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The Underground Railroad Brides Collection: 9 Couples Navigate the Road to Freedom Before the Civil War

Page 18

by Barbara Tifft Blakey, Ramona K. Cecil, Lynn A. Coleman, Cecelia Dowdy, Patty Smith Hall, Terri J. Haynes, Debby Lee, Darlene Panzera


  She marched up to helm. “Do the men have issues with my presence on board the ship?” She thrust out his coffee.

  “Some.” Zach Browne took a sip and glanced at the compass.

  “Why? That doesn’t make a bit of sense. Don’t women travel by sea all the time? How does one get from Europe to America, or for that matter from America to Europe, without taking a journey on a ship? This is ridiculous. Why?”

  Zach chuckled. “You’re pretty when you’re upset.”

  She plopped down on a stoop of some sort. She imagined it was used for sitting. You couldn’t stand the entire time you were at the helm, could you?

  “Yes, women travel on passenger vessels. But working vessels like the Lady Grace aren’t meant to have the fairer sex on board. And there is a rumor—a tale, if you will—that when a woman is on board, bad things happen. It’s a fantasy, but nonetheless real in some sailors’ minds.”

  “That’s just silly.”

  Zach chuckled. “I agree. But it is the way of the sea.”

  “The ship’s coming closer.” She pointed off their stern. She could make out the men standing on the deck. “Why are they so close?”

  “I suspect we’re in for trouble.”

  “Why?”

  Zach shrugged. “Relax. Trust me to handle it.” He leaned into her. “Marry me?”

  “What?”

  “I can’t lie. Say that you’ll marry me, and I can introduce you as my fiancée.”

  “Of all the silliest…” She glanced back at the ship. The men were carrying weapons. “Sure.”

  Zach smiled and kissed her cheek. “Thank you. We will break our engagement as soon as possible.”

  Charlotte stilled. The crash of the waves on the bow of the other ship danced on the water. “Ahoy!” a few of the sailors called out.

  “Ahoy,” Zach replied and waved. “You’re taking the wind out of my sails.”

  “Captain wanted to say hello,” one of the sailors responded.

  A man walked up to the side of the vessel that had come alongside theirs. “Ahoy, Lady Grace.”

  “Ahoy. What can I do for you, Captain?”

  “Seems there’s a man in Savannah looking for his daughter. Thought I ought to let you know. I presume this is her.”

  Zach smiled. “This is my fiancée, Charlotte Kimbrel. Her father offered me a thousand dollars to marry his daughter. I foolishly didn’t take the money, but I”—he reached out his hand to Charlotte, who grasped it and held on for dear life—“or rather, we decided it was love at first sight, and she’s coming north.”

  The other captain laughed. “I would have taken the money.”

  “I agree. But this way Charlotte knows I’m marrying her for love not money.”

  The captain nodded. “Rumor spread through Savannah she was probably on your ship. Folks saw her board.”

  “Where are you headed?” Zach asked.

  “England. You?”

  “New York City and then on to Boston.”

  The captain scratched the back of his neck. “Aren’t you far east for New York?”

  “I change direction a degree north of here and set a heading for New York.”

  “Odd way to sail. Rough waters for such a small craft.”

  Zach chuckled. “I know it isn’t the normal shipping lane, but it’s what I was taught, and I’m comfortable with it.”

  The captain nodded as his ship began pulling ahead. “Fair wind, my friend.”

  “Fair wind.” Zach waved as the four-masted schooner eclipsed his ship and captured all their wind. Zach fell off and waited for the wind to fill his sails again.

  “Are you in trouble? Have I put you in a position where you could be arrested?”

  “We’ll be fine. You can break our engagement now.”

  “No thanks. I think we should stay engaged until you are safe.”

  Zach laughed. “Honey, I did it for your safety not mine.”

  Charlotte stood. “And I, sir, am choosing to remain engaged for your safety.” She squared her shoulders and walked down to her cabin…his cabin…their cabin. She chuckled. If they continued the engagement to the point of actual marriage…A full belly laugh erupted as she entered the captain’s quarters. She could have fun with this new state of being.

  Chapter 4

  Zach couldn’t wait to be relieved. Why, oh why, did he ask Charlotte to be his fiancée? At the moment it seemed the prudent thing to do. Now? Oh Lord, help me. He had no plans to marry. The single life seemed in order for a sea captain. He loved the sea. He loved working on the sea. A wife? He shook his head, took in a deep breath, and eased it out slowly. He wasn’t really engaged to be married. Technically he was, but…“I’m an idiot.” He laughed and headed down to the galley for his breakfast.

  The cook seemed a bit gruff. “Mornin’, Oscar.”

  “Mornin’, Captain. I’ll fry you up some eggs and bacon. Ain’t got no more biscuits, but I can slice you up some bread.”

  “Bread will be fine, thank you.” Zach sat down at one of the tables and composed himself for a few minutes while he waited on his breakfast.

  Oscar set the plate in front of him. “Word has it you’re marrying our female passenger. She gonna be travelin’ with us all the time?”

  Word certainly flew around a ship. “I honestly don’t know.” He wasn’t going to deny his engagement being what it was, but he wasn’t going to speculate on a future with Charlotte either.

  “Well, I’m givin’ my notice then. I’m old school, and a workin’ vessel ain’t no place for women. It’s bad enough we’re harboring runaway slaves. Now you’re fixin’ to have a woman on board. No, sir. Sorry, sir, but I just can’t have no woman walkin’ around my ship.”

  Zach wanted to laugh. The ship didn’t belong to the cook. It didn’t even belong to Zach. But he was the boss of the vessel. Instead, he nodded. Oscar was fair in the cooking department. Zach had been considering getting another cook anyway. This took that burden off his shoulders. “I accept your resignation.” Zach held out his hand.

  Oscar wiped his hand on his dirty apron and grasped the captain’s hand. “Men are foolish when it comes to women,” he mumbled.

  “Perhaps so.” Zach stared down at the crispy fried eggs—too crispy…nearly charcoaled. His impromptu engagement was serving another purpose. He smiled and ate the less-than-desirable meal in front of him.

  Bradley came running in. “Here ya go, Cook.” Bradley plopped the empty plate on the counter. “She said to say thank you.”

  Oscar grumbled. Bradley shrugged and spotted Zach. Zach finished swallowing and said, “How are you doing, Brad?”

  “Fine, I finished my math last night. And I read a chapter before bed. Nicholas Nickleby’s situation isn’t the same as slavery, but forcing others to work for you and pay and feed them nothing…in a way it kinda is the same.” Bradley sat down.

  “In a way, it is similar. Slave owners tend to keep their slaves in good health because they need them to work the farms and plantations. But they treat them as if they are property. Whereas Squeers in the book is merely scamming money from the parents of the children he’s taken in.”

  “Yeah, that’s kinda why I said it’s similar but not the same.”

  Zach smiled. “You’re a smart boy. Did you do your history assignments?”

  “Some, but I spent time with Miss Charlotte teaching her about the stars and navigation.”

  “I saw that. You’re learning well. However, you did confuse two stars.”

  “Which ones?”

  Zach closed his eyes and tried to remember. “I forget at the moment. But I’ll remember later, and we’ll go over them tonight.”

  “Yes, sir. I promised Mom I’ll keep up with my studies. She said I could stay at sea as long as I continued my education.”

  Zach ruffled Bradley’s red curls, similar to his own. “I made the same agreement with your grandmother. You’re doing great.”

  “Thanks. Well, I better git goin�
��. It’s time for our special cargo to stroll out on the decks.”

  Zach nodded, and Bradley ran off.

  “Can’t believe you’re wasting that boy’s time with book learnin’,” Oscar said as he continued to scrub the morning dishes.

  Zach chose not to engage the man in further conversation. He had picked up Oscar about three months ago, but he wasn’t fitting in with the crew. In four or five days, if the winds held, he’d be saying goodbye to the man.

  The chair scraped across the floor as Zach stood up from the table. “Thank you for breakfast, Oscar.”

  Oscar grunted. “Yes, sir.”

  Back on deck Zach watched as the seven slaves came out of hiding. He wondered if any of them knew how to cook. He approached the man whom Charlotte had brought on board. “Excuse me,” he called over.

  The man stood about five foot seven, had dark brown skin, coiled hair, and a wide gap between his front teeth. “Yes, suh, how can I’s help ya?”

  “What’s your name?”

  “My peoples call me Caleb. My owner called me Nigger Twenty-Three.” He looked to the deck of the boat.

  “Caleb.” Zach spoke just above a whisper. “When asked again, your name is Caleb. Don’t say anything more about your previous owner to strangers. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, suh.” Caleb looked up at him.

  “Look me in the eye, Caleb.” Zach paused and waited for Caleb’s brown eyes to engage with his own. “That’s right, Caleb. Stand proud and confident.”

  “Yes, suh.”

  “I’m wondering if you or your wife know how to cook for a crew?”

  Caleb’s smile blossomed. “My wife’s name is Ruth, and she’s a mighty fine cook, Captain.”

  “Great. May I hire her to cook for the rest of our journey?”

  “Oh no, suh. I’s can’t accept payment, not when you’s bringing us to freedom.”

  Zach reached over and put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “We’ll settle that later on. Come introduce me to Ruth, and I’ll bring you down to the galley. Cook might not like it. Then again, he might be happy not cooking for the rest of the week.”

  An hour later Ruth, Caleb, and their little one were in the galley cleaning and taking inventory. Oscar was just as happy to be paid for doing nothing the rest of the trip. He took a bottle of rum with him as he left the kitchen. Zach had suspected the man was drinking on ship but hadn’t caught him.

  Zach finished working with the navigation, adjusted their heading toward New York City, and settled down for a restful morning.

  Charlotte hated to wake up Zach, but rumors were spreading. She’d received half a dozen congratulations from various members of the crew. Brad, the cabin boy, skipped in and out of her room, or rather, Zach’s room, several times this morning, cheery with the news of the engagement.

  “Captain, may I speak with you?”

  Zach blinked. His thick, wavy red hair spiraled down his forehead. He combed it back in place with his hands. “Miss Kimbrel, how can I help you?” he said as he stood up.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt your sleep.”

  He waved and shook his head. “Nothing is too much for my fiancée.” He chuckled.

  “That’s the problem.”

  “What?” Zach narrowed his eyebrows together. She had to admit he was pleasant on the eyes, with his thick red hair and straight nose. She could get used to looking at his face for years to come. Charlotte shook off the thought.

  “This engagement. It isn’t right. My parents will…Perhaps they wouldn’t object, but getting engaged in the real world of society—one does not do such a thing.” She huffed. “I’m a proper girl and I can’t have—”

  He clasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “If you wish to end our engagement now, I will do so. I merely suggested it as a means to protect you in case we had pirates coming upon us. Not that the worst of the worst pirates would care if you were engaged, married, or single.”

  Charlotte chilled at the thought. “The entire crew is aware and have congratulated me.”

  “I know. News travels fast on a small ship. It does, however, protect you against any of my men who might not have high moral character. Staying in my cabin and being under my care is enough to protect you, and saying we are engaged would give a man additional pause.”

  Charlotte sighed. “It feels wrong. I know and you know it is not real.”

  “Oh, it is real. If you asked me to marry you as soon as we arrived in port, I would honor my word. I would not have offered if I were not serious.”

  “But we don’t know one another.”

  “Agreed, and you and I both know I did it to protect your virtue. I merely am stating that I am a man of my word, and if the situation were to arise, I would honor my word. However, I am well aware of our differences and that we do not know one another, so I would not subject you to such a marriage. If you wish for our engagement to end, it shall end at this very moment. If you wish to continue under my protection as my betrothed, then I shall honor that as well. The matter is for you to decide.”

  Charlotte closed her eyes and looked down at their feet. Zach pulled her into an embrace. She felt his protection and strength. A calm washed over her. What would it be like to be in love with this man? She leaned into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “Come with me to my quarters. I have a matter to discuss with you. We shall leave the door open to ensure a proper respect for your virtue. Or we can invite my nephew in the room as a witness, whichever you prefer.”

  “The door open should suffice.” She stepped back and out of his embrace. “Bradley is quite excited about our engagement.”

  Zach nodded. “I’ll explain to the boy about our arrangement when we go over his studies.”

  Charlotte led the way toward the captain’s quarters. Being engaged did give her further protection, but she still wondered if it was right. What would God say about such a strange arrangement?

  She stepped up on the open two-step stairway to the level above the main deck, though still not as high as the deck where the captain and others steered the ship, which sat above the captain’s quarters.

  He reached for the door and opened it for her. He waited for her to enter, a gentleman for certain. Charlotte was intrigued by him. With each moment they spent together, she grew increasingly desirous of learning more about him.

  “Miss Kimbrel.” He waved his hand for her to enter then latched the door to remain open.

  “What is it you wish to discuss with me, Captain?”

  “Your runaways.”

  Charlotte stiffened. She didn’t know anything about these people, just that they were traveling the Underground Railroad from Augusta. “Yes?”

  “I’ve hired Caleb and Ruth—”

  “Who?”

  “Your runaways, Caleb and Ruth.”

  “Oh, I apologize. I never know any of their names. I simply help them for a night by giving them food and shelter. Generally, I bring them to the First African Baptist Church. From there, I don’t know where they go or how they go. Unfortunately, the Reverend Campbell was away and unable to help with this family, which is why I sought to purchase their passage north.” She sat down on one of the seats under the windows at the stern of the ship. The fresh air was a welcome relief.

  “I see.” Zach sat down in the opposite chair. “Well, I’ve hired them to work the galley until we arrive in New York. I can bring my runaways to Freedom Church on Church Street. However, I bring them in irons so as not to attract the attention of the agents hired by Southern owners. I don’t have two additional sets of irons. The baby doesn’t require them. I recommend that we take them on to Boston, if you think they won’t mind.”

  Charlotte shook her head. “I have no say in the matter. Whatever you think is best. I’m certain they’ll find it to be a wise decision.”

  “Did you help your own slaves escape?”

  “No, I’m sad to admit. Father would h
ave figured it out, or worse, he would have beaten our other slaves in order to gain information as to where they were. Apart from Father’s temper, he does feed and treat his slaves fairly well, at least from what I’ve observed of others. And to the best of my knowledge, he has not impregnated any of our slaves in order to have more. They breed well on their own.”

  “They are not cattle,” Zach defended.

  Charlotte closed her eyes. “I know. I do not wish to sound insensitive. My world is…was…very different from yours.”

  “Forgive me, Charlotte. I believe in hiring a man and paying him fairly for his wages. I don’t believe in ownership of another. I’m not against a bondservant if the owner of the bond keeps the agreement. I have seen abuse in those kinds of arrangements as well. The issue of slavery is heating up in our country, and I foresee life becoming very difficult for the Northern and Southern man.

  “I’m hopeful that the next president will help end the divide that is growing in our country. But I fear if Lincoln wins, the South will revolt. And if Breckinridge wins, the North will revolt. I am concerned.”

  “I have read some about Mr. Lincoln. Obviously, my father and brothers are for Breckinridge. There was not so much as a positive note spoken on behalf of the other party.”

  “I understand. Now with regard to your slaves—”

  “They are not my slaves.”

  “Forgive me, your runaways. Would you be so kind as to speak with them and mention the option of staying with the Lady Grace until we reach port in Boston?”

  “I’d be happy to.”

  “Thank you.” Zach stood and took a step toward the doorway, then turned back to her. “With regard to our engagement…”

  Charlotte chuckled. “I will acquiesce to your wisdom.”

  Zach chuckled. She enjoyed the lilt of his laughter. “Good day, Miss Kimbrel.”

  “Good day, Captain Browne.”

 

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