New York Bride Read online

  A tall man was leaning over the rail smoking a cigar and looking at the ocean. Before Shay’s brain could compute who he was, the man turned and looked directly at her.

  James.

  Shay wondered how long he had been there and if he overheard the conversation with Aofie. Shay felt ill. She quickly turned and leaned over the railing to dry retch. She needed to hide. To make sure he didn’t recognize her. She needed to talk to Alyth.

  Shay quickly found Finn and made sure he had his porridge and was seated with Neem before walking to the upper deck. She was so deep in thought she didn’t realize she was being followed. As she rounded the corner, she felt a tug on her arm. Giving a little shriek, she placed her hand on her heart when she saw James. He pulled her into a small corridor and blocked the view to the deck with his body.

  “Good morning, Lady Shannon,” James said through gritted teeth. “Lovely morning to walk the ship.”

  “Uh, yes, yes, it is.” Shay tried to pull free from his grip. His fingers tightened around her arm.

  “In fact, it is such a fine morning I’m surprised I didn’t end up on the lower deck as well.”

  Shay tugged her arm free with such force that she knew she would have bruises by the morrow. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” She straightened her back and jutted out her chin. “If you will excuse me, I need to see Alyth this morning.” She attempted to move around him, but James was too quick, blocking her way.

  “I don’t think so. You stay away from her.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “And Mac too.”

  “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  James put his hand on the wall and leaned forward. “Yes, I can. Or I can call over one of the stewards and report your scheme. I’m sure I can convince them that your brother was involved as well. You were going to pilfer from the guests on this level.”

  “It was no scheme,” Shay insisted. “I – I love Mac. I would never do anything that would bring him disgrace or shame.”

  James laughed. “You really think that Mac was going to fall in love with a woman like you? Alyth told me about her game of dress-up. Trying to make you into something you aren’t.”

  Shay winced that Alyth would betray her confidence. But then again, Shay wasn’t surprised given the amount of time Alyth had been spending with James.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “You will not venture on this level again. No more sneaking around. You will keep your distance from Mac and allow him to find someone more suitable when he gets to New York. You were a nice diversion on the trip, but that was all, Shannon.”

  “But,” she started.

  “There is nothing else to say.”

  Shay nodded meekly. She moved past James and headed back towards the lower deck. Her head was down so she didn’t see the person approaching and collided with him.

  “Forgive me…Oh, Mac,” she said. “I am so sorry.”

  “Are you alright, Shannon? What a lovely surprise. Did you want to exercise this morning?”

  “No. I have to get back to my room.”

  Concern marred his otherwise handsome face. “Are you unwell?”

  Shay nodded. “Yes. I am glad I ran into you. I won’t be able to spend any more time with you.”

  “Why ever not?”

  “We will be docking in two days’ time. I think our time together has come to an end.”

  “Shannon. I don’t understand. I was going to talk to you this evening about something that was weighing on my mind.”

  Shay looked into Mac’s dark eyes. She tried to hold back the tears but felt one fall down her face. Mac used his thumb to wipe it away from her cheek.

  “It doesn’t matter. We will disembark and then go lead our separate lives.”

  “But it doesn’t have to be that way. I might as well ask you now. I was hoping that I could continue to court you when we arrived in New York. I was hoping that you would become my wife in due course.”

  Shay let go of a sob. There was nothing more she had ever wanted. She shook her head. “I can’t. We said that it would just be for the trip, and the trip is over. I’ll never forget ye, Mac,” she said lifting on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek.

  Before he could respond she lifted her skirt and ran down the deck to the stairs which would take her to the lower levels.

  Chapter 9

  Late May 1861, New York City

  The deck was packed. People were trying to crowd against the rail to see the buildings in the distance. New York was much larger than anything Shay had ever seen. She stood next to Finn, who held her hand in excitement.

  “We are almost there!” he cried, pointing to the skyline in the distance.

  Gulls hovered over the ship, swooping down to gobble up any bits of bread or other treats they might see on the top deck.

  “I hope I’m able to walk after all this time at sea,” Shay said, smiling at Finn.

  “You’ll be a landlubber soon enough,” Finn laughed.

  “Landlubber? Where did you hear that term?”

  “From the crew. It’s what they call all the people who don’t want to be at sea.”

  “Well, I will be glad that we are arriving. I’ve had enough of the sea. Too many deaths and not enough sunlight.” Shay thought about the folks they had lost.

  The night before, Etain jumped over the side of the boat after tossing Mariah in the cold water first. Before Etain jumped, she said she couldn’t continue without her husband.

  She wasn’t the only one who jumped from the ship. Shay learned that there were half a dozen more. But since she knew Etain, that hurt the most. That not even Etain’s own daughter was able to escape the depth of the woman’s pain.

  As they approached the land, the horn sounded, one long burst. Shay could see they were approaching a large fort.

  “Where are we going?” she asked one of the seamen who was walking by.

  The man looked over at the buildings that were passing by. “We are headed to Castle Garden. The south end of Manhattan, as it were. You’ll get right sorted when you get off the ship.”

  Shay thanked him and turned back to look at the city going by. She was in awe of the steel and brick buildings. Towers with clouds of large white smoke stood tall in the distance.

  “That’s the garment district,” someone said behind her. “I guess most of us will be going there.”

  Shay held her reticule a little tighter. It was the one that Alyth had let her borrow, but since she didn’t see her friend again, she had no way to return it. She vowed she would find a way. Somehow.

  The ship pulled into the dock and she could see men on the ground tying the ship off. It wasn’t long before a gangway extended on the other end of the boat.

  “Are we supposed to move down there?” Shay asked aloud.

  “That’s for the first-class passengers,” someone responded.

  Shay watched the passengers leave the ship. Suddenly she recognized the small group that was next to disembark. The woman stopped and opened up a parasol as she walked down the ramp. Her companion was laughing and pointing with his walking stick.

  Shay’s heart lurched as she saw Doctor Devon and Mac follow behind. Her eyes followed Mac until he disappeared into the crowd. Letting go of a cry, she put her hand in her face, knowing that that was the last time she would ever see him.

  “Are you alright, Shay?” Finn asked.

  Shay nodded between tears. “The trip was just too much,” she responded. “I’m glad we are here.”

  “Listen up!” A voice called over the crowd. Everyone turned to see a man in a ship’s uniform standing on top of a large barrel that was lashed to the ship. “You will disembark on the gangway to the right. Go through the arches straight ahead and hand your paper to the person located there. They will tell you where you are to meet your manager. If you do not have employment already lined up, then you will disembark to the right, and go down the pier towards the brick building. You will
be given directions once you are inside. Are there any questions?”

  A rumble of noise went through the crowd, but no one had any questions. The sound of the gangway being lowered reached Shay’s ears and soon folks were starting to make their way down to the dock area below.

  “Don’t lose me,” Shay said, holding Finn’s hand tightly. She looked over her shoulder, but couldn’t see Aofie, Neem or Cara anywhere in the crowd. Aofie still wasn’t speaking to her, no matter how much Shay apologized. She was saddened over losing her only friend in the new country, but she couldn’t be responsible for how Aofie felt.

  As they walked through the arches, she noticed a group of men over in the far corner yelling. They were her countrymen, as she recognized the accents, but she couldn’t understand the words over the noise in the terminal.

  Shay and Finn moved forward until they stood in front of a man sitting behind a wooden table. “Name?” he asked.

  “Shay O’Donnell and Finn O’Donnell,” she said holding out her papers. The man looked at them. “Go out the door to the horse-buses. Look for Mr. Herwick.” The man scribbled on the paper.

  “Excuse me --,” Shay started. “What’s a…”

  “Next!” The man called signaling for her to move.

  Shay picked up her bag and headed towards the exit with the rest of the men and women.

  “What’s a horse-bus?” Finn asked.

  “I dunna know. But we will find out in a few moments.”

  As they approached the group of men yelling across the crowd, Shay stepped between the men and Finn. “Join the Irish Brigade. End all forms of slavery in America. Join the Irish Brigade.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I dunna know. Let’s keep moving.”

  The smell of manure mixed with the salty air rose through the air. Shay lifted her hand trying to curb the stench.

  When they arrived outside, they could see several large enclosed boxes on wheels. Teams of horses stood in front of each box, waiting to pull passengers to their final destinations.

  “I guess that is a horse-bus,” Shay said, pulling Finn further down the line of horses. Finally, she saw a man with a wooden sign. Mr. Herwick was burned into the wood.

  Shay moved closer to the sign. When they approached it, they handed their papers to the man holding the sign. “We were told to see Mr. Herwick.”

  The man nodded. “Climb on board. We will be leaving shortly.” Shay and Finn climbed on board the large horse-bus and found a seat towards the back. She placed her bag between her feet and sat back with a sigh.

  “What an adventure this is!” Finn said.

  “Hmm-hmm,” Shay responded.

  “Look! There are Aofie and Cara!” Finn called to them. Cara gave a wave before she and Aofie boarded one of the other horse-buses. A few minutes later a man boarded the horse-bus and began to walk down the aisle. Shay could see him counting everyone as he walked down the aisle.

  He was a short man with a balding head. His mustache stood out and Shay thought it resembled a rodent under his nose. When he walked by Shay wanted to retch. The scent of his cologne was overpowering. She coughed in her hand.

  “Everything alright, miss?” he asked raising one thin eyebrow to her.

  Shay nodded. “Just a cough.”

  “I hope you aren’t getting ill.” Shay shook her head. “That’s good. Doctors are very expensive.” He moved along, continuing to count as he went.

  When he was done, he returned to the front of the bus and spoke to the driver and the horse-bus lurched forward. He then turned to the men and women sitting on the bus and gave a large smile.

  “Good afternoon. I am Mr. Herwick. I will be your coordinator for the first week until you get situated. We will be going directly to your new home. Tomorrow morning you will report to the factory at five o’clock in the morning. You will work until six o’clock at night and you may have a thirty-minute break for lunch.”

  “Is lunch provided?” one of the men asked.

  “Of course not. We aren’t running a charity. You will need to provide your own meals while you are working.”

  “We haven’t gotten any money yet.” Voices were being raised by many of the men in the carriage. “How’s we supposed to feed our family if we ain’t got any money?”

  Mr. Herwick pushed his glasses back on his nose. “Of course, the factory will be more than happy to loan you your pay. You may borrow one-half of your wages, with it to be paid back the following payday, plus two shillings interest. It is a very favorable agreement. There is a store inside each of your buildings. They may have credit available, but that is up to the individual owner.” He scratched his head. “Where was I? Oh yes. Every able individual is required to work six days a week from five o’clock in the morning until six o’clock at night. Sundays you may have the morning off for church services, but then you are to report by one o’clock in the afternoon.”

  “How are we supposed to work all that?” someone asked.

  “That was the price you paid when you took Mr. Ward’s money to travel here. You will be working until your debt is paid.”

  “How long will that be?” Finn asked.

  “It will depend on how often you take advances and how much credit you owe. You will be paid every fortnight. Seventy percent of your pay will go to pay Mr. Ward for his generous offer to bring you to America. Fifteen percent will go towards paying your rent on the apartment. The rest is yours to do with as you wish.”

  “That doesn’t seem to be very much leftover,” Finn whispered.

  “If anyone has a problem you are free to come up with the twenty dollars to pay your fare, plus interest and then you may take your leave.” Shay gasped. She didn’t realize the fare was that expensive. It would take forever to pay it off a little at a time.

  The man sat down and talked softly to the horse-bus driver. Shay looked out the large window as they passed shops and businesses. New York was a beautiful city.

  The horse-bus turned, and Shay was dismayed to see that they were now in an area of town filled with tenements. The rundown buildings were stacked side-by-side. They appeared to be a hodgepodge of brick, wood, and mud.

  “Is this where we are staying?”

  “I don’t know, Finn,” Shay said.

  The horses pulled in front of a wooden building. Shay’s hopes crumbled as she looked at the disrepair of the building. A woman lifted a window and threw the contents of a chamber pot right in the yard.

  Shay grimaced. This is not what she expected. America was supposed to be a land for new beginnings.

  “What’s this?” one of the men asked.

  “It is your new home,” the man said.

  “We were told that we were getting a new apartment.”

  “It’s new to you, ain’t it?” Mr. Herwick said. “Everyone out. Your apartment number is on your paper. Just follow the crowd in the morning to the factory.”

  Shay and Finn climbed down from the horse-bus and followed the men and women into the courtyard. The smell was horrific. There were children running barefoot in the muck and mire. A woman was stirring laundry, and sheets dried on a line connecting two buildings.

  “We’ll be alright, Finn. Let’s just find our home.”

  They walked to a covered porch and Shay could see a sign that said store, carved in wood hanging on two hooks. She would have to stop in and see what she might be able to purchase with the few coins she had remaining.

  She looked at the paper in her hand. She and Finn were on the third floor. As she climbed the stairs, she heard someone call her name. She turned to see Cara climbing the stairs with Aofie behind her. “Looks like we are neighbors,” Cara said.

  Shay found their apartment and pushed open the door.

  Shay went inside and sighed. This was so far removed from the cottage they lived in at home. She would give anything, even another seven-week voyage across the sea, just to see home again.

  “It ain’t so bad, is it?” Finn said.


  There was only one room, as far as Shay could see. A wood stove stood in the corner with a pot on top of it. A small cupboard was across from the stove and a wooden table with two chairs fit under the window.

  Shay wanted to cry. Instead, she reached over and ruffled Finn’s hair. “It is dry. That is all that matters. We should probably go find something for dinner and see if we can find some linens for the bed.”

  “We can make it up real nice,” Finn said.

  “I believe you, Finn.” Shay wiped away the tear from her eye. She wished she was back on the ship dancing in Mac’s arms, instead of standing in a filthy apartment wondering how she was going to take care of her brother.

  Chapter 10

  Two weeks later

  “These are really good, Alyth,” Mac said, picking up his sister’s sketches. “I guess you learned something at that finishing school.”

  Alyth laughed. “I would rather draw fashions than draw birds or flowers. My art professor was constantly getting upset with me over my scribbles in class.”

  “I think you have a real talent. Have you shown them to Father?”

  Alyth shook her head. “No. He believes that his daughter needs to be settled into the role of a wife and give him grandchildren. He thinks this is a nice little hobby but doesn’t see any value in it.”

  “Any value? Women will be clamoring for these dresses.”

  “But he has turned the factory over to sewing uniforms for the Union Army. That is where all his focus lies. The Army is paying a hefty sum, I heard, to factories that can meet the demand and deliver on time.”

  “Perhaps when the war is over then,” Mac said. “But you should still keep designing.”

  “I will. In fact, I’m thinking of opening my own little shop.”

  “You are?”

  “James has decided to go into business with me. After all, he has the money.”

  “James? What does he get out of it?” Mac had never known James to just do something out of the goodness of his heart, there was always something in it for him.