Jacob's Mother—Chapter 15

All Arms and Legs

Photo by Francesca Fabian on Unsplash

Jacob’s Mother is a serialized novel. Start with Chapter One.

Chapter Fifteen: All Arms and Legs

Ireland—The Old Gaelic World

James sat on top of the stone wall that ran the length of his farm. His legs dangled off the edge. He picked at some moss that grew between the rocks and stared across the lush, green hills. He couldn’t stop thinking about Elizabeth. He thought of her smile that came out so rarely, lately. He thought about her quiet presence, and how it calmed him to be around her. He thought about how her long black hair was always slipping loose and blowing around her face. He thought about her lips and neck. He thought about her laughter and the way his skin vibrated whenever she was near. He thought about the night that he carried her home and when Moya stripped her down to nothing. He thought of the fear that took hold of him when he thought she might not wake up, but he also could not stop thinking about her long pale limbs and her pink nipples. He wondered what she thought about. Did she imagine laying with him, the way he imagined laying with her constantly? Or was that all gone because of a touch from this demon, the Gancanagh?

He knew that she fancied him once. Before. He could tell by the way she blushed and averted her eyes whenever they were together. Then he was thinking of her pink nipples again. He wondered what they felt like. Suddenly, he was pushed off the wall, and he landed painfully on his arm.

“Oh ho!” Jarleth yelped, looking over the wall. “Who were you pining up there for?”

Annoyed at his brother, James stood up, brushed himself off, and scrambled over the wall. Jarleth laughed and dogged him. James turned and deftly swept Jarleth’s legs out from under him. “That will teach you to sneak up on people,” he said, waiting for Jarleth to counterattack. Even though Jareth was the biggest brother, James was more nimble.

But Jarleth just laughed and stood up. “You’re like a little lost lamb, ye plonker!” He grinned and continued on, “You just need a good romp with a village girl to get over her. What about Eddard’s sister? She fancies you, and she’s worth a poke.”

“Take yer balls out of yer eyes, Jarleth.”

“What? Eddard’s sister isn’t that bad.”

“I don’t want Eddard’s sister or any other girl.”

Jarleth’s grin dissolved into a look of concern. “That bad, huh?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Jarleth!”

Jarleth put his hand on James’ shoulder. James stiffened. “You need to get over her, James. Move on. She doesn’t want you.”

James turned away from his brother and walked up the hill. Jarleth followed behind him, keeping just enough distance so as not to get punched.

“Besides, she is strange like her mother.”

James kept walking, trying to ignore his brother.

“They are too much into the old ways.”

James clenched his jaw and fists and stopped walking.

Jarleth continued, “Aren’t you worried her ma may put a spell on you? Maybe they have already bewitched you?”

James could feel all of his muscles coil up. Jarleth better watch it. He would not tolerate negative talk about Elizabeth or her mother.

“And Lil’s body is more like a boys, than a woman’s. She’s all arms and legs, nothing to lay your head on at night.”

James turned around and sprang forward. He and Jarleth landed in a heap of freckles and muscles and dirt. James’ blood was pounding, and even though he was punching Jarleth, Jarleth was laughing. He connected with Jarleth’s jaw, and Jarleth spit out a mouthful of blood. Then Jarleth smashed him in the face with his giant paw, and James lay on the ground, looking up at the sky. He heard Jarleth grunt and get up. Then Jarleth kicked him in the ribs while he was down. James knew that Jarleth was holding back. He could have easily broken his ribs but didn’t. Jarleth bent down, his face close to James, blood and spit dripping out of his mouth. He wiped at it with the side of hand and said, “If you love her so, go get her.”

James lay on the ground for a while thinking. Then he got up and marched straight over to Elizabeth’s cottage. He knocked at the door, suddenly conscious of his bruised face. His brother’s blood decorated his shirt, and he was covered in dirt. He ran his fingers through his hair and wiped at his face.

Moya opened the door. Her eyebrows went up and her mouth formed a tiny “o” when she saw the state he was in.

“Is Lil here?”

“Come in.” She opened the door wide. Elizabeth looked up from a heap of wool that she had been spinning into thread. James saw her stiffen, and her lips formed a tight line.

“Hello, James.”

“Lil.”

Moya grabbed her shawl, and a walking stick. “Well, I’m off to…” She looked from James to Elizabeth and back to James again. “Well, I’m off.” With that she left and closed the door.

James stood near the door in silence.

Elizabeth, focused on the wool in front of her, twisting it into thread. She blushed.

James looked at his shoes.

“What happened to your face?” Elizabeth asked, dropping the wool into her lap. She didn’t get up.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just Jarleth.”

“Jarleth did that to you?”

“Brotherly love.”

Elizabeth looked to the wool in her lap again. “I will never understand the way brothers treat each other.”

James could feel walls shooting up between him and Elizabeth, but he had no idea how to break them down. She started twisting the wool into thread again. Would he ever understand Elizabeth? She and her mother seemed the opposite of his brothers. Everything was calculated, all the options weighed out ahead of time. He wanted to pull her into the moment, to take away her worry of the future. He took a step near her. She stopped twisting the wool, but didn’t look at him. He came closer and knelt in front of her. He took the skein of thread from her lap and looped a thread around her hand. She said nothing, staring at him with anxiety in her eyes. He looped the thread around his own hand and tugged so that the thread was taught between them.

“I love you, Lil.”

She averted her eyes, “You can’t.”

“I love you just the way you are, whether you can love me fully or not.” He tugged on the thread that linked them. “You and I are tied together and I am not letting go. Ever! Because I love you.”

Elizabeth untangled the thread from her hand and looked away. “I can’t love you the way you want.”

“I don’t care.” James kept his string wrapped around his hand. Elizabeth looked like she was glowing in the firelight, several loose strands of her dark hair framed her face. James touched her cheek, and she didn’t move away, but looked at him with sad eyes. James wanted her more than ever. He wanted to keep her safe, to protect her from the overwhelming sadness that followed her everywhere. He wanted her face to be the last thing he saw every night and the first thing when he woke up.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Still kneeling, James placed his hand on her thigh. He looked in her sad eyes and said, “I want you to. I want you to.”

Elizabeth’s bottom lip quivered, and she stood up, brushing his hand away. She straightened her skirts and took a breath. “Well, I’m not going to hurt you, James McLaughlin. I refuse.” She walked over to the door and opened it. “It’s better if you leave now.”

James felt a cold emptiness spread through the pit of his stomach. He knew he had lost her. He could no longer look at her face. He left.

As James walked by the stone fence, he felt empty. He didn’t cry. He didn’t feel anger or sadness. He felt nothing. If he couldn’t have Elizabeth, he was nothing.

Continue to Chapter 16.

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Jacob’s Mother is an original publication by Laura Ellis. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law and fair use.