The House by the Liffey

by Niki Phillips

  This had happened when he had come out of prison and had been desperate for employment of any kind, so long as it was a job bringing in enough to allow him to scratch a basic existence.

  ‘Unfortunately quite a small amount of exposure is all it needs and then it can lie dormant for a very long time. It can suddenly start to grow and by the time it’s detected it’s usually too late for help. As a pharmacist you probably know all this.’

  ‘Yes.’ And as a one-time doctor he knew a lot more than he could admit to. He knew exactly the unpleasant end he was facing. What worried him even more was Izzy and how he was going to tell her that he had been handed a death sentence. Thank God she had a supportive and closely knit family she could go to when the worst happened. A thought suddenly struck him and he gave a bleak little smile. His child would grow up in Ireland, in dear old Dublin, after all.

  He tried his best to break it to her gently but the shock was too much and she went into premature labour. He called Riverside and told them that the baby was coming early but not why. Milo, Noola and Maggie got there as quickly as they could, but not before a tiny but perfectly formed and healthy baby girl was born, late in the evening on St Patrick’s Day 1977. Izzy’s emotions were totally confused, a mixture of immense joy at the safe birth of their child but complete heartbreak at the knowledge that Eddie would be with them for such a short time to share that joy. Over and over again she had asked him the same question.

  ‘You’re sure there’s nothing at all that can be done?’

  ‘No, my darling, it’s much too far advanced and galloping away.’

  For a few days the arrival of his child gave him a very short new lease of life but he slipped back and started to deteriorate rapidly. Milo, Noola and Maggie were horrified when they were told the story. All three were adamant that they would stay as long as necessary to give their support. Milo now had complete confidence in Harry’s ability to run the business on his own for some time if need be, so there was no mad urgency for him to return to Dublin. His youngest and most vulnerable child needed him and he would stay for as long as it took. His respect for Eddie grew as he watched him cope with a terminal condition but also struggle to help Izzy to come to terms with what lay ahead.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Eddie, and may I say how much I admire the way in which you’re coping with such devastating circumstances. As you can imagine, I was totally opposed to your marriage to Izzy, but you’ve obviously brought her so much happiness in the short time you’ve had together and for that I want to thank you. It’s tragic that it has to end in this way.’

  ‘You’ll never know how much those words mean to me and especially from you – I don’t deserve your kindness. Thank you, Milo.’

  ‘I wouldn’t wish what’s happening to you on anyone, Eddie.’

  ‘You’re a remarkably forgiving man. You and Sean Flynn are the most decent men I’ve ever known.’

  * * * * *

  Eddie went downhill with frightening speed after that. The cancer was so aggressive and in the end spread right through him in a matter of days. It got to the point when the hospital staff could do no more for him and gave him the option of going home for the last few days of his life. He agreed readily and full-time nursing help was installed, with a doctor on constant call.

  While he could still speak, albeit with difficulty, he told Izzy how lucky he thought he was to have found her again and discover that she loved him.

  ‘Because of you, my darling Izzy, the little girl I stole away, I’ve had such a happy end to my life. I’ve never loved any human being as much as I love you. In the short time we’ve had together, you’ve been the joy and light of my life. And to top it all you’ve given me the greatest gift possible, our child – our very Irish child!’

  A severe fit of coughing interrupted what he was saying but then, making a supreme effort, he went on with dogged determination.

  ‘In spite of the mess I made of my early years, I feel my life has now been fulfilled. I’m just desperately sad that I have to leave you, but so grateful that you have such a wonderful family to support you.’

  ‘I love you too, Eddie, so much, but you know that and I do feel I was given such a gift too in meeting you again. What were the chances of that happening? Extremely remote, but I’ll forever be glad that it happened and even that I trapped you into marrying me.’

  He managed a smile, coughed some more producing the inevitable bloody flux, then struggled to answer.

  ‘Would all the traps in life were so delightful and had such a wonderful ending. If you hadn’t trapped me, you wouldn’t be here with me now, by my side at the end. I’m a lucky man.’

  As long as he was able to speak he kept telling her how much he loved her. He asked that his ashes should be taken back to Ireland and scattered somewhere in the Dublin Mountains that he had loved so much when growing up. He slipped away from them at dawn just three weeks after the birth, with Izzy’s arms around him and his little child by his side. They had agreed to call her Patricia, an inevitable choice given her Irish heritage and the date of her birth. At the request of Eddie, she was formally registered at birth as Patricia Butler on the grounds that Seabourne wasn’t his real name and he admired the Butler family so much. Trisha Butler would eventually become quite a formidable character.

  Chapter 46

  In the circumstances Harry and Cathy’s wedding was postponed. It went without saying, and needing no discussion, that they would wait until everything had been sorted out for Izzy and she was safely and securely installed back in Riverside House. As always, the whole family rallied around and she was given huge support. In the unbelievable pain of her grief, her little daughter was an immense consolation. She had inherited Izzy’s small build but was also tiny because of her premature birth and the fact that she needed almost constant attention meant that Izzy had to concentrate all her energies on her. This was helping her through those horrific early days. She would not entertain the idea of employing a nanny to help and give her a break.

  ‘You know I’ll give you a rest any time you need it, my darling Izzy. I would be delighted to share in the care of my newest and very precious grandchild.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum. At the moment I’m all right. Trisha is keeping me so busy she’s helping to save my sanity, but if I get beyond managing or really need a rest I’ll take you up on the offer. It’s just so good to have you close by.’

  Johnny was fascinated by the new member of the family and was happy to sit beside Izzy and look at the baby. He even tried talking to her.

  ‘You’ll be quite safe here, Trisha. I won’t let anyone hurt you. She’s so small, Izzy. Will I be able to hold her soon?’

  ‘Quite soon, Johnny. She’ll love that.’

  ‘Do you think she’s very sad that she hasn’t got her dad?’

  ‘She’s too little to understand that yet. And although her daddy isn’t here there are lots of other kind men to look out for her, like you and your dad and Grandpa and Dai.’

  He thought about all this for a few moments.

  ‘I didn’t have a mum. She died too. But now Cathy’s going to be my mum and I’m really happy. I love Cathy.’

  ‘We all do, Johnny.’

  Inevitably Izzy’s music was also crucial in her coming to terms with losing Eddie. When not tending to Trisha’s needs she wheeled her pram into the room where her piano was kept and she played away. She found it fascinating that as long as she was playing the baby never cried, just lay there, apparently quite content to be entertained in that way. In time her heart and soul began to heal and she started to come back to life but it was a long, slow process.

  * * * * *

  Three months after Izzy returned to Riverside with Trisha, to everyone’s delight Sarah gave birth to a little son, which she and Dai unanimously agreed would be called William.

  ‘Bill was such a special person I feel that would be a lovely memorial to him.’

  ‘Thanks, Dai, I’m so pleased you feel that way.�
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  The others in the family were equally pleased and the arrival of the little boy seemed to give particular pleasure to Izzy. As the birth became closer she had spent increasing amounts of time with Sarah and this, like her music, had helped her greatly in coming to terms with her bereavement.

  After this excitement and the baptism of William, Izzy had a long chat with Harry and Cathy and insisted that they should go ahead with their wedding.

  ‘Please! It would give me a lot of pleasure to see the two of you married and after all, for the best possible reason, you never intended to have a big wedding. Now it would be obvious to the outside world that it wouldn’t be appropriate to have a big celebration. We could also let it be known that I’ve pressed you to go ahead with it, in spite of my being in mourning.’

  ‘Bless you, Izzy. That’s such an unselfish thought. What do you think, Cathy?’

  ‘Somehow it doesn’t seem quite right. Are you sure, Izzy?’

  ‘Yes, Cathy. I can’t wait to have you as my sister-in-law and I get the feeling that Johnny can’t wait to have his new mum.’

  There was a question mark over where the wedding breakfast should be held. All agreed that a hotel would be too public and Cathy felt reluctant to impose such an event, however modest, on her sister and family, even though their home was pleasant and roomy. In the end, having discussed it with Milo, Noola suggested to the couple what she thought was a good solution.

  ‘In a way you could consider this as your home, Cathy. After all, you’ve lived in your flat upstairs for some years now. How about having a reception here on the kind of modest scale you and Harry had planned? The family would be delighted.’

  ‘Oh, Noola. What a generous offer. That would be wonderful and my family would be delighted too. Noreen suggested that she could provide some refreshments but I know it wouldn’t be easy for her. She works full-time and looks after a big family. It would be such a relief to her to know it would be here.’

  Milo and Noola had met Noreen and her husband, Colum, and had liked them a lot. Now all four put their heads together with Harry and Cathy and worked out the details for the big day.

  It was a September wedding and the plan was to keep it strictly family and very close friends. However, by the time all the Butlers, the Flynns and the O’Donovans were included it was quite a crowd, even before any friends were added.

  Harry was highly delighted that Mageen, Jack and their three children were able to get over for a few days. Their little daughter, Rachel, born in 1972, and now aged five, was thrilled at the idea of being a flower girl, with Johnny, at four and a half, as pageboy. Cathy’s niece, Gill, was to be bridesmaid.

  It started as a lovely misty autumn day and later the sun came out turning the view towards and beyond the river into something akin to a backdrop for a movie, with the trees dressed in their full autumn splendour of tawny colours: red, yellow, orange, gold, russet and brown. Not wanting to risk the weather suddenly turning nasty, and since the numbers could be accommodated inside without difficulty, the reception with wedding breakfast was being held indoors. The windows of the house faced across the beautifully manicured lawns to this artist’s palette of colour and the view was breathtaking.

  Harry and Cathy made an idyllic looking couple, both such beautiful people. Noola’s and Milo’s delight with the turn of events almost rivalled that of the young couple.

  ‘I don’t remember ever having seen Harry so happy. Just look at him! He can hardly drag his eyes away from Cathy, let alone move from her side. It’s almost as if he’s afraid she’ll disappear in the proverbial puff of smoke.’

  ‘Yes, and she so obviously returns his feelings in full measure. They remind me so much of us on our wedding day. Do you remember, Noola?’

  ‘Now do you really expect me to answer “no” to that question?’

  ‘Well, reassurance is sometimes so good.’

  ‘My darling, gorgeous big eejit. I love you so much.’

  Milo burst out laughing, reminded vividly of the first time she had called him a big eejit – the evening he had, at last, told her that he loved her and asked her if by any lucky chance she felt the same way.

  * * * * *

  At Cathy’s special request, Harry took her for their honeymoon to East Africa where neither had been before. They came home full of enthusiasm for the incredible sights they had seen and experiences they had had in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti. They had even managed to get to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

  ‘Gosh, Dad, Mum, I can’t think why none of us ever thought of going there for a holiday before. The wealth of animal life is unbelievable. I know Dublin Zoo does a good job, but it’s just not the same as seeing them in the wild, as they should be, and in such numbers.’

  ‘We must go, Noola.’

  ‘I’d love to. Perhaps next spring when Izzy is feeling a bit better. I wouldn’t want to leave her just now.’

  * * * * *

  Harry and Cathy settled happily into their new accommodation. As soon as they had announced their engagement, discussions had taken place as to where they would live. Harry wondered if they should have a place of their own away from Riverside but, having talked it through previously with Noola, Milo suggested an alternative to him.

  ‘Riverside House is so big and, if you leave, there’ll only be the two of us with Izzy and Trisha rattling around in it. It’s our intention to sign it over to you in trust once you’re married. This has been done for generations as a means of reducing inheritance tax and someday you’ll probably do the same for Johnny. Supposing, for now, we turn the whole of the top floor into a self-contained flat for you, incorporating Cathy’s flat. It would be very spacious: ample room for you and a family and with the library and games rooms to use as and when you want. Then when the trust comes into effect, we may well do what Gran and Gramps Butler did and retire to Oughterard. Alternatively we could simply swap accommodation. What do you think?’

  Harry thought for a few moments but it didn’t take him long to decide.

  ‘That’s such a great offer, Dad. Thanks. I’ll talk it through with Cathy, but I can’t see her objecting. For me it would be marvellous to stay and still be close to the river. I’d love that for Johnny too and indeed any other children that may come along. And I hope you will both stay here after retirement. With separate, self-contained accommodation we won’t get under each other’s feet and Oughterard, lovely as it is, would be quite far away from your children and grandchildren.’

  ‘Thanks, Harry. I think it’s very likely we will opt to stay but we’ll wait and see how it all works out.’

  Chapter 47

  1982

  The five years following Eddie’s death and Harry and Cathy’s marriage were relatively peaceful at Riverside, much to the relief of Milo and Noola. Aunt May had turned ninety, Maggie would soon reach the same age and the rest of the family knew that, although both were in good health, they would have to say goodbye to them soon. Aunt May, although frail, still had all her faculties. Maggie was still feisty and although suffering quite badly from arthritis was determined not to allow that to get in the way of anything she really wanted to do.

  Trisha and Will were the best of friends with Johnny, now aged nine, taking very seriously his responsibilities as the oldest. He was also highly delighted at having a brother and sister of his own, Orla aged four, called after Cathy’s mother, and little Henry, aged three, after his father but called Hal to avoid confusion. Milo and Noola were so pleased to have five grandchildren running around at Riverside and when Mageen and family visited there were three more. To Milo’s delight they all were what he referred to as “water babies”, following in the Butler tradition of loving and being outstanding at water sports. Mageen and Jack’s two boys, Ewan now fourteen and Alasdair at twelve, like their Butler forebears, were already remarkably good oarsmen, this not only being in their blood, but also encouraged from birth by living close to a Scottish loch. Rachel, at eight, was holding her own too and comp
eting successfully with Johnny in handling an oar or paddle.

  It was March 1982. Jack had taken some leave and he, Mageen and the children were looking forward eagerly to spending the Easter holidays at Riverside. The children were all at independent schools so although Easter Day was quite late, not until 11 April, their schools had broken up for the holidays on 31 March. The next day the family had piled into the big, comfortable S-Class Mercedes and headed for the ferry to Dublin.

  Jack, however, was uneasy. There had been news of the Argentinian flag being raised by metalworkers on South Georgia, a British territory close to Antarctica and not all that far from the Falkland Islands. In response, the British naval vessel, HMS Endurance, had been dispatched from Port Stanley in the Falklands to investigate the incident. Jack knew that Britain had also dispatched submarines to the South Atlantic from various locations, but he had not had his leave cancelled or been put on “standby” so he didn’t postpone his holiday plans. However, his uncanny sixth sense, acquired from all his training and experience, together with an astute political awareness, was making his finely-tuned, intellectual antennae tingle with apprehension.

  The family arrived at Riverside tired but happy after a long journey and they were given an ecstatic welcome. They had a wonderful celebratory dinner, cooked to perfection and served by Kitty and her team, with the whole family present around the enormous dining table. Milo noticed that Jack wasn’t his usual relaxed self and after the meal gradually manoeuvred his way around the sitting room to where he was sitting.

  ‘Everything all right, Jack?’

  ‘To tell the truth, I’m a bit on edge, Milo. I don’t like the smell of things happening in the South Atlantic. Where the Falkland Islands are concerned I don’t trust Galtieri’s motives one little bit and I’m not alone in that.’