cuddly.”
She smiled and blushed. Her hair, undone and clean, shined golden blond in the low electric lights of the kitchen, flowing to her breasts and framing her rosy, cleaned face, in spite of the bruises. Liam could see her natural beauty now, without all the rouge and dirt. He was stunned. She was looking at him now in a way that mirrored his fierce desire for her.
“I don’t want to hurt ye. Ye’ve been injured,” he said, concerned for the delicate, spindly girl.
“Ye won’t,” she said confidently.
“If I do, tell me to stop. Ye have a right to do that.” He looked deep into her eyes. “Do ye understand that?”
She sighed in relief. “Yes, I do.”
He wasn’t quite sure she did, so he continued. “Don’t ye stand down to a man again. Ever. It’s only at yer invitation, even with me.”
She extended her hand, palm down, as she stood from her chair. He took it palm up and stood. Dolly put her arms around his torso and put her cheek on his heart, holding him fast.
“I think this is the first time I ever felt protected,” she murmured. “Maybe it’s trust, Liam. And I don’t even know ye.”
“Ye’ve come from a rough life, Dolly. I’m surprised ye’re as solid as ye are. I think maybe ye have toughness about ye that most people don’t have.”
“I always prayed to be rescued. I never lost that faith. And then, when ye walked into the brothel door, I had no idea that I’d be invitin’ such a kind and gentle man to … pleasure. Not until ye kissed me, did I have an idea.”
“I didn’t know either,” he said. “And when ye gave me that birthday kiss, somethin’ inside me changed, although I didn’t know it at the time. I was surprised ye showed up at Flannery’s. I had already decided to come see ye again. And there ye were.”
They held each other in silence. She took two deep breaths.
“He’s not gonna come fer me?” she asked at last, barely audible.
“Shaughnessy? No,” Liam answered.
“I believe ye.”
“I’m glad ye’re safe,” Liam whispered. He lifted her chin to kiss her.
“Take me to yer bed, Liam,” she sweetly commanded, keeping her eyes on his.
~~~
Liam and Dolly woke late the next morning to the foyer clock’s chime of ten.
“The room is so big, Liam,” she remarked. She was sitting up in his bed. “I didn’t see it in the dark when we came in last night, it’s so fancy.” She lay back down and cuddled into the crook of his arm, cooing in comfort. “Ye’re not awake yet?”
“Half,” he said drowsily.
“Do ye still want me here?”
“Oh, aye. More than ever.”
He turned her around so her naked back and buttocks were against his warm, naked chest and rising maleness. He held her fast and nuzzled the back of her neck and hair, aroused by her femaleness. They lay still. He was captivated by her. He was pleasured by his strong arousal for her. He felt her push her bum up against him and smiled at her playful wiggles.
“What are ye waitin’ for, Lia
m?”
“For you to say it’s all right.”
“Well, I thought I just did.”
“Ye mean that little wiggle?”
“Yes.” She rolled onto her back, grinning. Her legs were open and her cheeks were flushed. She pulled him onto her and wriggled again, inviting him inside. He accepted her invitation. Both became quiet when he entered her. Their lips touched softly as they came into a slow and unspeakably tender rhythm.
She cooed and put her legs around his torso. “I love ye so much, Liam,” she breathed. Her hands went to her breasts. His tongue took over, letting her hands drop to her sides. In a whimper met him a little more forcefully. “Oh my … it’s …” She exhaled sharply. Her hips began bucking. Tears dropped from the corner of her eyes as Liam quietly climaxed, breathing heavily into her neck.
After a few moments of complete stillness, he looked up at her, inhaled, let it out, and smiled at her. Her head was cushioned by the fluffy goose-down pillows with her wheat colored hair splayed all around her head. “Ye look like a Celtic goddess,” he said.
“And ye’re my Celtic warrior come to save me.”
“And we live happily ever after.”
“Do ye think?”
“I know so.”
Still joined, he propped himself up on his elbows, lost in her rich, emerald green eyes. He used his fingertip to wipe the earlier tear tracks from the corner of her eyes. As he did so, something in her changed and the tears began to flow freely. He carefully rolled off and scooped her into his arms, rocking her until she lay limp and sniffling.
“Ye don’t quite trust it yet, do ye?”
“It’s all so new.”
They stayed that way for some time, in and out of dozy contentment. At one point, he focused outward and heard the clock strike one.
“It just occurred to me, Dolly, I don’t know yer last name. And here I’ve been makin’ love to ye, and all.”
“Me mother’s name was Lil Mahan, so I guess it’s mine. I have no idea who me Da was. Mam died before she told me anythin’. I don’t think she knew anyway. She died a year ago of the Consumption.”
“Ye’ve lost a lot, Dolly. I’m sorry,” he said softly. He stroked her arm. “It’s possible the tears ye’ve been sheddin’ since ye got here have been lettin’ go of all the past.”
She cuddled into him and stopped crying.
“Perhaps we’ll see more cryin’ in the comin’ days,” he said. “You just come to me when ye feel it comin’ on, and I’ll hold ye for as long as ye need it.”
She looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. She put her hand on his cheek.
He saw a spark of strength in her faint smile. “I have a feelin’ that you’ll soon stand strong on yer own two feet. I just saw it in yer eyes.” He kissed her smiling mouth and sighed. “Let’s wash up, get dressed, and have something to eat,” he said. “We’ll have to make our own food because Annie’s gone for the week on her holiday. Between the two of us, I think we’ll do fine.”
~~~
The day Annie came back, it was time to start Dolly on her training as new housekeeper of the Dady mansion. Liam left for the day, not saying where he was going. He came back later that night worse for the wear.
“Liam, why are ye so battered? Was it … him?”
“No, it wasn’t Shaughnessy.”
“What in God’s name have ye been doin’, Liam?” Annie asked. He was standing there in the kitchen with a cut lip, a black eye, and abraded knuckles. “Ye’re not back with Patrick on the streets again, are ye?” Annie went to the cupboard and got out the box of bandages and antiseptic, the one she’d always gotten out since she started to take care of him.
“I made a deal with Jimmy Ryan that I’d fight for him for the summer. It’s a way for me to earn a great deal of money and start savin’.” He pulled a wad of paper money out of his pocket and put it on the table.
Both Annie and Dolly, in their night gowns already, stood staring at him and the money, seemingly incredulous.
“Are ye mad, Liam?” Dolly asked. She made him sit in a kitchen chair. “Let me look at ye.”
“Ye don’t have to, Dolly. I can clean myself up.”
“Hush,” Dolly uttered. Annie got out the bandages and iodine, and Dolly stood in front of him while she cleaned his wounds. Her cotton-covered, unbound breasts were right in front of him.
“I don’t want to say anythin’ about the view …” Liam quipped.
“Liam, watch yer tongue,” Annie admonished him but with a turned-up corner of her mouth in a half-smile. She turned away and went off to bed.
Dolly and Liam looked at each other, then snickered after Annie shut the bedroom door.
~~~
Two weeks were left before the elder Dadys would return. Annie had shown Dolly the run of the house and what her duties would be. For the following week, Dolly developed an efficient routine. There was freedom to ask as many questions as she liked, and it wasn’t long before she was working independently—sweeping, dusting, changing bed linens, polishing silver, beating rugs outside, and the wash. She was exhausted at the end of each day, but it was good, honest work.
One night as Liam, Dolly, and Annie were sitting together in the kitchen, Liam told Dolly that he was worried she was working herself to exhaustion.
Dolly scoffed. “It’s so much better than what I used to do.”
“She’s much healthier than when she came,” Annie said.
Today would be the second fight night for Liam. He had been able to get to Jimmy’s to train a few days that week, so he felt more prepared than his first.
“Jesus, aren’t ye takin’ some big risks here?” Annie scolded Liam.
Dolly stood by, wringing her hands.
“Isn’t that what life’s all about, Annie?” he said. One corner of his mouth curled into a grin.
Annie sputtered and snorted. “I don’t have an answer for that, for God’s sake.”
“I know ye’re worried," he said. “But it’s a way to make quick money, and quick is what’s needed at the present.”
Annie made a grumbling sound and glared at him.
As usual, Liam won out. He kissed Annie and Dolly and went on his way to Flannery’s. He had butterflies, but steeled himself for what he had to do to earn the quick money. As he walked around to the back of the pub through the filthy alley, he clearly remembered when he’d made up his mind to take Dolly home with him forever. He was glad about his decision, and it steeled him even more. He rounded the back corner of Flannery’s and walked through the door.
~~~
Though they were worried about Liam, Dolly settled in for the night as best she could; she and Annie each sat in a rocker, and each had a cup of hot chamomile tea.
“I was watchin’ and wonderin’ how many fights you've had with Liam since ye’ve been here,” Dolly asked. “He told me how ye stepped in as a mother when he was fifteen, since his own didn’t care.” Dolly took a sip of her hot tea.
“Too many to count, Dolly,” Annie answered. She shook her head in frustration. “He’s always been headstrong, but a good boy, always.”
Dolly sighed and smiled to herself.
“Ye love him, do ye?” Annie asked.
“Oh, aye.”
“It’s not going to be easy,” Annie warned her. “The Dadys, they’re tough nuggets, especially the missus. And they’re comin’ home. Ye’d best prepare, child.”
“I trust Liam, Annie.”
~~~
Liam could hear the crowd inside Flannery’s and felt a little queasy. He shook it off as he walked to the storage room. His senses took in the stinking heat from the bodies packed into the room. Even with the few windows open for ventilation, it was stifling. The tobacco smoke and body odor were nearly unbearable.
Jimmy and his two cohorts were already there. They looked frazzled. Perhaps they were wondering if their choice in Liam had been a wise one, even though he had won his first fight last week. Liam greeted them with alo
ofness and mild disdain. He liked to think it kept them off balance, never knowing what was coming next from their presumed ace-in-the-hole. It amused Liam greatly.
“Sure wish ye had trained more this week, Dady,” Jimmy said.
“Yeah, well I had business to attend to,” Liam snapped.
“What kind o’—” Jimmy stopped, seeing the ominous look in Liam’s eyes. He picked up Liam’s shirt. “Let me fold yer shirt and place it where it won’t get soiled,” he said sheepishly.
God, Liam thought. Can it get any more amusing with this eejit? He made sure his face did not show his amusement.
Liam’s fight was up first. It was with the winner of a fight he had seen the first week, before he stepped into the ring. Liam had watched the bloke’s moves, and he knew what he had to do. Move in fast. The bloke had danced around a lot in his other fight. This knowledge would give Liam a slight edge. His opponent didn't know a damn thing about him. He was well aware that, after a few fights, everyone would know his strategy. It was best to win as much money as he could before he became the one to beat.
The referee announced the first fight.
“Gentlemen, in this corner, relative newcomer Liam Dady. He’s said to have had success in Londonderry, and Dublin with some callin’ him ‘The Iron Fist.’ He’s the underdog in this fight.”
Jimmy, the wee eejit, Liam thought. Makin’ up stories about me.
Bets were made. Jimmy and his boys put down a lot of money on Liam. The odds were in the other man’s favor since he was known, therefore a sure bet.
Liam walked into the ring to booing mixed with a few claps, mostly from his managers. He happened to catch Shaughnessy skulking in a corner, standing with his arms folded and chin down, eyes beading in on Liam. There was a faint trace of the bruise Liam's fist had no doubt left a couple weeks ago.
The bell clanged and Liam charged in fearlessly. He started with a right hook to the other man’s jaw, making him lose his balance. He quickly followed with a jab to the nose and finished him off with a powerful left upper cut to the chin.
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