The Tao of the Viper: A Kate Pomeroy Mystery (The Kate Pomeroy Gothic Mystery Series Book 2)

by Linda Watkins

  The older man watched him go, then turned his gaze to Micah.

  “Sir, I apologize for any inconvenience the rashness of my new recruit has caused you and your wife. Whilst I do NOT approve of marriages outside the church, they are not against any law that I know of other than God’s. I also know of no warrants outstanding for a Mrs. Levine. So, that said, you are free to go.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” answered Micah, recognizing the insignia on the man’s jacket. “You are most kind.”

  The Captain nodded. “However, a word of advice before you leave. If you value your life and that of your wife and daughter, do not tarry over the border into the Massachusetts Colony. Keep your wagon and family firmly in New York territory. Also, you must teach your daughter to know her place and not to sass at her elders.”

  When he said these last words, he turned his gaze to Sarah and I could swear that, even though his voice was stern, there was a hint of a twinkle dancing in his eyes.

  “Yes, Captain,” Micah replied solemnly. “We will stay within the Province of New York, and be assured that my wife and I will have a talk with our daughter when we camp for the night.”

  The Captain smiled and nodded. “A man must always have control over his wife and children. Perhaps a sound beating with a willow switch will teach the child to control her tongue. Good day to you, sir.”

  “And to you, Captain.”

  With one last nod, the Captain whirled around on his horse and ordered his men to depart. We watched them go, each one of us breathing a sigh of relief.

  “Papa,” said Sarah, breaking the silence. “What did he mean, I need a talking to? And, are you going to beat me like he said?”

  “We will discuss that later, Sarah,” replied Micah. “Now sit down and busy yourself with something practical. Maude, come sit with me.”

  Sarah was about to protest, but I silenced her with a look. “Take out your sampler and work on your stitchery, Sarah.”

  She made a face – she hated sewing – but I shook my head. “Now is the time for quiet contemplation, not endless questions. Your sampler, Sarah.”

  Finally, she nodded and with an exasperated sigh, pulled out the cloth she was working on, sat down, and reluctantly began to stitch.

  Smiling, I scooted up to sit beside my husband, who took my hand in his, pressing it firmly.

  “That was a close one,” he whispered. “We’re lucky.”

  I nodded and whispered back, “Yes, and we have our daughter to thank for it.”

  Micah smiled, but then became serious. “She will get that lecture tonight. No beating, just talk. She took a big risk calling out Palmer like that. He could have killed her.”

  “I know. We’ll both talk to her tonight.”

  Micah nodded. “The Captain was an amiable sort, don’t you think?”

  “I suspect he’s new to these parts and, perhaps, doesn’t buy into all the witch hysteria. But Palmer is still a threat. He hates me, not for my witchery, but because I refused his advances when we were children.”

  “Really?”

  I laughed. “Yes, he was a pimply-faced youth with bad breath. I could not abide him being close to me.”

  Micah smiled. “And, I, for one, am glad of that. Otherwise, you might not have taken a chance on a gangly lad such as myself.”

  I leaned my head on his shoulder. “It is I who am the lucky one, my Micah. You are my rock.”

  44

  Kate

  I LOOKED UP from the diary, my mind awash with wonder. How could it be? The four families that owned this island were the Palmers, Morrisons, Levines, and, now, my family, the Pomeroys. What fickle finger of fate brought these four families here? For if Maude Prichard’s tale is to be believed, these same families, or their relations, were all intertwined back in the 1600s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

  The current Palmer family bragged of ancestry dating back to the days of the Revolution. Was Zachariah Palmer a distant relative? And, the current Levine family could be Micah’s descendants. All I knew about them was that they were Russian Jews from New York. And, if they were of the same lineage as Maude’s husband, was I, as her descendant, related to them in some curious way? A cousin many times removed?

  Finally, there was the Morrison family, the ones who seem to always be present just before my Jeremy succumbs to fever. Was the Ian Morrison, who abducted young Samuel, related to our current-day Ian Morrison?

  Too many questions. I glanced at my watch. It was going on five a.m. I guessed I had about another hour or so of reading still to do and, if I wanted to be at the clinic when Jeremy woke up, I’d better get at it.

  45

  The Diary Of Maude Prichard

  New York

  AFTER SEVERAL MORE days, we finally were approaching what was now called New York City. Originally settled by the Dutch West India Company, the city was formerly known as New Amsterdam. However, in 1664, the place came under British control, praise be to God, and was now part of the Province of New York.

  The city was bustling, people and carts scurrying around willy-nilly. We finally stopped in front of a building in a poorer section of town.

  “This is where my cousins live,” said Micah, bringing the cart to a halt. “I will go inside to see if I can find them. You and Sarah stay here.”

  He started to descend from the buckboard, but stopped. A group of youths were standing on the other side of the street. They looked to be a rough crowd and I could tell they made Micah uneasy.

  My husband reached into his waistband and removed his pistol. “Here, Maude. If anyone tries to accost you or Sarah, you know what to do.”

  I nodded, slipping the pistol under my apron. “Be quick, my love,” I said.

  “I will.”

  He kissed me softly on the cheek, then hurried into the building. When he was out of sight, I motioned to Sarah.

  “Come sit by my side, Daughter.”

  As she slid onto the seat, I put my arm around her shoulders, never taking my eyes off that group of young men. They were still talking and every so often, one of them would glance in our direction. Finally, two of them broke away from the group and began to walk across the street, toward our cart.

  The taller of the two, a callow-looking youth with a pock-marked face, approached our wagon.

  “Good day to you, missus,” he said. “What brings a lovely lady like yourself to this part of town?”

  His tone was sarcastic and, as he leaned forward, I could smell alcohol on his breath. His compatriot walked to the rear of our wagon, taking notice of our meager possessions.

  Not answering, I held my breath and moved my apron slightly, revealing the barrel of the gun.

  The boy caught my move and, seeing I was armed, backed away from the wagon. Motioning the other lad to his side, he made a mock bow to me, then sauntered away with his friend.

  I took a deep breath and quickly covered the pistol again.

  “Were those boys going to hurt us, Mother?” asked Sarah.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. I’m just glad they’re gone.”

  I started to say more, but was interrupted when Micah and another man emerged from the building. The man was tall and thin and wore his dark hair long and sported a full beard.

  “Maude,” Micah said as he approached the wagon. “This is my cousin, Levi. Levi, meet my wife, Maude, and our daughter, Sarah.”

  I smiled. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Levi.”

  “And you,” Levi answered. “We don’t have much, but you are welcome to stay. We’ll have to take your wagon to the livery. You can bargain with the stable master to board your animals.”

  As he spoke, a young woman emerged from the building. She was painfully thin and, to me, looked unwell.

  Levi turned as the woman approached. “This is my wife, Rebecca,” he said, making introductions.

  Rebecca smiled shyly. “Welcome to our home.”

  She started to approach our cart, but stopped, overcome by a fit of
coughing. I immediately jumped from the wagon and ran to her side.

  “There, there,” I said, putting my arm about her shoulders. “You should not be outside if you are ill.”

  I turned to Sarah, who was still sitting in the wagon. “Fetch me my herbs, Daughter, and look lively about it.”

  Sarah jumped into the back and pulled out a satchel in which I kept my healing remedies. She then ran to my side.

  “Thank you, Sarah. I’m going to take Rebecca inside and see if we can make her some tea that will help suppress that cough. You may stay with us or go with your father. Your choice.”

  “I’ll go with Papa.”

  “Is that all right with you, Micah?” I asked.

  My husband smiled and nodded. “Yes, Sarah can help me charm the stable master into keeping and feeding our animals for free! But first, she will help me unpack this wagon.”

  I tended to Rebecca, who I feared was quite ill. Her cough came from deep inside and, at times, the handkerchief she used was stained with blood. This worried me as she had two children – one, a boy of five and the other still a babe. I wondered how Levi would tend to them if his wife were called home to God, which I feared would happen in the not-too-distant future.

  Micah, Levi, and Sarah unpacked our wagon, then left for the livery stable. They returned on foot about an hour later. We ate a sparse meal of mutton broth and bread, then Levi and Rebecca, apologizing, laid out straw pallets for us to make our beds. I brewed some tea for Rebecca, praying she would have a good night’s sleep, then snuggled down on the pallets with my husband and child.

  When Sarah was sleeping soundly, I turned to Micah, who I knew still lay awake.

  “Husband,” I whispered. “I think we cannot stay here long. Rebecca is very ill with what I fear is consumption. I do not know what will happen to your cousin and his children once she is called to God. I worry that, should we tarry here, duty will force us to remain in New York and the fate of our Samuel will be decided and not for the better.”

  Micah rolled over to face me. “I’m thinking the same. Whilst I would not hesitate to help Levi should Rebecca be called to God, our duty is to our son and to save him if we can.”

  “But what shall we do?”

  “I have a plan. Today, at the livery, I chatted with several merchants who board their horses there. Apparently, the port here makes welcome ships captained by privateers. One such ship docked today and will be here until Sunday when it will make its way south to the islands in the Carib. One gentleman said that sometimes these ships take passengers for a fee.”

  “But, Husband, pirates? Would we be safe?”

  Micah sighed. “Pray there is honor among thieves, my love. Pray. Now, to sleep with you. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

  I nodded, rolled over, and closed my eyes.

  Pirates! I thought. What next? And, was that a tiny gleam of excitement I caught in my husband’s eyes? Could it be that he is looking forward to carousing with a band of buccaneers?

  I took a deep breath. My path through life had taken many twists and turns in the twenty-seven years I had walked on this earth, and, now, consorting with pirates seemed destined to be the next one.

  The following morning, Micah left early for the waterfront. He returned at noon, his face flushed with excitement.

  “My love,” he said. “I think I have found us passage to the Carolinas.”

  I nodded. “On a pirate ship?”

  Micah smiled. “Do not jump to conclusions, my Maude. Yes, the ship is commanded by a privateer. But I am assured that he is also a gentleman.”

  “But how can a pirate be a gentleman?”

  “Do you doubt me, my love? I have spoken with his first mate and he has agreed to introduce us to the Captain on the morrow. This is the fastest way to get to Samuel. If we go overland, it will take much, much longer and, possibly, be even more perilous. Also, the seaman said that the Captain might be willing to take me on as a deckhand during the six-day voyage. This would help belay the cost of our cabin and save us much-needed money.”

  Once again, as he spoke of being hired as a deckhand, I could see that glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. Could it be that my husband had once dreamed of taking to the high seas? Of embarking on a career as a buccaneer?

  “Maude, what say you?”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, Husband. As usual, you are right. We will go see this pirate captain on the morrow and, if he proves trustworthy, will purchase passage on his ship.”

  Micah nodded, smiled, and kissed me on the cheek. “Now, I must go to the stable and see to the livestock. I will also see if anyone there might be interested in purchasing our oxen, horse, and wagon. The coin we can use for our passage and to purchase a new cart once we get to the Carolinas.”

  The next day we left Sarah in Rebecca’s care, got our team and wagon from the stable, and proceeded to the waterfront to meet with the pirate captain.

  When we arrived at the port, we tied our wagon to a hitching post and continued on foot.

  “Stay close by my side, my love,” Micah warned. “These dock workers are a rough sort. It would not do to rouse their curiosity.”

  “Yes, Husband,” I replied, clutching his arm tightly.

  We walked until we came to a dock where a large vessel was moored. The ship, to me, was huge and I was shocked to see how many cannon it held.

  “Excuse me, sir,” Micah said to a man who was loading boxes onto the gangplank. “I’m looking for a vessel, the Adventure Galley, captained by Mr. William Kidd.”

  The man pursed his lips and gave Micah and me the once-over. “You mean, the pirate, William Kidd?”

  “Aye, that’s the man.”

  “And what business do you have with this so-called pirate?”

  “My wife and I are looking to book passage to the Carolinas and we have been told that he may accommodate such needs.”

  The man hesitated then sighed. “That’s the Adventure Galley over there,” he finally said. “Be careful. Kidd’s not a man to be trifled with.”

  “Aye, we will be. And, thank you, sir.”

  Micah said good day to the man then took my arm.

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked.

  “Yes, I am. It’s our best chance.”

  When we reached the ship, we stood for a moment watching the crew toiling away on deck. The vessel was larger than the one at the dock and I estimated it carried between thirty to forty cannons.

  “Okay,” said Micah. “It’s now or never. Are you with me, my Maude?”

  “Aye, always.”

  He squeezed my arm and, together, we walked up the gangplank.

  We had just set foot on the main deck when a man approached us.

  “What business do you have here, sir?”

  “We would like to speak to the Captain, kind sir. About passage to the Carolinas,” replied Micah.

  The man laughed. “Passage, you say? On the Adventure Galley?”

  “Yes, sir. I spoke with Mr. Deems, the First Mate yesterday. He informed me that you will be setting sail this Sunday for Jamaica. My wife, daughter, and I are traveling to Charles Town, South Carolina and time is of the essence. Thus, we were wondering if the Captain would allow us to purchase passage on the Adventure. We would not require much – just a room for my wife and child. I would, in addition, offer my services as a deckhand. I am familiar with ships, although none as large and stately as Captain Kidd’s. But I would be content to do whatever the Captain or First Mate should deem necessary – swabbing decks or whatever else you might require.”

  The crewman looked us over then nodded. “Stay here and don’t get in anyone’s way. I’ll find Mr. Deems.”

  The deckhand returned shortly with the ship’s First Mate.

  “Ah, Mr. Levine,” he said, offering his hand. “Still interested in sailing with us south to the Carolinas?”

  Micah shook the man’s hand, smiling. “Aye, if you and the Captain will have us. Let me introduce
you to my wife, Maude.”

  The First Mate grinned and, instead of shaking my hand, leaned over and planted a light kiss on the back of it.

  “A pleasure, mi’ lady,” he said. “Come with me, and I apologize if some of the language you hear from the crew isn’t fitting for a lady’s ears.”

  He escorted us below deck to where the Captain’s cabin was situated. I was surprised when I walked inside. The suite was lavishly furnished, more like a home than a room on a sailing ship.

  The Captain himself was also a surprise. He had a full face with a prominent nose. He was dressed like a wealthy businessman or nobleman, complete with wig. He spoke with a broad Scottish accent.

  “Your name, sir?” he asked.

  “Micah Levine, Captain. And, this is my wife, Maude. We also have a daughter of tender years, Sarah.”

  The Captain nodded. “And, you wish to purchase passage on the Adventure from New York to South Carolina?”

  “Yes, sir. We don’t need much, just a room for my wife and daughter. I will be happy to bunk wherever the Captain deems appropriate. I would also be willing to provide whatever service I can during the voyage.”

  “Have you ever been on a sailing vessel before, Mr. Levine?”

  “Aye, but not of this size.”

  Again, the Captain nodded. “Show me the color of your coin.”

  Micah reached into his pocket and pulled out a portion of what savings we had. I knew he wouldn’t offer all of it on the first go-round of bargaining.

  Counting the silver in Micah’s palm, the Captain laughed.

  Thus, the game began.

  After several offers and subsequent refusals, Micah put forth our entire savings.

  “That is not much, Mr. Levine, to purchase passage on a fine ship such as mine. However, I do have a cabin open and would much like to fill it on the voyage to Jamaica. You see, I am lacking a ship’s doctor and will not be able to hire on another until we reach the islands.”