Love's Abyss (St. John Series) (2 page)

Chapter Two

“Madison, we’re home,” Elizabeth yelled as she headed up the grand staircase to her daughter’s room. When she opened the door, she found her daughter sitting in the chair beside the window looking towards the sea. “Madison! What are you doing out of bed? You need your rest.”

“Oh, Mother. I’m feeling much better. Whatever illness I had must be leaving,” Madison replied as she turned and looked at her mother. Her emerald green eyes were weak, but still brilliant in color. Her long, curly auburn hair was down her back, resting just above her hips. A slight breeze caught her hair and lightly blew a strand over her delicate shoulders. Her mother walked to the mirrored dresser and pulled a navy ribbon out of the dresser drawer that was left open. She closed the drawer and walked towards her daughter. She was stunning, even when ill. She gathered her daughter’s hair in her long, dainty fingers, pulled it back, and tied the ribbon around the auburn curls.

Her cream-colored night gown was pulled tightly against her tiny frame. She had her breakfast robe lying over top of her lap like a blanket. Madison never did like to dress before she ate. She would constantly come down stairs to eat her breakfast wearing nothing but her thin nightgown and would baulk if criticized about her appearance. So her mother compromised. She had a robe commissioned that made her nightgown resemble a muslin day gown. The robe was a pale violet with dainty deep purple flowers embroidered throughout and a sash the same color as the flowers.

“Come, Madison,” Elizabeth said, concern evident in her eyes, as she gently pulled on her daughter’s shoulders. “Get yourself back into bed. You’re still too weak to be up and about.”

Madison slowly rose out of her chair allowing the breakfast robe to fall to the floor. She walked unsteadily towards her bed. “Really, Mother, I’m feeling better,” she stated weakly. She stumbled slightly, but caught herself on one of the posts of her large four-poster bed. She gently laid her head on the cool, translucent material of the mosquito netting that was wrapped around the thick oak bedpost. As she sat down on the bed, she looked at the servant heading towards the heavy navy draperies.

“Please don’t close the draperies or the window. I love the sunshine and the warm breeze,” she protested weakly as she slowly climbed into her bed.

Her mother took a slow collective sigh and looked at her daughter.

“All right, dear, just for a little while. Leave the drapes and window alone for now, Nellie,” Elizabeth told her daughter’s maid, “You know how she is. She would be up and opening those herself the second we leave.”

The short, thin, dark-skinned maid turned towards both women, her disapproval evident in her black eyes, but said nothing. She nodded her head and straightened up the room.

Elizabeth gazed at her daughter and couldn’t help but think of how much Madison was like her. If she were only thirty years younger, she and her daughter could pass as twins. They both had a love of the outdoors. They both had long, curly auburn hair, emerald green eyes, and, as her husband would put it, smiles that would stop the sea.

“How was tea today at the Governor’s house?” asked Madison.

“It was fine. The Governor’s son was there . . . and so was Commodore McClain.”

“Andrew was there?” questioned Madison excitedly. “I should have gone. He is my fiancé, and I should be by his side at these things.”

“The Governor understood why you couldn’t be there,” Elizabeth insisted. She changed the subject knowing Madison would go on for hours about the Commodore. “Nicholas has grown into quite the handsome man. Too bad he lives down port. He would make a fine husband for Ruth.”

“The Admiral’s daughter?” questioned Madison. “Oh, please, Mother! The king would not please her. She is
way
too picky and spiteful to ever get married.”

“Madison Olivia St. John! You know better than to speak ill of anyone. I taught you better manners and appreciation of others than that,” her mother scolded her.

“Sorry, Mother. I guess feeling bad has made me a little irritable,” Madison said. She wasn’t sorry. Ruth Lakin was the most spoiled, pampered person Madison had ever met. “So, the Governor’s son was there? Was he as false-acting as
usual . . . or so I have heard that he acts false, almost like he doesn’t like socializing with those in his social class. Why, I heard that in his youth he preferred to hang around the tavern areas.”

“He was very pleasant. And, no, he was not ‘false-acting’. He is quite the charmer you know. I am so glad he doesn’t live around here. I fear that if he did there would be many broken female hearts. Besides, how would you know he is
false
? It’s been years since you’ve seen him.”

“I was ten when I last saw him. I can remember it like it was yesterday. He tweaked my nose and told me to mind my own business,” she whined as she adjusted the thin pink quilt over her legs.

“As well as you should,” her mother commented. “You should have never been climbing around in that barn wearing, of all things, trousers!” Elizabeth glanced at her daughter. Madison rearranged the blankets on her legs in an attempt to ignore her mother’s tirade of her behaving less than ladylike. “If you had behaved like a proper young lady you would have never broken your arm. You were too adventurous when you were a child. But look at you now,” Elizabeth beamed as she sat down on the bed beside her daughter. She picked up Madison’s hand. “You have grown into a proper, elegant woman. I’m very proud of you, Madison.”

Madison smiled at her mother. She was quite the adventurer when she was little. But like all things, she grew up, matured, and her body changed. Actually, she was rather horrid when she was little if you think about it. Some of the things she did would make anyone turn in their grave. How could she have behaved so unscrupulously?! She was so glad she grew out of her childish ways and acted like a proper lady now. None of that foolish behavior, like riding horseback astraddle, sword fight with her brothers, going about unchaperoned, or wearing trousers. . . that is NOT how proper, respectable ladies conduct themselves. If she still behaved that way, why she would never have met or gotten engaged to Andrew. He respected her proper ways. If she acted like those horrid ladies at the docks, he would not even want to be near her!

Ah . . . Andrew. Mrs. Andrew McClain. No . . . Mrs.
Commodore
Andrew McClain. She couldn’t wait until she could officially call herself by that title. She felt all giddy inside just thinking about it. He was rather dashing. You couldn’t tell it beneath the powdered wig, but he had short, straight brown hair. His eyes were almost an amber color with specks of brown. He was a little shorter than average, but he was stoutly built. Just thinking about him made her smile. In just a few short weeks, Andrew was taking her down port to Nassau, so she could pick out her wedding dress—with Ruby as chaperone of course. Then in six weeks, she would be officially Mrs. Andrew McClain. Her mother and father would be sailing on another vessel with the Governor to talk politics and business. After some convincing—and begging on her part—her parents reluctantly agreed to allow her set sail on Andrew’s ship. Oh, how she couldn’t wait to see him in action! Commanding his men with his aura of respectability and authority. Perhaps she could witness him ward off and defeat a pirate or two as well. After all the stories Andrew had told her, she couldn’t wait to see him carry out his role.

“What are you smiling about, my dear?” questioned Elizabeth. “Are you thinking about your handsome fiancé?”

Madison felt her cheeks turn red. “You know me too well, Mother. I was thinking about my trip. Do you think Miss Ruby will be able to handle the voyage? We’re only going to be on the ship for less than half a day. I hope she doesn’t get seasick again.”

“She’ll be fine, dear. It’s not like we’re going far out to sea. I have been assured by Governor Sinclair, as well as Commodore McClain, that we will be able to see the shoreline from our vessels. Besides, that was years ago. I’m sure she won’t get that
sick again. Well, at least I hope not.”

There was a faint knock on Madison’s bedroom door. “Who is it?” asked Madison.

“It’s Ruby,” the lady said as she walked into the bedroom. Miss Ruby had been Madison’s tutor of sorts for many years. She was a rather prudish-looking lady. She was tall and extremely slim. She kept her long, straight, gray hair pulled up tight in a bun on the back of her head. She always kept her glasses perched on the tip of her long, narrow, pointy nose. Her eyes were a lifeless gray color, and she kept her lips drawn tight, almost like a child refusing to take their medicine. Come to think of it, Madison never remembered Ruby ever smiling or laughing. It must be awful to be so emotionless all the time. Her strict demeanor is why Robert and Elizabeth chose her to be Madison’s “tutor”—to ‘straighten Madison out’ was their exact reasoning. Being the youngest child, as well as the only girl of nine children, she was rather tomboyish in her ways. She merely had boys to play with, so rough-housing, climbing trees, sword fighting and riding astride were part of how she grew up. This was fine when she was a child, but once puberty made itself known, her parents began to worry. They asked for help, and Ruby answered the call.

“Come in, Ruby,” Elizabeth replied as she watched the woman march in the door, straight to the bed.

As she approached, Ruby looked down her pointy nose at Madison. “You have a gentleman caller.”

“Andrew?” questioned Madison eagerly.

“Yes,” Ruby dryly replied, a disapproving expression on her face. “Tis not proper to have an unplanned visit,” she complained.

“Tell him I’ll be right down!” Madison said excitedly. She quickly hopped out of bed, only to sit down again quickly as a wave of dizziness came over her.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Miss,” stated Ruby rather sternly.

“Oh, pigge pogge,” retorted Madison in her usual made-up sayings. “I’m fit as a fiddle, just a tired one. Ruby, please tell Andrew I’ll be down momentarily.”

Madison pulled on her breakfast robe and carefully descended the staircase. There at the bottom was Andrew.
Oh, he is sooo handsome.
He was dressed in his naval uniform. The form-fitting navy jacket was adorned with the gold leaflets. His tight white trousers were tucked into the top of his highly polished knee-high black boots. His hat was tucked beneath his left arm to allow the long white feather to protrude towards the back.

“Ah, the most beautiful woman in Governor’s Harbour,” exclaimed Andrew, all the while gazing upon her breasts as she descended the staircase. He was glad he had to look up to see her; otherwise she would know exactly where he was looking.

Madison stopped a few feet away and smiled. “I don’t want to get too close. You might get sick.”

“I had to check on my fiancée. I just needed to see your beautiful smile before I set sail.”

“You’re leaving?” questioned Madison sadly. “What about our trip?”

“Ah, my darling, don’t fret. I just have to travel around the bend to Andros Island,” he lied. “There’s been a report of a suspicious vessel. I’ll be back before we travel down port.”

He took a step towards the striking red head.

“Stop right there, Andrew. I won’t have you getting sick.” She held up her hand, her long delicate fingers pointing upward. She pressed her lips to her palm and blew a kiss in the direction of the charming Commodore. “That’s all you’ll get from me today.”

He threw his hand up in the air as to catch the kiss and brought it down to his heart. “Then I’ll guess it will have to do, my love,” he replied, all the while thinking about the pleasures that awaited him in the taverns of Port Royal. He gave a bow. “I’ll be back in a little over a week.”

He turned towards Ruby and Elizabeth.

“Ladies, please take great care of my lovely bride-to-be.”

“Oh, Commodore McClain,” stated Elizabeth. “You know we will. She will be better by your return.”

“I know you will,” he agreed with a smile. “Good day, ladies.” He gave a quick wink to Madison, turned, and walked out the door. There would be plenty of time to play the faithful, devoted husband.  Currently, there was erotic, risqué female company to be had in the taverns of Port Royal.

Chapter Three

Grimm’s Tavern was a musty, dark place located in Port Royal. The scourge of the sea could be found there, as well as most of the Royal Navy. It was where people came to play games of chance, have a stiff drink, and enjoy the company of the wicked women Port Royal had to offer.

Alex observed the tavern from the corner he shared with Max. They came here frequently to find out information. Kris didn’t like the fact that her husband, Max, came to Grimm’s, but she knew why and the reasons it had to be done.

“What are you thinking, Capt’n?” questioned Max.

Alex took a slow drink from the flask filled with rum, and looked at his friend. “I think I will enjoy the company of that brunette over there while you use those wonderful detective skills you have to find out what we need to know.”

Max slowly turned towards the bar. He scanned the woman Alex was talking about. She hadn’t been at Grimm’s long, but was becoming Alex’s favorite since Maggie passed away.

Maggie had been a delightful lady. She was short but stout with long blond hair and full pink lips. She was Alex’s first and most favored, which is why Max thought they frequented Grimm’s so often in the past. Since Maggie’s passing about eight months ago, they had only been to Grimm’s a handful of times.

“I’ll see what I can find out,” said the ominous figure.

Alex smiled, downed his drink, stood up, and walked towards the brown-haired prostitute, Anna. She smiled seductively at Alex, took his hand, and pulled him towards the stairs. As she walked, she purposefully swayed her hips back and forth in a come-hither fashion in order to make herself more appealing to the tall, muscular Captain.

Max scanned the tavern. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a navy blue coat coming in the door. He slowly turned his head.
Well, I’ll be damned
. He spied Commodore McClain of His Majesty’s Royal Fleet.
Wonder what he’s doing here
? McClain hadn’t set foot into Grimm’s since Maggie was murdered. Most suspected he committed the murder, but it was never proven.

Max slowly stood up and walked towards the bar.
Let’s see what the ole Commodore’s up to.
He made his way to a dark end of the bar, only a few feet away from McClain and ordered a drink. He pretended to sip at it all the while listening to the “good” Commodore’s conversation with the lieutenant who had entered with him.

“I don’t like being here,” whispered the lieutenant. “We
shouldn’t
be here.”

“Why not?” questioned the Commodore arrogantly. “We are officers in His Majesty’s Navy. We can go wherever we damn well please, and no one can tell us otherwise.”

A short, thin barmaid brought over a bottle of rum to the table the Commodore and lieutenant shared. She lifted up the end of her short ruffled green dress and wiped the top of the bottle and set it on the table.

McClain smiled smugly at the maid. “I want you and that plump brunette at the end of the bar to be in your bed, naked, by the time I get there. Do you understand me?” He ordered in a cold, uncaring voice.

The barmaid looked at him timidly, “Yes, Commodore.” She walked quickly towards the other woman, whispered something in her ear, and headed towards a room in the back of the tavern.

“You’re getting married in a few short weeks, sir,” the lieutenant reminded the commodore. “What about Lady Madison? If she found out about your escapades here, she would call off your wedding.”

“Ah, yes. Indeed I am,” replied the arrogant commodore, “and the lovely Miss Madison will not perform the deeds that these ladies do—not yet.”

He continued in a cold voice. “I have to spend several chaperoned days with her in a couple of weeks. If I have to take her and that prudish tutor down port so she can purchase her wedding dress, I will need the companionship of female company before that trip. Since I am not able to pleasure myself with her beautiful body until we’re wed, I need to have my desires met elsewhere.”

“I cannot believe you’re going to allow Lady Madison and Miss Ruby to travel aboard
The
Armada
. If the pirates catch wind of the cargo we will be transporting . . . ”

The lieutenant couldn’t finish his sentence. If the riff-raff found out about the gold, boarded the ship, and then spotted Lady Madison . . . the thought of what they might do to her sent chills down his spine.

“No one knows of the gold but us and the Governor,” stated McClain matter-of-factly as he took a drink of the liquid sitting at his table. He looked at his glass. “This is dreadful stuff. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He stood up.

He headed towards the back room the two barmaids had entered. He opened the door, closed it quickly, and looked at the two naked women before him. A cold, evil smile crossed his lips. He hadn’t been with a woman in this room since that blond-headed whore Maggie. He sat on the bed and looked at the blond. “Remove my boots.”

She obediently pulled off his boots one at a time. He quickly removed the rest of his clothing and lay down in the bed. He grabbed the brunette and gave her a deep kiss, taking his tongue and rubbing it on hers. He then grabbed her hair and put her head on his chest. “Now my dear, begin to kiss lower until you reach what needs to be reached.”

He looked at the blond, grabbed her breasts and squeezed so hard that she let out a cry of pain. “Shut up, you worthless whore! This is what I’m paying you for, so
don’t
make a sound,” he hissed as he pulled her closely to him, put her nipple in his mouth, and bit down hard. The blond opened her mouth to cry out, but stopped herself. As the taste of blood filled her mouth from bearing down so hard on her lip, she felt fortunate that she wouldn’t have to put her mouth on him. She gazed down full of pity at her friend whose eyes were filled with both tears and fear.

* * * *

When Alex emerged from Anna’s quarters, he headed towards the corner table. Max was sitting there, hidden in the dark smoky shadows of the tavern. “What did you find out?”

Max smiled a devious smile. “It seems that the good ole Commodore will be transporting a shipment of gold from up port in a couple of weeks.”

Alex looked at his friend. “Finally, an opportunity to knock that smart-assed smile off McClain’s mouth and hopefully a chance to run my sword into his gullet! It was just a matter of time before he let his cargo slip out.” Alex had tried for years to find a reason to board
The Armada
and take Commodore McClain down a notch or two. With McClain hauling gold it would be the perfect opportunity. Alex looked at his friend. “Max is there anything else you want to tell me?”

Max glanced at Alex. The crew needed this haul and Alex needed his revenge. Samuel needed it too. If he told him that there were going to be passengers on
The Armada
, Alex might change his mind. “No. I’m just ready to get back to the ship. Kris will have my hide for staying so long.”

Alex smiled at his friend. “Go, be with your wife.”

Max and Kris made a good pair. The feisty Spanish lady was a good match for Max. Alex laughed to himself when he thought about the first time he saw Kristina. He was walking past Max’s quarters when he heard someone shouting something in Spanish. The door was cracked open. He quickly pushed open the door to find her standing in Max’s quarters, wearing only Max’s shirt with a sword pointing at Max’s chest. Her long black hair was down around her waist, the shirt she was wearing was off of one shoulder. Who would have thought a few weeks later Max and the stowaway would be married?

Alex took a deep sigh. His mind turned to the last time he saw Maggie . . . her soft brown eyes always had a twinkle of happiness. She was kind and caring to everyone she met, and she never met a stranger. Some said she appeared top heavy with her large breasts. He always thought she looked beautiful, even on that dreadful day . . .