The following story is a tale that has been hidden amongst the emerald green hills. Betwixt the meandering waters that cut across the fields where the sheep graze. And in the midst of the jagged cliffs where the sea pounds against so mercilessly. This story has been whispered amonst the secrets of the irishmen.
Come closer and you will hear a true story that has been told through out the McGlinchey generations. Come closer and you will hear a tale about the reddest of all roses. A tale about a fair, bonny irish lass.

**Note: Some words have been spelt differently to influence the Irish brogue**

Alongside the moss-covered rock walls, we come upon a young lad chasing a young lass through the emerald green hills.

"Aine! (pronounced ON-ya) Slow down for heaven's sake!" yelled the young lad.

She slowed down and stopped in the curve of the path. "What is it that you want Patrick McGlinchey?" she replied in a smug tone, while trying to restrain a grin.

Patrick caught up with Aine and doubled over, breathing heavily as he fell to the ground.
"Aine...Aine...yer...Mam...wanted...you...to..." gasped Patrick.
"Oh ay, I knew" replied Aine simply.
Patrick snapped his head up, wearing a face of utter bewilderment. "Ye made me chase you across all of County Donegal when ye knew the message yerself! Yer mad as a banshee, ye are! Why'd ye do that? To make a fool of meself?"

Aine laughed, titling her head back towards the sun. It was a joyful, blissful laugh that even made the young boy smile, though he was as frusturated as a turnip at her.

She grinned at him and said, "Just ta see that look on yer face Patsy" before skipping off towards town.

Patrick sighed in frustration and grumbled, "My name is *not* Patsy...Aine! Wait fer me!" as he took off running to catch up with Aine across the Irish countryside.

Wanting to get some coins to buy some sweets, Patrick and Aine bypassed town and walked towards Aine's home.

As they rounded the corner and walked up O'Neil Hill, Aine's home came into view. It was an immensely vast stone and mortar castle. It was built over 300 years ago by a great grandfather of Aine's. It was meant to be a fortress against pirates and raiders. It was built to be an intimidating stucture. Every time Patrick saw her home, it always took his breath away.

Yet as they walked up towards the castle, Patrick noticed that it looked *different*. It seemed as if the castle itself was carrying a large burden, something dark and painful seeping into it's very stones. However, Patrick thought, that was to be expected. Aine's father had died around a month ago from sickness of the lungs. Unfortunately, since they had no male sons, his fortune was passed down to a distant relative,leaving Aine and her mother penniless.

He gazed up at the looming castle once more,sending a chill down his spine.

Upon entering the main hallway, one of the servants greeted them and led the two to the library where Aine's mother, Mrs. Ellen O'Ryan, was waiting. After Mr. O'Ryan's death, Mrs. O'Ryan spent much of her days sitting in her chair before the library fireplace, staring into the glowing embers. She wore black the day of his funeral, and so she would wear black the rest of her life. Expressing the profound sorrow and grief she felt for the loved one she had lost.

As they walked towards the library, Patrick noticed Aine brushing the dirt off her dress, combing her fingers through her tangled hair and straightening her spine. When they reached the library door, Patrick stayed back, just outside the doorway, as Aine walked briskly into the room.

"Where have you been young lady?" A quiet voice sounded from the high backed chair.
Patrick felt a chill in the room that the fire could not dispel.

"Well Mother, I...I...was playing with Patrick McGlinchey outside." replied Aine innocently.

At this point Mrs. O'Ryan stood from her chair. At one time she was a strikingly beautiful woman with an aristocratic air about her. But time had taken its toll on the woman. Time and sorrow.

She scolded, "I *can* see with my own eyes that you have been outside. How many times must I tell you? You cannot, *cannot*, be frolicking with young boys! It is not--"

At that time, Patrick made the mistake of clearing his throat. Without even looking in his direction, Mrs. O'Ryan ordered, "Mary, please escort young Mr. McGlinchey to the door". Before the maid had shut the door to the library, he heard Mrs. O'Ryan scolding Aine for not behaving like a proper young lady.

Patrick shook his head sadly. The death of a loved one can surely change even the kindest heart. And Mrs. O'Ryan's heart was a cold place to begin with.

After leaving, Patrick headed over to his job at the local inn, working as a stable hand. Although Aine lived in a behometh castle with only her mother, Patrick lived in a quaint whitewash cottage with his parents and his 7 siblings. Though his parents worked hard, they were a poor family, causing Patrick and his older siblings to work late into the night at various jobs, earning extra money for their family.

However, where there was cold and darkness at the O'Ryan estate, warmth and happiness resided throughout the whole of the McGlinchey's home, filing every dark crack and crevice with the love the family had for one another.

Later that night, Patrick stumbled into his warm bed. Just before drifting off to sleep, he heard a familiar footstep. The "swishing" of a dress and the "knocking" of boots hitting the hard floor. It could only be Aine.

He kept his eyes squeezed tight and pulled his sheets over his head, knowing what Aine wanted of him.
"Patsy" she whispered. "Patsy...wake up...Patsy..." She gently shook him back and forth, however, resulting in Patrick just turning his back on her.
"Patsy! I know ye be awake. Stop bein' so daft. Wake up ye fool" she urged. She grabbed his sheets and threw them off him, leaving his bare feet in the cool night air.
Patrick grumbled and started to push himself up, "Ughhh...oh ay, could ye be any louder? You know me brother Liam is a light sleeper. And me name *isn't* Patsy."

She gave him a smile that seemed only meant for him. He never knew how to describe her smile, only that it was of such rare quality that it always made him swell with happiness, knowing Aine was *his* best friend.

Immediately after Patrick arose from his bed, Aine threw his clothes at him and declared, "Let's go *Patsy* down to the ol' stone bridge".

Now there were many stone bridges throughout County Donegal, but whenever either of them spoke of "the ol' stone bridge", they both knew which bridge it was. It was far in the countryside, sheep it's only travelers. It was the place Aine and Patrick called their own.

They sat admiring the dark velvet sky, with the twinkling stars high above in the heavens and the moon bright enough, Patrick could see each individual freckle on Aine's face.

"How'd ye get ta me house? Ya didn't climb down the trellis again, did ya?" asked Patrick.
"Of course I did. Besides it be the only way ta get out of me home without me mad mother catchin' me." replied Aine.
"If the next time ya fall, it won't be me fault" stated Patrick.
"Oh ay..." She fidgeted for a moment before she spoke up,"umm, Patsy? We're good friends aren't we?" asked Aine with a worried glance.
"Oh ay..ya know we are. Why do ye ask such a thing?" asked Patrick curiously.
"Well I want ta tell ye somethin', but ye must *promise* not to get daft". Aine looked at him with pleading eyes. "Oh ay, I promise" he said looking straight into her warm brown eyes.
"I...I...I'm going ta boarding school in London...tamorrow." she whispered.

Patrick's body seemed to freeze up, as if rejecting this new information. He sat staring at the ground, the hooting of an owl the only sound heard in the night air. Aine grew impatient and ran off the bridge to the path, tears in her eyes. Her hurried footsteps woke Patrick from his daze, and soon ran to her.

She stood in the bend of the road, her back towards him. With a gentle touch from Patrick, she slowly turned to face him.

A strand of her soft auburn hair fell into her eyes, she gently pushed it back, revealing her large, warm eyes that seemed to always shine with an inner light. Freckles starting at her nose, spread across her cheeks, giving her a youthful innocence. As long as he knew her, there had always been some kind of wild spirit hidden beneath all that silk and lace. And of course, there was her smile and her laugh that seemed to spread joy and happiness with just the curve of her lips. However, there was no smile upon her face this night, just a resolved sorrow.

Patrick rubbed his neck sheepishly, trying to find the right words to say. None came. However, it was Aine who was quick to end the silence.
"It's not me fault! I don't want ta go to a boardin' school! Ye know I don't! But it's me mam..." she said defensively.
"Shh..It's alright Aine, I understand. It's just that I be losin' me best friend. I don't know what I'll do without ya." he whispered, a tear gently rolling down his cheek.

Aine rested her hand on his shoulder, and gave a comforting squeeze.
"Don't ye be a worryin'! I can always send ye mail! And I'll visit as much as I can! Maybe the school will have a trellis I can sneak down." she said with a wink.
"Ye promise?" Patrick asked with a worry in his eyes.
"Oh ay, I promise" she replied, smiling.
"Well I'm going ta miss ye Aine." he said, dropping his head, hoping Aine couldn't see his eyes rapidly filling with tears.

But Aine would have none of that. She wrapped her arms around Patrick and gave him a squeeze that left him gasping for breath.

"Oh Patsy! I'm gonna miss ye more than these green hills, more than the salty sea, and more than that ol' stone bridge. Just don't ye be forgettin' me!" she said, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks.
"I won't ever Aine. I promise you that" he whispered.

In the beginning, Patrick received several letters from Aine, as she promised. But as time went on, he began to receive fewer and fewer letters until none at all. He kept writing to her, but after a year of no response, he stopped. That was only 2 years after Aine left, and that was the last time he ever thought of her.

Ten years passed, and Patrick grew up into a strapping young man and became the stablemaster at the local inn where he worked at as a boy. He still lived with his family and provided enough money, that they weren't constantly plagued by financial problems. The luck of the Irish was shining down upon them.

When he was 24 years old, Patrick left his home of County Donegal for the first time. He traveled to London to visit one of his sisters, Kate, who was working as a nursemaid for a wealthy family, in order to save up for a decent education.

One bright Tuesday morning, Patrick and Kate strolled along the road surrounding the city park. Kate adored the beautiful stone and brick homes that lined the street, wishing that she would be able to live in one...some day.

As they ambled down the street, admiring the homes, Patrick and Kate passed two aristocratic women, on a pleasurable stroll also, perhaps. Casually, Patrick glanced over at the women passing. He turned his gaze back to the road until something tugged at his memory. Soft auburn hair and warm brown eyes. "It couldn't be" he whispered to himself.

He was afraid of what he was about to do, and was afraid of what would happen if he never did.

"Miss! Excuse me!" he called after her. She stopped when he had called after her, but did not turn around. He cleared his throat and swallowed audibly before speaking. "Pardon me miss, but I was a wonderin' if...if ye were someone I once knew. A friend of mine that I had thought I would never be speakin' to again. Pardon me for bein' blunt, and who knows, I might be daft." he added shaking his head and rolling his eyes, regretting ever calling after this stranger. "But could ya be Aine O'Ryan?" he asked, his voice quivering with the last words.

The woman became very tense and slowly turned around and asked, "And may I ask who you may be? How does a commoner like yourself, know my name?". She spoke in a condescending tone, her voice was full of wealth and had a aristocratic flair to it. She had a light british accent, nothing close to an Irish brogue. He sagged his shoulders knowing that this wasn't *his* Aine.

But when Patrick lifted his head and gazed into her eyes, he realized with utter bliss that it *was* his Aine.

She had changed, it *had* been many years since they last saw each other. Her freckles were gone, replaced with rouge and other colors painted on her face. Her features showed no smile, in fact, she wore a scowl. Yet her eyes betrayed that elaborate disguise. Her warm, brown eyes never told a lie. It was Aine O'Ryan, his childhood friend, he was sure of it.

Yet, as Patrick reached to grasp Aine in an embrace, she screamed and pushed him away. A look of horror had come upon her face. Patrick's head was swirling, "How could she not know me?" he thought. However, he remembered that it *had* been several years and he actually had facial hair, instead of three stray hairs on his chin.

Patrick backed away cautiously, hoping she would stop screaming. And yet he couldn't leave her again, and said in a gentle tone, "Aine...Aine...It's me, Patrick McGlinchey. Don't ye remember?"

She stood there for some time, studying him intensely. He shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing stare. Then almost as if the realization had come in a jolt, her eyebrows raised and she exclaimed, "Oh Pat--!". She fell silent and took a deep sigh before looking up at Patrick again.

She lightly touched his hand and said politely, "Dearest Patrick. How good it is to see you. I did not believe who you were, my apologies. Pray, come take a round with me and Miss Brigid" pointing over to her companion.

Patrick became very confused and bewildered. Aine first greeted him as if not a year had passed between them and almost called him "Patsy" yet again. Then in an instant, she composed herself and acted as if they were only mere acquaintances, a way he had never seen before. Something in his chest seemed empty now.

Patrick grabbed his sister's hand and followed Aine for a only a short distance before reaching a large home on the corner of Brandon and Park.

It was a brick faced home, with a small flower garden beneath the front windows and a fountain to the right of the entrance stairs.

If the outside did not impress Patrick and Kate, then the inside made their eyes bulge. It was a fairly large room, with intricate details in the paneling on both the floor and wall. Each painting sat in a gold leaf frame, with a soft glow from a flickering candle cast upon it. The fireplace was built of only the finest ivory, with two pillars on each side.

They were welcomed by a maid who collected their hats and gloves and brought tea to place upon the table. With a wave of her hand, Aine gestured that they all sit down.

After they sat down upon the chaise lounges, an awkward silence settled in the room. The drone of the ticking of the grandfather clock was the only sound that filled the room. A minute may have passed by, but it seemed like an enternity to them.

Finally, Aine's friend broke the silence and spoke up. She had a well-refined british accent that was charming and joyous. "I am afraid that Aine never properly introduced me". She glanced over to Aine, seeing if she would then do so. However,Aine's eyes stayed fixated to the floor.

The young woman pressed on, "I am Brigid Farrows. I met Aine at our boarding school many years past. The apology is mine for when I say that I do not know the relationship between you and Aine."

Patrick was still lost in thought before Kate nuged him in the ribs, which painfully alerted him to the present. "I...I met Aine when we were but wee ones in Ireland. This be me first meetin' with her in quite some time."

Brigid mouthed the word "oh" and became very interested in the thread in her sleeve.
The awkward silence had returned.

After a few more minutes of tapping feet, sighs, being fairly interested in the floor paneling and the fabric of their clothing, the maid came to Aine's side and softly said in her ear, "Excuse me Miss Aine, but you have a message from Sussex".
Aine's eyes widened and asked, "From Dark Oak Manor?"
"Yes mam, I believe it to be" replied the maid.
Aine glanced over to Brigid and gave a half-smile and said "Thank you Eleanor. I will read it in the study."

A sense of relief washed over Aine's face, glad to be away from the uneasiness.

After Aine and the maid had both left, Kate exclaimed that she had a previous engagement and left. Patrick grumbled, wishing he had thought up such an excuse to leave. After Kate left, it was only Patrick and Brigid...and the silence.