Be Still My Banshee Heart

Chapter 4

Hello you lovely lot, I hope you are enjoying Samuel and Mary's story so far.
Just a little warning this story is going to become a little darker with scenes of strong violence.
Please only read on if you are comfortable with this.

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Chapter 4

Mary didn't disappear to the nothingness she went to at the end of each night, she was home, back at the little home she had shared with her husband Fergus and their daughter Elizabeth. Mary gasped quickly running to the door not able to wait to get a glimpse of her baby girl after all this time.

She neared the small cottage to be welcomed by the sound of laughter, such a common sound that had been in her life when it was just her and Bethy.

Smiling she came closer to see it was her laughter she could hear.

Mary peered through the window her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her baby playing happily with her Ma.

Ring a Ring o' Roses, A pocket full of posies, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.

They happily sang skipping in circles, falling to the ground in giggles at the end.

"Again, again," Bethy cheered,

"Bethy we have sang the night away your Pa will be home soon we need to be getting you into bed."

"But mama," Bethy sulked, bottom lip pouting out causing Mary to hide her smile.

"Come on now with you," Mary scooped her little girl up into her arms raining affectionate kisses to her hair making her way towards Bethys room.

"But mama I'm not sleepy," yawned Bethy,

"Your not, why you sure sound sleepy," Mary said as she gently unbraided Bethys blond hair then picked up a comb to smooth the tangles before tucking little Bethy snugly under the covers. She gently sang a blessing asking the angels to watch over her baby as she did every night.

Mary wanted Bethy fast asleep before her Pa got home it was after 8pm now.

Mary knew Fergus was down at the local tavern having his fill of ale, knew his temper would be rising with every drop.

Climbing into the twin bed she shared with Fergus she pulled the covers tightly to her neck and prayed sleep would come before he came home looking for a fight.

It hadn't always been this way, Fergus had been her childhood sweetheart so charming and funny with his schoolboy good looks all the girls had wanted him yet he had picked her.

Naturally over time they had wed and had Bethy, they had been so happy with the small piece of land Mary's Pa had given them as a wedding gift. Made a home converted one of the outbuildings into their little cottage, started to farm the land they had a nice little life, Mary had been happy.

After a couple of years of happiness went by the hard times had struck the outgoings of running the farm had started to overtake the incomings.

Fergus had needed to start making more journeys to the nearby town to sell their produce.

Mary started to notice Fergus was coming back later and later with each visit to the town, noticed the strong smell of ale and the change in his temper.

It wasn't so bad at first he just took to ignoring Mary and little Bethy his only interest in his next visit to town.

Not long after the temper got worse, the first time he struck Mary was when she had asked for money. Bethy had needed some new shoes she was due to start the local village school the following week. Fergus had flown into a terrible rage, he had accused Mary of trying to belittle him that she knew he had no money was struggling to put food on the table.