“I believe you may wish for a name with less disaster attached to it.” We all laughed.
“I rather like the Water Wench. She’s what every man could possibly desire on the water, is she not?” Carbonale asked, washing down his meal with a sip of tea.
“Hmm, easy ta handle, fast and she’s got big guns,” Gimby said as he entered the cabin. “I think he may have somethin’ there.”
“Mister Gimby, you do realize we’re naming a ship and not discussing your portside playmates?” Miles led another round of laughs as Gimby handed me the manifest from the newly named Water Wench and said, “Now ye gone and done it. How soon ‘till we make land?”
“Soon, Mister Gimby. We need to rid ourselves of the prisoners and I agree wholeheartedly that we could all use a decent meal…among other things.”
“It’s settled then. The Water Wench it is,” Carbonale said, raising his tea cup for a toast.
“I think you’ve chosen a good name for your ship, Captain Carbonale,” I said.
Carbonale’s green eyes shot up at me over his tea cup. “My ship? Captain?”
“You’re ready and by God, I’ll be happy to be rid of ye and your bottled scent. The Norfolk supply run was a test; one you not only passed but ye got every answer right. It proved who ye are and what you’re made of. You’re a leader, Maddox and a fine one at that. She is yours, if you’ll have her and the vote goes your way…but I suspect it will.”
I looked over at Miles for affirmation of my decision. “Oh, I agree.” Miles laughed. “And as a new captain, a fast ship is something that will come in handy until you break in your new crew.”
After our meal, the three of us stepped onto the deck. Carbonale remained silent as he stared at the ship that was now his. I rested my hand upon the transfixed man’s shoulder to gain his attention and said, “You may sail as my consort for a time or you may venture out on your own once your crew has been established. The choice is yours. I’m barely a few years your senior, so I’ll not play some false father to any man and his decisions. Gather the men from both vessels, Mister Jacobs.”
As every man encircled me on the main deck, I stood before them in the now pouring rain with the cold realization that I’d be losing twelve of my crewmen—some of whom I’d sailed with since I’d received my commission. However, the sea was always as uncertain as the weather and as such, I had to change with her.
“Gentlemen, the ship formerly known as the Waiting Lady has been renamed the Water Wench. She now belongs to us. She needs a crew and a captain. Some twenty or so of her original crew have agreed to continue in her service, while the few who chose not to stay were set to sea in a longboat with her former captain and first mate this morning. I am nominating mister Maddox Carbonale, former Navy lieutenant, as the new captain. As you all have seen, Mister Carbonale is a fine seaman, an exceptional leader and he’s as smart as a whip. The decision to stay or go is yours, as well as your vote for your new captain. Is there any man aboard who feels he is fit to captain a ship? If so, step forward now so you can vote.” I gave them several moments but not a single man stepped up to challenge Maddox.
“It’s settled then. Now, I’ll leave you to your decision so we may all get out of this blasted downpour. You all have until sundown to report to me with your choice. We can’t stay lashed together like this forever. Mister Gimby, see to the equal distribution of supplies. I’ll be in my cabin if you need me.”
“Should they not report to me?” Miles asked, appearing genuinely concerned. “I’m your first mate. I’m more than capable of making log entries and paying the men. You still need your rest.”
“Mister Jacobs, you also have an hour to decide. I am not assuming anyone on this ship will choose the Assurance and that includes everyone from you down to Boots.”
“I made my decision years ago, you fat-headed toad,” he whispered through his teeth. “Men! You will report to me when your decision is made and leave the Captain in peace!” His voice carried over the ship.
The rain continued throughout the day, filling our stores and chilling us through to our bones. Regardless, the Water Wench had to be unloaded, and the more hands we used to get it done the better; including my own.
Adam was waiting at the door to my cabin with a pitcher of water when, at last, the job was done. “I brought some water so you could maybe cool your head, sir and I’ve laid out your dry clothes. We heard all about that brawl from the lady. She said the man you beat was the size of a bear. I peeked at him this morning when they were loading those men into the longboat—not that I didn’t believe the lady but she was right.”
“Thank you, lad, but the rain has cooled my head all afternoon. How is the young woman? You’ve attended to her needs?”
“Aye, sir. We don’t have any lady’s clothes but she’s not much bigger than me, so I gave her some of mine—clean, of course.”
“Adam, a bit of advice about this fight.” I sat down at my desk and took the damp cloth from his hand and pressed it to my head. “Even bears have balls and they can be crushed.”
“Aye, sir,” Adam chuckled.
“That advice is good for a man or a woman. Some women have bigger balls than men I’ve known.”
“Aye, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Run along. I’m wet and tired and turning in now,” I said, pulling my soaked shirt over my head and laying it over the back of a chair.
“Captain,” I heard a woman’s voice in my cabin doorway.
“I’ll see to her, sir. I told her to wait but…”
“That will be all, Adam. I’ll speak with the lass now and see her safely back when we’re through.”
Upon my word, Adam exited my cabin, leaving me alone with the now clean and groomed young woman. Even dressed as a boy, her feminine features and round, soft edges were obvious.
“Apologies for my appearance, lass but I need out of these wet clothes.”
“Well, you can stop there…for now,” she said low and soft as her glance moved from my bare shoulders to my belt buckle. She moved closer into the lantern light between us, illuminating the smooth, dark skin covering her face and neck, leaving my imagination to the rest. Her deep brown, almond-shaped eyes and her full lips captured me immediately—perhaps in another lifetime.
I shook off her mesmerizing allure and said, “I’m not stopping, so either turn around or I’ll call Adam to take you back. I need out of these damp clothes.” Making every effort to ignore her gaze, I removed my belt, loosened my breeches and let the wet garments fall to the floor. Her eyes did not waver. I snatched the cloth Adam had brought me and began rubbing it over my arms and chest, drying myself. At last when I looked at her, she met my eyes.
“You have many scars, Captain.”
I immediately turned away and replied, “No more or less than any man out here in this line of work.” I reached for the clean shirt Adam had left on my bunk and without making a sound she placed her hands upon my bare back.
“Will you allow me to thank you for saving me?” she asked, sliding her smooth hands around my waist, sending shudders of warmth over my cold skin.
I stood straight-backed and turned in her embrace, looking down at her with my hands at my sides. “I didn’t save you with the intent of reaping a reward. I thought you were a trapped cat.”
She smiled, gliding her palms from my waist until they rested on my chest. Her eyes moved everywhere. It had been some time since I had allowed a woman to be this close to me. She was tender and welcoming to my flesh. I held fast to my resolve, until her lips parted, softening parts of me while others hardened. “I know, Captain. I would not be showing you my gratitude in such a manner if you had asked for it. Although,” she paused as a smile grew again, “I doubt I could have resisted the suggestion.”
“Why? I should think you’d be ill at the sight of men.” I didn’t know why I said that or why I was moving my body from beneath her hands when all I wanted was for her to explore me further.
&n
bsp; “It was told to me by the boy; you are on a mission to take everything a certain man owned.” She moved with me. Her thickly Jamaican-accented breath was warm against my chilled skin.
“What has my enterprise to do with you?” My foul and weakened hands rose from my sides and found their way to her willowy waist.
“It is obvious, is it not? I was his property. Now, I belong to you. It appears your mission, Captain, is to take me.”
Fifteen
I had no idea how long I’d slept but when I woke, the sun was low in the eastern sky and lighting up my cabin in the most surreal shades of orange and yellow. I pulled the now dry cloth I’d laid cool and wet upon my head the night before from my brow and sat up, thankful for a clear mind. Adam breezed in and out, and spoke but a few words as he filled my pitcher and set my breakfast on my desk as instructed. I sat up and pressed my bare feet on the floor.
“Good. You’re awake,” I heard my old friend’s voice from across the room as he sat leaning back in one of my chairs next to the hearth. “Shall I update you on the status of the crew?”
“Where’s Carbonale?”
“Gone.”
“Gone?” I asked.
“He and his new ship and crew sailed south as soon as the count was final. We, too, are headed south…but remember; she’s faster.”
“How many did we lose?” I asked, walking to my desk for a cup of water.
“Of our original crew, only three. All the men we took on from the York’s Keep went, except for Emerson. A few of the Waiting Lady’s crew asked to sign on with the Assurance. The numbers gave Carbonale what he needed, so I agreed.”
“Gratitude, Miles. I confess, although I’d have appreciated seeing them off, as always you are my most loyal friend and first mate.” I sat at my desk and read over Miles’s notations in the log, as well as the names of all who chose to stay aboard. “I’ll admit, I thought Maddox might have at least shaken my hand before sailing away.”
Miles stood and reached into his shirt and produced what appeared to be a folded letter. He carried it between his first and second fingers and set it before me on the desk. I threw him a quick and curious glance, picked it up and unfolded it.
Captain Wallace,
Fair winds, my friend. I’ll promise you I’ll avoid those lovely and unsatisfied married ladies, if you stay out of Davey Jones’s locker. Take care of Adam. By the way, I’ve given him a farewell gift. I’m certain he’ll be satisfied with it.
Captain Maddox Carbonale
“Haha! Perfect.” I laughed. “Well, Miles, it’s time to move on.”
“Have you a new course for Gimby?”
“Nothing certain as of yet but we need to get the hell away from the Carolinas.” I stroked the brush of beard on my chin as we made our way onto the deck.
“Agreed.”
“And now we have a new problem.”
“What are we going to do with her?” Miles whispered against the wind.
“If we take her back to where she came from, it’s likely she’ll just be snatched and sold again. There are too many in the islands that don’t value their own, or simply can’t protect them.”
“She’s not African, then, but from the Islands?” Miles asked.
“Yes but regardless, I will not deliver her to Jamaica, where the likelihood is she’ll be sold to a rice plantation.”
“Don’t you know people in Charles Towne who can help the girl?”
“The Fishbournes…yes. I’d forgotten about them. Good Christian folk. They’d never turn a young girl out, regardless of her skin color.”
“If you’re certain of their good intentions and believe them trustworthy, I’d say your decision is made.”
“I trust them; not to mention the money I invested in Fishbourne’s family business when he left the Royal Navy to move to the colonies.” I nodded.
“Aye, there’s that, too. So, what was she doing on that ship to begin with? I mean to say, I know what she was doing but…”
I stared south at the water for a moment. “She was to be the pleasure servant of Lord Fuller, the close friend of Chambers who has a taste for the exotic females of the Indies. The name she gave me is Lydia.” I watched Miles’s body stiffen at the mention of Lydia’s intended purpose and his hand tightened on the rail. “Don’t snap the gunnel, Miles. Lydia is safe now.”
“Until when? Where can we take her in this God-forsaken world where she will remain safe and free?” His anger was rising with every word, and I searched him for the source. It took me all of a few seconds to discern the cause of his angst. He must have felt my concentration upon him and turned. “What?”
“When I was through speaking with her last night, I covered her with a cloak and sent her back to the sick berth to Adam. He inquired this morning why she had stayed so long with me, yet she hadn’t. Where did she go?”
Miles turned his back to me and faced the sea, staring down at the water lapping against the hull. I gritted my teeth so hard it was audible. “This ship may no longer be a Royal Navy vessel but allow me to remind you, we still operate in much the same manner and for good reason. You keep that in mind, my friend.”
His head snapped on his neck, facing me with narrowed eyes and he gripped the rail again so tightly it was as though his knuckles were about to burst through the skin.
“Leave it to the wind, Miles,” I continued. We have more pressing matters to discuss. I have a plan but it has been altered a bit. I wish to take one more of Chambers’s ships before moving on for good.”
“I suppose asking where this prize is would be the question,” he said, at last meeting my eyes again under a new topic of discussion.
“The one I ultimately have in mind will be in southern waters but with Lydia aboard, I believe north would be the better direction for now. The information I was fortunate to acquire shows us several options—one in particular, if we are able to reach her in time. Before we do anything, we’ll see Lydia to Charles Towne and then return south to intercept the Stegman.”
I turned and marched back to my cabin. The deck was bustling with crewmen and the last thing I wanted was for anyone to overhear uncertain plans. Miles followed me at my own speed and upon entering my quarters, I crashed into my chair. Miles quickly sat in the seat opposite my desk and leaned forward. He appeared pale at the mere mention of the Stegman.
“Gabriel, that’s the prize of Admiral Chambers’s merchant fleet.”
“That she is.”
“She’s one of the most heavily armed ships afloat, navy or not.”
“Indeed she is.”
“I’ve never soundly disagreed with a plot of yours in all our days together, childhood or navy, but this one is insanity.”
I smiled at my lifelong friend. “Who in their right mind would ever attack the Stegman?”
I saw the light blaze in the dark eyes of the big Scotsman. “Brilliant, ye bloody bastard!” He shot to his feet and paced the cabin. “No one would ever suspect.”
“She’ll give us one hell of a fight and this one will cost us, Miles. I have no doubt of that. We’ll have to have a vote. Fortunately, the men have taken to piracy quite well and seem to appreciate the lack of strict conduct. Perhaps their hunger for wealth will sway them.”
“These men are willing to die for you, not for wealth.”
“Miles, this is the annual voyage of the Stegman. She’ll be returning from the Caribbean Islands, loaded down with tons of God-knows-what sort of goods and gold. I can just imagine old Chambers’s blood-red face when word reaches him that she’s been robbed by pirates.” I leaned back in my comfortable chair, folded my fingers together across my chest and closed my eyes. A smile grew across my face.
“Oh, you bloody well know the man will have you sent to the gallows for this one, Gabriel. Gabriel?”
I opened my eyes to find Miles’s coal-black ones staring at me. I could see he was rethinking my sanity. Perhaps I really was insane.
“With such a haul, you are
aware she will be escorted.”
All I had to do was tilt my head and look at him and he understood my thoughts. “Knowing me as you do, insane or not, don’t you think I’m already working it all out in my head?”
“That’s what frightens me. I don’t want any more men to die.” Miles sat back down in the chair and began chewing on his fingernails.
“Miles…”
“Gabriel, I, too, have a brain, contrary to what you may believe and I am thinking of other ways to approach this.” I rolled back my eyes and resumed my relaxed position as he continued. “This is no York’s Keep or Waiting Lady. I’m willing to wager we know some of the men on her crew. She is manned by former members of the Royal Navy. These aren’t common deck swabs. These are well-trained fighting men.”
“And our pirates aren’t?”
“Don’t mistake me, Gabriel. Pirates are cunning, I’ll agree but they rely a great deal on their reputation. Add to that, they’ll turn and run if they are outgunned.”
“If we manage this, our reputation will leave us the most feared ship on the sea.” I sat up and leaned forward, again meeting my old friend eye-to-eye. “Miles, until now, we’ve been able to hold to our code of conduct in this war with Chambers. This mission is by far the most challenging, yet the most satisfying, to date. When I studied the ship schedules last night, this whole plot left me feeling like a crazed criminal. That was, until I remembered why I have to do this. This isn’t only about revenge, Miles. This is a matter of honor and a matter of ruining a man who has destroyed men for years for some sick, selfish pleasure.” I slammed the butt of my fist hard on my desk and stopped, reminding myself of who I was shouting at. “I must confess, at the time when my aching mind was trying to figure this all out, I imagined Maddox would still be here to join us for this battle.”
“We can catch him. He’d follow you into the fires of hell. I’m certain of that,” Miles eagerly said.
“After some consideration, I concluded that…no, he’s not ready for something of this magnitude, yet. God uses events as they happen for a reason. Maddox will be better off for having gone his own way. Mark my words.” I closed my eyes again and enjoyed the familiar movement of the ship as the Assurance rolled gently through the calm sea. “And if he fails, at least we won’t be around to witness it.”
AMBER WAKE: Gabriel Falling (The Razor's Adventures Pirate Tales) Page 11
