by Lisa Grace
“Should we go on deck to meet them?” Mary asked.
“Yes.”
To Charles he said, “Muster all the men to their decks. Escort the visitors to the officers' deck and please set out seats for our guests.” Charles nodded, then ran off to see to the guests.
“Shall we?” Bennett held out his arm for Mary. She gracefully placed her hand on his forearm. He turned to her and gave her a kiss on her lips. “You look beautiful and confident. Remember you are a married woman, their equal, do not let them cow you like a child.”
Mary said, “I will put on my bravest face. I am nervous. They are my parents. I am sure they are not all together happy with my decisions. I must make them see me as happy and assured.”
Bennett smiled. “You would have made a fine soldier.”
“I take it as a compliment.”
They headed to the deck to face the possible wrath, disappointment, and resignation of Mary’s parents.
***
“Oh Mary!” Mary’s mother cried as soon as she spied her daughter. She started to cry and held out her arms. Mary’s mother was heavy with child. She wore a day coat with slits for the arms to conceal her pregnancy, but all it did was make her whole tiny frame appear large. Mary’s father stood with his arms behind his back, and nodded at his daughter as she approached them. Mary let go of Bennett’s arm as her mother waddled towards her to give her a hug.
“Mother, Father, I am so happy to see you!”
Mary's father approached and whispered in her ear, “If you wish to come home you may. Father John can annul the marriage if it was against your will. We would not have you suffer. Just say so.”
Mary hugged her father to her. “Thank you Papa, but I am very happy.” Mary smiled with her eyes shining, so happy she could not contain it.
“Mother and Father, this is Captain Bennett Graham, my husband.” Mary’s eyes sparkled as she introduced her husband to her parents.
Bennett held out his hand to Mrs. Welch and then to Mr. Welch. “I am sorry sir to have married your daughter without your permission. Circumstances caused by the untimely passing of Miss Magdela, Mary's chaperone, dictated a wedding in haste to quell any talk of impropriety. Society is what it is when an unescorted young lady is onboard a ship of Navy sailors.”
“Why would you take my daughter in the first place? A Navy ship is no place for a landowner’s young daughter!” Mary’s father exclaimed.
“I agree, sir. It was a misunderstanding. I had issued orders for the artist, Mr. Welch, to report for duty, as we had need of an artist to complete the King’s survey of the coast. I was uninformed at the time that Mr. Welch was—Miss Welch.”
Mary’s father cocked his head. “I still do not understand why you did not turn her away.”
Captain Graham continued, “We were at sea when I discovered my—mistake. I ordered the ship to return to port, sadly, we were attacked by pirates. At that time, it was too dangerous to maintain course and reengage the pirates so a decision was made to continue on with the survey. Soon after, Miss Magdela succumbed to her illness. During the course of the survey Miss Welch was chaperoned by Charles the cabin boy. Miss Welch was never left unchaperoned except in the privacy of her chambers. I did feel returning a young lady unescorted back to port without a proper chaperone would lead to a ruined reputation. Since Miss Welch and I fell in love, we could avoid such a fate. It was during the course of her work we fell in love. I proposed, Mary accepted, and here we are today.”
Mary’s father harrumphed his displeasure, so Captain Graham continued to talk, “I understand you had higher hopes than a ship’s captain in the King’s employ for your daughter, but I will work on making her life one filled with comfort and I give you my word she will be treasured.”
“I won’t stand for a ship wedding only. She must be properly married by a priest in God’s eyes. Are you Catholic?” Mary’s father asked sternly.
“I will be more than happy to let your priest re-affirm our vows in God’s eyes.”
“Will you raise the children Catholic?” Mary’s mother asked, a look of worry on her brow.
Bennett nodded.
Everyone looked happily toward Father John, who had been following the conversation with rapt attention.
“Oh yes. We should confirm the vows. Would you like the full service with the sacraments in Latin? Or a short vow that would meet the papal requirements?”
“Short,” said everyone at once.
Mary and Bennett renewed their vows in front of her parents and the crew. Lieutenant Gregory turned to Randall, and whispered, “You cannot get any more married than they already are.”
Randall whispered back, “Unless someone back in England insists they be married by a priest from the Church of England.”
Lieutenant Gregory let out a laugh disguised as a cough.
Mary’s mother cried and blew her nose into her handkerchief as Mary’s father sternly looked on.
After the priest pronounced them man and wife before God, Bennett chastely kissed Mary to the cheers of the crew. He spoke, “Dinner is served below decks and extra portions of wine and mead are served for the men.”
A cheer went up from the main deck as the announcement was repeated. The officers went up and congratulated Bennett, and then Mary’s father, who finally broke out in a small smile, as the officers presented him with fine cigars and wine from their travels as gifts. Bennett presented a payment to the priest along with several bottles of wine.
Below, when all the officers and guests were seated at the dining table, the officers asked Mr. Welch about the business of running a cocoa and coffee plantation. Mrs. Welch sat next to Mary and kept reaching out to touch her daughter. Combing back a stray hair, and stroking her cheek she said, “I will miss you.”
“I know, Mama. But you can visit with the new baby.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Where do you intend to set up your family?” Mr. Welch asked Bennett.
“There are some fine homes for let within London. I may look to purchase since I now have a dependent to care for. I have saved and I have a small inheritance to make landowning a possibility. Mrs. Graham will have choices.”
Mary blushed. “Thank you, Bennett.”
“I will of course, provide Mary with a dowry. I will not have it said I was ungenerous to my first born.”
“Papa, thank you, I did not expect a dowry.”
“Of course you would not. You have a head for pretty pictures, not business.”
Bennett clasped Mary’s hand lightly, “I have found Mary to be wise and generous. She enjoys riding besides her art. London has stables and parks for those who take pleasure in the hobby of riding.”
“When is your ship leaving port, Captain?”
“We’ve been commissioned by the King to complete a survey of the coastline of Costa Rica. We have the northern reaches to finish. We have concluded our survey of the south. We will stop at port one more time after, then head for England. We will leave port tomorrow at high tide.”
“So soon!” Mrs. Welch exclaimed.
“My men have families and loved ones back home. It is unfair to hold them away from what they dearly love.”
“Yes, I see.” Mrs. Welch said as she dabbed at a tear in her eye. “Time does go by so much faster than we can ever know.” Her husband nodded in agreement.
“Tempus Fugit.” The priest answered.
“Let me present a toast,” Lieutenant Randall proclaimed as he stood holding up his wine glass, “To much happiness and calm seas for our captain and his wife.”
Glasses clinked as those around the table echoed the sentiment.
***
The next morning, a delivery of two trunks came to the ship from Mary's parents. At high tide the Devonshire left port for the northern survey of the coast. Pirates were sighted, but one or two blasts from the cannons were enough to keep them at bay. The rest of the survey proceeded in peace. Mary worked on sketches and paintings. Benne
tt worked on the maps with the surveyors. All was well as they headed back to the port for one last stop before the voyage home to England.
Back at the dock the local constable met the Devonshire as it came into port. “Permission to board,” he inquired of the docking sailors. The guard escorted him to the captain's quarters.
“Sir, I am here as a courtesy as Mr. Welch is an influential man on the island.”
“Thank you. What can I help you with?”
The constable sighed. “You cannot. I came to warn you.”
“Warn?”
“I have orders from the Royal Navy for your arrest, and transport back to England on the charge of piracy and treason.”
“Piracy and treason? That is ludicrous!”
Word was taken back to the King of Spain that the HMS Devonshire seized the King's treasure and secured it on one of the islands with the intent of theft. Also, the remaining crew was slaughtered and executed to hide your crime. The King of Spain reported the theft to King George, who issued a warrant for your arrest, execution, and confiscation of your ship and crew.”
Bennett was silent.
“Did you intercept a Spanish galleon?” The constable asked.
“We found a pirated Spanish galleon with half of the crew slaughtered and the other half turned pirate, foundering on the rocks on the far side of Cocos. We unloaded the treasure, secured it, and planned to deliver the location of the treasure to the King after our survey was completed. One or more of the pirates that was part of the crew must have escaped then changed the story to save his own throat.”
The constable was silent. “I’ve known the Welch family since Mary was just a babe. I would not be here speaking to you if it were not out of concern for their daughter. What do you propose to do?”
“I must get a message to the King with what really happened, and to let him know the treasure is safe. Surely, he would believe his own captain over a Spanish turncoat.”
The constable scratched his ear then let out a drawn breath. “It is not so simple. The decree came from the King of Spain. The Devonshire is already encroaching on land the King of Spain has laid claim to. For all he knows the King of England issued the decree to capture his ship. One way to avoid war, is to turn you over, whether you are innocent or not. This is an international affair. Not just your neck is at stake. In their view, your neck is a small price to pay for peaceful relations.”
Bennett listened and thought about what the constable said. The constable continued, “I will let you stock supplies over the next twenty-four hours, but after, you must leave port and find a place to hide you and your men. There is a bounty on your head as a pirate. They’ve even given you a name, “Sangree Graham, Bloody Graham.”
Bennett nodded and sighed. “I executed the pirates by having them thrown overboard secured to a weight. One or two must have survived and escaped. That is the name the condemned men were calling me. If they had not slaughtered the men aboard their ship, I would have brought them back for trial.”
The constable nodded. “I am sure I would have done the same if I came across a ship of pirates.”
“I thank you for your courtesy. We will restock. May I give you a message to post back to the King? I must try to set matters right for the sake of my wife and crew.”
“I will see the letter makes it onto the next ship to England. I cannot promise you what the response will be.”
Graham nodded. “I see it is a long shot, yet what other recourse do I have? I will check back in six months’ time to see what the response is from the King.”
“In six months then. May God have mercy on you, Mrs. Graham, and your men.”
“Thank you.”
The constable left the ship.
*
***
*****
***
*
CHAPTER 6
Bennett
Bennett assembled the officers in his ready room. “We have a situation.” He waited until they were all seated, then continued.
“Some pirates from the Spanish galleon crew survived, alerted the King of Spain, and accused us as being the pirates of the ship and treasure. The King of Spain notified King George, and there is now a bounty on our ship and on our heads. I have sent a message to the King to clear this matter up. However, being a matter between two kings and countries we are caught in the middle. Our innocence may not matter if it comes down to one king appeasing another to prevent a war. As sailors and soldiers if our King has made up his mind we are to be sacrificed it is still in service to our country. I am sorry I did not foresee this turn of events. We will hide out for six months until we have had time to have a response back from the King. If it is in the negative, we will have to turn ourselves in to face judgment.”
The officers were silent as they absorbed the shocking message Captain Graham delivered.
“This is preposterous! We are above thievery. Our King above all others should know!” Taussant said as he jumped to his feet and pounded his fist on the table.
“Yes, and we have just defended our land against France, and an uprising with the colonists in America. The King is rebuilding his resources and his navy. If the King of Spain decides we are guilty, will our King go to war for one ship of men?”
The Lieutenants were silent.
“We are pawns in a game of kings. If any of you gentlemen have a solution that may save our souls, speak up.”
The officers were silent.
“You have sent a message to the King?” Randall asked.
“I have.”
“Then pray it is received and understood as the truth so it will be our salvation,” Lt. Kerry said.
“Then pray. We will have six months to think of other solutions to our problem,” Captain Graham looked out the window towards the city just beyond the docks.
“Shall we tell the crew?” Lt. Sedgwig asked.
Captain Graham shook his head no. “Not until we have left the port and decided upon a temporary home.”
“The cove where the treasure is. It is a defensible location,” Lt. Gregory said.
Toussant added, “There are caves upon the first plateau high above the shore, they would make good shelter from inclement weather.” He looked around at the other officers and said with high spirits, “The pirates are too fat and lazy to leave the shore and climb the mountain. So the caves would be a good staging ground.” Snickering erupted as the officers agreed with Toussant’s assessment.
Lt. Gregory interrupted with, “There were plenty of shark, fish, and turtles for food. And wild chickens and feral pigs.”
“The coconuts are plentiful too. I did see a deer on one of our excursions to scope the island. We would eat well.” Lt. Sedgwig patted his thin but well-muscled stomach as an affirmation.
Captain Graham nodded. “Then it is settled. We will head back to the cove to await the answer from our King.”
After the officers left to arrange for stocking the ship, Randall stayed behind. “What will you tell Mrs. Graham?”
Bennett looked at the picture she had drawn of him on the deck during the pirate attack, thinking perhaps I should have sent that picture to the King.
“I will tell her the truth. I will never lie to her. I have only honor to give to her and my King. Though history may not see it, my God does.”
“Sir, I am sorry for us all. I cannot see how this will end well for any of us.”
“Nor do I. Nor do I,” Bennett replied as he looked out the window onto the beautiful busy day on the dock where merchants were hawking their wares unaware of the ship full of men who had a bounty on their heads. The full weight of how life had changed for them all, based on the lies of men without honor and blood on their hands, the truth of how fragile anyone’s position really was, affected him as no other news could.
He had to protect his men, it was his duty. To keep them safe from pirates and soldiers, illness, and hunger. He must find them safe harbor, somewhere. They couldn’t stay in the cov
e forever, and anytime they took to the sea, they would be in danger from other warships of many countries. Ports would not be safe ports of call either. He needed to change the name of the ship. Perhaps it would buy them time. He needed time to think of the best plan of avoidance. The ship would eventually need re-fittings, which would require metal and wood. Perhaps they could go back and salvage wood and metal from the wrecked Spanish galleon. They could spend their time on the island making tar and pitch, and rope. Repair everything on the ship, and make extras to spare. They would load up with what they could while in port.
One dilemma he hoped to avoid was running into another British vessel. He did not think he could bear to fire on a ship full of innocent Englishmen. If a British ship happened upon them, and they could not outrun them, surrender would be the only honorable recourse. Of course, it would mean his death. He would be hung until dead. Poor Mary. This turn of events was one he could not ever have imagined would happen. Was this his failing as a captain or a man? Was this God’s way of showing him he was not above having to deal with loss? Or was some other plan in the works and all he needed was to show some faith? Yes. Show faith this could work out for good, no matter how bleak the future now looked. He would trust in the source of his strength. He would place his life and those of his crew in the hands of his God. It was all he could do.
***
“What ever is wrong?” Mary walked into the stateroom having watched the constable leave without even stopping to greet her. Then as the officers came back on deck not one smiled or had the easy chatter that was to be expected while in port.
Bennett turned to face her, “Please, sit down.”
“Bennett!”
“I think you should stay with your parents for the year.”
“Bennett! Now I am worried.”
I have some business to clear up, and it will be safer for you there.”
“No! I will not leave you! It is out of the question. I am not leaving this ship without you. Please, keep no secrets from me. I must know what is happening. How can I help you if I do not know what is afoot?”
Mary reached out and hugged Bennett with all her strength. “Let me be your helpmate. Please, Bennett, tell me what is so terrible?” She looked into his eyes willing him to tell her.
