Demons & Pearls (The Razor's Adventures Book 1)

by P. S. Bartlett

  “Watts is doing his job. We’ll see you in Port Royal, then.”

  xxx

  Over the course of those three days, the strangest things happened. Several times a day, Watts would knock on the door and hand us a piece of fruit. Apparently, the remaining Augustus crew, were leaving us offerings of thanks for saving them. Granted, these men weren’t pirates per say and all of the ones we’d seen looked hardly older than boys, but it gave us a sense of relief that not everyone on board hated us.

  I was just thankful Captain McCormack wasn’t interested in hunting on our journey to Jamaica and was satisfied with what he had in the holds for now. I’d explained what our new living arrangements would be once we went ashore, and the girls agreed that, for now, this was the best offer we could hope to get, and we wouldn’t be anyone’s whore. After all, we knew farming and housekeeping, despite the fact that we were also killers.

  “Land ho!” a sailor cried as we took turns at the porthole. None of us had ever seen water so blue or such a beautiful and lush green landscape.

  “I can see clear through to the bottom!” Miranda shouted.

  “It’s like paradise,” Keara said with a sigh.

  “From the looks of it, we should be ashore within a few hours. Let’s gather our things and lock the trunk. I want to be ready when the time comes to finally set foot back on land,” Cassandra declared.

  As they dressed in the clean clothes they’d saved for this occasion, I stood and stared out the porthole. Although I never said a word about it, I was falling in love with the sea. A feeling of belonging washed over me unlike anything I’d ever felt before. I longed to shout at the sight of land and stand on the deck and feel the spray on my face as the ship danced over the surface of the water. My heart burned to climb upon the yardarm and feel the vibration of a sail as it catches the wind. In spite of this harrowing journey, I knew I was where I was supposed to be. No matter what anyone said, I knew the next time this ship left port, I’d be on it. I also felt in my bones in that moment, my goal was that no man would ever have reign over me for the rest of my life.

  “Ivory? Ivory?”

  Cass’s voice called me from my daydream. “Would you like me to read aloud until we reach the island?”

  “Yes. That would be lovely.”

  “How about instead, we discuss what we’re doing once we reach land?” Keara suggested as she flopped down on the bunk.

  “Please, everyone sit down,” I said. I leaned back against the bulkhead and sighed. “First of all, I want you all to know how sorry I am for everything that’s happened, but you have to admit, we’d have died back home had we not defended ourselves. Sometimes it feels as if our lives have been one tragedy after the other since…well, since we were children. I promise you, once we reach Port Royal, I will do everything in my power to secure your safety and make sure you have everything you need. Captain McCormack and his wife will provide us with suitable shelter until we can find a place of our own.”

  “Thank God.” Miranda sighed.

  “Do you trust him, Ivory?” Cassandra asked.

  “I do. Apparently, Captain McCormack has a soft spot for lost causes like us,” I said with a chuckle.

  “You don’t believe we’re a lost cause,” Keara remarked.

  “Of course not. However, we can stay there until I can make more permanent living arrangements. Who knows? Maybe she’ll be a kind and decent woman, and we’ll have time to put this all behind us.”

  “How do we put murder behind us, Ivory? How does one even do that? I can hardly remember who I was just a month ago without seeing blood on my hands,” Keara remarked.

  “I can’t answer that question, Ke. All I do know is that we have to try. I don’t want any of you to ever have to be in a situation of life or death again, and if this is the first step toward that life, then this is what we’ll do. Are we all in agreement?”

  After exchanging glances and a few more sighs, it was settled.

  “Now, how about that reading, Cass? I believe we could all use a distraction until it’s time to go ashore.” I took my usual place on the floor against the door and sat quietly with my eyes closed until I felt what I believed to be the anchor being lowered into the water and straight down into Jamaican sand.

  Chapter Five

  ~Spat From the Sea~

  Captain McCormack and Master Green held us back from leaving the ship until nearly every man aboard had been paid their share of the bounty and gone ashore. There were a handful of crew still tying things down and doing well-needed maintenance on deck, and we were suffocating in that room by the time Watts opened the door and waved us on to freedom.

  “The Cap’n has secured a wagon. I’ll load yer trunk, and I’ll be carryin’ ye ta’ the house.”

  “What about the Captain? Won’t the men be suspicious if they see us being carted off?” I asked when I finally set foot into the sun and stretched over a deep breath.

  “They don’t care as long as they’ve been paid. He and Master Green will come along on horseback. Let’s not keep ‘em waitin’.” Watts nodded as he pulled our trunk up and onto his big broad shoulder and led us down the gangplank.

  The stench of garbage and a rich, musky aroma I believed to be indigenous to the island blew over us as we finally set foot on the dock. I was still a bit sore, as were the girls. I found myself wanting to turn around and go back. I stopped for a moment and took in the ship in its entirety with a deep breath, before Cassandra locked arms with me and pulled me along.

  “Forget about it, Ivory.”

  “What?”

  “Forget it all. That’s the only way we can keep going. Isn’t that what you always tell us?” Cassandra always made sense. She knew what I needed to hear exactly when I needed to hear it. Hear her I did. Listening to her was something I needed to work on.

  “This way, ladies,” Watts said. He led us away from the dock and towards an awaiting wagon. The port was alive. There were many men loading and unloading ships, as well as people milling about chatting, laughing, and simply going about their daily lives. We endured some curious glances and a few unsavory remarks, but that wasn’t anything we weren’t already accustomed to. Watts kept us moving. There was no pause in our stride, although I believed Miranda may have a pain in her neck later from the way her head swung around every time she spied a thick, tan, muscular back and a set of bulging arms. There were more than enough of those to satisfy her lusty spirit.

  “Aye, lassies. Ye shoulda’ seen ‘er in ‘er younger days,” Captain McCormack said when he approached us. The words fell soft on his tongue and appeared to come from a deep loss and longing for the young and wild woman Port Royal once was.

  “What was she like then, Captain McCormack?” Miranda inquired.

  “Lass, she was a wild and loose woman a’ no scruples and overflowin’ with every brand a’ thief and bandit that’s ever set foot in the sand, she was. Buccaneers, privateers, and pirates, all richer than the King a’ England. If a sailor couldn’t find a fortune on a ship outta Port Royal, he musta been the dumbest creature on God’s green Earth.”

  “What happened? It still appears a very busy and populous place,” Keara asked as we reached the wagon and Watts loaded our trunk.

  “Before I took up with Barclay’s crew, I was across the bay there in Kingston. ‘Bout fifteen years ago now, ‘twas. Mid-mornin’ in June a’ sixteen ninety-two. ‘Twas like any other day, I s’pose, but I’d been on an all-nighter with Millie…uh, never mind ‘bout that. Anyway, the ground started ta’ shakin’, and we run down the stairs and out inta’ the street, we did. I thought ’twas the end a’ the world.”

  “An earthquake!” Miranda shouted.

  “Indeed ’twas, lass, and a mighty one at that. By the time ‘twas over, and then fer some hours after, the water came a’ rollin’ in. By the afternoon, over half a’ this town was at the bottom a’ the bay, and that’s where it sits still.” Willy leaned his elbow on the wagon and removed his hat. He l
owered it over his heart and bowed his head for a moment before carrying on. “Thousands a’ people, good people an’ some I called me friends, perished that day. A few years later, they patched her up as best they could. Then, one mornin’ before dawn as we made our way back ta’ port, we spotted plumes of smoke blowin’ an’ we could smell her burnin’. As we approached in the early hours and the sun rose over her, she was burned half ta’ the ground.”

  “I’m not so sure coming here was such a brilliant idea, Ivory,” Miranda said to me with a scowl.

  “Earthquakes, floods, giant waves, and fire…and she’s still here. I’d say she and I are perfect for each other,” I said as I waved off Miranda’s comment and climbed into the back of the wagon. Listening to the Captain go on about the old days put me in mind of Uncle William. McCormack’s tales and lore mixed with the glow in his eyes when he spoke, and it reminded me of why I’d longed for this mound of sand and thrills. Only now, the reality of what I’d seen so far was nothing at all like the stories I’d heard. But even if it killed me, I was going to seek out the charms I’d long imagined.

  “Speak for yourself, cousin. With our luck, we’ll be struck by lightning. Look at those clouds,” Keara said as she climbed up with Watts’s assistance.

  “‘Tis the rainy season, lass. Should rain at least a few hours a day from now ‘til late autumn, but since there ain’t really no autumn here, ye have the dry season and the rainy season. Welcome ta’ Jamaica.”

  Captain McCormack carried on with his tales of the town in her untamed yet glorious days prior to her many disasters. I watched Miranda out of the corner of my eye speaking softly with Watts before he gallantly lifted her by the waist and sat her on the end of the wagon. I shifted my view to Cass, who met my eyes simultaneously, and I could easily discern by her raised eyebrow, our thoughts were the same.

  Watts was in big trouble, but he wasn’t my problem. My problem was the cooing seventeen-year-old dangling her bare calves at him and not even making an effort to cover them. For a moment, I had to chuckle to myself. She was such a joy. She was always a bubbly little thing. Her lighthearted and childish nature was something she hadn’t lost after all we’d been through. Only now, instead of coaxing the boys to her with her giggles and green eyes, she was playing with fire and stealing their hearts.

  Cassandra slid next to me and nudged me while giving me that concerned eyebrow again. I whispered to her, “I’ll keep an eye on her,” and shouted to Miranda to cover her legs and sit back.

  Watts looked up at me and gave me a smirk of disappointment, but she did what she was told, like always. A minute later, I noticed Master Green leading two large chestnut horses to the wagon.

  “Our mounts, Captain,” he said, and he handed the Captain the reins.

  “Ye comin’ fer supper, Green?” he asked.

  “I will be along before dark, after I settle our dealings here. Will you be staying at home, or will you be returning after supper?”

  “‘Tis near supper time now, and ye know Missus McCormack.” The Captain cocked his head to the side and rolled his eyes at Master Green. Green let out the most delightfully rich and deep laugh and patted the Captain hard on his back.

  “I will see you ladies again I am certain. If I do not arrive in time for supper, perhaps I will see you another day.” Green rested his hands on the wagon and, dare I say, he smiled at us, but his eyes met only Cassandra’s.

  Green gave Captain McCormack a leg up and into his saddle. Watts took his seat to drive the wagon, and we were off down what Watts called Market Street on our way to meet Missus McCormack. I wasn’t sure what this town was like before the tragedies, but if it was anything like what we saw on the way to the Captain’s home, I couldn’t wait to get out and explore. It appeared to me as if every third or fourth building was a pub or a whorehouse. They made no effort to conceal any of it. Right out here in the daylight, or at least what was left of it that wasn’t smothered by the incoming clouds as the first drops of rain began to fall, I counted no less than five bare breasts, ten intoxicated fools, and a dozen beggars.

  “This place is like hell on Earth,” Keara said, interrupting my lost thoughts and bare breast count.

  “There’s nothing that says this is our last stop,” I said as I pulled up my knees to my chest and rested my head there.

  “Dear Lord in Heaven, I hope not. What kind of work could an honest woman find in a place like this?” Keara asked.

  “Cookin’, cleanin’, washin’ and the like, I s’pose, miss,” Watts chimed in from his perch.

  “Lovely. We’re back to that again,” Keara grumbled. She used the hem of her dress to fan herself until the rain began to fall harder. “How much further, Watts? We’re going to drown before we get there. Four weeks on a bloody ship only to drown in a wagon.”

  “It’s just up ahead, miss.”

  I’d heard enough complaining. “Listen to me, all of you. I promise you, this is only temporary. None of you will be cooking or cleaning anything for anyone but yourselves once I find us our own place and…”

  “And what?” Cassandra snapped at me.

  “And I figure out how to make some money without doing that,” I said as I waved my hand in the direction of another bare breast in the doorway of yet another brothel. “Or anything else that involves baring…anything.”

  “I trust you, Ivory. I know you won’t let us down.” Miranda scooted next to me and laid her damp, red head on my shoulder. “Ivory, what do you think this wife of his might be like?”

  “Considering the Captain’s age, I’d imagine she’s gray-haired, probably right thick in the middle, and since he seems like a rather fair and reasonable man overall, I’m sure she’s quite a pleasant lady.”

  I’d no sooner finished my imagined description of Lady McCormack, when Watts pulled the horses to a stop and announced that we’d arrived. This was not a modest home. Obviously, the Captain had been quite successful during his career as a pirate. Either that, or someone died and left him quite an inheritance. The house stood two stories of well-maintained brick, trimmed with white shutters, and was surrounded by a wall about six feet high with iron gates in front. A young Jamaican boy rushed to open the gates, and Watts guided the two mules that pulled the wagon, right up to the front porch.

  Palm trees swayed in the front yard under the light breeze that arrived with the rain. The pathway was rimmed with brightly colored flowers the likes I’d never laid eyes on, cuddled by lush green ferns and bushes. There were several fruit trees as well, in full bloom. An older Jamaican woman dressed neatly and covered down the front in a white apron waited to meet us at the porch.

  “Come along, ladies. I got only one thing ta’ say to ye, and ye better heed me words,” the Captain said as he brought his horse around the side of the wagon to speak to us. “Lady McCormack will tolerate no sass, no laziness…and no bullshit. Ye understand? Cause if ye don’t, ye’ll be out on yer little round arses quicker than ye can say ‘Davey Jones’.”

  “Davey who?” Miranda asked.

  “It doesn’t matter, Mir.” I shook my head.

  I was pleased that I wouldn’t be the only one watching over this lot, but I immediately threw all of my preconceived ideas of the Lady McCormack out of the back of that wagon and pulled the girls aside before we were invited in. “No nonsense, and I promise I’ll have us out of here within the month. Now, you give me your word you’ll do as I say.”

  “Ye ladies wait here while I break the news ta’ Missus McCormack.” The Captain greeted the Jamaican woman with a smile and disappeared inside. I continued my lecture at the girls and met no resistance. We were soaked through to our skin. We twisted and wrung at our clothing but regardless of our efforts, the rain water still dripped from our hems and hair. They were all so grateful to be off that ship and out of that rickety wagon that they’d have promised me anything for a hot meal and a bath. Fortunately, Lady McCormack had offered us both, but not before she, unfortunately, laid down the law. La
dy McCormack was no sweet, gray-haired old woman.

  Standing on the porch, we could hear the fine Millie McCormack. Her vocabulary was less than ladylike, and her tone was that of an angry cat on a back fence about to claw the eyes out of her rival. Watts stood off to the side and simply shrugged his shoulders when I looked over at him and mouthed, “What the hell?”

  “You girls be quiet now and be still. It is always the same with these two. In a moment, she will kiss him and all will be well,” the Jamaican woman said and folded her hands in front of her apron. “Or, she will break something over his head and then take him to bed, and we will all stand here until she’s through.”

  I turned to Cassandra and rolled my eyes. “Let’s hope for the kiss.”

  Cass burst into laughter and then slapped her hand over her mouth as the door pulled open and out stepped the Captain. “Watts, fetch the ladies’ trunk and take it ta’ the third bedroom upstairs.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “Ladies, follow me and do us all the kindness of allowin’ me ta’ introduce ye ta’ Missus McCormack. And fer the love a’ Christ, keep yer traps shut,” he whispered to us before we filed in.

  The Captain led us into the grand parlor of the home. We were beyond impressed with our accommodations, but we weren’t naive enough to think we wouldn’t be earning the roof over our heads; we certainly weren’t guests in this house.

  “Millie, allow me ta’ introduce Miss Ivory Shepard, the eldest of the girls.”

  “How do you do, Lady McCormack,” I asked as I bowed to her.

  “Why do ye bow like a man? Didn’t yer mother teach ye proper?” Millie McCormack snapped with a scowl. She was a tall, lean woman of about thirty-five, with coal black hair, and her golden brown eyes were slanted slightly. Either that, or her bun was far too tight.

  “Never really had a mother, and our aunt and uncle who raised us died when we were just girls.”