Carried Home (7 page)

 

It will be a miracle if we escape this alive
, thought Adam as he gave a warning knock on the lady's door. Her muffled whimper sounded in reply, so he opened the door and let himself in. A wave of water followed him, saturating the deck of the cabin. Lady Shaw and the child were huddled on the bed, obediently tied to the bed post. Her vibrantly orange hair reminded him of someone else he had known years ago. Against his will, a smile curved his lips at the thought of the home he rarely missed.

A crack of thunder reverberated overhead, sending an icy shiver down Adam's spine and shaking the thought from his head. Although he was below decks, relatively dry and away from the drama, he could still sense everything going on above, and he felt all the more like a deserter.

He knew Captain Thompson had been able to observe his cowardice with one look. And a coward he was, through and through. Still, he could not erase the image of James's face from his mind.

“What is going on, Mr. Douglas? Is everything all right? We heard an absolutely dreadful noise a few moments ago. Is anyone hurt?”

Adam struggled to maintain his balance on the teetering deck. Finally, he sat down on a small, wooden chair. “Well, a few men have been injured, but I don't believe it was anything life-threatening.” He sighed. They were lucky for that, at least. “The ship, on the other hand, has taken far too many blows. I don't want to frighten you, but some men are pumping water out of the hold, and we have lost the mizzenmast.”

Lady Shaw's face tightened. “What is the mizzenmast, Mr. Douglas?”

“It is the second tallest mast on the ship. We need it to be able to sail anywhere successfully.”

“Oh, my!”

“Yes, but hopefully Captain Thompson knows what he is doing. I have never sailed under his name before, but I hear he was trained by the best.” Adam ran his fingers through his hair. He could not stop his hand from shaking.
Goodness, when would he ever get over his irrational fear? They were not going to lose another man in this storm. Besides, being down here, he would not witness anything that might happen. Yet why did he still worry?

“Are you all right, sir?”

The lady must have noticed.

“Yes, milady…I am fine. I…I should be going now. I am sure the men need me up there. I will see to it that Captain Thompson sends someone down here to keep you informed. Stay safe, milady.”

****

Ivy stared at the door Mr. Douglas shut behind him. The second he had opened it, water had gushed in, soaking the floorboards. A loud crash sounded from above now, making Ivy cringe. Was she imagining, or did she hear a man's agonized scream follow it? An icy shiver raced down her spine. Emma whimpered, and babbled something Ivy could not quite understand. The child had spoken a limited vocabulary for her age, causing Ivy to fear her poor first few years of life had taken the words away from her. Ivy rocked the poor child. What good had she done, taking in this little baby to supposedly save her, when now she was in danger of sinking to the ocean floor.

Now she had brought the poor darling on a treacherous ship to sail her to her doom.
Please, God, please let us be safe. Please don't let us drown. For little Emma's sake, if nothing else.

Thunder rumbled as lightning cracked across the sky in response, almost directly on top of each other. Would it ever stop? Surely they had been in this tempest for hours upon hours. She had never experienced a hurricane before, only heard about them in wild tales retold by the sailing merchantmen who attended her church.

Church. Oh, how she missed church. So many friends and loved ones back home probably missed her as much as she did them. Now she may never hear their voices again, at least until they were all reunited in heaven.

The ship dipped violently to the side, and then the tossing stopped for a moment. Thunder crashed again, and they wobbled on a wave, but it seemed more subdued than the last few. Exhaustion weighed down Ivy's eyelids, until she finally gave in to the heaviness. Her head nodded against her chest. Tortured dreams kept her in a restless slumber.

Someone pounded on her door. Ivy jerked awake. “Yes?” The gentle rolling of the sea beneath her caused her to nod off in sleep once again, if only for a moment.

A man's voice woke her again. “May I come in, miss? I trust you are all right?”

Ivy blinked rapidly and moved to sit up. Oh. She couldn't. She was bound to the bedpost. Panic swept through her to wake up so immobilized, but after a moment her memories returned. The hurricane. The terrifying noises. Being tied to the bedpost for her safety.

“Yes, sir…please do enter.”

The door opened and Captain Thompson strode in, water dripping off his coat in rivulets.

A charming grin lit his handsome face.

What was going on? Hopefully something pleasant, guessing by the expression of mirth on his face. Then again, the man always seemed to have a smile on his face so that might not be the best expression by which to judge his feelings. Finally, he spoke, his grin never wavering. “Were you sleeping, milady?”

That was not exactly what she had expected him to say. Her face flushed and she suddenly felt self-conscious of her still-sleepy eyes. Was her hair mussed? She raised a hand to fix it, but found her arms still bound. A groan escaped her throat. Emma's weight pressed against her chest. “Yes, I'm afraid I did nod off, sir.” She noticed how calm the ship felt. No pitching back and forth, no thunder, no lightning, no constantly pounding rain or sailor's boots above her. “Will you please free me, Captain? Mr. Douglas took my knife away, and it is absolutely dreadful to be chained up like this.”

He winked at her. “Why, of course, milady, I will rescue the fair maiden.” The man pulled a knife from his pocket and, in a flash, slashed the ropes that bound her. Ivy sighed and rolled her shoulders. Emma stirred, but still slept, which Ivy was grateful for. She loved the girl, but was not really in the mood to handle a fit from her.

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. Now, will you please tell me why you are here?” Ivy shoved the loose bits of hair that dangled around her neck back into her bun. She blushed when she realized how out of order she must appear in front of this pirate.

He bowed low before her and took her hand in his, kissing it as he did so. Her heart fluttered. What on earth was he doing?

“I just came here to inform you that we are free from the storm, miss. I hope you and the babe are well?” He raised an eyebrow at Emma, who fidgeted around in Ivy's arms. The child whined. She was waking. Suddenly Ivy's arms felt quite weak from holding the little one for so long. After a moment, she shifted Emma around and patted her on the back.

“Yes, sir, we are well. But how fares your crew? I heard so many men cry out, and the storm became so violent…Is everyone all right?” Ivy could not stop herself from wringing her hands together in fright of his anticipated answer.

“Well, miss, some men were injured doing various duties, but none are in serious condition, the surgeon says. We should be all right. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my ship.”

Ivy's eyebrows knitted together in a frown. What was wrong with the ship? Were they going to sink now, after all they had endured? Surely that would not be fair. “What, Captain Thompson?”

He flung his hands together behind his back. “I'm afraid the storm really did not agree with her. We lost the mizzenmast, and then to top that off, some of our sails are ruined. There is also a fair amount of damage to our hull. Without the proper care, we could easily sink.”

Ivy gasped. “What are you going to do about it, sir? That sounds terrible.”

“We will have to stop somewhere and repair her. I know of an inlet not far from where we are, and we can get there safely to careen her to make the necessary repairs.”

Ivy's heart seemed to sink to the bottom of the ocean. That meant even more time before she saw William. Too long. “How long would it take you to…to careen the ship, Captain? Surely it would not take too much time.”

“It would probably take us seven days to successfully repair the ship to make her ready to sail you home. Milady, it would not be safe to take any less time.”

No. No, no, no!

“Are you sure it will take so long? I…I understand you need to fix your ship, but do you think your crew could work a little faster? I need to get to William as quickly as is possible.”

“I apologize, miss. There is nothing else I can do to speed the process or avoid it entirely. I will ask the men to work as quickly as possible, and we may be able to cut back one day, perhaps two. But other than that, we need to make sure this ship is safe. There is no way I am sailing you all the way to the Carolinas in a ship that might sink at any moment. Besides, if we sail into any enemy territory by chance or if we would happen to get caught by any pirates, we cannot be sailing a ship that is deteriorating. There would be no way to outrun or outperform them if we left the ship in this condition. I could not keep you and Emma safe.”

Fire flashed through Ivy. “What about William's safety?” Her voice cracked. She held back a sob. It would be too unladylike to cry in front of a man for no valid reason, especially a pirate. She sucked in a deep breath, but guilt and shame swept through her in a fresh wave of tears. Emma was just as important as William.

Captain Thompson seemed to notice her state anyway, and concern and pity softened his gaze.
“I am sorry, miss. There's no other way I know.”

“Well, then you aren't so intelligent then, are you, sir?” Ivy snapped.

****

Gage frowned at the woman's statement. She had always seemed like a polite, well-spoken lady, but right now she was acting a vixen. Why must she hate him for maintaining her safety? He had done nothing wrong.

He glanced at the little girl in her arms, who was staring up at him. Her eyes, the color of the Caribbean Sea, were absolutely gorgeous. With her looks and sweet nature, this girl would probably have little boys fawning over her in a number of years.

The babe's chin suddenly wobbled, and then her loud cry rent the air as she stretched her chubby little arms out towards him. Gage leaned forward. “Can I hold her, miss?”

She nodded tersely.

He wrapped his arms around the tyke, and his arm brushed against the woman. His breath halted for a second. Her eyes met his. There was no longer anger or pain in them. Instead, he saw wonder and curiosity and something else there. A little gasp escaped her pink lips, drawing Gage's eyes to them. Oh, but she was a pretty little thing.

Gage leaned forward an inch more, but Emma launched herself between their faces. He leaned backward to balance her weight in his arms, and the moment between him and the lady ended. He sighed a long breath. Lady Shaw rubbed her hands against her cheeks, which were now a dark shade of pink.

Blast, was she an attractive woman. And he would have none of her. She was a proper young lady and he a pirate. Although everything had ended well for Eden and Caspian, a stowaway and Gage's former captain, things were not guaranteed in any sense with Gage and a refined aristocrat. He had no right getting himself involved with her. No right at all.

Emma bounced herself in his arms. She played with the curls around his neck and giggled as she scratched her cheek against his stubbly jaw. Gage leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. What would it be like to have a little girl of his own?

Children had always gotten along well with him.

He had always adored children.

This little one was so loving and defenseless. Gage felt a need to care for her as if she were his own. He glanced over at Lady Shaw.
Their own.
From what he had seen, the lady felt a much similar bond to the baby as he did.

But he had no prospects at finding a wife anytime soon, so there was no reason to hope or wish such a thing that would take Emma from Ivy. He had to get his head out of the clouds before he got his hopes crushed.

Emma bounced up and down in his arms. Gage beamed and bounced her harder, throwing her up into the air but keeping a good grip on her so she didn't plummet to the deck. Ivy rose and moved closer to him.

“Now, that is enough excitement for her. She was awake for so long during the storm that she really should be taking a nap now, Captain.” The lady stood with her hands on her slender hips.

“Nay, milady. If she is tired, she will be tired. Right now she seems excited. Let her have some fun. Heaven knows, she has not had enough during her short life.”

Lady Shaw crossed her arms across her chest but made no further objections. Instead, she stood and observed him and the baby.

He felt bad for the woman; he truly did. It seemed as if every turn of events conspired to keep her in the Caribbean and never let her return to London. There was nothing he could do, though. The ship needed to be careened for a safe voyage. In fact, he was a bit worried about their ability to even safely make it to the inlet in the island he knew. In these waters, they faced the threat of pirates popping up at any moment without notice. His heart sickened at the thought of those animals getting a hold of Lady Shaw or Emma.

Emma rested her head on Gage's shoulder and he held the baby tighter in his arms at the thought, and peeked at the lady. She was staring straight ahead, but when he made eye contact with her she did not seem to notice.

He rocked the little girl in his arms. Really, he needed to make these ladies' time at sea more enjoyable. Maybe he should invite Lady Shaw to dinner with him this evening before they made land. He could invite his crew, as well, and they could develop some more respect for him as a captain if they knew him better. Yes, that might be a good choice.

Suddenly, the woman sniffled. He leaned in to get a better look. Her eyes were red and a sheen of wetness covered her pale cheeks. She was crying.

“Oh, no, miss, no. Lady Shaw, please don't cry. Shhh, please.” He rocked Emma in his arms and walked towards Lady Shaw, who had sunk back down onto the cot, her face in her hands.

“Please, Lady Shaw, everything's all right. There's no need to cry.”

She let out an even louder sob.

He sank down onto the cot next to her.

What else was he to do? He released Emma from his arms and rested her between them before wrapping his arms around Lady Shaw. At first she pulled away, but he held tight, and after a moment she fell against his chest with a light sigh. She continued to cry, and Gage realized there was no point in begging her to stop. He was not certain she could.

Instead, Gage patted her on the back and ran a hand through her tangled copper hair. Some pins fell loose onto the coverlet. She twined her arms around his waist and moaned. After a few minutes, the sobs slowed. Gage felt it was safe to talk, hopefully without triggering another river of tears. “Lady Shaw, what is wrong? Are you really that upset about your little brother?”

She sucked in a deep breath. “It-it is that, Captain, but not only that. I mean, I am so worried about him, and I fear I will not return in time to save him from some terrible tragedy. I know my fears sound irrational. However, I have these terrible nightmares about my poor little William. It seems like everything that happens prevents me from returning to him. It's almost like…God doesn't care if I get back to my baby brother. First, we could not find Eden, and when we finally did find her, Captain Emery told me he would have to careen
his
ship. I thought I would never get back in time, but then you offered to help me. Then, I found out about your sister and the extra trip we would need to make before I got home. And now, this storm, which made me doubt I would
ever
see William again in this life.” The woman let out another sob, but composed herself after a moment. “And yet another obstacle gets in my way because we have to stop to fix the boat.”

Gage cringed at her repeated use of the word
boat.
He owned a ship, thank you very much. But nonetheless, he understood Lady Shaw. He feared for his little sister's safety each and every day, and he would until he saw her safely under his own care.

“Miss, I can assure you God
does
care about your worries, and the safety of your baby brother. But you know something else? He instructs us not to worry about those matters. He wants you to trust in Him when you fear the worst and be confident in his care for William. That is all I can tell you, miss.”

She looked up for a moment and a frown creased her forehead. Finally, she shrugged and untangled herself from him. “I suppose you are correct, sir.” She brushed dust off her skirt. “I understand what you are staying, but I am afraid I will still struggle with my fears every day until I see William again.”