Flight of the Earls by Michael K. Reynolds

Author:Michael K. Reynolds
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Historical Christian
ISBN: 9781433678240
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Published: 2012-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

The American Dream

The oak clock on the mantel reminded Clare she needed to hurry. She was drained, but exhilaration also fueled in her step, carrying her through the exhaustion. A life of toil was all she knew, and in some sense it made her feel alive and at home in New York.

Clare was doing well in this burgeoning metropolis. It had only been four weeks since she arrived in America, and already she had comfortable shelter and a wage-earning job.

Even more important, Clare had settled into a weekly ritual of posting letters to her family at the Irish Society each Sunday afternoon. It was her one day of Sabbath on an otherwise grueling seventy-hour workweek. But her laborious schedule was well worth the joy she experienced each time she slid her letter and surplus earnings to Benjamin in his cage.

In her correspondences she provided many of the intimate details of her journey in America; however, there was one she chose to omit. There was no mention of the man named Patrick Feagles.

It was the least she could do in gratitude for his patronage. Not only did he provide their apartment free of rent, but Tressa purchased all of their food and stocked their cupboards whenever they were away. This gave Clare the freedom to put almost every dollar she earned into those envelopes heading across the Atlantic. In some way, Clare allowed it to serve as slow penance for her uncle’s sins.

Besides, the news of Patrick Feagles would only exacerbate Aunt Meara’s grief. No. Clare wasn’t fully convinced of her uncle’s version of his marital discord, but she could see little profit in challenging the truth. It was best for all if Uncle Tomas remained in his watery grave.

Clare sealed the tomb by deciding to refer to him now only by his adopted name. She didn’t know the sordid story behind his new identity and didn’t feel the need to pry further into his past. On this side of the ocean, Patrick Feagles he would be.

Not only was Patrick providing for their daily necessities, but he had been good on his word about getting them work. Both Seamus and Pierce worked “in the business” as Patrick described it, and she didn’t request any specifics on their duties, although she was convinced it would take them in an unfavorable direction.

Her brother had no such reservations. Seamus and Pierce were happily absorbed into the world of Patrick Feagles and shadowed the man as much as was tolerated. They would be out to the early hours of the day and sometimes not come home at all. Occasionally, she would see them at the card tables, in the taverns, or on the streets making transactions with nebulous characters.

Clare did worry about her brother, but it was time to loosen her grip of stewardship on Seamus. He was too old to coddle and it was time for him to reap or suffer from his own choices without her interference. Besides, he had tasted the freedom that came from being an immigrant in another country and no longer recognized her authority.

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