Love's Abyss (St. John Series) (25 page)

“She was your mother?”

“Aye, she was, but not a very good one. All that woman did was give me life, nothing else. Good day, sir.” Max left the room.

Alex was unaware of the conversation between Max and Robert. He was talking to his own father about the situation at hand. “We’ll discuss this at home,” Alex told his father. He turned to Madison. “You have my deepest condolences, Mrs. McClain.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sinclair,” she said softly.

He turned and walked out the door.

Madison laid there for a moment, and then sat up quickly. She stood up.

“Madison, sit down. You’ve had a very stressful evening and need to rest.”

Madison looked at her mother and bolted out the door. She spotted Alex as he was about to go out the front door. “Al . . . Mr. Sinclair!” she called out.

He turned to her. “Yes?”

She slowed and walked his way. He met her halfway. “I have to know something.”

“Anything,” he said.

“Why?”

Leaning over, he picked up her hand and smiled as he noticed her wedding band was now removed. He gave it a gentle kiss. As he rose up, he looked at her and said, “Because I love you.”

She placed her hand over her mouth as it fell open. He gave her a quick wink and proceeded towards the door. “Will I see you again?”

“I’ll call on you tomorrow,” he said as he continued out the door.

A dreamy smile crossed Madison’s face as she watched Alex leave. “He loves me,” she whispered. Deep down she knew he had feelings for her, but hearing the words come from him sent a joy through her compared to no other. She turned and sauntered slowly back to the study, all the while allowing his voice to repeat those words over and over again in her head.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Nicholas arrived at the Governor’s mansion about the same time as his parents. As he exited the coach he was riding in, he watched as a young footman raced and opened the door of the carriage for his parents. He turned to Samuel. “Wait for me at the top of the steps by the pillar.” Samuel nodded his head and proceeded up the stairs.

Nicholas’s mother walked over to him. “Are you leaving?”

“No. With all the excitement I believe I’ll stay around Governor’s Harbour for awhile.”

Helen smiled. He leaned over and kissed his mother’s forehead. She gave him a mothering look as she surveyed the wound on his neck. “That needs immediate attention,” she said.

“I’ll be inside in a minute. I have something I need to take care of first.”

She nodded her head. Jonathan took his wife’s arm and escorted her up the stairs. “Have Abigail retrieve the necessary supplies to bandage Nicholas’s wounds,” Jonathan instructed his wife.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“In a minute,” he said.

“You sound just like your son,” she said as she hurried into the house.

Jonathan walked over to Samuel. “So, are you one of his men?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, sir,” Samuel replied, keeping up the ruse as a footman.

Jonathan turned and placed his hands on the railing. “It must be hard saying goodbye to a long-time friend,” he said while watching his son talk to Max.

Alex watched his mother climb the steps. He turned at the sound of Max’s feet hitting the ground.

“So you’re really doing this?” Max asked.

“Yes,” Nicholas replied.

With sincerity Max confessed, “I never dreamed of the day when you would give up
The
Abyss
for a woman.”

“We’ve had some hell of adventures, my friend.”

“Yeah, we have,” Max said as he rubbed his neck. “It’s not too late. You can still change your mind and come with me.”

Nicholas shook his head slowly. “No. I’m needed here now. Take good care of her.”

“I will.”

“The ship, too.”

“You know I will,” Max replied.

Alex extended his hand to Max. Max took hold of Alex’s hand and gave him a firm handshake. Alex pulled Max to him and wrapped one arm around Max’s back in a one-armed hug.

“Take care and Godspeed, Max.”

Max nodded and turned. He meandered towards the edge of the house.

“Max!” Alex yelled at his friend.

Max turned, “Aye, Capt’n.”

“I will see you in about a month,” Alex told his friend.

“We’ll see,” Max replied.

“One month. That’s an order.”

“You’re not the Captain anymore,” Max said teasingly as he disappeared into the shadows.

Alex sighed and climbed the steps. He was met at the top by his father.

“I never really cared for that man,” Jonathan said.

“I know,” Nicholas replied. “But he’s my best friend.”

“Still don’t care for him.”

“He’s had my back more times than I can count.”

“I’m sure he has, and for that I’m eternally grateful,” Jonathan said. “Come now, your mother is waiting.”

Nicholas nodded and looked over towards Samuel. “Come on, boy.”

“He’s not going with your friend?” Jonathan asked.

“Not this time,” Nicholas replied.

They proceeded together into the mansion. Samuel’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the inside of the mansion. Elegant furnishings and intricate wood workings filled the interior. They reached a large study filled with books. Jonathan and Nicholas walked to the couch in the center of the room as Samuel waited by the door, not sure of what was to happen next.

Helen came rushing into the room followed by a short, thin girl about Samuel’s age. “Abigail has all the supplies need,” Helen said as she made her way to her son. She turned and spotted Samuel at the doorway. “Mr. Benson,” she yelled.

A tall thin bald man appeared in the doorway beside Samuel. “Take Nicholas’s footman to the servant’s area. Find him some suitable clothing for the night.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“No,” Nicholas interrupted. “He stays here with me.”

“My dear boy,” his mother began.

Nicholas’s look made Helen stop talking. “Come here, Samuel,” Nicholas said.

Samuel walked nervously to the Captain.

Nicholas stood up and walked to meet Samuel. He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulders. “Mother, father,” he began. “I would like to introduce you to Samuel—”

“You’ve said his name already,” she interrupted.

“My son,” Nicholas finished.

Helen stopped what she was doing and turned quickly towards the pair. “Your son?” she said just as Jonathan said, “Your son?”

“I hadn’t realized you had married, Nicholas,” Helen said.

“I haven’t,” Nicholas said. He watched as his mother sat down on the loveseat, the color gone from her face.

“Who? How?” she gasped.

“His mother was a . . . a maid in my house at Nassau,” he fabricated, not wanting anyone to question what type of person she was.

“Your maid,” his mother said sharply. “And where is she now?”

“She died about eight months ago,” Nicholas said.

“Son, he could belong to anyone. She may have just told you that so you would raise him,” Jonathan said.

Nicholas shook his head. “No, he
is
my son,” he insisted.

Samuel stood timidly behind the Captain, taking in the conversation at hand. Helen turned her gaze to the proud, frightened boy. She stood up and walked towards him. The sound of Nicholas and Jonathan faded into the background as she approached the boy, studying him intently.

“Silence!” she shouted.

Jonathan and Nicholas stopped their arguing and looked at Helen. “Sit down,” she snapped at the two men. They both sat down like obedient dogs.

She slowly circled the boy. The only sound in the room was the rustling of her navy ball gown and the click of her shoes on the hardwood floor. As she walked around him she allowed her eyes to travel up and down his thin frame. She stopped in front of him and pretended to pick a piece of lint from the shoulders of his oversized jacket.

Her eyes locked with his. “How old are you, Samuel?”

He swallowed nervously. “I’m almost thirteen.”

He watched as a slow, warm, caring smile crossed the face of the blond-haired lady in front of him. “You look just like your father when he was your age.”

“Helen!” Jonathan exclaimed as he quickly stood up.

“Shut up, Jonathan,” she said, all the while admiring the boy. “This is
my
grandson,” she announced as she turned towards the two men on the couch. She picked up Samuel’s hand and held it in hers. “And if anyone . . . 
anyone
 . . . says differently they will have to take it up with me. Understand?”

Jonathan slowly sat back down. Her unwavering stance told him not to argue back. He had only seen that posture a couple of times during the thirty-five years of marriage, but he knew when she gave it, the decision was final.

“Abigail,” Helen began. “Please attend to my son’s wound. And when you’re finished, please prepare the spare rooms for our guests.”

The thin little brunette nodded her head. “Yes, ma’am.”

Abigail picked up the needle. “This may hurt a bit, sir,” she said as the needle pierced his skin.

Nicholas did not flinch as the needle repeatedly penetrated his neck. He sat there enjoying the vision of his mother doting over Samuel. A low chuckle came from deep within his chest.

“I’m sorry, sir, did I tickle you?” asked the maid.

“No,” he said with a kind smile. “I’d never dreamed of the day when she would smother someone other than me.”

Abigail glanced at Mrs. Sinclair and the young boy. She was hovering over him, refusing to allow the boy to leave her sight. She would have him turn in circles and then place her hand on her chin. “As the Governor’s grandson, you must be properly dressed. I believe I still have some of Nicholas’s old clothes in the attic. I will have Mr. Benson bring them down in the morning.”

“Oh, Mother, please,” Nicholas started. “Those things were outdated when I wore them.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “Then I’ll just have to take him shopping tomorrow.”

“Shopping?” the boy protested. He turned to look at Nicholas. “Capt’n, I’ve changed my mind, I want to go with Max.”

“Captain?” Helen questioned. “Why would you call him that?”

“I . . . uh . . . I”, the boy stuttered, as he looked with horror at Nicholas.

“As you recall, Mother, I do assist the Captain occasionally on our vessels,” Nicholas said with a wink in Samuel’s direction.

“All finished, Mr. Sinclair,” Abigail told Nicholas.

“Thank you, Abigail, that will be all,” Helen told the maid.

Abigail curtsied and headed out of the room. Nicholas grinned as he watched Samuel, whose eyes never left the young teenage girl. A hearty laugh filled the room. All eyes turned to Jonathan who was still amused. “He is your son, Nicholas. And may the good Lord have mercy on the young women in this community with two single Sinclair men.”

Samuel’s cheeks blushed red. Nicholas stood up and walked over to him. He placed his arm around Samuel’s shoulders. “Come on, son. Let’s go to bed before Mother starts playing matchmaker.”

Samuel nodded his head in agreement as the two headed up the stairs.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Late the next morning, Nicholas saddled a horse and headed towards the Commodore’s house. He laughed to himself as he recalled Samuel’s reaction as his Mother hauled him out the door so he could look “like a proper gentleman.”

It was a warm June day in Governor’s Harbour. There was a slight breeze blowing to Nicholas’s back. The scents of hibiscus and jasmine traveled through the breeze. He raised his chin towards the sun and absorbed its heat on his tanned flesh.

Lowering his head, he flinched slightly from the soreness in his neck. He gently placed his fingers to the wound to make sure the stitches were still intact. The last thing he wanted to do was to have Abigail try her hand at stitching again. He was used to Kris’s precision at mending his wounds. So compared to hers, Abigail did a meager job.

He rounded the bend and turned to go down the tree-lined roadway to the Commodore’s house. As the trees cleared, Nicholas could make out the grand veranda of the two story white house. It was the same style of many of the houses in that area, except the wooden shutters were a depressing shade of faded red.

Nicholas stopped in front of the stairs and handed the reins of his horse to a young boy who was working in the flowers by the front porch. He mounted the stairs, remembering last night. When he reached the top, he knocked on the door. A thin, tall prudish-looking lady answered the door. She peered over the glasses that were perched on top of her pointed nose. She looked him up and down. In a monotone voice she asked, “May I help you?”

“I have come to see Mrs. McClain,” he replied.

“I’m sorry. Mrs. McClain is in mourning right now. It would not be proper for her to have visitors. Good day.” She slammed the door in Nicholas’s face.

He stood there looking at the door.  Feeling agitated, he opened the door and let himself in.

“Sir!” shouted the stiff woman. “I told you she is not taking visitors today, especially those who act without disregard to others!”

Nicholas looked at the gray-haired lady. “I really don’t give a damn what you think. Point me to the direction of where I may find Madison.”

“You do not have the right to call her by that name,” she hissed.

He walked as if driven by a strong force over to her. “I suggest you tell me where she is before I lose my temper,” he warned in a low voice.

The tone of his voice left no doubt in Miss Ruby’s mind that he was not a man to be put off. She nervously pointed to a room at the back of the house.

“Thank you. See how much easier things go when you remember your place.”

She glared at him as he left the room. “What a rude man!” she huffed.

A short man in the other room shouted. “He has the right to be rude, he’s the Governor’s son, you ninny!”

“I don’t need your input on the matter, Mr. Conner!” she shouted at the butler.

“Mind your place,” he warned her. “I am still the Commodore’s butler, even with his death. This house is under my rule.” She glared at the old butler and stormed off, mumbling to herself.

Nicholas opened the door to the back room. He scanned the room, but didn’t find her anywhere. “That old bitch lied to me,” he fussed.

“Who’s there?” he heard a voice say.

He furrowed his brow and moved in the direction of the voice. He placed his fingers around the shear mint curtains and pulled them back to reveal an open door. Madison was sitting at a small iron table. She turned at the sound of footsteps. Her full red lips welcomed him with a smile. He watched her hair dance in the slight breeze.

She licked her lips, slowly batted her eyes and said, “Mr. Sinclair, how kind of you to drop by and check on me today.”

He walked over to her, slowly picked up her hand and placed a gentle lingering kiss. “I couldn’t stay away. I had to make sure that you were faring well after last evening’s traumatic events.”

“Please have a seat,” she said.

He pulled a seat over close to her and sat down.

“Mr. Sinclair? Being a little brazen, aren’t you? After all we only just met last night.”

“I seem to recall you were the one that did that seductive dance. So don’t call me brazen,” he whispered.

“You cad,” she teased. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“How about I get you some rum and help you remember.”

“Would you like some tea?” she asked trying to change the subject.

“No. I can’t stand that dreadful beverage. I would like get a bit of exercise. I have something I want to discuss with you, away from that nosy housekeeper of yours,” he finished loud enough for Miss Ruby to hear.

“I have to object!” the straitlaced woman said as she exited the house. “It is not proper to go for a walk after one’s husband has died. May I remind you, Mr. Sinclair, that Mrs. McClain is in mourning. If you wish to come calling, I suggest you wait until the proper mourning grace period of one year has passed.”

Nicholas looked at the gray-haired lady and slowly raised one brow. Before he could give her a piece of his mind, Madison interjected.

“Miss Ruby. I appreciate your concern for my virtue, but I assure you it is
not
needed. Mr. Sinclair is a guest in
my
house, not yours, so mind your own business!”

A devilish smile passed over Nicholas’s face. “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” he whispered.

“Mrs. McClain, may I remind you—”

“You have reminded me of propriety ever since I was twelve years old and I’m sick of it! You are my parent’s help, not mine. So, I suggest you go see if they need you to intervene in their business and stay out of mine!”

Nicholas watched as the old stuffy woman’s mouth dropped open. “Well, I never!” she huffed.

“That is probably your entire issue!” Madison snapped. “Now leave!”

Miss Ruby turned and stormed into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Nicholas looked at Madison and could see the tension in her eyes. He slowly stood up, walked behind her, and massaged her shoulders. “Relax,” he said. The longer he massaged the more he felt the tension leave her shoulders.

“I have waited years to tell her off.”

“Well, I believe you made your point,” he said as he kissed the top of her head. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

She wrapped her fingers around his and slowly stood up. “This is highly inappropriate,” she said, with a twinkle in her emerald eyes.

“Like that’s ever stopped us before,” he said with a wink. He leaned over and whispered inches from her ear, “I believe we have done many things that were not appropriate, many times.”

“You’re right,” she said as she dragged him off the porch.

“What’s the hurry?”

She stopped and turned to him. “I need a distraction,”

“From what?”

“From the way you make me feel when you’re close to me. I figured a walk would be a good distraction.”

“Why, Madison,” he said as he stepped close to her. “Do I cause you to feel excited?”

“You have no idea. Now come on, before I do something I shouldn’t.”

A laugh rolled from his chest. “Why, Miss Madison, I believe I have converted an innocent young woman into a nymphomaniac.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll tell you later. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” she said as she wrapped herself around his strong muscular arm.

They walked in silence, enjoying the feel of each other, just enjoying being in each other’s company.

Reaching their destination, nostalgia whispered of the past in his ear. “I know this place. It’s on the back of your father’s property,” he said as he looked at the large oak tree. He watched as the swing swayed in the breeze.

“You’ve been here?” she caught her breath, “Oh, wait, how could I forget. You were the reason I fell out of that barn and broke my arm.”

“Ah, my dear, I believe your curiosity was the reason that happened, spying on me and Clara.”

“Well, yes, I was curious. However, if you hadn’t yelled at me, I would have been cognizant of where I was putting my hand and wouldn’t have fallen. So, in actuality it was your fault.”

He looked down at her and saw the mischievousness dancing in her eyes. “You minx,” he said as he leaned down and gave her a long, lingering kiss. “I have wanted to do that all day.”

“Me, too,” she replied. “You said you wanted to discuss something with me.”

“I do,” he said as he took her by the hand and made their way over to the bench.

“No!” Madison said as she remembered the last time she was here, when Andrew proposed.

“Why?”

“Bad memories,” she said. “Let’s sit at the swing.”

“As you wish.” He looked at her and took a deep breath. “I don’t know where to begin. I guess I begin at the beginning. When we first met, you irritated the hell out of me,”

“Gee, thank you.”

“Allow me to finish.”

“Sorry, go ahead.”

“You were standing there defiantly, defending that horrible bastard. I was surprised that anyone would risk their life for his. I was surprised and a bit jealous that he had someone who would fight off a pirate to save his life.” He focused his gaze on a nearby rose bush. “So . . . I took you. I don’t know why, but I did. And for the next week or so, I was torn.  Torn between wanting to break your neck or kiss you. Then that night happened and something changed inside of me. You took over my thoughts. You were all I could think about. I fought the feelings that were invading my heart.”

“Alex,” she whispered.

“Let me finish,” he said as he looked at her. “I fell in love with you, but refused to admit it. When my crew and I were captured, I thought you had betrayed us—betrayed me—and I didn’t want to go on living. I considered my upcoming hanging a blessing. That way I wouldn’t have to go on living knowing you were with him, that you chose him. When I found out the truth, I knew then that I could not exist without you, so I knew Alex had to die, in the hope that we could live the rest of our lives together. Madison, I guess what I’m trying to say is,” he said as he knelt down in front of her. He placed his hand in his coat pocket and pulled out a ring, “Marry me, Madison.”

She placed her hand on her heart. Tears ran down her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but words would not form.

“I love you, Madison. You are my life, my soul. Life is not living without you.”

“Yes,” she whispered as she threw her arms around him. “Yes, yes, yes!”

His arms wrapped around her dainty figure. Neither one spoke. He gently pulled her away from him. He removed the necklace from around her neck and placed the ring on it. She looked at him confused. “You can’t wear this,” he said as he held up the ring, “Until after you bury your first husband.”

“Yuck,” she said. “Can I just toss that horrid man over a cliff and be done with it.”

He gently touched her black eye and placed a kiss on it. “My only regret is that I was not the one to kill that bastard. I owed it to him, twice.”

Nicholas slowly stood up. “We should get back. I cannot have anyone smearing the reputation of my soon-to-be wife.”

“Oh, Alex.”

“Why are you calling me by that dreadful pirate’s name,” he said with a wink.

“You truly are a scoundrel, do you know that?”

“Ah, yes, but I am your scoundrel.” He swatted her butt. “Get going, Madison.”

“It’s a good thing we met. I have had the proper upbringing to train even the worst rogue to become a well-mannered gentleman.”

Playfully taking her in his arms, he laughed “I’ll show you ‘well-mannered’.” He tickled her.

“Stop!” she giggled. She broke from his grip and ran to the house, with Nicholas chasing after her, laughing all the way.