Queen Read Free Page B

classes lasted only two or three hours, and he could go at all
        only when Maureen had something to give the teacher, but Jamie studied
        morning and afternoon. His older sister Sara was a frequent visitor to
        his classroom, for she was smitten by the tutor.
        Jimmy Hanna had come to them through a family connection. The Irish
        Protestants were few in number, and even fewer owed their first
        allegiance to Ireland rather than England. Jimmy's brother Hugh was a
        friend of their sister Martha, who was completing her studies in Dublin.
        Both brothers were handsome, educated men, dedicated to the Irish cause,
        and both sisters, Martha and Sara, were headstrong and willful. Lacking
        parental affection and guidance, they longed for love, and followed the
        example of their older sister, the firebrand Eleanor, by challenging
        their father and all he stood for, if only to try.to make him appreciate
        them more, or at least play some active role in their lives. Their
        patriotism was genuine,
    12 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN
     
    and deeply felt, and they saw in their own lives the greater cause. Like
    Ireland, they were unloved by him who governed them and had dominion over
    them, so they identified with the larger community, and dedicated
    themselves to its well-being, for at core they were deeply lonely. When
    a handsome young man who shared her convictions rode into Ballybay and
    into her life, and encouraged her to have faith in herself, Sara fell
    hopelessly in love. She would sit for hours in the classroom watching him
    teach, learning from him herself, and about him.
        It worked to Jamie's advantage, for sometimes, on a dreary, drizzly
        afternoon or a pretty spring day, Jimmy, anxious to be alone with Sara,
        would curtail the lessons, and Sara's eyes would sparkle. She would send
        Jamie off to old Quinn in the stables, or to Jugs for some food, or to
        play with his croppy friend Sean. Then she would sit with Jimmy and hold
        hands with him, or sometimes they would kiss, and the warmth and
        reassurance of his presence, the strong beliefs that they shared, and the
        generosity of his nature persuaded Sara that she was loved.
        When she found out that Sarah Black had become more than a friend to her
        father, although less than a wife, Sara was bitterly hurt. She could not
        understand why her father would not marry the woman, and bring her to his
        house so she could fulfill some of the functions of mother-or older woman
        friend at least. In her distress, she turned to Jimmy for comfort, and,
        lacking any moral conviction or example, she surrendered herself to him.
        They took their pleasure secretly, covertly, in places where they thought
        they would not be discovered, but they were not discreet enough. Jamie,
        returning to the house one day because Sean was sick, saw them coupling
        together in the classroom. He did not announce his presence, for he was
        at puberty himself, and fascinated by the things Sean had told him. He
        watched Sara and Jimmy for a while, through the slightly open door, but
        then became embarrassed and excited, and crept away to his bedroom, to
        caress his own adolescent need.
        He could not keep quiet about what he had seen for long, for it gave him
        some ascendancy over his sister, which was important to a boy of his age.
        Sara blushed and flared, and slapped his face for a peeping Tom, and then
        cried, and swore
        BLOODLINES 13
     
    him to secrecy. When she had his promise, she giggled, and began to treat
    him as a young man from then on, and no longer as a boy.
     
    Thus the Jackson children grew up effectively left to their own devices,
    and found love where they could. They were not unhappy, for each