“There are some clean clothes in that wardrobe in the corner, and I will have some water and soap brought to you as well. Hmph, my eyes tell me by the condition of this room you may both need three baths to wash clean your actions in the night. What is that? What is that on the bed?” she screeched, running towards us and rousing Rasmus at last.
“What?” I asked, scrambling back against the headboard in fear some vermin had somehow managed to find its way in through an open window as we slept. She reached out and snatched my old cavalier from beside me on the bed and tossed it across the room, and then she blessed herself in the sign of the cross three times. I’d forgotten I covered my face with it to block the sun so I could sleep.
“Valentina, no, please,” Rasmus groaned, rolling onto his left side and pulling a pillow over his head.
“I don’t understand,” I said. My now wide-awake eyes dashed over at Rasmus and then back at her.
“Never, ever put your hat on the bed! This is bad luck.” She dropped her hands on her hips and stormed towards the door and turned to us. “The evil spirits live here, aye?” she said, grabbing a handful of her hair and shaking it at me as she pointed to it. “They hide in your hat, and you put it on your bed where you will sleep and love your husband. Do you want them to crawl all over you as you sleep?”
I was a bit frightened by her fiery tone and the wild impassioned way she spoke with her hands flinging through the air this way and that way, but I didn’t dare scoff at her claims, for it was obvious she was sure of her beliefs. I waited for her to finish her rant while Rasmus pulled the pillow tighter and tighter over his head. When her arms fell limp at her sides, and she stopped going on about my damn hat, I said, “Thank you, Valentina. I had no idea of any of this. Being an orphan, and English as well, I’d never been warned of such things.”
“Ignorance is not an excuse to the evil spirits, but I blessed your bed, and I’ll pray for you this afternoon. Do not ever let it happen again. May God protect you.” The door slammed, and I slid back down onto the bed and pulled hard on the pillow over Rasmus’s head.
“I take it you’ve heard that before?” I asked. He turned back towards me, and his sleepy blue eyes blinked open.
He nodded up at me and smiled, pushing every evil spirit or worry from my weary mind. “She has a few superstitions, but…” he said over a deep breath and stopped, pulling me on top of him and ripping the sheet away from my body. “The only evil spirits in this bed are the ones swilling through my filthy mind right now.”
His hands were pressed flat against my arched back as a sudden gust of wind blew through the curtains and traveled the full length of my bare skin, causing me to shiver. However, once his rough palms slid down and rested on my exposed bottom, the shivers that followed made that gust feel no more than a cool breath.
“Rasmus, our food will be here in a minute. We really should stop this and cover ourselves,” I said as I sat upon him and swiped my palms over the mounds of his solid chest and then ran my fingers beneath his strawberry fur.
“And yet ye touch me like this as ye still hold me inside of you? That’s no sign to stop loving ye, lass.” He smiled with a raised brow, holding me firm by the hips.
The knock came the second he did, and I hurried to the nearly empty wash basin and used what little was left to clean myself before snagging a robe from the wardrobe and opening the door. Our lunch was enormous. So much so that LeAnna struggled with the tray, and I lifted it from her arms and set it on the round breakfast table beneath the window at the foot of the bed. The poor thing lowered her eyes down and away from us and said nothing. Even when I thanked her again and again, she merely curtseyed and scooted out of the room, returning a few moments later with fresh water, soap, and dry bathing cloths.
“My goodness, it appears we’ve turned the house on its head,” I said with a giggle, snapping a piece of bacon off in my mouth and groaning. The salted and perfectly cooked piece of brittle pig meat broke apart and exploded its rich flavor in my mouth.
“These girls will all be gone soon enough, and there won’t be anyone left to whisper a word of us,” Rasmus remarked, taking a moment to clean himself up and pull on his breeches, before joining me beneath the window at the table.
“Does it bother you that everyone knows now?” I glanced up to gauge his expression.
“I don’t care if the bloody King of England knows you’re mine. As a matter of fact, he may have heard us, for all I know.” He winked and reached across the table, taking my hand. “You worry too much, little Razor. You’re my wife. You’re the thump in my big chest and the rocks in my damn skull, and if a man can’t make love to his woman the way he wants and raise a bit of the devil in the process, then he ought to trade in his sword and pistol for a rosary and take himself to the monastery.”
I was laughing with him again, and it was good. The coffee was hot and strong, and our plentiful platter was nearly empty by the time he had me doubled over from laughing so hard. I agreed with every word he said, and in the brief pauses while we chewed or sipped our coffee, our eyes never parted. Birds sang beneath the window, voices chattered, and even barking dogs did not distract us from each other’s wanting glances of understanding, until at last he told me what I didn’t want to hear.
Rasmus stood and leaned over the table to kiss me and then lay back down on the bed and folded his hands behind his head on the pillow. “I’ll be riding off soon to meet Green and secure the girls’ safe travels back to Virginia.”
“Would it be wrong of me in this moment, when I’m still glowing with the scent of you on every inch of my aching body, to beg you to stay?” I turned in my chair to face him, fiddling with my fingers and the layers of white Spanish lace that covered me.
“My God, ye look like an angel sitting there with the sunlight shining on that blond head a’ yours. You’re keeping that robe, and when this is all over, I want to sit across from ye every morning for the rest of my life and look at ye just like this.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” My shoulders fell forward, and my head dipped to the side.
“I’ve waited to hear those words for so long, that if ye did beg me to stay, ye know I could never leave ye; so please, for the sake of why we’re here, don’t do it.” He stretched and at last looked away from me and stared up at the ceiling.
“There’s something amiss with Francis. She’s gone mad. That’s why I slapped her yesterday.” I walked to the bed and crawled in next to him, wrapping my arm over his waist.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to say to ye, lass—about the girls. I’ve been afraid to tell ye since we first agreed to do this, but…” He paused and looked down at me, pulling me gently by the chin to meet his gaze. “We can’t save them all. As much as I wish we could, I’ve had more than a few who either ran off with some scum-sucking low-life bastard, or worse, for whatever reason, refused to go home.”
“Oh, Razz, the horrible things she said. I think she really may be mad.”
“Mad, indeed. Not all the girls are done like these were. Some are worse, and some, like you and your cousins, aren’t touched at all. The problem is, girls like the ones from the Belle may go home to find their fears that no decent man will have them are true.”
“Decent man, my sore ass,” I pouted.
“I agree, lass, but nonetheless, I don’t need to tell you how the fine, upstanding folks of Virginia will treat those girls if they get even a whiff of pirate on them. Valentina will work that out with them and teach them how to lie, how to forget, and most of all, how to absolve themselves of any guilt they have through prayer.”
“And the rest?” My face flew up at his again.
“The rest will fade into the world like living ghosts to those they left behind.” He stroked my cheek and pulled me tightly against him. “If what ye say is true of Francis, give Valentina a little time. If she can’t straighten out the lass, then the wrinkles she bears were there long before that lot of filthy dogs
got ahold of her.”
As difficult as it was for me to accept, Rasmus was right. I was always amazed at how every word that came out of his mouth meant something, and he never wasted a breath on nonsense. Even his humor was honest and true. As I lay there, drifting off with my full belly and my bursting heart, every word he’d ever said to me passed through my drowsy mind again, embedding themselves like seeds in a freshly plowed field. My duty was to water them with my loyalty and give them plenty of sun through my love. Only by allowing his reach beyond the barriers of my barren soil, could all those at last opened doors and windows remain so forever.
TWENTY
AND THE DEVIL SMILED
At three o’clock, he was gone. LeAnna had come in just after two o’clock and cleaned the room as I sat quietly on the small balcony overlooking the orange groves. She collected our filthy clothes and placed sorely needed fresh linens on the bed. I was starving, and my raging appetite caused my stomach to roll and roar, forcing me from my hiding place.
I stood in the upstairs hallway, wearing a plain brown skirt, a thick black belt, my hat, and a white blouse I’d found in the back of the wardrobe. My clothes had been taken to be laundered and since my mates were gone and I’d no intention of seeing the girls, I planned to stay hidden from view dressed this way, until my own clothes were back in my room. I found these items tucked behind the rows of colorful gowns and flouncy garments Valentina kept on hand. I’d also come across several pairs of breeches and shirts that were clearly placed there for Rasmus. Although he used this room when he was in Nassau, it was obvious it was used for the young women as well. Knowing full well nothing that fit my brawny husband would ever fit me, I chose the most plain and simple ladies’ garments of the lot.
From where I lingered, nipping at my fingernails and trying to keep my blouse upon my shoulders, I heard the girls downstairs chatting and giggling as an unfamiliar voice with a thick Spanish accent, whom I assumed to be Marina, toyed with them. Apparently, she’d come, as Valentina said, to do their hair. I reached up and ran the fingers of my right hand beneath my shaggy locks and shook them, feeling, once again, at a loss for where I’d fit in with any feminine tradition. After a few minutes I said aloud, “To hell with it all,” and ambled down the stairs and straight out the front door and onto the porch. My angst over having to confront their silliness stole the hunger from my belly.
The late afternoon heat hit me like a wall of fire, but it wasn’t nearly as hot as being inside and having to listen to all of that girly nonsense. My hair didn’t need fixing, and neither did I. I leaned on the railing and looked across the thick groves of citrus fruits. There were trees filled with fruit, as the fall harvest season was approaching. I had no idea if all of this land belonged to Valentina and Phillippe, or if another plantation bordered her land. I knew I wanted a fresh orange, but most of them were still green.
My observations pulled me from my perch and down the wide steps, until I found myself strolling through the fruit trees and enjoying the shade, in search of anything ripe. I had no idea how long Rasmus would be gone, and a nice, long walk was a joy I hadn’t indulged myself in since we lived in Charles Towne. Taking walks late at night wasn’t always the most sensible thing to do, but it did afford me plenty of opportunities to take advantage of drunken gentlemen needing a hand from some young fellow—or so they thought—until they awoke the next morning with an empty purse. Someday I’ll pay for all of my misdeeds, I thought to myself. For now, though, I would just have a laugh and try my best not to think about those walks that had gone terribly wrong, and those who liked young boys, only to discover a razor-wielding sixteen-year-old girl.
That was all behind me now. Apparently, I realized by the sound of soft footsteps, that wasn’t the only thing behind me, either. I stopped, and the footsteps stopped. I pulled my razor from my belt, whipped my body around in a tight circle, and called out, “Whoever you are, you had better step forward and show yourself.”
“What are you doing out here, Missus Bergman?” It was Valentina.
“Why are you following me?” I asked, walking towards her.
“It was requested of me to keep an eye on you. Since I do not request the services of anyone else to do what has been asked of me, I followed you. However, it appears you are simply amusing yourself,” she said, backing against an orange tree.
“You aren’t a very stealthy follower,” I remarked and stowed my razor back in my belt.
“I wanted to have a few words with you about the dark-eyed girl. Why did you strike her?”
“Because I think she’s gone mad. She was feverish and saying horrible things.” I stepped towards her.
“Such as?” She folded her arms and leaned up and away from the tree.
“Such as, she’s a child and doesn’t understand the things men do—bad men do.”
“You seem to be a strong and smart woman. Can you not see the girl for what she is?”
“A whore, you mean?” I didn’t know where she was taking me in this conversation, but I wasn’t about to give up on Francis so easily.
“How many whores have you known, Ivory?”
I couldn’t answer her. I knew none. I’d had a run-in with one, but I had no experience with actually knowing any, as far as I knew anyway. “What difference does it make? Francis simply needs guidance and to understand what happened to her was rape, not sex.”
“Sex, rape…but to her, what she believes is all that matters. Not to you, or to me, or to anyone else.”
“Are you telling me you’ll not dissuade her from that life? Because if that’s true, I’ll speak with her again myself and…”
“And what, beat the slut out of her?” she snapped at me.
“You don’t know me, and you have no right to speak to me this way. Do what Rasmus pays you to do, and put those girls back together, and ready them for their lives back home in Virginia.” I wanted to slap her. I wanted to wipe the ground with her smug face and stuff a gag in her mouth, but for once, I didn’t act on my urges. I decided the better thing to do was just go back to the house and check on the girls, as well as Fin.
“Where are you going?” she asked, chasing after me.
“To check on the girls.”
She ran behind me all the way to the front porch and then stopped, holding her side and leaning on the railing at the bottom of the steps. “Ivory…wait…please.” She panted, looking up at me. “I did not say I wouldn’t try. I only want you to understand that some of these girls were whores long before they were kidnapped. You cannot save a person from themselves.”
I took off my hat and shook it at her. “I checked my hat for evil spirits, and the only one I could find was wearing it. Now you can take that any way you like, Valentina, but if you don’t at least try to save that girl, I guarantee you something far worse than evil spirits will see to you.”
“You cannot threaten me. Rasmus will…” she started up the steps towards me.
“Rasmus will what? Rasmus is my husband—my man. I don’t care what you and he had before. I believe we both know who he loves and who can turn his head any way she wants. He has faith in you that you’re some kind of miracle worker with these girls. I trust him, regardless of whether or not I trust you. If you can fix her, do it. If you can’t, and she is, in fact, a slut as you believe, then so be it. But I’ll be damned if I’ll just write her off as some lost cause.”
“Have you seen her today, then?” she asked, cocking her hip and planting her hand firmly on it.
“Francis?” I asked, and she nodded. “No, of course not, but I wasn’t looking for her. I just assumed she was with you and the other girls. Why?”
Valentina stomped up the last few steps, and as she approached me, she leaned close to my face and hissed, “Neither have I.”
I turned and ran into the house. I searched every room. I was knocking on doors and then throwing them open with loud bangs as I went, with Valentina close behind me. “Do you not think I have already done this
?” she shouted at me.
“No one saw her leave? Why didn’t you wake us?” I shouted, spinning back at her.
“She must have gone while some of us slept. I did not discover her missing until the sick one, Edwina, came to breakfast asking where she was.”
“Ridiculous! And you didn’t have the decency to tell Rasmus and me?” I mumbled, rubbing my brow. “Did you check the barn?” I asked and then bolted down the stairs.
“Mick!” I shouted as I ran, nearly tripping over my stupid skirt. I raced up to him so fast my boots slid in the dirt when I stopped. His face was troubled, and I believed he was hiding something.
“Oh mi dios que la mujer obstinada!” she shouted after me.
“Fin. Where is he?” I asked. Mick lowered his head and pointed towards the road leading from Valentina’s. “He chase the dark-haired girl early this morning.”
“What? You must be joking,” I snarled at him. “Are you addled? How did he manage to get away? You were supposed to be watching him, you insolent fool! Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“Ivan, why? Why do you wear this clothes?” he asked, furrowing his brow and backing away.
“It doesn’t matter right now! Give me a horse, immediately. I’ll let the Captain deal with you, because I don’t have time now to do it myself!”
“Ivory, wait!” Valentina shouted, finally catching up to me. “You cannot do this. You simply cannot ride into town dressed this way. You could find yourself in a great deal of trouble. Please, wait. Rasmus will take care of this!”
“You’re right,” I said, turning back towards the house. “Mick, ready that horse for me and bring it to the front of the house, along with one for yourself. I’ll meet you there. You’re coming with me.”
Valentina continued after me. “Ivory, please, please stop. What are you doing? Rasmus va a ser muy enojado contigo.”
“I don’t speak Spanish, and I can’t very well go to town unarmed, now can I?” I shouted back at her. The dust kicked up all around my skirt like a cloud of angry smoke. Gathering it in my hands, I bolted up the stairs to our room to collect my weapons. I was overjoyed that I could change back into my clothes, which LeAnna had laundered and placed neatly back on the bed. However, my binding was not among my garments. Buttoning my vest up tight, I didn’t care, and in that moment, I also didn’t care who knew I was a woman.
Jaded Tides (The Razor's Adventures Pirate Tales) Page 16
