The Crockett Chronicles- The Complete Collection
Page 86
The women were told to stay in the kitchen and retold when Aphra came running from the sitting room. But Maybe ran to him. “Where are you going?” Terror made her eyes enormous.
He kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry, love. We’ll be right back. I’m only going with Jason as far as the Justice of the Peace. We’ll be back in minutes. I promise.”
“We’ve not had any time. I’ve waited so long for ye, Willie.”
He ran a finger down her cheek. “I know. I’ve waited for you too, love. Fifteen minutes and I will be back. I promise.”
She accepted it, but did not look happy.
As soon as they were out the door, he called to Jason. “This needs to be fast. I cannot be gone long. It took too much to get home.”
“I understand. And Willie, I’m glad you are home.”
Willie put his arm about his brother’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “Me too. Let’s run.”
And they did, all the way to Master Waddington’s home. They knocked. Willie explained. The justice grabbed his hat, sent a servant to fetch the constable to the Crocketts’, and followed them back to the house.
Willie doubted the man believed them until he saw it with his own eyes.
“Silas Keel? Here in your sitting room? Under our noses all this time?” He stared, shaking his head.
“I am Eleazar Ferguson. I am not Silas Keel. That man no longer exists. I am not Silas Keel.” The pirate continued to scream and thrash.
No more. Being in that room brought up anger, hate, feelings Willie thought he no longer had. Feelings that kept him from his wife and baby. Robbed of time with them. To hold his child. Or do anything he’d dreamed of while gone. Evil still stole from him, swiping time he should spend loving his wife, meeting his baby, reveling in being home.
He stepped outside to his mother’s garden. The blooms gave off fragrance in the dark. He closed his eyes and breathed in, allowing the sweet sent to cleanse away the rage. He remembered Brother Johann’s words and the prayers he spoke over him. This was now his faith, his own. He lifted his heart to the One Who made it, fashioned it to feel and pulse and break. Take this hate, this anger. Fill me with gratitude for Your mercy. You brought me home.
His next breath was lighter. He was lighter. The night was lighter. He stared at the twinkling stars overhead. How vast, yet he could count each one.
“So ye come home and I find ye hiding out here?” Oh, the music in her voice. His heart began to thump with anticipation. He turned around to find beauty beyond his words, holding out her hands to him.
“I needed a moment.” He couldn’t explain and didn’t want to challenge the mood. He was home. She was here. Nothing else mattered.
“I’ve missed ye, Willie. I prayed for yer safe return and never gave up hope. Oh, yer right here.”
“You were always with me. I’d close my eyes and see your face, your voice whispered to my heart. I so missed you.”
She stepped closer. “I think I need to be calling ye William the Conqueror. Ye saved me. Again.”
He bowed. “At your service, Mistress Elizabeth Crockett.”
She took another step toward him. “Tis Elizabeth now? What became of Maybe?”
He pulled her into his arms and whispered. “There is no maybe about it, wife.” Lifting her chin, he stared into those eyes that made his heart do mad flip flops. “You are my always.” His mouth found hers, and he kissed her.
Epilogue
Willie sat in the rocker, his son in his arms as he had dreamed. They studied each other’s faces while the world fell away. A new sensation pushed to make room in his heart, something he’d never felt. A different sort of protectiveness covered with wonder. Staring at this miracle, amazement overwhelmed him.
“He has yer temperament, always busy watching at things.” Elizabeth stood beside him.
He didn’t want her out of reach. He needed her touch. “What do you call him?”
“I wanted to wait for ye to come home before we named him. He’s been going by ‘sweet baby’ until now. What do you think?” Her question flashed in his brain.
He broke the stare with his son and glanced about the room. His parents, Elizabeth’s father and sister, all his siblings waited for his answer. “I need to study on this.”
“Da? What will happen to that bad man?” Janie asked the question no one else wanted to voice.
“Well, Sarah Jane, he is a pirate. Pirates do not make good choices, so their end is not pretty. But we can pray for him. There’s a price on his head. He hadn’t garnered a pardon yet but was working on it, from what I gather. Master Waddington said that the money comes here because we captured him. But I’m thinking we couldn’t have done that without help. Family, should we split the money between Aphra and David Boulay? What do you all say?” Willie caught the glance that passed between his parents. They had discussed it.
Everyone but Aphra and David called out “aye.” They both protested, but no one would change their vote.
“Then it is settled.”
Elizabeth stepped forward. “Da, I was able to save something. I ken you canna play anymore, but perhaps, when our son is older, you might teach him to play the fiddle?” She picked it up from the table and brought it to him.
David nodded, too overcome to speak.
Da cleared his throat. “Now we need to name the baby. Willie, what have you decided?” Again, everyone stared.
“I imagined that if I came home to a daughter, I might like the name Mercy. It seems I’ve had a lot of that poured over me of late. But since we have a son, I want to call him David. Do you agree, Elizabeth?”
The moisture she attempted to blink away told him he made a good choice. David. It would always remind him of his father-in-law, but also another David. One who showed kindness and love without asking for anything in return. An example for his son. One to show mercy, a willingness to serve. One to build the Crockett line with integrity, continuing the thread of faith from generation to generation.
Elizabeth kissed his temple.
He captured his son’s gaze one more time. “May you be like another David—a man after God’s own heart.”
David Crockett smiled and grabbed his father’s finger.
Cast of Characters
Bold denotes a mentioned historical figure. Italics denotes fictional characters.
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1.William Crockett
2.Sarah Jane “Janie” Crockett
3.Jason Spotswood Crockett
4.Elizabeth “Maybe” Boulay
5.Sarah Stewart Crockett
6.Mary Crockett
7.Joseph Louis Crockett, Sr.
8.John Crockett
9.Joseph Louis Crockett, Jr. (mentioned)
10.Jeanne Crockett (mentioned)
11.James Crockett (mentioned)
12.Thomas Crockett (mentioned)
13.Martha Crockett
14.Leticia “Lettie” Crockett
15.Elizabeth “Beth” Crockett
16.Anne Fontaine (mentioned)
17.Edward Mosely
18.Jacques Fontaine (mentioned)
19.Samuel Adams, Sr.
20.Samuel Adams, Jr.
21.Eliza Boulay
22.Johann Dober
23.David Nitschmann
24.David Crockett (this is the Elder, not the famous one)
25. Daniel O’Malley
26.Eleazar Ferguson/Silas Keel
27.The Master of The Frances Pearl
28.Boatswain Sam Johnson
29.Aphra White
30.Abigail Attwater
31.Mistress Freely
32.Master Freely
33.Thomas Miller
34.Henry Waddington
35.Smythe family
36.Burrows family
37.Cookie the cook
38.Mr. Cox
39.Nameless friend of D. O’Malley
40.Mr. Hawkins
41.The Surgeon, Josiah Featherfield
42.Mr. Swain
43.Thomas Miller’s maid
44.Mary, Ferguson’s housekeeper/cook
45.Judge Robert Gibson
46.Alexander Thornton
47.The Turner family
48.Various unnamed sailors
49.Andrew Ryan
50.Andrew’s brother and sister
51.Declan Blackheart Stryker
52.“Long John” Georgie Galloway
53.“Bucktooth” Benjamin Spade
54.Rook Teague
55.Puddle Jim
56.Pegleg Pete
57.St. Thomas constable
58.David Boulay
59.Miss Fuller
Afterword
Here we are again, dear reader. I hope you’ve enjoyed our journey. As with all The Crockett Chronicles, this book is fiction loosely based on fact. In fact, the first fact I need to share is I can’t say Joseph and Sarah ever lived in Beaufort. I know they spent time in Virginia and either admired or were friends with the lieutenant-governor, Alexander Spotswood because of Jason’s middle name—Spotswood. But death certificates put them in North Carolina. So, I searched for Huguenot communities in North Carolina that were established far enough back and had an ocean view. I found Beaufort.
I also found a wonderful librarian there, Mary Taylor Creech, who answered many questions and read through an early version of the book to help me with historic and geographic accuracies. We ran into a snag. Beaufort is flat. One can see for miles. I might have caught on earlier had I been able to visit, but I couldn’t, so I didn’t, and now that bluff was key to the story. Therefore, in the spirit of full disclosure, Beaufort has no bluff. Just another author license. Remember, it’s fiction! I hope you can forgive me and enjoy.
Something different about The Prodigal is I wrote the draft in two-and-a-half months. I’ve never written so fast in my life. Having mulled over the idea in my head for fifteen years helped though. I lived and breathed Willie and Maybe’s tale twenty-four/seven.
I ran into the same problems with The Prodigal that appeared with The Sojourners—duplicate names. Seriously, did they not think a distant progeny might write stories concerning them? So, I devised nicknames again. The biggest is connected to a bit of mystery. Maybe, or rather Elizabeth Boulay, was not even listed as a wife when I began my research fifteen years ago. But because of explosive interest in ancestry sites, some have identified her as William’s wife. Or one of them. Other places have him to the altar three times. Some places have him wed to Eliza, making her the same as Elizabeth. And another I found had Elizabeth and Eliza as sisters who married brothers. I liked that best. There is no data stating Willie and Maybe went to sea or that they conceived a child before marriage. In fact, the whole idea of Elizabeth being called Maybe is solely from my imagination. Mere storytelling. Author license again.
Our other Elizabeth, Willie’s sister Beth, lived almost one hundred years. To think of all she saw happen in her lifetime. Little Janie, a.k.a. Sarah Jane, might have been nicknamed Janie to differentiate from her mother Sarah. I tried to imagine that houseful of children and can believe Sarah was that amazing.
For those of you who read both The Patriarch and The Sojourners, you know that the Huguenot cross pin was key in those stories. I couldn’t come up with a reason for Willie to receive it over Joseph Louis (Wee Joseph in The Sojourners) so I didn’t mention it. I hope that was not a problem.
One fun detail I researched was the Age of Sailing. I immersed myself in stories of brave travelers taking to the sea. And the pirates! Oh, my! That was interesting. I learned when they wanted to be finished with that life, many signed agreements with the governing authorities to behave as good citizens for an expressed amount of time and then they received a pardon. (Anyone remember Alias Smith and Jones?) That was Silas/Eleazar’s goal, only he had bad habits. And a bit of an attitude. The brand he received was often done, especially to those who claimed Benefit of Clergy, though on the face was rare.
The Benefit of Clergy clause was dying out about then. A practice begun in medieval days, it hit its stride further north in the Puritan communities but found a calling in the other colonies. Originally it was only for entangled members of the clergy. But soon others called on the loophole which said that if they read “the neck passage,” Psalm 51, in Latin and were not struck dead, they escaped the noose.
There’re tons of behind-the-scenes memories from this book. It’s good when an author loves what she writes, and that is true here. But I will save you from my ramblings and thank you for taking the time to read The Crockett Chronicles. I’ve no plans for more in this series but have started another I hope you will enjoy. You can look for the first in the Relentless series, Relentless Heart, to release this coming July (and there’s a sneak peek in just a few pages!), and a novella, Tales of the Hob Nob Annex, to come out in May. Until then…
Abundant blessings!
Jenny
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If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. Reviews can be as simple as “I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait for the next one” and help raise the author’s visibility and lets other readers find her.
Acknowledgments
First and always, my thanks and wonderment go to my Abba Who continues to leave me breathless with how He orchestrates it all.
To my Phil, who isn’t afraid to say the hard stuff, even if it makes me mad, to get me to think and do the better. I love you, baby.
To my girls, my boys, and my grands—thank you for listening to me go on and on and…
To my dear friend and mentor, Esther Bailey. This would still be a dream on the someday list if it weren’t for you. Thank you! (That goes for Wilma too!)
Several good friends and family members read the drafts of this and offered feedback. It is better because of you, Mary England, Jaime Zorich, Diana Brandmeyer, Dorothy Shields, and Christine Cain. I thank you!
Jen Crosswhite, you get a thank you all to yourself. You make me look good. And you are a wonderful friend. Love you, kiddo.
Mary Taylor Creech, I cannot thank you enough for your insights on Beaufort, for taking the time to read through for historical accuracy, and for all your kind words of praise. I have enjoyed working with you and look forward to that continuing.
When in need of a pirate name, I put out a call and was overwhelmed with response. So thank you to the following who should find their offering in the pages: Jackie Marsh, Lauren Waymire, Richard Goodell, Connie Legg, and Linda Lou Downing's grandson, AJ McGie.
To my Street Team, you know who you are, thank you for getting the word out.
To my Pit Crew—Lori Doe, Annie Oertel, Debbie Atkinson, Julie Burch—you intercessory pray-ers who keep me accountable, thank you, thank you, thank you!
Sean and Mariah, I am so glad we met. You look amazing on the cover! Love you guys!
And to Gaby and Andy with Aries 70 Studio, you did it again. Your photography is wonderful. Thank you for your patience and care to get the best poses.
And to you dear reader. Thank you. With all the books in the world, you chose to read this one. I am humbled and grateful.
Reader’s Guide
Each book of the series ended up leaning more toward fiction than historical. Once you read the Afterword, what surprised you to learn really was true? What surprised you to learn was fictitious?
The 1730 setting fell smack dab in the period called The Age of Sailing. Though Jack Sparrow is fiction, and so is Silas Keel for that matter, there were many pirates during that time. What do you know about the pirates of that period? Were you surprised to learn that some worked out pardons with governments and became “everyday citizens”?
After setting the story in Beaufort, North Carolina, I learned there are no hills there, yet the bluff became an important part of the story. Would you have changed that to something else to bring the couple together? What do you feel the bluff symbolized and how might you get the same symbolism with a different ide
a?
How did you feel about Sarah and Joseph’s character growth after reading The Prodigal? Was it realistic that they matured in their faith as they did?
Joseph Louis (Wee Joseph in The Sojourners) never appears in this book—according to the dates he was married by then. Did that disappoint?
The Huguenot cross from the first two books did not show up in this book. If you were to work it into the story, how might you have done that?
The Patriarch had a theme of faith. The Sojourners theme was trust. How do you think those themes were built on to develop the theme of mercy for this story?
Who was your favorite character for this book? Who was your favorite character of the whole trilogy?
The David Crockett at the end of the story is the grandfather of the famous frontiersman. If you knew that his end was not good, would you still want to read his story? How do you feel about ending The Crockett Chronicles two generations away from Davy Crockett?
Even though the stories are fiction, they deal with life and questions and problems that happen in any time period. How did this story speak to your faith? How did the series speak to your faith?
About the Author
Jennifer Lynn Cary is a direct descendent of Davy Crockett making Antoine and Louise her ancestors as well. A retired elementary teacher, she resides in Arizona with her husband where they enjoy family time with two more generations in the Crockett linage.
You can find her at www.jenniferlynncary.com
Sneak Peek of Relentless Heart: The Relentless Book 1
May 24, 2068
“He’s ready for you.”
Natalia Alaniz stood. Her heart pounded as she brushed a wrinkle from her skirt. After all the strides of this twenty-first century, why had no one invented a method to keep clothes from wrinkling? Did she look professional? She brushed the thought away with one more swipe and followed the secretary.