by Dilly Court
‘I’ve just seen Edric. He explained everything.’
‘Maybe that will teach you not to be so quick to jump to conclusions.’
‘I’ve said I’m sorry; what more can I do?’
‘And I’ve accepted your apology. I don’t think there’s anything more to say on the subject.’ The words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them, but the hurt look on his face weakened her resolve to be strong. For a split second the tough sea captain looked like a small boy caught out in a naughty deed, and she had to curb a sudden desire to comfort him.
‘You’re right,’ he said slowly. ‘Then there’s nothing else to say. Goodbye, Mirabel. I hope you and Edric make a success of your business venture.’ He made a move towards the door.
‘You’re leaving?’ Her voice sound high-pitched to her own ears, like the squeak of a mouse, but he did not seem to notice.
‘The Munroe Star sails on the tide.’ He hesitated in the doorway. ‘I am truly sorry, Belle.’
She was left staring at the door as it closed behind him. For a moment she could not believe that he had gone. He had used the pet name that Jerusha always called her and it had slipped from his lips like a term of endearment. Her knees gave way beneath her and she sank down on the chair, staring blankly at the door – waiting. It opened as if her will had worked a miracle, but it was Sawyer the wharfinger who burst in. ‘Some light-fingered bugger has pinched all my coal,’ he said angrily. ‘I left a full sack last night and now it’s gone.’
She rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘Mine too, Mr Sawyer.’ She pointed to the empty grate.
He pushed his cap to the back of his head, scowling. ‘We’ll have to keep it inside and make sure the back door is locked. I can’t afford to keep buying coal only to have it stolen from right under my nose.’ He peered at her, squinting through narrowed eyelids. ‘Are you all right, missis? You look a bit peaky.’
‘I’m cold, Mr Sawyer. The weather has taken a turn for the worse.’
‘Give us the cash, missis, and I’ll send my boy out to get two bags of coal. He’ll fill the scuttle for you too. The lazy lump needs a bit of exercise.’
Mirabel reached inside the top drawer of her desk and took out the cash box, selecting a few coins and handing them to him. ‘Thank you, Mr Sawyer. I’m much obliged.’
He tipped his cap. ‘Happy to help, missis. But if I was you I’d pop home and get some vittles and a nice hot cup of tea inside me.’
‘That’s good advice. I might just do that.’ She managed a smile but she sighed with relief when the door closed on him. No doubt he meant well, but he had taken up valuable moments when she might have caught up with Jack in the hope of restoring peace between them. She sat in a daze, shivering with cold and unable to concentrate on the sheaf of papers that lay waiting for her attention.
Sawyer’s boy brought the coal and set the fire for her. She gave him tuppence for his trouble and as he was about to leave she called him back. ‘Tommy, wait a moment.’ She rose to her feet with a sudden burst of energy. ‘What time is high tide today?’
He stood in the open doorway, glancing out at the river. ‘It’s on the turn now, missis.’
‘Don’t close the door, Tommy. I’m going out.’ She grabbed her reticule and followed him out onto the wharf, stopping only to lock the door behind her. One look at the swirling pewter-coloured water was enough to convince her that the tide was on the turn. The Munroe Star was about to sail and she had only one thought in mind. As luck would have it she managed to hail a hansom cab in Great Tower Street, giving the cabby instructions to take her to the London dock. ‘I’ll give you double the fare if you can get me there quickly,’ she said in desperation. Money seemed to matter little when the only man she had ever loved was about to set sail for America.
She sat on the edge of the seat, willing the horse to go faster and silently cursing the pedestrians who thronged the streets along with the rest of the chaotic mix of horse-drawn vehicles. In the end she called out to the cabby to stop, paid him handsomely and ran the rest of the way, elbowing a path through the crowds and ignoring the offensive remarks from disgruntled porters, sailors and warehousemen. She was breathless and on the verge of collapse when she reached the dock, only to find an empty space where the Munroe Star had been berthed. She came to a sudden halt, her ragged breaths tearing at her lungs and her heart hammering against her ribcage, but all she could think of was that Jack had chosen to leave. He could have stayed and made an effort to win her, but despite his apology it was obvious that he had not forgiven her for opting to stay with Hubert.
‘What’s the matter, darling? Left all alone by one of them seafaring men, are you?’
She turned her head and found herself looking up into the face of a man who looked and smelled as though he had not washed for months. His filthy clothes hung from his body in tatters, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal multiple tattoos. He was leering at her in a suggestive way which barely registered in her brain. All she could think about was Jack, but the man was insistent, barring her way as she started to walk. ‘C’mon, love. How about it? I can pay.’
She attempted to dodge him but he was too quick for her and seized her by the arm. Fuelled by anger and desperation she aimed a punch at his jaw, catching him off guard, and she gave him a mighty shove which sent him teetering over the edge of the dock into the murky water. She gasped with horror, reliving the moment when Wiley had attacked her. Behind her someone was clapping.
She turned to see Ethan and to her surprise he was laughing as he hurried towards her. ‘I was too far away to get to you, honey,’ he said breathlessly. ‘But you can obviously take care of yourself.’
‘I might have killed him,’ Mirabel said weakly.
Ethan moved closer to the edge of the dock and leaned over. ‘No, that particular animal can swim. Maybe it will teach him a well-deserved lesson.’ He placed his arm around her shoulders. ‘You’ve had a nasty shock, Belle. I’ll see you safely home.’
She hesitated. ‘I missed the ship, Ethan. I sent Jack away thinking I didn’t care and now he’s gone. I’ll never see him again.’
‘It’s true that the Munroe Star has sailed, but you might be mistaken as far as Jack is concerned.’
‘What do you mean? Is he in your employ or isn’t he?’
‘Honey, I can’t speak for Jack. I’ve a notion how he’s feeling at the moment but it’s not for me to say. All I can tell you is that he asked me to find another man to captain the Star. He didn’t sail with her.’
She stared at him in disbelief. ‘But why? Where is he?’
‘You’re shivering and it’s cold here on the dock. I have a carriage waiting to take me back to my hotel. Why don’t you come with me?’
She hesitated, aware of her unkempt appearance, and had a sudden desire to be alone. ‘I – I don’t know . . .’
‘Jerusha will be happy to see you. She’s worried about you, honey.’
The thought of going somewhere warm and luxurious was tempting. She wanted to get as far away from the docks as possible and to avoid the interrogation she might be subjected to if she arrived home in a state. She nodded her head. ‘Thank you. I’d like that, but first you must tell me why Jack stayed in London.’
Ethan smiled. ‘I think you must know the answer already, Belle. Let’s just say he had business to conduct in the City, and leave it at that for now. I’m pretty darn sure he’d want to tell you about it himself.’
She allowed him to guide her towards the dock entrance but all she could think about was Jack. He had not exactly lied to her in the office when he told her the ship was sailing on the tide, but he had allowed her to assume that he would be its captain. She was confused and angry with him for not telling her the whole truth, and yet underlying everything was a huge feeling of relief. Life without Jack was unthinkable, and as she settled in the comfort of Ethan’s hired carriage she closed her eyes, recalling the tender moments she and Jack had shared during their time in t
he Fakahatchee swamp. His kisses were burned indelibly onto her lips and the taste and scent of him still haunted her dreams. Every sense in her body had been awakened with a jolt and her whole body was aflame with inexplicable yearning. She opened her eyes. ‘What is he up to, Ethan? I must know.’
Chapter Twenty-six
JERUSHA WAS LOUNGING on a chaise longue in front of a roaring fire, but she leapt to her feet when Ethan ushered Mirabel into the room. ‘Why, Mirabel Kettle, I thought you were tied to that desk of yours and couldn’t take time off to spend with your old friends.’
‘She’s had a nasty experience at the docks, honey.’ Ethan took Mirabel’s cape and bonnet from her and tossed them casually onto a spindly gilt chair. ‘Go and sit by the fire, Belle. I’ll pour you a brandy, and I might have one too.’
‘You’re very kind and considerate. You’ll make a wonderful father one day, Ethan,’ Mirabel said, smiling.
‘I hope so.’ He picked up a cut-glass decanter and poured two tots.
‘Of course you will, honey.’ Jerusha hurried over to give Mirabel a hug.
‘And it goes without saying that you’ll be a splendid mother, Jerusha.’ Mirabel added hastily.
‘What nonsense you talk, Belle.’ Jerusha took her by the hand and led her over to a wingback chair by the fire. ‘You’re cold as ice. Sit down and get warm.’
Mirabel sank into the depths of the velvet upholstery. ‘I’m just a bit cold, but I’m fine, really I am.’
‘What were you doing in the docks anyway?’ Jerusha eyed her curiously.
‘I went to find Jack, thinking he was about to sail on the Munroe Star.’ Mirabel shot a sideways glance at Ethan. It was obvious that Jerusha knew little of her husband’s business dealings, and she did not want to upset her friend by saying too much. ‘But the ship had sailed.’
Jerusha turned to her husband with an enquiring look. ‘Is there something you aren’t telling me, Ethan?’
‘Of course not, honey. I’d gone to the dock to make sure everything went smoothly and was about to leave when I saw a young woman being harassed by a big brute who obviously had the worst of intentions.’ Ethan handed a glass to Mirabel. ‘Sip it slowly.’
Jerusha’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Who would attack a helpless woman like you, Belle?’
‘Helpless?’ Ethan threw back his head and laughed. ‘A tigress looks tame by comparison. She punched him in the face and pushed him into the dock. I’ve never seen anything so funny in all my life.’
Mirabel sipped the brandy and felt its fiery warmth travel swiftly to her stomach and she began to relax. ‘I suppose it did look odd,’ she said, smiling.
‘You’re both crazy,’ Jerusha said, horrified. ‘How can you find such a thing amusing?’
Ethan was suddenly serious. ‘Of course it wasn’t funny, darling. It was Belle’s way of dealing with the guy that made me laugh. Wait until I tell Jack.’
‘You’ll have to leave it until we get home,’ Jerusha said sternly. ‘Maybe it won’t seem so hilarious then.’
‘You obviously don’t know that there was a sudden change of plan.’ Mirabel placed her glass on a small wine table at her side. ‘One thing you learn is that men don’t tell us everything, Jerusha. They treat us like children or pretty dolls unable to think for themselves.’
‘That’s not fair, Belle,’ Ethan said in answer to his wife’s questioning look. ‘Everything changed when Jack decided to stay behind.’
‘He let you down?’
‘No, honey, he didn’t do that. He found me a substitute to captain the ship, someone he’s known for a long time.’
Mirabel’s head was swimming, and not simply because of the heat from the fire and the fumes of alcohol chasing around in her brain. ‘It wasn’t Edric Hamilton by any chance, was it?’
‘That’s the chap. Big guy with a flaming red beard and a mop of curly hair. I warmed to him from the start.’
Jerusha turned to Mirabel, eyebrows raised. ‘I’m getting more confused by the minute. I thought Edric was your business partner, Belle?’
‘He is, or rather he was. You’re not alone, Jerusha. I don’t know what’s going on.’
‘I think Jack is the best person to answer that,’ Ethan said hastily. ‘I don’t know the whole of it, but I’m sure he had a good reason for acting the way he did.’
‘There’s only one way to find out.’ Jerusha reached out to pat Mirabel’s hand. ‘You need to talk to him, honey.’
‘That’s exactly what I intend to do. If Edric has sailed for America in the Munroe Star it leaves the Mudlark without a master. Just wait until I see Jack Starke. I’ll have plenty to say to that gentleman.’ She turned to Ethan, frowning. ‘You must have some idea where he’s gone. Tell me, please.’
‘You must, honey,’ Jerusha said firmly. ‘You’re not being fair to Belle if you’re keeping something from her.’
Ethan ran his finger round the inside of his starched collar. ‘He told me he was going to Lloyd’s to put in a claim for the loss of the Lady Grace. That’s all I know, Belle. I guess we’ll have to wait until he contacts one of us.’
‘Then I must get back to the office.’ Mirabel rose to her feet. ‘Thank you for your hospitality, but I’ve a ship without a master and a cargo for Gravesend. Jack knows where to find me.’
With a ship idling at its moorings next morning, and Alf and his boys busy with a party of anglers, Mirabel could do little but sit in the office and wait. She had slept badly the previous night and her nerves were shredded and raw. She had even lost patience with the children at breakfast and had scolded Jim for spilling his tea, causing him to burst into tears. Gertie had frowned at her and Tilda had cleared up the mess with a cloth, but the rest of the meal had been eaten in silence.
It had been a relief to go to the office. Ethan had promised to send Jack to her if he should see him first, but he had not put in an appearance last night and she was seething inwardly. She was angry with Edric for going off without so much as a word, and furious with Jack for coming between her and her business partner. Thanks to Jack’s interference Edric had shown himself to be both weak and unreliable, and she silently cursed herself for putting her trust in him. Despite her best efforts she found it almost impossible to concentrate on work, and she sat behind her desk with her pen clutched in her hand and a blank sheet of paper in front of her, but she was at a loss as to what to do next. The Mudlark was Edric’s responsibility, but someone had to act as master in his absence, and she had a vested interest in the success of their joint venture. All would be lost if she could not find a reliable captain very soon. She wondered if this was Jack’s way of punishing her for ending their relationship, but in spite of her anger she could not bring herself to believe he would stoop so low.
She was deep in thought, chewing the end of her pen and staring into space, when the door opened and Jack strode into the office. She leapt to her feet, dropping the pen, which rolled across the desk and fell to the floor. ‘I don’t know how you have the nerve to show your face here after what you’ve done.’ She had intended to appear cold and aloof but the words tumbled from her lips before she could stop herself.
He held up both hands in a gesture of submission. ‘I don’t blame you for being angry, but hear me out before you shoot me.’
‘It’s not funny. You’ve all but ruined my business. You sent Edric to America in your stead. Why would you do that if it wasn’t to ruin me?’
‘We couldn’t tell you because it was arranged at the last moment. Edric wasn’t happy about it, but the Munroe Star had to sail with the tide and I had urgent business at Lloyd’s.’
‘You had no right to act without my knowledge. What was so important that it couldn’t wait until your next trip to London?’
He pulled up a chair. ‘May I sit down? I was hurrying to and fro between the underwriters and the lawyers all day yesterday, which is why I couldn’t come to see you sooner.’
‘Take a seat.’ Mirabel sank back onto her ch
air. ‘Go on, Jack. I’m listening.’
‘I went to Lloyd’s as soon after we docked as I could, and I put in a claim for the loss of the Lady Grace. It’s something I should have done sooner, but after the wreck I was at a loose end. That ship was my home and my livelihood, and several of the crew were lost when she went down.’ He paused, eyeing her warily. ‘Am I making sense?’
She nodded. ‘I think so, but you never told me how you came to end up in Florida. You said that the Lady Grace went down off the coast of Havana.’
‘It did, and I was trying to make my way home. The surviving crew were able to look after themselves, and there was a tramp steamer leaving for Florida, so I worked my passage. I fully intended to make my way back to England from there, but after a while there didn’t seem to be much point.’
‘You’ve lost me now,’ Mirabel said, shaking her head. ‘Why?’
He fixed her with a penetrating look. ‘Because I’d fallen in love with a girl who wasn’t the slightest bit interested in me, and I’d made the mistake of placing her in the care of a woman who had once been my mistress. I’m not proud of myself, Belle. I knew I’d made a mess of things, so I allowed myself to drift. I lived in the beach shack and drank rum with the locals. If you hadn’t turned up when you did I would have gone on that way until it killed me.’
She was silent for a moment, remembering how he was when they met in Florida. ‘So what’s changed now? Why didn’t you come with us when we left for home?’
His lips curled in a sardonic smile. ‘You had a husband then, or have you forgotten poor Hubert already? You were no longer the wide-eyed innocent I met in the soup kitchen. I knew I shouldn’t have allowed my feelings for you to get the better of me, but you were a respectable married woman with a decent husband, and a home of your own. What had a drunken out of work seafarer to offer a woman like you?’
‘It wasn’t just your decision, Jack. I was involved too. You knew that I loved you, even though I wouldn’t betray Hubert’s trust. You and I could have stayed friends.’