The Blue Diamond (The Razor's Edge Book 1) (19 page)

“There are many types of
pain, Captain. There is the pain of the cat o’nine tails across the back. As
long as there are not too many lashes, a man will heal, but the man has proven
himself a man, as well as paid his debt.”

“I agree that what you say
is true, as I’ve seen this more than enough times,” she said, turning her face
back to meet his words head on.
 
“But,
there is punishment of the spirit,” she continued.
 
“The wounds cannot be seen with the eye, but
they are most often as deep and do not heal as quickly. When a man breaks the
code, he is punished. What I deem that punishment to be is between me and the
man.”

Rollo smiled and nodded his
head. Tobias looked up at Keara, and when she met his gaze, his eyes turned
down and away.
 
Their oars continued in
unison until she was again aboard the
Cutlass
,
and her thoughts had turned to nightfall.

Chapter
Twenty

Ivory had made several
attempts to close her eyes after her evening meal.
 
However, even after half a pitcher of rum,
the anxiety of waiting forced the blood through her heart and out to her limbs
at such a frantic rate that she gave in and sat on her cot, with her knees
pulled up to her chest to hold them still. Although it had been at least an
hour since she’d heard the call of “Land, ho!”, she had no way of knowing the
exact time.
 
However, she had persuaded
Richard to rouse her at precisely three a.m., citing she wanted to be awake
very early to prepare herself for her impending trial.

She knew by the setting sun
it was already at least nine, and still no sight or word from Maddox in regards
to her destiny. Fortunately, she had taken her fate into her own hands, thanks
to the thoughtfulness of Zara. Now facing the reality that she’d been foolish
to think otherwise at all, her despair was falling away into her now regrown
spirit and fading emotions. Ivory’s ability to live in the moment was a
blessing, and it allowed her to see exactly where she was at all times, in
sharp detail. There wasn’t a hint of denial that she longed for Maddox and
wanted him like no other man alive, but as the truth of their affair focused
before her, she sliced at it again and again until it was shredded into strips,
symbolizing the act of distancing herself from any attachment to the man. Her
renewed self-confidence did not, however, impede her from jumping like a
frightened cat when a firm knock came at her door. “Who’s there?”

A moment later, the door
creaked open and Richard slid inside. At last, he’d brought her paper, ink, and
a quill. He’d also brought her some as yet unspoiled fruit and fresh water—only
water this time. “Evenin’, Cap’n. I brought ye what ye asked fer the other
day…finally.”

“I see that, Richard. Thank
you. Was this…your doing?
 
Or someone
else’s?”

“Cap’n Carbonale approved
the request, Cap’n Shepard, sayin’ ye may have something you’d like ta’ say ta’
yer mates…yer crew and cousins and such.”

“Aye, my last words. How
kind of him to think of me,” Ivory muttered, as she backed up and sat hard on
the cot. “What, no seal?”

“Cap’n Carbonale said ta’
bring it ta’ him, and he’d seal it himself.” Richard lowered his head and
folded his hands in front on him.

“Why so melancholy? Come
here, Richard,” Ivory said, reaching out her hand for him. He stepped towards
her and tried to inconspicuously swipe a tear away with his shoulder. “Don’t
worry. I know someone is waiting. I’m fully aware that wasn’t your knock. Speak
quietly.”

“I told ye I don’t think
this is right,” he whispered.

“Richard, I’m not a trusting
woman—I haven’t been since I was about your age.
 
But, I don’t want you to worry about me.
Please, if you trust no one else, trust me. You may pout as much as you like
when you leave this room, but know in your heart that I will live to see the
sun come up on Sunday.”

Ivory sat and held his scrawny
arms just below his shoulders as she spoke, and then she embraced him. “Take me
with ye,” he whispered through her hair.

“I can’t. You know it’s too
dangerous.”

“I can help ye! When we make
port tonight, I’ll go ashore and find us a boat. When I come ta’ wake ye, I’ll
lead ye to it, and we can escape!”

“Richard, it’s a long way
back to Port Royal in a small boat, and I already have my own plans.”

“I’m strong and…and we can
take turns rowing if I can’t find one with a sail,” he insisted, and his voice
grew louder.

“Hush, now. I won’t have you
getting yourself killed for me. You stay put, and let me do what I do best.”
Richard twisted his lips to the side and, with a quizzical brow, quietly asked,
“What exactly is it that ye do best, Cap’n? It seems ye do just about
everythin’ well.”

Ivory chuckled and said, “Go
on, now. Wake me at three, and then…don’t look back.”

Richard reluctantly nodded,
shuffled to the door, and gave his usual signal of three knocks to leave the
room. Ivory took a long drink of water and devoured the fruit, knowing she’d
need every bit of strength she could swallow. Again, she curled into a ball,
wrapping her arms around her knees and cupping her elbows. The night sky was a
shade of blue so dark it was but a shadow away from the color of wet coal. She
sat up and rested her hands on the window sill and poked her head out to find
only a sliver of the moon, and the stars so thick and bright they cast a
twinkling blanket over the calm, dark water below.

“I have to get some sleep,”
she mumbled to herself, and she finally lay back on the cot to close her
eyes…and wait.

* * * *

Master Green made his rounds
on deck, as always, at midnight and fell in with the crew as they at last
weighed anchor in Nassau. Once the ship was securely docked, he released most
of the men into the night and turned his attention to his captain. Upon
arriving at Maddox’s quarters, he found the door ajar and Maddox seated in his
red velvet chair, with one leg tossed over an arm rest—disheveled and drinking.
He held a glass in his right hand, and in his left, Ivory’s pearl handled
razor.
 
He rubbed his thumb up and down
over the worn grip.

“Maddox, I thought I would
see you on deck as we docked.”

“You know your position,
sir. You certainly don’t require my hand to lead you, and you never have,”
Maddox answered and tucked the razor in his belt.

“What are you doing? You are
obviously troubled,” Green spoke as he poured himself a glass and took the seat
opposite Maddox.

“What does it look like I’m
doing? I’m simply having a drink,” Maddox replied, raising his glass.

“Maddox, this is all folly…
and what is all of this drinking? I’ve resisted being completely honest with
you out of respect, but…”

“But now you’ve come on the
eve of my evil deed to insist I stop this nonsense and release Ivory, correct?”

“Absolutely.”

“Why would I do that?”
Maddox asked, pulling his numb leg back over the arm rest with his left hand,
along with a grimace and a grunt. Green stayed silent but conveyed his reply
with his troubled expression, which dissolved into disbelief.

“In the years we’ve been
together, I have earned your trust, yes?”

Maddox nodded, but his huffs
and sighs made it obvious he was losing his patience with Green. He rubbed the
blood back into his leg and tried to stand, which, after the first bottle of
rum, was no easy task on its own. “Yes, yes, yes. Alphonse, take the night off
will you? The ship is secure, and we’ve had no sign of those irritating cousins
of hers. If word has reached them of our plan, it will be too late before they
reach Nassau, anyway.”

“In case this fact has
escaped you, Mister O’Shea did not board ship when we set sail from Kingston.”

“O’Shea…O’Shea…are you
referring to Sandy?”

“John O’Shea. Amongst the
men, he is called by the name Sandy.”

“And your point is, sir?”
Maddox asked, as he uncorked his second bottle and began to pour.

“When I saw him last, he was
in the company of the red-haired woman—the very well-endowed one. He was quite
taken with her.”

“What red-haired woman?
 
Spit it out, man!” Maddox ordered, and walked
back to his seat.

“Miranda Shepard, cousin of
Madame Ivory—the same red-haired woman who sat at your table.”

Maddox sat down hard and
splashed rum from his glass over his hand, causing him to instantly pass it to
his other as he shook the liquid onto the floor. “Damn it to hell!” he shouted
and then with a hard, firm stare added, “You believe he exposed our plans,
then?”

“I most certainly do. With
so many men aboard, and his duties normally carried out below decks for the
better part of his time, his absence was easily overlooked. I was certain only
this evening, when I checked the log and his name was missing.”

Maddox again rose to his
feet. “That bilge-sucking little bastard.”

“I would be willing to wager
my shares that he somehow managed to inform Ivory’s crew, and although behind
us, I do not for one second doubt their loyalty and intent.”

“Put a man in the nest. I
want an eye on the horizon throughout the night, and at any sign of them, I’m
to be informed. Until then, make sure Ivory is secure and get the crew back on
board immediately.”

“Maddox, do you believe that
Ivory’s crew would try to attack us in port? To what end? Even her advisors and
her quartermaster would surely never take such a risk, knowing their captain is
aboard this ship. They would not endanger her life. My assumption is that they
will wait until she is brought ashore.”

  
“I suppose you’re right.” Maddox paced about
the room.

“I will post someone, but
there are so many ships coming and going in the dark, it will be nearly
impossible to determine which one is the Cutlass. There is barely a moon
tonight. I have held back enough men to secure the ship. Get some sleep, and at
any sign of them, we will be at the ready.”

“Sleep? What is that,
Alphonse? Since this plot began, I’ve barely slept two hours in total, and
those were out of complete exhaustion,” Maddox moaned.

“They say a guilty
conscience finds no rest,” Green said, as he stood to leave.

“If that were the case, I’d
have been awake for the last ten years. However, my conscience is as clear as
it has always been.” Maddox turned away from Green. He walked to the window and
stared out at the lights of the city.

“Are you attempting to
convince me you are doing the right thing—or yourself?”

“Right or wrong, it must be
done,” Maddox barked.

“Then, perhaps, there is
something else from which your mind cannot hide.”

“I’m not hiding anything,
nor am I attempting to convince anyone. My word is my bond. Yes, Ivory and I
shared a bed. It means nothing… and you know nothing.”

“I know that it has been
many years for you, Maddox,” Green said, watching his friend wind up into a
full rant as he paced the room.

“How about you, Alphonse?
Have you fallen passionately in love with every woman you’ve bedded? Ivory is
attractive, intelligent, and could quite possibly best me with a sword, I’ll at
least give you that.
 
But love her? I do
not think so.” Maddox stopped pacing for a moment as if the mere mention of
Ivory’s character and charms was too much for him; even his voice softened. “I
would, however, be remiss if I did not acknowledge that I did …feel something
for the woman. Perhaps admiration, or even passion, but I’ve only known her a
week.” Maddox looked back over his shoulder at Green, whose arms folded and
head tipped slightly. Green’s eyes clearly showed complete disbelief of his
captain’s denials.
 
“I cannot stop this
now. It’s too late,” Maddox continued and turned back with his hands on his
hips.

“Allow me to answer your
question, my friend.”
 
Green spoke
softly.
 
“Yes. I loved one woman long
ago, when I was with Barclay. You recently met her—the tall one with the golden
hair. I suppose I love her still, for each time I see her, I only want her
more. I took her to my bed long after I knew I loved her, and I loved her from
the moment I first looked upon her. A week is a lifetime for love, when a week
is all you have.”

Maddox ignored Green’s words
and stated, “We cannot change our course. There’s too much at stake. Our plan
shall continue, and by this time tomorrow, we will be on our way back to
Kingston as very rich men.”

Green walked to the door and
rested his hand on the knob. He looked back at Maddox over his shoulder, and
his final thoughts moved to words. “Just so that we are clear, this is not
“our” plan Maddox, this is your plan.” He closed the door behind him and turned
to his left. However, his thoughts weren’t finished with him yet. They were
pulling him in the direction of Ivory’s cabin yet again, until Richard appeared
before him, asking if the Captain needed anything before he turned in.