HF - 01 - Caribee (46 page)

‘
You no longer favour the King?
’

‘I’l
l hear no talk against him, if that is what you mean. There is enough of that already in England But he arrogates for himself rights and authorities not even claimed by her late majesty, God bless her. We'll not talk of Charles Stuart, Edward. We will but thank God we are so far removed from Whitehall.'

'And my lord of Carlisle's tax collectors?'

'Will be back, and will be paid. I but secured us a stay on the grounds of changing from tobacco to cane. Capital expansion, you'll understand, which will hardly involve a profit for a year or two.'

'But it will involve a profit?'

'Oh, indeed, if all the figures of which I am possessed are in the least accurate. A profit many times that of tobacco. There is too much waste, and too much replanting, required in tobacco. But in cane now, the only problem is labour. Why, the very fires which evaporate the liquid into crystals are fed by the discarded crushed stalks. It is a self supporting industry.'

'And you have solved the labour problem.'

‘
You have an Englishman's dislike of the word slavery.
’

‘I’l
l not deny that, Father.'

'But these people are not like us.' 'They are human beings, surely.'

‘I
ndeed they are. But they have no knowledge of civilization, or Christianity; they live their lives in superstition and bloodshed. We will be doing them a service. I do assure you. And providing they work with a will, they will come to no harm. Would that same precept not apply to an English servant? And if you suppose that Painton intends to invade Africa with gun and chain, you are mistaken. The slaves come from the interior of that dark continent, and are secured by the coastal tribes of their own people. This trade has been going on since time began. In days gone by the buyers were usually Arab merchants, and the fate of the slaves was to die in the desert. Or be gelded as playthings for the women of the harems. We offer them an altogether more noble future. But if we did not, be sure that they would still be sold, to other, less Christian masters.'

'You have an answer for everything, Father, and I have no doubt at all I shall become accustomed to the idea, as indeed I must. I
’
ll not quarrel with it, believe me. Now, sir, if I can mention the ma
tt
er on which I came here to talk with you.'

‘I
'd not supposed it was an entirely social call. You have ever been a forthright young man. Why change your style now?
’

‘I
am concerned for Yarico.'

Tom knocked out his pipe, and commenced filling it. 'She will be treated with all the respect due to her rank. As will her son. He will take his place behind you and Philip.'

'Yet....'

‘
Yet is she distressed a
t this moment. That is a perfectl
y normal female reaction to her situation. She will outgrow it.'

'She conceives herself quite alone in the world, her people disappeared, her lover, whom I have no doubt she thought of as a husband, now allied to another woman....'

'Hardly the way to talk of your new mother, Edward. I perceive a certain dislike here. Indeed, I thought I saw as much over dinner, and concluded that I must be mistaken. Come now, speak frankly.'

Edward sighed. 'Perhaps I remember Mama too well.'

'As do I. I also remember my first wife, whom you never knew. But to some men, marriage is an importa
nt part of life. I am one of th
ose men. I need the constant comfort of a woman's arms, the unending encouragement of her spirit at my back.'

'She is less than half your age, F
ather.' 'Which means what, exactl
y?"

‘I
... I merely meant that she cannot have seen enough of life to give you the comfort and encouragement you require.'

'She will learn what I require, and that is more than half of the delights to be obtained from her. But there is more. She is well. connected, Edward. So was Sarah, and hence my feet were planted on an upward road.'

'And Mama?"

Tom's turn to sigh. "Less so. Her father was a merchant. Oh, a very respectable man, and with some solid wealth behind him. But no influence at court. Indeed, I doubt he had ever been there. Anne now, she grew up in Whitehall, to all hi tents and purposes. Her mother was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, God bless her memory, hence my charmer's name. She will not only be good for me, Edward, she will be good for all of us. You will but wait and see. I make this request of you.'

Edward nodded. 'And Yarico?
"

'For the th
ird time, boy, she has naught to fear. She will have a house of her own, and will be treated as a princess of the Caribs. And believe me, Anne will also a
tt
end to that.'

1 hope so, Father. Well, I will leave you to your charmer.'

'And seek yours?'

'No, sir. I will wait until, like you, I am wed.' 'To a French woman? By God, boy, I had hoped for be
tt
er. That scoundrel Belain....' 'She is his niece.'

'By God, but you amaze me, Edward, truly you do. Your spirit is the most wayward I have ever encountered. By God,
sir
..
'
he checked himself and laughed. 'But I'll not quarrel
with you. You're a man now, by God. Even in the eyes of the
law. Take whoe
ver you wish to wife, by God. I’l
l have Sweeting see to the banns in the morning.'

The morning. The dawn of a new day on St Ki
tt
s, of a new era, of prosperity and progress. Somehow, this time he did not doubt that, Edward realized. His instincts told him that this new brood of colonists, bearing none of the guilt of Blood River, and lacking even the disturbing turbulence of Tony Hilton, as well as the constant problem of the Irish, would be set upon far firmer foundations than the previous ones. Because here was nothing but purpose. Merwar's Hope had been too much of an accident. There was nothing accidental about any of these people being here. Even Father had changed, was no longer the same man who had landed here with dreams and hopes. Now he knew what had to be done, what had to be avoided. Over the past fortnight a new town had already commenced to spring from the ruins of the old, and Brimstone Hill was once again armed. And now Tom even had a new wife.

So, out of all the past, only three remained. Yarico, reminder of the horrors which had gone before; Aline, an accidental intruder upon the scene; and Edward. Philip had already found himself quite at home with the newcomers. Only three, to stick out like sore thumbs for the rest of their days. No doubt these new se
tt
lers would respect him. They all knew how he had defended the island, their island, against several thousand Spaniards. They might respect him, and they might even fear him, the white savage, Caribee. But
they
would not know, and no doubt they would not wish to know, how to become his friend. He would be alone in the future, as he had been alone in the past, as he was alone this night. He had no need for a tent as he had seldom slept in one in the past. He preferred to stay away from the encampment, away from Yarico, and Aline, who waited for her approaching wedding, with what emotions, he wondered? The banns had been twice read, and in that time they had hardly exchanged a word. He was unsure of his feelings himself, beyond a certainty that this must be done. But he was also away from Father, and Mother.

He lay on the sand, and watched the moon drifting across the sky before beginning its plunge into the ocean beyond. Watched, too, the first pale fingers of dawn creeping across the Caribbean Sea before
him
. Those fingers he had watched too often, and not many of the memories were pleasant.

He got up, stood on the water's edge, gazed at the endless dark sweep of the Caribbean, and listened to the soft crunching on the sand behind him.

'An early riser?' Anne Warner asked.

'As are you, madam.'

'Anne,' she said.
‘I
sleep badly. I am too excited. I have dreamed of this island for too long.'

He turned. She wore an undressing robe, and her hair was loose. 'And now it is all yours.'

She smiled. 'Surely it is yours as well? Will you walk with me?"

'Madame....'

'Anne. If you will not call me Anne, then you must call me Mother. The choice is yours, but be sure I shall respond to your choice. Your father is disturbed by your aloofness, and I am disturbed when your father worries. I would walk, and I know nothing of this island or its creatures. I wish you to accompany me.'

He fell into step at her side. 'There is nothing on this island for you to fear. No animal, at any rate.'

'You have destroyed them all? But then, have you not also destroyed anything human I might fear?'

'Yes,' he said.
‘I
have destroyed them all.'

She walked up the beach, and gazed into the forest. They were beyond the limits of the burnt out tobacco fields, now, and where the path hacked through the trees commenced. 'What lies beyond there?'

'Another house, once. Hal Ashton's plantation.'

'Can we go there?'

‘If
you feel you can walk five miles.'

'Ah.' But she walked down the path anyway. In a moment
they
were lost to sight from the beach. 'Why do you dislike me, Edward?
’

‘I
do not dislike you, Anne. Perhaps I am still too surprised at discovering you here. My
Father
had not suggested that he was proposing to marry again.'

'And of course, he had the
Indian
woman to warm his bed,' she remarked. 'But a savage can only be a poor substitute for comfort.'

'And you seek to give him, comfort?'

‘It
is my duty, as a wife.'

'And duty is everything.'

She stopped.
‘I
would have you explain that remark.'

‘I
meant that you made a strange choice of husband, to come half way across the world to a life which must necessarily lack the refinement of that you have known, and which does possess a certain aspect of danger as well, all for a man old enough to be your
Father
, and indeed, I would estimate, somewhat past the age at which he can be a father.'

'There is quite a speech. Would you have me repeat it to Sir Thomas?'

'You may if you choose, madam. I am known for my forthrightness.'

Her forehead was clear, although her cheeks were pink.
‘I
see,' she said, and continued her walk.
‘I
am well aware
that
it is unlikely I shall be blessed with motherhood. But then, it is a mixed blessing, is it not, leaving as it does the woman incapacitated for long periods, and no doubt shortening her life into the bargain, and leaving her, too, at the mercy of
that
most debilitating of instincts, the desire to protect her child.' Her head half turned.
‘I
assume you have no objection to my being forthright?
’

‘I
respect you for it.'

'Good. And then, of course, I may also claim to have a ready made family, might I not?"
‘I
ndeed, madam, if you choose.'

Once more she stopped.
‘I
do so choose, but I would order it, also, as I choose. I see myself as the link between your father and yourself, between his i
deas of how such a colony as thi
s, such as a community as tins, should be governed, and yours. For make no mistake. I am aware that your points of view are as different as it is possible to suppose. He has told me all he can remember of you, and every opinion he has ever held of you. He respects you from the bo
tt
om of his heart for the part you played in recent events here, but he knows too that you ar
e less of his son than, say, Ph
ilip, when it comes to opinions and ambitions.'

'My brother and I are different, madam, most certainly. Yet we have proved that we can work well in harness.'

'As brothers should. But there cannot be a joint governor, in St Ki
tt
s.'

'Madam, you project too far and too fast. My father may not provide you with all the satisfaction you desire in your bed, but he is very far from approaching death.'

Her head came up and her eyes seemed to gloom around him. 'You are very blunt, sir.'

‘It
was a quality you desired, but a moment gone.'

'And you, of course, know much about satisfying a woman in her bed, Edward, with your French lass.'

‘I
am a man, madam. As perhaps you have observed.'

‘I
ndeed I have.' She moved suddenly, grasped his hands.
‘I
would not quarrel with you. Edward. I shall not quarrel
with
you, no ma
tt
er what
may occur. I brought you here th
is morning because this last fortnight I have sensed your mistrust. You have asked yourself questions about me, and found no answers. I would have you ask them of me. Indeed, there is no need. I married a man old enough to be my father. As you have just said, he is still a man, and at the Court of King Charles there are not so many of those to be found. Besides, England is an oppressed country; the very air is heavy with the taint of treason and mistrust. Your father promised me a new life in a place where the air is sweet. I believed him. I still believe him. Do I love him? I will say truly, perhaps I do not, as a girl should love her husband.' The fingers were eating into his flesh as she reached for breath. Her voice lowered. 'And yet I would be an empty-headed li
tt
le fool did I not consider my situation in its every aspect. I have left all behind, for the sake of Tom Warner, and his St Ki
tt
s. And his family. He is not an old man, yet he is approaching age. And who may say when death will strike? Then indeed I would be at your mercy.'

'My mercy, madam?'

She smiled. Her breath rushed against his face. 'Perhaps not in law. Your father has wri
tt
en a new will, in winch he has appointed me executrix. I have a certain knowledge in these ma
tt
ers.'

How casually she let it slip. But her eyes continued to shroud him, seeking his reactions. 'You are fortunate, madam.'

She pretended to pout. 'How many times have I asked you to call me Anne? Now I beg you, Edward. I look to that future, while determined to play my full part in the present. Thus I could not bear to have you opposed to me. Give me your friendship, Edward. More. Give me your love. Do not look on me as a mother. And especially as a stepmother. Look on me as a sister, and be sure that I shall be the truest sister man could ever possess, could ever desire, an eternal source of aid and comfort, and of love, Edward.'

He gazed at her, from a di
stance of not more than six inch
es, shrouded in breath and eyes, in perf
ume and anxious womanhood; her li
ps were pa
rted and her teeth gleamed at h
im. By Christ, he thought; Yarico was right. Sister? She means to make more sure of me than that

With a violent tug he freed his hands. 'Are you mad, madam? As well as criminal?'

She frowned, and stepped back.
‘You
had best explain.'

'No, no, madam. You take me for a fool, I think. Is my father
that
old and decrepit? Are you that voracious? I have a sister, who lies dying in England. I shall have no other. And I do not lack for lovers, I assure you.'

She smiled yet again; her mouth widened while her eyes remained cold. 'You should be careful how wildly you speak,
Edward. Sir Thomas is presentl
y well disposed towards you, but he still has much to remember, and he would take it badly should you insult his bride.'

'His....'

‘I
am that still. Certainly to him. He trusts me, for that very patience with which I submit to his inarticulate desires. For the very frustrations which I so willingly suppress in order not to embarrass him. He values me above all other creatures, Edward. You would do well to remember
that
.

Only those who have my trust and support can prosper here.'

He stood in impotent rage, and
then
turned and stamped down the path.

'And be sure you regain control of your temper and your expression before you reach the beach,' she called after him. 'Or shall I have to explain to your father how you sought me privily in order to assault me, at least with words?
’

He checked. But to go back would be fatal. And yet, now that their enmity had come into the open ... he burst through the trees and ran down the beach. Tom Warner looked up from the plans over which he brooded with Harry Judge, while early as it was the sound of axes rang through the still air, and the morning cha
tt
ered with vibrant activity.

'Edward? What has happened? You look as if you have met a ghost.'

'And did not Lady Warner accompany you?' Judge demanded. 'No harm has befallen her?'

'No harm, sir.' Edward said. '
Father
, I have come to a decision.'

'A decision?' Tom queried.

To leave this place.'