Realizing that Nathan was still talking, I returned my attention to him as he said, “This was many years ago, and I don’t mean to change your mind, but I do advise you to put a lot of thought into this decision. There is nothing you can do about the weather, or pirate attacks, for that matter, but you can take your time to scout out a solid crew and respectable captain. One who will treat you fair and pay you well enough to make an honest living, a living your grandfather would be proud of.”
I nodded to agree. “Thanks for sharing that story with me. I never would have thought of those possibilities, and might have ended up in some trouble had I not known what it was truly like out there. I agree that it is a good idea to take my time scouting out a solid crew, but, well, to tell you the truth, I don’t have much money. If I am going to be in town long enough to do this right, I’m going to need a job. Do you need any help around here?”
“In fact, I do.” He stood up. “I recently started building a shed, but I haven’t had a free second to finish it. Might you be interested in completing the task?”
“It’d be my pleasure, sir.” I stood up as well.
He offered to pay me meager wages and to hang me a hammock in the storage room in exchange for finishing the shed. After leaving my belongings and my fancy new coat in the room I’d now be calling home, I set out to begin my first day of work.
Chapter 7
The Pirate’s Widow
In a month’s time, I had Nathan’s shed built and standing strong. Appreciating my work as much as he did, he offered to pay me more if I stuck around to fix some other things for him. Being how I’d yet to meet a captain I was interested in sailing with, and considering the fact that I had been enjoying myself at the Stone House Inn, I happily accepted the offer.
I had stayed here many times throughout my life as a child, but Grandfather always made Lace and me retire upstairs while he enjoyed the busier and bawdier evening festivities below. But now, I was able to sit at the candlelit booths, feasting on hearty dinners and sipping on savory liquors among saucy barmaids and world traveled sailors. Salty and suntanned, the sailors had a sway to their walk that set them apart from the common bystanders. They talked different, they dressed different, and the tattoos and scars covering their leathered skins intrigued me as much as their sea stories that swept my imagination out of the tavern and across the high seas.
These men had seen the world, and the more I heard about their experiences on the tides, the more I looked forward to setting out on an adventure of my own.
One warm spring evening after dinner, as I carried a stool I had just fixed into the candlelit, smoke-filled barroom, I heard Nathan call my name. Spotting him sitting at the bar where I was already headed, I found myself stunned breathless as I took in the sight of his companion. Wearing dark blue, the man with long grey hair and a matching beard covering most of his sea weathered face, held a striking resemblance to my grandfather. Drawing on his pipe, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and through it, I looked upon what appeared to be a ghostly image of the man who raised me. In a flash, my mind relived the way it felt standing in his presence. I heard his good advice and saw an array of his expressions as he spoke it to me. Of course, Lace also made her way into this vision. Wearing flowers in her hair and a smile upon her face, she threw herself into his arms. Behind them I could see the fire burning in the fireplace and I could smell the soup bubbling in the pot hanging over the flames. As if I were standing in that house I grew up in, I felt the love that filled those stone walls when my family lived within them.
Remembering that I was in the middle of a bustling tavern and had nearly approached the owner, I shook my head loose of the painful, but fond memories and greeted Nathan and his friend.
Nathan patted my back. “Mason, take a moment to meet my old friend, James Burton, captain of Autumn Moon, and perhaps one of the best captain’s in all of England.” He winked at me as if to offer a hint. “And James, this is the literate and hardworking lad I’ve been telling you about, Mason Bentley.”
Captain James Burton? I had heard the sailors mention his name—always with high regard—and the tales they told of his legend, were spoken with revere.
The esteemed captain offered me a brisk shake with his calloused hand. “Nathan here has told me a great deal of good about you, Mason.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.” I released from the shake. “I have heard a lot of good about you, as well.”
Nathan stood up. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. It was nice seeing you again, James, and thanks for fixing that stool for me, Mason.”
“You’re welcome, sir,” I said as he walked away, and then set the thing down next to where Captain Burton sat.
Looking between the two stools, the old man said, “It looks much better than the others, now.”
“That it does.” I laughed. “I only planned to fix the loose nails, but I ended up sanding the finish while I was at it. Looks like I’ll be taking the others back to my shed for the same treatment.”
He patted the barstool. “Why don’t you test it out?”
I sat down and shook around. “Not a squeak.”
“Another job well done, aye? Huxley told me you’ve been fixing all sorts of things around here. How did you learn carpentry?”
“My grandfather taught me. I think he put a hammer in my hand afore he taught me to shit in the pot.”
Burton laughed. “Judging by the shed you built out back, I reckon he taught you well. Huxley also let me know you were a blacksmith’s apprentice for a while?”
“Almost a year to be exact.”
“And you were raised as a farmer?”
“That’s right. Of all the things I can do, I probably like farming best.”
“And you can read and write. I am impressed. If you don’t mind me asking, what are you planning on doing with all this talent of yours?”
“I’d like to become a sailor.”
“Is that all?” He flashed me a peculiar half smile.
Confused by his expression, I scratched my head and said, “For now, yes.”
“It just seems that a man with such valid skills would have a more solid plan for his future. But if sailing is what you crave, I am no one to talk you out of it. Still, I would like to know, what it is that draws you to the sea?”
“Originally, it was the thought of making some money, but after talking to the sailors here, I’ve gained an interest in the adventure as well. You know, seeing new places and trying new things.”
Packing his pipe, he nodded at me. “Ah, yes. Riches aren’t only found in coins, and I am glad to hear you know that.”
Curious, I asked, “What draws you to the sea, Captain?”
Lighting the new load of tobacco, he said, “Her song.”
“Song?”
“Aye.” He slowly exhaled the smoke. “Next time you walk along the harbor, listen close to the sounds. The way the water splashes against the wooden hulls, how the wind whips at the canvas sails, timbers creak over the tide and gulls chirp overhead, all harmonize together as one enchanting rhythm.”
“Oh, yes, I’ve heard that. I like her song.”
“And when the land is nowhere in sight, the tune becomes…angelic. Ah, there’s no place closer to heaven than out there on the open ocean with deep blue sea beneath you and never ending skies above. ‘Tis but man and God out there on the sea, so there I feel closest to my creator and most alive.” He took a deep breath. “That, my boy, is what draws me to the sea.”
After pausing for a moment to absorb the intensity of his answer, I looked at him and said, “You know, I have been talking to sea captains since I arrived here a month ago, but not a one of them has said anything like that. They all just seem to care about the money. Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly interested in the pay, but I’ve always cared about my work and am not interested in settling for less than what I am worth and what I will enjoy.”
He patted my back. “I like you Mason. You’ve got
something about you that is hard to find in young men these days. I reckon I’d be honored to have a man like you before the mast of my Autumn Moon. If you’d be interested in such a job, that is.”
Thrilled by the offer, but not wanting to sound like a jolly old fool, I kept myself calm as I said, “Yes, of course. It would be my honor to sail with you, sir.”
“Glad to hear it.” He rose from his barstool.
I followed his lead.
As big as his presence was, I was surprised to see that he was quite a bit shorter than me. Looking upward at my face, he said, “I’ll be at home with my family until departure day, and I am sure you have plenty to finish up around here, so just meet us on deck with the dawn three weeks from tomorrow. I will tell my first mate, Mister Alfred Dabney, to expect you. He will introduce you to the crew and show you around before we set sail.”
Hardly able to contain my excitement, I forced a serious expression as I shook his hand and thanked him for the opportunity.
Once he was good and gone out of the door, I let my smile turn loose. Pauline caught me grinning. Looking to be curious, she headed in my direction. Moving in close to my chest, she playfully patted my cheek and said, “I don’t think I have ever seen you smile so big. I like it. What in the world made you so happy?”
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I said, “How about you get me some ale and then I’ll tell you all about it.”
“We have an accord.” Her full, luscious lips curled into a seductive half smile, which left me thinking how a beauty like her had been widowed far too young.
I decided to plop down at the empty booth, where I listened to the band playing as I waited for her. The way she’d been serving me my dinners, keeping my mugs full, and swatting the other barmaids away from me, led me—and everyone else in the place—to believe she was just as interested in me as I was in her. Yet, even though Nathan told me he wasn’t concerned with what we did in our free time, considering our business relationship, alongside the fact that she was his brother’s widow, I decided it best to not let my desire for her extend beyond our flirting in the barroom. But that was not an easy plan to stick with. And now, as she slid onto the booth next to me and laid her leg over mine, I once again wondered why the hell I was holding fast to such a stout conviction.
After handing me my mug, she twirled my braid around her finger and said, “I lived up to my end of the bargain. Now, it’s your turn.”
While drinking my ale and rubbing on her thigh, I told her everything that transpired between Captain Burton and I.
“He hired you?” She hopped up and down happily—which caused her big ol’ tits to jiggle. “Levi sailed with him once and said he was the best captain he ever worked for. In case you did not know, Captain James Burton is very selective with his sailors. More than half of the men in this room would give anything to sail with him. The fact that he picked you says something.”
“Something good, I hope.” I swallowed down my last gulp of ale.
“Good indeed.” She lifted her mug. “Cheers to your promising new future.”
I clanked my mug against hers, but remembering that it was empty, I laughed to myself. Moving her hair over her shoulder, I spoke in her ear so she could hear me over the music. “I need another drink.”
After finishing her last swallow, she wrapped her arms around my neck and said, “Me too. But I think we should drink the next round in my room.”
Ah, shit. The sailors had been teasing me about the fact that I’d yet to take her upstairs, and I certainly fantasized about doing so, but I still didn’t feel right about it. Not sure what would be the polite way to respond, I scratched my head and sort of smiled, but I could tell I looked like I was in pain.
She laughed, “Oh, come on, good boy. I know Nathan talked to you about us, so unless there is another problem here, I suggest you take my hand and walk me up those stairs before the sailors start thinking you are a man who likes men.”
Humored by the way she spoke so bluntly, I rolled my head back and playfully grumbled, “Well, I can’t have them thinking that, now, can I?”
Deciding that I had behaved myself for long enough, I slid off the booth, stood up and reached for her hand. Helping her up, I kissed her knuckles and said, “Show me the way, mi’lady.”
Her pretty smile lit up like the sun as she hopped to her feet.
As she led me through the barroom, a group of singing sailors paused in their verse and asked where we were headed. I told them not to worry about it, but when we reached the stairs, they hooted over how it was about time. Even Nathan, who was behind the bar cleaning a mug, winked at me before Pauline pulled me upstairs.
Giggling about the things the men were saying, Pauline shooed me toward the first door on the right. Before opening it, she turned to face me. “Listen, honey, I don’t bring just anyone to my room, and before I let you in, I need you to promise me that you’ll never tell a soul about what you see in here.”
I held my hands up in dramatic surrender. “Do you keep severed heads in there?”
She laughed. “Maybe. And if you tell, I will add yours to the collection.”
Since I already figured she was still housing the plundered goods her husband had doted over her with, I easily agreed to keep her silence.
She welcomed me in.
As she lit the candles on her table, my eyes widened in wonder. The place was so fancifully decorated that I felt as if I had entered a royal palace. The floors and doors, and the lower half of the walls were all made of and trimmed with dark wood, and the upper half of the walls were painted with cream, pink, and gold stripes. To my left, there was an armoire fit for a queen, and to my right, there was a small wooden table surrounded by two throne-like arm chairs. The huge canopy bed below the two corner windows was adorned with cream and pink linens that probably cost more than this whole building.
Best of all, near the armoire, I saw a gold framed mirror that was a bit taller than I. Instantly drawn to it, I wandered in that direction. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the sight of my reflection.
All I’d ever seen of myself was through the tiny hand mirror that belonged to my grandmother, and the occasional foggy and warped mirrors owned by the seamstresses at the markets. Even then, I was just a boy. But this glass, it was so clear, the image was so crisp, I felt as if I was staring at someone else. The fact that I had grown so much was just as shocking as the clarity of the reflection. I had gotten so damn tall and my shoulders and chest were…well, I was as big as an ox. My face had changed a bit, jaw more refined, and my goatee and mustache filled in and lengthened, making me look like a man. Yes, a finely dressed, full grown man who fit perfectly alongside the elegance of the room.
“He sure is handsome, isn’t he?” Pauline said, snapping me out of my trance.
Feeling like an arrogant fool for being caught staring at myself, I shook my head a bit and chuckled, “Sorry, I’ve just never looked into a mirror this nice.”
She removed my coat and while hanging it on the hook by the door she said, “I love that thing. It’s from Spain and is certainly my most prized possession.”
Taking another look around the room, seeing ornate trinkets on the shelves, and a fine porcelain tea set on the table, I thought about how this whole room was a prize. Levi Huxley had done more than make a living for himself and his wife; he made a personal paradise for them. Damn. I’d been working myself to the bone since I was a wee lad, only to get by, but the pirate’s widow was living like a queen long after his passing.
“This sure is a nice place, Pauline.” I patted the down feather mattress of her bed. “Hell, you even have a real bed.”
She sat down on one of the throne-like chairs. “That I do.”
Running my hand along the finely beveled carvings on the bedframe, I asked, “Where was this bedframe made? I’ve never seen anything like this in England. Not that I’ve seen much, but well, it just looks foreign.”
“It is. The frame was made in Ita
ly.”
“What about these?” I touched the canopy sheets. “This fabric is so fine.”
“It is muslin, from India. And the silk sheets are from Singapore. The things you see in here are from all over the world.”
“Amazing. What about those chairs? Where are they from?”
“Morocco, just like those lamps.” She pointed toward the colorful glass lamps hanging from the ceiling.
Liking the way they lit the room, I grinned as I sat down in the other chair. “I don’t even know where those places are. But I sure like the look of the things made there. This collection makes your room feel like a world traveled palace, fit for royalty.”
Filling her fancy tea cups with gin, she said, “There were a few perks to being married to a freebooter.” She passed me the full cup. “Nathan told me what he shared with you about Levi’s story and judging by your character I figured I could trust you with my truth.”
After taking a drink I said, “I understand. I mean, I know how hard it can be to get by and sometimes good people have to do dishonorable things in order to survive.” Lord Beckham’s dying face flashed through my mind, halting the flow of my sentence.
Taking note of the look of horror I had unsuccessfully attempted to repress, she patted my hand. “We all have our stories and not many of us are fortunate enough to have good ones. In fact, I prefer to pretend my life before I met Levi was but a nightmare I once had.”
Not wanting to think about the nightmares I’d survived for another moment, I shook my head, and stayed on subject. “It sounds like Levi took good care of you.”
“He did. But not just me. Levi Huxley took care of everyone who mattered to him and anyone who needed a helping hand.”
“The more I hear about this man, the more I want to know about him.”
“He’d be thrilled to know his ghost is still charming people just like he did when he was alive.” She giggled. “What do you want to know, handsome?”
King of My Nightmare (King of My Nightmare, Book 1): Endless Horizon Pirate Stories Page 10