The Stolen Heart (36 page)

 

 

“In my dreams, every night. But during the day, whenever I was awake
and alone, and needed someone to talk to, every day for the past
five months.”

 

 

Al and Adrian looked at each other.

 

 

“Father, I hate to have to tell you this, but Mother died almost
exactly five months ago,” she said quietly.

 

 

Both Jared and her Father froze.

 

 

“I see," the older man said after a time. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there
for her, but she has been here with me. True love never dies. I
always suspected that. I know it now.”

 

 

Jared stepped forward. “I’m so glad to find you well, sir.”

 

 

“Jared Starbuck? Is it really you? And you brought my daughter to
me?”

 

 

“Yes. Your daughter, and the woman I love. The woman I would like to
make my wife if you will give your permission.”

 

 

He looked from one to the other, and they both nodded and smiled in
confirmation.

 

 

“Delighted, my dear boy. But as you can see, the island’s
hospitality is somewhat limited. Do you think we might all be able
to go home now?”

 

 

Jared laughed heartily. “Yes, sir. I’ll be only too happy to arrange
it. Please, tell your men to gather their things, and step this way.
We’ll be back in the
Trident
in no time, and from there to
Valparaiso.”

 

 

He turned and gave the orders.

 

 

"How many of you survived, sir?" Jared asked in hushed tones as the
older man returned to where they were waiting for him.

 

 

"By God's grace, all of them."

 

 

"All? That is a miracle indeed."

 

 

"Father always did run a tight ship," Almira said, fond tears
wetting her cheeks.

 

 

"I can tell," Jared said with a smile. "The best crewman I ever had,
and he turned out to be your daughter."

 

 

Captain Hussey's eyes twinkled. "Thank you, son. I'm proud of them
both, but this lass here definitely gets her special something from
her mother. So come, my girl, and Adrian, my lad. Let's get back to
the ship and get my men settled in their accommodations, and then
you can tell me by what miracle you came to find us, when so many
other ships just sailed by without even seeing us."

 

 

As you say, Father, a miracle. The miracle of love." She beamed up
at Jared, and received a loving kiss.

 

 

"Then while we're rowing back, let's pray, to thank God we're
finally together at last."

 

 

"Amen," Almira said, hugging him around the waist as she led him
toward the boat.

 

 

The whaleboat crews took turns ferrying the men back, with Al
amongst the first to return to the ship. She began to convert
Jared’s main cabin into a dormitory for the rescued men, and the two
mates very kindly volunteered to go down into steerage for the
duration of her father’s stay aboard.

 

 

“Thank you, Mr. Perkins. It’s very good of you to volunteer.”

 

 

“Don’ t mention it, Miss. It’s the least I can do.”

 

 

“It’s just plain Al.”

 

 

“Mrs. Starbuck soon,” Jared said with a grin. “There is nothing to
stop us now.”

 

 

Perkins nodded and smiled, and vanished down the companionway.

 

 

“Only if you’re sure,” she said quietly once they were alone.

 

 

“I've never been more sure of anything in my life.”

 

 

She smiled at him, her heart surging with love and pride at the
remarkable man whose love she had won. “Then let’s head to port,
Captain. You haven't had a night in port since Nantucket, and I for
one can think of better places than a whaler to spend my wedding
night.”

 

 

“Aye, aye, my love. Whatever the lady wants, she can have.”

 

 

"Anything?"

 

 

"Anything," he promised, "so long as your father doesn't take after
me with a hatchet."

 

 

She shook her head. "He knows what a good man you are. And he can
see how much I love you. It'll be fine."

 

 

"So long as he sees how much I love
you,
sweetheart, I'm
sure we'll get along fine."

 

 

He have her a resounding kiss, then began to help her make up the
bunks for the new crew.

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

 

 

All was business as they arrived in Valparaiso, and Jared made
arrangements for decent accommodation for the castaways from the
Calypso
after their ordeal of being stranded on the island for so many
months.

 

 

Jared then took a fine set of rooms in the best hotel near the
wharf, and settled Captain Hussey and his son into one of them, and
Almira into the other.

 

 

He had the tailor and dressmaker call to get them kitted out with
some appropriate clothes, and called upon the town's parson himself
to perform the ceremony on the deck of the
Trident
the first
thing on Saturday morning.

 

 

Then he went around to the ship’s fitters to check the ship from
stem to stern before they began their long journey back to
Nantucket, and inspected the rigging himself in the most minute
detail.

 

 

He was satisfied with the new masts, and the provisions Steward was
able to secure in the bustling port.

 

 

When he was certain all was as perfect as could be with the
Trident
, he went with Almira to see about the
Dolphin
and the
pirate ship which had been impounded.

 

 

With Perkins as captain of one, and Jed Hussey the captain of the
other, they would be back in the States in no time.

 

 

He was not sure what Dare would say about these new additions to the
fleet, but he could not help but be pleased with the rich cargo of
oil from each whaler, and the treasure from the pirate brig.

 

 

The authorities took the view of finder’s keepers, and for ten
percent of the haul, certified all the ships and jewels and money as
belonging to Jared. They also promised they would keep an eye out
for the
Calypso
and impound it if it ever happened to sail
into their waters again.

 

 

So Jared went from captain of one ship, to admiral of a fleet of
three.   Almira had done well for them all, there was no
denying it, he thought with surging pride. He couldn’t wait for his
cousin to meet his wife and hear all their news.

 

 

It was not Dare, alas, but another friendly face which appeared on
the wharf the following day as he was supervising the ship’s
provisioning.

 

 

“Jared! Jared Starbuck! Ahoy there, Jared!”

 

 

He stared at the tall, muscular sandy-haired handsome young man, who
was now a far cry from the lanky youth he had first met two years
ago at Fogo in the Cape Verdes.

 

 

“Why, Roland Chase! What on earth are you doing here?”

 

 

“I took the position of first mate on the
Mermaid
. We just
got in. Good ship, decent crew, very lucky so far. We fairly shot
around the Horn like a greased pig.”

 

 

“How are Dare and your cousin Samantha? And baby Edward?” he asked,
embracing the tall sandy-haired young man warmly.

 

 

He beamed. “Very well. I have letters here for you and everything.
What about your news? Any luck?”

 

 

Jared laughed heartily and shook his hand. “More than you can ever
imagine. Come dine with me and my fiancee tonight and we will tell
you all about it.

 

 

"And if you can get away tomorrow, I would very much appreciate you
standing up with me as groomsman in the morning, when we marry.”

 

 

“My, my, that was fast work! You must have just met in port and
popped the question.”

 

 

Jared had the grace to blush. “No, not quite. I ended up getting
another woman like Samantha."

 

 

"
What
?" Roland laughed. "There's no other woman in the world
like her."

 

 

"Perhaps not, but pretty near. Almira shipped aboard as a crewman.”

 

 

“You must have had quite a surprise,” Roland said with a knowing
grin.

 

 

“The best imaginable. She's a treasure. She saved my life ten times
over. She's Captain Jed Hussey’s eldest girl, brought up to the
whaling life.”

 

 

Roland nodded, delighted for his friend. “Good, then. You and she
won’t have the problems Dare had with deciding whether or not to
settle down on the seas aboard ship.”

 

 

“No, we’re settled aboard the
Trident
. And I’m to be a
father in about six months,” he announced, feeling as though he was
about to burst with pride.

 

 

Roland shook his hand heartily. “That's wonderful news. I can’t wait
until Dare and Sam hear.”

 

 

“I’ll write to them now.”

 

 

Roland said, “Yes, go ahead. I just heard tell that the
James
Davis
is sailing back to Nantucket tomorrow, if you have any
letters to go back.”

 

 

“Grand, thank you. Though who knows, I might give him a run for his
money,” Jared said with a grin.

 

 

"Greasy voyage."

 

 

"Aye, and eventful too. Too much so."

 

 

“I can't wait to hear all abou it. Where are you staying? Here on
the ship?”

 

 

Jared shook his head. “Nay, I'm making the most our our shore leave.
We're at the Grand Hotel.”

 

 

“I will see you for dinner, then, Jared. I can’t tell you how
delighted I am by your news.”

 

 

“It’ll be your turn next, Roland, mark my words.”

 

 

He rolled his eyes. “I can’t imagine how. We don’t exactly meet a
lot of good women in this job,” he laughed. "Plenty of bad ones,
though. "

 

 

Jared winked. "I know, lad, but mark my words, you won't even take a
second look at those when you meet the right one."

 

 

"I never took much of a first look, Jared, I'm too fond of my
health, but thanks for the advice."

 

 

They both laughed, and with an agreement to see each other later,
Roland went up the wharf to run some errands, leaving Jared to his
repairs.

 

 

Roland and Almira got along very well that evening. He could not
believe the tale Jared had to tell.

 

 

“Storms, pirates, a disabled ship, castaways, treasure, and more oil
than you can shake a stick at," Roland said at the end of their
tale. "My goodness, if you published this back home, it would sell
thousands of copies.”

 

 

“Don’t forget the bounty on Delgado’s head. It’s quite a pretty
penny too,” she added.

 

 

“It’s all true, every word,” Jared confirmed, smiling at Almira.
“She saved the
Trident
from pirates, and rescued me, the
crew in the whaleboat, and the
Calypso
crew, including her
own father. And she’s like Dare. She can practically smell the
whales.”

 

 

“Especially now that I’m pregnant,” she laughed. “In fact, all of my
senses are much more acute.”

 

 

“Er, yes, dear, I think Roland gets the picture. I know I certainly
am.”

 

 

The warm blush on his cheeks told her he could not wait to get her
alone, so she made a great show of yawning, and said, “Well, if
you’ll excuse me, we have a wedding to attend at eleven tomorrow.”

 

 

Roland took the hint and rose immediately from the table. “Yes, I
shall be there. Congratulations to you both. Good night.”

 

 

After he had left, Almira smiled. “What a nice man.”

 

 

“Yes, very decent. So glad he’s here.”

 

 

“Did he bring you letters from home?”

 

 

He nodded. “He did.”

 

 

“Anything important?” she asked quietly.

 

 

“Nothing that can’t wait.”

 

 

She looked up at him. “Are you sure?”

 

 

“I’m sure. I can think of nothing more important than taking you to
bed, darling,” he said, lifting her into his arms.

 

 

“Will you share them with me? I mean, only if they are not too
private. I'd like to get to know Dare and Sam better. And Roland, of
course.”

 

 

“Later. Plenty of time for that.”

 

 

He laid her down on the bed and began to work at the fastenings of
her bodice. “You looked so lovely in that blue gown, it was all I
had to do to keep my hands off you all night.”

 

 

“And you, in that suit. Breathtaking.”

 

 

“As are you, always. I can’t wait to see you in your wedding gown
tomorrow.”

 

 

She laughed. “I think you’ll be even more delighted to see me
out
of it.”

 

 

She yanked off his cravat and sent several shirt buttons flying.

 

 

“My, my, rather intent on plunder, aren’t we?” he joked.

 

 

“I can be your little buccaneer.”

 

 

Jared grinned from ear to ear as she divested him of his shirt and
began to work on the fastenings of his trousers. “You’re worse than
any pirate on the high seas, Almira.”

 

 

“How so? Because of my swaggering and roistering, Captain?” she
laughed.