Chapter 15
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I finish dishing out the hot chicken stew into individual pots.
“Jakob?” I call out for my eldest, cocking my head to listen for his response or the stomping of little feet.
“Mutti!” He comes running inside, Riordan right behind him and a couple of the neighbor boys.
“Please ring the bell.” I had Padraig install a simple bell to be rung whenever the community meal preparation is complete.
We all take turns baking or cooking something nearly every day, this was easier to let everyone know their portion was ready to pick up.
The boys have such a fun time pulling the string to ring it.
Noemi puts her hands over her ears because of the noise but still grins or giggles every time.
Half the pots are gone when I feel strong arms encircle my waist from behind.
With a contented sigh, I lean back into Paddy’s chest, letting him take my weight.
I missed him. It has been hours that feel like days.
This is love. In its purest form. And something that has been sorely missing from my life.
I have never met a couple more connected than Paddy and I.
Longevity does not equal happiness, it does not equal respect, admiration, or love.
Paddy and I burn with a passion I did not know existed and can no longer live without.
These last eight months have been wonderous.
I sleep better, my headaches have lessened, the boys are carefree…
we are unburdened. Darragh’s death set us free.
To love and be loved the way we deserve.
I pity my parents, my siblings, the other wives of the patch.
They will never know how extraordinary love can be.
And until Paddy, I was as oblivious as they.
Accepting the life I had been dealt, existing by the whims and machinations of others, surviving on scraps.
I live in the same patch, I have the same friends, however, the difference in my life from Darragh to Paddy is absolutely remarkable.
And I will fight with everything I have to keep it. For my babes. For myself. For Paddy.
“A mhuirnin. You smell good. Like potatoes.” Laughing, I turn in Paddy’s arms and wrap mine around his waist. I breathe him in and melt into his embrace. He is my forever home.
“Has something happened? Why are you home so soon?”
“Wish me gone, do ye?”
I squeeze tighter and make a small, distressed sound. “Never.”
“I brought someone to meet ye. He will be staying for supper.” Unusual, but it is no worry, we have plenty.
I release him and step back, wiping my hands on my towel, then glance up and smile at the man near our front door. He is wearing dirty overalls, but something about him speaks to the finer things in life. If Paddy brought him home for supper, he must be a decent fella.
“Welcome to our home. I am Trinli Fitzgerald, Padraig’s wife.” I reach out a hand for him to shake, he eyes it with a grin, then takes it enthusiastically.
“Emil Laurent. It is a pleasure to meet you, Trinli. Your Paddy has been talking my ear off about you; I just had to meet you.” He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring, as he releases my hand. “It smells delicious in here. Paddy tells me it is chicken stew night for the patch.”
The longer Emil Laurent is in our home, the more he feels like a long-lost friend.
We spend hours chatting over supper, he reads to the boys, helps clean up, all while engaging both Paddy and I in meaningful conversation.
He treats Paddy as a friend, and I am no different.
My opinions, experiences, my work in the patch and the tenement back in Baltimore all matter to him as he asks question after question.
“A company is only as strong as its employees. If they are mistreated, undervalued, or mismanaged a company has no hope for long term success or loyalty. That thinking has served me well in business, and in life, if I am honest. From our tour, Paddy, and in speaking with you on more personal matters…I am looking to partner with an employee-first company. ‘Miner-friendly’, if you will. Do you consider Magnus Mining Company a company that puts its employees first?”
I bite my tongue and stare wide-eyed at Paddy as he considers his answer. Finally, my husband sags in his seat and exhales shakily. “I do not, sir.”
“I would agree with you.”
I place my hand on Paddy’s thigh under the table. He glances at me with a strained smile. “If you are looking for ‘miner-friendly’, I would consider Owen Coal Company near Athens, Ohio. I have heard while places like Magnus are looking for warm bodies, Owen would prefer competent bodies instead.”
“It will be alright, honey,” I offer quietly. Paddy’s expression is remorseful, knowing he likely just lost Magnus the lucrative contract with Emil’s company. “We will figure out what comes next together.”
“Aye,” he responds gruffly, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips before straightening in his seat and squaring his shoulders.
“Why have you not sought employment with them?” Emil’s question catches Paddy off guard.
“I could not leave Magnus when I first heard about Owen Coal. My life,” Paddy glances at me with a soft grin, “my love was here. My Trin earns money from the town for various jobs, and since our wedding I have worked odd jobs in town as well, but we have not saved enough to cover the fare for six people. Honestly, I would hope to leave the coal industry altogether than travel and restart somewhere else, especially with the babes being so little. And maybe more on the way.” Paddy places his hand over my stomach and kisses the side of my head.
I know coal mining is not Paddy’s passion in life, but perhaps I did not pay close enough attention to his wants and needs.
I feel terribly selfish expecting him to stay in the same dangerous job, though I had never given it much thought.
He is right, though, it would take us a long time to save enough money to start over somewhere else, whether he was a miner or not.
“I am so sorry, Paddy, I did not know—”
“Hush, cailin. You give me everything I will ever need and more. You and the children. I do not need anything but your health and happiness.”
“Yours is just as important.” I argue, earning a smirk and a kiss on the tip of my nose.
“It is safe to say, my Maeve will love you both.” Emil startles me. Truthfully, I had forgotten he was here. Ashamed, I cover my red cheeks with my hands and offer him an apologetic smile.
“Oh, do you live nearby? I apologize, I was under the impression, you lived further away.”
Emil shakes his head. “We live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, about a 10-hour train ride.”
“When I came here from Baltimore it was almost 14 hours. Though, I imagine your accommodation was more comfortable than mine. Is your wife in town? Or will she be joining you?”
“No, Trinli, you mistake me.” Emil looks between Paddy and I.
Studiously examines us both before sucking in a deep breath that lifts his broad shoulders.
“I am Jewish.” Paddy and I share a confused glance, then turn back to Emil as we wait for him to explain.
He chuckles, though it is not as humorous as his normal laugh. “You do not care?”
“About what?” Paddy asks.
“That I am Jewish.”
“No? Is it relevant to something we are not aware of?”
“My family are Russian Jews. My wife’s family is Irish Catholic.”
Paddy snickers. “You do not hear that combination often, now do ye?”
“You do not, but that is a story for another time. I want to be up front and honest with you both as what I am about to propose would be considered wildly preposterous by many. I understand we only made acquaintances earlier today, however, I am a pretty good judge of character. It does not take me long to gauge a man, or woman’s, mettle. ”
“Emil, speak plainly.” Paddy urges, his hand now clutching mine as we wait for Emil to reach his point.
Paddy is as impatient as I am it seems, not because we have better things to do, but he can sense as I do that whatever Emil is about to say is going to irrevocably change our lives.
And if the butterflies in my stomach are anything to go by, I would wager it will be for the better.
I do not want to be too optimistic, good things do not happen often around here.
Rather than be offended, Emil laughs. “I want you and your family to accompany me back to my home and work with my family.”
“Sir, I am a miner, not a—”
“No, you are thoughtful, conscientious, and honorable. And exactly the type of person I want to work beside. However, I meant Trinli.”
“What?” Paddy and I ask in unison.
“You are not a miner, Paddy, not at heart. You are better suited to something more worthwhile. And Trinli, your husband said you would amaze me and he was right, though perhaps he underestimated you…or me. My wife is the type of woman who is not happy unless her hands are in the earth. I imagine, Trinli, you could teach her a thing or two, and I hope you do. After that, though, I want you to work with me at Laurent Textiles while Paddy oversees my property as the foreman. Maeve has created her own menagerie of animals, vegetables, and fruits. She is also pregnant with our second child with a precocious 2-year-old daughter running her ragged.”
“But if you run a successful business, why would your wife work the land?” The question is out before I can think it through. However, I do not apologize or wish to take it back. I need to test the mettle of the man offering us a new life and the wife he’s left at home.
“Trinli, my dear, I think you already know the answer to that.” I do.
Raising my babes is the greatest gift I have ever been given, and I cherish my moments with them, so much so that I removed my diaphragm in the hopes of having another little one with Paddy’s eyes and the mischievous curve of his mouth.
And yet…a part of me remains restless, searching for something else.
And he’s right, I find that in the soil of the earth, in the stitch of a dress, in the full bellies of my neighbors and friends nourished by my hand.
“And instead of working with Maeve, you want me in the factory?”
“Yes and no. I believe that you are exactly what Laurent Textiles needs to bring it well into the 20th century. You run this patch like a seasoned military general, garnering respect as well as results. You will, at first, whip my employee pool into shape, streamline everything until we are running as efficiently as possible, then I want you to expand our reach further than I ever thought possible. The world is changing, and we either change with it or we fall behind.”
“And me, Emil?”
“Well, Paddy, primarily I want you to work the property with Maeve and the others. In addition to my being Jewish, we employ several Negros. If that is going to be a problem for either of you, I will bid you goodnight now.”
I share another look with Paddy and grin. “Emil, we do not much care how or where you worship, or what color your skin might be, so long as you are an honest, hard-working, and fair person.”
Emil blinks rapidly and if I knew him better, I would be able to confidently say he is about to cry.
Adorable. “Paddy, before you start working with Maeve, I want you to travel with me to suppliers, mines, and such to assess the working conditions, company ethics, and weed out the undesirable companies to work with in the future. I do need a coal supplier, and I am willing to pay a little more to cover the distance knowing the coal I need did not take the lives of good men to obtain. Once that is sorted, you will be on the farm, and Trinli will come with me to the factory.”
“This is…this is a lot, Emil. We met less than twelve hours ago, and you are offering us a grand future on a silver platter.” Paddy leans forward, staring shrewdly at Emil. “What is the catch?”
“The catch is…my wife is a terrible cook.”
I lean my head against Paddy as we both laugh hysterically. The boys come running from outside and jump into our laps. Emil stares at us, Jakob helping Noemi toddle over to Emil. He lifts her into the air, bringing her squealing into his lap.
Over the top of Riordan’s head, I meet Emil’s gaze. “Where would we live?”
“We have an extensive property. The others who work for us have small cottages on plots at the edges of our property line; they own free and clear. Given your family size, I would say something larger than a cottage is in order and in a more secluded area of the property, so while that is being built, you will stay with Maeve, Hazel, and I in the big house.”
I swallow past the lump of emotion that clogs my throat, my eyes filling faster than I can wipe them away. “Why us?”
His expression softens looking down at our little girl chattering nonsense.
“I cannot say definitively. I have learned never to question my gut, and my gut says I need this family on my side. But it is more than that. Have you ever…” He trails off, looks between Paddy and I and shrugs.
“The moment I laid eyes on my wife, I knew she was integral to my existence. We had not uttered a word to one another, but I knew. With absolute certainty.” I look up at Paddy and find him already smiling down at me.
“I see you two know exactly of what I speak. Big changes are coming and your family is integral to my family’s existence. ”