“Lady Juliette!” She heard Betts calling out to her through the noise of the storm and the sinking ship. “Milady!”
She leaned toward her maid, holding out one hand. Betts reached for her and the two women fell forward toward each other.
“Oh, milady!” Betts pulled the younger woman into her arms and held on. Juliette felt Joshua lean down, too, wrapping his arms around them both to shelter them. After a moment, she felt the hands of Joshua’s uncle touching her arm and knew that the men had surrounded her and Betts, sheltering them as the boat moved swiftly over the water and through the waves, away from the ship they had only briefly called their home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AFRAID
AFRAID
Juliette was exhausted. Chilled to the bone, her fingers numb and stiff, she wished she could sleep. But sleep was impossible.
The small boat tossed on the waves, the wind eating into cold flesh. The sun was rising, a watery dawn on a vast, heaving horizon. The rain, at least, was lessening. The ship had sunk during the night, and the six passengers and two crewmen were in for a very long ordeal.
“Where..?” Juliette croaked. Impossibly, she must have dozed, for she opened her eyes to find herself collapsed against Betty, whose eyes were closed. She tried not to picture the captain and the crewmen who had been so friendly to her. Whenever she did, the tears came back to her eyes.
Joshua tried to console her but was uneasy, not knowing whether he should hold her or just talk to her. He was at a loss. He patted her shoulder, left one arm around her, said nothing. In all fairness, what words could he say? There were no words for death of that magnitude, for loss on that scale.
Joshua, sitting beside Juliette, stared out over the pale ocean, turning pewter as the sun touched it. He shivered in the cold and bit his lip, as much to keep from crying as anything else. He and his uncle had just lost not only a great resource: all their maps, supplies and provisions for the mission, but also a good friend, Captain Bramley. Several friends: Murray, Fennell, Whitefield...all the men were known to him. He shook his head, eyes also damp with tears.
“I won’t be able to see anything until sunrise,” Cain said in a calm, instructive voice. “I can hopefully track where we are now.”
“You have star charts?” Joshua asked.
“I am quite sure the captain provided them. We shall find land, never fear.” He smiled reassuringly at Joshua and the two women.
Betts shook her head, trying not to be too discouraged. “Even if we find land, it will not put us out of danger.”
“We may find someone helpful. We might even run across another ship: we are near the Barbary coast, and there are surely other clippers nearby. You never know what will happen. And miracles happen,” Cain added and smiled at the maid. “It was a miracle I arrived in England the first time!” he chuckled. “I am confident we will reach home.”
“I hope you are correct, milord,” Betts said in a small voice. When Juliette looked at her, she looked far from reassured. Juliette sighed, and tried to put on a brave face. She did not want her maid to know she was frightened. She was frightened. She was horrified by what she had witnessed, exhausted and had no idea of what would happen next.
She said a prayer that some of them were able to live through the tragedy somehow. She doubted any of them did. She allowed herself to grieve for those men, though she did not know them very well. Joshua knew them. She could see his sorrow on his face, and knew he was mourning in silence. He would never allow himself to express his pain, she was certain. Not in front of her. The thought was a sad one, and Juliette watched the other passengers, trying to distract herself. The officers sat glumly in the back of the boat, looking out over the sea.
“Land out there, eh?” the young man said to the older one.
“Should be,” the major said quietly. “Went to Algiers once. You've been there?”
“No.”
“Hot damn place, by all accounts,” the major sighed. “Better than freezing.” he shrugged and huffed a laugh.
The boat rocked back and forth. Juliette looked up at the others. They were dimly lit by the rising sun. The orange rays bounced off Betts’s dark locks – they fell over her shoulders, loose and drying, now in the rising breeze. Joshua felt her gaze on him and looked up, his eyes kindling as they met hers. Her heart leaped in her chest. She swallowed and looked away from him.
Cain had moved to sit on the bottom of the boat, his back against the side. His arms were propped up on his knees. He looked more comfortable sitting there like that than he had in the in the captain's cabin, and Juliette could almost smile to see him so much more at ease in all this wildness and uncertainty than he was at formal dinners. Charles and James, the two sailors, had stopped rowing and the boat drifted along the calm waters.
The silence that had fallen over the group seemed to last forever. Juliette wanted to say something, but feared opening her mouth lest she become too emotional. She thought of her father and wondered what he would say. What would he do when he found out she was lost at sea? He would be sick with worry, and she was sure he would dispatch as many boats as he could to search for her.
He would never find her.
The thought of him made fresh tears come to her eyes. She lowered her head, pushing her hands through her long hair that had tumbled down from its restraining style. With her head down, the red curtain of her hair fell almost to the floor of the boat like bedraggled strands of dulled fire.
Joshua looked down at her. He wanted to reach out to her, pull her to him and hold her as close to him as he possibly could. She was so vulnerable in the soaked cloak, her hair long and loose about her slight, pale form.
He reached out and touched her shoulder to give her some comfort. He was afraid to speak, lest his words came out sounding foolish.
“All will be well, Lady Juliette. Uncle knows what he’s doing. He’ll get us somewhere safe.”
When Cain didn’t respond, Juliette looked over at him. His head was back and his mouth was open. A few seconds later, she heard a deep snore coming from him.
Juliette and Joshua stared at each other.
“That can’t possibly be comfortable,” she murmured.
Joshua was so taken aback by her humor that he could only stare at her for a moment. Then he snickered and it moved into a chuckle. Juliette looked up at him and slowly smiled, tilting her head.
Without a word, he pulled her to him and hugged her. “Everything will be well,” he said. For the first time since they had alighted into the boat, he meant it.
Juliette managed to fall asleep a few hours after the sun went down. They were still adrift. Their voices were soft when they spoke. The only sounds she could hear other than their low, murmuring voices was the soft water splashing against the boat, as if it never meant anyone harm. As if it was not as dangerous as it really was. She rested her head against a rolled cushion and was asleep before she knew it.
When she woke up, the sun was peeking over the horizon, sending rays of beautiful colors across the sky, reflected in the water below. She sat up slowly, looking around her, forgetting for a moment where she was. She saw Joshua lying on the hard boat floor near her and remembered where they were.
She struggled with her fear a moment as she gazed across the endless waters. Then she forced herself to remain calm. It does no good to be afraid.
She looked around the long boat, filled with prone, sleeping figures, some seeming dead they were so still. The rain had stopped completely, and a gentle mist hung over the scene, as the sun blazed slowly forth on the water in the east. It was a scene of peculiar beauty, and Juliette leaned back, feeling her fears calm.
Cain was already up, bent over a stretched out map in front of him, a compass in his right hand. He glanced up and saw that she was awake. “How are you feeling, my lady? You are not ill from the rain, are you?”
“No, your grace. I am well. Have you discovered anything of value?”
“Yes.
We are heading south by southeast. According to the compass, we should reach here…” He pointed to a spot on the map, “by the middle of the day. When we reach this area, we will do our best to head north north and make towards this bay. There is an island there. I believe it is inhabited, but I am not certain. We will have to land there to find out.”
“I am worried,” Juliette confessed, getting to her knees and crawling toward him. He looked at her again and ran his eyes down over her.
“It was wise for you to wear those trousers, my lady. Very wise.” He nodded, as if he was weighing the merit of some proposal at parliament. She could not help a grin.
“I am blessed to have them,” she agreed. “I do have another pair. I wish I had them for Betts to use,” she said, frowning wistfully. “They are so much more useful than dresses.”
“Some of our luggage made it to the boat. Perhaps the second pair is with yours.”
Juliette nodded. “That would be wonderful.”
“Did you sleep, my lady? You should sleep as much as possible, while it is still somewhat dark.”
“No. I cannot sleep,” Juliette shook her head. “I am filled with anxiety. Please show me again where we may land?”
After Cain had explained his plan, adding that he had no idea if the island was inhabited, Juliette sat back, chewing her lip.
“Do you think we will be safe even when we reach the island?” she asked slowly.
Cain’s response was given in a gentle tone, one that Juliette could tell he was genuinely keeping from being patronizing. “I am sorry, my lady. There is no way for me to predict that. But what other options do we have? We will not be able to drift forever. We must make an effort to get to dry land.”
“I know,” Juliette agreed, and tried not to feel afraid. She looked out over the rolling mass of blue-gray water, peering toward the horizon, longing to see land there, no matter how far away it was. She knew Cain was right: they had to find land, and soon. All they had to eat was ship's biscuits, and soon those would run out. “Do you have any idea how long it will take to get to the island?”
Cain looked down at the map again. “I think it will be most of the day today.”
“But if night falls, we might miss it.”
Cain shook his head. “We shall be more lost in daylight. At night, we have the stars to navigate by. I learned something of it over the years of sailing, and I feel reasonably confident in my skills.” He gave her a watery grin. “I had not thought to test them on the lives of my dear nephew and his friends,” he added sadly.
“I am so glad to have you with us, your grace.” She grinned at him. “I trust your skills. Not that,” she added, smiling wryly, “we would not have been glad to have you were you unskilled. It is simply of added benefit.”
Cain chuckled. “I understand, Miss. Don’t concern yourself with my feelings. I am a man who can take verbal abuse from a woman.”
Juliette’s jaw dropped open, though she was still smiling. “Verbal abuse!” she exclaimed. “Sir, you do me great affront.” She was teasing him, clearly. Cain laughed out loud, waking Joshua from a deep slumber. He sat up and stared at them for a moment. They both looked back at him. He blinked several times, shook his head and cleared his throat. “What…what’s going on?”
“We’re adrift at sea, that’s what’s going on, nephew. Have you forgotten?”
Joshua shook his head. “No, I…” He didn’t continue.
Cain looked down at Juliette. “He’s still waking up.”
“Yes, I can see.”
“He’s not the best companion just after he wakes up.” Cain leaned in close to her and said in a low conspiratorial voice. “He can be a bit grumpy.”
Juliette couldn’t help but laugh softly, though she felt a certain longing to find that information out on her own. In person. The thought was so shocking that she bit her bottom lip, feeling color flood her cheeks. Just one day on the ocean, she thought, and I have quite lost all decorum.
Strangely, the thought was no bad thing.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ON DRY LAND
ON DRY LAND
As Cain predicted, they were still on the water when the sun dropped low in the sky. Just before the darkness overtook them, Charles stood up and pointed. “I see land, milord. There! In the distance!”
Juliette strained her eyes, peering as much as she could, but she was unable to differentiate where the water ended and land began. Her heart was thumping, elation flooding her veins. They had reached land! The relief made her weak.
“I see it.” Cain nodded.
“I am glad you do,” Juliette said wryly, relief making her bold. “I do not!You were right.” She gave him a warm smile.
He smiled back. “But of course, my lady. Did you think I would be wrong?”
“Not at all, my lord. Not at all.”
He nodded and winked at her. She chuckled softly, glancing at Joshua, who was sitting next to her staring out over the water toward the approaching dry land. His face was pale and gaunt, his cheekbones already seeming more prominent after two days with only two ship's biscuits for a meal. His eyes were fixed on the horizon and they seemed to glow with relief. He looked quite beautiful, silhouetted against the dark horizon. She reached over and touched his hand. When he looked down at her, his face relaxed.
Joshua looked back at her, his expression tender. He took her hand between his own, amazed by the softness of it.
“Thank you, my lady,” he said softly.
“I know you lost many friends, my lord,” Juliette continued. “And I am sorry about that.”
He was quiet for a moment before he nodded slowly. They were all gone now. The captain and the crew had gone down with the ship, and they had seen no survivors. His chest ached when he thought about the fact that he would never see the man again, share a meal with him, laugh with him.
His eyes drifted to Cain, who was listening to their conversation, also looking sad. The older man shrugged, shaking his head.
“Shall I wake up Miss Betts?” he asked, looking down at the woman sleeping on the floor of the boat next to him.
“Let us wait till we get closer to land,” Juliette suggested. “She needs to sleep. When we reach land, we can wake her.”
“When we get there,” Cain said in an authoritative voice. “We will all help carry some of these luggage onto the land. We must take the last of the provisions we have. Those will go on the island first. We have no idea what we shall find there.”
“You believe this island may support people?” Juliette asked hopefully.
“I believe it does, yes.”
“I wonder whether whoever is there will be receptive to English people. If we cannot communicate with them, how will we make our plight known?”
“There are many ways to speak with someone who does not speak the same language, my lady.”
“Oh?” Juliette tilted her head to the side, listening intently.
“Why yes. You do it yourself. You can see when Joshua is sad, when I am cross, when Betty is tired. With the proper facial expressions and hand signs, people generally understand one another. You will see.”
“You are right,” Juliette said, feeling slightly reassured.
There was no more talking until Juliette herself could see the land. The water became shallow and the small waves swept up against the boat gently. She didn’t want to put her feet in the water, but it looked like she was going to have to. She was thankful the night was fairly warm.
She untied her boots and pulled the legs of her trousers up to her knees. “I’ll wake Betts,” she said when it looked like Cain was about to do it. “I do not want her alarmed.”
Cain nodded. “Yes, my lady. I do not want to frighten her.” He chuckled.
Juliette moved to lean over Betts and gently shook the older woman’s shoulder. “Betts. It’s time to wake up. We are going to an island. Betts?” She shook her again, suddenly terrified the woman had died in her sleep.
Finally, Betts stirred, turned her head and opened her eyes. The look of instant recognition and concern touched Juliette. “My lady?” she croaked. “Sleeping. Sorry...” She shook her head to clear it.
“You have every right to sleep, my friend,” Juliette answered her. “Our ordeal would exhaust anyone.”
“You have not slept, my lady,” Betts replied, sitting up and rubbing her eyes with her fingertips. Juliette laughed.
“I slept a little,” Juliette admitted. “I was glad to be awake to see the land. Look! Land!” She pointed out across the darkening horizon to where the shape of land rose out of the sea, a lumpy gray-green line, still against the heaving horizon. It caught the last rays of the sun, mist surrounding it and catching the light.
“God is with us, Miss.” Betts sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips and staring out over the horizon. “He is with us.”
“Yes, I believe He is, Betts.”
“We did not spend more than a day adrift on this boat.”
“That’s right. It is miraculous, is it not? Praise the Lord.” Juliette looked up and made the sign of the cross from shoulder to shoulder and forehead to heart.
“Praise the Lord.” Betts repeated the phrase and the action.
The woman sat in silence, attentive as the men guided the boat to the land. Just before Charles and James jumped out into the shallow water to pull the boat up onto the dry land, Cain and Joshua lit a lantern. They held it out, casting as much light as possible over the boat and the shoreline.
There were no humans standing on the shore, which was a relief to Juliette. She had the sinking feeling if they encountered any humans, they would be less than accommodating. Momentarily, she longed for the warm, soft bed she had left behind in Fairbanks. Then she immediately scolded herself. She would return to her bed eventually. For now, she was on a voyage, and her voyage had turned into an adventure.
Regency Romance: The Earl’s Unexpected Journey Of Love (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Romance Fiction) Page 10