by Lora Thomas
“What is going on?” Madelena asked, exiting from the stairs leading to the deck.
Chessi and Charlotte were sitting upon the deck, a cup of tea in their hands. A group of men were gathered around the bow. Some in the back shouted again and triumphantly shook their fists in the air.
“A fight,” Charlotte said. “More tea, Chessi?”
“Yes, please,” Chessi answered.
“Shouldn’t someone stop it?” Madelena asked, looking frantically around the deck for some sort of intervention by the other crew members not enjoying the activities. Her eyes went to the helm. Mr. Jamison had his hand upon the wheel, yet his eyes were upon the fight.
“Why?” Chessi asked. “It was planned.”
Madelena turned to face Chessi. “Please explain.”
Charlotte patted the chair beside her. “Why don’t you sit, dear? It is best to take this type of news sitting down.”
Madelena cautiously sat down, keeping her spine rigid. “Very well.”
Chessi casually sipped her tea. “Oliver challenged Matthew to another bout.”
“Why?”
“I do not know. I assume it had something to do with you, though.”
“Me?” Madelena repeated, looking at the hoard of men observing the fight. She could not see anything but the backs of the spectators. “What did I do?”
“Oh, it is not what you did, my dear. It is what you didn’t do,” Charlotte said, sipping her tea. Placing the cup back upon her saucer, she set the items upon the table.
“You are going to have to be more specific.”
“Lidia found a boarding pass in your dress pocket for a ship destined for France. The date was for the day this ship left Rome. The time, only an hour later.”
Chessi placed her cup of tea to her lips. She had grown quite adept at hiding her secrets. Lidia came to collect the laundry. As she was gathering Chessi’s belongings, Chessi slipped the pass back into Madelena’s dress. The pass fell from the garment before Lidia made it out the door with the clothing. Chessi played off the discovery. Years of living on the street had made her an excellent actress when it came to denying knowledge pertaining to specific events.
Madelena’s jaw worked as she glanced between Chessi and Charlotte.
“I know something occurred between you and my nephew, I just do not know what. But I will find out the truth some way. Now, you can either tell me the truth now or upon our arrival at Governor’s Harbour. But I will tell you, it will be simpler and easier for all if you reveal what happened now. That way I can help you when the need arises with Elizabeth.” Bitterness came to her words as she added, “Your mother-in-law. The shrew.”
“Aunt Charlotte and I only want to help you, Madelena. If you are in trouble, allow us to help you. Charlotte is a Marchioness and has political pull. I may not have a title, but I have other skills that can aid in your plight. You are family now. Family sticks together, no matter what has transpired.”
Madelena returned her focus to the fighting men. The crowd was thinning. The fight was apparently over, but the battle inside Madelena was still waging. Chessi’s words ran through her mind. Family sticks together. Never had Madelena experienced that and she was not certain if she could accept it now.
“Look, Madelena,” Chessi continued. “You might as well confess the truth now. It makes things easier. I should know. It wasn’t long ago I was the same as you. A newcomer to a family that defends their own. A family that will kill to protect each other. And like you, I hid my past. A mistake, for that past nearly destroyed everything that was dear to me. If you tell us, we can make certain that you are safe from whatever you are hiding from. We can make sure Oliver is safe.”
Worry pulled at Madelena’s eyes as she shook her head. “It is more complicated than you know.”
“Complicated?” Charlotte spoke. “My dear, I would be surprised if it weren’t. St. Johns are notorious for scandal and complications. They thrive upon it. There is nothing you can say that will surprise us. Our family is full of gypsies, actresses, pirates, murderers, thieves, Americans, bastards, and abductees. What repertoire do you add to our varied mixture of loved ones?” Charlotte tipped her tea to her lips.
“Slave and quadroon.”
Charlotte’s cup paused. “I beg your pardon?”
“My mother, my real mother, was a quadroon slave my father purchased. He freed her because of his love and kept her on retainer even though he had already married the woman I thought was my mother.”
Charlotte continued sipping her tea. “I must say, that one is a new one for our family. Please go on. I think the confession will be good for your soul.”
Madelena glanced back at the bow. Oliver was leaning against the railing, his shirt missing and holding his left side. His head was bowed. Matthew stood beside Oliver, his arms crossed over his massive chest. Madelena had never witnessed a man without a shirt on until Oliver, but seeing the two brothers together was unsettling. Both were chiseled, but Matthew more so.
“I should go check on Oliver,” Madelena said, standing.
“Fooey,” Charlotte protested.
“But he appears injured.”
“Is he still standing?”
Madelena nodded. “Yes.”
Charlotte flipped her wrist. “Then, he is fine. Now sit.”
The direct way the older lady spoke her last two words made Madelena comply.
“Now, tell.”
Madelena looked towards Oliver again. He was standing, yet still holding onto the railing. His laugh let her know he would be fine. Looking back at Charlotte and Chessi, she went on to tell her tale. Of Sandra’s hatred and her father’s love. Of her sisters' cruelty and Mae’s kindness. She went on to speak of how she met Oliver. She did not feel comfortable speaking so frankly about her personal life, but it was evident that Charlotte was not about to give her a chance not to. However, she kept a few parts of her past a secret—like her nights with Oliver.
After her story, Charlotte shook her head and tsked her tongue. “Such a shame, but you are with a loving family now. Do not fret over charges on this Drakos’s death. I have a few strings in Italy. It will be forgotten.”
“But my father works for Cardinal Vico,” Madelena informed her.
“So? If your father loves you as much as you say he does, he will not allow any harm to befall you.”
“It is not my father that I worry about so much as Sandra. She hates me. She wants to see me punished. There is no end to her means for revenge. She will find me. If she does, then her wrath will follow Oliver.”
“Poppycock,” Charlotte defended. “You will be in the Caribbean, far from Vico’s reach. But if you are worried, then we can arrange for an alter persona.” She looked at Chessi. “We are good at those type of things.”
“You would do that for me?”
“Of course,” Chessi spoke. “The one thing, the first thing, I learned about the St. Johns…after the reputation of their tempers…is that they are loyal to a fault and will defend their own, even if death is the outcome.”
“Who is dying?” Matthew asked.
Madelena pivoted. For a man to be so large, he was quiet as a mouse. Matthew had donned his shirt, yet his hair was still mussed. He stepped to the right, and she spotted Oliver behind him.
“What did you do to him?!” Madelena shouted as she stood.
Oliver’s right eye was turning a shade of purple, and his jaw was slightly swollen.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve,” Matthew replied with his typical droll wit.
“Didn’t deserve?” Madelena repeated. “He is your brother. I thought the two of you liked each other.”
“Imagine what I would look like if he didn’t love me,” Oliver replied, attempting a cheeky smile. At Madelena’s alarmed state, he continued, “Relax, Maddie. He has left me in far worse shape.”
“You deserved it,” Matthew replied. “You have a tendency to work on my last nerve.”
“You are always on y
our last nerve,” Oliver retorted. At Matthew’s dark look, he continued. “But Chessi brings the best out in you, old man.”
“Old man, my ass. I believe you cannot hang with this old man, young’un.”
“I can handle you. What I cannot handle are those sledgehammers you have attached to your arms. They hurt, ya know.”
“Then try dodging them every once in a while.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Oliver replied with sarcasm.
“Boys,” Charlotte intervened. “We have a bit of an issue that needs our attention.”
“What is that, Aunt Char?” Matthew asked, sitting down upon the table.
“Madelena here needs an alter persona. Her father and mother will be searching for her and will force her to return to Rome should she be found.”
“And?” Matthew asked.
“We cannot allow that. She is now a St. John.” Charlotte shot a heated look at Oliver. “Despite the lies we were told upon our first meeting. Eloped, did you? Shame on you, Oliver, for lying to your favorite aunt. I should box your ears for that.”
“We are married now, Aunt Charlotte,” Oliver defended.
“Thanks to my insistence. Imagine the ruination of Madelena’s reputation should she have stayed with you this entire voyage. And do not deny it. I know how St. Johns are. Look at how Matthew behaved before he met Chessi. I am amazed that he didn’t catch some horrid disease that even mercury could not cure.”
Oliver opened his mouth to spout out Michael’s favorite saying, but Charlotte beat him to it.
“Do not quote your brother, ‘a night with Venus and a lifetime with Mercury. What a wonderful way to die?’ Michael was a blasted idiot. He has eaten his words now and knows the dangers. So does Matthew. But you, you took advantage of an innocent girl and took her to your bed.”
“I didn’t say anything of the sort,” Madelena adamantly denied.
Charlotte sipped her tea. “You didn’t have to, my dear. You were alone with a St. John. That is a confession in itself, but your resolute denial is confirmation. Oliver took advantage of an innocent young lady.”
“I didn’t know she was…at the time,” Oliver protested.
“And you,” Charlotte said to Madelena. “Took a stranger to your bed in order to try to stop a marriage—and that didn’t work. But it all ended for the best.”
A perplexed look came to Madelena. She looked at Oliver. “Is she scolding us?”
“I believe she is. You’ll get used to it.”
“That you should. Imagine how your mother-in-law would have behaved. Elizabeth and I do not see eye to eye on most issues, but regarding this matter, we would agree wholeheartedly.”
Matthew laughed. “Egad, Aunt Charlotte! Did you forget that our mother married only hours before Eli and Jacob were born?”
Charlotte waved away the fact. “Water under the bridge now, Matthew. Besides, she and Robert were betrothed.”
“And she went to the Caribbean to break that agreement. We all know how that ended.”
Charlotte tossed her hands in the air. “I do say. You can be just as belaboring as your mother, Matthew. It is a thousand wonders we even get along.”
“But you love me. I am your favorite,” Matthew said, giving an arrogant grin.
“You are. As is Oliver and Jacob. But the lot of you have fallen from my good graces presently.”
“What did we do?” Jacob asked, approaching.
“Your involvement in this mess with Oliver and Madelena. The lot of you knew they were not married and did not tell me differently.”
Jacob looked around the group. “I missed something.”
“Madelena told the truth,” Oliver said. “Our dear Aunt Charlotte knows…everything.”
“Well, at least one of us does,” Matthew replied. “If you would have kept your word, then you would not have been so badly beaten.”
Madelena looked at Oliver and then Matthew. Turning her attention back to Oliver, she spoke, “You took a fierce beating in order to keep my past a secret?”
Oliver shrugged. “You did not want it known yet.”
A tightness settled in the center of Madelena’s chest.
“Now,” Oliver continued. “I need to retire for a moment. Jacob, please have Bob bring me a cup of that concoction he makes for pain. I have a feeling I will need it.”
“If you’d learn to dodge my fists, you would not have that issue,” Matthew jested.
“And allow you to think you can best me? Not a chance,” Oliver said.
“I think we all know he can best you…and me as well,” Jacob added. “I’ll find Bob.” Jacob left.
“Good day, ladies,” Oliver said, bowing his head. He turned and began heading to the steps.
Madelena fell in line behind him.
“Where are you going?” Oliver asked.
“To aid you. Since it is because of me that your brother tried to kill you.”
“He didn’t try to kill me.”
“It looks like he was.”
Oliver shrugged. “It’s all for sport.”
“Sport?! How can having someone strike you repeatedly be for sport?”
Oliver stopped at the bottom of the steps. He opened the door to their chambers before answering, “It is a fantastic way to handle frustrations. I can hit Matt as hard as I want, and he does not complain…or even seem to notice.”
Madelena followed Oliver inside. Before the door closed, there was a knock.
“Enter,” Oliver called.
Madelena watched as the little man brought Oliver a cup. She had seen the man only briefly yesterday afternoon after her wedding. He appeared like a kind man with a pleasing smile.
“I hope you made it strong,” Oliver said, placing the cup to his lips.
“It’ll make you forget all your pains.”
Oliver tipped the cup and downed the entire contents. He closed his eyes and began coughing. “What the hell did you put in that? Pine tar?”
Bob grinned. “You don’t want to know.” He gave a curious glance at Madelena.
Oliver seemed to notice. “Bob, this is my wife, Maddie. This is Bob. If you have any ailments, he is the man to see.” Oliver looked into his cup. “But I would not recommend this.”
Bob took the cup and opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Oliver interrupted him.
“Don’t do that choppy English. She is far too clever for that.”
Bob continued to grin and laughed. “She married you, so I am questioning that. What did you do, Oliver? Drug the poor woman?”
Madelena observed the banter between the two men. Unlike the servants at her home, they appeared to genuinely like each other.
“Go,” Oliver said, pointing at the door. “I get enough ribbing from my brothers without you adding yours to the mix.”
Bob bowed and left.
Oliver sat down in the wooden chair by the table. “You know, if I had known you were going to tell Aunt Charlotte the truth, I could have forgone this beating.”
“You could have entirely by refusing. From the way Chessi speaks, her husband likes fisticuffs and frequently challenges others.”
“It was not that simple. We were arguing. The inevitable happened.”
“What were you arguing about?”
Oliver looked at Madelena. She was wearing one of Chessi’s morning dresses. It was a pale peach with a rounded bodice. The color suited Madelena. As he stared at his now-wife, her beauty struck him. He’d always thought she looked beautiful, but now, at this instant, she was stunning. Her cheeks were flushed from the wind, and the dress hugged her curves perfectly.
“You,” he answered.
“Me?”
“Yes. I promised to tell Matthew more about the events leading up to you being here when I found out. I refused. I could tell you did not want others to know just yet.”
“So, he hit you?”
“He called me a liar,” Oliver defended.
A deep breath left Madelena. “Did you
hit him for calling you a liar, or was it out of frustration over our marriage?”
Oliver shook his head. “The name. I could never be frustrated over marrying you.”
Madelena’s mouth parted.
“Look, Maddie. From the moment I first saw you, you have invaded every thought I had. When I learned of your marriage to Drakos, I thought the world was going to come crumbling down around me. And when I found you in this room yesterday, I was so ecstatic that I could have rowed this ship to the Caribbean myself in order to keep you with me.”
“Why? My family has given you nothing but hardship?”
Oliver stood. She watched him approach, and her heart rate increased in anticipation of what was to come.
Oliver stopped before her. Capturing her chin between his index finger and thumb, he tilted her face towards his. “Because I have fallen in love with you.”
Her mouth parted as she shook her head. “That is impossible.”
“No. I have fallen in love with you, Madelena. From our first meeting, I knew there was something about you that was special.”
“You can’t love me,” she insisted, stepping away and turning her back to him.
“I do.”
“You can’t,” she said, turning to face him, pain etched upon her face.
“Made—”
“I am not worthy of you. Of your family. Of this,” she motioned with her hand around the room.
“You are more than worthy.”
“You don’t understand, Oliver. What we have will never work. My past will not allow it.”
“I am not concerned over your father or Drakos—”
“I am a bastard, Oliver. And not just any. My mother was a quadroon slave that my father had purchased. She died upon my birth, and he forced Sandra to take me as her own.”
Oliver shook his head.
“You see. My heritage makes me unsuitable. Especially from where you come from. Quadroons are considered slaves in the Caribbean. I am the daughter of one. What do you think they will consider me as?”
“My wife,” he said pointedly.
“Your slave.”
“No,” he said forcibly. “You are my wife. Anyone who dares say differently will see a side of me that rarely comes forth. I control my temper well, but I would allow it to come forward to protect you. To protect this marriage.”
