Goddess Fish Party Pavilion

Hi - This is a short blurb about Shadow Across the Liffey that I hope will give you a flavour of what the
book is about. Followed by an excerpt of the book.

Shadow across the Liffey

A gripping story of how family secrets can wreak havoc on the present.

In 60’s Ireland life is hard for widow, Oona Quinn, grief-stricken by the tragic deaths of her husband and five-year-old daughter. Struggling to survive, she meets charismatic Jack Walsh at the Shipping Office.

Vinnie Kelly, her son's biological father, just out of jail, sets out to destroy Oona and all she holds dear. Haunted by her past, she has to fight for her future and the safety of her son, Sean. But Vinnie has revenge on his mind . . .

Exertp from Shadow Across the Liffey

After working her way around the garden, pulling up weeds and tidying the borders, Oona went inside. She used to love this time of the day when Eamon was here to greet her and take her in his arms. She climbed the stairs wearily and was about to look in on Sean when she heard him sobbing. The beat of her heart quickened. She rushed into his room. He was sitting in his blue stripey pyjamas with his back towards her, his head bent over a photograph, his shoulders shaking.

‘Sean, what’s the matter?’ It was the first time she had seen him cry since just before the funeral.

Startled, he turned round. ‘Nuttin’.’ His eyes were red, and he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He pushed the photo into his drawer and jumped into bed.

‘Sean, sweetheart, I, can I..?’

He lay half on top of the blue silky eiderdown and, turning onto his side, hid his face with his hands. ‘Go away,’ he mumbled.

‘It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s all right to cry.’ She sat down on the bed, and his textbooks slid off onto the floor. She smoothed the hair sticking up on the back of his head. ‘You know, grown-ups cry, too. I know how much you miss your dad and Jacqueline. So do I.’ He didn’t speak. Swallowing a lump that kept forming in her throat, she stayed motionless, looking down at her only remaining child. He had Vinnie Kelly’s sandy hair and she prayed God that that was all he had inherited.

If he were to discover that Eamon was not his real father, it would destroy him – and her, too. If only she had gone along with her husband’s suggestion to tell him the truth. Instead, she had followed her mother’s advice and left well alone.

When she was sure he was asleep, she gently lifted his legs and placed them beneath the bed covers. Flexing her tired shoulders, she opened the drawer and drew out the photo of Eamon, with Sean, aged three, on his shoulders; both of them smiling happily. A sob caught in her throat.

Sean had only been two when she had met Eamon. He had been such a good father to him, treating him no differently than he did Jacqueline. Tears overwhelmed her. She put the photo back, switched off the lamp and quietly left the room.

http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Mansell_Cathy/index.htm