Page 89 of Against Ebony Irish Seas

He couldn’t believe this. “I’ve lived in my village my whole life,and people are saying this about me!”

“Only a few.” Carrick laid a hand on his shoulder. “Mary started this, I’ve no doubt. At the protest she called out something about Bets having ruined Donal, and now they’re saying Sophie is doing the same to you. Jamie, these same people said you took off time from school for this.”

He almost doubled over at that sucker punch. “They’re questioning my loyalty to my students and my oath as a teacher?”

Everyone was silent before his brother nodded. “It’s the worst sort of spite I’ve ever heard in my whole life.”

Kade finally walked over and took him by the other shoulder. “Some people like to hurt others, and Mary and Orla know how to rile people up. Sex has always been a hot and predictable topic. Who’s having it. Whether they should be and with whom. Are they married? What does it say about the woman? You know the undercurrent of that kind of talk.”

He did. He’d just never been the target.

“It’s not right,” Kade said in that even tone of his, “but it’s something you’ll have to deal with. Both as a member of the community and one of its teachers. We decided to tell you first and then let you decide what to tell Sophie. Because it’s all over the village, Jamie, whether we like it or not.”

It felt like he’d been turned inside out. “She’s been on cloud nine with all the support. This will crush her. Calling her those things and saying what they have about us…”

“She’s stronger than she knows,” Liam said, drawing his gaze. “And so are you. When someone lies about you, you set the record straight.”

“But I shouldn’t have to!” he finally exploded. “I’ve lived a good life. All my life. In this very village! And taken grand care of their children, for pity’s sake!”

Kade gripped his shoulder. “We know, Jamie, and most in Caisleán do too. This is vicious gossip from evil people. We need to raise our voices over them.”

“Until their lies are drowned out by the truth,” Declan finished.

He hung his head. “What am I supposed to do? Stand on a chair in the pub or the square and tell everyone I’m not having deviant sex with Sophie? That I love her with all my heart and want to marry her, and she isn’t leading me to ruin? For all that’s holy, now I feel like I need to delay asking her because these vipers will assume it’s to cover up our deviant behavior. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” And he’d just started letting himself dream of buying a ring and asking for her hand…

“Maybe you should tell them the sexispretty wild,” Kathleen said, “because that’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re in love. Stick it to them in the face.”

Declan put his arm around her and kissed her. “That’s not Jamie’s way.”

“I’m not speaking of my sex life,” he said in a resounding voice. “It’s our private business.”

“Then you keep telling everyone how much you love Sophie,” Liam said, “and we’ll keep talking about how the walls and gate wouldn’t be needed if Denis and others at the Garda did their job and caught those vandals.”

“And your brother and friends will keep reminding people in the shops and at the bar and on the street that Jamie Fitzgerald is the same good man and teacher this village has known and not to listen to these gossips,” Carrick said with more compassion than Jamie had ever seen from him.

He tried to hold on to the kindness of the words but felt overwhelmed. “I…thank ye. All of ye.”

“Brady will be holding court in the pub with a bunch of us today to talk about these matters,” Liam said, “while Carrick and Kade are going to pay some calls. I imagine others will start to join us as they hear about what’s papering the village. I’m headed to my mum’s to tell her and Linc shortly.”

“And I’m off to Donal,” Carrick said, “where I believe Ghislaine will be, as they’re inseparable and better for it. It’s not going to an easy few days, Jamie, but we’ll fight it with the truth just the same.”

The ability to nod was beyond him. “Again, I thank ye. I should…go home and talk to Sophie.”

Carrick pounded him on the back and then hugged him. “You should go for a drive. Let us handle the talk today while you find your feet.”

How could he find his feet when they were mired in a quicksand of hateful lies? “We’d been planning to. I’ll…see myself out.”

He had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Driving home slowly, he tried to rehearse what he could say to Sophie. But how did you tell the woman you love she’d been branded a whore set on ruining him?

She was still working away as he let himself back inside. “Hi! Come see this! A Basque shepherd in Wyoming and some other ranch workers sprayed over two hundred sheep with positive words and took them through the center of town to encourage more kindness amongst the townspeople. He thanked Keegan for giving him a way to show his community how much they mean to him, having welcomed him with open arms. Oh, Jamie, I was in tears reading his post.”

He shrugged out of his coat and hung it in the closet. She was so happy—

“What’s wrong?” She shot out of her chair and rushed to his side. “Did something happen on the way home?”

Taking her in his arms, he looked down at her dear face. “I have something to tell you. Mary and Orla have responded, and it’s ugly. As ugly as it gets.”

Her face was like a map of her inner turmoil as he told her, going from ice to fire and then to brokenness. Afterward, he held her as she cried, his own eyes wet with tears.

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