1875
Munster, Ireland
My twin brother Cillian and I have been on our own since our parents passed when we were teenagers – our mother from smallpox and father in a mine collapse – so we’ve had to fend for ourselves. Now 23, we’ve grown accustomed to needing no one but each other. We live in our parents’ old small two room house on the hill above a farmer’s fields, where Cillian works as a farmhand to make ends meet. I care for the home and garden and do some domestic crafts to bring in extra income. We don’t have much and every week is a struggle, but we have each other. I know in my bones we can make it through anything together.
Now that we’re both adults, we’ve been told we should try to get me to marry to improve our livelihoods. The farmer’s son has shown interest in me, as well as the brother of a local priest. Both would be able to provide for me and I could make a good home for us and our children, but I’m not attracted to either of them. I don’t want to share a home and bed with them, and change my life to suit theirs. The life I have with Cillian is all I’ve ever known and truth be told, I am happy. Even if I wanted to marry, the idea of leaving Cillian is too much to bear.