Divide

Chapter 10

Hi!!! em there will be a small bit of Irish in this but ill translate it in English beside it!!! also it may not be completely grammatically correct in one spot. Irish people will know where. But it all makes sense!

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My head was spinning. What did he want with John? Oh God. The fire. It must be about the fire. John was round the back, gettin ready to work. I thought quickly, willing myself to come up with something, anything that might help. "No sorry, he moved on a good while ago" I said, voice steady, looking O'Leary straight in the eye. Then I had a thought. There was only a slim chance it would help, but a chance was a chance. These men, though many had Irish names, did not speak Irish. Or understand it... I began to speak in a sing-song voice "Tá na Gardaí anseo a Sheáin! Rith anis, mar tá siad ag lorg faoí tusa!" ( the guards are hear john! run now because they are looking for you!) The guards looked down suspiciously at me. I smiled back innocently, and prayed to God that it worked. It didn't. John strode round from the back " Cad atá cearr leat?" (what's wrong with you?) He stopped abruptly when he saw the men. His eyes dilated in fear. I couldn't break away from his face. He was horrified. I was shaking now. I could feel the burn of O'Leary's gaze boring into my back. "So he is here? And you tried to hide him? Well John McCurtin, and friend of yours tipped off the lord about the fire. He was very upset and angry to hear that his favourite young horse trainer had betrayed and tried to murder him."

John looked up bewildered " I..I never tried to kill anyone. It was just a warnin!" He looked years younger in the shadow of these menacing tyrants. O'Leary sneered at him "Well whatever it was, he has decided that you do not get off lightly. No mere gaol ( jail ) sentence for you. He's going to make you work! And as for this one", he paused to look down at me, his eyes lighting up with glee "She can go to the workhouse too, for aiding and abetting a traitor and an arsonist! But for now", he chuckled a hungry look on his face "We'll let the men have her." John roared in anger " Don't you touch her!" , but i was soon swept away from him, in to the arms of a stranger.

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I will not describe what happened that night. I do not want to think about it. In fairness to the law enforcers at the time, it was rare to find such despicable creatures. They knew nothing of fairness or justice or what was right.

We stood outside the workhouse. It leaned ominously over us, grey and bleak. The very image of Hell. A putrid smell crawled up my nostrils. Wailing and crying seemed to hang in the air. Before entering, John and I were given one final moment alone. Once inside, men were separated from women, children taken from their parents. Inside these walls, families were ripped apart. John rested his for-head on mine, arms around my waist. He was shaking " Sinéad what have I gotten us into! It is my fault your here, mine" I knew he was right, and uncertainty welled inside me again. But I could not think about that now. "John, I don't want to hear it. Just...just tell me that you love me" He hugged me tightly, and whispered in my ear as the guards closed in to tear us apart "I love you, Sinéad O'Reily" I stopped before walking through the door, and grinned at him " Knew it (!)" He grinned back, brightening my world before it was plunged into darkness.

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Hi!!! what do you think??? please comment!! There is Mark Strong as Duncan