Dark Shadows (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Isaac stood sombre and at a distance to witness Julia saying goodbye to Mercy. He couldn’t begin to imagine what terror they had experienced together and what memories would haunt them to their graves. He saw no terror or fear now, just an outpouring of sadness coming from Mercy, the sweetest, most beautiful woman he had ever beheld – a woman he could easily fall in love with.

He thought, watching the women, that just as their two worlds had collided, those same two worlds would now separate. Julia, with her aristocratic family, would erect an impenetrable barrier against the common, poor, and desolate young Mercy Carver, who had, by all accounts, protected her friend like a bear with her cub. It was a sad situation, and it was unfair as well. But in caste, Mercy was as low on society’s ladder as a slave on the streets of Portsmouth, Virginia.

Mercy finally turned with head held high and the dignified poise of the finest of ladies. She looked at Julia once more and smiled before disappearing below decks.

Isaac went to Julia. “Everything is in order, Miss Julia. Don’t you worry about a thing. Those two men beside that carriage on the jetty are from the Liverpool police station. They’re coppers. They will escort you all the way to London and right to your family’s door. A telegram has been dispatched to your father, so you needn’t fret. They’ll be expecting you.”

“These two men – are they good men? Will I be safe with them?” Julia asked.

“Yes, miss. They are highly respected police officers. They have letters of credentials to prove who they are. I interviewed them myself. They’re going to protect you. No one else will ever harm you again, Miss Julia. The entire Liverpool police force is out looking for Madame du Pont. She’ll be caught; don’t you worry about that. I swear you’re in safe hands now.”

Julia looked at the hatch that led to the stateroom where Mercy would be sitting, alone and scared. She so wished she could take Mercy with her, but her father and mother would never allow her to associate with the likes of Mercy. And Charles wouldn’t like her at all, and she so wanted to marry him. “I’m ready to leave, thank you,” she told Isaac.

Mercy sobbed silently on top of the bedcovers and tried to imagine all that was to come. She had stupidly turned down money and lodgings, which could have led her to employment of some sort. After learning to talk more like a lady and how to walk with grace at Madame du Pont’s, she believed she could possibly get a position in a large well-to-do house, but she had no references or notes of recommendation. She could try the lodging houses and work in one of them, cleaning or cooking. The owners might even give her a bed to sleep in. She was sure there would be many such lodging houses in Liverpool with a port bigger than the Elephant and Castle. She vehemently shook her head. Only as a last resort would she go into a workhouse – only if all else failed.

She looked around the cabin. If only she could remain here forever. She felt safe, warm, and unafraid for the first time in weeks. She had nothing but the dress on her back, bought for her early this morning. She still had a bit of a headache, but that would go eventually. As for the stitching on the wound – well, she would just have to cut them out herself at some point.

Her biggest problem, she imagined, would be to procure a safe place to sleep on streets filled with strangers, some from foreign lands. There would be thieves and men who would violate her in a second if they saw her alone and vulnerable. She could be sold into servitude and whisked off to Australia. Her journey would be fraught with dangers, and she dreaded the very thought of this new life of hers. This led her to think of home once again and her choice never to go back there. Big Joe came to mind, and all thoughts of home were banished as quickly as they had come. Anything would be better than a life with him, even death.

She would leave soon, for she would prefer not see Jacob Stone again. He had awakened something in her heart which had never been present before. She couldn’t say exactly what these feelings were, but when she’d gazed into his eyes, she’d bathed luxuriously in their kindness. She wanted to repeat the moments she’d spent with him. That’s all they’d been, fleeting moments, but they had been the most wonderful ones of her life.

She got up from the bed reluctant but determined. She picked up a black woollen shawl, also a gift, and wrapped it around her shoulders. There was no point in sitting here alone any longer.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jacob walked as fast as he could along the jetty from the
Carrabelle
to the
Christina
, trying not to appear like a man in hurry or a thief on the run. He had purpose of foot and a mission that had to succeed, yet at the same time, he was also asking himself about the validity and long-term ramifications of the proposal given life by Belle and Hendry’s surprising request.

As he stepped on board the
Christina
, he ignored the movements of the crew and the coming and going of their belongings. Some of the ship’s crew were changing over. Some had been on the European route for too long and were eager to return home to Virginia, whilst others in Hendry’s crew were European and did not wish to cross the Atlantic. As he walked across the crowded deck, he noticed that, as always, some crew members were there because it was a social occasion.

Jacob usually enjoyed this time of the day. He had introduced a custom whereby every member of both crews received a tot of rum, which was dispensed by the quartermaster. Usually, he used this time to speak to the crews, hear any complaints, and listen to new operational suggestions from the more experienced crew members.

He didn’t have time for niceties today. He ignored their greetings and waved away their questions. He made his way straight to the stateroom in order to find Mercy and put the proposition to her. He repeated the words in his head, making sure that she would not be scared or able to turn him down.

He knocked on his stateroom door and waited. There was still no answer after his second attempt. He opened the door cautiously, calling out Mercy’s name as he did so.

The stateroom was empty, and all signs of previous occupation had gone. The bed had been neatly made up, the cabin was clean, and the only evidence of Mercy Carver and her young companion was the lingering smell of feminine, flowery lavender.

“Damn it,” he voiced aloud. He’d missed her. She’d left earlier than he’d anticipated – and without a goodbye. She might have gone with Julia, but he doubted that. She might have simply slipped off the ship without anyone noticing, but he also doubted that.

He took to the ladder attached to the passageway’s bulkhead, climbed up it two steps at a time, and reached the deck. Once there, he called loudly for silence in an unaccustomed sharp tone. “Did any of you see the women leave the ship?” he asked all present.

“Yes, sir, Mr Stone!” a voice from the crowded deck shouted back. “The young ’un left first with the doc, and the other left not ten minutes ago.”

“Come closer, man,” Jacob ordered. “Did the young lady leave alone?”

“Yes, sir,” the crew member told him. “She just upped and went and never looked back or at anyone on her way off. She stood on the jetty, kinda thoughtful like, but I didn’t see which way she went.”

“Come with me, Carson. I’ve got a job for you.”

“Yes, sir. At your service as always, sir.”

Jacob walked down the gangplank with Carson at his heels. His heart was thumping. He was unwilling to lose Mercy now. “Listen up. We’re going to find her. You take the jetty’s right and walk it as far as it goes. I’ll take the left end and head to the port gates. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir. If she’s still in the area, we’ll find her. Doubt she’ll have gotten as far as the gates yet. She didn’t look to be in no hurry to me.”

“Do you recall how she looks and what she was wearing? It’s important that you do and can spot her in the crowds down there.”

“Oh, I remember her all right. I could never forget a face like that – begging your pardon, sir.”

Jacob nodded, giving the man a cold stare, and then gave one more order. “If you find her, Carson, for God’s sake don’t scare her off. Her name is Miss Mercy Carver. Tell her Jacob Stone would like permission to speak with her on an urgent matter. Speak gently and make sure you get her back onto the
Christina
. You make damn sure she doesn’t get away from you. Am I clear?”

After the man nodded, Jacob turned and began his search. The main thoroughfare led to the port gates and was a long straight road if one didn’t take a fancy to the many shortcuts along the way. Not knowing the port, he doubted Mercy would head for unknown territory like small often-dangerous lanes and narrow streets filled with runners and cargo holds. No, Mercy would be clever enough to realise that she’d be safer if she walked to the gates by the most public route, and that’s what his gut told him to do.

He passed a multitude of people boarding ships. Mid-afternoon was the busiest time of the day, for this was when most ships began their boarding procedures. He knew the system well. Very few ships left in the morning, preferring to set sail at nightfall, just as he did. There was no plausible explanation for this where he was concerned, because the
Carrabelle
and
Christina
held only cargo. But when passenger ships left in the late evening, it allowed the crew to concentrate on their jobs instead of spending the first few hours at sea working hard with the added weight of bothersome travellers and screaming children running around their ankles.

Night sailing ensured that most passengers, by now exhausted with long days of waiting to board, went straight to their allotted bunks and slept the night through, waking up to the sight of an endless ocean of water. Passengers were discouraged from roaming around the decks, day or night, and were given just an hour or so a day to inhale fresh air into their lungs before being urged to go back down below.

Jacob was tall, and that gave him an advantage, for he could look over the heads of most men, thus having a better chance of spotting Mercy even from a distance. He walked on, head moving and eyes focusing left to right. He even turned around to look backwards and double-checked that he’d not missed her slight form in the crowds. He finally saw her, and his heart and stomach lurched, leaving him breathless.

She was walking slowly, pushing against people going in the opposite direction. Every now and again, she stopped to gaze lovingly at the ships. He could see her wide eyes filled with longing and sadness. Mercy’s overall demeanour was what he could only describe as hopeless. She had no spring in her step and was not really concentrating on where she was walking either. He could only imagine the thoughts spinning in her head. She was alone, a vulnerable woman without funds or hope.

She was, as he’d thought, heading for the port gates and ultimately the city. He wondered if she knew what a snake-infested pit it was. It could swallow a lone woman whole, and no one would care or notice. Bodies were found stabbed, shot, or beaten to a pulp every day. There were many good people around, but there were also those of the same ilk as the two men who had tried to kill a bunch of women in the du Pont mansion.

Jacob quickened his pace. He’d met her for a reason. He’d saved her for a reason. Now she was in his life. No matter what was in his future, she was supposed to be in his present.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Mercy walked on and then turned around in a full circle just to make sure she wasn’t being followed. She saw no one she recognised and walked on again, this time manoeuvring in a zigzagging pattern to the left, where the ugly grey buildings stood, blackened by steam, coal, and smoke from remnants of small fires lit by travellers. In her mind, being close to walls would give her more security.

She looked up to the very top of the buildings and saw that most were flat-roofed. She brought her eyes down to focus on the wide doors, some shut, some open. From where she stood, she could easily make out what was inside these great shells. They had three walls, but the doors were so wide at the front that they took up almost the entire frontage, without brick or mortar being required. Inside the great open-spaced buildings were crates and equipment coming and going to foreign lands. She suddenly wished she could find refuge inside a crate, fall asleep, and wake up on the other side of the world.

Tucked between two of these buildings was a small bakery. She stopped to look through the glass window, seeing bread, sweetmeats, and pastries on shelves, three high. Her fear of being found by Madame du Pont or her henchmen, Eddie and Sam, was not her only concern. Having no money to buy food and no safe place to sleep were more fearsome and much bigger problems. She had no purse with shillings or farthings. She had the clothes on her back, which would begin to smell and darken with mud and dirt within days. She could bear the cold and probably find a discarded crate on the roadside to sleep in for a night or two. But she would have to beg for water and food, and that was the most terrifying thought of all. She had always been poor and had gone without food for a day or two, but she had never had to beg for anything in her life.

She cursed her foolish pride. Had she taken some funds from Jacob Stone, that kind, wonderful man, she would have avoided these added worries. She should have taken enough to get her safely on a train, which would have taken her out of harm’s way and allowed her to start afresh somewhere else.

Her name rang out loud and clear. She recognised the voice. She turned from the window and saw Jacob Stone, the American, now standing inches from her.

They were forcibly pushed together by the crowd. The noise in the port was deafening. Bags, babies, sacks of clothes, heavy boxes, and even pots and pans rattling made it impossible to hear what Jacob was saying.

Mercy stared open-mouthed and felt a rush of pure joy coursing through her body. She was practically in his arms, unable to take a step backwards or sideways, and she could hardly contain her happiness.

Jacob held her elbow, and she allowed him to guide her inside the small bakery. A queue of people stretched from the counter and snaked all the way outside into the street. Jacob walked past the counter, still holding on to her elbow, and took her to a curtained-off area. Behind the curtain were tables and chairs filled with those who could afford an afternoon tea in luxury. Jacob found them a small table for two, which sat against a far wall.

Mercy looked into his sparkling kind eyes and felt her belly flutter as it had this morning when she first met him. He was smiling. He was clearly happy to see her too.

Jacob allowed Mercy to order tea and cake before he spoke. This also gave him time to rehearse the words he wanted to use lest he come out with a load of incoherent drivel. He looked into her nervous and enquiring eyes and waited until she was comfortable before he spoke. “I’m sure glad I found you in time, Miss Mercy. I thought I was too late.”

“I don’t understand. Too late for what? Have I done something wrong?”

“No, ma’am, you’ve done nothing wrong,” he told her. “You may be an answer to a prayer – not mine. That would be my sister-in-law’s prayer. You see … Well, what I wanted to say—”

Tea arrived. Jacob was grateful for the distraction. He was making a complete ass of things, whereas usually he had no problem articulating his words. Mercy had a strange effect on him. He was grappling with words and looking into her beautiful emerald eyes at the same time. They were disconcerting and left him fumbling.

“I was disappointed when I got back to the
Christina
and you’d already left. I thought I’d never see you again, and that would have been a tragedy. You see, I specifically went back to search you out and to speak to you. I want to offer you employment.”

Mercy opened her mouth to speak, but Jacob silenced her. “No. Wait, please, Miss Mercy. Before you say anything, let me finish. I don’t want you to be afraid or think ill of my intentions. I just need you to listen to my proposal before you give me an answer. I promise you I’ll answer any questions you might have and put your mind at ease if you’ll just hear me out. Will you allow me to do that?”

Mercy nodded but nervously bit her lip.

Jacob cleared his throat. He unintentionally forked his fingers through his hair before taking in and then exhaling a long, deep breath.

“I’ve just met up with my brother, Hendry, and his wife, Belle. They’re presently on our other ship. The ship is called the
Carrabelle
, and it will leave for Virginia with us on board tomorrow night.”

“Yes?” Mercy had to say, now impatient with curiosity and hope. She had relaxed her body as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. She had been worried that he had found out what she’d done and had come to hand her over to the coppers.

“Belle is with child and has only four months left until she comes to term. She and Hendry have lived on the sea, but of course, this changes everything. They now find themselves having to give up the ship to go home with me. She asked me just an hour ago to find a young lady who could keep company with her on the voyage. She’s going to be spending a lot of time in her cabin. If you knew Belle, you’d agree that she’s a woman who doesn’t take kindly to being cooped up like a chicken. Miss Mercy, it would mean the world to her if she had a female companion – not a servant; you shouldn’t think that at all. She needs someone to talk to, play rummy with, or just to stroll on deck with occasionally. My brother’s afraid for her health.”

“She’s a woman working on a ship?” Mercy questioned, still unable to comprehend anything else he was saying.

“Yes. It’s rare, I know, and her family are not best pleased. But Belle and Hendry love each other and won’t be parted. Forgive me, but I told her about your situation, that you might be happy to have this opportunity. I know I’m asking you to leave your country and go to an unknown land, but you would be doing my family a great honour and you would be well taken care of. So what do you say?”

Mercy realised that her mouth was open. She snapped it shut and repeated his words in her mind. She could scarcely believe Jacob’s offer, yet he had made it abundantly clear. This wonderful, kind man was asking her to go to America and leave England behind. He was offering her the chance to get rid of every rotten memory and more – the pain suffered in her short life. She would have employment, funds, and dignity, which were things even her grandparents had withheld from her. A new life, she kept thinking; a new world, with Jacob Stone in it!

Again tears threatened to spill over her lashes. The thought of remaining in Liverpool had been a necessary but rotten proposition. Now the very idea of it was abhorrent to her. Five minutes ago, she had walked the road with a heavy heart, dreading the moment she would pass through the gates and onto strange and dangerous Liverpool streets. Jacob Stone had come and cast aside her despair. He had replaced it with hope and a future that sounded better than anything she could ever imagine here in England.

Mercy was just about to say yes, but then a troubling thought struck her. “Mr Stone – Jacob. I like the sound of your proposal very much, for I really don’t want to remain in this city. I’m scared, if truth be told. I have nothing and no one. I’ll be very honest with you: I see no hope for my situation. But what will happen to me when your sister-in-law no longer needs me? Surely she has family, sisters, a mother, and friends who will keep her company. What will I do? Will I be cast out onto the streets in a foreign land?”

Jacob shook his head in horror. “That will never be the case. We look after our own. You’ll have funds and freedom. You’ll never be left to wander any street alone, not while I draw breath.”

Jacob said nothing more. Instead, he watched her mind at work and waited for her to speak again. Mercy had to ask her questions, more questions, he deduced by her transparent expression. She had to be sure and content with her decision. He would hate himself if he was responsible for any future unhappiness or doubts that might plague her already tattered life.

Mercy finally looked up at him. He gazed at her with a candid expression as though he could read her mind. It unnerved her. He was the only person she’d ever known who had the ability to really
see
her through a facade she’d been building around her for years. She said, “You say you own a plantation. Is it like a farm? I’ve never been on a farm. I’ve never seen the countryside or smelled fresh, clean air or seen a sky without a smoggy haze. But I’m a quick learner. I could work on your farm when your sister-in-law no longer needs me, couldn’t I?”

Jacob smiled. “You needn’t worry about that. I have a
farm
, as you call it. In Virginia, my farm is called a plantation. I’m a planter. It’s full to the brim with workers. I have so many that I hardly know what to do with them all at times.” 

He grew serious when he next spoke. “This must be scaring you. I’m asking you to step into the unknown, into a new world. But you will have a bright future, I promise you. My family will be in your debt, and we’ll always look after you. I give you my word as a Southern gentleman. You will
never
have to worry about being without funds or dread seeing Madame du Pont or whatever that despicable creature’s name was ever again. Say yes – if not for me, for Belle.”

Mercy’s heart was pounding, yet it felt as light as a feather. She had never felt such happiness or so blessed. She smiled, and her face lit up. “Yes. Yes, Jacob, I accept your offer. It would be an honour to keep your sister-in-law company. I won’t let you down, not one little bit.”