Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book) (2 page)

“
Charlotte, bring us tea in the east garden.” Lady Elizabeth’s
gray-blue eyes regarded me from beneath the wide brim of her feathered hat.

“Yes, my lady.” I curtsied and turned off to the kitchen. My boots echoed
loudly on the cobblestone pathway, sending several robins fluttering out of the
bushes beside me.

“That girl still needs civilizing, Elizabeth. She walks like a large
animal.” Lady Abigail hooked her slender arm around Lady Elizabeth’s and strode
down the path toward the east garden.

Lady Abigail Bostwick graced us with her presence every week. I simply
adored the way she thought I couldn’t hear the comments she made about me when
I was a mere step away. Fortunately, I wasn’t all that concerned with how
civilized
she thought I was or wasn’t.

I lived with Lady Elizabeth where I served and kept house for her in
Southampton, England. My mother had passed some years ago and in my father’s
eyes, I could learn all the necessary skills to become a suitable wife and
mother from Lady Elizabeth.

I had no interest in being either.

True, at sixteen years of age I could have been married and expecting a
child, but cripes, that life was not for me. There was only one thing I
seriously wanted to do. One thing that made my heart quicken at the thought of
it.

I wanted to go to the Americas.

My brothers, Eric and Riley, were twelve when my father first took them
onto his ship and taught them how to sail. Four years ago, when I turned
twelve, I asked the same of my father. He studied me from head to toe as he did
only once in a great while. He rarely looked at me for I was a replica of my
mother. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a lightly freckled, pale
complexion, as did I. When he spoke to me, he was careful to be engrossed in
other business so he didn’t have to make eye contact. Didn’t have to open his
heart up to the memory of my mother.

So, when he looked at me, really
looked
at me, after I’d issued my
request to sail, I shrank away a bit. He stood behind his ornately carved
wooden desk in his library, looking more like a giant than a man. When his deep
green eyes focused on my face for a long, silent moment, I held my breath,
unsure if he was going to be angry with me or fall victim to the sorrow hidden
inside his heart.

His reaction was neither anger nor sorrow. Instead, he laughed.

“Oh, Charlotte.” Between gasps, he held his stomach then eased into his
seat behind the desk. “I can’t take you onto the
Emily
. It’s no place
for a girl. Your brothers are supposed to follow in my footsteps and be sailors.
You are supposed to follow in your moth—”

He stopped abruptly, and his eyebrows pulled together low over his eyes.
Swallowing slowly, he cleared his throat and turned his gaze to some papers on
his desk.

“Lady Elizabeth Rowley at the end of the avenue is looking for help. I
will inquire about it tomorrow.”  

The conversation had ended there. At least in his mind. I didn’t stop
asking, but my father began taking longer business voyages. I saw little of
him. I’ve worked for Lady Elizabeth since that time and have wondered with each
passing day when I will learn what I actually need to know.

How to get myself to the Americas.

****

I placed Lady Elizabeth’s teapot on the serving tray along with two small
teacups. All the pieces of the serving set were white with pale yellow flowers
climbing up the sides and around the handles. I poured tea into the two cups,
fixing each with cream and sugar as the ladies required. I stirred Lady
Elizabeth’s tea with a silver spoon and Lady Abigail’s with a finger I’d dragged
through the potted herbs growing on the kitchen windowsill. Uncivilized indeed,
but satisfying nonetheless.

A plate of scones and a petite vase of flowers from Lady Elizabeth’s own
gardens finished off the tray. Balancing it carefully, I made my way down to
the east garden. It had a breathtaking view of the water as the Rowley estate
leveled off and dropped into the ocean. Lady Elizabeth and Lady Abigail huddled
together on an iron garden bench facing the water. Every type of flowering
plant possible from roses to lavender to honeysuckle encircled them, causing
the two women to resemble a painting. 

“The nursery is ready,” Lady Elizabeth said as I approached and set down
the tray without any casualties. Her hand rested protectively on her bulging
stomach.

“Wonderful, Elizabeth,” Lady Abigail said. “Have you given any thought to
a governess yet?”

I didn’t look up as I lifted the dainty cups, but knew Lady Elizabeth’s
eyes were on me.

“Yes. I’ve given it some thought.” She took one of the teacups from me with
her delicate hand and brought the cup to her rose-red lips. “How is Paul’s
business faring?”

With that single question Lady Elizabeth had evaded speaking any more on
the governess topic, for Lady Abigail launched into the tedious details of her
husband’s dealings.

I curtsied to Lady Elizabeth and raised my eyebrows in a silent question.

“That will be all, Charlotte,” she said when Lady Abigail paused to take
a breath. “Thank you.”

Nodding, I walked back toward the main house. When I got to the top of the
pathway, I turned around and caught sight of several ships leaving
Southampton’s ports from the west. Their sails were full of September winds,
and each bow cut a sharp V into the water as it moved. I squinted, taking in
the sight of men on the deck of the nearest boat, trimming the sails, securing
the lines, living the life I wanted to live.

I longed to be them.

I wanted the wind in my hair, the sea spray dotting my cheeks. I wanted
my heart to beat in rhythm with the rise and fall of the ship as it crested
over the waves. I closed my eyes, feeling the sway already. I was created to be
on the ocean. I wasn’t ready to be a wife or a mother. Didn’t know if I’d ever
be. Salt water coursed through my veins, and the only way I would ever be truly
happy was to be aboard one of those mighty ships on my way to the Americas.

Sighing deeply, I turned on my heel and continued toward the house.
Inside, I tidied the kitchen and went to the sitting room to finish the
coverlet Lady Elizabeth wanted made for the nursery. Sailing dreams aside, I
was accomplished in needlework. I sold a few of my pieces in town when the mood
struck me.

“Lady Elizabeth’s little one will love all of you.” I fingered the
ducklings that trailed along the edges of the coverlet.

As I finished working on one duckling that I had given a set of sorrowful
eyes, voices made me put my work aside and go to the kitchen.

“Was there something you needed, my lady?” I curtsied yet again.

“No, Charlotte,” Lady Elizabeth said. “In fact, Abigail and I are off to
the shops in town. Abigail is hosting a ball next month, and she’d like me to
help her while I still can.” She motioned to her belly and held her hands out
to her sides, a slight smile on her lips.

“Yes, my lady.”

Lady Elizabeth studied me for a moment. “Why don’t you come with us? For
fun, not work.”

Lady Abigail drew in a breath, not pleased with Lady Elizabeth’s
invitation.

“No thank you, my lady.” I noticed the tiny downward curve of her lips at
my decline. “Unless, of course, you need my assistance.” I would not shirk my
responsibilities as her maid.

“I’ll be fine, Charlotte.” Her shoulders lowered. “You can have the rest
of the evening to yourself then. I shall see you later.”

“Yes, my lady. Thank you.” I bowed my head.

“You are too kind to her, Elizabeth,” Lady Abigail said before I had left
the kitchen.

“I have no reason to be otherwise, Abigail.” Lady Elizabeth walked past
me and pulled her parasol out of its stand by the front door. “She does her
work and does it well.” She threw me a quick, but sad smile over her shoulder.
“She’s meant for greater things.”

“Maybe, but she is…
odd
. What sixteen-year-old girl declines an
afternoon at the shops with two prominent Southampton ladies? ’Tis a girl’s
dream.”

Not this girl.

The ladies hustled out of the house and crossed the avenue to Lady
Abigail’s estate. A carriage would be waiting for them so I went back to the
sitting room to put away my coverlet and threads. My daily chores were done,
and Lady Elizabeth had said to take the evening for myself. Only one place to
do that.  

I slipped into my brother’s old coat and walked down the avenue until I
reached a fork. One direction led me into the woods and a few sparse farms
scattered out that way. The other direction led to the docks where a colorful
sunset was guaranteed tonight.

I chose the sunset. As the first whiff of fish and ocean wafted over me,
I was home. Home to a place alive with seagull cries and creaking docks. A
place where anything was possible.

Near the busiest dock, men loaded and unloaded ships. Like ants crawling
over the boats and docks, they worked rapidly before the sun set to end yet
another day. Most of the men were fishermen, some merchants like my father.
Still others were explorers working for the queen of England. The race for new
lands had been on for some time now, and many captains were willing to brave
the unknown in search of fame and fortune.       

I took in every detail of the vessels tied to the docks. Southampton’s
large main dock could support some of the wider ships. In the near distance,
other sizable crafts were anchored, their rowboats tied to the docks instead. I
closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the steady thump of the water
against the hollow wooden hulls. The gentle swish of the sea jostled oars and
tightened lines as the current tugged at the rowboats.

“Down here again, eh, Charlotte?” a voice called to me from one of the
nearest rowboats. I opened my eyes to see Aaron Bannistor hopping onto the
dock. He was a friend of my father’s and had come to dine at our house on many
occasions when my mother was alive.

“I can’t stay away.” I shielded my eyes from the sun as I looked up at
Aaron. His fuzzy gray beard was in desperate need of a trimming as were his
hair and fingernails.

“You keep thinking one of us will be crazy enough to let you come aboard
one of our ships, don’t you?” Though the words were delivered with a cordial
smile, they stung just the same.  

“My father has warned every sailor in Southampton not to play audience to
my pleas.” I folded my arms across my chest. To date, every single one of those
sailors had heeded my father’s edict. Everyone listened to Capain James Denham.
Everyone.

“He’s right to do that, Charlotte.” Aaron dragged a battered net out of
the rowboat and rolled it into a tangled pile. “He’s trying to protect you.
Trying to make sure you grow up to be as fine a woman as your mum was.”

I had trouble swallowing around the lump in my throat. True enough I
resembled Mother, but I was nothing like her. Would never be. Despite my
father’s efforts, I was more like him.

Aaron hefted the fishing net up under his arm and groaned at the awkward
mess it had become.

“Do you need a hand?” I took a step closer to him.

“No, I’ve got it,” he said. “Going to take it on up to Watkins’s Post for
repair. Can’t catch me any fish with this frayed bird’s nest.”

“I could untangle and mend that faster than Benjamin or his father
could.” I reached out a finger to the net.

Aaron stepped back as if the act of me simply touching his equipment
would go against my father.

“I’ll bet you could, but your job is tending to Lady Elizabeth, not—”

“Hanging around the likes of you.” All the sailors said this when I offered
my help. Cripes, how many times would I have to hear the same words?

Aaron laughed at the slump of my shoulders. “It’ll be dark soon. You
better head back home.” He patted my shoulder as he passed by.  

Letting out a long breath and shaking my head, I continued walking along
the dock. I nodded at several other men, some friends of my brothers, others of
my father. As I neared the end and was about to turn around, one ship careened
on the west shore beyond the docks caught my attention. I had not seen it
during any of my recent nighttime visits.

Like a giant beached whale lying on its side, the boat had been pulled
out of the ocean entirely. Crew swarmed like bees in a hive as they scraped the
exposed hull and repaired the massive keel. Though the underside of the ship
was encrusted in greenish-white barnacles and from where I stood I could see
signs of wood rot, she was a beautiful work of art.

I was drawn to her.

Though I wanted nothing more than to pull off my boots and run across the
sand toward the ship, I stopped myself. The makings of a brilliant plan knitted
themselves together in the deep recesses of my brain. One thought connected to
the next until I was smiling from ear to ear. The trapped behemoth was far
enough away that the crew might not have interacted with any of the local
sailors yet. 

There was hope.

Squinting, I saw three burly men hauling long planks of wood. Four
muscular deckhands chipped away at the barnacles. The entire crew was immersed
in repairs, much too busy to stop and pick up the town gossip, never mind hear
anything about my father’s decree to keep me land bound.

“Charlotte.”

I jumped at the hand that touched my shoulder.

“Easy there,” Benjamin said.

I turned around to scowl at him. He was always sneaking up on me like
that.

“I thought you were mad at me.”

It had been three weeks since Benjamin and I almost got caught sneaking
around on the docks. He hadn’t spoken to me since I’d plunged us both into the
water. 

“I was.” He squeezed my shoulder. “But I missed you. Besides, you didn’t
mean to almost drown me that night, did you?”

I didn’t answer. The careened ship had drawn back all of my attention. If
my plan was going to work, I had many preparations to make and not a great deal
of time for making them. The crew appeared to have more repairs to complete. If
they hung around Southampton much longer, they would have to come into town.
Have to talk to people.

“Oh, no, Benjamin,” he said, trying to imitate my voice. “I didn’t mean
to almost drown you. You’re too important to me. I couldn’t live without you.”

I turned around again to see him gripping his tunic as if his chest were
in pain. I had to laugh. Gently pushing him away, I said, “I don’t talk like
that.”

“No, but it’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?” His green eyes looked at
me hopefully. We had conversations like this more and more lately.

“Of course I couldn’t live without you, Benjamin. You’re my best friend.”
I rested my hands on his shoulders and didn’t have to look up or down to stare
into his eyes.

His smile faltered. “Always just friends, huh?”

“
Best
friends,” I corrected.

He smirked, but I could see the disappointment in his eyes. We had been
friends since we were born. We had done everything together from taking our
first steps to learning to ride a horse to wanting to follow in our fathers’
footsteps. Truthfully, without Benjamin I would have been alone in Southampton
with my father and brothers always at sea. He was wonderful, but I wasn’t
looking for anything more than friendship. I didn’t need anything that would
tie me to land.

“Besides, I saw Rachel Carnigan watching you unload crates at your
father’s store.” I tossed a glance back toward Watkins’s Post, owned and
operated by Benjamin’s father, Thomas Watkins. “She watched you for a very,
very
long time.”

“She did not.” Benjamin rolled his eyes, but looked rather pleased
nonetheless.

“Did to. She’s pretty.” I poked him in the stomach with my index finger,
and he grabbed my hand before I had time to pull away.

“I suppose she’s pretty… if you’re not around.”

I started in on my don’t-say-things-like-that speech, but Benjamin put a
finger to my lips.

“I know, I know. Best friends.” He let go of my hand and glanced down at
his feet, which I have to admit made him look rather adorable, but I couldn’t
let nonsense like thinking about being more than friends with Benjamin cloud my
mind. I had more important things to think about, and they all had to do with
that marvelous ship sleeping on the beach.

****

Benjamin insisted on walking me back to Lady Elizabeth’s. I wanted to be
alone so I could plot. Difficult to formulate the details of my plan with him
trotting along and chatting beside me.

We passed Southampton’s largest tavern, The Copper Pot. Conversation,
laughter, and music spilled out of its open doors. Benjamin put his hand on my
elbow and nudged me along. I obliged, but the shuffle of boots to the right of
us caught my attention. Before my mind could register what was happening, I was
thrown off balance by a hulking mass that draped over me.

I fell to my knees under the weight of this shadowed person. My face dove
down into the gravel roadway, sharp rocks piercing into my lower lip. I let out
a howl of pain and the weight was off me. I rolled to my back and tasted blood.

“You all right, Charlotte?” Benjamin asked.

I got to my feet while he had a young man, about our age, pinned up against
a tree. His forearm was across the man’s throat and from what I could see every
muscle in Benjamin’s body was ready to fight. I had never seen him so
charged.  

“Just a split lip.” I came over to stand next to him. “Who are you?” I
said to the young man. His eyes were glassy and his breath reeked of whiskey. A
recent Copper Pot patron, to be sure.

“Edward Scarsdale.” He focused on my lip and his nose scrunched up below
two beady brown eyes. “Did I do that?”

“Yes, you did,” Benjamin said between clenched teeth.

Edward coughed and sputtered as Benjamin applied more pressure to his
throat.

“Benjamin,” I said. “Let him go.”

“Not until we know what he wants.”

“I don’t want nothing but a job,” Edward said. “Got myself dismissed from
my last one.”

“Which was?” I asked.

“Deckhand ’board the
Rose
.”

“The
Rose
?” Benjamin said. “I don’t know that one. Do you,
Charlotte?”

“No.” I had a strong feeling as to which ship the
Rose
was.

“Cap’n Finley tossed me off.” Edward hiccupped. “I’ve had enough of Cap’n
Finley’s trick questions and his grouch of a nephew anyway.”

Benjamin eased his hold, and Edward slid down until he was a crumpled
mass of limbs at the base of the tree, totally unconscious. We both stood
looking down at the sailor. What was Benjamin thinking as he looked at Edward?

I was thinking there was an open space to be filled on the
Rose
.

An open space with my name on it.