Midday was upon them when the Grace sailed slowly into the Kingston port. Skye, Will, and Matthew stood at the bow, staring at the city that was their home. Much had been done to repair the damage to the fort and surrounding homes. How long ago it seemed since the night Kelley had attacked the city.
They anchored the ship at one of the docks and prepared to go ashore. Skye and Will were joined by Daniel, Matthew, and Caleb as they walked down the gangplank to the dock and toward the beach. Near the end, Skye spotted a familiar face—her grandfather. Even with what her father had told her about her grandfather’s change of heart, Skye was still uneasy. When they reached him, they all came to a stop and no one said anything for a moment.
“Hello, Grandfather,” Skye said finally. Using the term grandfather when speaking to him felt strange. She had not addressed him in this way since she was a tiny girl.
For the first time in years, Skye’s grandfather smiled at her, and when he spoke, he seemed completely different. All the harshness and anger were gone.
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Skye,” he said, returning her greeting. All uneasiness left Skye, just to hear him say her name. Her grandfather then went right to his apology. “I’m sorry for the way I have treated you through the years. I never should have allowed you to be put in the orphanage.”
Skye smiled and shook her head. “God had a purpose for me there, and it’s all behind us now.”
“Yes, I do hope it is,” her grandfather agreed with a nod, thinking she was a remarkable young woman. He turned his eyes to Daniel. “Until you find a place to get settled, I want you all to come and stay with me.” Looking at Will he invited, “You as well, Mr. James. I heard you have quit your job, and you’ll need a place to stay until you secure another.”
Both Will and Daniel thanked him for his generosity. Before anyone could say more, Skye’s grandfather insisted that everyone, including Daniel’s crew, come to his house for dinner. Accepting the gracious invitation, Daniel told Skye, Will, and Matthew to go on ahead while he and Caleb sought out Lieutenant Avery to dispose of Kelley and his crew.
Skye could barely take everything in when her grandfather led them into his huge house. Though she had been there as a child, she never remembered it so large and magnificent. She also felt a bit out of place still wearing her worn breeches, shirt, and waistcoat, but for once, her grandfather made her quite comfortable.
Later that afternoon, after they had eaten and told Skye’s grandfather about all that had happened, he looked at Skye with a smile.
“Skye, there are some things I want to give you,” he said. He motioned to some of his servants, and a few moments later, several came in carrying three large trunks. “In these trunks are all of your mother’s clothes and belongings that she had when she was your age. She would want you to have and use them, as do I.”
Skye rose and went to the trunks. She opened them and gazed at her mother’s beautiful things, awed that they were now hers. Smiling, eyes bright with tears, she went to her grandfather and did something that she never would have even been able to imagine herself doing not too long ago.
She gave him a hug, which he returned.
“Thank you,” Skye told him.
* * *
One Month Later
Skye stood in the beautiful living room of the new house her father had bought for them. It sat on a hill from which they could see the ocean. Daniel had instructed Skye to decorate to her liking, and it was a task she loved doing. She was nearly finished now and was just putting up some curtains she had made. Her grandfather had taken her shopping for the material, telling her to pick out whatever she liked, no matter the price.
As Skye was hanging the satiny, white curtains, she thought about the drastic change her life had taken from what it was a little over two months ago. She no longer had to work in the orphanage and had a real home to live in. Her friends’ lives too had changed. In the time that they were gone, the people of Kingston had come to realize just how much in need they were of Matthew’s services, especially with the repairing of the fort, and he had more than enough work to do. Along with the share of the treasure Daniel had given him, he surely would not be poor any longer. Matthew offered Will his old job as a blacksmith again, and he accepted it gladly, for he very much enjoyed it.
Skye broke from her thoughts when her father walked into the room.
“Now, there’s something I never thought I’d see when you were young. My daughter sewing and putting up curtains in our house while wearing a dress,” he said with a smile.
Skye smiled and glanced down at the beautiful, pale blue gown of her mother’s that she wore.
“Well, I guess living at the orphanage did teach me a few good things.”
Daniel walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead.
“You look lovely,” he told her, “just like your mother.”
“Thank you,” Skye replied, her happiness very evident in her voice.
“Caleb and I were talking about going for a walk along the shore. Would you like to come?” Daniel asked.
Skye was quick to answer. “Yes, I’d love to if I could just finish with this first.”
Daniel nodded and he took a seat on the sofa to watch her. A couple of minutes later, a knock came at the front door.
“I’ll get it,” Caleb called from the foyer. The door opened and he said, “Hello, Will, come in.”
When Caleb led Will into the living room, Skye turned to him with a smile. She was thankful to notice that all traces of the days he had spent on the Finder were gone. All the cuts and bruises had disappeared, and he had gained back the weight he’d lost.
“Hello, Will,” Skye said happily.
“Hello, Skye,” he replied with a quietly earnest smile of his own. “You look beautiful in that dress.”
Skye’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you.”
Will turned to her father, his face becoming serious. “Hello, Captain McHenry. I was wondering if I may ask you something.”
“What is it, Will?” Daniel asked.
Will glanced at Skye briefly before answering. “I wanted to ask you for permission to court your daughter.”
A smile sprang instantly to Skye’s face. She cast her eyes toward her father, who appeared to be thinking it over, but Skye knew he was only prolonging the suspense. She was breathless as she waited for him to speak. Finally, he looked at her.
“Do you agree to this young man courting you?”
Skye grinned. “Yes.”
Daniel looked back to Will with a smile. “Then, yes, you have my permission, and I wouldn’t have chosen any other man but you to ask me for it.”
Will smiled, his relief evident. “Thank you, Captain McHenry.”
“You are most welcome and, because it is such a beautiful day, would you like to accompany my daughter on a walk we were planning to take?”
“I would love to,” Will answered, his eyes going to Skye.
Together, the four of them left the house. Will took Skye’s hand, holding it tenderly as they walked down the street behind Daniel and Caleb. When they reached the shore, Skye glanced toward the fort. Just two weeks ago, Kelley and all of his men had faced the consequences of their actions. No longer would they terrorize anyone at sea.
As they walked along the white, sun-warmed beach, past all the anchored ships and fishing boats, they happened to overhear a conversation between several sailors.
“My brother was there and said he saw ‘em return all the goods that had been stolen. They must have gotten ‘em from another pirate ship ‘cause they ain’t the ones what stole everything,” one sailor said. “Looks like they’ve taken an example from Daniel McHenry.”
“What two ships did you say they were?” another sailor asked.
“The Half Moon and the Finder, if you can believe that.”
Skye and Will grinned at Daniel and Caleb.
“Well, it looks like they found the letters you and Matthew left them,” Daniel told S
kye.
Still smiling, Skye said joyfully, “Matthew is going to be so happy. We must go tell him.”
They turned to walk back into the city. It amazed Skye to think in that moment just how wonderful her life had become. She had someone who loved her and whom she loved in return, she knew she would see Kate and John again whether it was on earth or in Heaven, her grandfather loved her, she had her father back, and she had a real home again and the family she had longed for. Thank You, God, for the wonderful blessings You have given me . . .
Books by Molly Evangeline
Pirates & Faith Series:
The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
Every Tear
A Captain’s Heart
Finding Faith
Every Tear
Pirates & Faith - Book 2
Preview
Prologue
St. Thomas, Jamaica
Light flickered bleakly against the walls of the small, dusky room from a candle stub sitting on the dresser where a woman, small and frail, leaned with her head buried in her hands. The never ending hum of voices and drunken laughter drifted up through the floorboards from the main room of the tavern below. The sound, however, was quickly drowned out by the distressed and helpless cries coming from an old cradle in the corner. Slumped over the dresser, the woman held her head as the terrible, alcohol-induced headache intensified with every cry. Finally, she could stand it no longer and slammed her hand down on the dresser causing the baby’s cries to intensify.
Turning, the woman stared with remorse at her child, knowing he was hungry. She scanned the room with little hope. There was no food to give him and no money to buy it with for what little she made working as a bargirl she’d spent on her drinks. She could barely recollect the last time she had eaten herself.
The baby’s cries did not subside, and the woman squeezed her eyes shut tight. With great reluctance her thoughts turned to the man she had been married to, the baby’s father. She had promised him she would take good care of his son, but, even then, she’d known it was a promise she would never be able to keep.
As the cries increased, the woman realized she had to do something soon or her son would eventually die. Having neglected him steadily for longer and longer periods of time, she had contemplated her options over the last couple of months, though they were precious few. She knew now that she could no longer put off making a decision.
With a deep, defeated sigh, she crossed the room to the cradle and lifted her son from his bed, thankful that he finally quieted at his mother’s attention. She slid something off the top of the dresser and slipped it into her pocket before making her way out of the room, down the stairs and through the noisy main room of the tavern. She cringed when the baby started crying again and walked quickly up to the bar where the barkeeper, her employer, stood frowning at the stares of annoyance she was receiving.
“I need to go out for a little while,” she told him. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Well, you’d better hurry or ya won’t have a job when ya come back,” the barkeeper warned gruffly.
She hurried from the tavern knowing she must not lose her job. It was all that kept her alive. Heading quickly through the dark city streets, thankful only that it was warm because she had no coat for herself and no blanket for her child, she came to the large, brick building which had beckoned to her every time she passed by. Once again, her eyes were drawn to the sign next to the two big doors. St. Thomas Orphanage. Taking a deep, resolute breath, she glanced at her son and knocked. The doors opened only a moment later by the old orphanage governess.
“What can I do for you?” the governess asked kindly.
There was hesitation in the woman’s voice. “This child…his mother left him with me,” she lied, ashamed of what she was doing. “I cannot care for him.”
The governess looked at the teary-eyed baby and nodded. “Bring him in.”
Timidly, the woman stepped into the orphanage. Just beyond the doors stood one of the orphanage’s young nursemaids. Spotting the baby, she stepped closer and immediately her heart swelled at the sight of the small, dark haired child.
“What is his name?” the nursemaid was first to ask.
“William,” the woman answered quietly.
“And his surname?” the governess wanted to know.
The woman opened her mouth to give her maiden name, but her thoughts went again to her husband. How he had adored his son. Guilt struck her. She shouldn’t have taken William from him.
“James,” she said, giving her son his father’s name. “His name is William Jonathan James.”
“And his age?” the governess asked.
“Eighteen months. Two years on the twenty-eighth of October.” As she finished speaking, William began crying loudly again. “He has not eaten in some time,” the woman explained guiltily.
The governess nodded and turned to the nursemaid. “Mary, take him and feed him.”
“Yes ma’am,” Mary replied, happy to care for the child.
Gently, she took William from his mother’s arms. He quieted a little as he looked at Mary with helpless brown eyes. She smiled at him while she turned and left the room.
William’s mother watched until they had disappeared from sight and wondered if she would ever see him again. Finally, she turned back to the governess.
“Please take good care of him,” she pleaded.
The governess smiled gently and nodded. “We will. I can see already that Mary has taken quite a liking to him, and you can know he’ll be very safe in her hands.”
“Thank you,” the woman murmured. She turned to leave but then remembered the trinket. Turning back, she pulled from her pocket a necklace with an engraved locket. “This belonged to his father. He wanted William to have it. Please be sure he gets it when he’s old enough.”
Taking it, the governess smiled again. “We will give it to him,” she promised.
The woman lingered hesitantly a moment longer, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
“Also . . . tell him . . . tell him that his father loved him more than anything . . .”
* * *
Mary smiled as she knelt in front of the bright-eyed four-year-old. He was quieter and kinder than all of the other children and a bit shy with anyone but her. Brushing a stray piece of dark hair out of the boy’s eyes, Mary said, “I have something for you, Will.”
“You do?” Will asked.
Mary nodded. “Yes, it’s something we’ve been saving for you since you were only a baby. But, seeing as it’s your birthday today and you’re so big now I thought it was the perfect time to give it to you.”
She held out the necklace they had been instructed to give him, and Will reached out for it with his small hand. He looked at it curiously.
“What is it?” he wanted to know.
Mary smiled. “It’s a necklace with a locket. One half is missing, but if you look closely you will see that your name is engraved on it.” Her heart turned over as she watched him bend his head close to peer intently. “It was your father’s, and he wanted you to have it. He loved you more than anything you know.”
“He did?” Will’s eyes brightened even more.
“Yes,” Mary told him, still smiling.
Will smiled in return, but a frown replaced it. “How do you know?”
“Well,” Mary began. “We were told he did the day you came to live with us.”
“Mary, what happened to my mother and father?” Will asked, becoming sad. “Didn’t they want me?”
Mary’s face grew sad as well. Most of the children who had been there since they were babies didn’t ask much about their parents, but Will was different.
“Of course they did,” Mary told him. “They just wanted you to have a better life than they could give you themselves.” She hoped it would satisfy the young boy because she hated to see him unhappy.
Still, Will kept frowning. Mary forced a smile to her face.
“Cheer up, Will. It�
��s your birthday,” she reminded gently. “Let’s go have some fun.”
Finally, Will’s sparkling smile surfaced again, and he turned to join in some of his birthday activities with the other children. Mary followed behind, thinking of their discussion. It saddened her that he had to grow up without a family. He was such a wonderful, special little boy. It had shown, even as baby. How could anyone have just left him?
* * *
Tears trickled down Will’s five year old face.
“Mary, are you all right?” he cried as flames leapt up around them.
Mary lay on the floor, pinned by the debris that had fallen while she tried to guide the children out of the burning orphanage. The rest of the children had fled when she fell, but Will stayed by her side.
Mary tried to answer, but started coughing. She knew something was very wrong because she could barely breathe and the taste of blood was in her mouth.
“Will, you must get out of here,” Mary gasped.
Will quickly shook his head. “No, I can’t leave you.”
“Will, you must! Go . . .” Mary’s words trailed off as her eyes closed.
“No Mary, please wake up,” he pleaded, shaking her arm gently. She did not respond. “Mary!”
The Pirate Daughter's Promise (Pirates & Faith) Page 18