Miss Johnson looked uncomfortable at this world view, but said nothing further about any regrets she may have had over leaving the Deford household. Sophia had seen enough of the cottage to know Annie had saved some money, but not enough to fill another mouth, though she would never say anything. But the cottage was as spotless as Sophia would have expected after years of being shown the proper way to scrub up after oneself and one's space. She resisted the temptation to sit on her hands lest her former teacher find ink stains under her nails.
"Enough about things we cannot go back and change," Annie Johnson said firmly. "What do you intend to do with yourself now that you are here? And how can I assist you?"
"You remember, Annie, how you confided in me you always wanted a shop of your own?"
Annie paused in raising her cup to her lips.
"Do you remember, Sophia, how you once tried to bribe me out of a punishment with my favorite horehound drops? Somehow I suspect you are now about to attempt to bribe me with another treat near to my heart."
"Not a treat or a bribe, Annie, but an investment. An opportunity. We can use these funds to open the bookstore you have always wanted and run it together."
"But, Sophia, you should be married and setting up your own home!"
Sophia looked at her former teacher.
"I am twenty years old, Annie, and have been living under my father's disreputable roof helping him host gambling parties. What man would have me for a wife? Oh, there were those who made me offers over the last few years, but none of those offers were respectable. I have never had a Season, I have no one to sponsor me in society, and my nearest relative is a man so disgusting he inspires Americans to come over and rob him."
"Your highwayman was an American?"
"Did I not mention that? He spoke in those drawled, flat tones Americans use. I met one or two at Mr. Deford's parties."
Annie sipped at her own cup of tea, thinking.
"What about Lord Whitfield? Won't he come looking for you here?"
"That is unlikely. His life is in London, and there is no reason why he would come down here. He does not dirty his hands by dealing directly with merchants or shippers. In fact, as far as he knows, I was either killed or ran off with the highwayman who has his money. There is always the possibility they will catch the highwayman, but who would believe such a wild tale from him? Besides, Father's guests were too foxed most of the time to pay attention to how I looked above the neck, and I always did my best to stay out of their way."
"It might work, but I cannot like using money you stole. It is poisoned fruit—money from ill-gotten gains. Either Lord Whitfield received it through cheating, as you said, or you robbed a highwayman to get it. I cannot feel comfortable taking this money for our own use."
Sophia looked long at the woman who had done her best to instill a strong sense of morality into her charge.
Apparently, it hadn't worked.
Sophia had in her grasp the means to make both their lives vastly better, and she wasn't about to give back bags of gold for some nebulous ethical issue.
"Annie, we do not have a choice in the matter. If I mean to stay out of Lord Whitfield's hands and have any kind of future, we will use this money. What other choices do I have? You cannot support both of us on your meager savings and I have, I hope, a long life ahead of me. I will need some sort of income to survive, and you would likely to be the first to admit I am not suited to be a governess nor a lady's companion, the only two positions open to me as Miss Sophia Deford. Well, the only two respectable positions—and it is unlikely anyone would hire me for either of those jobs, given my past life."
She pursed her lips and stared off toward the front door of the cottage.
"I suppose I could go out onto the streets and try to earn my living there. This is Portsmouth, after all, though I suspect the competition would be fierce for the few shillings the sailors spend."
"Do not be ridiculous," Annie Johnson snapped. "The very idea of you leaving my house to earn a living as a—it does not bear thinking of, Miss Deford!"
Sophia looked back at her mentor and friend, her gaze steady.
"Then resign yourself to a life of profiting from my ill-gotten gains, Annie, for I refuse to starve myself when I have gold in hand—gold I believe is mine by right and by conquest. If it makes you feel any better, I will give some to charity."
"You cannot buy Divine forgiveness, Sophia."
"No, but I can be like Robin Hood." Sophia brightened at the concept. "That is it, Annie, we are like Robin Hood and his band of followers—you can be Friar Tuck—robbing from the nasty Lord Whitfield and stupid highwaymen to give to the poor. Us. And a few others, of course."
Annie Johnson gave her charge a stern gaze, but then couldn't help the smile rising to her lips.
"I do wish I could have seen that highwayman's face when you left him there."
"It was a sight. I like to think I did the poor man a service. He really was not cut out for a criminal life, and I will put this money to much better use," she said piously. "Poor Sir Highwayman. I wonder what will happen to him?"
CHAPTER 3Portsmouth, 1817
It was a rare day of winter sunshine that brought the light streaming through the front window of Johnson's Fine Books and Prints in Portsmouth. Sophia paused and looked up from where she was entering new items into the ledger to admire the sight. Rain washed the streets clean of some of the grime left by the traffic found in a seaport so busy it was said a third rate could be docked, breamed, scraped, and paid in two tides. There were naval ships restocking, sailors out to spend every last shilling as quickly as possible, and the whores and merchants trolling for their business.
Portsmouth didn't offer the elegance of some other seaside venues, like Brighton, but it suited Sophia. With the non-stop activity of a port where ships were serviced day and night, there was always something happening. She remembered well the boisterous celebration in the city's streets when news arrived that the Shannon had defeated the Chesapeake. After a string of Royal Navy defeats at the hands of the Americans—the Americans, of all upstart nations!—Captain Broke's victory put wind back in the sails of the despondent English. She enjoyed this rough and lively town, full of apple cheeked midshipman proud of the their new uniforms and their newgrown whiskers, aging salts who bore colorful tattoos from their voyages around the globe, and a surprising number of readers.
Johnson's Books might not be the first stop a sailor made in Portsmouth—the brothels likely had a better claim to that distinction— but it was popular among the officers and seamen who could read. A good book, like music or games, helped to make the voyages pass more easily. She'd seen men who were seamed and scarred by flying shot and timber caress a book of poetry in anticipation of long nights and little to do. They also enjoyed flirting with the pretty young widow, "Mrs. Deford," under the watchful eye of her stern aunt Annie.
One of those flirts was Captain Erasmus Tanner, the captain and owner of Fortune's Son, and a regular customer at Johnson's since the store's opening. Captain Tanner became more of a friend than a customer over the years, and the ladies enjoyed hosting the old seadog at supper.
His tales of his voyages and the strange lands he'd visited brightened the quiet evenings at the Johnson residence. One night, after drinking more wine than was prudent, Sophia told him the story of how she and Annie had come to open up the bookstore, revealing she was not a widow at all, but earned her stake in the bookstore through less conventional means. Sophia smiled to remember how Captain Tanner had laughed until tears rolled down his face at the tale of the duped highwayman.
"Here now, what is this? Such a beautiful day and you stuck in this shop?"
Sophia looked up and smiled again to see her thoughts take human form. The bell over the door announced Captain Tanner, but not nearly as loudly as his booming voice, more used to the quarterdeck than the confines of a shop.
"Some of us have businesses to run, Captain, and cannot sail away with ev
ery fair wind," Sophia said sternly, but he just beamed at her, the smile creasing his thin face and making the red sidewhiskers jump.
"Why, it is Captain Tanner," Annie said, coming out from the back of the shop, "and you are just in time to join us for tea."
"I was hoping you would say that, Miss Johnson. I have been longing for those currant cakes you get at the bakery down the street" he said, ending on a hopeful note.
"I must be clairvoyant then, Captain, because I do have currant cakes."
Sophia came around from the counter and locked the door, turning the sign over to say "closed" before their guest joined them upstairs in the snug parlor.
While Annie prepared tea, Captain Tanner chatted about how trade was picking up nicely now the war was over. Sophia felt a pang of longing, as she so often did when he told his tales of far off lands and exotic ports of call. The bookshop was pleasant and made a modest profit, but it was a bookshop, not a caravan on the silk road. For the past five years she had been living her adventures vicariously.
After Annie poured the China brew they favored and the ladies helped the captain decimate the plate of cakes, Sophia sat back with a sigh.
"Your travels are so exciting, Captain. Going to exotic ports of call, meeting new people."
"It is that which brings me here today, Mrs. Deford."
Captain Tanner reached into his coat and brought out two sealed documents, one addressed to Sophia, the other addressed to one John Burrell in St. Augustine, East Florida. He also passed her a sizable bank draft.
"I will take these back from you when I next return, Mrs. Deford, but if for some reason I don't come back, would you consider voyaging to America to deliver this letter?"
Annie nearly spilled her tea in her lap, but recovered quickly.
"A young woman voyaging to America to deliver a letter? Why, I never heard of such a thing, Captain Tanner! The very idea!"
But the captain was watching Sophia's face as he said, "I believe a young woman of pluck and backbone such as Sophia might enjoy the adventure." He turned to Annie Johnson. "Now that the war is finally over, it is a better time than ever to travel. And if you have never been to the Caribbean, you should make the journey, Miss Johnson. The water is so pure and blue, the fish are so colorful..." His eyes grew wistful. "The women so friendly..."
He remembered then who his audience was and cleared his throat. He smoothed back his whiskers and said, "I expect I will recover those letters myself and return to Florida, but just in case, well, John Burrell and I have become quite close over the last few years, though we were on opposite sides when America entered the conflict. I think he would enjoy getting my last communication with him from the hands of a pretty lady rather than some starchy solicitor.
"And the bank draft will cover your journey there and back, ladies, so I hope you will consider it."
"We cannot take your money, Captain Tanner," Sophia said.
Tanner shook his head, the lamplight catching the gleam off the shiny pate.
"I will not be swayed on this. If I am gone, this is my bequest to you, and I insist you take it. At least read the letter before you make up your mind. However, I expect to be back in a few months' time and this will all be a conversation that comes to nothing."
He wouldn't say anything more about Mr. Burrell or the letter, but chucked Sophia under the chin, labeled her a "good lass" and said he'd see her and Annie on his next visit.
Sophia spent many a moment after Captain Tanner left wondering about his friend John Burrell. Was he young? Old? A grizzled sailor like Captain Tanner, or a smug and well-fed merchant? She would not wish anything bad to happen to her friend Captain Tanner, but at the same time, the idea of a voyage to the Caribbean and Spanish Florida tugged at her, reminding her that once her life had consisted of more than dusting books and counting coins.
Perhaps when Captain Tanner next visited she would voyage to Florida anyway. If she could pry Annie away from the shop, the trip would do them both good.
But there was no next visit, for news arrived that Fortune's Son had gone down off of Bermuda. There were no survivors.
When the news was brought to Annie and Sophia, the two ladies closed the shop for the afternoon and had themselves a good cry.
Later, after Annie retired for bed, Sophia took out the letters and the bank draft Captain Tanner left her.
She read Captain Tanner's letter to her. She read it again, and stared off into the distance for a long while as the candle burned down.
Then she did something that would have given Annie the vapors.
Finally, she blew out the candle and went to bed. But it was a long time before she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 4Sophia gazed out over the blue waters of the Atlantic and felt the warm breeze ruffling the edges of her hair, and she grinned with pleasure. She had her adventure at last, thanks to her dear friend, Erasmus Tanner.
Annie had done her best to dissuade Sophia from setting off across the Atlantic ocean, but Sophia was adamant.
"You do not need me here at the bookstore, Annie. It is time I made a life for myself. I may never have an opportunity like this again, a chance to travel and see new things."
Annie continued to try to convince Sophia to stay put in the weeks leading up to her sailing on the Primrose. Sophia's mind was set, partly because she hadn't told Annie everything in Captain Tanner's letter. It would just upset her. Annie would never see things the way Sophia did. Annie was the kind of Englishwoman who enjoyed life most when she was next to a cozy fire with a pot of tea and a view outside her window that was unchanging and predictable. Sophia though, even as a child Annie would attest, was the kind of curious chit who ever wanted to know what was over the next hill, or around the corner, or on the other side of the world.
"Look outside your window, Annie," Sophia had said. "It is nearly summer and yet the weather remains rainy and chill. But in Florida the sun is shining and the water is blue and warm. I want to see it, Annie! There is a large world out there full of things to see and do I will never experience if I spend my life here. This was your dream, Annie. I was pleased to share your dream with you, but now it is time to make my own dreams come true. Let us be realistic: I am twenty-five years old, a 'widow,' and not some green girl just out of the schoolroom. And the shop is profitable enough I can take some money for myself for this journey without you suffering the loss."
"It is money earned on your investment, Sophia, of course you will take it with you!"
"I do not need all of it, Annie, because I also have Captain Tanner's draft. After I deliver his letter, I might travel up the coast of the United States to see more of that untamed land and embark from a northern port. Maybe I will even go up to Canada. Think of it! There is an entire world out there to be seen! I would hate to think the most exciting thing that would ever happen to me is robbing that highwayman."
"I still think this the height of foolishness, Sophia. You are a young woman setting out alone for heaven alone knows what kind of mishaps! Nothing good will come of this, mark my words!"
"You were the one who taught me the meaning of carpe diem, and seizing the day is what brought me to your doorstep instead of a life at the mercy of Lord Whitfield. I have to travel to Florida to look for Captain Tanner's associate, Mr. Burrell, Annie. He is not likely to show up in Portsmouth, and if nothing else, he deserves to know what happened to his friend. And it is best I go now, before the hurricane season."
Sophia didn't feel like she was abandoning Annie, any more than she felt Annie had abandoned her to seek a better position when the Deford family could not afford to keep her. Sophia had bowed to Annie's notions of propriety and arranged to share accommodations aboard ship. Her middle-aged companion, Lucille Knott, was below chatting with her brother, the ship's carpenter. Lucille's husband was in Florida homesteading and had sent his brother-in-law to fetch his wife to her new home, a serendipitous turn of events for a young woman needing a female companion to lend her respectabil
ity.
The two women filled their time aboard ship discussing their shared love of gothic novels and making themselves useful doing mending for the sailors and officers. Sophia became less distanced as a paying passenger because of her association with Mrs. Knott, who was considered one of their own by the crew, and the two women regularly dined with the captain and officers. Mrs. Knott's status as the wife of a successful Florida landowner also raised her up a notch on the social ladder.
"That is what decided me to encourage Mr. Knott on this venture, Sophia," Lucille explained as they were filling their hours trying out new hairstyles on each other one dull afternoon. "In England every man has his place and knows it, but in America there are opportunities to move up."
"Your husband did not want to settle in the United States? I would think there would be even more room for advancement there."
"Maybe, but his family sided with the King during the American war, and moved down to Florida to get away from the rebels. He said he has not seen much from the Americans since then to convince him to move north of the border."
America was all the topic at supper, as the officers shared their own thoughts on the Yankees. Most of them were not complimentary, as those same officers had fought against the young nation quite recently, and often to their regret.
"At least that's not a concern on this voyage," Captain Starke said. "Most of those men have gone back to what they were doing before the war."
"Except for those who turned pirate," said Mr. Kelly, the mate.
"Naval officers who became pirates?" said Sophia.
"No, ma'am, but leftover privateers and adventurers who take advantage of the unstable situation south of the United States in Mexico and in South America."
The Bride and the Buccaneer Page 2
