The Devil's Good Intentions (49 page)

They also worried about leaving their business affairs in other people’s hands for so long. They all had trust issues and had never been away from their business affairs for such a long term. This – they supposed – was the real test.

Captain Roberts had also informed them that they were sailing into a storm and it would probably be upon them by morning. He implored them to get as much sleep as possible and to not forgo their dinner that evening.

Salvador could hear the rumbles in the distance and the sounds of the crew bringing everything that wasn’t bolted down below deck and closing up the kitchens.

Dawn was quickly approaching and still he had not slept a wink. His mind refused to quiet down and his muscles kept tensing for flight.

Just the thought of Pennington catching wind that the entire Brotherhood was at sea while their wives were back at the estate made his skin crawl, and there was no doubt that he would find out. They had anticipated that he would possibly send Captain Sebastian out to greet and sink them while they were all together, so they had the Enchantress sail from port with only Ed and Peter visibly on deck and then circled around to pick up the rest of the brotherhood in the next town from their private dock where most of their smuggled goods were off loaded. Pennington was used to seeing Peter and Ed sail on the Enchantress and would not think too much of it, however word would eventually spread that the remainder of the brothers had not been spotted in town and that their business partners were running the show. Pennington would decide from there what to do. It would be too late to send Captain Sebastian after them and the route that they were taking was not the route that they had logged at the pier. Hopefully that would keep Captain Sebastian well off their trail as they sailed back into port.

For now he needed to concentrate on immediate worries such as the black sky before them and the increased wind that brought on braver waves.

The Captain strapped himself to the helm as he barked out orders to his crew below. Salvador spotted Ed and Simon assisting the crew as they tied ropes crisscrossing over the deck for men to hold onto when the ship started to get tossed around. At each sail a man had climbed up the rafters and secured themselves to the poles, wanting to be there if they needed to cut a sail or rope free. Each man wore an oiled skinned jacket to keep them somewhat dry and warm, thick bandana’s to cover their hair and ears, boots and gloves. As they watched the storm approach, they all braced themselves into position while they quickly shoved down pieces of stale bread and cheese along with hot coffee.

The Captain nodded at Salvador to give him the signal that he and his brothers were to take themselves off deck and were not in any circumstance to come out until they were fetched. Salvador had started to argue with the captain but Peter and Charles explained why it was to their benefit. Although Salvador hated to feel useless on his own ship, he understood their reasoning and eventually agreed.

Now Salvador called out to Ed and Simon, motioning them to follow him below deck to their cabins. Ed had a thermos of coffee with him and an armful of rope while Simon carried a package of food and extra supplies that they would need if the storm lasted longer than a day.

Salvador and Charles had the biggest cabin and decided to hold all the extra supplies. Ed and Peter retired to their cabin and Alex and Simon retired to theirs.

It took a good hour before the ship started to toss them around. They could hear shouts from above and terrifying creaks from the walls and below. Salvador and Charles had finished eating their portion of food for that morning and had decided to try and get more sleep before the storm took over. Each man tossed and turned in their cot but sleep never found them.

As the storm progressed, they would hear men being carried to the crew’s quarters, followed by the sounds of painful moaning. Every so often they would be greeted by a white faced brother coming for supplies or reassurance.

By the end of the first day, all of the brothers were gathered in Salvador and Charles cabin in silent waiting.

Salvador grunted when he was suddenly jerked awake as he landed on one of his brothers.

“
Shit Salvador!” He heard Simon protest from beneath him.

Salvador hadn’t even remembered falling asleep and even now it was a struggle to open his eyes. He managed to roll off Simon onto the floor next to him and then grunted again when Ed howled out for him to get off his ankle.

The ship veered sharply again and they all pitched to one side of the cabin.

“
Get to your own cabins!” Charles bellowed out as Peter’s boot caught him in the gut.

“
And God be with you…” He tacked on for good measure.

When the ship righted itself, the brothers did their best to stand up and exit to their cabin – each holding a sore part of their body.

Charles crawled over to Salvador and helped him back into his cot and then retreated to his.

Salvador grunted his thanks but his heavy lids and washed up brain refused to go any further than that. It didn’t take long for him to find sleep again.

When Salvador awoke again, he was greeted to an eerie silence. The ship almost appeared to be stationary compared to what it was when he had last awoken. Charles was asleep on his cot and there were no sounds coming from above them.

He managed to roll out of his cot and change his shirt. Before going above, he needed to make sure that his brother’s were alright.

First he quietly knocked on Alex and Simon’s door and then quietly opened it when there was no answer. Both men were fast asleep in their cots.

Next he went to check on Ed and Peter. Peter was asleep in his cot and Ed was sitting next to the chamber pot holding his stomach and looking a little green in the face. Ed saw Salvador and waved him away, for pride Salvador supposed.

When he stepped out on deck, he was surprised to see that the sun was shining brightly and that the deck was in order. All the ropes had been removed, one of the sails had been recently replaced, the second in command was at the wheel and only a few crew members stumbled around the ship righting everything.

Salvador instantly grew another measure of respect for his Captain.

Now that the storm was over, his thoughts immediately returned to Katherine. He sighed heavily and made his way to the helm.

It had been two and a half weeks since Katherine last saw her husband. A strange quiet had come over the estate and the women found themselves keeping to their chambers more often than usual.

Katherine’s stomach was starting to round a bit, but Angel was still flat as a board. Yolanda had assured her that once the sickness passed and she was able to hold down food again, she would quickly catch up to Katherine’s progress. Although that was said to assure her, Angel worried herself over her health and worried even more over the baby. She clutched onto Yolanda at all times and silently demanded reassurance at every turn. Both Katherine and Rachel had tried to comfort her, but Angel would give her excuses that she was tired and would lock herself in her chamber.

Katherine still took long naps during the day but now she suspected that was because she was barely sleeping at night.

Rachel had visited Katherine throughout the day during the first two weeks, but the past few days she had gradually visited less and less.

Katherine thought it must be hard for her to see them with child and her unsuccessful at conceiving. Although she and Charles were going to adopt, it didn’t make the facts any easier.

Jenna continued to shove food down Katherine’s throat and then insisted she get fresh air for at least an hour of the day before resting for the remainder. Katherine enjoyed her strolls through the gardens and the maze but she welcomed sleep because that was the only time she was oblivious to reality. She missed her husband so much it hurt her heart to think of the time remaining in their separation.

Katherine was in the Sunroom knitting a sweater for her unborn child when a ruckus came from the front of the house.

Setting her knitting aside, she cautiously made her way to the front hall to investigate.

When she peeped around the corner, she saw two of her guards station themselves at the front doors just as another had finished closing the door behind him as he dashed out.

Both looked flushed and one was breathing heavily as though he had run a lap around the perimeter of the house.

Katherine slowly stepped into the hall and made her way to the guards. One of them looked up to see her approaching and quickly stepped forward.

“
Lady Katherine, I was under the assumption that you were resting in your chambers!” He admitted as he came to her side.

When she looked up at him she could see that there was a certain amount of fear and excitement in his eyes that made her feel ill at ease.

“
Sir, is there a reason why you have taken your station here?” She asked as she nodded towards the front door.

“
A suspicious carriage has been noted passing the estate over the past several days, we are only taking precaution.” He assured her. “Why don’t you retire to your chambers and rest a bit?” He suggested casually.

Katherine wasn’t fooled.

“
Is there something else amiss?” She asked without moving towards the stairs at his prompt.

“
No My Lady, my concern is only for your health.” He replied as he took his station next to the other guard at the door.

She studied his face for a while, trying to decipher if that was the truth or not. Neither guard looked at her now and she decided that she would get no more out of them by asking questions - she was thankfully cleverer than that.

“
I do believe I have had enough rest this morning. I’ll venture into the gardens for some air. Please inform Jenna as to my whereabouts if she comes looking for me.” She said innocently as she turned to exit the hall.

“
My Lady, the wind has picked up and I fear you may catch a fever if you are not careful. Would you consider resting in the sunroom?” The guard suggested.

“
Thank you for alerting me, I’ll take a moment to retrieve my shawl.” She said sweetly as she turned to where the coat room door was.

“
I insist you remain indoors Lady Katherine.” He said more firmly now.

“
And why is that?” She turned innocent eyes on him.

“
Until we are certain that the suspected carriage has no business with the Cresta Estate, we must insist that you and your lady friends remain indoors.” He finally conceded.

Katherine smiled at him “There, now was that so hard?” she goaded them as she took the direction of the stairs. “I do believe that I am tired after all.” And with that she left two very pink faced guards and made her way to her chambers.

~

“
My God! It’s perfect!” Peter cried out with obvious pleasure.

They had docked at the tropical island two days prior and had been thoroughly inspecting the island since. Patrick had only voiced minor concerns about the dangers of hurricanes and flooding, but quickly offered viable solutions to assure their utmost safety.

Using a map, they had tried to decipher which government owned the island and it quickly became clear to them that the island was neutral and undiscovered.

Salvador had sat at the top of a mountain peak and overlooked the island in its entirety, envisioning what it would look like once their plans were put to fruition. He knew beyond a doubt that they had found their home.

The smaller islands around them made for good cover and also contributed to the labyrinth that led them to where they were now. He would set up a system around their island to warn of intruders and would strategically place guard towers in the perimeter islands with a warning system. But all in all, the island was large enough to accommodate their estate as well as several smaller homes for their servants. There was an abundance of fruit and the ground had rich soil to accommodate a vegetable garden and tobacco plants.

Indeed the future was looking up.

“
Can you believe it?” Ed exclaimed as he pat Salvador on his back and beamed with enthusiasm. “Charles confirmed that the original blueprint for our estate wouldn’t need to be altered one bit and Peter even seems eager to start the project!” He went on.