“So you think I should be thankful that this was done to me?”
“No, of course not, Jaxon. I think I see a higher plan in this. Fate if you will.”
Jaxon was again amazed by her logic and had to be grudgingly acknowledge that being keelhauled had started him down a path that led to her. How he met the love of his life in the middle of the ocean amazed him still. He didn’t know if there was such a thing as Fate, but he wasn’t about to challenge it.
“Only you could see the good in being keelhauled. That must be why I love you so much.”
“You love me?”
“I’m sorry I doubted it, Charlie.”
34
Daniel and Jaxon ensconced themselves in the overly tidy captain’s quarters of the Arcadia going over the logs and ledgers. Jaxon noticed the scars in the wood where Charlie’s hammock once hung. The cabin expanded the breadth of the ship with two curtained windows that brighten the room which was as void of decorations as Charlie’s had been. The men thought it would be best to go through the books hoping if Daniel had any questions, they could be answered before he was thousands of leagues away.
Jaxon looked through the log books as Daniel opened the ledgers.
“Whoa!” Daniel exclaimed. “Have you seen this?”
He turned the book around and showed it to Jaxon. Jaxon’s eyes grew wide.
“That’s the company’s net worth?”
Daniel flipped back a page. “That is the company’s net worth. This—,” he flipped back to the original page, “is Charlie’s percentage.”
“I wonder if she knows. She told me they had plans to commission a new ship eventually, but my heavens, she could commission an entire fleet.”
“You realize when you get married, this all becomes yours.”
Jaxon paled. “I guess she wasn’t kidding when she said she could pay for her own dresses. I’m glad I didn’t know about it when I proposed.”
“When who proposed?”
Jaxon ignored him. “The old man must have been a shrewd negotiator. Look at this,” he said showing the Daniel the logs. “With every entry about a negotiation there is a footnote about what the shipping clerk and area merchants would like to get their hands on. When he came back to that port, he made sure he had what they wanted and he charged a premium for it.”
Daniel pulled another log book off the shelf and brought it back to his seat.
“There must be twenty-five years’ worth of experience here for me to learn from. Do you think Charlie will let me keep these for now?”
“Ask her. I can’t imagine why she wouldn’t.”
Jaxon did a little math in his head and looked for the log that corresponded with the time when Charlie came aboard. He had already noticed there was almost nothing in the logs of the day to day running of the ship. It was mostly their coordinates and cargo information, but surely he would put a footnote about his wife’s demise or Charlie coming aboard. He turned the pages rapidly scanning each page for her name. Then he found it. She was listed last among new crew members with the number six, her age, he supposed, next to her name. Nothing about her mother or even that Charlie was related to him. On the next page there was a sentence that Dr. Kirk would be in charge of Charlie’s education for which he would be financially compensated.
Jaxon flipped the pages looking for Charlie’s name again. Nothing. Jaxon went to the shelf and found the next book. The next mention of Charlie was nearly two years later. “Disciplinary action: Twenty-five lashes—strop—for attempted murder. One for swearing.”
Charlie said she tried to stab the cabin boy with her knife. Apparently, she wasn’t exaggerating. But who takes a strop to a little girl like that? And where was the punishment for the little bully who beat her up?
Jaxon closed the book. He wasn’t going to find out anything from the ship’s logs. He already knew the man was a cold bastard. And apparently richer than God, but wouldn’t spend a couple of coins on his daughter for her birthday. He didn’t need the scant details the logs would provide. Charlie wouldn’t want him going through the records looking for tidbits of her childhood.
Jaxon was glad he never met the man. There was a part of him who hated the thought of even having his money. The only thing he wanted that belonged to John Sinclair was his daughter. He wished Daniel hadn’t shown him her finances. Enough money to live comfortably and bit extra to put away was a good thing. Too much money could ruin lives.
Both men looked up from their books at the knock on the door.
Charlie opened the door. “I’ve finished packing my stateroom. I thought if I won’t be bothering you too much, maybe I can start on this one.”
“Come on in. We’re just looking over some of the books. Since you’re the owner, you should probably be in here as well.”
“You want my owner speech?” she asked with a faux serious expression. “Make me money! More money for me means more money for you. Buy low and sell high. Silks and spices are worth the distance you have to sail to get them. I’ll fire you if ever engage in slave trade. Treat the men fair, but be firm. Hire the best men for the money, but don’t be afraid to sack anyone who’s causing trouble. You might want to get rid of some of that rum in the hold and go to New Orleans for some indigo before you head to Asia.”
“They don’t have indigo in China and India?”
“It’s a different variety. It makes a different shade of blue than what they grow there. They like our tobacco too. It pleased me when President Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. Have you ever been to New Orleans?”
“We sailed there one summer with our grandfather.”
“Oh,” Charlie said with a grin. It was exciting that they had been some of the same places. “You should go sometime when it’s not so sweltering. The mosquitoes are the size of hummingbirds in the summer. Did you see any alligators?”
“We saw some in Florida,” Jaxon said pulling her onto his lap and kissing her.
“Charlie,” Daniel said drawing her attention away from Jaxon. “Do you want to marry me instead?”
“He just found out how rich you are.” Jaxon slipped his arm around her waist possessively.
“Am I rich? I mean I’ve seen the numbers, but I don’t really have anything to compare them to other than the seaman’s wage or the cargo. I’ve never priced a house or a horse or even a ship. This is probably a stupid question, but is there a certain number that is the line between being wealthy or not?”
“If there was a line, you’d be well over it.”
“Do I have more money than you?”
“Aye.”
“A lot more?”
Jaxon chuckled at the awe he heard in her voice. She had no idea how wealthy she was. “Aye, a lot more.”
Charlie became pensive. She thought Jaxon was rich with his large house and new sleek ship and his extravagant spending on her dresses. And to know she had more money, bewildered her. What did people do with so much money?
“Huh. It doesn’t really change anything does it? I mean now that I know, I don’t want to sit around waiting for party invitations any more than I did yesterday.”
Charlie got up from Jaxon’s lap and pulled the quilt off the bunk and began folding it.
“My mother made this,” she said. “It’s the only thing of hers we had. Well, that and the miniature inside my father’s watch. Would you like to see what she looked like?”
“Of course.”
“Daniel, my father’s watch is in the top drawer of his desk.”
Daniel opened the drawer and located the watch. He opened it and looked at the small portrait before handing it to Jaxon.
“You favor her.”
“Do I?”
Jaxon looked at the portrait for a long moment. “Aye, I can see the resemblance, too. You have her coloring and her eyes. Do you remember her?”
“Not really. I have a few vague memories of being tucked into bed and eating at a table in a house, being in the kitchen an
d watching the housekeeper knead bread dough while my mother made me a little something to hold me over until dinner. That’s it—just a few unimportant moments. When I try to remember her face, I just see the portrait.”
Jaxon noticed she unconsciously rubbed the scar on her arm as she spoke of her mother and wondered if he should expect a nightmare tonight. He knew she had not told him everything about the fire and wished they were alone so he could talk to her further. Something told him, she had revealed more to him already, than she had told anyone else, but after speaking with Morty, he knew they had barely touched the tip of the iceberg.
“It’s strange the way the brain works. The things you want to remember fade, but the things you want to forget are vivid.”
“Aye.”
“It doesn’t help when you relive those moments at night.”
He saw the look of annoyance cross her expression. In an instant, she had gone from being open to guarded. Damn. Why couldn’t he just keep his mouth shut? Someday she would tell him when she was ready. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to carry a secret like that. She was responsible for the fire that killed her mother. Was it any wonder she didn’t want to talk about it?
“I’m sorry, baby. I don’t know why I said that I was just being an ass.”
35
Betsy Bloodworthy insisted Charlie and Jaxon not spend the night in the same house the night before the wedding. Sailors are superstitious by nature, so when Charlie learned it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, she readily agreed. Jaxon would spend the night at the family homestead and Charlie and Jayne would stay in Jaxon’s townhouse.
Jayne wasn’t sure if Jaxon had any amusements for them to busy themselves with so she brought checkers and remembering a conversation she had had with Charlie, she brought knitting supplies to teach Charlie how to knit, but as it turned out they didn’t touch either. They spent their time trying to decide how Charlie should wear her hair.
The wedding was set to begin at 11:00 AM and Morty was supposed to arrive shortly before in a carriage to take the women to the church.
At 10:30, Charlie and Jayne came downstairs to await their ride.
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Jayne quoted the old rhyme about what every bride was supposed to wear. “Do you have everything?”
“It’s all new,” Charlie said.
“Those are the pearls our grandmother gave Jaxon. We were all given a piece of her jewelry, so although they are new to you, they are actually old.”
Charlie put her hands on the pearls and smiled. She was touched that he would give her a family heirloom. “Well, in that case, I have old and new and Mabel sewed little blue bows on my stockings. I just need something borrowed.”
“I’ve got a hanky you can borrow. You can just tuck it into your sleeve in case you need it. Let me go get it.”
No sooner had Jayne run upstairs, than there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Morty; Charlie flung it open without thought, only to find Millie Adams standing in front of her. When she saw her, Charlie wanted to slam the door in her face, but against her better judgment, she waited to find out what she wanted. For a moment neither woman spoke. Millie just stood there with her hands behind her back.
“Even though you didn’t invite me to the wedding, I’ve brought you a gift,” she said with a smirk.
Millie drew a dueling pistol from behind her back and pointed it at Charlie with shaky hands. Charlie could see her finger wrapped around the trigger and the hammer was cocked.
Charlie silently cursed at her wedding gown, but didn’t waste another second. She grabbed Millie’s wrists and thrust her hands upward. The gun discharged with an ear-shattering blast. Behind her on the staircase landing, Jayne screamed and fell to the floor with a thud.
Charlie, knowing the dueling pistol only held a single shot, twisted it out of Millie’s hand. She grabbed her arm and a handful of her dress and flipped her onto the floor. In a moment, she had Millie turned over on her stomach with her arms twisted painfully behind her back.
“Jayne!” Charlie shouted, the panic evident in her voice. “Jayne, how badly are you hurt?”
Charlie craned her neck around to see Jayne. Only her knees and legs were visible from her vantage point. Her dress was speckled with blood. It seemed to take forever for her to answer.
“She shot me,” Jayne said in bewilderment.
“Where?”
“I didn’t shoot her,” Millie protested. “This is your fault! If you hadn’t grabbed my arms….”
Charlie twisted Millie’s arms harder until she cried out in pain.
“Shut up you stupid, twit. No one would have gotten shot if you hadn’t shown up here with a gun.” Charlie looked back to where Jayne was laying.
“Where are you hit, Jayne?” Charlie was surprised how calm her voice now sounded when she was anything but.
“It’s my arm. There’s a piece missing about the size of my finger.” Jayne’s voice was high with tension.
“Stay calm, Jayne. I know you’re scared and I know it hurts. Can you tell me if it grazed you or did the bullet go through your arm?”
“Y-yes, I think it just grazed me.”
“Do you think you could get me something to tie her up with?”
Jayne exhaled audibly. “Yes, I think I can.” Jayne rose to her feet, unsteadily. “My legs are wobbly.”
“If you think you’re going to faint or fall, sit back down.”
“No, I’m all right.”
Jayne slowly made her way down the remaining stairs and looked about for something to use to tie her up. “Will the yarn work?”
“Yes, anything.”
Jayne went into the parlor, but when she realized her hands were bloody she used a knitting needle to stab a ball of yarn to pick it up.
“Go sit down until I get her tied up,” she said to Jayne as she took the yarn.
Charlie knew how to tie strong knots that would not come loose. However, she was unsure of the strength of the thick yarn so she lashed her arms together half a dozen times before she felt confident in the strength of the bonds. She did the same to Millie’s feet. Only then did she feel safe to look after Jayne.
“No!” Jayne gasped as Charlie approached. “You’ll get blood on your dress. Mabel and Mrs. Jenkins will never forgive me if I get blood on your wedding dress.”
Charlie hesitated. “Jayne the dress doesn’t matter.”
“No, Charlie, take it off. Please.”
Charlie sighed and began unbuttoning the dress. “For goodness sake.”
“Put it over there,” she said pointing. “I’ve been bleeding everywhere I’ve gone.”
After laying her dress over the foyer table she ran for her bag and some towels.
Morty stood at the door knocking for several minutes before he decided to try the knob. He wasn’t expecting to find a woman trussed up like a Christmas goose lying on the foyer floor.
“Help me,” the pretty blonde woman cried. “Untie me.”
Morty bent down and looked closely at the knots. He scratched his head as he erected himself.
“Where’s Charlie?”
“They-they took her. Untie me.”
“Not a chance, sweetheart. I’d know Charlie’s knots anywhere.”
Morty changed his focus to his surroundings. He saw the wedding gown carefully draped on the table and then he saw a bloody knitting needle and a gun. There were blood drops all over the floor.
“Charlie!” Morty bellowed. “Charlie, where are you?”
“Back here in the galley,” she called back. “Thank God you’re here.”
Morty followed the sound of her voice into the kitchen where Jayne lay on the table as Charlie finished stitching up her arm. Jayne turned her head toward the doorway; a wide grin graced her pale face.
“Morty, my soon-to-be cousin-by-marriage! Does that make you my cousin once removed or my second cousin? I can never get it stra
ight.”
“What happened, Charlie?”
“I got winged in my wing.” Jayne answered before Charlie could respond.
“I think I gave her a little too much laudanum,” Charlie said to explain Jayne’s silliness.
“Oh no, I think you gave me just the right amount.” Her speech was drawn out and her eyes momentarily lolled shut.
“That…creature in the hallway came here to shoot me and poor Jayne got shot instead. Go to the church and tell him what happened. The wedding will have to be postponed.”
“No!” Jayne interrupted. “That’s what Millie wants. You can’t give her the satisfaction. Go tell Jaxon I tore my dress and we’ll be there a little late.”
Charlie tied off the last stitch, cut the catgut and began wrapping the wound with a long bandage.
“Jaxon and your mother would kill me if they found out,” Charlie protested.
“Don’t tell them.”
“Jayne, you’re not thinking straight. This isn’t something we can keep to ourselves.”
Jayne, using only her good arm, pushed herself into a sitting position. “Look, I’m not bleeding, and I’m not hurting. We just need to send Morty to the sheriff after he tells them we’ll be late. Then we’ll change and after we turn Millie over to the sheriff, you’ll go get married.”
“When that laudanum wears off, you’re going to be in pain again.”
Jayne swung her legs over the side of the table. “After the wedding, Mother can take me home if I don’t feel well.”
Charlie found her argument compelling enough to consider it. It would take a couple of hours for the laudanum to lose its numbing effects. She handed a small brown bottle to Morty. “Can you keep this with you in case we need it?”
“Aye.”
Charlie recognized the resignation in Morty’s voice. He could never say no to her. But Charlie already knew that.
“When I get back, make sure you’re dressed for the wedding not the bedding,” Morty said walking out.
An Officer but No Gentleman Page 27