Into His Arms

by Paula Reed

  Faith focused on her surroundings, rather than allowing her mind to wander a few short minutes into the future. Her nights had been wracked with happy dreams of warm homecomings that dissolved into nightmares of rejection and anger. Which would it be? She would know very soon.

  The coach drew up to the end of the short road that led to her family’s home. The house sat back from the road at the edge of several acres of forestland, the source of wood for her father’s business, and at her nod, Geoff knocked on the roof of the coach, signaling the driver to stop.

  Faith sat, unable to bring herself to alight, and Geoff tilted her face to his to bestow a long and gentle kiss. “Whatever happens, we have each other,” he told her. “I truly hope this is a happy occasion, but no matter what, you will never be alone in the world.”

  She gave him a tremulous smile. “I cannot say which would be worse, to never know how they felt or to have them tell me to my face that I am a disappointment and a disgrace.”

  “Right now, ere you face their judgment, do you feel disgraceful?”

  “Nay.”

  “When you leave here today, you will be the same woman who sits here beside me now. Remember that.”

  She nodded. “I will.”

  Other than the fact that trees that had once held but the promise of buds were now filled with leaves just beginning to turn, her home looked just as it had when she left it. She might just as easily have dreamed the last six months but for the very real man who walked reassuringly beside her.

  From the joinery came the industrious noise of hammer and saw, and Isaiah’s distinct laugh floated musically through the open door. Chickens scurried out from under the couples’ feet, and the milk cow in the pasture beyond the house watched their approach with complacent eyes. David appeared in the joinery doorway carrying a bucket, and he paused to assess the visitors who strolled along the path.

  “Faith!” the boy called, his face breaking into a dazzling grin that Geoff immediately recognized as his wife’s. “Father, Noah, Isaiah, ‘tis Faith!” He dropped the bucket and ran to her, arms outstretched, and she knelt, toppling over when his little body slammed into hers. “Mother said you were far away in the land of pirates and black slaves! We thought you’d never come home anymore. I’m taller! Can you see that? I’ll be tall as Isaiah ere he knows what happened. That’s what mother says. Who’s the man?”

  Faith laughed and tousled his blond hair. She accepted the strong hand that appeared before her and rose to her feet. This would be Noah, Geoff thought of the young man who embraced Faith silently, tears sliding down his face. He recognized him from the harbor the day he offered her the silk.

  “See, Noah, I told you. She’s come back! Faith?” he tugged insistently at her skirt. “Faith? Who is the man?”

  Another boy, apparently the middle son, Isaiah, clasped her from behind, having tried but failed to displace his older brother, and she twisted to place a hearty kiss on top of his pale hair.

  For a moment, Geoff seemed invisible to them, but not to the older man who watched from the joinery entrance. The one who must surely be Jonathan Cooper made no move to join his children. He merely stood, clearly taking measure of the stranger who had accompanied his wayward daughter home.

  Geoff took a step forward. He would rather meet the man head on, on his own terms, than wait, but the father his wife so admired turned away and disappeared into the shop. He looked to see how she would take this blow, but she was still caught up in her reunion with her brothers.

  He looked down at the tug on his coattail.

  “Sir? Excuse me, sir? Did you find my sister and bring her home to us?”

  Geoff smiled at the boy, but his answer was cut off by another cry that came from the steps leading to the front door of the tidy clapboard house.

  “Faith! Oh Faith, my baby girl!” The woman running to join the group looked very like Faith, though older and more severe in her coif, her face lined by time and labor.

  “Mother!” Faith cried, and the boys at last relinquished her so that their mother could embrace her, as well. “Oh, Mother, I have missed you all so!”

  “We missed you, too, dear! More than you can know. I thank God Elizabeth found you. Did you get my letter?”

  “Nay, I did not, but I have been hard to find—first at Winston Hall, then Cartagena, then Port Royal.”

  “Cartagena? Indeed!” She turned to Geoff and swept him with a glance that took in his elaborate dress and too casual air. “And who is this gentleman?”

  “I have asked and asked, Mother, and no one will say!” David whined.

  “Shh!” his mother scolded.

  Faith’s elation slipped a notch, but she would have to face this sooner or later. “This is Captain Geoffrey Hampton, my husband. Geoffrey, my mother, Naomi Cooper, and my brothers, Noah, Isaiah, and David. I would introduce my father, but he seems occupied elsewhere.” The hurt in her voice said that she had not missed seeing him after all.

  Geoff bowed slightly. “Mistress Cooper, gentleman, ‘tis a pleasure.”

  For the first time, the older boys seemed to really notice him, and they inspected both Hamptons, taking in every aspect of their appearance.

  Naomi recovered first. “The pleasure is ours, Captain. Well, I think we shall have to declare it a holiday, for there will be little work any of us will be good for until we hear every detail of your story. Come, we’ll sit awhile and talk.”

  “And Father?” Faith asked.

  Naomi’s smile faltered but slightly. “I think it would be best to let him work. I will go to him later.”

  Later, Faith thought. When her mother had all of the details and could think of some way to break the news to her husband and try to convince him to speak to his only daughter. She swallowed her bitterness and allowed David to lead her inside, his little legs skipping merrily.

  Chapter 29

  Naomi’s smile did little to mask the concern in her eyes as she gazed at the newest member of the family. She quietly sipped her tea while her two youngest exclaimed in excitement.

  “A privateer?” she commented uneasily. “My, that must have been very exciting.”

  Geoff shifted uncomfortably. There was something about the woman’s scrutiny that unnerved him.

  “I wonder if you may come to find the life of a merchant captain unbearably dull by comparison,” she added.

  “‘Tis the sea I love,” he said, “and I still have that. I’ve found I’ve lost my taste for so much adventure. There’s a contentment in this new life we’ve chosen.” He was rewarded by the tiniest spark of approval in his mother-in-law’s eyes.

  Faith decided to skirt any more uncomfortable issues for a time. “All we have spoken of is us. Noah, surely I am an aunt by now!”

  Noah’s face brightened and the mood of all gladdened with it. “Aye! My Esther has given me a fine son. We named him Matthew. You must come and see him before you set sail. He’s a strong boy and full of smiles. And Esther will want to see you and meet Geoff, here.”

  “Of course,” Faith answered. “Mayhap on the way home this afternoon. I have told Geoff all about you and Esther. You’ll be fine parents, I know!”

  Naomi seemed to weigh her next comment, then said, “You’ll stay for the midday meal, I think. That is, if you have the time.”

  Faith nodded hesitantly. “We have set the whole of today aside.” She rose and looked out the window to the joinery. “Are you quite certain we should stay?”

  Naomi joined her daughter, wrapping her arm about Faith’s waist. “Aye, I think you should stay.” Turning back to the men, she told them to continue with the stories. “I’ll see how Jonathan fares. I believe he will be able to break from his labors and join us.”

  That Noah and Naomi exchanged doubtful looks did little to boost anyone’s confidence, but Geoff forced a cheery tone when he turned to David and asked whether he liked being an uncle, and the boy’s enthusiastic response covered the tension.

  *

&n
bsp; Naomi crossed the yard with a spine of steel and stepped into the joinery. Jonathan did not look up when she entered, but picked up an awl and began to carefully carve the chest before him. There was no telling how long he had been sitting idle.

  Leaning against the workbench she said, “I know not whether I prefer your absence or your anger. I think you will simply have to master your emotions, Jonathan.”

  “Do I seem out of control, Naomi?”

  She gave him a stern look and crossed her arms. “We have a son-in-law.”

  He continued to work. “A son-in-law? We have no daughter.”

  “That is strange. I remember a long night’s labor that produced two babies, a boy and a girl. I remember kneeling at your side, each of us begging God to keep her in the palm of His hand when a fever wracked her tiny body. I remember you working here, like this, listening to her read her lessons to you. Do you remember none of these things?”

  “For all the good those prayers did us.”

  “Jonathan, you do not mean that!”

  “All that labor, all those hours of prayers and teaching and worrying, and how did she repay us?”

  “I love you dearly, my husband, but I will not be a party to the same mistake twice! I saw all too well how it hurt my own mother to turn her back on Elizabeth, and I will not be forced into a similar position.”

  “Elizabeth forced your parents’ hands. It is Faith who is repeating the mistake.”

  “Nay! In this, we are at least partially to blame. Faith was right, as we both know. Time has not softened Owen Williams. The man is a tyrant and on the verge of being driven from his pulpit. That we nearly bound our daughter to him gives me nightmares! I know that Faith hurt you, but you must forgive her.”

  “Is she here to ask forgiveness? Is she here to make amends? Is that why she is here, married to some man we know nothing about?”

  “She trusted us to keep her safe and to protect her welfare, and we failed her. Would you see her married to Reverend Williams just to prove her obedience? She is happy, Jonathan. Captain Hampton loves her and protected her when we did not.”

  He turned to face her, at last. “Captain Hampton.”

  “Geoffrey Hampton.”

  “An acquaintance of Elizabeth’s?”

  “Nay, though she has met him. They were married in Elizabeth and Miguel’s church.”

  He rose and brushed sawdust from his knees. “Where did she meet him?”

  “She sailed with him to Jamaica.”

  “The letters from her and Elizabeth made no mention of him.”

  “‘Tis a long story. He is her husband. It is a little late to be inquiring into his background or the manner in which they met. They are staying for the noon meal. Will you join us, or will you stay here and sulk?”

  “I like not your tone, Naomi.”

  “You shall regret it, you know. They will not be here long. Will you let her sail away with so much unsaid between you two?”

  “I have nothing to say to her.”

  “Lying is a sin, Jonathan Cooper.”

  He heaved a sigh and looked past her through the open door. “I will be in, in a moment.”

  *

  Naomi returned to the house and Faith reveled in the simple joy of preparing a meal with her mother again. They laughed easily and automatically fell into their former division of duties, Naomi cutting vegetables, Faith making small adjustments in the seasonings. David set the table with haste, complaining that the task would cause him to miss some thrilling tale, despite the fact that every word of the conversation carried from the hearth to the table.

  Naomi remained carefully aloof from the newcomer who spun those tales, but she smiled at him from time to time, and Faith felt encouraged.

  “He is a good man, Mother,” Faith assured her. “And so is Uncle Miguel.”

  Her head bowed, Naomi murmured, “She’s well then, and happy, my sister?”

  “She is, but she misses you.”

  “And I her,” Naomi confessed. “The passing of time softens things. I should very much like to see her.”

  Geoff partook with wonder in the comfortable family life his wife had so oft described. Aye, he could be content with a lifetime of this with his Faith in a home of their own.

  The sound of Jonathan’s footfalls on the steps outside penetrated the conversation and brought immediate silence. Even David seemed to know that this would not be an easy meeting and held his breath waiting for his father.

  Jonathan entered the room and surveyed its occupants with a grave face. At last, his gaze settled upon Faith, and she resisted the urge to drop her gaze, keeping them steadily on his instead. He frowned, and she found that she could not swallow for the lump in her throat, but she held her ground.

  “Father.”

  “Faith.”

  Five pairs of eyes watched, and Geoff cleared his throat, breaking the strained exchange. Faith introduced him and the two men greeted one another, Jonathan’s face guardedly hostile, Geoff’s carefully bland. Faith knew both men well enough to know that neither expression boded well. Her father had made up his mind, and her husband was preparing for battle.

  The merriment of the moments before evaporated, and everyone quietly took their place at the long oak table. After the blessing, Noah made a brave attempt at a doting story about little Matthew, and Isaiah laughed obligingly, though he’d heard the tale several times before. His gesture reminded others to do the same, and they forced themselves to follow suit, but the laughter quickly faded when the family patriarch remained silent.

  Faith stared at her plate and seethed, even as her heart grieved. He would not forgive her. So be it. Why, then, did he not just stay in the joinery? Why not let her visit awhile and leave with no inconvenience to him?

  What he did next was worse.

  “So, you’re Anglican, then?” he asked. He waited for his new son-in-law to answer.

  Geoff looked at Faith, hoping she would give some indication that he should lie after all, but she seemed to be concentrating on swallowing the mouthful of squash she had taken. “Nay, sir. I am not.”

  “Nay? I thought the two of you were married by an Anglican priest.”

  “We were. ‘Twas convenient.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Aye.”

  Jonathan took a spoonful of beef and chewed thoughtfully ere he spoke again. “There are still Puritan churches in the Caribbean.”

  “Aye, there are. There are all manner of churches, though they are few enough in Port Royal.”

  “You live in Port Royal?”

  “Aye, when we are not at sea.”

  Jonathan nodded curtly. “When you are not at sea. And though churches are few, you have found one that serves?”

  “We are at sea much of the time.”

  “Without a church, you are at sea all of the time.”

  Geoff bit back his reply. Give him a good, honest sword fight over this verbal battle any time.

  “In what faith were you raised?” Jonathan asked.

  “Your grandchildren will be raised honest Christians, Father. You need not fear on that account,” Faith interrupted, but she fell silent again at her father’s glare.

  “Is there some reason we should not discuss this?” Jonathan asked.

  “Some consider religion to be a highly personal matter,” Naomi supplied. “Mayhap these questions offend.”

  Jonathan turned to Geoff. “Forgive me. ‘Tis only that matters of faith are much a part of this family’s conversation, and you are family, are you not?”

  “Jonathan,” Naomi warned.

  He appeared to acquiesce. “How long have you been married? My wife did not say when she came to fetch me.”

  Faith breathed a sigh of relief. “Just over two months. Geoff wanted to meet all of you as soon as possible.”

  “Aye,” Geoff pasted a smile on his face and looked around at those faces that were less hostile. “Faith had told me so much about all of you, and she has miss
ed you terribly.”

  Naomi smiled. “We have missed her, too. It was good of you not to keep us waiting. This is much better than learning of you through a letter.”

  “It is a long voyage from here to Jamaica,” Jonathan commented.

  “A month or so,” Geoff replied. “I have sailed longer stretches.”

  “A month. And when she journeyed to Jamaica, there were other women on the ship to keep my daughter company?”

  “Ah, well, my ship was not exactly prepared for a female passenger.”

  “No?”

  Faith jumped in, hoping to change the course of the conversation. “I stowed away, Father. He did not know there was a female on board until after he set sail.”

  He raised his brows at Geoff. “You must have been rather upset to discover an unexpected traveler on your ship.”

  “It was understandable, given the circumstances.” He was tired of the game, and Geoff did nothing to soften the intentional barb.

  “That is a long time for an unaccompanied woman on a ship of men. We must thank Providence, indeed, for placing her into the hands of an honorable man who would not take advantage of the situation.”

  She couldn’t help it. The cider she swallowed took the wrong path in Faith’s throat, and she choked, her face turning deep red.

  Jonathan gave his wayward daughter a piercing glare, and she found she could not, by any bent of will, look him in the face. “I have lost my appetite,” he announced, rising abruptly. “I will be in the joinery the rest of the afternoon. Good journey to you both.”

  He walked out the door with surprising calm, but Faith dearly wished he would fly into a rage. All her life his calm, rational disapproval had kept them all neatly in line. Somehow it was far more effective than any display of temper could have been.

  She finally dared to look at the others around the table and cringed. Her mother dabbed her eyes with the corner of her napkin. Noah and Isaiah looked positively sick. David gazed at her with fear and confusion, not understanding what terrible sin his sister had committed, but knowing full well that she had, indeed, committed one.