Road Trip

Liam picks Maeve up in his ramshackle, self-built Jeep and takes her to the Tarrymore Home Farm, a restored village that was once home to the estate’s workers. There, he introduces her to his cousin, Madelyn O’Shea, who manages the living history site, and her young daughter, Susannah. Maeve mentions that her great-grandmother, Kathleen Rose Connor, was from the area. Upon hearing the name, Liam and Madelyn share a look of recognition but try to hide this. After the tour, Liam drives Maeve back to the inn and asks her on a date for the following evening to go to a pub and listen to traditional Irish music. Maeve happily accepts, reflecting that it has been nearly two years since her last relationship ended.

Therese wakes up alone in her room at the inn and, feeling hungry, walks to a nearby pub called The Willow Tree. Inside, she spots an older woman playing pool. Therese strikes up a conversation by complimenting the woman’s English cocker spaniel, Sinead. The woman introduces herself as Esme Rossington and explains that she grew up in Tarrymore House but that her brother Geoffrey persuaded their 92-year-old father to hand the estate to the Trust. Esme recounts the story of the IRA art heist. When Therese presses for details, Esme becomes defensive, abruptly ends the conversation, and leaves the pub.

The next morning, Therese tells Maeve about meeting Esme. Maeve, in turn, tells Therese about her upcoming date with Liam. A family tree prepared by Frannie has identified their great-grandmother’s niece, an elderly woman named Isabel Woods. The sisters go to visit her at the Sheltering Oaks Compassionate Care Center.

Isabel reveals a long-held family secret: Kathleen was the illegitimate daughter of Lord Edward Rossington. The parish priest, Father McGinty, arranged a hasty marriage between Kathleen’s mother, Bridget, and a village man, John Connor. Lady Delia gave the Connor family a new horse and the parish church a new roof as inducements to allow her to raise Kathleen. Isabel also recounts that Lady Delia was murdered the same night Kathleen left for America in 1926, and the Rossington family falsely blamed Kathleen for the murder and for theft. Isabel shows them a pin that Lady Delia gave to Kathleen, which Maeve photographs. Before they leave, Isabel gives the sisters a box containing all the letters Kathleen sent from America to her brother, Tommy.

As Maeve prepares for her date with Liam, Therese gives her a complete makeover, dressing her in a rock T-shirt, jeans, and boots from her own suitcase and applying her makeup. Once Maeve leaves, Therese begins reading Kathleen’s letters. The first letter, postmarked August 23, 1926, is written from New York and describes the ocean crossing and her arrival at Ellis Island. She writes of living in a small room in a New York tenement with Maggy and Maggy’s young daughter. Both women worked long hours in a shirt factory to survive. In the letter, Kathleen expresses deep concern for Lady Delia, fearing something terrible happened on the night she fled Tarrymore.

Maeve meets Liam in the lobby for their date. He greets her with a glass of a new, unreleased Tarrymore whiskey to break the ice. They drive to a pub called the Three-Legged Goat to listen to a band called The Hooligans. During the drive, Maeve confides in Liam that she was recently fired from her job as a college professor. Liam tells her that he values family, friends, and the craft of making good whiskey. Maeve lightheartedly tells him she only agreed to go out with a stranger because she finds his accent irresistible. They soon arrive at the pub, which is already packed with people.

Therese reads another of Kathleen’s letters, this one from December 1928. Kathleen writes that she has a new job as a domestic servant for a family in Geneva, New York. She vehemently denies any involvement in Lady Delia’s murder or the theft at Tarrymore, writing that she heard Lady Fiona, Teddy, and David arguing with Lady Delia, heard a scream, and then fled, concluding that Lady Delia “must have died at the hands of her own wicked family” (152). Kathleen states that Lady Delia gave her the portrait of Lady Geraldine, explaining that it rightfully belonged to her because she was “kin” to the subject.

Armed with this new information, Therese returns to The Willow Tree to confront Esme. She recounts the story of Kathleen being raised at Tarrymore. When Therese asks specifically about the portrait of Lady Geraldine, Esme claims it was the one painting stolen during the IRA heist that was never recovered. Esme becomes enraged by the questions, calls Therese impertinent, and storms out after warning her to stay away.

At the Three-Legged Goat pub, Liam introduces Maeve to his friend and coworker, Donal Moody. They listen to The Hooligans perform traditional Irish music. Liam points out a type of drum called a bodhran. When the band plays “The Fields of Athenry,” Maeve is moved to tears. As the evening wears on, Donal becomes increasingly drunk and loudly demands the band play “Galway Girl.” To avoid the escalating commotion, Liam pays their tab and leads Maeve out of the pub.