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“We ask that You heal Sean McCorkle’s leg now,” Maeve added. “And watch over his brothers, wherever they are. In Jesus’ name we pray…”
“Amen,” the sisters chorused and gave each other tired, but joyful smiles.
The wind had come up, so Nora tied a scarf over her hair before dishing the rice onto three tin plates. Bridget divided the bacon equally. This allotment of food was more than they were accustomed to, and Maeve truly did feel blessed. She vividly remembered many times when Nora had told them she’d already eaten and split pitiable amounts of potatoes between the two younger girls.
“There’s a can of peaches,” Maeve told Bridget, and her sister’s eyes lit up.
The boat rocked upon the waves. The wind tossed Bridget’s hair. Maeve looked upon each of her sisters with a fond smile, and hope buoyed her spirits. Thank You, Lord.
* * *
Flynn had been standing in the same spot for nearly half an hour. He’d glimpsed a shaggy-haired boy earlier, but the lad had slipped away before he could speak to him. So he waited.
Finally, a boy sitting on a coil of rope caught his attention. Flynn hurried over. “You Sean McCorkle’s brother?”
Smaller and even skinnier than Sean, the boy’s frightened brown gaze darted about as though seeking an escape. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Gallagher. I have Sean in my dispensary. If you want to see him, come with me.”
The boy shot Flynn a cautious look. “What’re ye gonna do to us?”
“Put you to work to earn your passage. How does that suit you?”
“You’re not gonna make us walk the plank?”
Flynn chuckled. “I promised Sean I wouldn’t feed you to the sharks, and I’m a man of my word. Now get your brother and bring him back here.”
The boy scrambled to his feet and ran off, arms pinwheeling as he nearly toppled forward in his haste. A few minutes later, he returned with a young man of about eighteen in tow. “This here’s Gavin.”
“What’ve you done with Sean?” The tall lanky boy squinted with skepticism.
“Cleaned and sewed up his leg. The Murphy girl saved his life, you know. Has big plans for washing Sean’s hair. Can’t wait until she sees the two of you. Fresh water is rationed, but I get a larger portion for medical purposes. Come on.”
“Where you be takin’ us?”
“To the dispensary so you can see your brother. Have you had a meal today?”
“We ain’t hungry.”
“I doubt that’s true.”
“How do we know you won’t get us down there and put us in stocks?”
“No stocks aboard the ship,” he replied. “Are you coming?”
The boy glanced at his little brother. “Aye.”
They followed Flynn down the ladder and along the passageway. Flynn opened the door and stood aside for them to enter. “He’s in the side room over there.”
The tall young man inspected his surroundings before moving to the door and peering into the other small room.
“Gavin!” came Sean’s gleeful shout. “Is Emmett with ye?”
“Aye, he’s right here, he is.”
The two boys crowded at Sean’s side and gave him awkward hugs. Emmett, the littlest one, pulled back with tears streaking his dirty cheeks. “We was afeared you be dead.”
“No, the redheaded Miss Murphy saved me life for sure. Her and the doctor here. They been real good to me, they ’ave. The doc said he’d give us jobs, so we can earn our fare.”
Flynn moved to stand closer. “You two will have to take baths. And we’ll find you clean clothes. Can’t have the captain catch you looking like that.”
“Can they sleep ’ere with me?” Sean asked. His desperate expression threatened to open a crack in the barrier around Flynn’s heart.
“I have a stateroom,” Flynn replied. “There’s plenty of room for pallets, so the three of you can be together.” He pinned Gavin with a probing look. “I’d appreciate your telling me why you were planning to stow aboard.”
It was plain Gavin didn’t fancy sharing his business. “We been stayin’ in the back room at Ferguson’s Livery. Old Mr. Ferguson left the door unlocked ’til we was in at night. But he died, and his missus sold the livery. The new owner shooed us out, so we was sleepin’ under wagons and in back o’ the millhouse. Sean here overheard stories of America. We came up with a plan to make our way there. I’m gonna find work and Sean and Emmett can go to school.”
“Well, that sounds like a fine plan. I admire men with foresight. What happened to your parents?” Flynn asked.
“We ain’t seen our da since Emmett was a wee babe. He just up and left, he did. Ma took care of us best she could, but then she took sick an’ died.”
Flynn wasn’t surprised to hear their story. Death and hunger had been part of everyone’s story over the past several years. The plight of the Irish had been grim for anyone not born into a wealthy family. “First things first,” Flynn said. “Let’s get you bathed.”
“Why are ye and Miss Murphy so firmly set on bath takin’?” Sean asked.
“Because cleanliness is important. You should bathe and wash your hands often to prevent disease.”
“What kind o’ disease gets on yer hands?” Gavin asked.
“I’ve studied epidemiology for most of my career.”
“Epi— What?” Gavin asked.
“Germs. Bacteria. Skeptics will say something you can’t see can’t hurt you, but that’s not true. And in truth you can see germs, just not with the naked eye. In fact, I’m sure I can show you something that will convince you to wash your hands.”
“What’s that?”
“Before we get you in the tub, I want both of you to scrape under one or two fingernails, and place the dirt on a glass slide. Then I’ll show you through my microscope what is living there.”
“Living?” Sean asked, with a squeak.
Flynn grinned. “But not for long. Let’s heat water.” Instinctively, he knew his new assistant was going to be pleased when she saw the McCorkle boys clean. He looked forward to her reaction.
Chapter Five
The following morning, the Murphy sisters shared bread in their cabin before going their separate ways. Maeve arrived just as Dr. Gallagher peered out from the dispensary.
“Thank you for being punctual. I’m going to go above deck to boil water and then carry it back.”
“I could do that for you,” she offered.
“I spent the night here with Sean. I’d like a few minutes of sun and fresh air, if you don’t mind. I’ll probably eat before I return.”
“Yes, of course! Take all the time you need. How is young Sean this morning?”
“Already talking about that potato soup you promised him. The galley help will provide you with anything you need for our patients. Simply introduce yourself as my assistant. You can make a trip to the galley after I return. I won’t be long.”
He headed away from the dispensary.
Maeve found Sean awake and obviously listening for her. “Mornin’, Miss Murphy!”
“Good morning, Sean. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes’m. Didn’t much notice the ship’s sway. This ’ere cot is comfortable and the doc found me brothers.”
“He did? My sisters and I prayed for them. And for you, too.”
“Yes, he did. He made ’em take baths and then he put ’em up in his stateroom. He stayed here with me all night, he did. He told me after I eat, he will carry me to lie on his very own bunk.”
She was glad to hear that the doctor was looking out for them. It was bad enough that Maeve and her sisters had been left with no family, but at least they were adults. The McCorkle lads were little more than babies. “Are you boys alone in the world?”
“Yes’m. We’re headed to America so Gavin can work and me an’ Emmett can go to school.”
“You look well today. How are your brothers faring?”
“They’re clean for sure. An’ the doc showed us germs what was livin’ under their fingernails!”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s disgusting.”
“Yes’m, ’tis. You can be sure I’ll be washin’ me hands afore I eat from now on.”
“Well, it was an effective lesson, to be sure.”
A rap sounded at the door.
“I have to see to the caller,” she told Sean.
Two women stood in the corridor. The younger woman’s ebony hair had been brushed to a sheen and fashioned stylishly upon her head. She was strikingly lovely, with aristocratic cheekbones and dark winged brows over deep blue eyes. Her dress had been designed to fit her tall slender frame in the most flattering way, and she carried herself with confidence. Maeve had never laid eyes upon a more beautiful woman.
Maeve stepped back and gestured for the two to enter. Immediately, she hid her work-roughened hands behind her back and wished she’d had something nicer to wear, even though she was only coming to work. After the upbraiding she’d received the previous day, she said nothing.
The shorter woman was older, and obviously the younger one’s mother. She had the same black hair, though silver strands laced her temples and a shock of silver had been artfully drawn back from her face. Maeve had never seen a woman of her age without creases or lines in her face. Her hair and a few nearly imperceptible crow’s-feet at the corners of her eyes were the only subtle clues to her age.
The older woman considered Maeve with disdain and dismissed her as though she wasn’t there. She guided the one Maeve assumed was her daughter into the dispensary.
Now Maeve was faced with a dilemma. She hadn’t intended to speak until spoken to, but she couldn’t very well let these two stand there without telling them Dr. Gallagher wasn’t in. She took a breath.
“Flynn?” the younger one called and glanced expectantly toward the back room.
Maeve released the air in her lungs. Flynn? “The doctor’s not here at the moment.” She glanced at the younger woman and then away. “He should arrive soon.”
The woman’s glance traveled from Maeve’s face and hair to her shoes and back up. She towered over Maeve by a good eight inches. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t devise any designs for the doctor’s attentions.”
Maeve couldn’t have been more startled. No words came to her.
“Flynn’s family and mine are close. He and I are cut from the same cloth.” She let her gaze fall again, as though pointing out the world of difference in weaves of cloth.
Maeve resisted touching her skirt with a self-conscious hand.
“Our fathers have made arrangements, and Flynn and I have an understanding. So don’t imagine your undeveloped charms will hold any appeal to him when he has someone like me.”
Maeve remained speechless. What might she have said to that?
The dark-haired young woman turned her back and faced the other direction.
Perturbed at their rudeness, she tamped down growing irritation and went about her chores.
Several minutes later and not a second too soon, the doctor returned.
“It’s a pleasure to see you this morning, Kathleen. Mrs. Boyd, how are you faring?”
“I am well, thank you,” Mrs. Boyd replied.
“What brings you to the dispensary so early?”
“It’s Kathleen,” the older woman said. “She barely slept a wink last night. Her ears hurt severely.”
“Did you meet Miss Murphy?” he asked.
The two Boyd women didn’t look at Maeve.
“They only just got here,” Maeve answered. “We didn’t have an opportunity to chat.” She offered Mrs. Boyd a sweetly antagonizing smile, and immediately regretted it.
The woman’s nostrils fared.
“Miss Murphy has filled a position as my assistant. She’s as efficient and capable as they come. I can already tell she’s going to be my right hand during this voyage.”
Kathleen shot Maeve daggers. “How unfortunate for you, Flynn. I heard you had no choice but to hire someone off the dock.”
“And she’s already proven herself. Look how Hegarty turned out, and he had references. I wouldn’t have selected her if I hadn’t thought she possessed the skill required for the job. Miss Murphy, this is Miss Kathleen Boyd and her mother, Mrs. Estelle Boyd.”
Maeve gave a polite nod. “’Tis a pleasure to meet you both.”
“Let’s have a look at those ears,” he said and reached for Kathleen’s hand to help her up the wooden step to the examining table.
She stretched her long pretty neck to accommodate him and batted her thick lashes.
“You’ve traveled by sea before.” His words reiterated what Kathleen had revealed about their relationship. “Have you had problems in the past?”
