Carried Home

by Heather Manning

  Ivy glanced upwards. The sun shone high in the sky. Emma would probably be waking from her nap soon, and it would be time to check on Gage. She threw the piece of canvas she had been using to scrub the deck into a nearby bucket and stood. Her limbs protested. Ivy rubbed her lower back with her hand. The men around her chuckled, but she ignored them. She had already heard enough snide comments from them and had no wish to endure any more.

  She made her way down to the captain’s cabin, where she had been spending her days and nights ever since the skirmish with the pirates. It was much easier to keep the man and the child she took care of in one place. After a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure no one followed her, Ivy stepped inside.

  Sunlight streamed through the large porthole built into the bulkhead, illuminating the cabin and offering an enticing view of the sea. She had grown to love the water after she had gotten over her seasickness. A low groan drew her attention to the left of the room, where Gage rested on his bed. He was still asleep. The poor man had barely been awake the last few days, and when he actually was awake, he was not fully aware of his surroundings. All he did was murmur words like “I’m sorry” or “angel” or “forgive me.” Those were certainly an odd array of phrases, but what could be expected from a feverish man? Ivy hurried to his side. His eyes were slit partially open, and he raised his hand to touch her arm. She leaned down close.

  The poor man’s forehead was all bruised from the nasty hit to the side of his head, and the dark color had spread even to his cheek and temple. It looked too painful to even think about. His stab wound, on the other hand, seemed to be healing as normally as could be expected. She cleaned the bandages every day, but with time, it would heal, and he would be left with merely a scar.

  After the battle, the ship’s surgeon had offered to see to Gage, but Ivy felt uncomfortable near the man. He seemed to be in cahoots with Johnson, and he was not the type of man she wanted near the injured captain. So Ivy had seen to the man’s needs and prayed she had done an adequate job of it.

  “Beautiful.” Gage reached up and brushed a curl of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks heated, but she knew it was only his delirious state that brought forth such words.

  “Gage, I need you to get better, all right? You’ve been like this for two days. Please. We need you captaining the ship. I cannot be captain with Mr. Douglas for much longer. Please, we need you back to help us.” She grabbed his hand with both of hers and pressed a kiss on it.

  Emma gurgled, stirring in her slumber. Ivy laughed and scooped the child up off the chair she had been lying on. She could not wait until Gage was well and she could stop working around the ship. Time spent with Emma was precious and far too short these days. The child brought life and light to the entire ship.

  Emma smiled sleepily and entangled her little hand in Ivy’s hair. Oh, this little one was precious. She made Ivy terribly miss her dear brother back in London. What was William doing now? Was he warm, happy, and well-fed? Did he miss his sister? Ivy gulped. What would he think of her when she finally did return home? Would he ever be able to forgive her for abandoning him?

  Ivy sighed. Sometimes she felt as if she did too much to help others, so much so that she was unable to give each person she wanted to help in her life all of her devotion. She had been forced to stop taking care of William when she had chosen to find her best friend, Eden. Now she split her time between caring for Emma and Gage and trying to help Adam run the ship. Although she wanted to give all of these people her best efforts, Ivy had grown mentally and physically exhausted.

  Emma giggled as she tugged on a piece of Ivy’s hair and watched it spring back into place. The girl’s face lit up. “Pretty,” Emma chirped.

  Ivy beamed. The child had recently begun speaking a few words, and the thought made Ivy’s heart sing. Except for when she thought of what would happen when they arrived back home. She had no idea what would become of Emma, but she knew that apart from the girl, her own heart would never be complete again.

  Gage groaned from his position on the bed. Ivy smiled tenderly. Her heart might not be complete without her dear man either. But there was absolutely nothing she could do about her heart. It would not be fitting for her to pursue a life with a sailor, captain or not. Eden had promised her life to a sailor, but she had run from everything she once knew to escape a terrible man and had been all alone in the world. Ivy was not in nearly such a desperate situation. Besides, Ivy had promised Aimee she would not let herself grow attached to a pirate. She was a London-bred English lady. Goodness, did that thought sting.

  ****

  Eden snuggled Reed close against her chest. She loved days when the boy came into her and her husband’s cabin in the early morning. Today, they snuggled on the big bed in the center of the cabin. This time with him was precious, and she was glad Caspian now recognized the fact. Caspian propped himself on one elbow and winked at Eden.

  She smiled and ran her finger down the length of his jaw. He stilled her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingertip.

  Reed sighed, interrupting their moment. “What’s wrong, dear?” Eden nudged the boy forward so she could see his face.

  “I hope we find my uncle soon. I don’t like going to all these ports all the time.” Reed scrubbed a hand across his forehead.

  “Oh, we’ll find him. Don’t worry. I know we will find him.” Caspian ruffled Reed’s hair.

  “Where are we sailing to now, Papa?”

  Eden beamed at Reed. Oh, how happy she was to call this fine young lad her son.

  “We are going north. Hopefully we can find your mama’s brother there.”

  ****

  Gage groaned as he propped himself up on his elbows. His head spun, but he continued until he had forced himself in a sitting position. Next, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. It felt good to be up again. He turned his head slowly to glance about the room and scan its contents without making himself dizzy.

  The cabin was empty, save Emma, who slept soundly on the chair. It must be nap time for her.

  Gage gripped the end of his mattress and tried to bolster himself up. The room swayed before him. His knees buckled. The cabin door burst open. The abruptness startled him, and he started to topple over. Ivy entered the cabin and immediately braced an arm around his back, preventing him from crumpling to the floor.

  “What were you doing? For heaven’s sake, you should see how pale you are right now. Lay back down, lay back down.” Her soft voice soothed his nerves and helped steady his vision. He allowed the woman to gently pull him back down onto the mattress until he finally reclined against the pillow. She ran the back of her hand across his forehead. “What were you doing, Gage? Are you well? Did you need something?”

  “I…wanted…to stand.” Gage winced. Since when did it take so much breath to speak?

  “Why? Can I get you something?” Her tone was so sweet it almost made him hurt more. And, he needed to stop looking into those gorgeous gray-blue eyes. He could get lost inside of them. “Gage?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Can I get you something? You should not be getting up on your own.”

  Oh. Well, if he could remember what in tarnation he had gotten up for, he would not want her to get it for him. His face heated. Weren’t men supposed to be strong in the presence of women? He was anything but strong at the moment. “No, miss.” His voice came out far more gruffly than he ever intended.

  She blinked. “A-all right. Are you sure you are well?”

  “Yes, miss…”

  She graced him with a small smile. “It’s good to see you up, Gage. I was so concerned for you in the last few days.”

  Gage’s eyelids started to weigh down. He struggled to keep them open.

  Ivy brushed a lock of his hair from his face. “Sleep well, sir.”

  His last memory was her lips on his forehead before he drifted back into a deep slumber.

  ****

  Ivy bounced Emma up and down in her arms as Mr. Douglas sp
oke to her. They sat in her cabin, mainly because Douglas did not want the crew to hear them, and Ivy did not want to disturb Gage. Emma yanked on a lock of Ivy’s hair, and she bit back a grimace. The girl grew more energetic as each day passed.

  “They are unhappy with the direction we are sailing. They say it isn’t worth it to go find Captain Thompson’s sister—that after everything we have been through, they do not want to do it.”

  “What should we do? I know how important this is to Gage. We have to get his sister. I understand his need because of how much I need to see my brother.”

  Mr. Douglas rested his elbows on his knees and his forehead on his hands. “I don’t know, milady. I was never meant to be a leader. I love sailing, but I am much better at following under someone else’s command. I don’t know how to lead them. Perhaps you could speak to them? That worked well last time.”

  Emma settled in Ivy’s arms, nestling her head in the crook of her elbow. Ivy snuggled the girl closer as she contemplated what Mr. Douglas said. “I-I could say something to them. Or I could try.”

  ****

  Adam had to stop himself from squeezing his eyes shut. This discussion was not going quite as they had planned.

  “What do we care?” Someone heckled.

  “Please, men. Please listen to me for a few moments’ time.”

  After a minute—and some shushing from Adam and a few others still loyal to the captain—the men silenced their protesting to the point where Lady Shaw could actually be heard above them.

  She started out timidly. The poor woman had probably not spoken in front of so many people in her life before the speech she had given them two days ago. “Can you please just take a moment and think as if you were Captain Thompson?”

  “I ain’t that much of a ninny!”

  “I beg you, gentlemen. Let me speak. Just please, think of your own families. Think of how much you love them. Do you have a sister at home? A daughter? A mother?”

  “I don’t have no family!” Another man yelled.

  Adam struggled to stop himself from growling. “Silence!”

  “Why should we listen t’ you?” The man glared pointedly at the left side of Adam’s face and Adam felt it like a fresh burn to the spot.

  He had always been uncomfortable with the injury to his face, and when people mocked it, he felt sick. Adam clenched his eyes shut, lest the men see the emotion running across his features.

  “Don’t you understand? Please think back to your childhood. I’m sure there is someone who loved you, who cared for you enough to make sure you were always safe. And even if you didn’t have someone like that, surely you felt that way for someone at some point!” Lady Shaw bit her lip, and then moved around the deck. She stopped at one man and rested her hand gently on his arm for a moment. “Sir, what is your name?”

  He looked to the left, before finally facing Lady Shaw. “Todd, ma’am.”

  Lady Shaw nodded sweetly. “Now, Todd, please tell me, do you have someone at home? Someone who you have known at any time, who depended on you?”

  Todd fixed his gaze on the wooden planks of the deck. “Yes,” he mumbled. Adam had to strain to hear him.

  “What, sir?” Lady Shaw planted her hands on her hips.

  “I said… yes, I have a wife, an’ a little girl back home. They need me.”

  A grin split across Lady Shaw’s face, lighting up her expression. “I understand, sir. So do you realize why we need to help Captain Thompson take one short side trip to get his sister?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now, the rest of you men…”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gage rubbed his temples. Ever since the battle and his injuries, he suffered terrible headaches. However, it was a joy to be sitting in an upright position with his mind in a mostly clear state. Ivy had refused to allow him to do much standing or walking so far, but during the times she was absent from the cabin, he would rise and pace back and forth. It was a strange feeling, walking after being bed-ridden for so many days. His legs felt as if they belonged to someone else. He had been doing a lot of practicing, too, because Ivy was away from the cabin fairly often.

  It still shocked him that the little woman had practically taken over his role as captain of the ship while he was indisposed. He had no idea how she had garnered the respect of his crew, but apparently she had. The lady was a complete mystery to him at times. His thoughts slowed as a child’s giggle filled the air. Emma. The sweet girl sat in the corner of the cabin, playing with his sextant. She practically grew more each minute of the day.

  He crouched beside the child and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. At times, he forgot that sudden movements disoriented him. A tiny hand wrapped around his wrist. Gage smiled. “Hello, sweetie.”

  “Hello, Papa!” Her youthful chatter filled the cabin with warmth.

  “Oh, sweetheart…” Gage couldn’t bring himself to correct the child. Of course, he should have long ago. He was not the girl’s father, and unlikely he ever would be. However, Emma calling him “Papa” tugged at a bit of his heart. He’d never actually taken care of someone this dependent on him before. The responsibility of caring for his sister had fallen on his young shoulders, but in all reality, they were close in age, and once they had joined Caspian’s family, she was not entirely his anymore. Emma was so special to him…she seemed like…well, she seemed like she truly was his own child. It only seemed right for her to call him her father. Then again, the fact that the child called Ivy her “Mama” only added to the pleasure of the situation.

  Emma launched herself into Gage’s arms, causing him to reel to catch his balance. His side still throbbed, but the pain was not the child’s fault by any means. Gasping for breath, he set the girl aside gently. Her face puckered up and a low whine emanated from her throat. Finally, just as she opened her mouth to produce a full wail, the door burst open.

  Ivy stumbled in, yanking off a tri-corn hat and wiping sweat from her brow. That was his hat. The little thief. He grinned. Her copper hair tumbled over her shoulders in waves. Sunlight sprinkled in from the porthole of his cabin and reflected off her tresses. He wanted to touch them.

  She blinked. He had been caught staring. Heat rushed to his cheeks. He had to distract her. “H-how are things going, Miss Captain? Is my crew treating you well?”

  His comment elicited a curve of her lips. “I’m not even remotely a captain, Gage. You are being silly.”

  Gage rose, stretching out his shoulders. It felt good to be standing on his own two feet once more. “Well, you have been doing much of my job these past few days. I would say that makes you a captain. Faith, how did you manage to control my band of ruffians?”

  “I’ve no idea, Captain. I suppose God helped me through it. The men still do not seem pleased, but they are sailing us to Charles Town with nary a complaint.” She reached a hand up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. The woman performed the simple act with such grace that he had to blink to be sure he was seeing correctly. Yes, she was a true lady, that much was certain. One a pirate like him did not deserve, but one a pirate like him desperately wanted to keep.

  He needed to stop thinking like that. Surely she didn’t truly care about him anyway. “How long until we reach Charles Town, Miss Captain?”

  “I asked Mr. Douglas yesterday. He says the men believe we will reach the port by tomorrow afternoon if the winds are in our favor.”

  A grin tugged at his lips in anticipation of seeing Addie. Oh, how he missed her. “Do you have any siblings other than your little William?” He suddenly felt incessantly curious about this lady.

  She gave him a small, sad quirk of her lips. “No, sir. I wish I did. Then mayhap someone else could help me make sure he was safe. I grew up as an only child for most of my life.”

  “Ah, miss. I know your young brother is very precious to you. I assure you he must be safe, though. I know God would not let anything happen to him.”

  She blew out a breath, sitting do
wn on the chair next to his bed. “You must be right. However, I find myself struggling to trust. I have always been one to want to control my own destiny, to do everything I needed done by myself. I suppose I have trouble trusting others.” Her shoulders shook.

  Gage’s mind refused to help him determine a reply. He needed to comfort her. He felt like a big, bumbling idiot. How dare he bring up a topic like this when it obviously pained her to think about it?

  “Oh, you must think me a ninny.” She swiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I am sorry, Captain. I need to go do something…outside. Good day.” She spun around and headed for the door.

  “Ivy, wait!” Gage braced his arms on the bed, trying to rise. His head spun, but he jumped to his feet anyway.

  Her face crumpled. “I am fine, Captain. Please don’t follow me. I need some time to myself.” She swung herself out of the cabin and banged the door behind her.

  Gage lowered himself back down onto the bed and covered his face with his hands. Egad, he had not meant to upset her. Please, God, help me understand how to help this lady. She needs to trust in You. I need to trust in You as well.

  He uncovered his face and surveyed the cabin. His gaze halted on his desk, where his Bible sat. An idea formed in his mind. Thank You, Father.

  ****

  Ivy cringed at the way the cabin door slammed behind her. She glanced to her left, down the companionway. It would probably be a good idea to run to the privacy of her cabin, but she could not bear to be confined in that tiny place. In fact, being stuck on this cramped ship had begun to grate on her nerves. She needed air.

  She swung to the left, towards the main deck. The cool sea breeze slapped her face. Her hair loosened from its coiffure and whipped around her face. God, help me. Help me. But her prayer seemed empty, and lacking in conviction. Since when had she been so poor at praying?