A Battle of Pride and Desire

Chapter Three

The town was busy for a Sunday night and Brigette blended into the blur of people. Sundays were a fun day for her, a day of rest and relaxation. The people chatting and buzzing around the town suggested that perhaps it wasn't such a restful day after all. Although people would set about their business the next day, Erinean culture simply meant having fun the night before, regardless of responsibilities the next day. What was work good for if one could not have fun in their free time? Cobbler's Lane was just outside of the town centre to allow for the size of the houses there. Brigette never ventured towards that side of town normally but when she was younger she had memories of going to after parties in the houses of Cobbler Lane following a performance by her dad at the town hall. This was the first time since her father's death that she had been invited there again. Soon, she found her way through the hustle and bustle of Dune Bríd and found herself on the cobble stoned footpath of Cobbler's Lane. The air smelt different here, richer. Each house had five windows to be seen from the street, a sign of wealth. Brigette knew which house belonged to the spice seller family because of its orange paint. She remembered being fascinated by the home as a child because of how it differed from the other houses of Cobbler's Lane. While most were painted white, this one was orange because of the trade the family was in. Cobbler's Lane wasn't so much a lane but a long and wide street that stretched on forever. The only reason it was named as such was because it used to be a lane before Erinea knew what wealth even meant.

Brigette braced herself, rolling her shoulders as she walked up the driveway to the door. She took a deep breath and rapped on the door quickly. She could hear chatter inside with some music playing. A set of footsteps could be heard walking to the door and the door was yanked open to reveal a beaming Noreena.

"Brigette! You came!" Noreena didn't give Brigette time to react and pulled her into a hug. "I knew you would come eventually, I just didn't think you'd come so soon after I invited you."

Brigette shrugged, slightly taken aback by the hug, "You seemed fun, how could I say no."

"True, very true," Noreena nodded with mock seriousness.

She stood back from the door and gestured Brigette to come in. Brigette stepped in nervously and glanced around the hallway. It was massive with glossy hardwood floors and a staircase that lead to the heavens. Brigette could hear traditional music being played from a room somewhere in the house and it grew louder as Noreena ushered her through the house. They passed about fifty door before Brigette could see the source of the music. There were about five people seated in the drawing room, all of whom were playing an instrument. The music quickly came to a halt when Noreena and Brigette walked in.

"Everyone, this is Brigette Nic Dara, I mentioned she might come around today," Noreena introduced her.

The bundle of nerves in Brigette's stomach didn't ease as all the people in the room took her in. There were three boys and two girls, all of whom were beautiful in their own right. The drawing room smelt of draught beer and gin. This was typical of Erinea; draught beer was a delicacy of sorts and during the off season gin would be made. The smell made Brigette relax slightly because no matter what class you fell into in Erinea, everyone knew those smells.

"Nice to meet you, Brigette," one of the girls said, startling Brigette out of her stupor.

"Brigette, this is Niamh, Oisín, Aisling, Oscar, and Cathal," Noreena said pointing at each one of them. "They've been my best friends since school and always will be."

"Grab a drink, Brigette," Oscar said, holding out the black stuff.

Brigette accepted it graciously and took a seat at the end of one of the couches. Quickly, the music began again and Brigette tapped her foot in time to the beat. They were playing a song she recognised from her father. Noreena began to pick up a flute and Niamh hooted from where she was playing the concertina. Everyone in the room was red-faced, a sign that they were a few drinks in by now. Two drinks in and an Erinean wouldn't be able to resist playing a few tunes.