Love's Abyss (St. John Series) (4 page)

Maggie was buried the next day. After the funeral, Alex and Samuel returned to Grimm’s. Alex looked down at the boy. “What’s going to happen to me?” he heard the frightened child ask.

Alex took a long collective sigh. “Go get your things.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“You can’t stay here. You can stay on
The Abyss
for awhile.” The boy nodded and headed slowly up the stairs to the room he shared with his mother.

Alex looked at Mr. Grimm. He had been acting strangely ever since he entered the tavern yesterday. “Mr. Grimm, we need to talk,” Alex said coldly, the pain in his eyes hidden by the hatred he was experiencing for whoever hurt Maggie.

Mr. Grimm polished the glass he was working on nervously. “What is it?”

“Who was she with yesterday?”

Mr. Grimm didn’t look up; he just kept cleaning the glass. He was a doomed man no matter what he said. If he told Alex who was with her, then McClain would torch the tavern and kill him. If he didn’t, Alex would simply just kill him. “MR. GRIMM!!!”

Mr. Grimm jumped at the forcefulness of Alex’s words. He gulped slowly and told
his
tale. “Commodore McClain came in. Maggie agreed to take him in the back. When they headed towards the back I left . . . went to the mercantile . . . that’s . . . that’s . . . all I know . . . honestly, Alex,” stuttered the fat bald bar owner.

Grimm’s words brought back the memory of yesterday at the dock of Commodore McClain, and the look he gave Alex with the bloody marks on his face. Alex balled up his fist tightly. Before he knew what was happening, his fist connected with the corner of Grimm’s jaw. Mr. Grimm went flying backwards into the tower of glasses he just stacked. He slumped lifelessly to the floor.

“That man is going to die at my hands,” exclaimed Alex matter-of-factly. He killed Maggie, the only woman he cared about. When Alex thought about it, he cared more for Maggie than he would admit.

He walked slowly towards the stairs and climbed to the third floor. “Do you have what you need?” Alex asked Samuel. The boy looked broken-heartedly around the room. This was where he grew up. This was where his memories were. He didn’t want to leave, but knew he couldn’t stay. “I’ll have Max and Slim retrieve the larger items and put them into the hull. We can drop them off at my house in Nassau.”

Samuel smiled weakly.

“Come on. We need to board.”

Once on board
The Abyss
, Alex instructed Max and Slim to gather the items in Maggie’s room and place them in the hull. He turned and saw Samuel staring blankly out towards the sea. “I’ll find who did it, and they’ll pay,” stated the pirate.

“I know you will,” replied Samuel “I know you will.”

Chapter Five

As
The Armada
pulled into the dock at Governor’s Harbour several weeks later, McClain looked around and rubbed his cheek. He could feel the dried scabbed area on his face, the roughness of the marks that whore left. Somehow those marks brought pleasure to the heartless man. 
Well, she got what she deserved.
He reached his hand into the pocket of his navy blue coat and pulled out the trinket he snatched from her neck. He held the object up to the sun. “I believe Lady Madison would appreciate a little surprise. It will put me even more in her good graces.”

The lieutenant approached the Commodore. “We’ve docked, Sir.”

McClain quickly placed the necklace into his pocket and looked at the lieutenant. “Good. You take over, I have some business I need to attend to.”

“Yes, sir,” the lieutenant replied and turned quickly.

Once off
The Armada
, McClain walked swiftly to a small building. It was nestled back behind a small bakery. The sweet aroma of bread baking next door filled the tiny building. The man behind the counter looked up when the door opened. A wide grin crossed the plump gentleman’s face. “Ah, Commodore McClain! What a delightfully surprise. What brings you into my shop today?”

The Commodore looked at the portly jeweler. “I have need of your special repair skills. You see, I purchased a small token for Lady Madison. As I was leaving Port Royal, there was an incident and it broke,” he told the jeweler as he removed the necklace from his pocket and held it up.

“Let me take a look,” returned the jeweler. He removed the glasses from the top of his head, placed them across his nose, and reached for the item in question. He looked at the object for several minutes. “It will take a little while to repair the chain.”

“Well, I need it by tomorrow,” the Commodore noted.

“Well,” the jeweler replied as he walked towards a cabinet, “I believe I might have one in stock that would do the trick.”

The short, portly man pulled out a velvet black box and opened it. His chubby fingers moved slowly over the objects inside until they stopped over one.

“Ah, this should do,” he said as he pulled out a dainty, thin gold chain. He hobbled over to the counter where the charm laid and carefully picked it up. He pressed his thin lips tightly together, adjusted his glasses, and began to work. After a few minutes he smiled. “Perfect!” he declared. The jeweler looked up at the Commodore and handed him his work.

“This will do,” the Commodore agreed and placed the object into his pocket.

“Wait!” the jeweler called. “Let me see it again.” The Commodore handed the jeweler the opal backed cross. The fat little man took a black box out from behind the counter and gently placed the necklace inside. “A lovely lady like Lady Madison needs a box for it as well.”

The Commodore smiled and nodded his head as the jeweler handed him the box. “What do I owe you, Mr. Theodor?”

The plump jeweler waved his short chubby fingers in the air. “Nothing. It’s on me today, especially since it is a gift for Lady Madison.”

Andrew bid the jeweler good day and headed out the door. He started towards his quarters but stopped suddenly. He thought maybe he should surprise Lady Madison by stopping by unannounced, fresh off the ship, and tell her how he couldn’t wait to see her. Yes, she would like that. He turned quickly and headed up the hill towards the St. John’s house.

The St. John’s house was unlike anything the Andrew had ever seen. It even outshone the Governor’s Mansion. It was a massive, three-story red brick house. The covered porch’s roof was suspended by massive white marble columns. The windows of each room ran from floor to ceiling, allowing for the ocean breeze to cool the home during the hot summer months. The large chimney in the back of the house produced enough heat during the winter months to warm the house, if needed. The house was surrounded by large oak and palm trees. It was a picturesque image.

As he reached the front door, he could hear the melodious sounds of a piano coming from the house. He gave a gentle knock on the door and a thin man opened the door. “Yes, may I help you?” asked the butler.

“Yes. Please inform Lady Madison that Commodore McClain has come to call.”

The butler opened the door the rest of the way, allowing the Commodore to enter. He asked the Commodore to wait in the foyer and disappeared.  Andrew’s eyes scanned the foyer.  The emerald curtains were pulled back from the large windows, allowing the sunlight to filter in and its rays reflected off the large crystal chandelier causing the light to dance like diamonds on the pristine white marble floor.  In the center of the foyer the St. John coat of arms was proudly displayed in small intricately placed tiles.  His eyes turned to the grand staircase.  Unlike most homes where the stair railing was wooden, this home had a dark iron stair railing that matched the décor surprisingly well.  The railing flared outward at the bottom so the ladies’ dresses would not be pressed inward upon their descent.

Andrew heard the piano playing stop. There was the sound of footsteps walking hurriedly towards the foyer and then suddenly slowing down.  He could hear the rustling of her gown and then a quick collective sigh.  He smiled inwardly to himself. It was time to turn on his charm.

“Commodore McClain,” Madison stated trying to hide the excitement in her voice. “What brings you by today? I thought your ship wasn’t due at port until later on today.”

“We made excellent time, the winds were good,” he answered as he gazed at the beautiful auburn-haired lady in front of him. Her lavender day gown fit her perfectly. It sat slightly off the shoulder. The waist was high pushing her breasts upward until the rounded mounds pushed up though the top of the dress. He could feel himself becoming hard from wanting her. He shook the image of her from his head and smiled, “I had the lieutenant take command once we docked.” He walked towards her and slowly picked up her hand and kissed the top of it gently. “It has been several weeks since we last spoke, and I couldn’t wait until the Governor’s Ball tomorrow evening. I had to see you.”

Madison blushed. “Oh, Commodore, you flatter me.” A look of concern came over her as she spotted the scratches on his face. “Oh, Commodore McClain, whatever happened?” she declared as she ran her long delicate fingers over the marks on his face.

McClain managed to make a sorrowful expression on his face. He took a deep breath and let the lie he conjured up cross his lips. “A distraught mother. I. . .I had to arrest her son for piracy. She was upset and couldn’t believe that her child could be a pirate. She insisted I had the wrong man. But when I provided her with the evidence, her emotions got the best of her,” he pretended to be concerned. “I couldn’t hold it against her, though. He was her only child, and she knew the punishment for his crimes.”

“Oh, the poor woman.”

“But, I have not come by to talk about the duties of my position.”

“Then, as I asked earlier, what brings you by, Commodore McClain?” she asked coyly.

“I have something for you, and I just couldn’t wait to give it to you,” replied McClain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small black box. He kept his eyes on Madison to observe her reaction.

Excitement crossed Madison’s face as she slowly took the box. Her long delicate fingers opened the lid to the black box. As her eyes gazed at the dainty cross with the round opal behind it, she proclaimed, “Oh, Commodore! It’s beautiful! You shouldn’t have!”

A charming smile crossed his face. “I spotted this in the window of a quaint little shop in Port Royal. I immediately thought of you when I saw it,” he lied. He imagined how she would react if she knew he ripped it off the neck of a dying whore. He quickly dismissed the thought. “Here,” he said as he gently lifted the gift from its satin-lined case. “Allow me. And, please, call me Andrew.”

Madison smiled sweetly at him, turned around, and lifted her long flowing hair off her neck. Andrew placed the necklace around her neck and hooked it. She allowed her hair to fall around her shoulders as she turned her head slightly towards him. She slowly turned around and looked up at him. “Thank you . . . Andrew.”

“You’re welcome, Lady Madison.”

“Madison. You may call me Madison.”

“You’re welcome, Madison,” he stated, all the while
pleased with himself as he thought how well his plan was working.
Soon I’ll have her, her money, and all the power that comes with it
. “I know this is short notice, but I would be honored if you would allow me to escort you to the Governor’s Ball tomorrow evening.”

“Well,” Madison coyly began, “I have been asked by several gentlemen.”

“Oh, I see. Well, at least save me a dance.”

“I didn’t say I accepted any of the offers. I was waiting—hoping, that is—that I would be asked by a certain Commodore.”

Andrew smiled at the innocent young woman standing before him. “So, is that a yes?”

“Of course, Andrew, I graciously accept your offer.”

He pretended to be surprised by her acceptance. “I will be here around six.”

“Six it is,” replied Madison. Andrew bowed politely, all the while aware that the prudish Miss Ruby was observing the entire encounter. He walked towards the front door, turned towards Madison, gave her a quick wink and left.

The next evening, Andrew arrived at the St. John house right on time. He was greeted by Lord St. John in the foyer. “Hello, Commodore.”

“Good evening, My Lord,” the Commodore replied politely. “Is Lady Madison ready?”

As if rehearsed, Madison appeared at the top of the stairs. She descended the grand staircase of the St. John mansion. Her beauty took the breath of the usually controlled Commodore. She looked stunning in her light blue ball gown. The gown sat slightly off her shoulders and the style enhanced her naturally shaped hour-glass figure. It fit snuggly around her waist causing her plump breasts to rise gently. The long flowing skirt accentuated her long legs, and with each step, the gown seemed to sparkle as if covered in diamonds. Madison had her hair piled elegantly up in a fashionable coiffure with tiny white flowers scattered throughout her auburn tresses.

Andrew walked towards the staircase, his eyes never leaving the sight of the beauty descending the stairs. She stopped just short of him and curtsied. He bowed and noticed the necklace. “You look beautiful,” he said. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

It was a warm October night. The moon was full and the stars twinkled like diamonds. The carriage ride to the Governor’s Mansion was not long enough to suite Andrew. From his vantage point in the carriage he enjoyed the view of Madison’s breasts.
Control yourself, Andrew. I’ll need to make a visit to the local tavern after spending the evening looking at those lovely full breasts. I might even need the company of at least three barmaids
. His thoughts became twisted with perverse thoughts of the pleasures he would perform on the barmaids, and those they would perform on him.

“Wooooo,” came the voice of the driver bringing Andrew back from his thoughts.

Madison had a wonderful time at the ball. She and Andrew danced the majority of the night. He wooed her with charming tales of the sea and the
adventures
he had. She laughed so hard and had such a wonderful time that night. He had her eating up his lies with each exaggerated tale.

He courted her for the next two months before he came to the conclusion it was time for him to propose. He needed to be unpredictable with it. A devious smile came to his face. He quickly penned a note and had it delivered to the St. John house.

* * * *

“You have a note, Lady Madison,” the butler informed her as he handed Madison a letter with the Commodore’s seal. She stopped playing the piano and took the note from the butler’s hand.

“Who’s it from?” asked the nosy Miss Ruby.

Madison glared at the nosy tutor who was knitting in the corner. She wanted to shout that it was none of her business, but instead she said, “The Commodore.” She opened the note, trying to hide her excitement, and read the words Andrew had written:

My Dearest Madison,

I know this is quite improper, but I need

to speak with you alone. Meet me under

the old oak tree by the stream in one hour.

Your devoted admirer,

Andrew

“Well, what did he say?” question the nosy Ruby again.

“Oh, nothing,” answered Madison. “He just said how he can’t wait to see me tomorrow evening.”

“Hmmp,” remarked Ruby in disapproval. “Proper gentlemen do not send love notes.”

Madison smiled weakly, took a purposefully slow breath and told the older woman, “I’m feeling a little tired, Miss Ruby. I believe I will take a nap. Did you say you had some errands you needed to attend to?”

“Why, yes, I did. But they can wait. You shouldn’t be left alone. Improper it is.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine. Besides, Cassandra is here, as well as the other servants. Go. There is no need for you to watch me sleep.”