men, that weren’t in their dotage. Then their father might be willing to accept one of them as a son-in-law and Johnnie Cassidy would have to look elsewhere for a wife.
However, he wouldn’t dare say any of this. He had said enough in telling them the name of the man their father had marked down for Celia and that had only been because he wanted her prepared.
Suddenly, Celia said, ‘Everyone goes on about respecting our parents. But I don’t think it is respecting us very much, mapping out the only future we’ll have to the extent of even telling us who to marry, and like you said before, Norah, it’s usually for their good, not ours. Dermot, what will Daddy get if I was to marry Johnnie Cassidy?’
Dermot gave an ironic grin as he said, ‘Two fallow fields and two pregnant cows.’
Celia covered her face with her hands for the proposal was preposterous enough to be funny. ‘So that’s my bridal price,’ she said. ‘Two fields and two cows. Huh, I’d say he was getting me cheap. If I married him at eighteen I could easily give him a dozen children before I was totally worn out and I’d say a fair few of them would be the boys he craves.’
‘And he’ll get a nurse to tend him in his old age too,’ Norah said. ‘He wins hands down, I’d say.’
‘Well Daddy can do what he likes, but I won’t agree to that,’ Celia said almost fiercely. ‘Just at the moment I am happy as I am and I have no desire to marry anyone.’
‘Don’t blame you,’ Norah said. ‘And all I can advise you to do is stick to your guns.’
Dan was late coming home that night, so late that Peggy was the only one up, for he’d gone to the McCluskys’ house after his meeting with McCadden, knowing Tom would be there. He was welcomed warmly for the two families were friends and might soon be related for, though Tom hadn’t proposed to Sinead, they all knew that it was only a matter of time till he did. There would be no obstacles to their marriage for Dan and Peggy thought the world of Sinead and her parents thought Tom a fine figure of a man, who could well provide for their daughter for he would inherit the farm. And so they sat and chatted easily together though they never discussed the problem of Celia forming an unsuitable relationship with Andy McCadden until Tom and Dan had left the house and were on the road home. When Dan told his son what had transpired that evening Tom looked at him in amazement. ‘He refused the money?’
Dan nodded his head. ‘He did. He said he was settled here, that he had a job he enjoyed and had no intention of moving just because his face didn’t fit with me.’
‘How much did you offer him?’
‘Fifteen pounds.’
‘God, Daddy, that’s a fortune,’ Tom said. ‘Not many people would pass that up.’
‘Well he did,’ Dan said. ‘Said if I offered him four times that amount he wouldn’t leave because he didn’t want to. Mind, don’t tell your mother this or I’ll never hear the end of it.’
Tom smiled because his father spoke the truth. ‘I won’t say a word, never fear,’ he said. ‘But did McCadden say anything else?’
‘Oh, yes,’ Dan said. ‘When I told him to stay away from my daughter he said he meant her no harm, but they liked each other and at her age she should be able to choose friends for herself.’
‘Arrogant young pup,’ Tom said. ‘He certainly needs teaching a lesson.’
‘He’ll get one, don’t worry,’ Dan said. ‘But I’ve been thinking about this and I know in the long run I won’t be able to keep them apart if they are determined to meet. I can’t police Celia every hour of the day and if McCadden really won’t go from here nor agree not to see Celia, then for her own good Celia must go.’
‘Go?’ Tom repeated. ‘Go where?’
‘America,’ Dan said. ‘That’s far enough away to keep her out of his clutches. I just need to convince your mother that that is the only workable plan if we are to keep her safe.’
Tom was quite shaken that his father proposed sending Celia away. Knowing how much his sister loved Ireland, and that she had never expressed any wish to go anywhere else, he had thought she would always be there, and he said, ‘Daddy, it’s one hell of a trek for Celia to make, especially as she won’t want to go, doesn’t want to leave Ireland really.’
‘Well if McCadden won’t do the decent thing and go from here and keep away from Celia then I have no choice but this,’ Dan said. ‘Maria will make certain she makes an advantageous marriage over there and to hell with whether she loves the man or not.’
‘What about Norah?’ Tom asked. ‘She has her heart set on America. Are they to go together?’
‘No,’ Dan said. ‘She will have to put aside any ridiculous idea of going to America now. She only has herself to blame for she colluded with Celia in this relationship. If she had told me in the beginning I could have nipped it in the bud before it got out of hand.’
Tom knew his young sister would be devastated but knew it was no good saying that to his father and so he said, ‘Well I know one who’ll be pleased that Norah isn’t going to America anyway and that’s Joseph O’Leary.’
‘Well that’s another thing that does me no favours,’ Dan said. ‘For she treated that man disgracefully. His father spoke to me about it for when she told Joseph she was definitely going to America he was terribly cut up, because he said they were walking out together. He thought they had some sort of understanding.’
‘Aye, most people did.’
‘And then he finds she hadn’t taken it seriously at all. I mean, she made a complete fool of the man.’
‘Aye she has,’ Tom agreed. ‘I’ve felt sorry for him at times.’
‘Well if she’s staying here she will have to have him in the end,’ Dan said. ‘I’d say it will be Joseph O’Leary or no one, for none of the other men will likely have anything to do with her.’
Tom shook his head. ‘They’ve seen the way she has treated Joseph and between you and me she is known as a tease. I didn’t bother taking her to task about it because I thought she would soon be off to America.’
‘Maybe even Joseph won’t want her after all.’
‘Oh he will,’ Tom said with assurance. ‘He’s mad about her still.’
‘We’ll say nothing to her about this now for I know she will be upset,’ Dan said as the farmhouse came into view and added, ‘One contrary daughter is enough to cope with just at the moment.’
Tom took himself straight to bed when they arrived home and Dan was glad because he wanted to talk to Peggy on her own and he told her that he’d talked to McCadden whom he had met on the road. He said nothing of the money offered but did tell her of McCadden’s reaction when he’d asked him to keep away from Celia. Peggy could see the problem, but couldn’t immediately agree that the best solution was to send Celia away. She knew she wouldn’t want to go to America whereas Norah did, so both would be
