Part 23-By Our Own Hands

Episode 23 of By Our Own Hands Within a few days, Dr. Thorpe arrived with Francis. When I saw them enter, I ran for Sean. I knew that he was curious about the doctor. I ran to the stables and found him. Hurry, hurry, the doctor is here, I said. And Francis too, he asked. Yes, of course, I said. We ran back to the house. Sally followed us. We entered the hall and were surprised to see Mr. Grierson walking towards Mr. Adair Steady.

His face was contorted with fury. Sean gave me a questioning glance. This could prove to be eventful, he whispered. Mr. Grierson walked into the room and left the door wide open. Sean and I crouched nearby. We knew that we would have no difficulty hearing adults. Mr. Grierson's arrival did not go over well with Dr. Thorpe, who immediately excused himself.

Good day, Mr. Adair, Mr. Bradley. I will call another time, he said. He left the room quickly with Mr. Adair calling after him. Dr. Thorpe, we have barely exchanged two words. The doctor did not turn around. He headed straight for the door. I watched him until I heard Mr. Adair's voice. Angry, are we?

you should thank me i am the reason the sheriff released you mr adair said in a mocking tone mr adair cleared his throat and continued on the condition that you do not bear arms you are forbidden to do so lad he added i gasped i looked at sean who was equally shocked mr grierson had a temper but he would never actually shoot someone He had never threatened a tenant with gunfire as Mr. Adair often had. Mr. Adair's condition was absolutely unnecessary.

Furthermore, Mr. Grierson understood what the other Scots had failed to understand. The tenants of Derivay were not violent. There was no reason to carry a gun for protection. Mr. Gerson was known to shout at tenants, but he had never made it known that he carried a gun. He hadn't done so because he hadn't armed himself. Mr. Adair was aware of this, and yet he still placed this special condition on Mr. Grierson's release. His stipulation carried with it many implications.

That was your condition, Mr. Grierson said. Yes, it was, Mr. Adair said. Why? I lost control of myself, but the bastard implied that I, that your men, are murderers, he shouted. Mr. Adair chuckled. I can understand why the sheriff would suspect you, he said. I heard him walk towards Mr. Gerson. I handed Sally to Sean and silently crept to the open door. I peeked through the crack.

i saw mr adair standing nose to nose with mr grierson i heard breathing not far from the door and knew that it was francis The sheriff knows that three men killed James Murray. There were three sets of footprints. Rankin and Campbell were there. We all know that. Who left the third set of footprints? Perhaps it was you. I could convince others of that, Mr. Adair whispered. Mr. Gerson shoved Mr. Adair as he shouted, It was you. Mr. Adair slyly smiled at him.

Try convincing anyone of that, he said. Mr. Gerson left the room. He quickly walked to the front door. He left and the door slammed shut behind him.

Mr. Dare closed his door. Once the door to the study room closed, I turned and looked at Sean. He motioned for me to follow. We went to the front door and quietly left the house. we saw mr grierson walking ahead of us we ran to catch up to him when we had almost reached him he turned around i could see that he was surprised to see us

He looked at us and started to turn around again. We all know that it was him, but no one can prove it, Sean blurted out. Mr. Grierson stared at Sean. You cannot either. sean added i know that lad he said leave don't look back i said he reached out and patted me on the top of my head i believe you have the right idea he said He turned around and continued to walk away from the house. Sean gave me a troubled look. We both turned back towards the house. We slowly walked towards the front door.

Before we could reach the door, Francis opened the door. He walked out of the house and right past us without acknowledging us. He was deathly pale. He looked absolutely devastated. I wondered what terrible news the doctor had given him about his father. Then I recalled his state when he had first arrived. Sean, Francis didn't look so terrible when he first arrived with the doctor, I said. Mr. Dare's confession probably upset him, Sean whispered.

I couldn't see how that could be the case. We all knew it to be true. We had known for some time. The only surprise was that Mr. Adair had been so bold. We silently crept back into the house. We closed the door and walked past the study room. The door was still closed. I turned and saw that Mrs. O'Donnell was walking towards the study room with a tray. Run along, she said. I watched as she opened the door.

i saw a glimpse of mother before the door was closed i wondered how he had summoned mother so quickly she was very pale and her eyes were wide like a frightened deer Then I suddenly realized that she had been in a room all along. Sean rubbed the top of Sally's head and then headed for the kitchen. I knew that he was returning to the stables to finish his chores.

i heard the door to the study room open i turned to see mrs o'donnell leave the room she carefully closed the door she walked past me and gave me a warning look I knew that I was not to disturb Mr. Adair and Mother under any circumstances. I found a place near the door to his study and sat down. I sat there for two hours. when mr adair finally left his study he did not even notice me he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him he headed straight for the front door

I waited until I heard him open and close the front door before I tried to enter his study. I found the door locked. I knocked softly on the door. I stood still and waited. I knocked again and waited. I pressed my mouth to the door and whispered, Mother, open the door. I waited for at least a few minutes before I heard her unlock the door. i hesitated before i opened the door and entered the room she was seated on a sofa she did not look at me she was still pale she no longer looked frightened

Instead, she wore a look of sad resignation. Mother, what is wrong? I asked. Mother was silent. I did not approach her. I waited for her to speak. I stood still and waited for a couple of minutes. She remained silent and refused to look at me. Finally, I turned to leave. Then I heard her whisper to me, Aoife, I love you.

When you are older you will understand that love can make you do what you never thought yourself capable of doing, she said. She got up from the sofa and walked to the far side of the room. she turned away from me please leave me she said i stared at her for a few moments before i turned to leave before leaving the room i looked at her once more she was watching me the look on her face was pained and desperate i left the room the next day i searched for mother but the study room was locked again

Instead of visiting with mother, I went in search of Sean. I found him at his usual place at the stables. He rushed to me and motioned for me to follow him. We walked around the side of the house and followed the sound of voices. I heard the sheriff's voice. Then I heard Mr. Adair's. The third cottage down that path, Mr. Adair said. Can I speak with her? the sheriff asked. Of course, Mr. Adair answered casually. What is her name? the sheriff asked. Mrs. Dorian, Mr. Adair said.

How well does she know Mr. Grierson, the sheriff asked. She overheard her daughter and her daughter's friend speak of it. They were frightened. You are welcome to speak with any of them, Mr. Adair said. I stiffened. I looked at Sean. The third cottage down that path is Mr. Gerson's, he whispered. I know, I said. That will not be necessary. I'll have a look with my men, the sheriff said. I heard the sheriff walking away.

I heard him speaking with someone else, but I could not make out his words because he had moved too far away from me. Sean and I waited until we heard Mr. Adair open and close the front door before we looked around the corner of the house. The sheriff had two other men with him. They started to walk down the path. We waited until they had disappeared and we followed them. We can't follow them down the path with Sally. They will see us, Sean said. I nodded. He was right.

you follow them and hurry back i said feeling a pang of jealousy my mind was clouded by what i had heard what had mother told the sheriff Why had she involved me and Sean? I watched as Sean stealthily walked down the path. I saw him dart into a hedge when the sheriff turned around. I returned to the stables and waited for Sean. I did not have to wait for long. Sean returned within an hour. He was excited and winded.

have you been running i asked some of the way he said sean moore you know better than i began but he cut me off in mid-sentence Aoife, the sheriff raided Mr. Gerson's cottage. He tore it apart, Sean said. What was he looking for, I asked. A gun, Sean said. I was silent. Mr. Grierson wasn't allowed to have one. Mother wouldn't know whether he had one or not. We hadn't spoken with Mother about Mr. Grierson. Sean, why did Mother tell the sheriff that...

I started to ask before realization dawned on me. Mr. Dare wants everyone to know that Mr. Gerson doesn't have a gun, I said. I know, Sean said. But why? Everyone knows he never had one, I said. Sean did not answer me. Mother would not have lied to the sheriff unless Mr. Adair asked her to, I added, my voice trailing off. We looked at each other for a long time without speaking. I knew Mr. Adair asked her to lie for a reason, and that reason was probably sinister.

his special condition for mr gerson's release implied that mr gerson could not be trusted to keep a firearm Then Mr. Adair had made certain that everyone knew that Mr. Grierson wasn't armed. He did this by using mother to lie for him. Mr. Adair was setting a scene.

I hoped that my suspicions were wrong, but Mr. Adair proved them right later that evening. After Sean and I had retired for the night, I woke to the sound of voices that were coming from downstairs. I went into Sean's room, but his bed was empty. I walked to the main door to our rooms and opened the door just as Sean was returning. He was excited and even frightened. He pushed me back into the room.

If I get back inside, he whispered. He followed me into the room as he pushed me inside. What is it? I demanded. Francis shot Mr. Grierson tonight while he was trying to leave Derivay, he said, in a rushed and breathless voice. How did they know it was Francis, I asked. Mr. Grierson told Dr. Thorpe before he died, he said. I felt sick. I knew that Dr. Thorpe was a good man. Mrs. O'Donnell had assured me he was.

i also knew that he was not beholden to mr adair if he said that mr gerson identified his killer as francis then that is exactly what had happened i thought of the devastated look on francis's face when he passed us the night before mr adair must have threatened him what threat could have caused him to commit such a terrible act As soon as I asked myself that question, I thought of Michael Bradley. My heart broke for Francis.

I knew then that Mother's words had not only been an effort to try and explain her actions, but also those of Frances. Love can make you do what you never thought yourself capable of doing. Mr. Grierson had tried to heed my warning and leave without looking back, but Mr. Dare had not allowed him to do so. Mr. Adair had involved Mother and Frances. What became of Frances Bradley, Dr. Foxell asked.

He was charged with murder and three trials were held, but he was never convicted, I say. Dr. Foxlow has prepared more tea as well as sandwiches and sliced fruit. His creations are actually more impressive than Mrs. O'Donnell's, but I would never tell her this. He motions for me to follow him. We leave the kitchen and walk towards the morning room.

Francis was faithful to Mr. Adair. He remained silent throughout his trials. Mr. Adair paid for all of the legal fees incurred during the defense of Francis. mother remained faithful too she always regretted her part in a treachery against mr grierson she blamed herself for his death When she later became ill with consumption, she believed her illness to be her punishment. She was convinced that she was guilty of murder for her part in a terrible plot.

I had thought of mother's guilt on the day that Mr. Adair departed for Belfast. Dr. Foxlow had been with him in the library room. He was still trying to convince him to spare his tenants. I had entered the room carrying a tea tray. I had placed the tray on a table and turned to find Mr. Adair. He stood so close to me that I could smell his breath. pipe tobacco slightly tinged with decay. He stared directly into my eyes. I held his gaze. He handed me my letter and a small purse full of coins.

thank you sir i said he had smiled at me it was the same smile that he offered me later that evening then we were interrupted by the sound of a man's voice Sir, your carriage is ready. I looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man of no more than twenty. He wore a smart driver's suit. I looked at Mr. Adair once more.

his smile broadened he walked away and followed the young man i heard his voice carry back into the room as he spoke with mrs adair i looked in the direction of the doctor his eyes had not left me then i heard the front door close i walked towards the door to the library room to leave mrs adair entered the room she eyed me with disgust i gave her curt and sarcastic smile how dare you you insolent whore she shouted

I am not a whore, Mrs. Adair. Mr. Adair already has one, but this time around he married his whore, I said. Mrs. Adair walked to me and slapped me across the face. I looked directly at her and refused to look away. Leave this house immediately, she said in a low, threatening tone. I looked in the direction of the doctor. His expression was one of disbelief. I looked away. I walked out of the room and then out of the castle. I heard the pounding of old man Seamus's hammer as I walked away.

I wondered what the doctor thought of me at that moment. My thoughts have carried me away, and I have been silent for some time. We have seated ourselves in the morning room. I have allowed Dr. Foxlow to make our tea and place our sandwiches onto the plates. He looks in my direction. I find my voice again. The evictions of 1861 have left a scar on this country. Evictions and rack renting have always brought the old fear to the surface, I say.

the old fear he says yes that england wishes to rid herself of the gales and she will not cease until her task is complete i say He is silently contemplating my words. He looks at me and his eyes convey what his lips do not. He understands. Dr. Foxlow, I have one more tale I would like to share with you, I say. He smiles faintly and nods his encouragement. I take a deep breath and tell my tale. It is an incomplete tale, but I will still share it with Nathaniel. She dreamt of a great flood.

The floodwaters rose and she struggled to raise her head above the water. She rose to the surface and hungrily gulped for air, for life. She woke from the dream and heard the old woman's voice. There will be two exiled ones of the same blood. One is life and one is death. Life will beget life and bequeath his wisdom. Death will beget death and bequeath only misery. The life inside you must breathe. Give your child wisdom.

and your child will overcome. If you do not, your child will be overcome. We have all that we need to overcome. We must do so with our own hands. Take heed.

She woke from her dream. She was uncertain. She did not believe herself to be with child. She had been married to Oscar for several months, but she still continued to bleed monthly. She looked at Oscar, who still slept soundly next to her. His family had arrived at their village of Kildorary, the Oak Forest Church, almost a century earlier. His ancestor, Rory Dorian, had died at Sioux Finn, and his ancestress, Niamh, had fled to the Glen of Asheen. Her ancestors had lived at Kildori for longer.

They arrived at the time of the demon Oliver Cromwell. The lands had belonged to the earls of Kingston. Kildurri was named for an ancient church built by St. Mullaga. a holy well was only a mile from the village it was also a land of mountains to the east one could glimpse the gauti mountains with the knock meal down mountains further away

The Ballyhora Mountains were north of the village. To the south, the Nagel Mountains rose majestically. To the west, the mountains of County Kerry could be seen on a clear day. She watched Oscar breathe in his sleep. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and she started to fall asleep when the sound of a loud thud woke her. Oscar woke too.

the thud was coming from the front door it was still very early she rose from bed but oscar motioned for her to stay he dressed quickly and left their bedchamber she heard him walk to the door and open it she did not hear him speak soon she heard the door close he returned to their bed holding a letter he carefully read it It was well known that both she and Oscar were literate. She wondered if the letter was for them.

It was not uncommon for one of them to be asked to read something for one of their illiterate neighbors. She wondered if one of their neighbors had dropped by and given a letter to Oscar for him to read. what is it she asked it is a notice he said he did not look at her she felt her chest tighten they had waited for this day for months The kindly Earl of Kingston had fallen on hard times. All of Ireland had fallen on hard times.

They were in the grip of a devastating famine that had wrecked the potato crop for years. The Earl had been foolish with his money, and when the famine hit, he had been unwilling to evict many of his tenants. He had evicted some, but the experience had so shaken him that he had found himself unable to continue with any more evictions by 1851 only months before their marriage he had been forced to sell

22,000 acres to an Englishman named Nathaniel Buckley. All of Kildoree was part of the purchase. They were immediately issued notices to quit.

They had waited for months to receive their new leases. She knew that the notice in Oscar's hand pertained to the leases. He finally looked at her. Our landlord has sent an agent to inform everyone that their new leases will be offered next week. He will come to the village to meet with all of us, he said. She could see that he was troubled. She knew that he had more to tell her. She searched his face. He looked away again. What else does it say, she asked.

He writes that there will be a threefold increase in all rents, he said. She inhaled deeply. They could afford an increase. Even if their rent doubled, they could afford it, although they would struggle. They could not afford a threefold increase. She knew that none of her neighbors could. Kildurri had been largely spared the worse. They had not suffered evictions, and none of their neighbors had starved to death. If their rents increased threefold, this would all change.

What will we do? she asked. I will speak with Father Sullivan before I tell the rest of the village, he said. The new landlord wishes to rid himself of all of us, she said. oscar did not answer her he left the cottage she dressed and started preparing their morning meal oscar returned an hour later he entered the cottage she could see that he was even more troubled than before did you speak with father sullivan she asked yes he said sitting down heavily near the hearth

She gave him a cup of buttermilk and several slices of bread. He looked into her eyes as she handed him his meal. Father Sullivan is going to speak with each household today, he said. She knew that there was more that he wanted to tell her. He looked away. She waited for him to continue. Father Sullivan told me that the Oliver family is doing major renovations on their castle to prepare for a grand wedding that'll soon take place. One of their daughters...

is getting married, he said. He finally looked at her. They are hiring men and they are paying well. They will not hire many, but Father Sullivan believes that I should try and find work at the castle. You will have to work the land in my absence. It will provide us with enough to pay the rent, he said.

i understand i can manage she said father sullivan was clear they will not hire many most of the men of this village will not find work at the castle Father Sullivan wants me to go today before anyone else from our village has a chance to inquire, he said, looking away. There is no shame in that. You are more capable than any man in this village. Listen to Father Sullivan, she said. He nodded his agreement. I will go to the castle today, he said.

It was a three-hour journey on foot. He had never before been to the castle, but he knew the way. It was the route that his ancestors had taken when they had fled the Glen of Asheen. Oscar arrived shortly before midday. The grandiose castle was perched high enough for one to look over the Oliver's entire estate. It was one of the many castles of Ireland.

built for splendor and not for any practical defensive purpose he could see where extensive work was underway at one section of the castle He guessed that it was not the only part of the castle that was under renovation. Once he arrived, he asked to speak with the land agent. He was seated on a bench outside the castle that overlooked a garden. It was a fine day. He waited for fewer than ten minutes.

Then he heard laughter and conversation. He stood and saw that a man dressed in the clothes of a laborer was walking towards him. Flanked on either side of him were very beautiful young women. They were dressed exquisitely. Oscar had never seen such finery. Their finery clashed with the common clothes of the man between them. All three sets of eyes rested on Oscar and the threesome fell silent.

They stopped walking when they were only a few yards from him. He stood still and waited for one of them to speak with him. He looked away from them.