True Treasure: Real - Life History Mystery (10 page)

A breeze took wisps of her hair and gently blew them in her face. She shivered. Mary looked up at the masts of the ship. She felt alone. Did Bennett have feelings for her? Or was she projecting feelings to his lust that simply were not there? Charles said he was honorable. But could a man who could kill so easily experience love?

There were sailors straddling the crossbars with spyglasses on alert for pirates. She counted eight all together. All assigned to watch for any sign of more pirates. The captain did run an alert ship. He kept the men busy and informed as to their duty. She realized his respect to the details was his way of showing the men he cared.

On deck Mary felt a part of a bigger purpose. She decided to stay on deck watching the orderly transport of their new unexpected cargo. She wasn’t ready to go back to her cabin, after spending so much time below decks, mourning the loss of Magdela, sleeping her pain away, she wasn’t tired at all. She could sketch the night away. She kept looking for Captain Graham, and every now and then she thought she heard his voice carried on the wind. His mind was no doubt occupied by the business at hand. Was his promise to her one he still intended to keep or was the matter of the treasure and what to do with it of such importance he couldn’t be bothered with the reputation of a colonial girl?

Charles laid some sacks of barley against some coiled ropes and sat next to her, a faithful escort. He soon fell asleep.

As the night wore on she leaned her head against the rail to rest her head. The breeze and the calls from the men at work were a comfort. Her pad slid off her lap onto the deck soon followed by her charcoal. She wished Bennett Graham would find the time to talk to her to reassure her she was still very much on his mind. She fell asleep thinking of him.

***

Captain Graham came up to the deck at the start of the sixth watch, the one which would take them to dawn. He went to the lieutenant stationed on the Captain’s deck, “Report.”

“At this rate we should finish late tomorrow.”

“Good.”

He looked down on the lower deck and saw her. Mary was asleep on a deck chair her head against the rail. The cabin boy, Charles, was curled next to her on a makeshift bed of coiled ropes and sacks. He smiled. He was not expecting her to take so well to life at sea. Granted, it had been only a week, but before he’d known her, he would have expected tears and pouting at her situation. Yet the only time she’d requested his presence, was the night she’d found Magdela ill.

He’d made it clear she was a temptation, and she had kept her distance. He was left to do his work, and keep his men’s respect. A lesser woman would have fawned, pouted, pursued, or bothered him, leaving his men to doubt his leadership.

She waited. She was willing to wait. Waiting would be a necessary trait for a captain’s wife. Today, a day of battle and death had not been a day to create a bond. Maybe tomorrow would if the weather held and the blasted pirates that were left kept their distance. He had not had the time to speak his intentions. Maybe after witnessing the fate he had bestowed upon the pirates she may have changed her mind. Being the wife of a captain may now be the last thing she wanted. It could be the reason she had not asked for an audience with him today. She may be horrified and repulsed. Somehow, he could not believe this was true. Would she be sitting on a chair about the deck now, where she would certainly run into him, if she had no desire to do so? Just watching her below from his place on the higher captain’s deck, made his pulse race faster. His first thought was to let her sleep. All though with just a skeleton crew working, the privacy of the night watch was as still as the ship would be.

***

Bennett went down the steps to stand near Mary by the rail. He spoke quietly. “Miss Welch, I trust you are comfortable enjoying the breeze. It is a nice break from the heat of earlier today.”

Mary roused herself and sat up taking a deep breath, then tried to suppress a yawn. She smiled. “Yes, you caught me. I quite fell asleep on deck.” She smiled at him, as she patted her stray wisps of hair into place. “My chaperone,” she gestured to Charles who was deeply sleeping and lightly snoring. “My chaperone has been taking great care to protect me from any unwanted attentions. Thank you for assigning him to me.”

Bennett nodded. “Yes, he is a fearless defender—when awake.”

Mary laughed softly, then quieted quickly. “I am sorry, you have had a trying day. I do not mean to be taking you away from your duties. Would you prefer I take my leave from the deck and go back to my room?”

“No, no. I myself have spent more than a night on deck when the weather permits. Sleeping under the stars while the ship is moving through the night has a way of clearing the mind.”

Bennett put both hands behind his back and faced Mary who arose from her chair and went to stand near the captain. Mary rested her hands on the rails looking out at the skiffs and the salvage operation going on out at sea just beyond the ship.

“The crew of the ship—they were dead when we arrived?”

The captain nodded. “The honest ones who fought defending their captain and the ship were killed. The justice of the seas found them next. The inexperienced crew ran aground, leaving their fate to those of the local pirates.” He paused and watched the operations of his men loading the far away skiff with more treasure.

Bennett spoke softly, “I am sorry you had to witness a distasteful part of life aboard a warship. I never would have let you stay to see such sights.”

“No, forgive me. You did have your heart set on returning me to my home, back to shore. The pirates attacked and the point to return me passed. It is my own fault for my jumping blindly into an adventure without thinking my actions may hurt others. It was not my intention to cause you any compromise in your duties. If I had not come, Magdela might still be alive, and I would still have my honor. You have been so very kind.”

Mary turned to leave now that she had said her piece. She had told him as best she knew, his duty and the horrors that came with his position, while shocking, were understood.

As she went to walk past him he lightly said her name, “Mary.”

She turned to face him, her heart beating wildly. “Yes?”

He reached out and pulled her in for a kiss. She did not resist. He pulled back to speak softly, “There is no reason to return without honor. I would have you to be my wife. We can be married at sea. You will return wedded. Perhaps it is not the life you imagined or the future your parents would have chosen for you, but your honor, and theirs, would still be intact. I can promise you my love and respect. While my proposal is sudden, I have thought of nothing but you from the moment I saw you. If Magdela had lived and you were still properly chaperoned, I would not have the right to speak what is on my mind. I would not see you return to ruin when making you my wife would be an answered prayer and my greatest pleasure.”

Mary reached up to stroke his cheek, “Yes, I would have you as my husband. The thought of returning to shore to never see you again was unbearable.”

Mary smiled, and stepped back. Bennett held out his arm and spoke over her shoulder, “Charles!”

Charles startled awake. “Yes sir,” he said standing up and getting his balance.

“Please escort Miss Welch and me back to her stateroom. You are to sleep outside her room tonight. Miss Welch and I are engaged. We will post bans and within the fortnight we will have a proper shipboard wedding.”

“Yes sir!” said Charles as he followed at a respectful distance behind.

Mary smiled and squeezed Bennett lightly on the arm. Since she had set eyes on him her fondest wish had been to be bound to him.

“You understand my duties will take me away from you, possibly for a year or two.”

“We are together now. Is it possible I can stay on for the remainder of the survey?”

He smiled. “Yes, you are in the employ of the King as an artist. On surveyor trips it is customary to have artists. Captain Cook had his, and I have mine.”

“What after? Do we go to England together?”

“Of course. It is home. I have a place in London, near the Royal Navy dockyard at Deptford. We will look for a proper place for you and I to raise a family in London.”

“London! I have dreamed of going there many a night.”

“There are other captains with wives. We will inquire where is suitable in town, and arrange for their help in setting you up a household. They will be attuned to your needs better than I.”

“I only have one need.”

“And what is that?”

“You.”

He smiled, “I plan to fulfill your every need. A captain's duty is to always plan for every contingency.”

They had arrived at Mary's door. Bennett turned her to face him as he reached past her, and turned the knob to return her to her room. She lifted her head in anticipation of a kiss, and Bennett did not disappoint. Charles cleared his throat. “Sir?”

Bennett slowly pulled away, “Good night, Mary.”

She smiled, “Good night, Bennett.”

He opened the door and she backed her way in, still smiling, so happy. He closed the door. He walked back to his room, a burden having been lifted from his shoulders. A feeling of anticipation filled him for what the week ahead would bring.

***

The next day an announcement was made by the first officer of the impending nuptials of Captain Graham and Mary Welch. The men took it well and joked with each other behind the captain's back. Randall decided the vows would be read on the upper deck with the officers in attendance and the rest of the crew as a witness on the lower. The best linens were cleaned, and provisions were made from the stock for a dinner.

The pirate stricken ship, now empty of its treasure was abandoned to its fate on the breakers. The Devonshire made its way to the hiding spot Bennett had chosen on the island of Caño, or as the crew called it, Shark Water Island.

On approach they circled the whole of the land, looking for a cove that would provide shelter from the waves and breakers, and provide some cover for the skiffs to carry the treasure to its final hiding spot.

“Do you see it?” Bennett asked Randall.

“Yes, let us take her in.” Once in the cove, Bennett sent a crew ahead to the beach. They reported back an hour later, “The island appears to be uninhabited, captain.” Several small sharks circled lazily in and out of the clear water of the cove. They did not seem to be dangerous, but no one was willing to test how gentle they really were.

While observing the heavily forested cliffs of the mountainous sides, Bennett spoke to Randall, “On the cliff—” he pointed, “there. See the large cedar tree?" Bennett gestured up toward the ridge line, high away from the beach.

“It’s gnarled angled trunk is hard to miss
,” Randall answered.

“Take a hoist up there, and let us see if there is a place near the tree. From our vantage point above the cove, we can watch for approaching ships. It gives us a tactical advantage. If we see a ship, we can hide the Devonshire deeper in the cove or position ourselves to take them.”

Randall commanded a regiment to climb up to the cliff, then haul up the gold, one bucket at a time. There were two other trees set further back, so they set up, roped and pulleyed to all three. It would take several hundred hauls to get it all up. But once there, lazy pirates would not be likely to case the island this far inland, and even lazier still not to hike up the hill to look for treasure. Most hid it in caves around the edges of the island. The heavy loads would be safely covered by water, and only exposed or be easier to reach during low tides.

The plan was a good one, Captain Graham thought. The cove on an island too far out from the shipping lanes, yet close to the coast, with a hidden cove big enough for the ship, was perfect for their purposes. They needed secrecy yet a great vantage point to observe the seas around them, and this worked perfectly. Shark Water Island was aptly named. They had sailed their way carefully among the shallow reefs that could open the bottom of a hull easily. All around it, all they had seen in its aqua blue waters were hundreds of the great circling beasts. No wonder sailors feared to stop here.

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CHAPTER 4

Keiko and Julian in Costa Rica Present Day

“Thank you for flying Air Costa,” the airport courtesy van driver said as he unpacked their bags at the entrance to the resort onto a luggage trolley attended to by a porter for the resort. It was breathtaking. Palm trees swayed in the light breeze, the sky was an impossible shade of blue, and some optical illusion of the light hovered around them so low Keiko had the impression she was surrounded by sky.

After leaving the chilly climate of early winter in D.C. the warmth of the tropics was truly heaven.

The porter said, “Dr. and Mrs. Wolf?”

“No one’s ever called me Mrs. Wolf before,” she whispered to Julian.

Julian answered, “Get used to it.”

“So I don’t have any say in it?” she said teasingly.

Julian answered, “Look if you don’t like it, get your doctorate, then we can be Dr. and Dr. Wolf.”

Keiko squeezed him on his arm. “I’m very happy to be Mrs. Wolf. And I don’t want to think about going on for my doctorate just yet. Let me finish my master's. It’s not like I’m just slouching around drinking frozen drinks and curling my toes in the sand. Give me an hour.”