“Sir, we are looking for a family that may have been brought here about three weeks ago. It is the Clarey family. They arrived, rather abruptly, from Sligo, Ireland, and crashed upon the shore at Gaspé. They would be a family of five, a father, mother, and three daughters.”
The doctor rubbed his chin in thought. “I do recall an unfortunate shipwreck, but from what I’ve heard, there were very few survivors. A small group of Irish was brought in the most unconventional way a few weeks ago. They arrived with no luggage and barely a stitch of clothing about them. The passengers were utterly destitute and came with not a single personal item to their name. Seemed all possessions had been lost at sea. But I’m not sure if that is the same group or if they came from another ship.”
“It has to be them.” Breanna couldn’t contain the raw emotion that made her voice tremble. She turned to Dawson, pleading. “It has to be them,” she said again. She clung desperately to Dawson’s sleeve, feeling as if her legs would no longer hold her. The doctor looked at her curiously.
“Doc, what of the Clarey family? Does the name ring a bell?”
“Sir, forgive me, but we have many, many immigrants coming to the island every week. I do not know all their names. I know, it is not good bedside manner, but unfortunately, there are just too many to give them all the attention that they deserve.”
Breanna watched as the doctor shifted to another foot, and then back again. He looked tired, and she felt sorry for the little man and the burden that was his to bear.
“Do you have a record keeper here? One that takes the names of every immigrant that comes through the island?”
“Yes…” the doctor said hesitantly. “But unfortunately, he too has fallen ill with a fever. We are doing the best we can, but with dozens of deaths a day, and even more immigrants coming every week, we are slow at keeping records of those coming and going.”
“Dozens of deaths daily?” Breanna gasped. “Sir, is it truly that devastating?”
“I’m afraid so, miss. We’ve buried five already this morning.” He looked to Dawson for sympathy, then back to Breanna.
“We have a list of names. Can we leave this list with you to have someone contact us as soon as you find out any information about them?” He handed the doctor the slip of paper that Breanna had given to him.
“I would be more than happy to help you out, sir—miss.” He nodded at Breanna to include her. “It may be a few days before I can track down the information that you wish to find. Will you be staying in Montmagny while you wait?”
Dawson looked at Breanna. She knew he could not afford to miss any more days of fishing than what he had already planned for. She stared back at him, unable to reassure him that she understood.
“I’m afraid we will have to return to Gaspé. But if you could write to us as soon as you find them, we would greatly appreciate it.”
“Ahh, you assume I will find them,” the doctor said, pulling a small pencil out of his pocket. But when he saw the hurt expression on Breanna’s face, he softened his tone. “My apologies, but you must keep in mind that if this family that you seek was here and has been released, we have no way of knowing where they may have chosen to settle down. Many families go on to Quebec City, but I can make no guarantees.”
“We understand,” Dawson assured him, taking the paper and the pencil the doctor handed him. He quickly wrote his name and address on the paper, then gave it back to the doctor.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” the doctor said as he tucked the folded paper into his coat pocket. “As you can imagine, we have a very busy day ahead of us.” He nodded to the boats docked behind them. “Remember us on Grosse Île, when you say your prayers tonight, miss,” he requested.
Breanna watched as the doctor turned and walked away. All hope slipped from her as each step he took carved a hollow place in her chest. Was that it? Was he going to walk away from them and leave her standing there in a world he had just turned upside down? A gust of cold wind swept over her, but it wasn’t the breeze of a Canadian spring. She shivered as the realization dawned on her that if they left now, her family might be lost to her forever. “Dawson, that has to be them.” She hiccupped as a painful sob escaped her lips. “They have to be here. We mustn’t leave.” Alarm clawed at her throat, making it hard to breathe. She took three steps forward before Dawson could catch her. He grabbed her around the waist to stop her. “Dawson, please,” she cried, panic seizing her. She kicked her legs, her body stiff in his strong arms. Her eyes burned with hot, salty tears, and she gasped, dragging ragged breaths into her clenching lungs.
“Hush now, it’s all right,” Dawson said softly into her ear, but she would not be appeased. She cried out once more with an unintelligible sound, and her mouth gaped open with more silent cries. Her body shook with the anguish she could not put into words. When she finally stopped thrashing, he lowered her slowly to her feet.
“Dawson,” she gasped. Dawson turned Breanna toward him, and she pressed her face against his chest. He stroked her hair with one hand as he wrapped his other arm around her waist once more. “It has to be them,” she whispered as fresh tears slid down her cheeks. When her breathing calmed and her panic subsided, she pulled away from him and looked up into his face.
Dawson cupped her cheeks in his hands and swiped a tear away with his thumb. With a calm, soothing voice, he said, “Breanna, they might be passengers from the Carricks, but that doesn’t mean they’re your family.”
His words hit her as if he had slapped her. The disappointment from the doctor’s news, coupled with the nervous anticipation she had carried with her for weeks now, came crashing down on her. Breanna sank to the ground, the tears starting all over again. She didn’t know where to go from here.
Dawson knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her. Pulling Breanna into him, he ran a hand over her head and smoothed her hair. He let her cry for several more minutes until a sailor’s call told them the ferry would be leaving soon.
“Come. We have done all we could do here. We will go home and wait for news from Doctor Douglas and figure out what our next step will be.”
Dawson lifted Breanna to her feet. She clung to him, feeling as though her legs were incapable of carrying her. She was thankful he was there, that Dawson hadn’t allowed her to make the journey alone.
