“No,” Aaron said, his voice came out as a growl. “I’m not--.”
Before he could speak more, a feminine voice interrupted. “Winnie? Where did you go?”
The sound of Mrs. Edwards’ voice distracted the boy and Aaron stormed past him, refused to meet his mother’s eyes, then back into the ballroom where he nearly collided with James, who was on his way out the door. The worried and almost guilty look on James’ face was replaced with relief. The expression in Aaron’s eyes, though, sparked his concern.
“Aaron?” James said it as quietly as he could then slid an arm around Aaron to draw him away from the door.
James’ warmth eased Aaron’s shivering after a moment or two. It was at that moment that Charlotte Edwards approached, her face worried. “Is something the matter?”
Aaron met James’ eyes then looked away. He heard James begin to make their excuses, speaking about how Erin’s illness had tired her out and that they would have to be leaving soon. He wanted nothing more, though, than to finish teaching Winston Edwards his manners. Perhaps he could do it, with a little help. He couldn’t let James know anything about his plan, though. In fact, the less involved James was, the better.
)O(
Chapter 42:
The Plan
Aaron woke abruptly, panicked and breathing hard. He grabbed James' pillow and buried his face against it. This was the third time James had gone to sea since he'd been rescued from the Maid. It wasn't any easier this time than it was last time. Truth be told, the first time had been the easiest because he and James hadn't grown so close and he'd had Ike to distract him.
Ah, Ike, what have you done? They're going to hang you and there's nothing I can do about it, His stomach ached already. He still wanted to believe that Ike wasn't capable of some of the things he'd been accused of. It seemed just days ago that he had hoisted Ike up onto a wooden crate and shown him where to place his hands on the Maid's wheel.
"Aaron, how could ye have let this happen? I trusted ye!" Aaron didn't turn toward the voice; he would have recognized the Lash's voice anywhere. "I thought you would take care o' my boy."
"Ye don't exist, Henry," Aaron said aloud, digging his fingers into the pillow. "Ye been dead fer six years. Leave me be, love, please."
Henry's hard hand seized his nightshirt and yanked him around to glare into his eyes. "I trusted you to take care o' my son an' now he's facin' a hangman's noose! How dare ye betray me like that?!"
Aaron closed his eyes against the image of Henry. "You're not real. This is just a bad dream an' I'll wake up in a moment or two."
"Oh, I'm real enough," Aaron's eyes snapped open and Henry had changed into McSwain. "I'm here t' thank ye, whelp. Once yer precious Isaac gets t' hell, the Dark One says he'll let me go. I'll be waitin' fer you then, eh?"
"No!" Aaron struck out then and promptly fell out of the bed. He struggled to catch his breath for a moment then sat up. His tormentor had, of course, disappeared.
Cautiously, feeling far older than he thought possible, he dragged himself up onto the bed. He wasn't sure what he would do if James didn't come back. In some respects, he thought he might just take a dive off the cliff at the back of their home. It was nicely dramatic and quick. But maybe I should go find Ike, try to convince him to change, Aaron mused but an image of himself in Tortuga, let alone on the deck of a pirate ship, caused chills to walk up his spine.
There was a knock at his door and Aaron started. After he managed to get some air, he called out. "Who's there?"
"Me, sir," Beatrice didn't open the door. "I have somethin' to break your fast, if you wish. Are you decent?"
Aaron glanced down at himself then grabbed the burgundy velvet robe that James gave him and put it on. As soon as he tied the sash, he spoke up. "Decent enough, love. Come in."
Beatrice entered with the tray balanced on her arm. She had prepared eggs, ham, fruit and toast for him. It was more than he could possibly eat but she always held out hope, he knew that. "I know you invited Lieutenant Chambers to come see you this mornin'. I'll be out of the house as you asked once I know you're eating."
Aaron smiled at her and took the tray from her to set it on the night-table. He picked up a piece of toast and took a bite. "I'm eatin', savvy?"
Beatrice sighed and shook her head slightly. "I been hearing things, sir, and what I'm hearing ain't good. Why is the Lieutenant coming to see you?"
Aaron seized the fork and took a bite of the eggs. The longer he could delay, the better the story he could come up with. After he managed to swallow what he'd chewed, he briefly met her eyes. Not exactly the truth, he decided, but truth-adjacent.
"The Lieutenant's comin' t' see me t' help me deal with a little problem is all."
Beatrice was glaring at him when he looked up at her again. "If you hurt the Commodore, I'll toss you out of this house by my own hand! He loves you an' he's been very good to you."
For a moment, Aaron just stared at her, shocked. What could she possibly be thinking? He would no more hurt James than he would have hurt Henry. Except I did hurt Henry, Aaron reminded himself. He remembered the expression in Henry's eyes when he discovered, the night before the mutiny, that Aaron and McSwain had been intimate with each other. His knees went weak suddenly and he stumbled back to sit on the bed. He drew a breath and managed to speak.
"Ye have nothin' t' worry about, milady. If it weren't fer Jamie, I wouldn't be here. I have nowhere t' go and no one t' turn to if I don't have him."
He finally looked up at Beatrice to see she had tears in her eyes though her mouth was still set determinedly. He gave her a game smile and continued. "There's a problem with the Governor's son. He-He made an advance t' Erin at the Governor's ball an' insinuated that she was a whore he could come see whene'er he wanted--especially when Jamie's not here. I can't stop him by myself since I can't talk t' him. I need Chambers here t' be m' voice, savvy?"
Several seconds passed while Beatrice considered his words. Finally, she sighed and smiled at him. "I thought it had t' be something like that. Good luck, Captain. I'll be back in plenty of time to fix tea."
"Thanks very much," Aaron folded his hands and bowed to her then watched her go. As soon as she shut the door behind her, he turned away from the tray. He could probably dump the food off the balcony and let the gulls have it. He knew he wouldn't be able to eat.
)O(
When Chambers arrived about an hour later, Aaron was dressed in a lavender cotton dress and sitting in the parlor waiting for him. He came straight in without knocking.
"Mrs. Dunbar?" He asked, always supremely cautious that he knew if anyone else was in the house before he addressed Aaron by his real name. "Are we alone?"
Aaron nodded and rose to approach. "Did ye bring it?"
Sighing, Chambers pulled a flintlock pistol from his pocket. When Aaron tried to take it, he pulled it out of his reach. "No. Not unless I have some assurance from you that we will stick with the plan that we discussed."
Aaron scowled and leaned back slightly to focus on him. "What's the problem, mate? All we have t' do is frighten a bit o' sense into the boy. We jus' make 'im believe that I'm an armed lunatic an' that should do the trick."
"You don't intend to do more than frighten him?" Chambers had to swallow hard before he could articulate his next thought. "You don't intend to cause yourself any harm?"
Aaron shook his head, lowering his gaze to the floor. "Nah, I won't do anythin' of the sort. I- Beatrice made me promise I'd do nothin' t' hurt James an' I mean t' keep that promise. I once loved someone but, well, I made a mistake. I hurt 'im bad an' I regret everything that happened 'cause of it. I won't make the same mistake again."
Chambers stared at him for several long seconds then handed the weapon over. "Are you sure you're steady enough for this?"
Aaron grinned suddenly, his head coming up to reveal the gleam of gold teeth. "Steadier 'n you, I'll wager. I'm passable as a swordsman but I can shoot a scale off a guppy at a hundred feet. Care
fer a demonstration?"
Chambers hesitated then smiled and nodded. "If you please. Not that I doubt your word but it will help me if I must discuss this situation with the Commodore on his return."
"All right, mate. Shot an' powder?" Aaron held his hand out and Chambers brought the ammunition out of his other pocket.
He watched Aaron pour the powder into the barrel followed by the paper-wrapped lead ball. As Aaron finished cocking the weapon, he glanced up to see Chambers staring at him and smiled wickedly as he pulled the rod out and tamped the load down as gracefully as possible. When finished, he waved Chambers out the door to the garden ahead of him. They stepped into the sunlight and Aaron let himself breathe in the salt air.
"Pick yer target, Lieutenant. But we best hurry, savvy?" Aaron realized his hand was getting tired of holding the five pounds of weapon already so he let it rest in the crook of his arm.
Ellis took a moment out to look around and spotted, about seventy feet or so away, a fist-sized rock perched atop a larger boulder. He pointed it out. "See that rock there? The little one atop the larger? If you can hit that, I'll have no objections."
Aaron smiled smugly, raised the gun, took aim and squeezed the trigger. In his peripheral vision, he saw Chambers flinch as the blast rang out. The little rock bounced immediately off the larger stone and tumbled into the sea below. At that, Aaron blew the smoke away from the gun's barrel and turned to Chambers.
"Any objections, mate?"
)O(
Chapter 43:
Execution
There was nothing to do in the end but wait. When Aaron had first approached Chambers with the idea and asked for his help, Chambers had delayed giving a response until he'd done some investigating. Since Winston Edwards had returned from England, he was used to going riding every morning. Most of those riding sojourns ended at the houses of either attractive young women--married or not--or at houses of ill repute. It was apparently the talk of the town in non-military circles. So he had agreed to assist Aaron, knowing that Edwards was more than likely going to end up at Rum Harbor at some point now that James was away on the King's business. It had been Aaron who had decided that Edwards was even more likely to show up if he knew Erin would be alone, which is why he arranged for Beatrice to be away.
He heard Aaron sigh heavily and did his best to ignore the former pirate. While he was able to hide it, he had to admit to having a certain amount of disappointment in his heart. He hadn't lied when he told Aaron that he loved him. But to act on those feelings, and particularly now that Aaron had revealed his intentions to remain faithful to James, was simply inexcusable. So lost in thought, he nearly missed the lone rider coming up the drive because of the profusion of rose bushes lining the lane. Instead, he noticed the neat black tricorn as it bobbed into view from time to time.
"He's here," Chambers said as he turned away from the window. "Are you sure about this?"
Aaron nodded, "Aye, I'm sure. The lad needs t' learn a lesson."
"Very well," Ellis said with a sigh. He turned back and watched while Edwards hitched his bay mare to the post by the trough and started up the stairs. They had deliberately left the door open. He waited until he thought he heard footsteps in the foyer and began to speak. "Erin, you can't do this again! Oh, don't pretend you don't understand me--I know James speaks English with you at times. What you are planning is wrong!"
Aaron lifted the pistol and began to load it, pretending to ignore Chambers. He caught sight of the Edwards boy in his peripheral vision but deliberately turned the other way. He nearly flinched when Chambers strode quickly across the room to his side and grabbed his arm but fought it back. He glared into Chambers' eyes and waved the gun in the air.
"I know you killed that blackguard back in Port Royal who tried to take advantage of you. If you do it again, there's no guarantee I'll be able to keep it quiet this time--particularly if you kill the Governor's son! As much as I love you, Erin, there's only so much that is humanly possible!" Chambers had to fight back the urge to laugh when he caught sight of the Edwards boy in the mirror above the fireplace. The young man was hesitant but there was a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. Abruptly, Aaron grabbed Chambers by the back of the neck and kissed him quite convincingly. He pushed Aaron away slightly. "Don't! You're my commander's wife. It's wrong. Look, there are other ways for you to deal with--."
"What's going on here?" The young man's voice was remarkably steady despite the fact that he had paled considerably.
They both turned as if startled. Aaron's eyes lit up at sight of the boy and he brought the pistol to bear on him. Chambers snatched the weapon and wrested it easily away from Aaron. He turned to Winston and glowered at him, setting the gun down on the table beside him. "I'm trying to save your life, you foolish child. What are you doing here?"
"I was invited to come pay my respects," Edwards managed to lie, his native superior air returning to him after the initial shock. "I heard that the Commodore was away and thought I should check in on Erin for him. What are you doing here, Lieutenant?"
Chambers managed to look guilty briefly then pushed himself in front of Aaron, who took advantage of that moment to pick the gun back up. "The Commodore asked me to check on his wife while he was away, as he does every time he must leave. We have an understanding."
The youth's eyes widened. "Really? By God, that's bold. So how--?"
All of a sudden, Aaron pushed past Ellis and raised the gun in Edwards' direction again. Chambers grabbed Aaron's arm and pulled him back then tried to take the gun away. Instead, they grappled for a moment then Aaron, making sure the pistol was pointed properly, squeezed the trigger. For Chambers, the shot was extremely loud and he cringed when the ball slammed into the door frame just above Winston Edwards' left shoulder. Aboard ship in the heat of battle, none of this would ever affect him. But he'd always thought of Rum Harbor as a refuge, a place of quiet and safety. It was almost sacrilege to see such violence being done here. When he realized how close the ball had come to the youngster, Chambers was grateful he'd let Aaron do the shooting. The former pirate was a genius with firearms.
“Get OUT!” Chambers gave it the same urgency he would use on the deck of a ship in battle.
He let Aaron break free and the former pirate went to the side table where shot and powder were laid out. At that, Chambers turned to Edwards and grabbed the boy to drag him out of the room. “She's mad! I swear to you, she's done this before, God knows how many times. You must go now while there's still time!”
“But I-I'll tell my father!”
“Fool!” Chambers spat, actively pushing the young man toward the door. “Tell your father that you went to visit a married woman whose widely-respected husband is away at sea in order to seduce her? Or take her by force? What do you suppose he'll say?”
"But you're here!" The young man's tone was becoming more petulant though fear still informed all his actions.
"I told you, we have an understanding! Go now, before she gets the damned thing reloaded. For your mother's sake, if not your own!" Chambers had the boy nearly to the still-open front door when Aaron came around the corner, pistol in hand. Ellis gave Winston a hard shove out the door then turned to intercept Erin. "Not this time! I can't let you do this. A vagabond wandering the area is one thing, but the governor's son is something entirely different. Don't!"
He cast a glance back to see Winston Edwards was frantically trying to mount the horse he had ridden out on. He stepped back to let Aaron into the doorway. The boy was finally aboard the horse and trying to gather her together to make his escape. Aaron glanced up at him with an evil gleam in his eye then took careful aim and fired. Winston screamed like a female when the lead pellet knocked the tricorn off his head. He never bothered to look back.
Chambers turned to Aaron. "Are you certain you should have done that?"
Aaron grinned ferally and Chambers had no choice but to respond in kind. "No, mate, but it felt good. Bein' a pirate's all about the opportune mome
nt, ye know."
Chambers retrieved the hat and carefully examined the hole through the crown. "Nice shot."
Aaron took the hat from him and placed it on his head. "Always had a good eye. C'mon, mate, let's have somethin' t' eat. I'm feelin' a mite peckish now."
Chambers laughed and followed Aaron back into the house, closing the door behind them. "Really, Aaron, this is a bad habit of mine, dining with pirates."
)O(
Chapter 44:
Blackmail
Lady Elena Wendover arrived in Nassau during a particularly nasty and uncharacteristic heat wave in the middle of October. Fortunately, she had had the foresight before coming to the Caribbean to have several lovely cotton and linen dresses made for her before she left England. She was wearing her favorite with pink embroidered roses as she stepped off the merchant brig the Bonnie Bess. There to greet her was her friend Reggie Simmons, Viscount. He'd grown, unaccountably, fatter while he was in the Caribbean but no less fair. She wondered if he was powdering his face but by the way he clung to the umbrella his man-servant held for him, she suspected he wasn't.
"Elena!" He announced and extended his arms though he made no move to approach her, probably figuring that the servant wouldn't keep up with him. "How good to see you again. It's been, what? Four years since that winter party in Edinburgh? So positively uncivilized! Though I can't say it's much better here!!"
Elena tipped her own parasol back and leaned in to kiss the air next to Reggie's cheek before offering her own cheek to him. "Well, at least you won't be complaining it's too cold this time. You certainly look like you're enjoying your stay."
"Ah, yes," Reggie held up both hands and turned in a circle so she could see him in all his glory. "Amazing what having a cook that actually knows how to prepare food properly can do for one's figure. And don't you go thinking about stealing her. My little Negress is staying right in my kitchen where she belongs!"
The Sea's Rough Magic Page 28
