Where Seagulls Soar

by Janet Woods

  The captains watched them go, grinning at each other, slightly shamefaced at the pummelling they’d given four complete strangers. Not that they’d got off altogether lightly. Thaddeus had a black eye, Edward had grazed his knuckles and Oliver was favouring his left side, where his ribs had taken a pounding.

  ‘Charlotte will give me a tongue-lashing,’ Thaddeus said, ‘but, by hell, I enjoyed that little stoush, so it will be worth it.’

  Edward pulled on his cap and straightened it. ‘You might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb then, Thaddeus. You’re both invited back on board. I’ve got a keg of best brandy which needs the company of fine gentlemen to appreciate it, and I think we need to keep our heads down for a while in case the authorities start sniffing around.’

  ‘Are you going to invite fancy pants back on board with us?’ Thaddeus asked.

  Edward began to laugh. ‘Seth Adams can’t tell good brandy from pony’s piss. Would you believe he bought a keg of Saggitario from the Dunn brothers?’

  There was a cackle of laughter from Thaddeus. ‘What sort of idiot would do that?’

  ‘The sort of idiot who knows a good ship when he sees it, though. He’s bought the Joanna Rose.’

  ‘I’ll be buggered,’ Thaddeus said.

  Edward grinned. ‘James Stark was signatory to the deal. Seth Adams is related to Barnard Charsford, and he got the ship for a song. Charsford is finished, and if by some quirk of fate Lord Durrington survives the tidal race, so is he.’

  Dumbfounded, Thaddeus and Oliver stared at him, then Thaddeus said slowly, ‘Seth Adams seems to be a wily sort of customer, despite the brandy. Heck, I bought a keg myself once, for my sins. I knocked the Dunn brothers’ heads together and got myself a refund, of course.’

  ‘Of course,’ the other two said promptly.

  Thaddeus ignored the sarcasm. ‘What does the lad know about running a shipping company?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Edward said. ‘But I’m sure it won’t take him long to find out. I think Joanna would like it fine if we were to assist him, gentlemen.’

  Seth and Leonard had gone back to the cottage to collect the two women and the child, who was seated on his mother’s lap, his head snuggled against her breast.

  ‘Is everything over?’ Tilda asked Leonard.

  ‘Aye. Best we get you back home now, before the authorities come snooping.’

  ‘Our mother and Ada Cooper are missing, Leonard. We’ll have to report it.’

  ‘It’s likely that Brian killed them both,’ Leonard said soberly. ‘There’ll be an enquiry. We’ll go and see the authorities together in the morning. We’ll tell them you went to visit Ma and found the pair of them were missing. Tell them that Brian took you as a hostage, then Lord Durrington and Bisley arrived. After they hit you over the head you became unconscious, and you can’t remember anything else.’

  ‘And what will you tell them?’

  ‘That when I came to look for you, they set about me. Then they all ran off towards the shore, where a boat was waiting, and they got swept into the race. That will account for my bruises and your head injury.’

  ‘I don’t want to lie, Leonard.’

  ‘It won’t be a lie. We’ll tell the law what they want to hear, within the bounds of truth . . . leave the others out of it, since the islanders won’t say a bleddy word of what happened tonight. You know that. The authorities will think some contraband deal was going on. I’ll come back later and bury a keg or two of Saggitario brandy in the cave. They won’t entirely swallow the tale, since they’re not fools. But they won’t be able to prove anything different. Besides, there were several law officers among the islanders. I recognized a couple of them, including a magistrate.’

  ‘What about me?’ Joanna said, her blue eyes tender on her son as she attempted to gently untangle his matted curls.

  ‘No need to mention you at all, since Toby’s abduction has been kept from the authorities. Least said the soonest mended with that lot.’

  Toby turned to gaze at Seth, his eyes half-hooded and sleepy from the caress of his mother’s fingers against his scalp. Recalling how that caress felt, Seth envied him. The boy managed a half grin, flung out a hand towards him and murmured ‘Papa’ before his eyes closed.

  Something inside Seth warmed, then melted, tears pricking his eyes. Joanna looked his way and gave a faint grin, even though she was exhausted and frantic with worry. ‘Toby’s not well, Seth. I’ve got to get him home and into his bed, where he’ll feel safe.’

  Assisting the women on to the cart Durrington and Bisley had arrived in, Leonard turned the horse’s head around, then clicked his tongue. ‘She’ll make her own way home after she’s dropped us off. Like as not she was taken from outside the inn. Bang on the bakery door on your way past, Seth, and the baker’s missus will stable her.’

  They overtook their seafaring companions on the way down. Seth was relieved to see the three men were still able to walk as the horse plodded placidly past them on the way downhill, for it seemed to know where it was going.

  ‘We’ll see you at the bottom,’ Edward shouted out to him.

  Seth’s arm was beginning to hurt, but he was looking forward to meeting the captains after he’d settled the women.

  Charlotte Scott and the Nash twins welcomed Joanna back with soft murmurs of concern, tears and hugs. How loving women were towards each other in times of trouble. It was beautiful to see. Toby was fussed over, and it was obvious Joanna was in good hands.

  Charlotte gazed at him over Joanna’s shoulder. ‘Where’s Thaddeus, Seth? Is he all right?’

  ‘Perfectly, except for a bruised eye. Oliver has sore ribs, and Edward has collected a few grazes. Joanna will tell you what happened when she’s got the boy sorted out. I’m off to join the others on the Joanna Rose. We need to talk things over.’

  ‘No doubt you’ll all have sore heads in the morning.’

  ‘No doubt,’ he said, his grin rueful in advance at the thought. ‘But I don’t know how I would have managed without their help.’

  Charlotte’s expression softened. ‘They have a past together and are loyal to each other. You could be in worse company. Tell Thaddeus . . .’ She shrugged and looked slightly sheepish. ‘Well, just let him know I’m thinking of him, if you would.’

  Seth’s glance slid to Joanna. She was fully involved with the comfort of her child. But that was how it should be and he didn’t resent the fact that she hadn’t given him another thought since she’d got the lad back.

  She proved him wrong. As if she’d read his thoughts, Joanna turned to gaze at him. Her eyes clung to his in a moment of intimacy, then her smile bathed him with radiance. ‘Thank you, Seth. You’ve been wonderful.’

  In all ways, he hoped, feeling himself grin all over. Seth let himself out feeling like a man with a new purpose in life after such a reward, leaving the women to their chatter.

  How like her father Joanna was when she smiled, Charlotte thought. And she’d learned to put that smile of hers to good use. Seth Adams had been instantly smitten.

  The four men were rowed back to the ship, and scrambled aboard.

  The thought that this ship was his awed Seth. She was as beautiful as the woman she’d been named after. He wondered what to do with her as he stood on the deck and felt her gently move beneath his feet.

  ‘Well, lad, what do you think of her?’ Thaddeus asked him.

  ‘That she’s going to be quite a responsibility. I’ve only just realized how much organization must go into sailing and maintaining her.’

  ‘You have a good manager to advise you. Henry Wetherall knows the business inside out and he’ll do his job if he’s left to it. Durrington kept undermining him.’

  ‘I guess my first task will be to secure cargo and passengers.’

  ‘We have Irish migrants waiting to board, and some other passengers already aboard. We were talking it over when we came down the hill. We could pool our money and supply our own cargo. We’ll get a good return for
it from the merchants in Melbourne if we auction it straight off the ship.’

  ‘What type of goods?’

  ‘Anything domestic. Clothing, fabrics, china, books, building materials, farming tools, tents, furniture, liquor.’

  ‘Saggitario brandy?’ Seth suggested wryly, and they all laughed. ‘What about return cargo?’

  ‘Mostly wool, some gold. Royal mail and passengers. There’ll be a cargo waiting for us.’

  ‘Provisioning?’

  ‘Some provisions are already on board. We still owe for them, by the way.’

  ‘I’ve only just bought the ship, but I’ll honour the chandler’s bills and crew wages, since we’ll need both in the future.’

  Although Seth didn’t know it, his grasp of the situation and his single-mindedness were impressing his three companions.

  ‘Provisions will depend on the number of passengers and the size of the crew. We’re short of crew and a couple of officers. Since some of them heard Durrington was going under, they found berths elsewhere. But we can sail the ship short-handed if we don’t take a full complement of passengers.’

  ‘What about the Irish migrants? They would have paid their fares.’

  ‘Aye, and most can’t afford to forfeit them. But their fares are lost to you, so you won’t have to honour them. The migrants would have brought most of their own provisions aboard, though.’

  ‘I’m not about to rob the poor of their hard-earned cash, gentlemen. I’d rather lose money first up than lose the goodwill. If you explain the situation, can you pick crew up from amongst the Irish in exchange for their passage?’

  ‘Aye. They’ll also keep their quarters clean. Irish women seem to be able to fend for themselves, whatever environment they find themselves in. They’re used to hardship and will help with menial work if needed, like taking a holystone to the deck.’

  Excitement coursed through Seth, though he hesitated for a moment. ‘What if I wanted to base the ship in Melbourne?’

  The three gazed at each other and grinned.

  ‘Good,’ said Seth. ‘I’m going back to London tomorrow. I’ll have a cargo ready for you in one week, and I intend to stuff this ship to the gills. I take it you’ll need a second in command, Edward?’

  Consternation registered on Edward’s face. ‘You’re not expecting to learn seamanship that fast, are you?’

  Seth slid a wink towards the other two before he contemplated the captain. ‘Not all at once, of course, but I thought that if I went to Melbourne with you, you could instruct me on the way. It shouldn’t take long, and what better a way to learn a trade than taking a hands-on approach?’

  ‘Did you now, mister?’ Edward growled, looking ready to throw him overboard. ‘This is a profession for real men, not some fancy-pants weekend sailor, who doesn’t look as though he can work up a sweat.’

  ‘Perhaps you should teach me to dance the hornpipe, then?’

  Oliver and Thaddeus exchanged a glance with Seth and the pair howled with laughter.

  Seth chuckled. ‘Don’t fret, Captain. I wouldn’t be foolhardy enough to come between a master and his ship. It just seemed to me that there’s some skilled labour going to waste at the moment, so I thought Oliver might like to keep his feet wet, if you’ve got room for him.’

  ‘Damn it, I’ll take him and defer to him, for Oliver is a better master than I’ll ever be.’

  ‘No need for that, Edward,’ Seth said with a smile. ‘If I can make this venture pay, I might take on a partner, buy a second ship and expand.’

  ‘And I might just know the perfect person,’ Thaddeus murmured.

  Seth nodded. ‘I thought you might. Now, where’s that brandy you promised us, Edward?’

  When Thaddeus patted Seth on the shoulder, pain shot through him. Letting out a groan, he clapped his hand over his arm. Blood seeped through his fingers.

  ‘Jesus, he’s bleeding,’ cried Oliver.

  They helped him into Edward’s cabin and uncovered his arm.

  ‘There’s the tip of a knife broken off in there, and it will need a stitch or two after it has been removed,’ Thaddeus said. ‘Fetch the surgeon’s bag, would you please, Oliver.’

  ‘Bring the surgeon with it,’ Seth added hopefully, as an afterthought.

  Thaddeus planted a hand on his stomach as he tried to rise. ‘Don’t panic, lad. I’ve done this hundreds of times before, and every one of my victims survived.’ He turned to Edward. ‘We’ll clean the wound with that brandy, then pour a dram or two down his gullet. It will help calm him. Chin Lee, see if you can clean up his coat, and find him a clean shirt. We can’t have the new owner looking like a ragamuffin.’

  Thaddeus inspected the wound. ‘It’s a good sharp cut and should heal as clean as a whistle. How did you come by it, lad?’

  ‘Bisley’s knife. I got between it and Toby.’

  ‘That’s what comes of playing the hero to impress a lady.’

  Seth said seriously, ‘Do you think Joanna was impressed then?’

  Thaddeus grinned. ‘Aye, lad, she couldn’t fail to be. Now, stop talking and take a slug of this. It’s real brandy.’

  The brandy was excellent when applied internally. On the surgery it hurt like hell, but Seth wasn’t about to let them know it. Afterwards, he drank some more and listened to the seamen’s tales with a warm glow of contentment. The adventure of it all fired him up. It was a good feeling. Later, Chin Lee took out a flute and Thaddeus taught him how to dance the hornpipe, to the guffaws of the other two. Eventually, they all collapsed on to chairs and opened another bottle.

  ‘What name will you register the new shipping company as?’ Edward asked.

  Head buzzing, a brilliant idea occurred to Seth. He smiled expansively at them all. ‘The Shegle Sipping Company. Jonah likes shegles.’

  ‘No Jonahs are allowed aboard the Joanna Rose. That deserves a toast, gentlemen.’ Grinning at the others, Edward refilled Seth’s glass for him, then held up his own glass. ‘To the Shegle Sipping Company, then.’

  ‘The Shegle,’ they said solemnly and clinked glasses.

  Seth carefully placed his glass on the table, slumped sideways in his chair and began to snore gently.

  There were grins all round. ‘What’s a shegle?’ Oliver said.

  Edward refilled the glasses. ‘Beats me.’

  Thaddeus shrugged as he examined the contents of his glass. ‘’Tis a female gull, I reckon.’

  The twins had gone upstairs and were talking in low voices, making plans.

  Charlotte and Joanna sat by the fireside. Toby had been bathed and his wounds properly cared for. Now he slept in his mother’s arms.

  ‘He should be in bed, dear.’

  Joanna refused to part with her son. She gently kissed his curled palm. ‘Not tonight, Grandmama. I want him to forget what happened and begin to feel safe again. And I can’t bear to have him out of my sight yet.’

  ‘It’s been a bad two years for you, my love. First Alex, then this.’

  ‘We have to go forward. I’m going to tell Tilda everything tomorrow. She had to face her past tonight, and although she was trying to be brave, she was shattered. History nearly repeated itself. Her brother tried to force himself on her in that cottage.’

  Horrified, Charlotte stared at her.

  ‘Oh, he didn’t succeed. Yet Tilda risked her own life and put my son first. It made me realize how very much I love her. I owe her too much to just go off to Melbourne without another word.’

  ‘And what about Seth Adams? Don’t you owe him something?’

  Colour rose to her cheeks. ‘Obligation doesn’t come into our relationship. In the first place, he was working for Lord Durrington, so I could never quite bring myself to trust him until right at the end.’

  Charlotte gasped.

  ‘But even so, I allowed him . . . we became lovers.’ Joanna closed her eyes, remembering the exquisite lovemaking that had occurred between them, something more passionate and gloriously intimate than she’d ever ex
perienced before. Her eyes came up to Charlotte’s. ‘Seth has never mentioned marriage. What if he doesn’t love me in the way that I want him to?’

  ‘But, my dear—’

  ‘He never told me so. I thought he did once, but I may have imagined it because I wanted him to so much, and I had been drugged. Oh, I’m so mixed up. He might not even respect me now, since mainlanders are different from the islanders in that respect. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love Seth. Not even Alex, and I feel so guilty because I thought I would love Alex for ever. But I rarely think of him now, my mind is filled with Seth.’

  Charlotte smiled at that. ‘You mustn’t feel guilty. It’s not healthy to grieve all your life, and you’re too young to remain a widow.’

  ‘Why aren’t you shocked, now I’ve told you my secrets?’

  ‘Oh, Thaddeus and I were lovers for years. It started not long after your grandfather died, and I felt as you do now. We’re not meant to live life alone. Alex wouldn’t have expected you to remain celibate, I’m sure he wouldn’t have.’

  Or even remain faithful, Joanna thought sadly.

  ‘But as I was going to say earlier, anyone with half an eye can see that Seth Adams is totally besotted with you. He strikes me as being a man who likes to do things his way, but will listen to reason.’

  ‘He certainly does like his own way,’ Joanna said darkly. ‘I didn’t expect him to lock me in the back room.’

  ‘He did it only to protect you from harm. I didn’t think you’d be so foolish as to climb out of the window.’

  ‘I’d climb the highest mountain to find my son.’

  ‘And so would he. Be guided by that man, Joanna, my dear. In return he will nourish and protect you every day of your life, and he’ll work only to ensure your happiness.’

  ‘But what if he doesn’t want me, now?’

  Charlotte’s smile was complacent. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous.’

  The magistrate cleared his throat and began to read from a piece of paper.

  ‘29th day of November 1859. Portland. Having heard the sworn testimony of Tilda Lind and Leonard Rushmore, it is the finding of this enquiry that Fanny Rushmore and her paid companion, Ada Cooper, were murdered by the escaped prisoner, Brian Rushmore, and, furthermore, that their bodies were disposed of by means unknown. It is further found that the said felon, Brian Rushmore, a person known to the courts for violent acts towards his fellow men, as his court record will attest to, and who was under the sentence of life imprisonment at the time of his escape from Newgate prison, perished along with Charles Durrington, peer of the realm with the esteemed title of Earl, and his servant, known only as Bisley, who were conducting business together with the said felon when their boat was swept into the tidal race off Bill Point, and was taken by God’s hand into the deep. It is concluded that the conspiracy of the men involved an attempt to smuggle brandy without the payment of due duty. Kegs of illicit brandy marked Saggitario were found hidden in caves nearby.’