on, now.” She put Hallie back on the floor. “And wake Granda and Da. This surprise is for them, too.”
Avoiding Peggy’s angry stare, Callie directed her attention to Hallie as the child asked, “A surprise, Callie? What kind of surprise? Did you buy me a candy? I love candy. Did you bring one for Georgie, too?” Hallie’s little girl’s voice tugged at Callie’s heart. Candy! When it was all they could do to buy the making for thin gruel and now and then a piece of fatback.
“No candy this morning, darlin’. But you’ll like this much more. Hush now, no more questions. Go and get everyone up.”
Hallie rushed into the next room, and Callie lifted her eyes to Peggy. She went and put her arms around the woman’s thin shoulders. “What’s done is done, Mum. No use thinking about it now. Come now, they’ll all be in here in a minute. Best get the kettle on the hob and help me slice this ham. If I’m not mistaken, there are eggs at the bottom of the basket. I only hope there’s enough for the little ones.”
“Callie, don’t be thinkin’ me ungrateful. I’m not. I know how you try for the family. I only worry for you.”
“I know, Mum. And I promise to resist temptation in the future. I doubt we’ll have a windfall the likes of this again. So let’s enjoy it, right?”
Peggy broke out into a grin. “Well, I guess there’s no help for it, is there?” She went to the hearth and stoked the fire in the grate, hanging a kettle of water onto the hob. “I declare your Da’s eyes will bug right out of his head when he sees this fare. Callie, do you think there’s an extra egg for him?”
Opening the tissue paper that protected the eggs, Callie found there were half a dozen. For herself, she didn’t care if she had an egg or not, but she sighed and resigned herself to the fact that although Peggy needed the nourishment more than anyone, the twins included, she would without a doubt forego the egg and give it to Thom. Well, the ham was plenty big enough, and hadn’t the grocer said there wasn’t another like it in all Dublin?
“What’ll we tell Da and Granda where I came by this?” Callie asked as she unpacked the oranges and bread.
“It’s your deed, Callie girl, so I guess it must be your lie. Tell as close to the truth as you can.” Peggy’s face pinched with worry. Hungry as she was and as much as she realized her children needed the food, she wondered if she would be able to swallow it. Callie had risked her life, literally, to help her family. The girl’s heart had been in the right place. Still, punishment for stealing was met at the end of a rope.
Callie whispered, “Don’t worry, Mum. It’ll be all right, I promise you. Later I’ll tell you about this man who helped me.”
“A man?” Peggy’s eyebrows shot up with worry.
“He’ll keep the secret, Mum. It’s Aunt Sara I’m worried about. Don’t whisper a word of this to her,” Callie warned. “Not that she’ll do without anything, not the way Uncle Jack consorts with the English. I wouldn’t want her turnin’ me in just to put herself in good stead with her fancy English friends.”
“Callie,” Peggy said, “where’s the love I’ve taught you for your family? Aunt Sara won’t know a thing about this. When she brings her ironing this afternoon, you’ll have taken the children for their walk. I wouldn’t want her to know my own girl took to thievery to put food on the table. I’m that ashamed.” Not for anything would Peggy admit that Callie’s suspicions concerning her own sister had their foundations in truth.
Granda shuffled into the kitchen, his rheumy gray eyes falling immediately to the rough table where Callie, his favorite grandchild, was unloading the basket. “And what’s this? Have you found the Little People’s pot o’ gold, child? Never have I seen such wondrous goods. Not even the time when me own Da came home from selling the cow to market and brought us a feast meant for kings!” Granda moved about the table, smelling the oranges and lifting his gaze heavenward to express his delight. He continued with his story of his own father and his brothers and sisters, his words falling on deaf ears. Granda was getting on in his years, and his mind sometimes wandered. They’d all heard the story before.
Georgie and the twins, along with Hallie, stood near the table in hungry anticipation. “Now you children keep your hands to yourselves until I’ve found time to prepare a proper meal,” Peggy scolded.
“Aw, Mum. Just a bite of bread won’t hurt,” Callie defended, tearing off a chunk of bread for each of them. Bridget and Billy, the twins, stuffed the whole of it into their mouths, their eyes rolling in delight. Hallie and Georgie, following suit, resembled two golden-haired chipmunks.
Thomas James strolled into the kitchen, both arms behind him, rubbing the small of his back. His tall, lean frame was stooped over at the waist, and a wince of pain dissolved suddenly as little Bridget ran up to him, demanding to be lifted into his arms. Callie saw the streaks of white at her Da’s temples and wondered if they had appeared overnight. Or was she suddenly seeing him as if for the first time? Mum was right, he did look ill.
Upon Thom’s entrance, Peggy immediately brightened. “How are you this mornin’, love? Look what Callie’s brought us. A nice boiled egg will lift your spirits, I’ll grant you.”
Thomas’s blue eyes, so much like Callie’s, twinkled. “You’re a lift to my spirits, love.” He wrapped his arms around Peggy and kissed her soundly on the cheek.
“Put me aside, man. Can’t you see I’ve got cooking to do?” Peggy’s eyes went to Callie, knowing the moment had come for the girl to explain her offering.
“Where did you come by it, girl?” Thomas asked. “Have you been rolling bones outside McDonough’s Pub with the rest of the fools who gamble a week’s wages on the throw of the dice?” Thomas was teasing, knowing Callie was much too thrifty to risk her money in a game of chance. Still, his eyes found hers and would not release them until she answered.
“It was a shameful thing I did, Da. There was this basket, all stuffed with the best groceries in all Dublin, and no one was near it. No one! A basket, filled with food during these hard times, and no one to watch it. It was just begging for me to bring it home. So I did.” Thomas looked at his oldest daughter. He’d never known her to lie, but her tale was close to unbelievable.
“I ask you, Da. Would you have left a basket such as this without a care as to who might pick it up and bring it home to their poor little brothers and sisters?”
“Enough, Callie. I don’t want to hear any more. If you say the basket was left, then it was, and I’ll not doubt you. The James’ family is certain to come into a little luck every now and then. It’s the law of averages, I’d say.” Still, Thomas’s gaze did not leave her until one of the children begged to sit on his lap. Sitting down and lifting Billy onto his knee, Thomas turned to Peggy. “I think it’s best, love, that we not tell your sweet sister Sara about our good fortune.” There was a knowing look about him as he spoke. “I wouldn’t want the poor deprived woman to be jealous of the likes of us Jameses.”
Hallie giggled. “Oh, Da, how could Aunt Sara be jealous of us? She lives in that fine house, and look at the pretty clothes she wears. And Uncle Jack is always jingling pennies in his pocket . . .”
“And why shouldn’t she be jealous of us?” Thom pretended to scold. “We’ve got our own little Hallie, named for the beauteous Helen of Troy herself. And we’ve got Bridget, sweet as the saint in flesh.” He chucked the babe under the chin and made her giggle. “Oh, and of course we’ve got Billy. Now I ask you, does your
