Beloved Castaway (36 page)

Isabelle nodded.
 

“While Viola and I are not completely safe from concern, you,
dear, are in great danger.” She turned toward the horizon. “Perhaps
your choice to take passage on the
Amberjack
is a wise one after all. Thanks to Mr. Wilberforce, you’ll find safe haven in England.”

One of Emilie’s great passions had been to follow the course of the abolition of slavery in England through the many newspaper accounts and scholarly books on the subject. Many of these had become fodder for Isabelle’s course in learning to read, so she knew well the legacy of William Wilberforce, who had just died the year before.

“I am blessed to have a refuge in Clapham,” she said, although blessed was the last thing Isabelle actually felt.

Emilie did not raise her voice in agreement. She did not, however, disagree.

---

Hezekiah Carter’s plan to make his way slowly toward the Keys was beginning to wear on his nerves, as was the tiny stateroom to which he had been assigned. While there were obvious benefits to letting the lad stew in jail, he’d come to know more than a few drawbacks were also associated with the plan.

First and foremost was the length of time Hezekiah must lie on a bed that rocked with the tide and caused an ache in his bones. Then there was the matter of the less-than-sumptuous meals he had endured. Finally, he found he actually missed his wife.

Perhaps leaving Mary off this trip was not a wise choice. “There’s nothing to be done for it,” he said.
 

He’d posted a letter to her in each city where the vessel docked. With Mobile behind them and St. Petersburg at least another day’s sail ahead, Hezekiah knew Mary would find yet another long letter had been written.

Likely the woman thought him daft for spending so much time putting pen to paper. Hezekiah had long since given up on gaining his sons’ interest, so keeping some sort of journal seemed a pitiful waste of time. At least with letters, he could be certain that Mary would read them.

Adapting his steps to the rolling of the floor beneath him, Hezekiah shifted from the bunk to his writing desk. Made of solid and serviceable rosewood, the small, portable desk had traveled with him on many journeys.
 

Hezekiah carried the writing desk back to his bunk, lifted the tray, and reached for his writing paper, only to have something else inside the desk catch his attention. There, hidden beneath the blank pages, was the document he’d carried with him for nearly two decades.

He reached for it, abandoning any idea of writing. The edges on the bill of sale were beginning to yellow, such was its age, but the writing was still legible despite the miles it had traveled inside the desk.

So were the signatures: his and Jean Gayarre’s.

Hezekiah folded the page and tucked it back into its place, then thought better of it. Retrieving the page, he crumpled the document between his fists and opened the porthole. With a flick of his wrist, any trace of his involvement in a wrong that might never be righted could be gone.

Instead, he closed the porthole and stuffed the crumpled page back into his writing desk. Much as he dreaded it, the time for telling the truth had come. “Perhaps now the Lord will hear my prayers.”

Chapter 30

Sanding the deck of the
Caroline
was proving quite therapeutic for Josiah. Rather than fighting the constant urge to find Isabelle and talk some sense into her, he found that the labor caused him to focus his thoughts elsewhere.

For the hundredth time since he walked William to the boarding house, Josiah reached for the spyglass and scanned the horizon. Satisfied no vessels approached, he set back to work.

“Ahoy, Carter.”
 

Rocking back on his heels, Josiah looked over his shoulder to see Micah Tate approaching. “That best be lunch you’re carrying. I’m famished.”

Since Isabelle moved into the boardinghouse, Josiah had elected not to take his breakfast there. As there were no cooking facilities aboard the
Caroline
, he was forced to wait for lunch.

Perhaps the next repair should be to the galley. Then, at least, he could have his eggs in peace.

The wrecker set his lunch pail down and made a wide circle around the spot where Josiah had been working. “Looks like you’re going to sand her down to the waterline.”

“I’m just being thorough.” He set his tools aside and stood, then followed Tate to their customary spot beneath the banyan tree.

“So how’s your brother like life aboard ship?” he asked as he un-covered the lunch.

Josiah’s stomach growled as the scent of fried chicken rose from the bucket. “William’s had his sea legs since birth, I believe. He’s quite at home here.”

“And his education. Is it suffering at all for the tutoring he gets with Miss Gayarre?”

“Not at all, actually.” Josiah smiled. “Emilie is a wonderful teacher. I understand she’s already found several other protégés to teach along with William. Soon there will be a regular classroom full.”

“That would certainly be a blessing for Fairweather Key, and who knows? Perhaps one day there will be a school here.”

“Perhaps.”

They ate in silence for a moment, and then Tate pointed at Josiah. “And what about you? Are you at home here?”

“Aboard the
Caroline
?” He tossed the chicken bone into the water. “Aye, I find the vessel to be a comfortable home.”

The redhead helped himself to a boiled potato. “Actually I meant in Fairweather Key. Do you find it to your liking?”

“Aye, very much.” He set down his plate. Might as well let the fellow speak his mind. He’d not get any peace until whatever was dogging the wrecker was said. “Get on with it.”
 

Tate shook his head. “Get on with what?”

Josiah reached for another chicken leg. “I know you’re bound to be considering whether to say something, so I’ll help you with the dilemma by telling you to get on with it.”

He smiled. “You sure?”

Nodding, Josiah settled back and bit into his lunch.

“All right, I was just thinking that you don’t know much about me, just as I don’t know much about you.” He shifted positions. “And most times, that’s fine by me. All I need to know about a man is whether he’s honest and whether he’s a hard worker. I’ve found you are both.”

“I appreciate that,” he said.

“Just a fact, that’s all.” Tate met his stare. “That boat there, she’s named after my wife.”

This wasn’t where Josiah had figured the conversation would head. “I didn’t know you were a married man, Tate.”

“
Was
a married man.” He looked past Josiah to the ocean, or perhaps it was the sky the wrecker studied. “Know that part in the Bible where it talks about our lives being like a vapor?”

He didn’t but would not interrupt the man to say so.

“Well, it is.” Micah’s face went serious. “I thought Caroline and I would be together forever. Raise a family, the works.” He paused. “The fever got her and took the babe she carried with her. That was back in ’29.”

Five years he’d mourned the woman, and yet Micah Tate seemed as struck by the loss today as if it had just happened. “I’m sorry,” Josiah managed to say.
 

The wrecker nodded, and they fell into silence until the food was gone. Josiah rose first and stretched. He had a full afternoon ahead, and he’d best get to it. He bid the wrecker good-bye and headed back toward the
Caroline
.

“Wait,” Tate called.

Josiah slowed his pace to allow his friend to catch up. “Something you’d like to add to my list of chores?”

“In a way.” The wrecker shrugged. “I watched you risk your life to save your woman out on the reef.”

His woman. Josiah’s jaw clenched, as did his fists. Had Isabelle ever been his?

Sadly, he could not say with any certainty.

“It was something any captain would do for passenger or crew.” As he said the words, he found he could not look the wrecker in the eye.
 

“Perhaps.” He paused. “The
Amberjack
’s never been late before, yet it’s now two weeks behind schedule.” Tate stepped past him to board the
Caroline
. “Makes a man wonder whether the Lord’s trying to make His will obvious to someone too dense to see it otherwise.”

Josiah feigned irritation. “Surely you’re not speaking of me.”

“Surely you’re not going to allow this brief reprieve to pass with-out taking action.” The wrecker situated the lunch bucket atop the wheelhouse. “Or perhaps you are. It’s of no consequence to me, except that if you were to ask my advice—”

“Which I have not.”

“Which you have not,” he echoed, “yet if you were, I would tell you that though I only had a few short years with Caroline, I would do it all over again, even knowing how it would end.”

The wrecker made to turn and leave, but Josiah called him back. “And if I were to ask your advice?”

“I might give it,” Tate said with a grin.

Josiah nodded. “This is in confidence, you understand.”

“I do.”

“Yes, well,” he said as he pondered the correct way to state his dilemma. “There are impediments to our relationship.” Josiah paused. “Financial impediments.”

He gave Josiah an odd look. “Such as?”

“I had only recently purchased the
Jude
, and the note on her had not been paid when she sank.” He thought carefully before continuing, his voice lowered. “The funds that were to settle the debt sank with the vessel.”

“I see.” The wrecker paused only a moment. “Yet you’ve got a new source of income in wrecking. It looks as if God meant for you to have a means to settle that debt and any others you might have.”

“Like passage for my brother and the ladies to England.” He looked away. “That was to be our destination before this unplanned change of course.”

“I see.” They watched a schooner drift past and waved at the familiar faces aboard. “And you think you’ve got to be willing to see the ladies and the boy to that destination, even if it’s not where you intend to settle?”

Josiah nodded.

“I suppose I understand how you would feel obligated. I can tell you that the folks around here generally will allow you to sign a note paying for passage, so if you’ve a mind to, that’s an option you can consider.” He shrugged. “Any other impediments?”

“Aye. Legal impediments.”

His red brows shot up. “She’s married?”

“No.”

“You’re married.”

Josiah’s gaze swept the surrounding boats to see if anyone had heard, but none seemed to have noticed. “No! I’ve never married.”

“Well, I think we can safely remove the only other impediment I can think of. She’s definitely a
she
.”

“Aye,” he said with a grin, “that she is. Most definitely.”

The wrecker shrugged. “Does she profess a faith in God?”

Josiah leaned against the wheelhouse and watched a lone gull circle the vessel. “She does.”

“Do you love her?”

He thought a moment, then braved a look at the wrecker. “I might.”

“You might, eh?”

“Yes, I might.”

The redhead broke into a grin. “Then I fail to see what impediment there might be, legal or otherwise.”

Crossing the deck, Josiah reached to shake Micah Tate’s hand. “You’ve given me plenty to think on. You’re a good friend.”

“Some might say I’m not.” He paused. “After all, I’ve very possibly caused a good man to give up his status as a bachelor.”

Josiah noticed the lookout climbing the tower over near the courthouse. “Might be trouble brewing,” he said. “Grab the spyglass.”

Tate reached for the instrument and held it to his eyes. Lowering it, he handed the spyglass to Josiah without comment.
 

“Ship ahoy,” the lookout called.

Josiah didn’t have to ask. He knew it was the
Amberjack
.

“Where are you going?” Tate called.

“To do the right thing,” he said. “And pray I’m wrong.”

It seemed as though the whole town had come out for the arrival of the
Amberjack
. All, that is, except Viola Dumont and the Gayarre sisters. Even as the ship’s sails lowered, Josiah continued to scan the crowd for signs of them, to no avail.

The moment the vessel was docked, Josiah headed aboard the
Amberjack
to find the captain. He located the fellow, a stout, bald-haired fellow, on the aft deck, barking orders to men who rushed about trying to unload cargo from the hold.

It was a scene he knew well and strangely did not miss.

“A word with you, Captain,” Josiah called.

The man held his hands out in front of him. “Before you start complaining about our tardiness, please understand I did the best I could. We had a bit of a problem with our mainmast and had to lay at anchor in Mobile until she was seaworthy again.”

“No, no,” Josiah said. “No complaints here. I just wondered if we might discuss business.”

The captain called to a fellow standing a few yards away. “Keep them moving at a fair clip,” he said. “We’ve no time to waste if we expect to turn this vessel around as planned.” He gestured to Josiah. “Come, walk with me.”

Josiah fell into step beside the captain.

“What business is it you have with me, son?” he finally asked.

“I’m Josiah Carter, and I seek passage for three ladies and a lad.” Josiah paused to swallow the lump in his throat. “Their destination is England. London, actually”

The captain shook his head. “Sorry, son, I can only fetch them as far as Cuba. From there, they should have no trouble finding passage to London. Would that suffice?”

“Aye.”
 

“Very well, then. I suppose the only thing we need to discuss is payment.” A crewman halted their progress, and the captain stopped to correct him. “Now, as I was saying, payment.” He slid Josiah a sideways glance. “Cash is preferred, Mr. Carter.”

Chapter 31

Payment in cash is an issue,” Josiah said. “Until the auction is settled on my vessel, I’ve nothing but my word to offer.”

The captain laughed, then mopped his brow with his handkerchief. “And why would I take your word as payment when I’ve got empty berths that could be filled by passengers who pay in coin?”