«Dolly!»
Her head jerked towards him. Her brilliant smile offered hope of a blessed new life. Oblivious to the people around them, he dropped his bag beside hers and kissed her.
Her lips trembled before she spoke. «Tom. You came.»
«Did you think I wouldn’t?»
The welling tears in her eyes suggested she’d had doubts, yet she clasped his hands and smiled. «I knew you’d come, Tom. I bought you a train ticket.» She drew two tickets from her pocket to prove it.
He took them from her, and the train whistle blew. «Thank you, darlin’. We’ll settle it later. Let’s get aboard now.»
Halfway up the steps, he turned to see Ballymote one last time — just as his father stormed into the station. Kate hurtled along beside him, her hair a frightful tangle, her face contorted in venomous fury. They must have come in the wagon and raced the poor horse half to death.
Tom swallowed hard. «Hurry, Dolly. Get inside.»
Dolly’s eyebrows arched in question, but she obeyed. They hurried through several coaches until they reached an empty carriage near the end of the train. Tom stowed their bags on an overhead rack. He and Dolly plopped on to seats facing each other. He pulled out his pocket watch. Five minutes to nine. Not enough time for his father and sister to search the train.
But it was. Kate’s shrill shouts spewed from the adjacent car. She was coming quickly towards them, screeching Tom’s name, imploring her father to call the guards and have her thieving brother arrested.
Dolly plainly understood the significance of the shrieks. «Oh, Tom! What will we do?»
Throttling Kate came to mind. She’d cause a scene and demand the dowry she thought he’d stolen. He could plead with his father, but the old man would surely side with Kate. He just might call the guards if Tom refused to come home, and they’d take him away in handcuffs.
All hope drained from his heart. Dolly must go without him. Sure he’d never see her again, he reached into his pocket to return her ring to her.
The ring was gone. His fingers encircled the golden bean.
Hurry, Tomás O’Byrne.
Stunned, he slipped the bean into his mouth. Dolly’s jaw dropped in disbelief, and he knew he’d disappeared. He seized her hand just as Kate blew through the door.
«He’s not here either. I’m telling you, Da. Call the guards! The miserable scut has stolen my dowry!»
Brendan marched in behind her. «Silence, girl! I’ll not call the guards on my own son.» The train whistle blew a second time. The old man brushed a tear from his cheek. «We have to leave the train, Kate. If this is what your brother wants, good luck to him.»
Thank you, Da. I’ll write often, and send money. And I’ll come back to visit you.
With his sputtering daughter stomping behind him, Tom’s father left the train. They’d just reached the big round clock when the train whistle blew again. The engine chugged, and Tom took the golden bean from his mouth.
«It wasn’t a dream,» Dolly whispered. «I remember it all now. You were there, Tom. You saved me from the Fairy King.»
«The old woman who guards the well at Tobernalt saved us both, mo chroí.»
«What’s that thing in your hand?» Dolly gently uncurled his fingers. Her ring lay in his palm. Nothing remained of the golden bean.
The train picked up speed. Tom slid the pearl ring on to Dolly’s finger and smiled. One day soon, he’d place a gold ring on her other hand.
GLOSSARY
Ard Rí
High (or Supreme) King.
A chuisle
My pulse.
A nighean ruadh
Red-haired girl.
Aos si(dhe)
The faerie race (see also «Sidhe»); singular «Aes si(dhe)».
Banshee/Bean sí
Female spirit whose screams herald death. Also called a «washer woman», she’s often seen washing bloody linens at a stream; woman of the fairy mounds.
Berserker
In Viking lore, a warrior who gained the blood-lust of fighting, and charged into battle so fiercely that nothing or no one could stop him. Some say his form even changed into that of a raving beast.
Bog-oak
Ancient wood found buried in peat bogs.
Chainse
A white long-sleeved undertunic of fine linen worn in the early Middle Age.
Chausses
Armour for the legs, usually made from mail.
Colcannon
Irish traditional dish consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage.
Cohuleen druith
A red cap made of swan feathers that enables merrows (see entry) to swim through the ocean.
Compeer
Partner.
Craic
Gossip/chatter.
Dun
Fort; usually covered a whole hilltop with walls protecting many buildings.
Drùth
Harlot.
Éire/Ériu
Ireland.
Fine
Clan.
Gael
Celtic, Gaelic-speaking ethnic group of Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Gardai
The police force of the Republic of Ireland.
Gasún
Child.
Geis
A curse, spell, or incantation.
Guraiceach
A blockhead, oaf.
Imbolc
An ancient Celtic religious festival, celebrated on 1 February to mark the beginning of spring.
Imeacht gan teacht ort
«May you leave without returning».
Irish acre
Unit of measurement historically used in Ireland, slightly larger than a standard acre. One Irish acre equates to 1.62 English acres.
Jig/Reel
Lively Irish/Scottish folk dance. Also refers to the accompanying music.
Leannán Sidhe
Female «faery lover» in Celtic mythology. She seeks out artists and poets, and in return for inspiration, she feeds off their life force.
Lios
Ring fort or enclosure; property belonging to a chieftain or group.
Lir
King of the ocean.
Lughnasa
The Celtic harvest festival named for Lugh, one of the chief gods of the Tuatha Dé Daman.
Màistreàs
Mistress.
Mavourneen
My darling.
Merrow
Mermaid.
Mo chroí/A chroi
My heart.
Nuada Airgethlam
Lord of Tir na Nóg, first king of the Tuatha Dé Danaan.
Og
Irish for young. Tomás Og is «young Tomás».
Ollphéist
Monster.
Pict
An ancient Celtic warrior race.
Publican
Proprietor/Licensee of a public house (pub).
Ráth
A walled enclosure in Irish antiquity.