Irish End Games, Books 4-5-6

by Kiernan-Lewis, Susan

  He hesitated just long enough. Before the women could scramble to their feet, Nuala rose up behind him, her eyes glassy and wild with pain and loathing. She punched him hard in the kidney, once, twice. He screeched, his eyes screwed shut against the pain. He sagged to his knees. And then fell onto his face.

  Nuala stood behind him, the shiv still in her hand, the man’s gore coating her arm to her elbow.

  “Finish him off,” Fiona said through her gritted teeth, the pain radiating up and down her legs from her belly. One by one the women stabbed him—with knitting needles, sewing scissors and butter knives. Each puncture elicited a grunt from him until he was completely silent.

  Fiona picked up his gun and walked to the door.

  “Fiona, no!” the midwife called. “You’re in labor!”

  “I’m only six months gone,” Fiona said to her. “If the poor wee thing’s not dead in me body right now, it’ll surely never survive being born.”

  Mrs. Reidy covered her mouth at Fiona’s words, her eyes full of dread. She knew Fiona was right.

  “Nuala? Hannah?” Fiona called.

  “I’m fine,” Nuala said. Her mouth was bloodied but her eyes had never been brighter.

  “Aye, and me,” Hannah said.

  “Take care of my little lass, Hannah,” Fiona said.

  “With me life, Fiona.”

  “Everyone else know what to do?” Fiona said.

  “Aye!” the women shouted back.

  “Let me go with you,” Nuala said.

  Fiona shook her head. “There’s nearly thirty women on the other side of that wall. I need you to bring them out.” She held up the gun. “I’m just going to shoot his balls off and collect Maeve. Won’t take me a tick and I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

  Nuala nodded. “It’s almost over, Fi,” she said.

  Mrs. Reidy reached the door. “Darlin,’” she said. “Let me help you.”

  “I don’t have time for your help,” Fiona said, steeling herself against another contraction.

  **********

  It is almost over. It is almost over! Fiona made it as far as the center of the courtyard before she had to lean against a lone maypole to fight through another contraction. She needed to rest. She needed to lie down. The pain in her belly was now consuming her whole world. The night was colored red with her agony turned inside out. But Maeve needed her. She had to be strong just a little bit longer.

  Fiona shoved herself off the pole and staggered the rest of the way to Sinead’s apartment building. The light in one of the rooms was still on but now she realized it wasn’t Sinead’s apartment. It was the new doctor’s place.

  She felt the gun as a solid comforting weight in her hands. She had the element of surprise. She wouldn’t spend any time talking. Just shoot him and get Maeve. Would she be able to make it as far as the woods? It seemed impossible. She’d worry about that later. Just get Maeve.

  Her head was spinning by the time she made it to the door of Sinead’s building. She leaned against the doorjamb, praying the dizziness would pass. She wiped the perspiration off her hands with her shawl and knocked on the door, then raised the gun up with both hands.

  She heard him moving around inside and then hesitate on the other side.

  “Who is it?” he called.

  “I…I’m one of the camp mothers,” Fiona said, forcing her voice to sound light and friendly. “Could you help me?”

  She heard him unlock the door and then swing open the door. A heavyset man with a florid complexion, he stared at her.

  “What do you mean by this?” he said angrily.

  Fiona pulled the trigger. But the gun did not fire. She pulled the trigger again and again—her horror spiraling up and over the sounds of the clicking chambers.

  The gun wasn’t loaded.

  Chapter 53

  “Come to see the sick child, have you?”

  The man grabbed Fiona’s hand gripping the pistol and jerked her into the room.

  “I was just about to examine her but I might start with you since you’re here.” He pulled Fiona’s pistol out of her hand and tossed it aside.

  “Pity about the empty gun, eh? Sinead informed me she was no longer allowing the men to have loaded pistols but it’s meant to be a secret. It’s for your own safety as I’m sure you can see.”

  He backhanded Fiona against the wall. She felt her body, heavy and off balance, flying backward until her head hit the wall, causing a framed watercolor to fall and smash on the floor. She slid to an awkward slump on the floor, her legs sprawled before her. The blood in her lap was bright red now.

  “Knock! Knock!” a voice called out from the open door. “Is it the new doctor you are?”

  Fiona’s head was spinning as she looked up to see Mrs. Reidy walk into the apartment. The midwife never even glanced at Fiona on the floor. She kept her smile, her eyes, and the barrel of her handgun directed only at the doctor.

  “What is the meaning of this?” the doctor barked as he reached for her gun.

  The gunshot rang out over the low grunt from the doctor as he grabbed his chest. A fountain of crimson spouted from between his fingers. He sagged to his knees against the wall. The sounds of a crying child came from the bedroom.

  “I fear this one is fully loaded, Doctor,” Mrs. Reidy said. She walked closer and shot him one more time in the head. Her face was impassive and unemotional, her eyes clear.

  “Now then, Fiona,” she said briskly. “Either you let me help you deliver this baby or go ahead and run so you can finish hemorrhaging on the road. I must warn you that if you do, you and your bairn will both die.”

  “Sinead is coming back any time,” Fiona gasped, the tears sliding down her face as the pain ratcheted up.

  “There’s nothing for that. It’s not just the baby’s life you’re risking now. Would you leave your other child an orphan?”

  “At least she’ll be free.”

  Mrs. Reidy grabbed Fiona’s hands. “Live,” she said, “to fight another day. It’s what your lass would want.”

  Fiona nodded, tears streaming down her face. “Tell the others to take Ciara and run.” She swallowed and looked with hopelessness into the midwife’s eyes. “Help me deliver my child.”

  *********

  The delivery, although not painless, was quick. Fiona’s baby, a little boy, was stillborn. She cradled his tiny body and wept while the midwife cleaned her and placed a bandage between her legs. No sutures were necessary. He’d been too small to tear her.

  Fiona could see the light from the window in the surgery where Mrs. Reidy had done her work. Morning had come and with it, Fiona’s chance at escape. Sinead would be back soon, probably within the hour. When she relinquished her baby to Mrs. Reidy to wrap for her, Nuala came into the room.

  “Nuala!” Fiona said. “You should be long gone by now! Why did you stay? It was all for nothing!” Fiona burst into tears. “Losing my baby, the killings—it was all for nothing.”

  Nuala put an arm around Fiona and helped her off the delivery bed.

  “We haven’t given up yet, Fiona. We’re all outside and ready to go but you won’t fault us because we couldn’t leave ye here. Not a one of us.”

  The midwife came into the room with the bundle in her arms. She gave it to Nuala.

  “Keep him safe, mind,” Mrs. Reidy said. “Until you’re at a place to keep him permanent.” She turned her attention to Fiona. “They have the pony wagon out front and we’ll help you in it. Your lass is waiting for you.”

  “It’s too late,” Fiona said.

  “Maybe not. We have to try,” Nuala said.

  They helped her walk to the door and Fiona saw twenty-five women and seven children standing by the food wagon and the sunrise behind them.

  “How did you get the food wagon?”

  “Eloise wanted us to have it,” Nuala said. “Well, she wanted to live to see tomorrow so she wanted us to have it. Same thing really.”

  “Can this still work?�
�� Fiona said as she walked out into the crowd toward the pony trap. Every step she took, women touched her and smiled at her. Strong women. Women willing to do what they had to. Her sisters, every one of them.

  Nuala and Mrs. Reidy helped Fiona into the back of the food wagon and Hannah deposited Ciara onto her lap. Fiona hugged her tight. Dare she believe it could still happen? Mrs. Reidy climbed into the driver’s seat and set the doctor’s medical bag next to her. She looked back at Fiona.

  “We have one gun with four bullets left,” she said. “If they try to stop us we only need to shoot Herself and maybe one or two of the men.”

  “It’s a plan anyway,” Nuala said cheerfully, her two boys standing by her side. “And you know that’s half the battle. Shall we go?”

  “May I ride with you, Fi?” a small voice said. When Fiona looked around she saw Megan, her eyes big and a trembling smile on her lips.

  “Of course, you may, love,” Fiona said.

  Megan climbed on board and pulled Ciara into her lap. “I’m sorry about your baby,” she said softly.

  “Thank you,” Fiona said. “And I yours.”

  Mrs. Reidy clucked to the pony and he moved off with a creaking and jangling of harness. All of the women began walking beside the cart, some touching it for luck or strength. As Fiona looked through the front gate she realized it was nearly fully daylight now and that Sinead and Mac would be back any minute. She also realized as they moved onto the main drive outside the camp that the road cut through a barren pasture with no trees, hedges or fences to shield them. They would be exposed and visible from all directions for most of the day.

  Fiona began to pray.

  Chapter 54

  From the nearby knoll where they and their men were standing, Mac and Sinead could easily see inside the walls of the convent. It was now just past dawn. There was no activity on the convent grounds below. A weathered stone Celtic cross sprang from the center of a large vegetable garden beside the ancient stone structure that looked like it might be the original medieval building.

  “Are you sure there’s no one here to protect them?” one of the men asked. While none of the men had been stupid enough to try something with Sinead last night, Mac had gotten no sleep.

  It was now well past dawn. There was no activity on the convent grounds below.

  “No one,” Sinead said. “It’s against the beliefs of their order. There are no men here.”

  “Should be a piece of cake,” Mac said.

  Sinead hesitated and then turned to the men.

  “Right. We’ll not need the whole gang for this after all.” She pointed to two of them. “You two head back to the camp. Just to be safe.”

  Mac carefully did not respond. He was sure Sinead was capable of reversing her order if she saw he agreed with it. Even so, she looked at Mac while she spoke to the men.

  “Mind you, if there is trouble back there, you have my permission to shoot to kill to sort it out.”

  “Sinead!” Mac said. “The women—”

  Sinead continued to speak to the men who were already standing to leave. “That’ll sort the rest of them out right quick and we’ll be bringing back plenty to take their place. Now, go!” She glanced at Mac and smiled. “I thought you’d be pleased. They’ll be back at camp in a few hours.”

  Mac held his tongue.

  “Oy!” One of the men said in a loud whisper. “Look!”

  There was movement in the garden. A lone woman—not a nun—was moving through the rows, bending and picking, filling a basket.

  “Didn’t I tell you this was a gold mine?” Sinead said eagerly.

  “It’s them,” Mac said.

  “Who?” Sinead frowned.

  “The ones I saw at the compound. That girl was helping to deliver the baby.”

  “Well, well. Saves us a whole lot of time.” She addressed the remaining three men. “You. Go get the girl. Tie her up and leave her here then go find more. Your reward will be waiting for you in the van on the drive back home.” She gave a gloating look to Mac as if waiting for him to argue with her. He looked away. He wouldn’t waste time trying to win skirmishes with Sinead when bigger battles were needed to be won.

  “The rest of you fan out. Go to the chapel. Check out the bathhouse on the other side of the garden. Go.”

  “Where are we going?” Mac said as he watched the four men creep toward the convent walls.

  “I’m going straight to the head bitch.”

  “I’ll stay with you.”

  “No. You need to find the woman who just delivered. I don’t trust the others not to accidentally kill the baby.”

  “Sinead, we’re not equipped to travel back through the woods with a newborn and a half dozen female prisoners,” Mac said with frustration. The look on Sinead’s face made him wish he’d kept his mouth shut.

  “Once you have the baby in your hands,” she said coldly biting off every word, “the mother will do whatever you tell her.”

  “What about the lad?”

  “Do I have to make every decision for you, Mac? You’ll notice I didn’t need to tell the others. If you see him, shoot him.”

  Mac followed Sinead silently through the stone archway. He had no intention of leaving Sinead’s side. They walked straight to the convent doors. Only birdsong filled the air. The door was unlocked.

  Sinead appeared to know exactly where she was going. She strode down the main stone corridor of the convent. Several of the rooms off the hallway had open doors and as Mac passed he could see women preparing food or making beds or kneeling in prayer. Sinead never even looked but walked to the door at the end of the hall and pushed inside.

  A large room with stone walls and floors, it felt icy as soon as they stepped in. Surely this is where they kept food needing refrigeration, Mac thought as he entered. Several large looms were set in the middle of the room. Sinead stopped and stared. There was no one in the room.

  “This was the dormitory,” she said. “There should be beds here.”

  “Maybe the girls are kept somewhere else now,” Mac said.

  Or maybe they’re not here any more. It was unspoken between them. That was a long time ago when the convent took in unwed mothers from embarrassed Irish families. Nowadays, even before the bomb went off, most families didn’t care who knew who was in the family way.

  “I don’t understand,” Sinead said walking over to the looms. He followed her. From where they stood one of the big stone windows, its pane cracked, looked out over the back gardens. Motion caught his eye and both he and Sinead moved to the window to see a tall man and the teen boy Mac had seen at the compound. Mac felt a rush of relief that the lad was fine followed by a twinge of guilt about the old man he’d shot.

  Sinead was right. He was getting soft.

  *********

  Sarah gazed down into baby Siobhan’s yawning face from the easy chair inside the Mother Superior’s office. Both she and Siobhan had slept relatively well last night but the baby had her up early. It was then Sarah discovered that the convent never slept. There was always something happening, from the perpetual Adoration in the small chapel lined with burning candles to the noise and activity of the kitchen where the sisters ground their own flour, baked their own bread and cured their own hog meat.

  “She’s a beauty, sure she is,” Mother Angelina said from her desk. “Your husband will be so proud.”

  “If he ever gets to see her.”

  “Whisht, now, now, lass,” Angelina said. “We’ll see to it himself finds ye both, so we will.”

  “I just don’t see how. It’s easily a day’s hike from here to the compound and that’s where he’ll head for…if he’s returning to us.”

  “Our dear son Garrett knows the area around these parts like he mapped them out himself,” Angelina said with a smile. “I think he’ll be able to help us get word to your husband.”

  “Garrett seems a very special young man,” Sarah said.

  Angelina beamed with pride. “Aye. He�
��s gifted, so he is. I believe he is the embodiment of our order’s mission here in this life.”

  “Anything he can do to help me would be greatly appreciated. Not that you haven’t done so much for us already. I don’t know what we’d do if we hadn’t found you.”

  The door opened and an elderly nun entered with a tray. On it was a teapot and two cups.

  “Sister Mary,” Angelina said. “Please have Garrett come see me.”

  “I will do,” the nun said. “We have visitors, Mother.”

  “Oh?”

  Sister Mary looked at Sarah. “Looking for you, perhaps?”

  “That will be all, Sister,” Angelina said. “Fetch Garrett, please.”

  “It can’t have anything to do with me,” Sarah said.

  Angelina poured the tea and handed Sarah a cup. “After no contact from the outside for ten years and now two visits in twenty-fours hours, I’m sure it very much has something to do with you.”

  Her words gave Sarah a sick feeling in her stomach.

  *********

  John walked with Garrett across the garden to the bathhouse. He had slept in a cot in Garrett’s room inside the convent but had been roused early to wash and begin the day.

  Clearly the day started way early in a convent, John thought blearily. It seriously felt like he’d just gone to bed when Garrett was telling him it was already time to get up.

  Sophia and an elderly nun were emerging from the bathhouse as he and Garrett arrived. Sophia looked refreshed and happy. Her hair was wet and her face scrubbed pink.

  “I see you’ve found your way to the baths,” the nun said. “Mother wants you, Garrett. Hurry now.”

  Garrett turned without a word and left them.

  “Strange dude,” John said watching him retreat.

  “He seems sweet,” Sophia said.

  “Garrett is the true heart of this order,” the Sister said. She frowned at John. “May I trouble you for some help with our toilet, young man before you wash up?”