Redemption - Leon Uris [330]
Liam, immobile, latched on to Georgia Norman as she came into view. She was pretty enough but her movement and pride of gender in her walk said woman.
Georgia came on the porch, made for the front door, dove into her bottomless purse as women are apt to do, then sensed another being there and looked over to Liam.
She was startled, but wordless.
“I’m here in peace,” Liam said softly.
“Rory!” she cried, “Rory!”
Georgia came close to fainting, grabbing the porch post and starting to slip when Liam steadied her and led her to a wicker chair.
“Is he all right?”
“He was wounded at Gallipoli. I don’t have too much information. Some loss of use in his right hand and a clouded vision that comes and goes.”
She thanked God several times as a bit of color returned to her cheeks.
“He’s in Ireland and under his enlistment name, so contact isn’t too easy. He’s a captain, you know, won the Victoria Cross.”
Georgia bit her lip, then used Liam’s shoulder for a short, sweet sob. “I’ll get you a cool drink,” she said quickly. “Hard or soft?”
“A beer would be the end of the earth.”
She returned. “No need to ask how you ran me down?” she asked.
“I’m a sheepman. I’ve a lot of experience in finding stray lambs, although you did give me quite a runaround.”
“Actually this rehabilitation center was on the planning boards before the war started,” she said. “Even back in New Zealand I felt I’d be coming here once my husband left. I’m the Head Matron of one of the departments. I deal with the shell-shocked lads.”
“Oh God,” Liam whispered. “Where do you find the strength?”
“Don’t make me cry again, Liam. It’s hard enough in there.”
“Rory always wrote to his mother and brother and sisters until he left Gallipoli. After that, only a few letters, written by nurse’s aides. I always knew he’d find his way to Ireland so I wrote to my brother, Father Dary—he’s a priest.”
“I know.”
“I wrote it months ago. I wanted it waiting when Rory got there. I couldn’t live any longer with what I’d done to him. He got the letter,” Liam said shakily, “and he wrote me back.”
“What did he say?”
“He forgave me. And don’t you know he asked me to forgive him as well.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Thank God he misses New Zealand. He’s coming back one of these days. We’re going to make it now….”
“You’ve suffered, haven’t you, man?” she asked.
“Aye. Rory asked one favor, to find you. He met your husband on Gallipoli and holds him in great esteem. He also knows that the two of you were divorced long before the war and only stayed together for the sake of his career.”
“Calvin has a good wife and a chance for recovery, although he still occasionally plunges into despair.”
“Father Dary wrote me how great Rory thought he was. Georgia, Rory pleaded with you from Gallipoli. He said he knew why you sent him off empty, so as not to saddle him with something he’d be sorry for after the war. He loves you more than ever, lass, like it would take half of forever to get over you….”
“Rory was equally unfair,” Georgia said. “We both knew he’d get mixed up in Ireland. He had every right to ask me to wait till the end of the war. He had no right to ask me to wait forever, without contact, only to wake up one morning and get a letter from Father Dary saying he’d been shot by a firing squad or hanged. So, I made the break clean for both of us, he not burdened by me and me the same.”
“But you are burdened by him,” Liam said. “You bore his child. I want to see my granddaughter.”
Georgia walked away.
“I want to see my granddaughter,” he repeated. He handed her his great handkerchief to dry and blow, dry and blow. “You loved him that much.”
“Ah Squire, don’t you know that after Rory Larkin gets his hands on you, you’re not much good for anyone else. It started as a lark, but by the time he went off to war I knew there’d never be the likes of him again, and I had to have something of his, forever.”
“You