Against All Odds

by Marian L. Jasper

  “This is nothing; I was sick soon after I was on deck,” she sobbed.

  “What, all over Jamie?” asked Patrick hopefully.

  “He managed to grab a bucket in time, but only just. It was so embarrassing, and then he had to pull Matthew away as he was busy studying what I had thrown up,” said Liza. Patrick laughed as he could see the funny side of Jamie coping with somebody who was vomiting and then Liza saw the funny side of it and she would have laughed more if she hadn’t felt so delicate.

  “What’s he doing here; apart from chasing you around again, of course,” asked Patrick.

  “It’s to do with the charity, or so he says, but you’d better ask him, because it sounded logical to me and it worries me that I thought it was logical,” said Liza.

  Captain Noakes knocked at the door to tell them that young John was coming across with one of the sailors. Patrick thanked him and said that he was on his way.

  “I’m coming with you,” said Liza.

  “Are you sure you feel up to it? I know John would want you there, but I don’t want you to be sick again,” said Patrick.

  “No, I’m fine, let’s go and get the rest of our family,” said Liza and she and Patrick walked out onto the deck arm in arm and Captain Noakes realised that there was no need to worry about these two people and he felt sorry for Lord Edgeworth, who obviously felt a great deal for Mrs Kelly, but that affection was not returned or at least not in the way that he would have liked.

  The sailor handed John to Patrick who lifted him down onto the deck and Liza enveloped him in her arms and kissed him on his head. She was so relieved to have him with her. Matthew came over and they both went running off discussing how exciting it had all been, and how brave they both had been because it had been a very dangerous thing for them to do.

  Jamie stood quietly to one side watching over the family scene with some envy. The chair had been sent back for Mary and it wasn’t long before she could be seen climbing into it with one of the sailors standing precariously in front of her; and that was the way she travelled over to the Heritage. The sailor jumped down and both he and Patrick lifted her onto the deck. She looked as pale as Liza had when she arrived but at least, to everyone’s relief, she wasn’t sick.

  The time had come for the Heritage to make its way back on course onto New York, and it was with some sadness that Liza waved goodbye to the O’Rourke’s, the Cavanaugh’s and the French and Spanish passengers, as well as Captain Forde and the rest of the crew. She would meet up with them again in New York and she was determined to help her new Irish friends find a way out of the stupid indenture document.

  Patrick called the boys to come out of the way and go to their cabin for a rest, and Mary looked as if she could also appreciate a rest and the captain said that he would send the cook in to see them so that something could be arranged for the boys to eat. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were to join him in his ready room for dinner at seven o’clock. They had given an amount of food to the other ship so their meal would not be as lavish as it might otherwise have been.

  Two mattresses had been put on the floor of the second cabin for the boys and Mary was delighted to have the comfortable bed. The boys thought it was fun to be sleeping on the floor. Patrick and Liza’s cabin was somewhat smaller but it accommodated a larger bed which looked very comfortable and inviting. There were a couple of hours before they had to get ready for dinner and no sooner had they put their heads on the pillows, they were asleep. It had been a very tiring and trying few days.

  Jamie was left to kick his heels on deck or in the captain’s ready room or in the cabin which he was sharing with the captain and the first mate. He was looking forward to dinner with Patrick and Liza as he had mostly been left to dine alone so far on this voyage.

  The boys and Mary enjoyed a wonderful chicken stew for supper. It had lots of potatoes in it and plenty of bread to mop up the gravy. Pudding was a lovely milky rice pudding with brown skin on the top and goats milk for them to drink. Mary was offered something stronger to drink but she said she was quite happy with milk also. Being a cargo ship, they also had a deck which accommodated a few animals for fresh provisions and Liza wondered why that couldn’t have been done on the other ship.

  At seven o’clock Patrick and Liza entered the ready room. Captain Noakes, the first mate and Jamie were already there and they all stood. Jamie pulled out the chair next to him for Liza and Patrick smiled knowingly at the captain and took his seat on Liza’s left hand side. Seeing the smile on Patrick’s face made the captain realise that he was well aware of how Lord Edgeworth felt about his wife.

  Dinner was very pleasant; roast chicken, mashed potato, although that was a little lumpy, and carrots. Rice pudding was to follow and it was all washed down with a very pleasant white wine. The conversation was mainly questions regarding the storm and the damage that it had caused. Captain Noakes knew that they would see a ship or two going out from New York and they would ask them to divert to the Jackson as it was limping towards New York and needed all the help it could get and its provisions were still depleted, and there was still a great deal of damage to be put right.

  Liza was asked how she now felt and if the cut on her head and her black eye were bothering her too much. “No,” she replied. “I seem to be having more difficulty with the knock I had on the back of my head.”

  “You also had a knock to the back of your head?” questioned Jamie. “How did that happen?”

  “It was the one that originally knocked her down, the rest happened because of it. Part of a bookcase came adrift with some force and Liza’s head was in the way unfortunately,” said Patrick.

  “No wonder you were sick when you came aboard,” said Captain Noakes. “I’ll get our ship’s medical man to look at you.”

  “I’m fine Captain,” said Liza. “Tonight is the best I have felt in many days. I’m well on the road to recovery thank you. But if things change, I will see your medical man. I’ll leave you gentlemen to your drinks and make my way to bed. Thank you all for a lovely evening.”

  Liza made her way to her cabin, but before she did, she looked in on Mary and the boys. All were fast asleep and Liza went to her cabin and was soon snuggling comfortably down in the bed. The gentle sway of the ship was comforting and Liza found it difficult to keep her eyes open, she so wanted to stay awake for Patrick but she just couldn’t.

  Patrick soon came into the cabin and was disappointed to find that she was asleep. He had been looking forward to having some time with her alone. It had been a while since they had a bedroom to themselves. He undressed and climbed into bed beside her and she immediately turned towards him even though she was still asleep, and put her arms around him. He smiled to himself and held her close; they had plenty of time for love making, just being with her was enough especially as yet again he had nearly lost her. By Liza’s own calculations, she only had four lives left now. He toyed with the idea of locking her safely in their cabin and not allowing anybody near her but he knew that it would be impossible to do that. So many people really liked Liza, but the few who didn’t were so very murderous.

  Sleep was eluding him and he started planning how he could keep her safe in New York and then back in Benson he felt that he would not have such a problem. Everybody in Benson looked after her and then he remembered Frank Wyley and how he had been the cause of the closest she had been to death and the only redeeming feature was that Frank Wyley had coveted her with no intention of killing her; it was the result of his attack on her that had caused the miscarriage that had nearly killed her.

  Many people would have found it strange that he and Liza had dined with Jamie Edgeworth that night as he had also tried to kill her, but Jamie was no longer a danger to her, it had just been a fleeting moment of madness and if anyone had been in danger from him, it had been Patrick himself. All that had passed and Patrick now knew that Jamie would protect her with his life if necessary. Jamie disturbed him but only because he followed Liz
a around and had made no secret of his love for her.

  He finally found sleep and dreamed of being back in Benson and on duty again with Sean and Ben. He also dreamed of seeing Zelma, Gabriel and Si, Joe and Kathy, the colonel and Ada as well as the captain and Bea and so many other friends who were waiting for them to come home. Only another few weeks and they would be there again.

  At around dawn, Liza was roused by a gentle nudge followed by Patrick touching her in the way that only he could and they were back loving one another as they always had done. They both felt that they were returning to how they liked their lives to be; it had been so very long since they had enjoyed their dawn routine.

  In the morning Patrick gently covered Liza telling her that she was not to get up until at least lunch time as he was going to make sure she was pampered and cosseted as she had really had very little private rest since banging her head days before. He was going to look after the boys and keep them occupied until later in the day. Liza was quite pleased about it as she felt quite dizzy each time she moved, although it was getting better. The boys and Patrick brought lunch into her and told her that they’d had a wonderful time exploring the ship. Jamie had enquired after her health as had Captain Noakes. After her lunch, a bath was brought into the cabin and filled with hot water and in the afternoon she luxuriated in it and then she slowly got ready for dinner all the while thinking that Patrick always knew what was best for her.

  Dinner was very convivial and Jamie and Captain Noakes commented on how much better Liza looked that evening and she had to admit that her head seemed to have stopped spinning. The captain told them that they would be arriving in New York in ten days, which was six days after they should have originally arrived. Liza knew that it would mean that there would be panic amongst their friends and associates in New York and search vessels would be sent out. They all agreed that it would be good as the Jackson needed all the help it could get and they would be able to direct them to it.

  ***

  Over the next ten days, three ships were out of New York, one was on its normal run to England and the last two were search vessels and were directed towards the Jackson’s last known position and the stores on the Heritage were also replenished.

  Patrick, Liza, Mary and the boys disembarked a couple of hours after the Heritage had docked and the word had gone around that they had been on board. Henry had boarded as soon as he received word and was overjoyed to see them. Myra rushed to the docks and was there as soon as they set foot on land.

  “We thought you were all lost,” she said. “It’s only now that we know you’re all alive. We’ve spent days fearing the worst. I’ve got carriages waiting here for you. What’s Lord Edgeworth doing here? I didn’t know he was a passenger with you.”

  “He’ll be staying with us. I thought you knew he was coming to join us. He’s a patron of our charity and he thought his title would help to raise funds,” said Liza.

  Patrick had never seen Liza’s New York house, which was really a mansion. He drew in his breath at the sight of it as they rode up the drive. He felt that her house in Belfast was large, but this was enormous and yet he knew that she was at her happiest with him in her little home in Benson. John was also mesmerised by what he was seeing; Matthew had been there before, but a year was a long time in the life of a small boy and he had forgotten much of his last visit to New York.

  The housekeeper greeted them followed by Bridget who could not help rushing over and kissing her sister Mary, as it was only a few hours since she had found out that she was still alive. The rest of the house was in uproar because even though it had been ready to receive them for days, they also had only just found that everyone was safe and well. They also had to get rooms ready for a surprise guest and Liza directed them to prepare a room in the north wing of the house. She would be in the south wing as usual.

  Matthew whisked John off to show him around the house, while Liza, Patrick, Jamie and Myra went into the sitting room and relaxed over coffee and tea.

  “It’s good to get my feet on firm ground at last,” said Liza and both Patrick and Jamie agreed with her. Myra asked about the problems that they had experienced on the voyage and also commented on the bruise which was still showing on Liza’s head although it was fading but still now a noticeable shade of yellow.

  “It should have disappeared before your first function which is in a week’s time, although there are invitations to many functions prior to that.” Liza could sense Patrick’s sigh of resignation and she saw Jamie’s look of pleasure.

  The housekeeper knocked and entered telling them that all their rooms were now ready and their clothes had been unpacked for them. She also informed them that she had prepared another bed in Master Matthew’s room for Master John and that Bridget and Mary were looking after them.

  Myra left saying that she would return tomorrow when she was sure they would have settled and been well rested and she wanted to look through the social calendar with Liza. She once again said how relieved she was to see them all safe and well.

  Before they could go to their rooms, the chef entered and quickly discussed the evening’s menu with Liza, saying that he would be more prepared for them the next day, but he would be serving up a meal which he felt sure they would be pleased with to welcome them home. He also discussed what he felt the boys would like. She thanked him and he was on his way to create something special.

  It was the butler’s turn next who welcomed them all and ordered a footman to show Lord Edgeworth to his rooms whilst he broke with tradition and escorted Liza and Patrick up to their rooms and it was agreed that dinner would be served at seven o’clock but in the meantime, a light lunch would be served to them in their rooms in an hour.

  Liza was very proud of Patrick as he took all this in his stride and anyone would have believed that he was used to such treatment. When the butler had left, Patrick turned to Liza and said, “You never told me, did you, Liza?”

  “I have to tell you Patrick, that even I didn’t know that I owned this until Edward came to Benson, I thought that the company owned it, but apparently it was bought before the company could afford such a place and I inherited it. I stayed here with Kate and Edward just prior to going to Texas and even then I didn’t know it was mine. Wendell stays here when he is in New York, so do any of the Fullers, but this room is mine; nobody else is allowed to stay in this room.”

  “Apart from me, I hope,” said Patrick.

  “I think there’s room for you,” laughed Liza.

  “How far away is Jamie?” asked Patrick.

  “I’ve put him well away from us. He’s over the other side of the house. It’s quite comfortable, but not as bright as this side. He’ll be happy there; it’s much nicer than staying in a hotel. I hope you didn’t mind him inviting himself to stay. He must have caught me in a weak moment,” said Liza.

  They both went to see the boys in their room and surprisingly they were both asleep. They had obviously exhausted themselves running around the house and exploring. Mary and Bridget were putting their clothes away and tidying their room.

  “I dare say you’re pleased to be back with your sister, Mary,” said Liza. “It’s been over a year now, hasn’t it? Are you going to find it difficult to settle back?”

  “No, much as it’s been interesting and also very exciting on occasions, I think I’d like to settle back into a normal way of life for a while. That doesn’t mean that I won’t help with the boys whilst you’re here, but I like New York and want to stay for a while. I know I’ll be going back to a very menial job now though.”

  “You’ve been such a great help to us, we’ll miss you and I’m sure the boys will also. Anyway, if you change your mind, there’s a place for you with us in Benson, although it’s very small compared with this,” said Liza.

  Liza then took Patrick by the hand and told him that it would be nice if they went for a walk around the gardens; it was a beautiful day, and although they had only landed that morning, she wan
ted to see all the flowers and plants and how the grounds were being kept. Also, the gardener was there and she wanted to have a word or two with him, so off they went hand in hand.

  Patrick could appreciate how lovely the gardens looked, but he was not as keen as Liza was. He did like to see the look of pleasure on her face when she caught sight of something beautiful or bent down to smell the perfume of a flower. The gardener came out to greet them and they spent some time discussing the merits of certain plants and the reasons behind why they were placed where they were. Liza asked if it were possible to plant more roses as they were her favourite flowers.

  They returned to the house and Liza ordered tea and coffee for them in the sitting room and Jamie joined them. He said how pleased he was with his accommodation and that he hadn’t realised how large the house really was having only been there before for an evening function or two a long time ago. He also commented on how well he was being looked after by the staff and especially as it had been on such short notice.

  “Yes,” said Liza, “they all are very good and they are used to guests on short notice as all the Fullers use the house when they come to New York, so it is never wrapped in mothballs for long. I doubt that I shall be using it very much for a while.”

  “Why keep it then, Liza?” asked Jamie. “Surely Wendell or one of the Fullers would be happy to buy it from you.”

  “Probably they would, but I’m not ready to let go of it yet and I don’t need the money. It will keep going up in value for a while. In a few years’ time, I’ll perhaps think about it,” said Liza.

  Patrick was beginning to feel a little out of his comfort zone. He marvelled at how Liza handled the staff so effortlessly. He had seen it at her house in Belfast but most of the staff there were more like friends than servants, whereas here, it was only Mary and perhaps Bridget who he felt at ease with. He also wondered whether they would ever be alone anywhere in the house for as soon as they went into a room, a servant came and wanted to know if there was anything that they could do for them. He began to think that they may not even be left alone in bed that night.