“Right,” Molly took a deep breath, ignoring the sharp pang in her back and jumped in. “The house has indoor plumbing. All the floors have fitted bathrooms.” She grinned at the reaction of the group, most of whom used a slop bucket and a toilet down the yard. “Because it’s just off the canal the house has no basement.” Molly was seeing it in her mind’s eye. She’d visited the house a lot in company with fellow dancers and actors. The man who owned it threw great parties. “What I’m thinking, Ann Marie, is this.” Molly hoped she wasn’t stepping out of order here. “The house is a big square one sitting on its own patch of land. You could lease or buy this house or one like it. The back of the house, as well as having the usual kitchen and scullery also has servants’ bedrooms and a bathroom. John, Sadie and the girls could use the ground-floor bedrooms. Between the two of you, Sadie and Ann Marie, you could run the house. Sadie has the practical experience and you Ann Marie have the knowledge needed to run a house of that size.” She didn’t mention the baby but it too could have a bedroom near the girls who would be its sisters.
“Jaysus, woman!” John struggled to sit up on the sand. He wanted to jump to his feet. This was his life and that of his family they were arranging. “What are yeh talking about?”
“Ann Marie said she needs someone to look after her.” Molly shrugged. “The woman doesn’t seem to want a load of servants around her. She could live in the main part of the house.” Molly closed her eyes, trying to see the building in her mind’s eye. “I reckon Sadie and the girls could teach Ann Marie what she needs to know in order to survive without servants. I know a couple of local women come in, I think it’s daily, to do the heavy cleaning and ironing and stuff like that. They could keep doing their jobs. You would have to see how the situation suited all of you but in the meantime Ann Marie would be mistress of her own home and John and Sadie would have a home near to their work and without steps to worry about.” Molly was almost breathless when she finished speaking. The pain in her back was killing her. She couldn’t seem to get comfortable on the sand.
“Jaysus, woman,” John swore, “yeh might not say much but when you do talk ’tis a feckin’ mouthful.”
“Ann Marie?” Ivy said quietly. Her friend looked stunned.
“It is a radical solution to my problems but it could be absolutely perfect.” In fact, more than anyone realised. She hadn’t told anyone that the unborn child was related to her by blood – it would simply complicate matters. But, if this came off, she could see the baby daily. She wouldn’t be responsible for the child’s upbringing but she could be part of its life. “The Lawless family would have to receive recompense for all their work but if the idea suits them I would really like to try.” With the Lawless family to help and someone to take care of the daily chores she may not need to employ live-in strangers. This could be perfection if they could all manage to work together.
Ann Marie turned to John Lawless.
“John Lawless,” she said seriously, “you hold my future in your hands.”
“I’m glad I’m sitting down.” John didn’t know what to think. He was dizzy with the change in his fortunes.
“We’ll need to see the house, Sadie,” Ann Marie said. “We could go together and check everything out. What do you think?”
“John?” Sadie looked at her husband. This wasn’t her decision alone to make.
“I could drive both of you to the house in my automobile.” Ann Marie sweetened the pot. “We need to check everything out before we get too excited.”
“You wouldn’t have to put up with living across the hall from Patsy, Sadie.” Ivy’s face was the picture of innocence.
“Ann Marie, you need to think long and carefully about this.” John was trying to keep his emotions in check. “We need to think carefully about what we’re all getting into. It would be a new way of living for all of us.” He looked at his family, feeling emotion choke him. His Sadie called Ivy Murphy an angel. Look what was happening to his family because of agreeing to work with her! The bloody woman was a miracle worker!
“I know a good removals firm,” Ivy said, tongue in cheek. “They come highly recommended.”
The group collapsed into almost hysterical laughter. The noise woke Emmy up. The little girl sat up, rubbing her eyes and staring around at the laughing people.
“I’m thirsty,” she whispered.
“I’m sure you are,” Ivy jumped up, grabbed Emmy into her arms and began to dance around the sand with the sleepy-eyed girl in her arms.
“You doing all right, love?” Sadie whispered to her husband under the noise of the crowd.
“I’m completely drunk with the changes in our life, love. It’s a bit much to take in, isn’t it?”
“I’m getting used to it.” Sadie grinned. “Ivy Murphy is a force of Nature. The woman is a marvel. She gets slapped back and then bounces up again. I’ve never been around anyone like her. She seems to attract people that don’t think like everyone else. She doesn’t seem to understand that some things just aren’t done.”
“I’d better buck up me thinking then.” John grinned. “I don’t want to be left behind by the women in me life.”
“Ooohhh!” Molly fell back on the sand with a groan. She lay stunned with the sharp increase of pain, clutching her stomach.
“It’s time!” Ann Marie yelled loud enough for the seagulls to be frightened into flight. “The baby’s coming!”
“I know!” Molly gasped between gritted teeth.
“I’ll drive you to the hospital.” Ann Marie was trying to lift Molly from the sand.
“Ann Marie, relax.” Sadie laughed. “This is not the first baby ever born, you know. There’s time yet.”
“But, but, you can’t expect the woman just to sit here!” Ann Marie stared around her. She seemed to be the only one in a panic.
“Sit down a minute, Ann Marie.” Sadie wasn’t worried. She’d delivered a lot of babies in her time. She knew what to do.
“I’ll boil the kettle,” Ivy offered.
“She can’t have the baby here on the strand!” Ann Marie screamed. “You people are mad!”
“She won’t.”
Sadie took Molly behind the nearby wagon. There was a private place of sorts created by the railway wall and the bulk of the large flatbed wagon they’d used to haul all the people and stuff here. First babies took their time. Sadie knew that. She was confident they had plenty of time. She lay Molly down and checked her out.
“Sweet Mother of Jesus!” Sadie yelled at the view that met her eyes. The baby’s head was crowning. “You twit, how long have you been having pains?”
“What?” Ann Marie yelled in reaction to Sadie’s shout. She was hyperventilating. She could not believe this was happening.
“This twit is going to have the baby now!” Sadie was horrified. “Molly! How long have you been having pains?”
“Back to calling me a twit – must be serious!” Molly panted. “Me back’s been aching off and on all day.” Molly groaned. What did it matter? She was being torn apart and the darn woman was yelling at her. “I thought it was just cause I couldn’t get comfortable sitting in the sand.”
“Is Molly going to die like my mama?” Emmy whispered into Ivy’s ear.
“No, sweetie.” Ivy hugged the shivering little girl. “Everything will be all right. We’re going to help Aunt Sadie now, all right?”
But Ivy needed to stay with Emmy. “Vera!” she barked suddenly, making the young woman jump. “You helped deliver the pups. D’yeh feel up to helping a human into the world?”
“I’ll just lie back on the sand and stay out of the way.” John was pasty-faced but determined to cause no problems.
“If any of you women are wearing underskirts,” Sadie’s voice came from behind the wagon, “strip them off. We’re going to need them. I’ll need the men’s shirts as well.”
“Emmy, sweetheart . . .” Ivy shook the child gently, bringing her attention back to her, “I need you to run down the stran
d and get your Uncle Jem and the lads. Can you do that?” Ivy put the child down on her own feet.
Emmy took off, screaming like a banshee.
“Ivy!” Sadie’s head appeared over the rim of the wagon.
“Yes.” Ivy stood, ready to do anything. Clare and Dora looked a bit green around the gills.
“Give my man a shovel and, however he does it, have him dig a bloody deep hole in the sand.” She’d deliberately asked for John. She knew her girls could do it but John needed to know he could do whatever was necessary.
“Yes, sir!” Ivy saluted. “You heard the woman, John. Clare, give yer da a shovel then get more wood for this fire. We’ll need plenty of hot water. Dora, you start getting the clothing ready. I have a slip.”
Ivy took the slip from under her skirt, praying the thing would wash later. She’d paid good money for the thing.
“John, can you drag your carcass over here?” Ivy pointed to a spot well out of the tide. They didn’t want this stuff to come back up. The waste from the childbirth needed to be buried deep.
“I can do it.” John gritted his teeth, threw the shovel ahead of himself and dragged his useless legs over to where Ivy stood. “I can sit up,” he growled, thinking about the problem. “I’ll dig between me legs. That way I can use the strength in me shoulders to speed up the digging.”
“Good man.” Ivy patted him on the back and deliberately walked away.
“Ivy, have we anything to put this bloody hot water in?” Sadie yelled from behind the wagon. Her voice sounded a lot like the voice of God to Ivy.
“What can I do?” Ann Marie felt like some useless female, leaning weakly against the wagon, having a fit of the vapours. Everyone else was jumping into action, even little Emmy was pelting down the sand to get help. She had to pull herself together.
“This is all new to me too,” Ivy admitted. “I hate to ask Sadie but she’s the only one of us that knows what she’s doing.”
“Would yeez all stop standing around talking!” Sadie shouted. “Ann Marie, get back here and hold Molly’s hand.”
“Oh God!” Ann Marie groaned.
“Courage!” Ivy whispered.
“What’s going on?” Jem arrived at their campsite breathless. He’d run back all the way with Emmy on his back and a full bucket of shellfish. “Emmy said there were ructions.”
“Molly’s having the baby,” Ivy supplied.
“Did Ann Marie drive her to a hospital?” Jem didn’t see the problem.
“You don’t understand.” Ivy laughed hysterically. “She’s having the baby now, behind your wagon!”
“Sweet Jaysus!” Jem felt the blood flow from his head.
“Don’t you pass out, Jem Ryan,” Ivy snapped when she saw his face turn grey. “We have no time for another medical emergency right now.”
“What can I do?” Jem asked.
“We need your shirt,” Ivy said. “Yours too!” she snapped when Liam and Conn joined them. Ivy waited till the men had stripped the shirts from their backs then took the shirts and disappeared behind the wagon.
“You better put all of your dogs on leads, Liam,” Jem ordered. The last thing they needed was dogs nosing around the women.
“I’ll help!” Emmy cried.
Jem let her drop down. He hadn’t even been aware the child was still clinging to his back.
“Anyone want to give a hand here?” John Lawless shouted. He needed some moral support. He thought the hole was deep enough already but he wasn’t sure.
Jem nodded in approval when he saw the hole. “This is a turn-up for the books, isn’t it?” he said as he dropped down beside John. “I feel like fainting meself.”
“Ivy will hit you over the head if you do.” John laughed. “My Sadie will help her.” The two men sat side by side in horrified silence.
“Push!” The shout came from behind the wagon.
The two men turned pale.
“Vera and I were thinking of giving everyone a taste of our act,” Liam said through stiff lips. “I think this beats that into a cocked hat.” Conn and Liam disappeared with the dogs and Emmy.
“Good girl!” Sadie was discovering an unexpected bonus to giving birth in sand. The sand absorbed the liquid that poured from the labouring woman. That was a blessing since they hadn’t much in the way of supplies here. “This baby is impatient to be born.” Sadie looked at the struggling woman. Molly was doing everything she was told but the usual underlying excitement was missing. Sadie felt heartily sorry for the poor woman.
“Will it be much longer?” Molly Riordan felt as if a giant hand was tearing her limb from limb. She was never letting a man touch her again. No way was she every going through something like this again.
“A couple of big pushes now, Molly.” Sadie was struck by the strangeness of the situation. It wasn’t the fact that she was delivering a baby at a picnic. She was delivering a baby that was going to be hers. The child would belong to the Lawless family.
“I can’t!” Molly groaned.
“You’re a dancer, Molly Riordan.” Ann Marie wanted to fall to the sand weeping but she knew that wasn’t needed here. “You were told to push. Now push!” Ann Marie used her own body to hold Molly’s body up.
“Come on, Molly!” Sadie was crying but didn’t know it. This baby was the child she’d been longing for. Her baby was coming into the world. Her face and voice would be the first thing her child saw. “One more big push!” she yelled.
“Sweet Jesus,” John whispered at the first baby cry. He looked at Jem. He didn’t look so hot either. “Give us a hand, will yeh, Jem?” John held his arm up. He was exhausted. “Pull us over there and put me back against the wall.”
“It’s a boy!” Sadie screamed. “John Lawless, you have a son!”
“I have a son.” John grinned at Jem with tears in his eyes. “Help me stand up, will you, please?” John was a proud man but he didn’t care if he was begging. “I want to meet me son for the first time on me own two feet.”
Chapter 30
“Mrs Harrington.” Ivy held out her hand and waited for the woman to acknowledge her name.
“I’m Geraldine Harrington, how may I help you?” Geraldine Harrington shook hands while pricing Ivy’s outfit from her hair to her feet in one brief glance. The woman standing before her belonged in one of the fashion magazines Geraldine received from Paris. She wished she could ask to examine the details of the avant-garde outfit she was wearing.
“Ivy Rose. I had my assistant call and make an appointment.” Ivy tried not to hyperventilate. Image was everything. She’d learned that lesson well in the last seven months.
“Yes, of course.” Geraldine glanced at her appointment calendar. She hadn’t expected a woman to be the salesman she was expecting. “You have an item you believe will interest me for the Christmas trade.” Geraldine took pride in having the most modern and expensive toys in the world in her Grafton Street shop.
“I believe our Baby Bundle will delight all year around.” Ivy hoped her smile looked sweetly shy. She was clenching her teeth to stop them rattling. “I telephoned your shop to offer you first option on our stock. The dolls on offer are of a limited edition. I’m afraid when they’re gone, they’re gone.” Ivy had subtly picked Harry Green’s business brain. He’d said it was usual to order your Christmas stock in July or August.
Ivy picked up the handcrafted leather case she carried her sample dolls in. The case was one belonging to Emmy’s aunt. The woman wouldn’t need it and John Lawless had played around with the monogram. He’d managed to turn what looked like an ‘M’ into an elaborate ‘I’. Now, the case proudly bore the initials for Ivy Rose Dolls instead of Mary Rose Donnelly.
“I was given to understand that mine would be the first shop in Ireland offered the dolls?” Geraldine Harrington admired the carrying case. It was always nice to deal with quality.
“I admire your shop.” Ivy owed this woman a lot if she but knew it. It was the prices marked on the toys sold in this s
hop that had given her the idea for her first big business venture. “It’s one I enjoy visiting.”
“Thank you.” Geraldine was frantically trying to remember seeing this woman in her store before today. Her memory failed her.
“This is our Baby Bundle.” Ivy removed a package from the case. “Every item worn by the doll is unique. No two dolls are exactly alike.” Ivy arranged the doll still wrapped in its blanket on the high shop counter. She’d practised at home, displaying the items to their best advantage. She opened the pale smoke-coloured, hand-knit baby blanket slowly. She wanted this woman to appreciate the skill shown by the knitter.
Sadie and her family had rewound and processed the wool to thread-like strands. The lace design of the blanket, knit on thin wire needles, was a work of art. The baby doll resting on the soft cloud of blanket was dressed in a stunning full-length lace dress, the bobbin lace handcrafted by Ivy. Out of sight were the matching lace bloomers under the dress. The doll wore a hand-knit bonnet, jacket and bootees in whisper soft pale azure cashmere wool.
“Oh, my, that is adorable!”
Through Streets Broad and Narrow (Ivy Rose Series Book 1) Page 36