FicWad

Over the month of May, the fighting remains fairly contained. The men finally shed their winter coats, and Kerrigan opens the windows making the atmosphere of the little cottage where she and Jack are staying much less stifling. The fighting worsens somewhat in early June, and Jack learns that both mares with whom Spectre mated have become pregnant. Liam visits Kerrigan regularly, and he slowly learns to read and write. On a hot day in mid-June, Lieutenant Boland returns to the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry. Doctor Sparrow moves into his own small tent near the officers’ tents, and Lieutenant Boland takes his place among Liam’s tent mates upon his promotion to Captain. He proudly shows off his new insignia and his wedding ring. Meanwhile, Private Conan Callahan settles into his new role, though his brothers remain worried.

Jack has never been heavy-set. He once weighed far more than he does now, but his extreme height means that he has never even looked to be of average build, let alone heavy. Kerrigan continually worries about him, for he has lost yet more weight, will not eat, and is continually leaving for ever-increasing periods of time to smoke opium in opium dens. He is a ghost of his former self. His Generals know and have all been sent many times to find him. They will not let Kerrigan seek him, for they are officers and gentlemen, and she is a lady. Although she outranks them, they are in the Southern Army, and she is in the Western Army. She is not directly commanding them, and she would never order them not to help. Her desire for propriety also leads to her reliance on them, to some extent, because it would be highly improper for a lady of society to venture into an opium den for any reason, though she also values self-reliance. Eventually, she takes to locking the cabin door at night and sleeping with the key beneath her pillow. She often wakes to Jack trying to remove it, but he never manages to obtain it from her.

Slowly and forcibly, the color returns to Jack’s face, and he begins to eat again. Kerrigan does not leave Jack alone any longer. When she is not with him, one of his Generals or Liam is. He has little patience for her mothering, but she knows from raising many children, most of them as difficult to influence as Jack, that she must persevere for his own good. He is her friend, not her child, but he is wayward, and nobody else dares to confront him about it. She knows that Jack will not hurt her, for he is a gentleman, and he would never strike a lady, and Jack knows, grudgingly, that she is right, though he refuses to admit it verbally. He knows how tired he looks, how thin he has become, and how pale he is. He sees the dark shadows around his red-rimmed eyes, and he sees the reactions of those around him. He realizes how badly he wants opium, but, when he is told of his decisions made on opium, he realizes how much it affects him. Still, he cannot bear the pain without opium, so he begins to drink very heavily, more so than ever before, to the point of nearly being comatose much of the time. Kerrigan finds this hard to bear, but, compared to his opium binges, which make him disappear for days on end, the drinking is a welcomed return to an earlier time and a much simpler problem. Still, Jack is in agony, and it is very nearly too much for Kerrigan to bear to watch. She hates seeing her dear friend in pain, and she hates knowing that she is partly to blame.

Kerrigan’s Western Army loses many men in combat in the months of May and June, though it is through no fault of her command. There are many night raids on camps, and most of the casualties are due to these surprise attacks. Jack’s Southern Army learned quickly after Captain Fitzmaurice’s disappearance how to deal with these attacks, and the enemy moved on to attacking the Western Army because it is more profitable and less prepared. The enlisted men have little money and no strategic information, so the intended targets of the raids are the officers. Few Southern Army officers keep money in their tents, as most of them are married and send the majority of their money home to wives and children, while most Western Army officers are bachelors looking to make a decent salary before they marry. Very few Southern Army officers are educated. Most of those who were children before and during the Revolution never attended school. Most of those not native to the area, like Liam, also never attended school. Most of those who were children after the Revolution attended only primary school. A few, like Captain William Fitzmaurice of the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry and Major Sean Considine of the Forty-Third North Side Bridgeton Cavalry actually attended school before joining and became Lieutenants immediately upon joining. Most families, especially in and around Bridgeton, cannot afford secondary school, let alone college and graduate school. Jack has helped the children of the men to whom he owed personal favors, but he alone cannot save Bridgeton, much as he wishes he could. Many of Kerrigan’s officers are educated men of society, but this does not save them from capture, torture, or murder. She feels immense guilt over this as well as over Jack’s decline.

By Midsummer’s Eve, Jack is well enough for his sister, niece, brothers, and wife to visit. Jack and Kerrigan announce a lifting of the ban on bringing the opposite sex into tents for one night, and all five Senatorial Generals as well as the Werewolvish king sign an agreement to a two-day truce for Midsummer’s Eve and Midsummer’s Day. Jack’s sister and niece share a room in The Gray Bard. The twins share the next room, and Shane has a room to himself. Crosspoint is home to a large number of Werewolvish expatriates, be they refugees, fugitives, or immigrants seeking the better economy the Vampire District provides while staying close enough to visit their families in their old homeland. Shane knows that the refugees will include a considerable number of young women, many of them from the area near where he lived, and many of them quite beautiful by Werewolvish standards. The Werewolvish Army has a policy of raping and beating women, even married ones. It is not an official policy, but it is well-tolerated, so many women and families fled as the army advanced. It is also a full moon, and Shane is looking forward to a romantic evening, having made a considerable sum as a bodyguard-for-hire in and around Bridgeton.

Captain William Fitzmaurice has a new girlfriend since he was reanimated. Doctor Sparrow invited his wife Annie to visit over the two-day truce. She is eager to see her husband, but she also wants to see Captain Fitzmaurice so she can report if he is well to her in-laws. Captain Fitzmaurice dons his dress uniform and brushes back his hair, thinking that he will miss Annie on his way out of camp and see her in the morning. Doctor Sparrow stops by the Captains’ tent with his wife, and Annie runs up to Billy and hugs him, mussing his uniform and nearly knocking him over. After straightening his many medals, brushing the wrinkles out of his coat, and wiping off his glasses, Billy returns Annie’s hug, though with far less excitement.

“Mrs. Sparrow, ye’re as lovely as ever. Me oul’ friend found quite a catch.”

“Thankee.”

“Ach! Ye should see the girl he’s found hisself now,” says Brendan.

“Another fat girl?” asks Annie, recalling Billy’s terrible taste in women.

“No.”

“Crazy?”

“No.”

“Some little virgin?”

“No. This one’s a pretty little blonde. She’s not very smart, but ye should hear her scream. ‘Course he’s not supposed to bring civilian girls to camp to sleep wi’ him, an’ she’s always getting’ him caught. Colonel Callahan conveniently loses the papers. He’s been real nice to Billy since he was captured,” explains Brendan.

“Why can’t ye bring civilian women to camp?” asks Annie.

“We’re in a war zone, Annie. Ye got here jus’ after a two-day truce began. We’re temporarily allowed. The reason for that rule is that a battle could begin at any time. I was captured in a night raid. ‘Tis one thing for a few men to be out drinkin’ or sleepin’ wi’ some girl in town when a battle breaks out. There are worse things than bein’ short a couple o’ men. ‘Tis another if a girl gets killed or captured, especially since our enemies rape any female they capture, regardless of age, species, or whether she’s civilian or military,” explains Billy.

“I don’t like ye bein’ out here, Brendan. Come home wi’ me, please,” begs Annie.

“I can’t, love. I’m signed to follow the Thirteenth Bridgeton Light Infantry until Yule.”

“Why’d ye do that?”

“They need me, an’ ‘tis good money. I don’ make many tips like some o’ the private doctors in wealthier units, but the pay’s good, ye may’ve noticed, an’ the comp’ny ain’t bad either. Billy’d be dead if I’d not be here to arrange his reanimation. If I’d not been here, Captain Boland would’ve lost his leg an’ gone home a cripple because a busy army surgeon from another unit wouldn’t’ve had time to search for lead fragments an’ bandage his leg proper. They cut, an’ they run. Mos’ly they give opium or ether, or, at the very least, alcohol to the dyin’ men. The Thirteenth Bridgeton has no surgeon on staff, so once another surgeon is done with his unit, he comes here. Usually, most’ve the men is dead by then. He don’ do much good, regardless o’ which doctor they send. This is what ‘tis like here, an’, for what ‘tis worth, I don’ go to battle wi’ them. I jus’ fix ‘em afterward.”

“Except when the camp was attacked. From what Captain McEvoy tells me, he’s not bad wi’ the sword hisself,” says Billy.

Annie’s eyes grow wide. “Ye did what?”

“Calm yourself,” assures her husband. “There’s naught I could’ve done. ‘Twas the night they took Billy from camp. ‘Twas a choice ‘twixt fightin’ back or dyin’. I’m alive, ain’t I?”

“Whose armor and weapons did ye have?”

“Mine,” says Billy.

“Is that how they captured ye?”

“No. Me armor an’ sword was in me tent, same wi’ me rifle, but that’s not much use for bein’ attacked quick like that. I’d me pistols. Unfortunately, they’re gone now. I was nowhere to be found because I was off tryin’ to help a rather stupid private not get hisself killed on his first watch. Now, if ye’ll excuse me, I’ll be off. I’m to meet Nancy at her father’s house.”

Captain Fitzmaurice, completely oblivious to everything around him due to the fact that he is planning on having a nice evening, walks straight into Captain Boland on his way to the stables. Captain Boland is heading from the river to town to meet his wife, who is already pregnant. He is paying as little attention as Captain Fitzmaurice because he is worried about how she fared on the train journey. Captain McEvoy’s wife is accompanying her, and she has four children of her own, whom she left in the care of her parents so she could travel. Captain Boland is extremely nervous about his wife, despite Captain McEvoy’s assurances. Captain Fitzmaurice thinks to himself that he is glad that he has no wife. He does not understand his tent mate’s concerns, but he does not bother to ask about it or accost Captain Boland for running into him. He is interested in only one thing: getting a hotel room with his new girlfriend.

In town, Jack’s sister stands in Shane’s room. Unbeknownst to Jack, her own lover traveled to Crosspoint as well. She paid for his ticket and hotel room. She cannot marry him without her patriarch’s consent, and Jack does not like his sister’s lover, despite the fact that he is the father of her adult daughter. Shannon surveys Shane’s choice of clothing. He borrowed one of Jack’s old jackets. Jack owns a large amount of old clothing he does not wear, and almost all of it is much too large on him, making it perfect for Shane. Shane owns no dress suit of his own since he fled the Werewolf Territory with what he had at hand, which consisted of Yuletide gifts, his coats, and much of his winter clothing. Shannon shakes her head. Jack’s dress coats suit his well-trimmed beard, neatly coiffed hair, delicate face shape, lighter coloring, and fine bone structure. Jack’s hands are long and elegant, though strong. Shane’s are large and rough. Coming out of Jack’s old justaucorps and lace-trimmed sleeves, they look out-of-place to his sister. Shane looks like a wild beast in a prince’s clothing. Shannon motions for him to sit and trims his beard and combs his hair for him. Shane is no gentleman. He is kind, loving, and chivalrous, but his trade is that of a bodyguard-for-hire: a personal soldier. He does not seek polite solutions when threatened. He will physically attack any man who threatens him or his clients rather than staging a duel. He insists that his sister leave his hair down rather than pulling it up into the neat queue or plait worn by gentlemen. His niece suggests that he not wear a coat at all and that he instead don his leine. Lynn made it for him as a birthday present, since his birthday was in May and since he had neither dress clothing nor summer clothing. Finally, his sister approves, and he ventures into the forest outside Crosspoint to a refugee camp.

Jack has not seen his wife in many months. Lynn knocks on the cabin door, and Jack answers in his dress uniform. He wears knee-length breeches, white stockings, buckled shoes, a tricorn hat, and a justaucorps. Lynn wears a fine robe à la française. Kerrigan made them dinner before locking her liquor trunk and packing her bag. She leaves out strawberry wine deliberately. She has a room in a small inn, leaving Jack and Lynn to have the cabin. Only she will spend Midsummer’s Eve alone. She has not heard from her husband in a long time, and she recently received a letter from his older brother. Ranrock does not want anything to do with his sister-in-law socially, but he feels he must look after his younger brother, who will listen to no man. Morietur heeds none but his wife, and he only heeds her occasionally. Still, Ranrock felt the need to try the one thing that might work. Kerrigan has not yet opened the letter. She brings it with her in order to read it in the privacy of her hotel room, rather than having Jack ask about it.

“Dear Miltaedovinatulinia,

“As you must have figured in receiving a letter from me, something dire has occurred. My little brother has again drowned himself in liquor. He refuses to leave his home and will no longer allow visitors. I realize that you probably cannot get away from Crosspoint, but if you have even the slightest idea of how to tame him before he hurts someone, your insight would be greatly appreciated. I am certain that I need not remind you how violent he can become when he has been drinking, particularly when he has been drowning himself in liquor, particularly for an extended period of time. The circumstances at your home are quite dire: dire enough that your servants came to me personally to ask for help.

“My Regards,

“Ranrock”

Kerrigan, a worrier by nature, now fears for her husband as well as for Jack, but there is nothing that she can do. She cannot leave her troops, and Morietur cannot stay with her. She writes a reply to Ranrock’s letter detailing her concerns and suggestions and asking him to keep order in her absence, even if it means using physical force to pacify Morietur. Kerrigan goes to the bar of the inn in which she is spending the night. All eyes turn to her, despite the fact that she is plainly dressed and silent, for she is the only woman there. The men bow their heads in respect, and she returns to her room to quickly change into a black evening gown and jewelry and put her hair up. One by one, the men offer to buy her drinks. The long years have not robbed her of her charm.

The twins are celebrating their birthday as well as Midsummer’s Eve, and every woman in Crosspoint notices them. Male Banshees are not rare, however the twins are first-generation Banshees. While there are some, first-generation male Banshees are far less common than either first-generation female Banshees or Hell-born male Banshees. Banshees are rarely seen in Crosspoint, which is on the border between the Werewolf Territory and the Vampire District, far from the Vampire District’s border with the Banshee Quarter. Every woman seems to notice the strange men as they walk past, speaking to each other in the Banshee language. The twins are handsome men, and their lighter build and delicate, youthful face structures set them apart in a city dominated by Vampires and Werewolves. Vampiric men vary widely in height, but the majority are solidly built with heavier, more stern faces than Banshees have, and Werewolvish men tend to be quite tall and very muscular. The twins are neither weak, nor are they short or inconsequential in appearance, however, they look very different from the citizens of Crosspoint, and, besides a certain amount of natural grace and charm, they are more finely dressed than almost any man in the area. They were also taught etiquette by Kerrigan, so they are gentlemen in a city that values neither honor nor honesty and neither glamour nor gentility.

They walk into a bar and sit together while they wait for drinks. They almost do not need to speak as they survey the women in the room. Many of the women are attractive by Vampiric standards, but to a Banshee, they seem fairly plain. Banshee women tend to be thin, glamorous, and petite, though almost all of them are have youthful body types, lacking large chests or wide hips. Most Banshee women wear heavily embroidered gowns and incredibly intricate hairstyles with beads and jewels tucked into them. The women of Crosspoint are simple by comparison, mostly wearing their hair no longer than mid-back and in simple ponytails, braids, buns, or hanging freely. Most of the women in Crosspoint are poor or lower middle class and wear simple wool or linen clothing, mostly in solid colors or plaids. The twins avoid anyone wearing wedding rings. Angry husbands are never worth the trouble, no matter how great the married women may be as lovers. The twins begin to think they will have no luck until two girls enter. Their clothing is plain, but they are beautiful.

Shane walks into the camp, his head down. He does not look into anyone’s eyes. He does not dare to become too tense or quick in his movements. He does not want to fight, nor does he want to seem aggressive or rakish in any way. He has no intentions to harm his fellow refugees. He only wants to meet a Werewolvish woman who might enjoy his company. Every man, woman, and child can smell him coming. He is an outsider, and his scent is unfamiliar. Everyone steps out of their tents, wary of the newcomer. A young woman, her face badly bruised, runs up to him and throws her arms around him. She lived above the pub he once frequented, and she often spent the evenings watching him arrive from her window, though they never actually knew each other well. She lived with her aunt and uncle. Her parents died when she was very young. She is only seventeen. Shane watched her grow from a toddler to a young woman, and he often gave her sweets and little dolls when she was a child. Her eyes have lost the light of childhood, and he knows that something terrible has happened to her. She seems twice her age to him, though she is still beautiful.

“What happened, Laura?”

“They’re dead.”

“Who’s dead?”

“Me aunt Mary an’ uncle Luke.”

“When?”

“Two months gone now. I’ve no one.”

“What happened to yourself?”

“The soldiers came for me as they did for yourself. They shot aunt uncle Luke who was tryin’ to keep ‘em out, an’ they shot aunt Mary ‘cause she wouldn’t stop sobbin’ over uncle Luke’s dead body. Then they came to me room. They dragged me out o’ the closet, an’ they drugged me. I was there maybe two weeks, maybe more. They beat me when I fought back. In the end, I grabbed me candlestick an’ broke the Captain’s nose an’ jaw. I found uncle Luke’s gun in the closet an’ fought ‘em out meself. They set fire to the house wi’ me locked inside in hopes o’ killin’ me, but I took the back stairs down into the bar an’ left out the passage to the next street what ye told me about when I was little. I ran across the border, an’ I passed out. When I woke, I was here. I’ve me pictures still, for I was wearin’ me locket, which has me ma’ an’ da’ on one side an’ aunt Mary an’ uncle Luke on the other, an’ I’ve me uncle Luke’s gun, a wee bit o’ money, an’ a little doll ye made me when I was a child.”

“I want ye to see a doctor.”

“I can’t afford to.”

“I can. I’ll pay. Ye didn’t tell me, but I can see it in your eyes. I know ye were raped, an’ ye’re wi’ child.”

Laura looks at her feet in shame and says, “Aye, an’ I’ll never afford that either.”

“I know a doctor who can take care o’ that right quick, an’ me sister’ll patch ye up, good as new.”

“Ye have a sister?”

“Aye. She’s a Witch. I’ve three brothers, a niece, an’ three nephews as well.”

“I never knew.”

“I suppose ye wouldn’t. Not many did.”

Shane would have preferred a date with a slightly older woman, but Laura desperately needs his help. He knows that he must help her, rather than consider his own pleasure. He bows before the alpha male and humbly asks to take Laura with him. The alpha male sees Laura as useless in her condition, and he continually worries about how to feed the many refugees in his camp without starting clan fights with other refugee camps nearby or being hunted by legal authorities. He is, however, fond of Laura, and wants what is best for her, since he once lost a child like her, many years ago. He consents. Shane offers to ask a doctor to visit the camp and treat the injured refugees. The alpha male is skeptical until Shane mentions the name Brendan Sparrow. News of Brendan’s willingness to hire Werewolves and keeping his promise to pay them spread quickly through the refugee camps scattered around Crosspoint, since the Werewolvish community within the city and surrounding countryside have been helping to supply the camps. The alpha male agrees, since medical care has been nonexistent.

Captain Fitzmaurice is terrified of meeting his girlfriends’ fathers. He has never told anyone this, not even Brendan Sparrow. Typically, fathers do not like young men fraternizing with their daughters. Fathers want to believe that their daughters are virgins until they marry or bear children. They generally threaten and challenge younger men. There is competition for a young lady’s heart not only from her other suitors, but from her father as well. Captain Fitzmaurice has no intention of settling down with any woman any time soon, though he dates only one woman at a time out of a desire not to make things too complicated for himself, having to remember only one address and set of family names at a time. He could have fathered four children by three women already and would have long since been forced to marry by an angry father were it not for his personal friendship with doctor Sparrow, who, like any medical doctor, has the knowledge, tools, and herbs to induce an abortion. A small amount of Angelica root, Black Cohosh, Blue Cohosh, and Pennyroyal will induce an abortion, and Brendan, knowing Billy’s ways with woman and having been equally rakish before he married Annie, keeps a supply at hand in case of emergencies.

The twins agree upon the two beautiful girls who, being lightweight drinkers, fall into the twins’ arms lustily almost immediately. The twins bring them back to their hotel room and help them out of their dresses. Accustomed to rows of ribbon and lace, the twins easily remove the simple, utilitarian corsetry and petticoats of the young Vampires. The girls take down their hair, which is not nearly as seductive as it would be were they glamorous Banshees with knee-length hair tucked up exquisitely, however, it is a practice long regarded in Hell as a signal of willingness toward sexual advances. They allow their waist-length curls to tumble down around their shoulders. Perhaps Vampiric women are not as dull as the twins thought earlier.

On his way through town, Captain Fitzmaurice crosses paths with Shane. Suddenly aware that his pistols are gone and his sword and rifle are in his tent, he reaches for his knife, the only weapon he has. Shane was hoping to find someone in a Southern Army uniform, but Captain Fitzmaurice is wary of all Werewolves, more so since his torture. Shane motions Laura behind him and raises his hands to show that he has no weapon. He does not want a fight. He then tells Captain Fitzmaurice that he is Jack’s brother and that he is seeking a doctor for the lady. He tells the Captain that he knows that Brendan Sparrow is with the Thirteenth Bridgeton, but he notes that he does not know the location of the camp. Surprised by Shane’s civility, Captain Fitzmaurice gives Shane directions to Brendan’s tent before excusing himself and wishing them luck. He has never before seen a Werewolf act anything but brutish, particularly because he has only seen them in battle, and, though he knows that every Werewolf cannot possibly be an enemy combatant, his training and instinct tell him to be suspicious. Looking at Laura, something bothers him. He recognizes the look in her eyes, and he knows that she went through a similar torture to his own, though hers cannot have been for information. He long thought that the tales of Werewolvish soldiers raping civilian girls could not have been true or that it must have been isolated, but, seeing the evidence before him, he knows what happened to her. The sight of a woman in such distress for a man’s most awful fantasies makes him somewhat ill and somewhat angry, even if she is an enemy civilian. He wishes that what he told Annie earlier was not true.

Shane knocks upon the door of his sister’s hotel room. Annoyed by the interruption, Shannon does not initially answer until she hears Shane’s voice. She knows that Shane would not bother her unless the matter was urgent, and she can hear from his voice that it is. Shane supports her marriage against Jack, though he has no power to give her the legal ability to become wedded. She dons her robe, excuses herself to her lover, and walks to the door. Laura is slightly taller than she, and she looks up to the tragic sight of Laura’s destroyed face. She lays her hands upon Laura’s cheeks and bows her head. With a quiet incantation, Laura’s bruises disappear. Her broken teeth are mended, and her right eye again opens. She can see normally for the first time since her ordeal, and her badly broken nose is again straight. Shannon refuses payment when Shane offers and again when Laura offers, insisting that it is merely a favor for her brother. She tells Laura that she ought to see a doctor for the abortion, since she left most of her herbs, including everything that she would need, at her home in the Witch Country.

Lynn is saddened by the sight of her husband. He shakes without his opium. She would like to think that, if he were home, he would not be so addicted. She still wants children badly, but she doubts Jack’s ability to be a father and an addict at the same time, as she has seen with Maire’s two sons by him. She sees the marks of the many injections on his arms and legs when she helps him undress, and she knows he smokes opium as well. He is not completely helpless yet tonight, but she has seen what Kerrigan hoped she would not see. She lays in bed beside her husband and whispers sweet nothings in his ear, hoping he has not lost all passion for her to the opium. Her hopes are not in vain.

Kerrigan Sheehan, now very drunk, puts herself to bed alone in a hotel room far from her home. She is too drunk to think about Ranrock’s letter. For the first time in many years she felt desired. She rarely uses her charm, instead relying on her wits and severity. Once in a great while, she, the woman of icy manner and fiery temper, longs to be desired. She is, after all, still a woman. Earlier that day, the part of her that typically stays in the Banshee Quarter to teach visited a theater in the Demon Lands in Court City not far from her home with Morietur. A son of hers died there on Midsummer’s Eve, and she would not let anything stop her from visiting his ghost on the anniversary, though, for the first time in many years, she went alone. She drifts into a deep, drunken sleep dreaming of her son as a child and of his now-infirm brother whole again. She dreams of her husband wanting her, though not simply lusting. Her dreams are a perfect fantasy.

Doctor Sparrow sits up in bed smoking a cigarette. His wife is asleep beside him wearing his shirt, her hair disheveled and her lipstick smudged. He hopes his wife is not pregnant. She desperately wants children, but he feels he married too soon. He knew he wanted to marry her, but she would have married another rather than waiting for him. Though he loves his wife dearly and wants to be with her, he would rather not be a father, especially to a daughter, lest she should become like his younger sister Bridget. He got in more fights as a youth trying to keep boys his own age away from his sweet little sister, who would spread her legs for any man, if only he paid her something. Billy always stood by him in his fights. He was his only true friend. Brendan worries that, were he to have a daughter, he would fail again in the same way that he and his father failed to protect Bridget.

There is a small bell attached to Brendan’s tent flap, and it jingles cheerily whenever the string outside is pulled. It is tied taught enough that anything short of a severe storm would not cause it to blow about and sound a false alarm. It is also not so loud that it would wake Annie, but he is a light sleeper. Tonight, he is not yet asleep. Brendan rises and dons his trousers, expecting that it is Billy returning early and in need of a drink, as is typical of him when his relationships go sour, as they often do when he meets his girlfriends’ parents, particularly, their fathers. Brendan opens his tent flap, his lit cigarette still in his mouth. The bonfires in camp are burning brightly through the night for the holiday, but he does not see the familiar silhouette of his old friend cast against them. Shane pays him in advance and explains Laura’s situation. Brendan tells him that he will see Laura and induce her abortion in Shane’s hotel room the next evening on his way back from the train station where he will leave Annie as she departs for Bridgeton. He then tells them to enjoy each others’ company and the holiday while the peace lasts. After all, what harm could a little merriment once in a while do?