James Kelly "Jimmy" and Maureen Donnelly

James Kelly "Jimmy" and Maureen Donnelly
Appear in The Inheritor.

Named for Grandad Aiden's business partner, "Jimmy" is the first Donnelly to go to college. Before doing so, he follows his older brother William into WWII. His brother does not survive, and his mother dies before he returns home.

Jimmy graduates from Notre Dame, marries Maureen, who is attending nearby St. Mary's, and establishes The Donnelly Group, a publicly traded company engaged in publishing and media. Jimmy and Maureen have a very happy marriage, and an outwardly successful life.

Affluence came with its own lessons to be learned. Overburdened by work, Jimmy diversified even more, hiring personal secretaries and assistants. At home, one maid became two and then came a nanny, a cook/butler, a groundskeeper, and a chauffeur. Maureen joined charities and welfare groups and began to have a schedule more demanding than a full time job. Learning the trade of being rich was a task itself. The couple did well, neither pushing too fast nor hanging too far back, but the work took a toll on private, quality time together. There never seemed to be time or energy for the romantic, even the sexual side of married life.

The couple begin to consciously seek out time to enjoy each other, and experimenting sexually. They become engaged in The Marketplace, and begin owning slaves. They have two children, Aiden Donnelly and Susan. One of their slaves, Theresa, is ordered to be their son's first lover. After talking with other Marketplace families, they determine an appropriate time to inform their children about owning Marketplace slaves.