Sara W.

What would you keep if you had to fit all your belongings into one bag? What would you need to survive? What possessions were worth the aching arms and shoulders? These were the questions I faced as men moved furniture out of my Dublin home. The end of the century merely a carriage ride away, the path would surely be long and treacherous on the dark side of the mountain. After losing my husband and son to smallpox and no way to support myself, my small but mighty empire had fallen. Homeless and insolvent, I packed my best riding coat with gold-tinted aquamarine silk, fit for a queen. Custom-tailored, exquisite, and opulent, it had been gifted to me by the wealthy family of a former pupil. I placed small family portraits into my travel case. Looking at the faces of my son and husband, my chest ached at the thought of all the lost potential. The loss of days and seasons, the little things that would no longer be shared. It felt like a thousand cuts on my heart that would never heal. Before I left, I tucked a pistol in the side pocket of my coat and slipped a small knife under my boot cover. I truly hoped with all my heart that Ireland was not a wild country full of bandits and thieves. However, I had to be prepared to defend myself. Kill or be killed, I pleaded to God and all the saints. But did it matter if I was already dead? In haste, I left behind my home and my grief, like a bloody stillbirth pushed from my body with unstoppable force and violence. Surely a part of myself would be left in the wreckage like soggy, misshapen entrails. I was unsure what I had lost of myself and perhaps it would always remain a mystery. But I did know that from this day forth, I would walk the earth with broken guts, hopelessly spilling them out to anyone who cared to listen. Before I walked down the staircase to the foyer, I surrendered to the mirror and took stock. Although its faded green tint was kind to my 36 years on this earth, my eyes were bloodshot and weary from crying all night. Yet, they were still bright blue, a constant that held me together like the North Star. Black wild curls were barely contained with a chipped barrette and my flushed cheeks were a striking contrast to my pale, fresh snow complexion. Perhaps it was a result of my constant undulation between rage and despair. I looked at the wreckage of my home - the vases, the furniture, the paintings - and realized I did not desire any of it. They could take all of my things. They could burn my home to the ground and dance around the fire, Viking heathens in fancy riding coats, but they could wear down my soul. Oh, but the piano! I played one last song - Bach, Air in G, the second movement. So much pain I had poured into those keys and parting with a grand friend was such sweet sorrow. It was strange how we had come together at this moment. The wood of the piano, once a wee seedling under a tree among thousands of other seedlings. And against all odds, perhaps from the delusion that it was strong enough to survive in a hostile world, beating out all the others. Just because the warmth of the sun felt so wonderful, for the promise of being alive and standing tall as the king of the forest, for a thousand years. And now here we were, sharing our pain and anguish. As much as we loved the world and the pain that came with it, nothing would last forever. Eventually, we would all turn into kindling.

From the Wild Country A Historical Novel by Sara Whitford 1. Set in late 18th century Ireland and narrated by Anne Burke, one of the first authors of Gothic fiction, From the Wild Country tells the coming-of-age story of Mary Anne, the daughter of the notorious duelist George ‘Fighting” Fitzgerald, and how she risks everything in her relentless pursuit of love, independence, and adventure. 2. Patrick McDonnell is the local magistrate and lawyer of George Fitzgerald, the elder, Mary Anne’s grandfather. His moral compass is based on business, not feelings. He cares about the price of things but doesn't see the value unless it lines his pockets. His goal is to be comfortable and satisfied with power, money, and land, which is spurred on by his constant fear of scarcity. His greed is also his curse, for he feels that his wealth will never be enough, and as such, he is constantly worried about finances. Like the European dragon chained to his piles of treasure and guarding it evermore, he will never be free. True love is unthinkable for McDonnell and he only becomes engaged to Mary Anne, Fitzgerald's daughter, to secure an alliance with her father. Although he finds her attractive, he believes this marriage of convenience will prove profitable and advantageous for his business endeavors. He follows the law but in dubious ways, using loopholes at the expense of vulnerable people that he can lawfully steal from. Hidden behind rigid social norms and etiquette from a lifetime of aristocratic social functions, he hides a violent streak buried deep within. 3. County Sligo - A reference to the wild grasslands of West Ireland and how it inspires Anne Burke to write one of the first Gothic fiction novels. The Duelist’s Daughter - Evokes the historical traditions of dueling and sword fighting in 18th-century Ireland. A Schooling in Scandal - A reference to the playwright Richard B. Sheridan’s hit play at Drury Lane Theatre and his forbidden love affair with Mary Anne. The Abduction of Anne O’Donel by Paul B. McNulty Set in 18th-century Ireland, this historical fiction novel explores similar Gothic themes such as the patriarchal betrayal, manipulation, and abduction of a young woman fighting for independence. Similar to Mary Anne, the protagonist of my novel, From the Wild Country, Anne O’Donel is an heiress pressured by her father to marry for convenience, not love. The Rebels by Matthias McDonnell This historical fiction novel focuses on the events of the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and is interwoven with romantic elements. My novel also includes a narrative heavily interwoven with historical events involving the notorious dualist George ‘Fighting Fitzgerald, along with Thomas Gainsborough, the famous portrait artist, Elizabeth Linley, the soprano from Bath, and the influential playwright and fencing master Richard B. Sheridan. 5. Mary Anne, the teenage daughter of the infamous dualist George ‘Fighting’ Fitzgerald, must fight for independence when she is pressured into a marriage of convenience to a manipulative and conniving lawyer and magistrate. The marriage to Patrick McDonnell will forge an alliance that will save her father's estate from a bloody land dispute and violent faction gangs. Beating against the tides of the patriarchy while risking the ruin of her family estate, Mary Anne has the audacity to forge bold new paths rarely taken by young Irish women in the 18th century. She risks everything as she pursues true love and independence with a string of forbidden romances and a burgeoning career as a landscape artist. Suddenly, her dreams are derailed when her lover becomes engaged to her best friend. Even worse, she discovers that she is pregnant and nearly dies from a miscarriage. 6a. Mary Anne has always felt neglected by her parents who are more interested in socializing with the cream of aristocratic society. Succumbing to jealous and petty impulses, Mary Anne purposely ruins her mother's party by tossing the invitations into the ocean. Shortly thereafter her mother dies unexpectedly from the pestilence. After her mother's tragic death, Mary Anne is overcome with guilt and loss. Reflecting on her mother's regrets and a life cut short, she takes action to seize the day and is determined to break free from her cold and domineering father. 6b. The friendship between Mary Anne and Elizabeth Linley, the soprano from Bath, becomes complicated after the singer marries her lover Richard B. Sheridan, the playwright and owner of the famous Drury Lane Theater in London. When Elizabeth’s brother dies suddenly in a boating accident, Mary Anne visits her in Bath. Not only is she grief-stricken about the death of her brother, but also regarding her husband Mr. Sheridan, who is having an affair with a new theatre patron. Mary Anne nurses a grief-stricken Elizabeth back to health and in a shocking surprise, they fall in love and begin a forbidden love affair. Meanwhile, a vile nouveau riche woman and former brothel owner Mrs. Kilpatrick makes an unannounced visit to declare her patronage to the Linley family theatre in Bath. While she is at the estate, she sees Elizabeth and Mary Anne in an intimate embrace. She leaves immediately, threatening to shout the scandal from the rooftops. Once the scandal gets out, their livelihoods are at a grave risk. Elizabeth is so overcome with anxiety that she retreats to her quarters. Shortly thereafter, she succumbs to the pestilence that ravages her weak body. 7. Dublin in the late 18th century At the start of the novel, Anne Burke, the Gothic author, must leave her home and travel west to Rockledge to work as a governess. Walking on Grafton Street, the main thoroughfare, and then along the River Liffey, Dublin was a chaotic mix of virtue and vice in the 18th century, with lowly brothels and casinos standing in the shadows of cathedrals and regal brownstones. On the steps of such grand places, dirty, barefoot children begged on the street while others worked the crowds and picked pockets. Dublin was a parish that displayed its sins like an open secret, a nasty wound that wouldn’t heal, oozing and festering in misery and squalor but with strong bones and a resilient body. Ben Bul Ben When Anne Burke travels from Dublin to County Sligo to work as a governess for George ‘Fighting’ Fitzgerald’s daughter, she passes through Ben Bul Ben. The crown jewel of West Ireland, the massive rock stands above the entire county, with an expansive view of the grasslands dotted with farmhouses, verdant sloping hills, and the misty ocean. After surviving a terrible hostage situation with cutthroats, Anne Burke’s morale is restored by the sweeping horizon, which reflects her renewed perspective of the endless possibilities in the new chapter of her life. A mighty glorious mountain, Ben Bul Ben is the heart of the Irish countryside, soaked in blood, tears, hope, and enchantment. Mr. Cawthorne, Anne Burke’s publisher, loves this rugged piece of earth, but like love, it is impossible to understand when you are beholding it. The land is the seed and bone and flesh of his soul. The altar of sages and saints, it is the breeding ground of wild notions and impossible dreams. A century later, Y.B. Yeats would rhapsodize about this mountain in his poem “Under Ben Bulben,” declaring that he be buried at the bottom of this jagged piece of rock upon his death. Higgins, their carriage driver, describes it more plainly, like God shat out a shamrock all over a giant rock. The Fitzgerald Estate in Rockledge Most of the action in the book takes place at the estate in County Sligo, which is surrounded by a sprawling 30,000 acres of grasslands, flower fields, and native forests surrounding a large lake. Lord Fitzgerald would often marvel at the land, for its staggering beauty was well worth fighting to the death. The massive, foreboding mansion had countless rooms. An armed militia, about twenty men, are lined up guarding the estate, a foreshadowing of the battles and bloodshed to come. There is magic and abundance everywhere you look - a garden terrace with potted herbs, a vegetable garden, citrus, and pear trees. There are acres and acres of flower fields - rhododendrons and lilies. Walking further is the old-growth native oaks like holly and oak circling an expansive lake. London Mary Anne and Anne Burke flee to the seat of the British Empire and stay with cousins. After learning about her lover’s engagement and her pregnancy, Mary Anne has gone missing. While Anne Burke searches for her, she experiences London for the first time. She references influential writers of the time such as Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe, who called the city a ‘great and monstrous thing.’ She also remarks about the new, polished sheen of London, a result of the widespread rebuilding just a century hence, after the Great Fire of 1666.