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[muppets123]

Emmeline woke up a twice during that night. The first time she just lay in bed, just thinking.  A few salty slid down her cheek onto the pillow but she refused to give to them.   A few hours later she awoke with a start. She had a dream about being trapped on some rocks by angry seals, barking orders at her.  She knew that was nonsense but she was disturbed none the less. Throwing off the covers, she rushed to the window gazed out at the night sky towards the harbour.   Clouds and street lamps obstructed the stars and buildings blocked her view of the sea.   She thought of Anne and home but decided she couldn't go back just yet.  She still had her career aspirations and she shouldn't let one unfortunate romance derail her dreams . Anne would tell her not to give up her ideals. After a while, she told herself she had to get some sleep for she had a busy day ahead.





She maintained her composure and her concentration in classes the next day despite Brian constantly trying to pull her aside to "talk." She wouldn't let him. She told her classmates about her successful charade for the customers at her inn. They were excited, congratulated her and encouraged her to try out for more challenging roles. She did not mention going to the Black Swan.
Bryan finally cornered her on the staircase while she was coming down from returning the costumes she borrowed.

"Emmy wait, please listen. You can't just..."
"Oh yes I can just."
"But you know you are my favorite princess"
She felt her cheeks grow red and hot.
"Favorite? Out of how many? Hundreds? Millions? A Prince wouldn't do what you did, nor a gentleman for that matter.  Now if you don't mind, leave me alone. I have nothing more to say to you but I have plenty of important things to do." And she brush passed him on the stairs, and left the theatre.
She walked for a long while to let her anger subside. She had thought about heading to the park to feed the ducks and swans, but she was afraid she might run into Bryan and his friends. Instead she walked in the general direction of Trinity College. Unfortunately because her mind was preoccupied she became lost, again. She was glad Bryan had not attempted to follow her but she saw it was getting dark. She stopped to ask some nuns for directions and soon was back on familiar streets heading towards her inn.





When she got home she found Morgan waiting in the parlour for her.
"Hello Dad, Sorry I am late. I just lost.... track of time Just give me a few minutes to change and we can go to supper. I am famished." She didn't want to admit to getting lost again or being upset over Bryan.
He greeted her with a hug.
"Are you alright sweetheart?"
"Yes, I'm fine... and I had a good day at the theatre. I told my friends about successfully fooling the landlord and the customers here."
Morgan chuckled. "Yes you were a fine actress last night. I am sorry though that I had to have you to learn about Bryan that way."
"  It doesn't matter but .... let's not talk about that.  So, you really think I was a good actress?"
"The best,  sweetheart"
"You think one day I will be good enough for Broadway or the Savoy in London?"

Morgan blushed at the mention of the Savoy,  as he was reminded of his mishap with Dahlia. He had not said anything about it to Katherine. Why should he?  Nothing came of it, he was quite sure, so there was no reason to get Katherine upset or jealous.  It was doubtful it would ever come up in conversation.   Therefore,  it made perfect sense to leave this embarrassing but innocent little secret buried in the closet.
"Ummm yes, of course", he added momentarily distracted.
"Good. Then I have your blessing to continue pursing this as a career, right?"
Morgan realized he had been outsmarted by his own daughter.
" Err....well, now wait a minute Emmeline. You really need to think about something with more security. Maybe you should think about giving up this dream and come home."
"Now Daddy, you just agreed I was a very good actress. You'll have a have to let me go and make my own decisions, and my own mistakes sometime.  Now no more talk of this. One of the girls at the theatre told me about a charming little Victorian tea room near the Dublin Zoo. The have wonderful meals and entertainment.   I am taking you there and it's my treat. After all, I am a working actress. And although the stipend is small, I think I can afford to take my favorite man out for a meal.   I'll be down in a jiffy." And with that she kissed him on the cheek and bounded up the stairs.
"Very well, daughter. You win this round", Morgan sighed.

[Henk]

"Helene, how could you ?" , Katherine almost screamed at Helene.
Helene was offended by the sudden outburst of her best friend.
Little could she know what had happened only a few days earlier.
Looking at Katherine, the tears filling Katherine's eyes told her this was serious.
"What do you mean !", Helene asked.
"Oh, this little serpent. Why is she meddling with my life ? ", Katherine sobbed.
Helene asked again, Katherine told her what had happened.
She thought about it for a few moments.
"Katherine, listen. There is no prove "anything" really happened. They might have seen each other indeed.
But as far as I know Morgan from your words, I cannot imagine him doing that to you "

Katherine thought about that for a while in silence.
"I hope you are right, he would have told me. I spoke to him last night, and I tried to bring the subject to his stay in London, but he did not say anything about that"

Helene hugged her friend.
"Katherine, Dahlia is the best musician I ever heard, she promised to play for free on our wedding, in fact, she offered it herself. But you will see nothing ever went wrong, believe me !"

Katherine went home, not really convinced.
"I am back, in my old dark room, where I once started", she sighed.

[muppets123]

The tea room was quiet and cozy. Morgan and Emmeline had a a lovely meal of lamb stew, a potato and cabbage dish called colcannon and homemade berry tarts.
The entertainment was quite subtle, not the the bawdy pub songs of the Black Swan.
The music during dinner was a selection of pieces by Turlogh O'Carolan.  An elderly woman played Celtic Harp, and included everything from soft aires to a lively planxty.  She was followed by a young man who recited poems by Yeats



A Cradle Song
 
The angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.
God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
are gay with His mood.
I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.
--William Butler Yeats
 
The Isle of Innisfree
 
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evenings full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.
--William Butler Yeats
 

After the recitation, Morgan approached the subject of Emmeline's career choice again. However, this time he tried to open the door in a different way.
"You know, Emmeline, Why don't you come back to PEI for a visit.  I am sure Anne would love to see you and hear all about your internship."
"Nice try daddy, but Anne and I do correspond with each other by letters and I know she would want me to see this through. There are only a couple weeks left."
"Oh, well then come back when it is over. Perhaps you and I can go to Boston and visit some of your favorite museums."
"Dad, I love you and it's nice that you want to spend time with me and cheer me up and all.  But you have your life and I have mine. I would like to travel around Ireland some and see other parts of this country. A couple of the girls form the theatre have invited me to spend some weekends with them at family cottages near Kilarney and Galway Bay.   Anne also told me that Katherine will be in Paris this summer and so that would be a nice opportunity for me to pay a visit to her. You are still courting her aren't you?
 
"Emmeline, at my age I would hardly refer to it as courting.  Besides, we are talking about your life young lady, not mine." Morgan sounded exasperated.  He was not angry, just frustrated that he could not make Emmeline understand.
"Your are absolutely right.  It is MY life daddy... Please try to understand that..."

Their conversation was interrupted as the proprietor came out and announced:

"Ladies and gents we, have a special treat for ya this evening. We are pleased to present a Magic Lantern Show filled with songs and wonderful pictures of this Island gem we are proud to call our home."

With that, the gas lights we dimmed and Emmeline and Morgan became quiet as they watched the show. The first piece featured traditional Irish reels and fiddles tunes.  Morgan and Emmeline smiled and applauded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bLcJCHSLb4
This was followed by a love ballad, a fishing song, and a dance tune.  During the last song,  tears welled up in Morgan's eyes as he moved his hand across the table and took hold of Emmeline's hand.  She gazed at him, her eyes shining as well and  gave his hand a squeeze. Neither spoke after and they were both grateful that the room was still dark when the song ended, so neither of them would see the tears.  But but both of them knew, the bond was still there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N76kAivCb20&feature=related

They walked back to to inn silently and at peace with each other.  There was no need to speak.  When they reached the parlour,  Emmeline hugged her father.
"Papa, I would never become estranged from you that way.  You will forever be in my heart and I will always be your loving daughter, no matter where I am.   I will always make time for you, regardless of what I do in life.  I know you want to protect me.  Even if you don't understand my dreams, please believe in me."
" I know pumpkin and I will try. It's just hard to think of you as all grown up. I never want to lose you.  I love you Emmeline."  He kissed her on the  forehead.
"You won't papa, I promise."



Emmeline went upstairs to her room and watched him from the window as he made his way to his own lodgings.  "Goodnight papa, I love you too." she whispered.

[Henk]

Had it all been a dream ?
Katherine had taken a day off from all her duties, to be alone.
There had been moments after she arrived in France, when Katherine asked herself what she was doing, and what life was doing to her.
The pleasant weather, the good food in France , and most of all the warmth she felt in the friendships with the people around her had made her life a constant stream of joy, love and happiness.
There had been laughing and crying, specially with Helene and David.
The letters with Anne, and even Emmeline lately, reminded her of her life she had been living, without feeling regret.
Anne and Emmeline had both lived a life once without much warmth, like her.
She often felt blessed, knowing Morgan was always in the background.



And now she was hit right in the center of her heart.
How one woman had been able to bring her back at where she once was.
The lonely Katherine, whose life would never change, while she saw the lives of all the others around her flow further.
Helene was too busy now making her arrangements to have time for listening to Katherine's fears.

"It is impossible, Morgan would never do that, he is not the man like that" , she tried to convince herself.
She had to see Morgan, and ask him herself.



( Paintings Edvard Munch )

[Henk]

"Raindrops keep falling on my head", David sung, considering himself lucky.
The rain was not falling on his head, but in the distance.
He was used to it, and liked it, because of the dramatic panoramas the clouds, the mountains, the lakes and all the green colors were making together.



Going over the top of the hill, David saw smoke coming out if a chimney in the distance, and roof from houses.
"No need for heating with this weather, this is a kitchen at work".



David did not know what to think.
This last phone-call with Katherine had brought him the good news of her coming to Ireland.
It made him glad, to be able to speak with Katherine again.
She sounded very excited, no word of sorrow from her had crossed the line.
But something stirred David's mind.
Was it the word "if", that she had used a few times ?
The timetable of the ship, that David worked on from France to Cork told him it was due to arrive in two days, in Cork.
He would try to see if the captain could use a helping hand without pay, only to let him pick up Katherine.
Saving her the long journey through England and Wales.
He discussed it yet with her, but first he had to be sure about this journey.
When Morgan and Katherine were finally together again, he would go back to France.
Perhaps together with the happy couple, depending on Helene's weddingday.
"Two people I love marrying, or at least together", he smiled.
Morgan had private matters that had kept him in Ireland, but that seemed to be solved by now.
"I hope he is not too jealous, me meeting Katherine", David thought.

It was a long walk from his last lodgings, but now he approached the small town.



In the distance he heard the sound of illian pipes and concertina.
"When there is a feast, there will be food".

The food could wait for a while, when he saw the dancers on the town-square.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I am the happiest man in the world ", Morgan thought.
Never before had he been this close with Emmeline, and it would last forever after last evening.
"It took some years, but we made it. Thanks, Anne", he thought.

He had the use of a horse and carriage now, and rambled through the countryside around Dublin.
Often enough he had heard the  Irish making music and dance in Boston, and on his journeys through the prairies of America, when trains made a whistle-stop for water.



Hearing the same music, often unexpected, in Ireland brought him back home for a few minutes sometimes.



On top of all this, Katherine was coming !
How nice to be together, and Katherine meeting Emmeline again !
He was a little bit surprised, because he was now free to travel.
Bryan seemed to be to busy with his usual leisures ad not bother about Emmeline anymore.
Some of the regulars in Emmeline's inn would keep an eye on her, and contact him if anything of that kind would happen.
He wanted to go to France himself, but Katherine seemed to be in a hurry.
"That is a good sign", he smiled.

[Henk]

Katherine needed something to do with her hands.
Sometimes she felt the urge coming up to take another  piece of the China tea-set and throw it against the wall.
The tea-set was already missing a few pieces .
"Positive, Katherine, positive !", she told herself.
"I need to do something positive !".

Making a Champagne bavarois for her and Helene, who would visit her this evening, was the most positive thing she could think of.
She did not have to go far for shopping, living in the center in Paris.
"I like this ", she said, taking a sample of the liquid that gives the pastry its name.

Champagne and peach bavarois.
 
Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: French
Cooking time: More than 2 hours
Special options: Kid friendly
Course: Dessert

INGREDIENTS

Mousse
120ml champagne
50g sugar
3 egg yolks
3 gelatin leaves
juice of half a lemon
250ml fresh cream
2 whole peaches
4 almond cookies (to fit your mould)

Decoration
200g white chocolate
green and yellow food colouring
150g red marzipan (for roses)

METHOD

Whip egg yolks, sugar and champagne over a steam bath to a zabaglione.

Add the soaked gelatin leaves and then place the mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk it until cold.

When it is cold, fold in the whipped cream and the lemon juice.

Then pour into the prepared moulds (the plastic ring with the almond cookie on the bottom and chopped peaches on top) and chill for approximately 3 hours.

[Henk]

"One minute, please, one minute ! What is a minute compared with eternity ?"
Emmeline looked at Bryan, without saying anything
"Have you forgotten those precious moments we had, the painting I made of you ?" , Bryan asked again.
Emmeline could recall these moments, where time had stood still, where only the man besides her and herself mattered.
Two people.
But it was dragged down, covered with mud and dirt. The person she shared it with had stepped out.
Leaving her alone.
Emmeline was not afraid to be alone, she was used to it.
Like Anne, she had cultivated her secret garden.
Anne had shown her where it was.
It was a safe place, where she could wander around alone  and feel free.
The gate had been opened, to welcome a visitor.
How mistaken she was.
None of the flowers she loved so much were noticed, the bushes were trampled by a stranger, who after all was only looking for The Treasure.
The Treasure was there, but he had not noticed it.
"Bryan "
"Yes ?"
"It is over. You better go "



( painting Edvard Munch )

[muppets123]

Katherine kept her hands and mind occupied while making a beautiful Champagne bavarois. Unfortunately while it  was chilling,  her mind wandered back over the conversation between her and Dahlia.  The serpent even produced a photograph when Katherine accused Dahlia of lying.
" Cherie, your friend Morgan, he  ees so charming and such a good dancer. We had a lovely time at thees party. Is thees not him?" she asked with false sincerity.  The blood left Katherines face when she saw the pictures.  There had to be some explanation, but what?  And why hadn't Morgan bothered  to tell her about this?   





 Katherine was doing a slow burn, even though the oven was not  turned on.  But the comment that cut her to the quick was  Dahlia's  cooing about how  sweet  Morgan looked when he slept with  his head on her lap and how he almost left his shoes in her boudoir.  Katherine paced ferociously as she waited for the dessert.
"I'd like to give her a tongue lashing with my own shoe.  Or better yet, maybe I can entice her to play a game of croquet and then accidentally stiffle her with a  mallet."


She stared again at the dessert.   She left the room and picked up the phone to call Helene. "Please come over right away.  If you don't I am afraid I will eat this entire dessert myself."
"Please relax dear. I'll will be over as soon as I can.  In the meantime, just think about how smashing  you will look in that new sea foam green Indian Style dress you bought in Italy.  Morgan will never leave your side after he sees you in that."
Katherine laughed.   She thanked her friend and hung up the phone.  Then she went to read up on India while images of dancing in that dress floated in her head.

[Henk]

"Katherine, wait !"
David expected to hear the click of the telephone being disconnected.
It did not.
"I want to come now, David. I cannot wait for Morgan till he is finished, you have to understand that !"
"OK, but give me some time, and I will pick you up, just give me a few more days !"

Katherine hesitated, but gave in.
The long journey through England did not appeal to her at all.
A direct sailing from Normandy or Brittany to Ireland would be faster and more relaxed.
"OK, David. Call me when you are back".
David promised.

In Killarney, county Kerry,  he had found the name of a ship, which was probably willing to take him over to
Skellig Micheal.
It was, if David was willing to work on the journey out.
After four days, it would pick  David up again, he would pay for that in advance.
The Atlantic Ocean was smooth, but no wild roaring sea would  have kept David from going there.



"Very few men going on their own these days, Mister !", the captain grinned.
"Yes, the Skellig's List, isn't it ?" , David laughed.
He knew the custom of engaged couples, going there for a few solitary days on their own before getting married.
"Yes, indeed ", the captain answered.
"Don't know if it does any good to them or not, they never come back to tell me ".
"Never mind, maybe you will see me again !", David said, half joking.
The captain looked at him.
"You never know, laddy".

David looked at the island, which they were approaching fast.



He checked his luggage.
A few blankets, books,  drinking water, fishing-gear, a knife, candles, chocolate, white paper and pencils and everything else.
It was all there.

He looked at the gannets circling around the island and above the water.
"Hi, here am I, David. Visiting your home for a few days, I hope you don't mind".
The birds did not seem to care about him.
Finally they arrived .

David looked up to the high rocks, and saw the stairs he had to climb.



"See you in four days, Mister !", the captain greeted him, and sailed away.
David loaded all his belongings on his shoulder and started to climb the 600 stairs.
To the small cluster of six ‘beehive’ huts, two oratories and small terraces ,714 feet above sea level.
Facing southward and sheltered from the winds.
Build by monks 1300 years ago.



Often David had stared at the horizon, from the land or from the ships he worked on.
The maps told him there was land after the horizon.
Katherine came from that land, and a few people were used now to sail forth and back between these worlds.
More people made that journey once, to find a new world, to start a new life.
"What will you do with the old one ?", David sometimes asked, without anybody hearing him.

The first two days, David had to get used to fishing for food, sleeping on hard rock, and hearing the constant wind blow through the openings in  the walls.
It was not the life these old monks had lived, he realized, when burning a gaslight to cook some food.

"It is here, where they studied Socrates and Aristoteles, learning the basic mason-skills. It is here, where the Inspiration  came to them, that would shine all over the British Isles and far into the mainland of Europe.
When all of Europe had forgotten, they were able to give it all back ".
Laying on his back, he admired how they had build these huts, without using clay or anything to keep them in shape.

He did expect Brigitte to appear to him again, but he reminded himself Brigitte was not showing up on demand.
Brigitte did not appear to him.
He was sure about that.
A few times he climbed the 600 steps.
Not too fast, to be able to keep walking without getting tired to soon,
He counted the steps, one by one.
It gave rythm to it.
"I should have brought a drum, to beat the walking rythm ", he thought.
It was the third day, when David was finding the rest he needed.
"Here are the birds, the Ocean, the fish and me".

And there she was.
It was only a flash, and it was gone before David could do anything.
But she had been there.



On his last evening, he lay down.
"No, it was not you, Brigitte. Who it was I don't know, but she was there "
One minute later he was asleep.

[Henk]

"Helene, I am not sure about this "
"What do you mean, Katherine ? "
"I understand you want to do your wedding "in style" as you call it "
"What is wrong with that ?"
"This simply is not your style. This is so...so  17th or 18 centuries ", Katherine replied.
Katherine had decided to wait a  few days before going to Morgan, and helped Helene, soon to be Mrs. Helene Batiment, with looking at some options.
"And besides that, how do you think you will climb out of this vehicle in wedding-dress in an elegant way ?
And who is going to catch you down there ?"
"Well, my dear Batty" , Helene replied, as she had nicknamed him lately.
"Something might go wrong there, you know !".
Katherine was able to draw some pictures in Helene's fantasy.
"I never thought about that, Katherine !", she answered, blushing.



David had been far away from worldly problems for a few days, on Skellig Micheal.
The fisherboat arrived on time, to pick him up.
"Did you like it ?", the captain asked.
"Yes, I loved it !"
"But I guess I have become too much a city-man, after a while you long for some company "
"On the island ?", the captain asked.
"Who knows ?". David answered.
"Indeed", agreed the captain.
"Who knows !"

David went to Port Rush, to enjoy some more fresh sea-air, together with beaches.
The day after, he had to call Katherine to make an appointment.

"How beautiful", David whispered to himself, admiring the Irish scenery around him.

[Henk]

Muppets and I are full of ideas, and in general we know where the story is going.
But it is an Anne-related story, with Katherine as leading character.
And Katherine is a bit un-predictable lately.
Muppets and I are both a bit busy in real life, and tend to neglect reporting about Katherine's doings.
It is hot in France now, so Katherine and Co will slow down and adjust to that.
Same for David, Morgan and Emmeline in Ireland.

For now, I suggest we will give Katherine and Co a little break.
Inserts < any cliffhanger >

[felicity18]

Muppets and I are full of ideas, and in general we know where the story is going.
But it is an Anne-related story, with Katherine as leading character.
And Katherine is a bit un-predictable lately.
Muppets and I are both a bit busy in real life, and tend to neglect reporting about Katherine's doings.
It is hot in France now, so Katherine and Co will slow down and adjust to that.
Same for David, Morgan and Emmeline in Ireland.

For now, I suggest we will give Katherine and Co a little break.
Inserts < any cliffhanger >

I'll be looking forward for the next update in Katherine's story and all of the characters of course.

felicity18

[Henk]

I'll be looking forward for the next update in Katherine's story and all of the characters of course

Thanks, Felicity !
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dear Katherine.
I understand how you must feel, now Morgan is so near to you, but still not with you.
There must be a reason why his travelling to you has been delayed.
Remember he is a man of business !
"Work comes before the maid" that kind of men will always say.
And you know, they are right maybe.
Because when the work is done, they will come back to their "maid", believe me !

Glad you have your best friend Helene to cry together with !
Also her architect will come back to her soon when he is finished in Vienna, and will call the day for their wedding.

Gilbert would love to travel to Paris.
To see Versailles, and to visit the Pasteur-laboratories.
Ofcourse I would still  love to see those marble halls I once dreamed of !

The children are enjoying their schoolvacation a lot.
The weather has been fine here.

Jem and Nan perhaps had my old story about Dolly in their mind, when they thought a cow had walked out of the fence .
"Dolly" could not care less about Jem's and Nan's yelling, trying to move her.
They never saw Herman the Bull. He was just around the bushes.
Herman convinced the children they had to leave in his own bull-ish way.
Jem said he had never run that fast.
They reached the fence in time, nothing happened to them.



And old curse came back to me !
This time, Diana had nothing to do with it.
Within two months, I received letters from two different baking-powder companies, asking me if I wanted to write an advertisement for them.
Gilbert could not stop laughing.
"Back to Mumbo Jumbo for you !", he said.
I reminded  him about my reaction when he said that first, years ago.
He stopped  laughing, but you should have seen his eyes !





This is all I have to say for now, Dear Katherine.
Enjoy that fabulous French weather and food, and let me know what happens, when it happens !

Your's
Anne "

[Henk]

"Dear Anne,
Don't you worry !

I am in Paris long enough now, to have learned how the Parisiennes do. Grab life, and enjoy every day of it.
And let no man keep you from doing so.
Like you say, that is not too hard with this climate and all the delicious eating we do.
Helene has not chosen her weddingdress still, and will not look further till Mister Batiment makes up his mind, and will  name the day.

Colette, Clair, Helene and I have been swimming a lot together.
( This picture is take by me with my first Kodak :



We are thinking of making a bicycle-tour along the Loire,  maybe in August.

Life has slowed down a lot here at the moment.
And so have we.

I will write you soon, if anything happens, or not.
Love to Gilbert and your beautiful  children !

Your's
Katherine

[Henk]

Helene and Katherine did not need many words to share their feelings with each other.
"What does that man think of me ?", Helene asked.
"Did he think we were some kids, doing some "let's get married game ?" with their dolls ?", she grumbled.
"A large project in Vienna ? Am I not his largest project ?"



""Yes, indeed. We are in the same situation. Morgan was so close to me, I was even getting ready to sail to Ireland.
And now he is back in Boston, because he has to be there to start their new enterprise"
Katherine wanted to feel angry, but she could not, remembering Anne's words in her last letter.
"Have faith, Helene. They will be back, I feel . But let's not keep that from enjoying us here in Paris.
That is what I learned from you as a real Parisienne !"
"True", agreed Helene.
"Come on, let's go out, there is a lot of Summer out there waitning for us".
Soon the two friends were outside, leaving their sorrowful thoughts  at home.
Thanks to the blessings of telephone, they could invite all the other friends to celebrate This Day, because it was Today.
Some Other Beautiful Days followed.


One person was not invited.



Morgan and Emmeline had gone back together, now the theater-season in Dublin was finished.
Morgan was busy, but when he received an invitation  to go up to Canada for a few days with a business-associate, he accepted it full-heartedly.
"She must be angry with me, but we will be back. And one day we will be back here, and sit at one of those lakes together ", he thought.
His fantasy played with him, why did he have a vision of an extra chair standing there ?



Emmeline wanted to have some rest, and spend many evenings waiting for an old friend to take the place of the Sun, and take her away on the wings of her own dreams.



And David ?

David was going home for a few weeks, to meet with his old friends.
But before that, he took a few days to explore more of the beauty of Ireland .



In the evenings, he was too tired to even remember the next day what he had dreamed during the night.
"These are not the marble halls of Versailles", he often thought before falling asleep.

 

[Henk]

An appointment to make a bicycle-tour along the Loire was made in Winter between Helene and Katherine.
The first idea was, that David and Henry would join them.
Henry was not available for the time coming, and David needed to work very hard.
Because his Irish adventures had cost him more money than he had earned with his temporary jobs.
He was working as guide now in a museum.

The girls did not want to buy a bicycle before they had tested one.



"This one steers a little bit heavy, Katherine" , Helene said.
"Mine is alright, Helene", Katherine answered, while looking back where they came from.

"Making a bicycle-tour might not be without risk, dear Helene", she grinned.
"Why ?", Helene asked
"What could happen to us ?"
"Not with us, but with the poor men that are distracted by your appearance on a bicycle"
Katherine pointed to the man who was in the postion that prompted Katherine to make her warning.



"Did I do that ?", Helene asked, startled.
"No, I did that", Katherine answered with a dry voice.

Helene needed some distraction herself.
Mr. Batiment had obviously understated Helene's patience.
He had not named the day still.
The little bit of patience she had was all gone by now.

EVen the day before, she and Katherine had been looking for a nice weddingcake.
Helene's choice of cakes made clear to Katherine, that Helene was not in the right mood anymore for glamorous and grand wedding.

[Fire Djinn]

I liked the wedding cakes Henk, very funny.

[Henk]

Gilbert and Morgan shook hands like old friends.
"You are a rich man, Gilbert", Morgan said, looking at the kids.
"You are too !", Gilbert answered.
"We are both rich, indeed, Gilbert. I am still very grateful to Anne for letting me discover that just in time".
Morgan looked admiringly at Emmeline, who just came inside, after having explored Anne's garden.

"How are you men doing ?", Anne asked teasing.
"Depends on you, Anne !", Gilbert answered, smiling.
"If you are doing well, I am doing well".
Anne kissed him on his forehead.
"Well, I am well", she said.

Anne had asked Emmeline all about her adventures in America and Ireland, on her tours with the theater-group.
Emmeline told them all, trying to avoid the recent one in Ireland.
Anne sensed it, but waited for Emmeline to come to the point, at last.
"I have not started on a personal adventure yet, Miss..eh..Mrs. Shirley..excuse..Mrs. Blythe !"
Anne looked serious at Emmeline.
"How do you mean that ?", she asked.
"You were long marrried at my age, Mrs. Blythe."
"Well, it took some years before we, or better: I, realized what I ignored ".
"Maybe I have to stop traveling, and settle and wait ?", Emmeline asked.
"For what or for who ?", Anne asked.
Emmeline did not have an answer for that.
"Go where your heart is, Emmeline" , Anne said.
"Perhaps another heart is doing that too, and maybe these two hearts will meet each other one day".
"My heart is in the theater, Mrs Shir...Mrs Blythe "

They had a delicious meal, where Anne impressed again with an onion-soup followed by a salad with chicken.
"Morgan, tomorrow I will let you meet a man of standing, a man that has learned me a lot about the use of herbs and other medical skills", Gilbert said."A very wise man".

"Who is he ?". Morgan asked.
"John Sark, Chief of the MicMac tribes here on Prince Edward Island" .
"That might be interesting indeed !", Morgan replied.
One more day after that, and they would start the long journey down again, back to Boston.
And eventually back to Ireland ,maybe further into Europe.
His research and companionship with Mr. Connell was starting to bear fruit.
Emmeline had a new contract in the new theater-season in Dublin, that would enable her to pay for her study.

The children told their stories during the meal.
Jem was very excited, about his coming first year at the Queen's acadamy.
"You will get there !", Morgan supported him.

"I am so glad you wanted to make this journey with me, Dad", Emmeline said to Morgan, when they walked to their rooms.
"I can see that, Emmeline", Morgan laughed. " It saved a lot of time, hiring that car in Halifax, after the trainjourney, instead of going by the connecting possibilities.
"I did not mean that really, Dad", Emmeline said.
"I am happy, because we make this journey together, you and me" .
"Me too, Emmeline. I am very happy too !".
"Good night !"
" Good night !".

[Henk]

Emmeline stayed with Anne.
Too much stories to tell, and news to catch up with from the old friends.

Gilbert's idea of meeting one of the old people on the island attracted  Morgan.
Morgan had found his own social boarders too confined long ago.
It limited his world to the social class he would belong to back in the Old World, in England.
A way to explain things to the folks that had not taken a step into the New World.
The strict discipline that was maintained in his family was needed perhaps to survive and succeed, when they entered  a new environment.
But how true had they followed the rules and the learnings  of their religion ?

Mr. John Sark, was awaiting them.



Gilbert and Mr. Sark greeted each other, after that Morgan was introduced to him.
Mr. Sark talked about the ancient ways of medicine, and how Gilbert and he had met on this.
Morgan was impressed by Gilbert, how he had been able to open his eyes beyond the studies he had taken to become a doctor.

"You know", Mr. Sark said, looking at Morgan.
" The people from Europe were expected.
We kind of knew they were coming.
They were good friends with us, with mutual respect.
The Sinclairs were wise men, they could talk with our wise men.
Problems started when other folks came after them.
Some of them you still celebrate  each year, but it is not our celebration, believe me.

Morgan knew what he was hinting about.
"How about the SinClairs ?", Morgan asked.
"You talk about Oak Island ?", Mr Sark asked.
"Hm, yes I do ", Morgan replied.
"Are you going there to search yourself ?"
"No, I will not", Morgan replied.
" I follow my own way. I guess there is some mystery there, but I can not believe I will  be the one who finds what is lost for so many years, without even knowing what is lost "
Gilbert had read about that too, and could follow Morgan's thoughts.
"I spoke with Anne about that. "We have our Treasures, Gilbert", she said, and she is so right ".
"You are speaking wise words both, that is how we see it too", Mr.Sark said.
There are MicMac symbols used in the Money Pit, that are taken for hints where to find the Treasure "
"And maybe people have found the Treasure without recognizing it ".
"Because they don't know it", Morgan said.
"True "

The rest of the talk was about the daily living and events on Prince Edward Island.
 
In the evening, Morgan talked to Emmeline about the meeting, and the Treasure.
She smiled. "I know what you mean !", thinking of Bryan for a second.
"No Treasure hunting for us on Oak Island, Dad ?", she asked.
"Do you want to?"
"No, Dad".
"Neither do I, don't worry."

They had to pack their trunks, the next day would be an early start, to catch the train from Halifax to Boston on time.

Morgan slept immidiate, but Emmeline did not.
"Am I not Treasure Hunting ? Are you sure, Emmeline ?"
This question kept her awake for a while, but finaly she fell asleep.

The next day, Anne and Gilbert were waving them out,till they were out of sight.
"You think, they are OK, Anne ?"
"Yes, I think they are very OK, both of them "
"it might be a long time before we see them again, if ever". Gilbert said.
"We will only know, once were are beyond a next bend in the road again,Gilbert.
And I have a feeling that bend is coming sooner as we think "

[Henk]

Katherine had accepted Henri's invitation, to go with him to the Normandy coast.
Glad as she was to be back in Paris, seeing her friends again, she longed to be at the water.
It reminded her of home.
Not the home at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
No, the Ocean itself was something of a home for her.
After all she was an "islander", the Ocean had always been around her.
The fresh breeze she loved to feel, when Kingsport was sort of jumping at her, taking all her breath away.
Helene had invited Katherine  to spend an afternoon with her, David and Colette.
She refused, which she regretted soon after, because a most unexpected guest was going to show up.
Causing a lot of confusion for one of her dearest friends.

"What do you see, Katherine ?", Henri asked.
"Many, many ships, Henri ".
"I came on one of them. But the ship that will bring me back is not there yet"

Henri was a gentleman, Katherine felt safe with him.
But she did not have the special bond with him, like she had with David.
She avoided any subject that might bring the talk to Morgan and her.
She looked at the ships, and whispered softly "you're on your one now, mate".
Imitating a Welsh accent, just for fun.



How wrong she was.
Morgan was heading for Boston with one of the two women that meant most in his life, determined to make up for the lost time he did not spend with the other one.
---------------------------------------

"You do look brown, David ", Helene laughed at David.
"You do look well too, Helene ", David smiled.



Mr. Batiment was back in Paris, Helene had spend the last two days with her fiance.
He had asked Helene which date she wanted to marry.
This time it was Helene who hesitated, because she wanted to make sure all her best friends would be there.
Mr. Batiment was an enlightened man.
He knew all about the adventures of Helene, David and Katherine, and did not object to Helene meeting David again.

"No Irish lassie has conquered your heart, David ? No woman has been able to become the starring person of your dream yet ?"
Helene asked teasing.
David paused before he answered.
"The answer to the first question is No. Ireland is full of angels, but the one was not there. And I did not search for it, there was too much that I wanted to do. In fact, I am not even finished there. I might go back perhaps".
"Oh, that is interesting. But what is the answer to my second question ? "

David paused again.
Helene and he knew each other well enough.
She would not make a fool of him.
"You know I have those flashes sometimes ?", he asked.
"Yes", Helene answered.
She hesitated before she asked : "Brigitte ?"
"No, it was not Brigitte. Brigitte has been rather quiet lately.  I dreamed of her indeed, but only for very short moments. All she did was wave at me, before disappearing into a mist ".

Helene looked into the pond, where a pair of lily's was floating, having their leaves up like greeting the Sun.
"But she was there, only a few times. I have no idea who she is, or if I ever saw her before , in real life".
A gentle breeze moved through the air, letting the lily's float closer to each other.
"She is there, David. She is there, and you will meet her one day, I know for sure "
"Thanks, Helene ".
 

( Pictures Monet and Renoir )

[Henk]

"I want Katherine and you as witnesses for our wedding, David.
Are you willing to ?"
"Ofcourse, I want to do that, Helene, don't worry about that !"

The silence that was around them all the time, except the singing of birds and the humming wasps, made place for the sound of a well-played piano.
David and Helene listened to it with pleasure.
David had seen Colette in a glimpse, when he arrived.
She had greeted him cheerfully, before running inside again.

"Is that Colette, playing the piano ?", David asked Helene, very surprised.
"She is doing very well on it, if I dare say so".
"No, this is not Colette.
It is my friend Dahlia, who is teaching Colette some things on the piano.
Her own teacher is very surprised indeed because of the advances she has made since Dahlia teaches her as well".
"It is really beautiful, I never heard a piano being played like that", David said.
"Let's go inside, and introduce you to Dahlia. She will be playing and singing on our wedding as well".
Inside they went.
Dahlia and Colette did not seem to take notice of David at first, involved as they were in the music.



When the music finished, Helene introduced Dahlia and David to each other.

Dahlia's charm reached David within an instant.
"Your music looks beautiful, Miss Dahlia. Excuse I mean your music sounds heavenly. And you look very very.."
David stumbled over his words now.
Two beautiful eyes were looking in his eyes.
He felt getting lost in the depth of a very deep water.
"You are the famous David, the hero of my friends' stories ?", she asked.
"Me, a hero ? By no way, but, well, you see, hm, I mean..."
David was losing his speech.
"You are a hero, David. I can see that very clear. Come and let's sit down, and let me hear about all your adventures "
They sat down, and Dahlia was able to get David back on Earth by asking the right questions.
Helene sat back, not interfering with them, while enjoying her self very much.
"Perhaps, David...", she whispered to herself.

The piano was still being played, and very well too.
"Colette is a gifted player, David. I am proud of her ".
"You have every right to ", David agreed full heartedly.

"Come on, David. Let's dance !", Dahlia asked David, grasping his arm.
"But...", David tried, looking at Helene, who was sitting alone now.
Helene winked and smiled at him.
"David, please ?", Dahlia asked again, looking deep in his eyes again.
There was no other way left for David, except dancing...



David never heard Helene walking away after a while.
Nothing else mattered anymore that evening, Dahlia was in full control of it.

[Henk]

"How nice of you to invite me for this journey to London, dear Helene ", Katherine said, while they were sitting in the Underground train from Victoria Station to Oxford Street "

"He insisted on it, Katherine. And I was very pleased he did so, I am glad you joined me !"
"But he did not need to pay my journey, I could have..."
"Shhh, don't worry, Katherine "

Henri had driven Katherine to Calais, where Katherine could join with Helene coming from Paris, by train.
The long day at the Sea had been good to refresh Katherine's mind, while the very comfortable bed in the hotel did the same with her body at night.

They spend some hours inside Peter Robinsons, taking their time to fill up the gaps in both wardrobes.



"How about you, Katherine, any news ?"
"Actualy, yes . I was able to phone with Morgan yesterday. He is planning to sail to Europe again soon.
Emmeline will come back to Ireland, to continue with her study in Dublin.
Morgan will travel with her, and come to France after that ".

"Oh, I am glad for you, Katherine, you have been waiting for so long now "
"Indeed, I have. I love you people, and I am sure we will never part forever, but I want to start traveling in Fall. The Taj Mahal will not run away, but I don't want to wait a hundred years before I will go there.
He better shows up !"
"He will, don't worry, Katherine".

"Did you meet David lately, or is he too busy ?", Katherine asked.
"Yes, I did see him yesterday"
"How was he ?"
"Well, the last moment I saw him, and probably a long time after, he was the happiest man of Paris"
"How nice for him, he deserves that",  Katherine said, smiling because of hearing good news about her good friend.
"And why was that ?", she asked.
"He was in very good company", Helene answered.
Helene did not always share the same view on people with Katherine, and did not see problems when Katherine would.
"With who ?"
"Dahlia ", Helene answered, while sipping her tea, admiring the flowers on the table.

Katherine felt ice-cold, and needed all her restraint in an instant, not to drop her cup of tea and start screaming at Helene.
She breathed a few times very deep, she heard Helene in a distance talking about the beautiful dresses they bought, and how they would look before, during and after the wedding.
How could she ?
Helene was too sweet to give her the full load of Katherine's verbal talents.
She did not see.

"David is no fool, he is a big city man, and will not let himself be used as a toy and be thrown away after use.
But with a woman the caliber of Dahlia. I doubt.
I cannot talk bad about Dahlia to him, it might turn him against me. And Helene just does not see what I see ".

"Purple does not become me very well, do you think so, Katherine ?", Helene asked.
"Katherine, where are you ?", she asked when she saw Katherine not responding to her question.
"Eh..oh..sorry, Helene, I was back at the coast for a minute", Katherine sighed.
She answered Helene's questions, not showing any of the emotions that were causing a storm inside her.
"I can not help him, I feel so bad about that, I wish I knew how.
He is on his own, and I am on my own" .

Katherine could not know, that neither David or she were entirely on their own.

[Henk]

"Are you alright, David ?", Katherine asked, trying to make her voice sound as plain as possible.
"Yes, I am very much alright, dear Katherine. And you ?"
"I am fine, we had a marvelous stay in London, and we did buy new clothes.
I bought a new dress, and Helene bought a whole fashion-shop, kind of " .

"Yes, the time is getting near, is it ? I saw her a few days ago. I also saw a mutual friend over there ".
"Dahlia ?", Katherine asked.
"Yes"
"You had a nice evening together, gossip says ?", Katherine asked, smiling.
Also David had another view on Dahlia, Katherine avoided to show her doubts about her.
David looked at Katherine, also smiling.
"Yes, we had a great time together, we really did "
"And ?", Katherine asked.
"And that is it", David replied.
"Like the clouds above our sky. We might meet again, or not, it depends on how the wind blows.
Nothing more to that ".
"That is all ?", Katherine asked, not able this time to keep the surprise out of her voice.
Relieved she was, nevertheless.
"That is all, indeed. Dahlia is a lovely woman, and she is a wizard on the piano.
But we are not destined to sail together,we are both very sure about that "
"She is a little charmer, is she ?", Katherine asked teasing.
" She surely is !" David grinned.
"She is a real Parisienne !"

Katherine decided not to ask further, David seemed to be safe.
"David the Dreamer is safe. But my hardboiled man -of-the-world Morgan, is he ? Or was he ?", she thought.
Some questions had still not been answered.

"How about Morgan and you ?", David asked.
"Well, Emmeline and he are sailing to Europe soon. He will go to Ireland first, maybe I will go there too, it has been a very long time now we did not see each other" .
"Helene might move to Vienna, is that right ?"
"Yes, she is leaving Paris right after the wedding", Katherine answered.
"One of my best friend in Paris stepping out of my daily life" .

"And you, David ?"
"I might escort you to Ireland, if I am allowed to. I might spend the winter there. I am not ready there, and the winters are mild "
"Ofcourse, I would be much obliged to have you as my travel-partner !".
Katherine was really glad to hear that.
" I have some more news by the way. Anne and Gilbert are planning to come to Europe for a second honyemoon.
I would be so glad to see her again !"

Katherine paused, before she asked David about his dreams.
Like Helene, she was used to take those dreams serious.
Somehow they seemed to guide him into the right way.

"I had two strong dreams the last few weeks, Katherine ".

"The first was Brigitte's  favorite chair, the one she always sat one. She has been sitting on it often in my dreams ".
"And now ?"
"It was empty ", David replied.


"The Chair ", van Gogh

"And the second one ?", Katherine asked.
"I have had that vision a few times. A girl sitting in a boat, waiting ".
"Brigitte ?"
"No, it was not Brigitte ".



"Lise Treholt", Renoir

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
( The Chair: I adjusted a mistake there )

[Henk]

"How surprised Miss Brooke will be, Dad, to see us in Paris !"
"Yes, she will, I hope", Morgan said, smiling at Emmeline's use of "Miss Brooke", soon to be her stepmother if everything went well.

Morgan had been able to secure two first class cabins on board of one of Cunard's ships.
A little bit earlier than expected, but that would give him time to meet Katherine in Paris.





Emmeline spend a lot of time on the decks to feel the  sea-breeze.





"Soon I will be back in my small room in Dublin, in that cosy inn, Dad. I love that.
But I love this too !", she said, when strolling to one of the restaurants in the evening.

[muppets123]

Due to work/life issues I have decided to let Henk continue the writing for  both of us.   I will be sending him some pics and info from my Ireland travels and if he  choses to incorporate  any of it into his writing that is fine. But if not, that is ok as well.  As a writing team we have discussed ideas and directions  but  the skies, seas  the imagination and heart have endless  possibilities.  I am curious to see where he will take this.

Thanks to all who have been reading and for your support and comments. Thank you Henk for starting this topic and for allowing me to contribute.

[Henk]

Thanks Muppets, for having brought the story this far
---------------------------------------------------------




 
" I have to watch what I eat, Dad. I do have to fit in the same clothes again, when I am back on the stage !",
Emmeline sighed, reading the menu of the day.

    * Caviar Frais
    * Tortue Claire
    * Sole—Colbert
    * Cailles aux Raisins
    * Perdreaux en Casserole a la Creme
    * Salade de Laitue
    * Omelette Souffle en Surprise
    * Mignardises
    * Amandes Salees
    * Fruits
    * Cafe

( Menu R.M.S. Laconia.)

"Go ahead, Emmeline, enjoy it !", Morgan smiled.
Emmeline enjoyed it.
But sometimes, when walking through the ship, she heard music in the distance.
Coming from the third class decks.
It reminded her of the inn in Dublin, where she would be living again, soon.
The third class decks were not fully occupied, only some cabins were booked.
Few people did travel back from America and Canada to the Old World.
The ones  that did would have made some good income in The New World, allowing them to book second or first.
Passengers from the second and third class had no entrance to parts of the ship that were not their class.
First class passengers were not stimulated to walk beyond their own class.
Most had no desire to do go there anyway.
But some, like Emmeline did.
"This is the world, and it is my world", she thought.
Too long she had been kept inside walls, at home and in school.

The voyage went well.
A strong wind had made the giant sea-castle a mere nutshell on the ocean, on the third day.
The table-cloths were wetted by the waiters with water, to avoid the cutlery and dishes sliding from the tables
The restaurants were almost empty .
Emmeline and Morgan were sitting in the middle of the restaurant, with almost the full team of waiters at their disposal.
Emmeline had followed Morgan's advise to eat, to avoid getting sea-sick.



Soon they would be in Liverpool, and heading for Paris.
"He is quiet", she thought, looking at her father.
"Must be a bit nervous now, seeing Miss Brooke withing a few days".
She decided not to ask about it, but when she looked in his eyes, he blushed when he noticed her look.
No words were needed to tell their thoughts.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal note:

This story is a little bit our own very first journey  in 1982.
We were three months together, my wife worked for the railways too.
We were entitled for one free ticket a year, where ever in Western Europe including the England-ferries.

We booked a trip in cold December.
With a surcharge, we could travel first class on the  nigh-ferry.
The journey is not that long, overnight.
But the North Sea can be rough, specially in the storm-season.
We sailed with wind -force 10 that night, a real storm.
With force 11, all ferry-sailings on the North Sea are cancelled.

We took the advise to eat against sea-sickness, and eat we did !
A nice bottle of wine with it, almost gala.
We ate in the a-la-carte restaurant, and had the fuel restaurant-crew working for us, because there were hardly any other eaters.
Most passengers were somewhere, deeply  regretting to make a seajourney on a night like this.
We did not get seasick

[Henk]

"We don't have to go to Ireland, David ! I received a telegram this morning, Morgan and Emmeline are on their way to Europe !"
"That is great, your waiting will be rewarded ".

The money Katherine had earned, writing for several Paris magazines had enabled her to change her dark, small room for a room that was more in line with her.
"One more time I will wear that good old dress here, I will keep my best new dress for the Big Day, when we meet again".

[Henk]

 "I am really nervous, David", Katherine said to David, while inspection her appearance again in the shop-window."
"So many months we did not see each other".
David went with Katherine to the station.
Once they had assured the train coming from Calais was on time, David left.
Helene had asked him to make a painting from her, it was almost  finished.
At first, he hesitated with accepting her request.
" I am an amateur, Helene. My paintings will never reach any museum. I know some better painters, who will ..."
Helene put a finger on his lips.
"Your painting of me will never reach a museum in my lifetime, because I will not let it happen.
I want a painting made by you only, and it will have a prominent place in my house, to show people how a dear friend saw me when I was still young " .
"And beautiful", David  added.
"Thanks, David", she said, giving him a kiss.
David could not refuse anymore after this.

Katherine sat down, and awaited the announcent of the boat-train.
-----------------------


"Nervous, Dad? ", Emmeline asked.
"Yes, I am", Morgan admitted.
It had been a long journey.
The week on board of the ship had been very comfortable and relaxing.
The train-journey from Liverpool down to London, going to Victoria-station, and making the sea-journey across the Channel took a long time, but all went well.
The system of loading a complete train on board of a ship had taken Morgan's interest.
Emmeline enjoyed seeing all the different people on board of the trains, and in London.
The end of the journey was near.
"I am nervous, Emmeline, but I am very glad too" .
Emmeline looked at her fathers face.
It had softened a lot lately.
A warm feeling came over her.
"All is well", she thought.

[Henk]

 

All was well.
Katherine's hands were shaking, when she saw the train pulling into the station.

Inside the train was Morgan waiting patiently for the doors to be opened.
Keeping his posture of a man in full control of himself to perfection.
Emmeline did not say anything, she was very nervous too.

"Morgan !"
"Katherine !"

The two lovers, who had not seen each other for so long, engaged in a long kiss, that made Emmeline walk away slowly, inspecting the nearest newspaper-stand.
Words were exchanged, too private to be written down.
Emmeline, who was shifting her attention to the people around her, heard her name after a while.
"Emmeline ! How are you doing !", Katherine asked, while walking up to her.
"Miss Brooke, how are you doing ?"
Emmeline felt a little shy still against Katherine, who she still saw as the whistle-blowing teacher she was in Kingsport.
The three of them walked to the exit, to take a carriage to Katherine's lodgings.
Meanwhile exchanging all the bits of news they had to share.
The visits to Anne and Gilbert, and the chance of them traveling to Europe as well was exciting enough.

After a while, Emmeline knew she would have to spend the evening reading a book or going to bed early.
Morgan and Katherine took care to involve Emmeline in their conversation, but Emmeline felt she would make them happy by giving them time on their own.
Miss Brooke really seemed to have blossomed in the years.
Although she was not very young anymore, there was a light burning inside her that made her very attractive.
"It must be the Secret of Anne", Emmeline thought." She lighted the fire, that will keep glowing for ever now" .
Katherine's view on Emmeline changed as well during this precious afternoon.
"How good you look, Emmeline ! You must have a lot to tell about all your travels through America and in Ireland. You have to tell me all of it !"
"I will, Miss Brooke !".

Katherine smiled.
"Emmeline. I am a little bit older as you are. You are living your own life already, and the title of "stepmother" will not give me any power to add to your upbringing anymore. It will not mean anything and makes me sound old. Would you please call me Katherine after this ! It sounds more friendly, and I am sure we will become the best friends very soon !"
"I am sure we are the best friends already, Miss..eh...Katherine", Emmeline laughed.
The ice was broken forever.

Morgan's eyes were a little wet now, blushing when the two women looked at him, noticing it.
He did not feel ashamed about it.
"I am the happiest man alive", he said.
"Here I am , with the two women I love most in the world besides me" , he smiled.
A new bond was made that moment that would last forever.

The two travelers were tired , and had eaten very irregular.
In a very non French style, they only ate a few pieces of bread and cheese at dinnertime.
After that, Emmeline took her self away with a book.
Morgan and Katherine went for a  walk, which ended only short before midnight.
 







( Pictures Lisa Homan-Conger }

[Henk]

Morgan was willing to meet David.
The man that had escorted his fianceé on her travels in Western Europe, and was her best friend, she insisted.
Morgan was not jealous, but curious, as he called it.

Emmeline took the invitation to join Katherine and Morgan the next morning.
The breakfast took some time, because Morgan and Emmeline loved the fresh  fruit, croissants and French bread very much.



Henri was happy to drive them in his new car.
"Nice car, Henri !", Morgan said, admiringly.

"The newest, Morgan: A Brasier Coupe Chaffeur KD, 1908, 4 cylindre, 24 HP. You must have a drive in it soon !"
"Not yet", Morgan laughed. "This Paris traffic is still something else as Boston, I think "
"Please tell me, when you want it", Henri insisted.

Henri knew where David and Helene were, just outside Paris.
"I brought them before I met you. On other days, Mr. Batiment will drive, but he was busy today and asked me to take them".'
Henri was a pleasant man to have a conversation with for Morgan and Emmeline.
He knew enough about modern arts and technics to keep the talking going.
Emmeline liked his gentle manners, and was glad she went with the ride.

David was nearly finished with the painting.



Emmeline and Morgan were introduced to David and Helene.
Hands were shaken, and some polite formal statements were made.
Emmeline looked at Helene and David.
Helene was on her best, alluring, proud and happy.

David looked at Emmeline, a little too long for Emmeline's taste.
She did not feel at ease anymore and took the first opportunity to wander away from the group.
When she came near the Helene's painting, she looked at it.
It looked very well like Helene.

"Do you like the painting ?", a voice near her asked.
She had not noticed David coming nearer.
"Hm, yes, it is a good painting ", Emmeline answered polite.
She felt a repulse, without knowing why.
"You have a beautiful face, would you like to have a painting from your self ?", David asked.
"No thanks, I have myself painted once already. That one is enough".
She was surprised how cold her voice sounded.
"Oh , I am sorry, Miss..", David wanted to say.
"Never mind", Emmeline answered, again hearing the cold tone in her voice.
"I hear you have spend some time already in Ireland, and will go back soon ?", David asked.
"I was in Ireland too, and... "
"Excuse me, but I don't discuss my private matters with strangers. Sorry".
Emmeline walked back to the group, starting a conversation with Henri about the meaning of horsepowers in automobiles.

David looked confused at the painting, at the group. He was glad Helene came up to him.
"I am so glad you are making that picture, David, I really am ".

David knew Helene meant whats she said, but was still confused.

In the afternoon, there was a meeting planned with the Bonceurs, nearby.

Helene and David were left alone, Henri promised to be back within an hour to collect them as well.
David took his pencils, and wanted to continue with his painting.

Helene saw him staring at her, without seeing her.
"Give it a rest, David. Let's stop for today, sit down and enjoy ".

The afternoon with the Bonceurs was spend in good atmosphere.
For most.

[Henk]

Helene and Mr. Batiment  gave their word to each other, without hesitation.

(Mr. Batiment wanted to follow the protocol, and did not want to be mentioned by his first name in any publication not related to his professional life )

Katherine had joined the female Bonceurs, to make everything go smooth.
Organizing was Katherine's strong talent.
Sometimes she even thought about her whistle and rhythm-stick , to make things happen.
Helene was nervous enough, and so were the others.
"Have I grown out of my dress ?", she asked several times.
Her parents and the rest of her family had arrived, and taken care off the day before.
Everything was inspected over and over  again.

"Does the orchestra really know how to play a Vienna Waltz? ", Helene asked for the sixth time.
"Yes, they do", Katherine answered, again thinking of that rhythm-stick, for another purpose this time.

But when the couple gave their word, Helene became her self again.
She was Mrs. Helene Batiment now.
The groom looked as happy as his bride did.



Helene winked at Katherine, not noticed by others.
Katherine knew what she meant.
"You are next ".

Helene asked for silence.
"We have our Canadian friends here. That is why I want to do what brides do in America and Canada "
"Oh, yeah !", some ladies yelled.
"I will throw my bouquet !".
All the single women of marrying age grouped together.
Emmeline laughed, enjoying herself by seeing them all trying to get a good position.
She was standing near Henri.

Katherine saw her standing there, walked up to her and pulled at her sleeve.
"But, Miss...eh...Katherine ! I do not have any plans or desire to..."
"Come one, silly ! You too !".
Helene turned her back, starting  to count.
"One !"
She had a vision of where Katherine would be standing, and tried to calculate her throw to that.
"Two !"
Katherine looked at Morgan for a second, Morgan looked at her and smiled.
"Whatever, I am happy", she smiled.
"Three !"

Helene threw her bouquet as high as she could.
It went up and down again in only seconds, which seemed like hours for some.
Heading in Katherine's direction, like Helene wanted it.
How could Helene know at that moment a little breeze would come up ?
She could not know.
It blew the bouqet out of its desired course, and was going to fall on an empty spot where no one was standing.
Emmeline saw it happening, and reacted very quick.
She grabbed it only an inch before it would hit the ground.
"Oh, but this .. It was supposed to..."
She blushed all over her face, not knowing what to do.



Katherine had a warm feeling over her, while she walked up to Emmeline.
She had seen Morgan's smile, that was enough.
No bouquet could change what she knew at that moment.
"It is your's, Emmeline !", Katherine said to her, stroking her hair.
Emmeline did not feel happy at all.
She avoided looking at any man in the group, not wanting to give a wrong signal to all the eyes looking at her.
Morgan looked at his daughter, smiled and remained  silent.

After the dinner, Dahlia started off with romantic piano-music.
The guests were mixing well.
The French skills of Morgan and Emmeline were not always enough to understand all.
But dance they could very well, many of the guests were pleased to have had a dance with one of them.
Dahlia danced with Morgan once, but Katherine could not see anything that alarmed her.
One day she would ask Morgan about it, not now.

David asked Emmeline once for the dance , which she politely accepted.
Any start of a conversation was bound to fall down like a piece of ice.
Glad she was, when Henri asked her.
He stayed with her after the dance, when the orchestra paused.
She was glad about that too, but she did not get her normal relaxed mood back that evening.

The Petit Journal was a bestseller that week, thanks to Katherine's article in it.

[Henk]

"I am so glad, they make such a happy couple ", Katherine sighed.
The train to Vienna departed on time, Katherine waved till it was out of sight.
Henri and Dahlia had come too, they were standing a bit separate.

"But you do look sad, my Dear", Morgan said.
"I am a bit sad, indeed.
I remember Anne told me, how sad she was when Diana was engaged to Fred.
Now I understand what she means.
She is stepping out of my life, at least out of my daily life ".
"That is true. But Vienna is not too far away, you might see each other sooner than you think ".
"I hope, but probably only on special occasions. Things happen that way "
"It might still happen sooner than  Helene and you think ", , Morgan insisted.
"Is that so ?", replied Katherine.
"Well it depends ", Morgan said, looking deep into Katherine's eyes.
"On what ?", Katherine asked, feeling her heart beating faster.

Morgan grabbed Katherine's hand.
"We have been waiting long, too long. My fault, I know.
But I will not wait any longer: Do you want to marry me ?"

Tears were welling up in Katherine's eyes.
"Yes, I will !"
A long kiss followed, but like all good things, it came to an end, eventually.
"When do you want to set the date ?", Katherine asked, practical as ever.

"Well, I want to go with Emmeline to Ireland and install her there safe first "
Morgan told the full story of what had happened in Dublin.
He had written about it in a letter, but now he could add some more details .
"Emmeline as old an woman ?
That must have been a thing to see !"
"It was, indeed ", Morgan said, smiling when he remembered.

"They are such a nice couple, don't you think, Miss Brooke ?"
Katherine turned her head towards Dahlia, who was now standing near them.
She was not sure if it was her imagination that made the word "miss" sounding strongly pronounced.
"And Mr. Harris, I wish we could all be that happy, don't you think ?", Dahlia addressed Morgan with a certain twinkle in her eyes.
Neither Morgan or Henri noticed there was a fight of two female enemies was going on, they did not hear the bitterness in the sweet voices of the two.
Katherine controlled herself and did not even ask Morgan to come with her.
"Let the things happen as they will happen ", she thought.
Nothing could bring her down today, not even Dahlia.

Henri and Dahlia left.
"Come on, we are going to collect Emmeline, before LaFayette is out of stock and has to close the doors", Morgan asked.
"Katherine, I did not bring any rings with me, when I asked you. I want us both to buy them, I want you to have your choice "
"And voice !", Katherine answered.
"No doubts about that !".

[muppets123]

Nice job Henk,  Intesting to see how Dahlia pops up in so many places to stir up a hornet's nest.   Keeps everyone on their toes.  Great pics and at least Emmeline wont have to look upon Katherine as the classic  fairytale wicked Stepmother... we've already got Dahlia

[Henk]

Emmeline went by her own through Paris ,admiring the architecture and the fashion, displayed in the many shops.
To the Mont Martre she went, to see the paintings, and the painters at work.
Morgan fears were not justified.
All she bought was a brooch.

Katherine and Morgan did the same together.
Emmeline went to Morgan, telling him the rehearsals were starting soon in Dublin, her time in Paris was running out.
"You can stay here, Dad. I am used to travel alone, you don't have to worry "

"It is not a matter of worrying, Emmeline. I promised to be back in Ireland to work and perhaps finish our project there, with Mr. Connell.", Morgan said.
"And you , Katherine, is your agenda full for the coming weeks ?"
"Yes, it is ", Katherine answered with  a plain face.
"It is ?", Morgan asked a little bit disappointed.
"Yes. From tomorrow till a few weeks further, all my days are full, my agenda says "
"Why is that ?"
"Well", Katherine said, still with a plain face.
"All the days have written Morgan on it . But ofcourse I don't know if that fits in Morgan's agenda", she said, looking at Morgan.
"Ofcourse it will fit ! Morgan is too happy to have Katherine with him where he goes ".
Emmeline smiled.
"We will travel together, will we ?", she asked.
"That would be very pleasant , indeed !", Katherine replied.
"If that is settled, we will make out bookings today, or tomorrow".
"That is fine to me, Morgan. I talked with the editors from the magazines I write for. They are pleased to have me writing about Dublin and Ireland"

"Morgan, you don't mind me going to David, to tell him we leave, do you ?"
"Ofcourse not, not in his case" , Morgan said.

Emmeline said nothing.
Her cheerful mood of the morning was slowly drifting away for the rest of the day.
"What is the matter, Emmeline ?", Katherine asked after dinner.
"I don't know, Miss Katherine, I really don't know.
Katherine wanted to laugh because of Emmeline using the word "Miss", but she did not.

[Henk]

Katherine sat down with David on the terrace near her home.
They were the only ones.
It was too early in the morning still for many to think of lunch, so short after their  "petit dejeuner".



( Vincent van Gogh, "Le Terrace".)

"Everything alright, Katherine ?"
"Yes, David. Everything is alright ".
David looked at Katherine and knew she was right.
She had finaly found her place of rest, where even the fiercest storm would be tempered down to a mild Spring-breeze.
"And you, David ? "
"I am perfectly fine, Katherine. This was a good summer in the museum, I did not spend too much money "
"Any plans for the future ?"
"Well, I do plan to go to Ireland to finish what I started there. I am glad I was back in Paris again, but I want to be meandering through the beautiful hills of Ireland a little bit more "
"Soon ?"
"I might go soon, yes".
"Morgan has some business to finish as well, and he wants to bring Emmeline back to Ireland ".
"They have grown so much closer, from what I know from your stories , I love that", David smiled.
"They have. I am going with them, Morgan asked me "
"Ofcourse he did !"

David had noticed the looks Katherine and Morgan exchanged on Helene's wedding.
"You want to go with us, David ?"
"I am afraid not. I will not be ready that soon here, Katherine ".
"Oh, that is a pity, David ".
There was a pause for a few moments.
"And if we wait a bit longer ?", Katherine asked.
"I don't think so, Katherine".
Again there was a short pause.
"Don't you want to travel with us ?"
"I would love to !"
"You don't feel the third wheel on the wagon, do you ? "
David smiled.
"You two have been waiting long enough for each other. I don't want to disturb that .
The sailing from Cherbourg to Cork is a nice long one".
"You would be the fourth wheel on the wagon. Morgan has a high opinion of you, and trusts you.
You can talk about many things.
That would give Emmeline and me the time do do some lady's gossiping. Emmeline and you might have a nice time, talking about the  arts and interests of both of you."

Katherine noticed the change in his face.
"What is the matter, David ?"
"Really, nothing !"
Katherine knew David well enough to know there was something not well.
"There is, David. I can see. Please tell me what it is "

David hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse.
But when looking at Katherine, he could do nothing else as telling the truth.
"Katherine, I have never in my life felt so hated by somebody as I do now".
This answer was quiet shocking for Katherine.
"By who ? By one of us ? Me, Morgan ?"
"No, not by you two ".
"By who ? Please tell me !"
"It is Emmeline. I never saw her, neither did she ever saw me. But when she looks at me, it is as if she sees the Devil himself. Maybe I am ?".

Katherine could not say anything.
She did not understand it. It did not seem fair to David, but she knew too well the ways of the heart could not be directed by logical thinking or reasoning.
"You are certainly not the Devil, David ", she said, stroking his shoulder.
"I have our address in Ireland, I wrote many letters to that house. Here it is, and I beg you to contact us, once we have arrrived there !"
"I will, Katherine, I promise !"
"I will keep you to that promise !".
"You don't have to "

"And don't wait too long, we will go back to France after a while ".
Katherine felt very sad now, realizing what that meant.
"David, you are stepping out of my life too. Two of my best friends I will have to miss now ".
David smiled.
"C'est la Vie, Katherine , but we are still around ".

"See you in Ireland, David "
"See you, Katherine "

They greeted each other and walked away.
Happy and confused.

[Henk]

Katherine, Emmeline and Henri went to the Bois the Boulogne.
Morgan went to the travel-agent, to make the reservations for the Cherbourg Cork voyage.
A few more friends of Henri were there too.
"There will be a horse for me, I want to do some horse-riding . But I will stay near you to keep an eye on you ! ".
"Like to show off, he ?", Katherine asked.

Henri laughed and took his horse.
The two friends lay down in the grass, while Henri and his friends enjoyed them self a lot.
" A gentleman he is, isn't he ?", Katherine asked.
Emmeline did not answer directly.
"Oh, eh...Henri ? Yes , he is a gentleman indeed !"
Katherine was thinking of David's words, but hesitated to bring them up.
"You have been lucky, Katherine, to have lived here in France so well, with such nice people around you ".
"Yes, I feel like that too. I guess you will see your friends back in Dublin ?" .
"Oh, yes, I will . I am looking forward to that. And the people in the inn, where I will live again" .
"You are not going to stay with us ?"
"No. I am a grown up woman now. I will stay for a while with you for a few days, after that I will go back to the inn. It is very convenient, close to the theatre ".

At that moment, Henri passed by on his horse.


( Madonini )

"Not the prince on the white horse yet, Emmeline ? ", Katherine asked.
Emmeline kept silent for a while.
"No. I thought he came, for a while, but it was a mere beggar, a thief, a liar ".
Katherine saw the disgust on Emmeline's face.
"Did you meet my friend David ?", she asked cautiously.
"Oh David ? Hmmm, yes I met him a few times ".
"A nice guy is he ?", Katherine asked.
Emmeline looked at Katherine, startled.
"Why do you ask me that, Katherine ?  Can we change to a nicer subject please ?"
"Oh, sorry, I did not know I should avoid talking about my best friend. I will not bring it up anymore. Sorry again ".
"It is nothing, Katherine, don't worry " .
Katherine felt like having a bow in her hands, with only one arrow to shoot.
"I only feel very sorry for that man. He feels very much hated lately ? "
"By who ?", Emmeline asked.
"By you ", Katherine said, without looking at Emmeline.
Emmeline blushed.
Both were glad Henri returned without the horse.
It was time to go home.

[Henk]

"Where are we, Dad ? ", Emmeline asked
It was dark outside.
At sunset, many people were on the decks, to admire the sunset.



Emmeline, like all people how grew up with the Sea near them, loved to gaze at the waters around her.
Even with the many days she had spend traveling on board of a ship the last two months.
Far away, she saw the clouds lightened up by a lighthouse.
Katherine and Morgan had joined her for a while, but the constant hard wind made them go inside.

There was a map hanging in the main hall, with dots, marking the estimated hours of passing by.
" We must be sailing around Cornwall now, about 20 miles from the coast" .
"Pencanze !", Emmeline laughed.
"The pirates of Penzance, I have seen the play in Dublin. Full of singing and dancing, I would love to play in that opera one day ".
"Yes, I have seen it when I was in London, in the beginning of the year. Gilbert and Sullivan make nice operas "



"Gilbert and Sullivan ?", Katherine asked.
"Yes".
"I am sure I heard these names somewhere else, I don't know where ", Katherine said.
"I know now !", Morgan said with a voice making clear he had made a discovery.
"You know where I heard these names ?", Katherine asked surprised.
"No, but I thought about my days in London. It was very busy, I shared a cab with another gentleman ".



"And now I remember who it was. It was your friend David, Katherine. What a coincidence !".
"Indeed ! he had just left us, when we traveled further from Amsterdam to Munich ".
"I only spoke a few words with him, he seems quiet a gentleman. A gifted painter and artist, botanicus, but he knows a thing or two about the naval business too ".
"Yes, he is a gentleman and will protect a woman as a gentleman is supposed to do", Katherine smiled.
She mentioned the event in Rotterdam,where David needed to engage in a fight.
Morgan was not aware of stirring Emmeline's mood by mentioning David.

"He is not engaged to any woman, is he ?", Morgan asked.
"No, he is not. And he would make such a good husband" , Katherine sighed, avoiding to look at Emmeline.
Emmeline was lost in the book she was reading, not taking part in the conversation anymore.
"The poor man's mind is not free, he is carrying a burden he can not put aside himself " .
She told Morgan about Brigitte, and how he still dreamed of her.
"He feels she is guiding him in his dreams. Obsessed you might call it, that is what Helene and I did in the beginning. But you know what the strange thing is ?"
"Please do tell !", Morgan asked.
"Somehow these dreams seem to guide him well through situations, we found" .
There was silence for a few moments.

"Sometimes", Katherine continued, "he says he must be Captain Van der Decken ".
Morgan knew that legend very well.
"The Flying Dutchman !", he reacted.
"Doomed to sail the Seven Seas till Judgement Day..."
"Yes, only once in so many years, he is allowed to go on shore for a short while.
Only then, when he meets the woman that loves him, he has a chance. She can set him free ".



Morgan saw a tear in Katherine's eye, and did not say anything anymore.
It was almost midnight, after finishing their drinks, they went to their cabins.
"But wait", Morgan said, while descending the stairs.
"What ?", Katherine asked.
"The Flying Dutchman made a pact with the Devil, to make it around Cape Hope ".
"So ?"
"I did not hear in the story, that David made a pact like that. It was Providence that decided the fate of Brigitte and David on that stormy night. Providence will decide his future too".
Katherine looked at Morgan, kissing him.
"Thanks for that !"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flying Dutchman Wikipedia

[Henk]

David had made arrangements with Ireland ferry company. He could work on the ship as trainer, to pay for his journey back to Ireland.
But first he went to his Aunt in Normandy.
It was a long time since he last visited her, and the next visit could take a long time too.
She was pleased with seeing him again.
There was a delicious soup ready to eat, which David did not refuse after the long ride from Paris.



"How are you doing, David ?"
"Fine, Aunt. I could not be happier. Tomorrow I will sail back to Ireland, I am looking forward to that.
I spoke with one of the companies sailing to the East Indies. I might be able to work on their ships next year, as soon as January " .
"These are long journeys, David !".
She looked at him, searching his face.
"He has grown into a handsome man", she thought.
"It was only like yesterday Brigitte and he would run inside after school" .
"There will always be a spot in his soul. But he does not really look happy to me. In fact he looks a bit sad ".
"That is what I am looking forward to, Aunt. To have the Sea around me, whatever name she has and carry me as long as she wants" .
"Is there nothing left on the land that keeps you there ?" .
"I am doing a lot of research in Ireland, and I will do so when I am in Asia. And paint.
As officer I will have some time to do that in my free hours "
"Is your friend Katherine back in Canada now ?"
"No, I will see her and her fiance soon in Ireland. She is a special friend, Aunt" .
"I know. She was here as you know, she seemed to be worried about you. A pity she has been taken by another man already ".
"It is no pity, Aunt. She has the best man in the world. They deserve each other ".
They talked for a long time, David left the other day with all the latest news about the people in his old village.
Many of his old friends went to sea. Some of them for fishing, they would be home around the Sundays.
Others were making the long journeys.
And some were on the Journey, from where no return is possible.

"Bye Aunt, I hope to see you back before I start with the long journeys".
"Bye, David !".

When he entered the ship in the afternoon, he felt a rest coming over him.
"Back home", he whispered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katherine, Morgan and Emmeline arrived at the house of Mr. Connell in the afternoon.
Mr. Connell was on a business-trip  to England, he would be back in a few days.
The housemaid  greeted Morgan and the women.
She was informed about their coming.
The house was situated near the coast, not too far from Dublin.
After dinner, they all went for a short walk.

[Henk]

It was a long walk from the Dublin railway-station to the inn where David wanted to stay.
He did not mind to walk, he did not have a lot of exercise on the boat and the train.
An advertisement in a local paper looked good to him.
"Warm bath, real ale, life music . Ideal for artists of any kind ".
The price for a room seemed fair enough.
David did not know if he was an artist of any kind, but a warm bath would do him good.
A few more streets to walk, but there it was :The Black Swan.



He walked straight to the desk, where an old man was talking to another man.
David could not understand what they were saying, there was a lot of noisy talking and some efforts to sing.
"Excuse me !", David asked twice with a loud voice, before the man reacted.
"Excuse me, have you got a room for a night ?"
"For a whole night or only for an hour ?", the man asked.
David looked at the price-list, seeing the prices by the night only.
But he understood the question.
"I am alone, for a whole night, please "
He planned to stay a few nights in Dublin, knowing that Emmeline would not be in Dublin for a few days.
The chance of meeting her by coincidence was very small, but David did not want to meet that coldness again, if it was not necessary.
He went upstairs to put his small trunk away, took his bath and went down again to see if there was any dinner available.
There was.

He regretted his paying of the room already. But he was very tired.
" A good meal and a drink will get me in one go to tomorrow. Nothing can keep me awake now" .
The stew made him think back of his Aunt's soup.
"I love a good Irish stew, but this is nothing".
He looked around.
People came in and people left.
Some people coming in were in state that clearly showed there had been visits to other free houses already.
The ones that were leaving sometimes needed to be assisted by friends who could still walk upright.
It did not bother David, he had seen that in Paris, in Normandy and Brittany, where ever he went.
"First shoot is missed, tomorrow I will look for another place. There are always nicer places.
"Ideal for artists of any kind" , he remembered the advertisement.
"What kind of ?", he asked himself.

The singing in the back could not be called singing.
Efforts were being made to play a violin or to sing, in vain.
There was a lot of shouting in the back.
The paintings hanging on the walls did not impress him either.
Being an amateur-painter himself, he was mild with his critics.
"At least they tried, like I did ", he smiled.

A few men were grouped together at the table in front of him.
David could not understand them, and did not mind it.
On the wall behind them was a painting hanging.
He looked at it, seeing a female figure with wings, drawn in sharp lines.
"An angel ", he smiled.
"That is what I need" .
He looked again.
"It is like Mab, Queen of Fairies. My fairy does not whisper in my ears anymore in my sleep lately. Could you, Mab ?"



He ordered another stout beer.
"My last one, otherwise I will start seeing angels flying in this place. Not a place for angels at all" .
He looked around again, but somehow he could not avoid looking at the picture again.
"I will see if there is a signature on it", he decided.

He walked around the table to have a closer look at the painting.
There was no signature on it.
David looked at the figure and at the face.
He almost dropped the glass that was still in his hands.
"This can not be... How is this possible ?"
He looked again after wiping his eyes to make sure to have a clear sight.
"It is...is is her !"

Yes, it was her.
The face in the picture, looking at him, was Emmeline's face.



He stood there for a while.
"She is drawn as Queen Mab, no mistake about that. It reminds me of the amulet I gave to Katherine, back in Holland. "
He looked around, seeing the barkeeper looking  at him.
"Who did paint her, and why is it hanging here ?"
"Queen Mab of all persons.  The one I need most appears at me in the one person that hates me most of all.
You do play tricks on me, my Queen !" .

The barkeeper came up to him.
"You like this picture, Sir ?"
"Eh.. yes, I like it "
A laughter started at the table near the painting.
"He likes that painting, he likes it, he says ! ".
David still had the word "artist" in his mind, without knowing why.
The laughter became louder, the use of language stronger.
David heard words he had heard before often in places like this.
Sometimes they were just words, that perhaps should not be used at all, but were not directed at any specific person.
These words were very foul, and that was not all.
They were directed at a specific person.
And that person was Emmeline...

"You like that picture, Sir ?", the barman asked again.
David made his decision.
This picture did not belong here.
"How much ?", he asked.
The price the bartender asked was a little higher than he expected, but he did not care about that,
"Deal", he said.
The barkeeper took the painting of the wall and gave it to David, after receiving the money first.
David took the picture upstairs, after having it wrapped up.

In the back of the inn, there was a person trying to stand up, coming from a position near the floor.



Intoxicated as he was, he managed to notice a change on the wall, where Queen Mab had been hanging.
He stumbled to the barkeeper.
The barkeeper was used to the way of talking he heard  now.
It could be translated like this:" Where is my painting, where is that Emmy ?"
"She is sold ", the barkeeper answered.
"Fine to get rid of that, a pain in the eye that was. But you will split, will you ?".
"I will " , the barkeeper promised.

[Henk]

Morgan had the use of Mr. Connell's automobile.
He drove on the roads around the manor a few times, to get used to drive on the left side of the road.
After that he picked up Emmeline and Katherine, and drove to the town.

Emmeline wanted to bring most of her belongings over to the inn in Dublin.
A few more days she wanted to spend with Katherine and her father.
Katherine had avoided any subject that might disturb Emmeline's mood.
She did not want to spoil the last days, before father and daughter would start living their own lives again.

Emmeline wanted to play the joke on the inn again, she dressed herself as the old lady one more time.
Knowing the Black Swan nearby, she felt safer too.
She feared walking into Bryan by mistake.
"It is not right, I cannot keep living as an old lady all the time ".
She was considering even to change her lodgings, a little bit further from the Abbey Theater.
At daytime she was not afraid.
There were always people on the streets.
The shopkeepers around the inn knew her, she knew they would come to help her, if needed.
At night-time, when she would come home from the theater after the show, she did not feel safe.
She did when Bryan would come to collect her, and even when he stopped doing that.
Now Bryan had turned into a person she feared to meet at night,

Katherine laughed, when she saw Emmeline's disguise.



"You make me feel young now, granny! ".
They all laughed.
"You should have seen Dad in disguise ! I did not even recognize him, he talked with me on Grafton street for a few minutes, I never knew ".
"All by your self ?", Katherine asked.
"No", Morgan answered. "My disguise was done by Lori ".
"Lori ?", Katherine asked surprised.
"Yes, Lori from the costume-shop" .
Katherine did not say anything.
Emmeline was dropped off at the inn first.

 
"Morgan ?" , Katherine asked, after Morgan had parked the car in the center of the city.
"Yes ?"
"We will be going to other parts of the world soon ".
"I hope so, yes ".
"In some of those countries they have other habits" .
"like ?"
"Well, in some countries it is habit and custom, that a man marries four women ".
Morgan laughed. "Yes, I know. Poor women, or poor man ? "
Katherine did not laugh this time.
"How many are you planning to marry ?", she asked bluntly.


Morgan looked surprised and startled.

"What do you mean ? I am planning to marry the woman I love, and that is you ! "
Katherine looked in his eyes, Morgan looked in hers.
Katherine did not see any sign of confusion in them.
"Well, if I mention Dahlia, and Lori ?"
For a moment Morgan wanted to laugh, but he became serious when he realized what she was hinting at.
"Dahlia, yes....I never thought about that, perhaps I should have mentioned earlier ".
"Earlier what ?".
"I met her in London, when you were touring. There were more people, it was a very social evening . I had a few drinks. Dahlia was in my neighbourhood all the time. Perhaps I did not eat enough, but I passed out ".
"And then ?"
"Dahlia had arranged a cab, she took care I came home safely. Very embarrassing, I never had that before or after . I woke up, and saw Dahlia looking at me " .
Katherine felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, but did not say anything.
"I was feeling like the mouse looking at the cat ".
"Shy ?" , Katherine asked teasing.
"No. What I tell you now is the truth. Dahlia is a very charming and beautiful woman, I can not deny that ".
"So, the cat caught the mouse ?"
"No",Morgan said.
The mouse was nearly there to surrender to the cat, no lying about that !" .
"But there was one last straw for the mouse. He grabbed it ".
"What was that straw ?"
"You are ! I knew I would spoil everything and lose you, if I had given in. I took my coat, and walked away from her".
"That's all", Morgan said very serious, "and nothing else. You are my first, my last and my only straw !"
Katherine laughed and kissed him.
"Ok, who is next ?"
"Lori. She has done my disguise perfectly. Nothing more to that. I still owe her an explanation, we could go to her now, if you don't mind ".
"Where ever, I want to see as much from Dublin as possible ".

Lori was surprised to see Morgan again.
"What will be your role this time ?", she asked.
"Husband.  I don't need a disguise for that "
They sat down, Lori enjoyed hearing the adventures where her work was part of the solution .