Becoming Billy Dare (24 page)

‘For the moment,' said Paddy.

‘She's a great old bird, Mum Whiteley,' said Nugget, shaking his head. ‘she's helped a lot of us out. Always willing to feed a cobber, if she's got anything to spare. It'll be a black day when she passes in her marbles.'

‘What do you mean?' asked Paddy.

‘You know, drops off the twig, croaks it, kicks the bucket, mate. She must be more than sixty years old. She won't be around forever.'

Paddy shuddered. Was this really where Bridie's life would end, in those two dark rooms in Exhibition Street? Bridie said everything changed, whether you wanted it to or not. But Paddy felt they were both marking time. He was waiting for his big break, the role that would take him out of the wings and put him in front of the audience. Was death the only thing Bridie was waiting for?

33
Welcome strangers

On a hot afternoon, Paddy staggered through the front door of the lodgings with an armful of costumes from the Bijou for Mum to repair. Standing at the foot of the stairs was a dark-eyed, black-haired girl in a pale blue dress.

‘Hello there,' she said in an American accent. ‘Could you help me? We're looking for Mrs Bridie Whiteley. We were told she lived in this building, but Gramps has already knocked on every door and we can't find her.'

‘I'm going up to her rooms right now,' said Paddy, trying to smile at the girl over the crumpled fabrics.

‘Gramps,' she called excitedly, ‘come quick, this young man knows where she lives.' An old gentleman appeared from down the end of the gloomy hallway. His pale blue eyes crinkled into a smile when he saw Paddy.

‘Good afternoon to you,' he said, raising his hat. ‘Lead on, young man.'

Paddy took them upstairs. ‘Could you knock for me?' he asked the girl. ‘It's a bit tricky, with my hands full.'

The girl turned to the old man. ‘Are you ready, Gramps?'

Paddy looked curiously from the girl to her grandfather. The old man's hand trembled as he knocked.

Bridie opened the door and the old man stepped forward as if to introduce himself, but all he did was stare. Bridie looked back warily. Slowly, tenderly, the old man raised one hand and touched Bridie on the cheek. Her eyes grew wide and she trembled.

‘Even after all these years, blood knows blood, eh, Bridie girl?' said the old man.

Then Bridie and the old man were hugging and crying and Paddy was so embarrassed he didn't know where to look. The dark-haired girl glanced across at Paddy and laughed. ‘I'm Annie O'Connor. And that's my grandfather and my great-auntie. They haven't seen each other for a long time.'

‘You mean that's Brandon?' asked Paddy, incredulous.

The old man turned around and stretched his hand out to Paddy. ‘doc O'Connor. It's a long time since anyone's called me Brandon. Only my bossy big sister can get away with that.'

Paddy stared at him in wonder and then, thrusting a hand out from beneath the armful of costumes, shook the old man's hand.

That evening, the O'Connors and Bridie went to the Bijou and afterwards they all met Paddy in the Grand Saloon at the Victoria Coffee Palace for supper. Doc O'Connor made sure they had the best table.

‘Now you order anything you fancy, Bridie, Billy. And I've been thinking, I'm not happy about your lodgings. You two should come over to the Grand Hotel and stay there with me and Annie until Bridie's sorted her business.'

‘You're not staying at the Grand Hotel?' said Paddy. The Grand was the most luxurious hotel in all of Melbourne.

‘Brandon, you can't be paying for us to stay at the Grand,' said Bridie. ‘A night in the Grand would cost as much as we earn in a month! Besides, I don't want to move out of my lodgings. Billy, can you imagine what Tilly Dunne would say if I asked her to come to the Grand Hotel for a fitting!'

Paddy couldn't help but laugh at the thought of a parade of showgirls trotting in and out of the foyer of the Grand Hotel.

Doc leant across the table and covered Mum's hand with his. ‘I don't want you worrying about stitching for a living any more, Bridie.'

Bridie smiled, but Paddy could tell she was uncomfortable.

‘Billy,' said Doc, 'me and Annie, we owe you. If you hadn't written those letters, we never would have come for Bridie. I'm right grateful to you. You want to stay at the Grand, don't you?'

Before Paddy could answer, two men stopped at their table.

‘We're real glad to see you here in Melbourne, Doctor O'Connor,' said the taller of the men. ‘tim Madigan and Jim O'Leary. You're an answer to our prayers, sir, if you don't mind me saying it.'

Doc shook hands with each of the men.

‘We've heard you can turn a no-hoper into a real goer,' said O'Leary. ‘Our syndicate's got the finest filly you ever saw, but she needs a gentle hand. You could have her ready for the Spring racing carnival, you could have her take the Melbourne Cup.'

Doc laughed but Paddy could see his sharp blue eyes taking the measure of the two men. ‘Well, I could take a look at her, if you like. But I'm only here for a short visit, then I'll be taking my family here back home.' Doc spread his arms expansively to encompass the whole table.

Paddy stared at Doc, bewildered. Was the old man including him and Bridie? Maybe he thought Paddy was really Bridie's grandson.

While the two men tried to persuade Doc that he at least had to see their horse, Paddy tried to catch Bridie's eye but she was intent on the conversation between Doc and the punters. Annie took her spoon out of the bowl of strawberry icecream and licked it clean, staring at Paddy with her unfathomable black eyes. ‘It's going to be real fun getting to know you better, Billy Dare,' she said.

Early the next morning Annie, Doc and Paddy went out to Flemington. Paddy was meant to be showing them around but Doc didn't seem to need much help. He simply hailed a cab and ordered it to take them straight to the track.

Annie and Paddy wandered from one stall to the next, looking at the racehorses while Doc went off to inspect the new filly. Paddy hadn't realised how much he'd been missing the scent of horseflesh. Annie seemed to be thinking exactly the same thing. When a mare came to the front of the stall she reached up and slipped her arms around its neck. The horse nuzzled her and she stroked it with tenderness.

‘Back home, I ride every day but I haven't been on a horse since we took the damn boat out here,' said Annie. ‘I told Mr Madigan and he says he's gonna give me a pony. I'll be riding her as the Spirit of Erin in the St Patrick's Day parade at the end of the week.'

‘What, you got given a horse? Just like that?'

‘It's not because of me, silly. I told you. Gramps is famous. He's the finest horse doctor in all of California, probably in the whole US of A. C'mon, let's go see what this pony of mine looks like.'

Paddy caught his breath when Annie led the horse into the stable yards. Annie's new horse was called Tara's Pride and she was no mere pony. She was a big, black mare and as sleek as a panther.

‘They don't have any side-saddles. And they won't let me ride her without one,' said Annie, looking sulky.

‘Could I ride her? Just to see how she handles?' asked Paddy.

Annie laughed. ‘do you know how to? You don't look like a horseman to me.'

‘There's a lot of things about me that you don't know,' said Paddy.

Paddy put his hands on the mare's neck and then, in one swift movement, he swung himself onto her bare back. Annie watched as Paddy rode Tara's Pride around the stable yard. Suddenly, she caught the horse by her bridle.

Paddy smiled, questioningly

‘I want to ride up front.' She called to a stablehand to help lift her onto the horse's back. Tentatively, Paddy reached around her to take the reins again. Annie's warm, sweet perfume enveloped him. For a moment, she rested one white-gloved hand on his arm to steady herself. ‘C'mon, Billy Dare,' she said. ‘Let's see how she handles.'

Afterwards, Paddy and Annie wandered across the lawns. They passed by the rose gardens, and then climbed up into the wide grandstand. Up amongst the eaves, small birds wove in and out of the trusses.

In the shadow of the grandstand, Annie suddenly turned to Paddy, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him. He stepped back in surprise.

‘What did you do that for?'

Annie laughed and then blushed. ‘You looked real handsome for a minute.'

Paddy laughed uncertainly. Annie looked at him expectantly for a moment and then scowled. ‘don't take it so serious. I just felt like doing it, didn't I? Don't get any dumb ideas. It don't mean anything.'

She flounced away, her white skirts swirling around her as she crossed the wide green lawns. Paddy watched her disappear and then put his hand to the place on his cheek where her lips had touched him.

34
Wherever green is worn

St Patrick's Day dawned bright and cool. Paddy was up before sunrise, pacing outside the stables of the Grand Hotel, waiting for Annie and Tara's Pride.

Annie rode out of the stables with Doc beside her. Paddy felt breathless at the sight of her. Ever since the kiss in the grandstand, just being near Annie made his heart beat faster, made every sinew of his body feel taut and hot. He thought about her kiss and tried to recall exactly what it had felt like, wishing she'd try it again.

Bridie had sewn a costume for Annie of emerald green and she wore her long black hair loose over her shoulder. She looked like a dark fairy, something from a poem rather than a real girl. Paddy couldn't imagine a more beautiful Spirit of Erin.

Paddy followed Doc as he led Tara's Pride into the street and down to St Patrick's Hall to take their place in the procession. People were flooding into the city from every direction. A huge banner of St Patrick was raised above the crowd. Everyone wore sashes of green. Men in kilts were tuning up their pipes and the bodhrans set a drum rhythm that rippled through the crowd. Paddy walked beside the Spirit of Erin float, watching Annie ride just ahead, waving to the cheering crowd like a princess.

Bridie waited at the top of Swanston Street, beaming as Annie came into view. She was wearing a new dress and a fancy, wide-brimmed hat trimmed with green. It was as if none of the terrible events of the past six months had happened – Sir Gilbert's death, the eviction, Eddie's betrayal. The weight of all those things seemed to have lifted and Bridie looked more like the feisty old woman who had given Nugget Malloy a good shaking and set Paddy on his feet.

That evening, Bridie insisted that they all go to mass at St Patrick's Cathedral to give thanks for being reunited. Paddy had always managed to avoid mass, quietly disappearing with Nugget on Sunday mornings, but this time there was no getting out of it.

Annie arrived in a long white dress, looking as if she was going to her first communion. Doc and Paddy walked a little behind the women as they sauntered up Macarthur Street.

As Paddy passed through the gates into the cathedral yard he felt a sinking sensation in his stomach and all the blood drained from his head. He wouldn't be able to enter the church. He couldn't take communion. He hadn't been to confession since he'd run away from St Columcille's. Doc looked at him shrewdly.

‘Here, Bridie girl,' he said. ‘You and Annie go in ahead. This boy and I need to have a little talk.'

Doc took him by the arm and led him out into the street.

‘Listen, Billy, I'm not a man for the church any more. I'm sure the Lord will be happy enough to have two O'Connors thanking him without us adding to all that praise.'

Paddy laughed.

‘Sure, it's a nice town, this Melbourne, but you can tell there's been some bad business and folk have had the stuffing kicked out of them.'

‘Mum says the depression tore the heart from the city,' said Paddy. ‘But things are getting better.'

‘Are they better for her? Living in a couple of old rooms, stitching her fingers to the bone?' Doc shook his head.

Paddy felt uncomfortable. He'd always thought of Bridie as someone who loved her work, who laughed at the showgirls and took pride and pleasure in the fineness of her handiwork, but Doc was right. She was getting old and the rooms in Exhibition Street weren't like Charity House.

Doc led the way into an arcade in Swanston Street and up some marble stairs to the Celtic Club rooms. He ordered two long glasses of beer. Paddy looked into Doc's pale blue eyes as they raised their glasses.

‘To you, boy, with thanks. It's a grand thing you've done, bringing me here to Bridie. I was at my own club back home when I saw your letter in the
Irish Times
. My own sister's name in print, bold as brass. It was as if the clouds parted, son. I knew exactly what I had to do. I'll always be grateful to you for that.'

‘I don't know that I really thought it could work. I mean, when I sent the letters, it was just a lucky toss. It seems such a long time ago.'

Doc laughed. ‘It doesn't seem so long ago that Bridie and I were in the workhouse back in Ireland. I remember the night she came and told me she was going to Australia as if it were yesterday. We'd lost our brother and our parents but for me, losing Bridie, that was the greatest blow. I lost hope for a time, lost faith that I'd ever see her again.'
‘Is that why you left Ireland? Because there was nothing to keep you there?'

Doc smiled. ‘that's a story! After Bridie left, I stayed on at the workhouse for another year until they found me a place with a blacksmith. I worked like a slave but he wasn't a bad master. He let me sleep by the forge in winter and he could see I had a way with the horses, so he didn't flog me often. Then one day, the local lord came in with his horse. It had lost a shoe and this fancy-pants wanted it fixed right away. I worked on the horse while the lord sat in the smithy's, warming himself by the forge, drinking from a jug of ale he'd ordered from the pub. Now there was a girl who brought him the jug, Maureen was her name. The most beautiful girl in the whole of Ireland. At least, I thought she was. But the lord treated her like a trollop. Disrespected her. Acted as if she were no better than a whore.