by Diann Hunt
© 2004 Basket of Secrets by Diann Hunt
© 2004 A Whale of a Marriage by Diann Hunt
Print ISBN 978-1-61626-954-8
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-62029-418-5
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-62029-417-8
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scriptures are taken from the King James Version
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Cover image: Curlyson Photography
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in the United States of America.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Whale of a Marriage
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Basket of Secrets
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Author Bio
A WHALE OF
A MARRIAGE
Chapter 1
Mrs. Markle, times have changed. This is 1856, and women are allowed aboard whaling ship these days.” Adelaide Sanborn stuffed another bolt of material into the slot on the shelf. The playful banter amused Adelaide, though she knew all the while she wasted her breath on her dear friend.
“Adelaide, I know all about the changing times. Some women are sailing, true; but mind you, those few are married women. A whaling ship is no place for a single woman, and that’s the truth of it.” The boards beneath Ida Markle creaked in protest as she pushed her broom in short, determined strokes.
Just then a bell jangled atop the door of the only general store in Yorksville, Massachusetts. A customer stepped inside.
A salty gust of October wind swished through the room, causing the invoices on the counter to flutter. Ida’s husband, Caleb, quickly gathered the restless papers and placed them under a large scoop normally used to dish out candy from the nearby jar.
Paying no heed to the interruption, Ida continued. “Things are what they are; you can’t change them. And further, if you want my advice, Adelaide, you’d better settle down and have yourself a family. Forget that fool notion of going to sea.” A growing mound of sand lifted from cracks in the floor with every strong sweep of the older woman’s broom.
Adelaide let out a sigh. “I don’t want to have a family. Not yet. I have dreams.” She stopped stocking the shelf. Lost in thought, she stared at the bolt of cloth beneath her fingers.
Ida walked over, reached up, and rested her hand on Adelaide’s shoulder. “Of course it doesn’t hurt to dream, dear.” She paused a moment. Her voice softened. “You’ve worked so hard since your pa died.”
Adelaide placed another bolt of cloth on the shelf and faced Ida. The older woman patted Adelaide’s shoulder. “With no children to call our own, you are like a daughter to us, Adelaide. I pray you find your happiness someday.” Her gaze drifted toward the window with the ocean in plain view. “Mind you, I know the dangers of the sea, and well”—she pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her apron and wiped her nose—“I just want what’s best for you, that’s all.”
Adelaide reached her arms around Ida’s ample frame and gave her a tender squeeze. “I thank you for caring, Mrs. Markle. I’m sorry for carrying on so. You know I’ve always been too independent for my own good.”
Mrs. Markle let out a chuckle. “That you have, dear. That you have.” She patted her nose once more then stuffed the handkerchief back into her pocket. With a swish of her broom, she continued on her way across the floor.
Once Adelaide finished stacking the various bolts of material, she gathered a pile of oil pants into her arms then walked toward the bare shelving in the front of the store. Taking great care, she stacked the pants in organized rows.
No matter how hard she tried, Adelaide’s passion for the sea overcame her good sense most times. She knew that. She also knew she could not bear the thought of living a dreary life on land.
She supposed she should give up on the notion of sea life altogether, yet something deep inside compelled her forward. A stirring. A longing she couldn’t describe to anyone. After all, what woman would understand how Adelaide’s heart quickened with the arrival of a long-awaited whaling ship, or how stories of the crew’s adventures would fill her dreams and waking moments? Such ideas made most womenfolk squeamish.
With much regret, she resigned herself to the fact that there was little she could do about it. So each afternoon she stood outside the general store and watched the distant docks where families clustered to wave good-bye to the brave sailors. The big ships rolled out of the bay into the expanse of ocean that would be their home for months to come. Adelaide dreamed of being carried out to sea with them.
“Morning, Josiah,” Caleb Markle called to the customer.
Until that precise moment, Adelaide hadn’t noticed who had entered. She glanced up to see Josiah Buchanan, known around the village as the best of all whaling captains. She’d heard of his adventures at sea. Folks said year after year he brought in the biggest catches of the deep. Many times his ship carried sperm whale, the richest cargo a whaling ship could haul into port.
Adelaide went over to sort through the woolen shirts and catch a better look at him. His muscular frame towered, she guessed, slightly over six feet. She stole glances and noted his confident walk. She studied his profile. A strong, sturdy jaw suggested that most likely once he made up his mind, it would not be easily changed. She decided he had the appearance of a grand sea captain. Absently rubbing her hands along the thick wool and pushing aside all remembrances of proper etiquette, she continued to watch him.
The warmth from the potbellied stove caused her to slip into her usual daydream, the one that always carried her out to sea.
Josiah turned her way. He took off his cap. “Morning, ma’am.”
Adelaide snapped to attention and muttered a short greeting. She spun around to hide the color she felt rise up her cheeks. What would he think of her, gazing at him like a silly schoolgirl! The very idea! Not that it mattered. He didn’t know who she was and certainly would not care to find out.
“So you want to sail the seas, do you?” The strong voice was beside her now.
Adelaide glanced up with a start. Her breath stuck in her throat as she found herself looking into the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen. Powerful yet inviting, like the sea.
She could scarcely pull herself away.
“I …” She got no further, for the word lodged itself midway in her throat. Adelaide swallowed hard. Suddenly it seemed of the utmost importance for her to straighten imaginary wrinkles from her dark skirt. With some effort, she pulled in a long breath. “Very much,” she finally managed. She tried to speak the words lightly, but passion weighed them down.
“I told her the sea is no place for a woman. I’m sure you quite agree, isn’t that right, Captain Buchanan?”
From the reflection in the storefront window, Adelaide could see Ida had joined them, hands placed firmly on her hips, clearly waiting on Captain Buchanan to echo her beliefs.
Turning to them, Adelaide looked first to Josiah for his response. Her heart paused as she waited for him to speak. It should not concern her to know his position on the matter, yet somehow it did. Before she could think further, Josiah broke the silence.
His mouth split into a wide grin. He looked at Ida. “Seems to me if I’m going to engage in so lively a debate, I ought to at least be introduced to this lovely young lady.” He turned his smile toward Adelaide.
Ida pulled her hand to her mouth and covered a slight giggle. “Oh, my, of course.” She cleared her throat and seemed to pause for effect. With a sweep of her hands, she began, “Josiah Buchanan, I would like to introduce you to Adelaide Sanborn. Adelaide, Josiah.”
“It’s my pleasure to meet you … Mrs. Sanborn?”
“Oh my, no, she’s not married,” Ida said as she absently straightened a pile of mittens. “She’s about as easy a catch as a sperm whale.” Ida laughed heartily at her own comment until she spotted Adelaide’s expression. The old storekeeper feigned a cough and busied herself further with the mittens.
Adelaide thought she heard Caleb chuckle across the room. She stood speechless, wishing with all her might that the sea would break through the store and carry her away at that very moment. Before she could find her voice, Josiah came to her rescue.
His eyes held a smile. “Ah, a very worthy catch, indeed.” He winked at Adelaide as if they had a private joke between them then turned back to Ida. “Sperm whales, as you know, Mrs. Markle, are the hardest to catch, but the most worthwhile.”
“Yes, well—” A slight crimson crept up Ida’s neck, a sure sign she was flustered. Seemingly at a loss for words, she turned to join her husband.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the discussion, Adelaide couldn’t change the subject fast enough. “My pa served on a whaling ship.”
He raised a brow. “Not Elijah Sanborn?”
“You knew him?” Excitement filled her. Five years after his death, she still found herself longing to hear of her pa’s adventures.
“I knew him well. I served with him in my younger days.”
Adelaide couldn’t imagine how young Josiah must have been when he knew her pa. She studied him in an attempt to guess his age. Twenty-nine, thirty, perhaps.
“He kept the crew going with his laughter and music.” Josiah’s eyes took on the look of one remembering the past. He shook his head. “What a voice!”
Adelaide laughed and nodded. A comfortable pause followed. “I miss him still.”
“That must be why you love the sea, because you miss him?”
“That’s true, but it’s more than that.” A seabird swooped toward the storefront window, catching Adelaide’s attention, mocking her with its freedom. “Certainly his adventurous tales livened my childhood, but I’ve always been different than most girls. I’ve wanted to go to sea for as long as I can remember. To feel the adventure of a whale hunt, to see the sunset spill upon distant waters, to watch the glimmer of moonlight as it prances across midnight waves; that’s what I want.” She pulled her hand to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry to prattle on so.”
A tender smile lit his face. “Not at all. I understand completely.”
She looked away but felt his gaze linger on her. Though in her mind she had imagined sea captains as stern and unbendable, she sensed this man got along well with his crew.
They both turned back to peer through the window. The sun hung in noonday position. A brisk breeze churned the ocean, causing the sun’s rays to sparkle like scattered shards of glass across a base of blue. Gulls flew low over the docks. Though the store’s door was closed, the afternoon air squeezed through tiny cracks, releasing a fresh, salty scent into the room.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it,” he commented more than asked.
“Yes. There isn’t anything more beautiful.” A thought struck her. Perhaps he could find a way for her to travel the seas! If he stayed around long enough, she could prove to him her longing for the sea was more than a silly notion. She might convince him to help her, maybe even convince him to take her along.…
“I’ll be setting sail around the end of November,” he said, breaking through her thoughts.
Her building dreams stretched out of reach. Not much time to convince him of her seaworthiness. “You’ll be gone awhile?” she asked, trying not to show her disappointment.
“Eight to twelve months, perhaps. Maybe longer. Sometimes we don’t know until we get out there just where the whales will take us.”
Adelaide nodded. “I didn’t mean to pry—”
He shook his head. “It’s a logical question, really.”
“We’ll be praying for the Courage’s safe return,” she said.
Josiah cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I thank you for that. It’s nice to be remembered.” He stared at her for a moment. “Maybe I’ll see you at church on Sunday?”
Her heart quickened. Perhaps there was still time to gain his help. She nodded as enthusiastically as befit a proper young woman.
“Good. It was a pleasure, Miss Sanborn,” he said, emphasizing the “Miss.” With that, he turned and walked out the door, leaving Adelaide to stare after him.
The bell on the door jarred her back to reality. Looking out the window, Adelaide took a minute to calm herself. When she turned around, she found Ida Markle watching her.
“Are you all right, dear? You look a little flushed. You’re not coming down with a fever, are you?”
“I’m fine. Just a little … tired, I suppose.” Tired? How could she be tired when her heart pounded like that of a chased whale?
“No wonder, child. You’ve been working too hard. You didn’t need to help us today. You have enough work of your own with the mending you do for people.”
Adelaide nodded. “You know how I love to come here, Mrs. Markle.”
Ida sighed. “To be near the sea, no doubt,” she said with a tease in her voice.
“I’m fine, really.”
“You let me be the judge of that. You come sit over here.” Before Adelaide could protest further, Ida Markle appointed herself head nurse, promptly placing tea and crackers before the ailing patient.
The store was quiet as Ida pulled up a chair beside Adelaide. “He is quite a man, isn’t he?” Ida asked with indifference as she stirred her own tea.
“Hmm?”
“Mr. Buchanan. He’s quite the captain, they say.”
“Oh yes. So I’ve heard.” Adelaide sipped her tea, her thoughts tossing about like a battered ship on a restless sea.
“He was married once.”
Adelaide’s ears perked up.
“Catherine was her name. She kept to herself. Came into the store once in a while. Not a very friendly sort.” Ida shrugged. “Before he left for the sea, she moved away. They hadn’t been married long. He later got word that she died. No one ever said how she died. Must have been the plague or some such thing. Now he stays on the seas, hardly ever coming home. Folks say he loved her something fierce.” Ida tapped her spoon on the rim of her cup then took a slight swallow.
Adelaide wondered what kind of woman could capture the heart of a sea captain. Before she could come to a conclusion, her thoughts drifted back to how she might convince Josiah Buchanan to help make her dreams come true.…
Chapter 2
> Josiah dropped his other boot to the floor. What had gotten into him to tell Adelaide he would see her on Sunday? He had given up on church and friendships long ago.
There was a time when he believed the best in people, that churchgoing folks really cared, but Catherine changed all that. She used him. Took his love and threw it aside once she realized it didn’t have lots of money attached to it. He had made a good living but obviously not enough according to Catherine.
If only he hadn’t taken her to Yorksville, maybe things would have been different. She had grown up in Bayview, Massachusetts. Her ma still lived there, but Catherine had wanted to move to Yorksville to be near a friend. No sooner had Josiah and Catherine arrived than the friend and her husband moved out west.
Josiah paced restlessly across his bedroom, the memories battering him like a nor’easter. Catherine had delighted in the cruel words she’d flung at him when she told him she was leaving. Even as he’d chased the elusive whale, the sea’s siren song failed to silence her hurtful words. She had never loved him. His eyes burned. He rubbed them as if to wipe away the memories.
The next thing he knew, he received a letter saying she had died. Before he could blink, it was over, as if it had never happened. Like the fact that she stole his heart was just a dream—or a nightmare. His fingers massaged his temples as he sat on the edge of the bed.
Josiah put on his nightclothes, climbed into bed, and stared into the darkness. In all his pain, it seemed no one had cared. At church, instead of showing compassion, folks had whispered. Some walked by without a word. Passed judgment on him, no doubt. He decided then and there that since the church folks didn’t care, God must not care either. He figured he’d just have to make it through life on his own.
Still, he couldn’t deny the lonely ache in his heart. Was it for the love he lost with Catherine or something else?
An unseasonably balmy sun warmed Josiah’s back as he climbed from the carriage. Each step felt like he had an anchor chained to his ankle as he made his way to the church. He didn’t want to be there, but being a man of his word, he had to go.
