Hetty had been right, she thought as she looked around the packed saloon. There were wooden benches set in double rows bolted to the floor but certainly not enough for every passenger to find a seat. People were already settling down on the floor between the aisles. She noticed a space on one of the benches set against the bulkhead on the starboard side of the saloon and, pushing the children ahead of her, made her way towards it.
‘How many of you are there, girl?’ a large woman dressed in a tightly buttoned black coat and with a headscarf knotted under her chin asked kindly.
‘Four, but Lizzie can sit on my knee. Is there room, do you think? I don’t fancy a night on the floor.’
‘If I can get this lazy madam to move up there will be.’ The woman dug her elbow into the side of a thin, disagreeable-looking girl who sat beside her. ‘Shift up, Breda, there’s kids here!’ she instructed.
Thankfully Mary sat down with Katie beside her and Tommy perched on the edge of the bench. She lifted Lizzie onto her knee and the child nestled into her, already sleepy.
‘She’s not a bit happy, you see. She doesn’t want to go home. She’s been staying with me but her mam’s sick, so she’s needed,’ the woman confided in a low voice, jerking her head in the direction of the sullen-faced girl.
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Mary replied.
‘It’s me sister and I’m going to help. Well, she’s got ten kids and him out of work.’
‘I see. Do you know if there’s any work for women?’
‘I can’t say as I do, luv. Is that why you’re going?’
‘Sort of. My aunty’s going to let us stay with her but I’ll have to work.’
‘No husband then?’
Mary shook her head. ‘I’m a widow,’ she lied, unwilling to explain her circumstances to a total stranger.
‘I’m sorry to hear that, luv, but a fine-looking girl like you shouldn’t be on her own for long. And you’ve only got three kids, not a whole tribe. Some fellers wouldn’t take on a widow with a crowd of kids.’
‘Oh, I’m not looking for another husband!’
The woman grinned. ‘You might find one just the same. Now, I’m going to try to get some sleep - that’s if that lot at the bar would make less noise. I’ll be glad when they’ve run out of ale!’
Mary nodded her agreement. There were obviously plenty on board who were not short of money judging by the noise and amount of beer that was being consumed. She settled herself as comfortably as she could and instructed Katie and Tommy to try to sleep. She closed her eyes, wondering just what faced her when they finally arrived in the morning.
There hadn’t been much sleep. In fact it had been a terrible journey. Once out of the protection of the land the ship had been tossed around like a cork and many people, including both Katie and Lizzie, had been sick. She and Tommy had not succumbed but she was very thankful when in the miserable grey light of the winter dawn they finally sailed into the Liffey. The air smelled of salt and dampness and the odours of the factories and sheds that lined the North Wall but she didn’t mind. After the stink of the saloon it was heaven, she thought. Her gaze wandered over the city and the misty outline of the Dublin Mountains that ringed it. She hadn’t realised that the open countryside was so near. Maybe they could take a trip out one day. They’d all enjoy that.
Katie and Lizzie, both pale and tired and confused, clung tightly to her skirts while she and Tommy struggled with the bundles. At first glance Dublin didn’t look very different to Liverpool, not quite as big or as grand but of course she wasn’t in the heart of the city yet.
‘How do I get to the Coombe?’ she asked one of the deck hands.
‘You walk down the Quays, past the Custom House, down the Ormond Quay to the Four Courts. Then cross the Liffey into Winetavern Street, go straight up Nicholas Street and
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