Read Online And the Rest Is History by Marlene Wagman-Geller - Free Book Online

marriage of bodies that courted disaster.
    The O’Shea relationship was a tightrope that Parnell walked for a decade. When in England, he lived with Katharine; when in Ireland, he wrote her countless letters that began “My Dearest Wifie.” In one he stated, “For good or ill, I am your husband, your lover, your children, your all. And I will give my life to Ireland, but to you I give my love, whether it be your heaven or your hell.”
    A year later, Parnell was arrested by the order of English prime minister William Gladstone for his continued disruption of Parliament and placed in Kilmainham Jail. However, instead of getting rid of the “Irish problem,” the plan backfired and Parnell was viewed as a martyr, which elevated him to hero status in Ireland.
    On the domestic front, Katharine was devastated by Charles’s absence. She was pregnant with his child and worried that his always-precarious health would suffer. When their daughter was born, Katharine sent him a snippet of the baby’s hair, which he placed in a locket that contained his lover’s portrait.
    Ireland had erupted into violence over Parnell’s arrest, so Gladstone reluctantly released the only man who could quell it. The Emerald Isle considered this a victory, and hopes for recognition as a sovereign nation reached a fever pitch. For his part, Parnell rushed to the side of Katharine, who was inconsolable at the loss of her baby six weeks after birth.
    For the next eight years, Charles and Katharine lived together in perfect propriety (other than their marital status). The three O’Shea children were joined by two more babies, both girls. Initially infuriated, Captain O’Shea challenged his rival to a duel. However, his anger abated when he learned he stood to inherit money from his wife’s aunt and Parnell could advance his political career. In 1886, he was given a position representing Galway City. His appointment caused one member to comment, “The candidate’s wife is Parnell’s mistress and there is nothing more to say.”
    By 1889, Ireland was ecstatic; it seemed that victory was imminent, and Irish home rule would be theirs. However, the house of cards began to collapse; William O’Shea filed for divorce on the grounds of his wife’s adultery, and Charles Parnell was cited as co-respondent. William’s breaking point was the death of Aunt Ben, who had left her inheritance in trust only in her niece’s name. William attempted to blackmail his wife and demanded £20,000. When she refused, he retaliated with divorce. The fallout was steeped in such drama that it could have been lifted from the pages of a Victorian novel. As Parnell was reduced to a running joke, his enemies took out their knives and went for blood. James Joyce wrote of his fall, “In his final desperate appeal to his countrymen, he begged them not to throw him as a sop to the English wolves howling around them. It rebounds to their honor that they did not fail this appeal. They did not throw him to the English wolves; they tore him to pieces themselves.”
    The Irish Roman Catholic Church withdrew its support for Parnell; he also lost the majority of his own party, which felt that a man who could sacrifice his career for a woman was not fit to hold the reins of power. The bitterness of the split would tear Ireland apart. Parnell’s enraged countrymen took to calling his love “Kitty,” slang for a prostitute. Joyce referred to her as “that bitch, that English whore.” She became the most reviled woman in Irish history.
    On June 25, 1891, Katharine and Charles married in the Steyning registry office in Sussex, as the Church would not sanction their union. The bride’s bouquet consisted of white roses chosen by the groom. When they returned home, they were confronted with hordes of reporters. Charles told them to stand back and allow Mrs. Parnell to pass.
    Four months later,