O’Malley moved another pawn.
Mac slid a pawn forward. He rubbed his jaw, never taking his eyes off the board.
A laugh bubbled out of O’Malley as he brought up his knight and poured more rum into his glass.
Mac studied the board, considering his next move. He recalled Lily’s remark about leaving his royalty unguarded. She’d believed him a patriot from the start.
And, by heaven, he was an American patriot!
Lord, I just have to win. Thoughts of losing the boys and Lily plus returning to sea paralyzed him. Perspiration tickled his temples.
O’Malley took another swallow of rum. “I’m about the best chess player on the high seas.”
Mac gave a grunt of acknowledgment and continued eyeing the chess pieces.
“Move, already!”
Mac complied. If his opponent was as good as he claimed, he’d already lost …
Lord, please … I simply must win!
“Don’t tell me you’re not an expert chess player.”
“Expert?” Mac lifted a shoulder, then decided to be honest. “No, no, I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination.” He rubbed the back of his damp neck and shrugged out of his jacket.
“Gettin’ worked up, are you?” O’Malley’s booming laugh filled the cabin. He made his move, then leaned over the chessboard. “Tell you what, Albright. If you win this game, I’ll give you my ship.”
Mac narrowed his gaze. The man wasn’t called Madman O’Malley for no reason.
O’Malley refilled his glass. “So what do you say?”
The offer blew over Mac’s head like an ocean breeze. All he wanted was the boys—and a chance to return to the Shenandoah Valley.
“Do we sweeten the pot or not?”
“Yes, sure …” Mac rubbed his jaw again, and the biblical account of David and Goliath flashed across his memory. He’d heard the Bible story as a child and then again throughout his formal Christian education.
Lord, O’Malley is my Goliath….
Another gulp of rum. “Quit stalling and make your move.”
“Patience, my friend.” Mac moved his bishop.
O’Malley captured one of Mac’s pawns.
The temperature in the cabin seemed to escalate with each passing minute.
And then …
“Checkmate!”
“What?” Snarling, O’Malley examined the board. “It can’t be.”
Relief spread through Mac’s entire body. Another miracle.
O’Malley pounded his fist on the table. “You insufferable blackguard, get off my ship!”
“I believe Sarabella is now my ship.” Mac stood.
O’Malley pushed to his feet so fast he knocked over his chair. He punched the air with both fists.
“But I’ll tell you what I’ll do, seeing that we’re old friends. I’ll forfeit ownership of Sarabella, but I will take the lads.”
O’Malley’s rage-contorted features regained a measure of normalcy. “Collect them and go.”
“Fine. And I’ll take any paperwork that goes with the boys, too.” Mac placed his hands on his hips.
O’Malley grumbled and stomped over to his desk.
Minutes later, with a smile on his lips and spring in his step, Mac left the captain’s quarters. He climbed to the first deck and found the Laughlin boys sitting beside Blake’s sleeping form. Jonah and Jed would be his guests while Mac perused the contents of their indentation papers and consulted his family’s solicitor. If the papers were straightforward enough, perhaps the boys could ride back to Middletown with Blake tomorrow.
“Good news, fellows.” He set down the lamp and gave Blake’s boot a kick.
The seasoned sailor grumbled and muttered, then clambered to his feet.
The boys broke into laughter at the sight.
“How’d it go, Cap’n?” Blake rubbed his eyes.
“Yeah, Captain Albright.” Jonah moved forward. “Do I get to sail?”
“We’ll have that discussion later. For now, you’re coming with me to my parents’ home. You’ll be my guests while I study the arrangement Mr. Everett made with Captain O’Malley.”
“But—” Jonah looked ready to stand his ground.
“Show me you’re ready to sail by obeying your captain. I am now in possession of your indentation papers.”
Jonah backed down.
“Good news, Cap’n.” Blake smacked him on the back, nearly causing Mac to lose his balance.
“Go gather your things. Hurry up. Mr. Blake and I will wait here.”
“Aye, sir.” Jonah shuffled off like a pup with his tail between his legs.
Jed followed, running ahead of his older brother.
Mac breathed easier, although he wouldn’t relax altogether until he got the boys safely to his folks’ home and read the documents. The boys’ future still hung in the balance. However, if the indentation was impossible to break free of, there was a chance that Taylor could use a cabin boy and swabbie.
Mac, of course, hoped for the former—prayed for it. For Lily’s sake.
Mac offered his arm to Miss Eden, and she slipped her gloved hand around his elbow.
“This is getting to be routine, Captain Albright, but I appreciate the escort.”
“My pleasure.” Something about the woman’s hoarse voice raised the compulsion in Mac to clear his throat. Oddly, Taylor found the scratchy sound part of Miss Eden’s charm. He’d fallen for the woman nearly a week ago, the night Mac left the dinner party to rescue the Laughlin boys.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to save them from indentation. The Albright family solicitor pronounced the documents unalterable, as the court retained a copy along with Everett and O’Malley. The lawyer petitioned the court for a transfer of deed and received it. However, it was all the magistrate would allow. The boys would remain bondservants of a sea captain, as Everett claimed the boys refused to attend school—and the boys confirmed it. But at least their education was now in Taylor Osborn’s capable hands. Taylor promised to “torture” the boys with books and mathematical problems during their voyage. Those two rascals would likely receive the education of a lifetime, seeing the world aboard a merchant vessel. Consequently, it would be two years before Jonah and Jed saw their home in Middletown again.
But how to break the news to Lily …
“Alexandria will soon be abuzz with rumors, you know.”
Miss Eden’s raspy voice pulled Mac from his muse.
“Especially since my sister mentioned her idea of a match between you and me to certain tongue waggers.”
“I care not about this city’s rumor mill, although I wouldn’t want you to compromise your reputation by being seen in my company.”
“Oh, pshaw! I delight in being the topic of gossip.” Miss Eden lifted her bonneted head high, revealing the wide beige ribbon beneath her chin.
Mac gave in to a small grin. However, his thoughts were still on Lily. While he was certain that the boys would be safe, his heart crimped to think she’d be upset by the news of their indentation.
“I can’t wait for news to make it up the ranks that I board a vessel each day and take lunch with a retired British sea captain in his private quarters.”
Again, Mac pulled himself to the present. “Take care, Miss Eden. A good name is hard to revive once it’s been dragged through a pigsty of backbiting.”
She shrugged off the warning. “I understand you’ll be leaving us shortly and taking twenty of Prescott’s slaves with you.”
“Yes. While I disagree with many of Thomas Jefferson’s writings, I find much reason in his philosophy of gradual emancipation.”
“What do you mean?” Miss Eden gazed up at him with a curious frown that added years to her young age.
“I believe in teaching slaves to read and write along with teaching them skilled trades so that when they are manumitted by deed, they can become productive citizens who are able to care for themselves.” Similar to Jonah and Jed’s situation
, although the boys were never slaves.
“And you plan to manumit your brother’s property.”
“They were Prescott’s gifts to me.” Mac despised the way he’d just described human beings. Gifts. Surely not! They were men and women, no better or worse than he was. Once his manor was constructed, Mac’s hope was that they would see it as not only his shining accomplishment, but theirs too.
When he posed his idea to his gifts, it was met with much optimism. Those who wished immediate freedom would get it. Mac refused to keep any man against his will.
“You and I are opposing thinkers, sir.” Miss Eden waved to a well-dressed woman across the street. “I believe the British have it correct. Everyone serves a purpose within society according to their rank and file.”
“Rank and file?” Mac guffawed, turning a few heads. “I see you have been influenced by Captain Osborn in more ways than one.”
“Oh, hush.”
Mac pushed out a small smile.
“If you must know, I find the captain’s recount of his military detail quite interesting.”
“I’m sure.” And Taylor’s versions never lacked flare and grandeur.
They reached the Ariel, and Mac gladly handed Miss Eden over to Taylor, who eagerly received her. The pair strolled aft, their heads close, as if they conspired together.
“Ahoy, Captain Albright.” Jed waved from where he stood topside with a mop in hand.
“Swabbing the deck, are you?”
“Aye, sir. Not my favorite of chores.”
Mac chuckled. “Any news of Blake’s return?”
“Should be any time is what I overheard Captain Osborn say.”
Mac nodded. “Carry on.”
“Aye, sir.”
Jed swung the mop from one side to the other and backed up as he did so. Mac wondered if Lily had heard the news. Had Everett told her? He’d left for Middletown the same day as Blake. In fact they shared the same stagecoach. Surely Lily suspected something was amiss when the man returned home without her brothers.
Gazing toward the cloudless September sky, Mac breathed a prayer that Lily would digest the news without much distress. Was that even possible? And would she feel like Mac failed her? Despite the possibly bright outcome, he felt like he’d failed both Jed and Jonah.
How he wished he were home in the valley now, where he could assure Lily that the Almighty had His hand in the chess game with O’Malley—
Most of all, Mac wished he wholly believed it.
Lily stepped into the kitchen and peeled off her bonnet. After recuperating for the better part of a month, it felt good to be outside in the sunshine, helping Shona and his men bring in the harvest. Shona had fashioned a long “snake stick” for her to swing back and forth in front of her footsteps. If any snake didn’t hear her coming, it would be prodded to slither away by a whack of her stick. Now Lily didn’t feel so frightened about strolling through the meadow to the orchards.
She crossed the room and inhaled deeply. Aunt Hilda’s sweet cinnamony apple brew tantalized her senses. “What are you cooking up, Aunt?”
“A batch of applesauce.” Aunt Hilda tasted a sample, then stuck her wooden spoon back into the boiling pot. “Needs another dash of nutmeg.”
“You and your nutmeg.” Lily smiled. “You put dashes of nutmeg in all your sauces.”
“Are you complaining?” Aunt Hilda’s gaze tossed out a challenge.
“Hardly, Aunt.” Lily took another whiff of the bubbly apple mixture. “I wish I knew how to cook and bake as well as you do.”
“I had many years of feeding a husband before I came to live with your family, so chalk up my talent in the kitchen to God’s grace and life’s experiences.”
“You’re saying there’s hope for me, then?” Lily sent her aunt a coy smile.
“Dearest, there’s hope for you—and your brothers too. No reason they shouldn’t learn to cook for themselves.”
“Now there’s a frightening thought,” Lily teased. “Jonah and Jed in the kitchen, preparing a meal …”
Aunt Hilda’s features scrunched. “Well, maybe there’s no hope for those two troublemakers in the kitchen after all.”
Lily giggled.
“Ahoy! Anyone home?”
Lily froze at the sound of Mr. Blake’s unmistakable boisterous voice. Had Mac returned also?
Aunt Hilda’s eyes widened. “John?” She set down her wooden spoon and wiped her hands on her apron as she made for the open doorway. “John Blake, is that you?”
“In the flesh, madam.” He stepped in and swept off his hat. Whips of shoulder-length silvery hair flew in all directions, though the majority of it remained tied at his nape. “I’ve brung good news.”
“Is Mac—I mean, Captain Albright with you?”
“Nay, Miss Lily.” His gaze flitted to her arm, now free of its sling. “Good to see you up and around. The cap’n will be glad to hear it. But, alas, he’ll remain in Alexandria a while longer. Helping his family business find its sea legs again.”
“Oh.” Disappointment fell over Lily.
However, Mr. Blake’s grin never wavered. He took Aunt Hilda’s hand. “And it’s Albright and Osborn Shipping I’ll be working for now. First mate to Cap’n Osborn who’s both a friend of mine and who recently became co-owner of Albright Shipping. He walked in and saved the day, you might say. And the cap’n needs a cook, Hilda. Will you be our cook?”
“Cook?” Aunt Hilda withdrew her hand.
“And my wife.” Mr. Blake’s face reddened. “I forgot that part about you marrying me.” He seemed to recover from his blunder, and confidence shone on his tanned features. “We’ll see the world together. And you couldn’t be part of a better crew than what Cap’n Osborn’s puttin’ together.”
“Marry you? Be a part of a captain’s crew?”
Mr. Blake gave a nod. “We’ll marry aboard the Ariel. Capn’ Osborn never sails without a chaplain. Says it’s bad luck if he do.”
Lily watched the exchange with a mix of horror and delight. What an opportunity for her aunt, and how romantic to be married on a ship’s deck in the middle of the ocean. But what a loss for Lily and her brothers.
“What do you say, Hilda? You’ll be my bride?”
Lily stepped back, hating to intrude on this private moment.
“Oh, yes, I’ll marry you, you old sea biscuit.”
The couple embraced and then smooched as if they’d forgotten Lily stood only several feet away. She tried not to stare—or giggle.
Mr. Blake pulled away. “Well, go get packed, woman. The stage what brung me and that maggotpie Everett here leaves for Alexandria at three this afternoon.”
“Mr. Everett has returned?” Lily perked up. She wouldn’t be completely abandoned, although she wanted to travel to Alexandria and see her aunt get married. “So my brothers are home?”
“Er …” Mr. Blake suddenly wore a sheepish look. “No, Miss Lily. But the cap’n, that is Cap’n Albright, gave me clear instructions. He said it’s Everett’s news to tell.”
“News?” Lily’s insides did a nervous flip. “Did he pack my brothers off to a boarding school, as he’s been threatening?”
“Nay, miss. But I can’t say. You must learn it from Everett.”
Aunt Hilda huffed. “There’ll be no secrets in this family, John, and if you want me to start packing so as I can run off and marry you, then you’ll spill the beans—or go without eating them.”
Mr. Blake’s weathered face seemed to weigh his options. He grimaced as his alternatives pressed in. “It’s a kind of boarding, yes.”
“Oh, that rat!” Lily stomped her foot.
“Silas Everett needs to tell you the entire story, miss.”
“And he will.” Lily licked her lips, hating the idea of rattling around this manor alone. “I wish I could go with you and watch you two get married.”
Aunt Hilda’s shoulders slumped. “It’s harvesttime, Lily.” She looked at her beloved Mr. Blake. “I can’t leave t
he girl, John. Every year we have a festival where we sell our crops, and that money buys us the little extras we women need.”
“Don’t be silly, Aunt Hilda.” Lily’s voice felt faraway, belying what she felt in her heart. She longed to beg her aunt to stay. “Of course you’ll go get married, and you both will sail off to a lifetime of happiness.” Would she ever see them again? Lily quickly blinked away the emotion gathering in her eyes. “Shona is here. He and his men will help me. I can handle the harvest by myself.”
Aunt Hilda tipped her head and arched a brow as if in silent argument.
“Let’s get you packed.” Lily took hold of her aunt’s elbow. “Come. There’s no time to waste if you intend to be on that stagecoach.”
Mr. Blake lifted a halting hand. “Your friend Mr. Hawkins, the blacksmith, offered the use of his wagon for this auspicious occasion. He wouldn’t let me rent one, and I’m too old to carry a woman’s trunk to town.”
Lily grinned at the image and couldn’t resist teasing him. “But you’ll carry it to the wagon, won’t you?”
“Aye, that I will.”
As she led Aunt Hilda from the kitchen, Lily glimpsed the gratitude brimming in Mr. Blake’s eyes and it stoked her resolve. She would see the couple off. Indeed, there were never two people more deserving of each other’s love than Aunt Hilda and Mr. Blake.
And once the stage pulled away, Lily had every intention of visiting the Stony Inn and discovering what Mr. Everett had done with her brothers!
With her eyes still moist from a tearful farewell to Aunt Hilda and her future Uncle John, Lily stomped into the Stony Inn. Several pairs of eyes landed on her like probing darts, and she caught a curious look from a dark-skinned woman sweeping the floor, but still she marched on to Mr. Everett’s office. She rapped on the door and turned the knob even before the words “come in” met her ears.
“Lily.” Mr. Everett stood from his desk chair, his face a mask of surprise. “As you can see, I have returned.”
“Yes, I see.” She slammed the door, causing Mr. Everett to flinch.
“I planned to come over for supper tonight and check on you and your aunt.”
“My aunt is gone.”
My Heart Belongs in the Shenandoah Valley Page 22
