Infinite Devotion (45 page)

“Thank you, Sean.”

I open up the letter and have to sit by the window to read.

Redmond,
We got here just fine, and Donegal is a bless’d place. Every bit as pretty as Tandragee but with far more land to go around. I’ve tried my hand at being a merchant and doing quite well, if I do say so myself. I’m not only writing to tell you of our settling in but to give you some troubling news. Muirin seems to have come down with a blast. She’s one day rosy-cheeked and smiling and now is down with a nasty fever and cough. Your Ma and Art don’t leave her bedside, but she’s been asking for you whenever she wakes. I think you should come, son, the doctor says it’s looking grim. She might never comb a grey hair.
Godspeed,
Da

I stand up to pay some to Sean and leave for the road, when the door opens and Alister enters.

“Redmond, they’ve got one of your men down at Downpatrick.”

“What, which man?”

“Your man Dempsey. They brought his mother in last night, and since she was ill to start, he turned himself in this very morning.”

I put my hand up to my head. “What terrible timing.”

“Rumors have been swirling that they’re going to try to get him to talk in exchange for a pardon.”

“Cahir would never talk.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure, I’d heard he was already meeting with Lucas and turning crown’s evidence.”

I sit to think. “I was going to leave to go to see my sick wife in Donegal.”

“Not a good idea. If Cahir’s talking, you better go to the woods and sit tight. Plus Lucas has brought in more troops from Ulster. They’re all over the main roads, searching for Tories.”

I take out what I have left in my pocket and go to hand it to Alister, who grabs it up quickly. “Redmond, you better go disappear somewhere fast.” He walks out.

I turn to Sean, who heard the whole thing and becomes pale.

I ask, “Might you have a piece of paper somewhere so I can write to Muirin why I can’t come.”

Sean gives me a pained look. “Sure thing, and I’ll even post it for you too.”

After the letter’s written, I head back to the main cave to tell the men.

“We already knew he went in for his mother, but do you really think he’d turn evidence on us all?” Bawn asks.

“He’ll lead them right to this spot,” Kelly says, “and we’ll all be swinging by the morrow.”

Síofra chides, “Cahir would never turn on us, you fools. He’d go down by himself if he had to. He had to free his sick ma. Stop speaking ill of him now.”

Everyone’s quiet after that, poking sticks in the fire and holding their pistols in the other hand.

Suddenly there’s noise of a horse coming. Everyone tenses and watches. I give the owl hoot to hear one right back. “Relax, it’s one of us.”

Cahir appears through the bushes. “Why’s everyone so quiet?”

Síofra goes running to him and jumps into his arms.

“Dempsey’s back!” Liddy yells.

He puts her back down after the embrace, and we all notice his blooded lip and black eye.

Kelly whistles. “They sure did a number on you.”

William stands rigid, though, and says through his teeth, “You’re all fools. Don’t any of you realize that the very fact that Dempsey’s out and not staked on a spike is because he’s turned evidence?”

“Glad to see you too, William,” Cahir says with a smile as he sits by the fire.

“Is that true, Cahir? Did you turn evidence?” I demand.

“Sure ’tis true.”

William moves to go at him, but Liddy and Kelly hold him back.

Cahir laughs, though. “Wait, now, let me explain.”

William, keeps fighting to be freed to charge him.

“Will you control your man, Redmond?”

“William, sit down. We’ve got to hear him out.”

Cahir begins, “I turned evidence, sure, but all against my enemies: outlaws and shady characters around the county. This way I got to get out
and
put away our competition. Didn’t betray any of my confidences, which is why Lucas gave me these pucks.”

I smile, relieved at his loyalty and good wit. “How many did you impeach?”

“Seven of the worst, but I’ve heard they all got word anyway and blew out.”

William relaxes and sits again, but Cahir glares at him. “Where’s my apology?”

William smiles, bends over, and drops his pants. “Right here.” Pointing to his left cheek.

Everyone laughs, and all is right again. I avoid the tavern for a few days, afraid of a response to my letter. But Art comes walking into our camp, with a stone scowl upon his face.

“Art, how’s Muirin?” I ask.

He flies into a rage and shouts, “Like you really care! She’s been tortured with fever the last two weeks, crying your name, asking when you’ll come, and you just sit here with your boys like a child dodging chores!”

Cahir and Kelly get up to keep him back from me, but I wave them away.

I try, “Art, I got the letter last week, and then Cahir went to the gaol, and Alister warned me that the troops were all over the main roads and that I better stay here.”

“How’s it that I got here, then, huh?” he yells. “I didn’t see one redcoat the whole way!”

I’m quiet with guilt and say, “Can you just tell me how’s she’s faring?”

“She’s dead, Redmond! Died two days ago!” He turns to walk away but drops something in his wake. “Here’s her last letter to you. I’m going back to bury her.”

He disappears through the brush.

William and Berragh are sitting with me at the fire and both get up to leave me to read the letter. Seeing her elegant penmanship makes my eyes tear, and it takes quite a bit to even begin to read. I know that whatever is written on the page would make my heart ache for the rest of my life.

My Dearest Redmond,
‘Remembered Joy
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free!
I follow the plan God laid for me.
I saw His face, I heard His call,
I took His hand and left it all…
I could not stay another day,
To love, to laugh, to work or play;
Tasks left undone must stay that way.
And if my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss…
Ah yes, these things I, too, shall miss.
My life’s been full, I’ve savoured much:
Good times, good friends, a loved-one’s touch.
Perhaps my time seemed all too brief—
Don’t shorten yours with undue grief.
Be not burdened with tears of sorrow,
Enjoy the sunshine of the morrow.’
No matter how sad I seemed at the end, I would spend a hundred sad days for the happy days of the beginning. You were the song in my life, and I will love you always.
Until we meet again in a better place,
Your Muirin

William pats me on the back and says quietly, “The earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot heal.”

I tuck the letter into my coat pocket and go off alone in the woods.

Chapter 19

Berragh and I are up all night waiting for a merchant carriage due in off the ferry. After taking the money and goods and hiding them at various locations in the woods, we decide to catch a nap before heading back to the main cave to report. Exhausted, we lie down in bushes to sleep. I’m so tired that the first time something crawls across my face, I barely even wake up, but the second time the thing comes back, I grab it by the tail and see ’tis a lizard. As I lower the tiny thing into the grass, I look up to see a tusked wild boar staring right at me. As I move, the thing charges, and I grab at Berragh, waking him, and we run off toward the road. The thing’s catching up to me something quick, so I go back through the other way, heading for a large tree that’s near where we were resting before. I jump for the lower limb right as the thing reaches me, and swing my legs around the branch to pull myself up. The beast stays on the ground, rubbing its tusks back and forth on the trunk. I decide to see where Berragh has gone and climb to the top of the tree. I see him swimming across the violent river. He reaches the opposite bank and stands up, searching for me.

I scream from the treetop, “The beast’s still under me!”

Berragh, finding me in the tree, smiles and puts his wet arms up and screams triumphantly, “He who is meant to hang can never drown!”

As I’m laughing, something catches my eye about halfway up the very same road we would be returning on. It’s a large militia ambush. If the boar hadn’t run me up the tree to see that, I would’ve been caught for sure.

I whistle to Berragh and motion in the direction and call out, “Ambush!”

He calls back, not too loud, “Main cave!” and points in the direction of the other road. I nod and watch him whistle for his horse to cross the river and leave. As soon as I see the boar leave, I crawl back down, and the whole way home I think about all the people who knew I was taking that road home today.

I need some time to think about the ambush, so I head to the tavern. Sitting alone in the snug, I go over and over what I said to which person. I jump to my pistol under my coat when someone lays a hand on my shoulder.

Alister throws his hands back. “Don’t shoot!”

I relax. “Sorry, I’m a little jumpy.”

“Perfectly understandable for a man with £100 on his head.”

“Someone set me up for an ambush yesterday, and I’m trying to figure out who ’twas.” I know ’tis safe to talk to him about it, since I haven’t talked to him in a week.

“I’ll be on the lookout for a spy for you. I’ll watch everyone coming and going from Lucas’s office. Follow him out when I can to see where he goes.”

“You’re a true friend, Alister, many thanks for that.”

“Well, I have some more news having to do with the good Archbishop Plunkett.”

“Oh, is he saying more sermons against me, telling the locals to turn against the Tories?”

“No, he’s been arrested, accused of conspiring for the Catholics abroad.”

“They’re starting a holy war here, if they don’t release him.”

“Problem is they keep searching for those to testify against him, but they can’t get a soul to.”

“Rightly so, I hope he’s freed in a week. But what’s this have to do with me, then?”

He takes a deep breath. “Word is that if you were to offer up your testimony against him, you and all your men would be
unconditionally
pardoned for your crimes.”

I push back in my chair from the shock. “You’ve got to be kidding me? They’re that desperate! A full pardon for me and my men!” I whistle long.

“It’s something you might want to think about. Redmond, the noose is getting tight for you now. This may be your only chance at a long life.”

“Oh, it might be nice to think about, but no sooner would I curse in church than I would perjure an innocent man. Nope, not on my soul.”

“Well, I knew you’d probably say that, but I thought I should tell you.” He gets up to go, and I push him a pouch I had in my pocket.

“Will they let him go if no one testifies?”

“No, I heard they’ll take him to the tower.”

“May the Lord be with him, then, and many thanks for your loyalty.”

“I’ll be on the lookout for you.” He gives me a strong nod.

“I know you will, Alister. God bless you.”

Chapter 20

Captain arranges for us to have a whole house and three jugs of poteen to ourselves, since a nephew of his is away. We thought it best that we take turns in the house since ’tis good to have someone at the main cave at all times. If anyone gets close, they’ll be able to get our weapons to safety. So Berragh, Kelly, Liddy, Hogan, Ned, and a new young recruit who has taken a liking to William, all volunteer to stay at camp.

“We’ll switch camps at nine. See you all along the path later,” I say.

Kelly shouts, “Leave some poteen for us, would you!”

Cahir says, “Let’s see if I’m in a charitable mood!”

A stick comes flying toward us on our way out the path. The house is close, maybe a half mile from the main camp. On the way, Art comes up right next to me, and I can hardly make out his face.