The Irish Emporium

Chapter 6

The next morning, when I woke up, I wasn't quite sure where I was for a minute. The sounds of Mrs O'Reilly shuffling about the house and of Mother's coughs brought back the memories of all that had happened. Except, I still didn't know what happened the day I tried to go to Aldare.

I slowly eased myself until I was sitting upright, but before I could get out of bed completely, Mrs O'Reilly came over to me.

"How are you this morning Claire?" she said.

"I'm alright. How's Mother feeling now?" I asked anxiously.

"She's doing a bit better than she was. Catherine's still here looking after her, but you shouldn't be worrying your pretty head about Mother. She's in good hands, but it's time you got some answers."

This made me wince inwardly. I had never been a beauty compared to some of the other village girls. I hadn't seen them for a while since the famine started and I had to stay home to look after Mother. I was always smaller, more slight, while the other girls were growing taller all around me. I knew some girls would have killed to have my thick, curly, long hair and green eyes, but I still couldn't help comparing myself to the girls that had silky blonde or fiery red hair, instead of brown. A lot of girls had blue eyes as well, even dark, intense brown ones, and I longed to have them instead of looking like a witch.

Even though my family had a little more money to spare than some of the girls, even after Father died and Mother had to work full time in the emporium, I still felt like they always had nicer clothes than me. Mother made my everyday dress, a pale green woollen garment, and I wore a plain white apron over it, and it looked quite nice. But some of the girls with richer parents had dresses made by dressmakers in towns, and they were quite stylish with fitted waists and other accessories. I was constantly comparing myself to everyone else, and hearing Mrs O'Reilly praise me for my beauty just brought back painful memories.

"Get out of bed and come to the kitchen, and then we'll talk about what's happened the last few days."

I tried to get up and tidied as quickly as possible, but it was quite hard, as the desire to lie down again was overwhelming. I somehow conquered it, and within a few minutes, I was seated at Mrs O'Reilly's kitchen table, tucking in on bread crusts that were very stale, but times were desperate and there was very little food left.

"I don't know how we're going to get through this famine with no potatoes, but it's time for you to get the answers you deserve. What's the last thing you remember Claire?"

"Well...I was on the way to Aldare, in Sean's cart, and I fell asleep with all of the stock beside me. Then there was shouting, and Chestnut reared, and that's all I can remember." My eyes started to sting again at the mention of the stock, stock that Mother and I had worked so hard to make and was now gone.

"Poor dear, losing all you've worked for. Well, this is going to be hard for you to hear, but...it was Sean that took your stock."

What?! But how? Why! I never really liked Sean that much, but I didn't expect him to take what he KNEW that took a lot of hard work from Mother and I.

Mrs O'Reilly saw my shocked face, and said kindly, "Yes, it is a bit of a shock, isn't it? He's being questioned by some police in the town you were nearest to when it happened. The greedy man couldn't resist the sight of all of your food just sitting there."

"What exactly happened, though? I'm a little confused about Chestnut's rearing and all of the bumping. What was that for?"

"It was probably to confuse you, as you were asleep. The road you were on was quite uneven, but he's got that horse trained up rightly. I'm glad to see the back of him. Oh dear, don't cry, Claire!"

I couldn't help it. I couldn't believe that Sean had done such a thing. All of that hard work, wasted, and I still didn't have any money. I needed food, and medicine, and baking supplies, and materials to make things for the emporium, but now there was no hope of that. I had taken most of the stock from the shop that morning, and the rest of it wouldn't sell here. What was I going to do now?

I said so to Mrs O'Reilly, and her answer shocked me.

"A lot of people have been emigrating to America, over the sea, to start a new life. You could go on the next boat in a few days, but it's your choice. You'll have to be very tough to try and make a living there, and you'll have to stay for a good few years to earn anything and send it home. Again, it's your choice, but think about it."

Could I really make this sacrifice for Mother? I'd never been more than a few miles from home, but this was my only option left. I had to take this chance.

Later that day, I made up my mind. I was going to America on the next boat, and taking the business with me. The Irish Emporium is going to America.