by Kitty Margo
“Although that sounds like something that I may consider in the near future, for now, just the curse removal spell.”
“I will give you the spell today, but you cannot use it until midnight of the next full moon.” Doc Buzzard looked off into space, deciphering in his head. “The moon fulled a week ago, so you will have to wait three more weeks before you can perform this spell.”
Sean didn’t like hearing that but agreed, since in all actuality there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Doc Buzzard reached into a low cabinet and withdrew a piece of heavy parchment paper, placing it on the kitchen table beside a quill and ink. “Do you know who put the curse on your loved one?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Write the name on this paper.”
Just to be on the safe side, Sean wrote all of her names. Suzanne Nicolette Fletcher Jordan.
When the ink had dried, Doc Buzzard went to the cabinet and brought back a box of table salt. Taking three heaping spoonfuls from the box, he poured them in the center of the paper. He then gathered the paper into a pouch and tied it with a string, handing it to Sean. “She must wear this over her heart for three days and three nights. The salt will draw out the curse and take it into itself. On the fourth day open the packet and hold it in the waves letting the sea wash away the salt. It must be released in flowing water.”
Sean nodded his head. The directions were simple enough.
“Are my instructions clear?”
“Yes, wear it over her heart.” Sean repeated the instructions, since the man seemed to have some concern as to his comprehension skills. “After three days release the salt into the sea.”
“After doing that you must burn the paper and string. Watch it carefully to insure that all the paper and string are reduced to ashes. Then toss the ashes into the sea.”
He waited patiently to see if Sean had any questions. When none were forthcoming, he reached across the table and opened a handsomely carved wooden jewelry box. Reaching inside reverently, he brought out a gleaming rose quartz pendant on a fine gold chain. “Only after you have thrown the ashes into the sea will you place this around her neck. She must wear it for nine days. It will heal and restore whatever damage was caused by the curse and make her defenses grow strong again.”
As Doc Buzzard placed his arm urgently on his, Sean would have sworn a chill ran down his arm from the touch of his icy fingers.
“Remember none of this can be done until the next full moon. To do so before then will only result in disaster.”
“I understand.” With the necklace clenched tightly in his hand, Sean reached in his pocket and handed the little man a heavy, jingling pouch.
Doc Buzzard hefted the pouch and a wide grin showed his mess of teeth. “Pleasure doing business with you, sir. Come again soon.”
Chapter 23
Lisbeth’s words were true. The island was healing Lynna’s body, but it was an irritatingly slow process. Except for the headaches. Since the day of the tour she had suffered blinding headaches almost daily. The intense pain was always accompanied by nausea and sent her to bed in her darkened room for hours at the time.
She could now walk as far as the verandah and back without getting winded and being forced to lean on the nearest piece of furniture until she caught her breath. She was finding it to be her favorite spot. Hummingbirds, exotic butterflies, and extraordinary parrots of stunning pastel colors flitted around nearby bushes as she sat in a cushioned rocker sipping chocolate milk.
When they returned from the harvest Sean and Lisbeth joined her after the evening meal to reflect on the day’s progress in the cacao fields and enjoy the breathtaking sunsets.
“Sean, darling, I just had the most wonderful idea.” Lisbeth poured herself another glass of wine from a tray on the table beside her.
“And what might that be, Grandmama?”
“When you and Lynna travel to Port of Spain to order her costume for the Hammond’s Masquerade Ball it might be beneficial for her to bathe in the healing waters of La Brea Pitch Lake.” Lisbeth was eager to speed Lynna’s recovery along. Her greatest wish was for her grandson to settle down and take over the running of the plantation. It was evident to her by the way Sean’s eyes smiled whenever he looked upon Lynna that she would be the easiest means to accomplish the goal. “As you know, the natural springs are said to have therapeutic properties which will help her body recover more quickly.”
“Pitch Lake?” Lynna shrieked, dubiously. “Surely you are not suggesting that I bathe in… tar.”
“Of course not, darling,” Lisbeth couldn’t help but laugh at her dismayed expression. “The liquid tar is black and viscous and bubbly, but a hard skim forms on the surface that yields just slightly when walked on. And although it isn’t the rainy season, we have had an unseasonably rainy month. Water will have gathered in pools on top of the pitch and bathing in these sun warmed, sulfur rich waters is said to have a healing effect on the body. The locals bathe in the pools believing the waters have the almost magical ability to cure all ills.”
“Then the pitch lake isn’t very deep?” Lynna had a horrible vision of trying to pull her slowly sinking body out of hot, bubbling pitch.
“Actually, it is. In fact, I have heard claims that it’s several hundred feet deep in the center.”
“Then why would I risk being boiled to death should I accidentally fall through the surface?” The risk far outweighed any supposed benefits in her mind.
“The hard skim over the top of the lake is practically impenetrable,” Lisbeth assured her. “You will not fall through, Lynna. I promise.”
“That is a superb idea, Grandmama,” Sean eagerly agreed to any plan that would put him and Lynna in a hotel room together, alone. “We can spend the night in the Port of Spain Hotel and visit a few of the sites making the trip a short holiday.”
“I thought you would agree, dear.” Lisbeth smiled contentedly, relaxing back in her chair with her ever present glass of wine. “Now Lynna, Pitch Lake is approximately 100 acres of pitch and rather famous.”
Lisbeth was at her favorite pastime again, instructing a newcomer on the islands colorful history. “In 1595, Sir Walter Raleigh visited Trinidad searching for El Dorado, the fabled city of gold. When he reached our shores he reportedly smelled the tar, and docked his ship at Terra de Brea. The Caribs led Sir Walter to the pitch lake, where he realized the unique substance was ideal for caulking his ships. He took several barrels home, and his name has often been linked with the actual discovery of the lake.”
“The lake is as temperamental as a woman,” Sean joked. “It swallows certain items and spits others out. Recently, a massive and supposedly very ancient tree suddenly emerged from the center of the lake, then sank back down. That’s how we know the center of the lake is rather deep.”
“It sounds fascinating,” Lynna mumbled, obviously still skeptical and not at all thrilled with the prospect of bathing in a lake of tar no matter how healing it might be. “I can hardly wait.”
Lynna and Sean left the plantation bright and early, leaving Lynna awestruck by the beauty surrounding her as the miles passed behind them. She witnessed a vast array of stunning tropical landscapes from mountains covered with rain forests to mangrove swamps, savannahs, rivers, lagoons and unique waterfalls on an island of only fifty by sixty miles. Amazing. And always there was a cooling breeze. Trade winds Sean called them.
They had driven several hours when Sean shouted for the driver to stop. Stepping down from the carriage, he lifted her to the ground but didn’t release her immediately. Instead he peered deep into her eyes as if he were about to say something, but had decided against it at the last minute. Taking her hand, he led her to the edge of a rocky outcrop.
Galera Point was the most breathtaking sight Lynna ever remembered seeing. She followed Sean’s gaze as he pointed to the southeast where the navy blue surf of the Atlantic Ocean crashed against the shore, then to the northwest with the gentler turquoise water of
the Caribbean Sea. Where the two bodies of water met was a distinct demarcation in color.
Sean watched Lynna as she stood on the edge of the cliff looking out across the sea as the wind fanned her dress and her hair behind her. He would have disagreed wholeheartedly with her assessment. Lynna was by far the most breathtaking sight he had ever beheld. He no longer even tried to deny the fact that he had never wanted any woman the way he wanted her. “This is where the Amerindians are said to have flung themselves to their death rather than suffer further Spanish oppression,” he told her. Due to the uncomfortable tightening in his breeches, Sean thought it best not to allow his mind to pursue the path it was currently traveling.
‘What a horrible way to die!” Lynna cried, peering down at the jagged rocks and pounding surf below. “One would have to believe there was absolutely no hope for the future in order to subject oneself to such a torturous ending.”
“You have no idea how accurate your words are.” Sean shuddered, remembering the time he spent in the water after his ship had sank. “When all hope is lost, the will to live grows weaker and weaker. At such a low point only the strong will survive.”
Lynna’s mind fled across the ocean to Jasmine and the other slaves at Magnolia House. “I wonder if the Negroes back home would rather die than live a life of slavery. Not the house servants, they enjoy a life of relative ease compared to the field hands who work at back breaking labor from sunup to sundown with never a day off.”
“From what I gather many slaves do take their own lives, preferring death to the horrible conditions on most plantations. But then some plantations are worse than others. No two wealthy planters are alike. You can have your decent slave owner living right next door to a neighbor who lives to inflict pain on his slaves. I had a slave on my ship once, you might remember him.” Sean chuckled. “Rob and the vinegar?”
“Yes, I remember Rob.” She couldn’t put her finger on exactly why she did, but Lynna held back the information that Rob was still very much alive.
“Yes, somehow I thought you might.” Sean grinned. “He came to me from one of the most hellish plantations in the South. The scars on his back were evidence of this and caused even me to flinch when I saw them. So, I suppose on plantations such as the one on which he had the misfortune to land, a slave would just as soon be dead as suffer at the hands of some madman with a whip.”
“What are your thoughts on freeing the slaves, Sean?” Lynna put to voice a thought that had been concerning her for months. “Of all the talk of war back home?”
“I think it is inevitable. The time of one man owning another has passed. That’s why slavery was abolished in Trinidad. The South, on the other hand, has held on to its traditions far too long and will pay dearly for her greed, I’m afraid.”
“So you think the South will go to war with the North?”
“Yes, I do. I don’t see how it can be avoided. The South will never willingly give up her slaves, or her antiquated way of life and the North is determined to bring an end to the enslavement of fellow human beings. I’m confident that the way of life those in the South have cherished for generations will soon cease to exist. Mark my words, Lynna. Change is coming.”
Lynna pondered his words. It was true. Trouble was brewing in the South as if it were a huge black cauldron with the North stirring the pot. She had a sudden desire to rush home and gather Beau in her arms and return to France with her father, where they would be safe. She knew Sean would insist that Trinidad was the safest place to be until the danger of war, if it came to that, had passed. Her head ached from trying to come to a decision concerning the best course of action for both her and her son.
“To be honest, Sean, I have never believed that one man should be the property of another. Slavery is wrong and I pray that it will be abolished in the South. But I also pray that it doesn’t take a war to accomplish it.” She thought of Sea Grove, and Magnolia House, and the thousands of slaves required for the smooth running of each. Where would all the slaves go if they were set free?
“As do I, Lynna. But you are safe here on the island. The long tentacles of war cannot reach Trinidad. I’m convinced that if Beau was with you, you would be happy to spend the rest of your life here on the island.”
“Beau,” Lynna sighed. The mere thought of her son brightened her day. “I believe I could be happy anywhere with my darling son.”
Her words warmed Sean’s heart and he vowed that he would see her son returned to her in the near future. Lost in thought, he briefly imagined life on the island if he were to take control of the plantation as his grandmother had been pleading with him to do. Could he give up the sea and the life he loved? Looking at Lynna he had his answer. Yes. For her he could.
Returning to the carriage, Lynna’s thoughts were far, far away as she looked out the window across the calm sea toward Charleston and the land she had grown to love. How long would it be before she could walk up the steps to Sea Grove again and return to her precious son?
A short while later, they stopped at a magnificent waterfall to have a picnic. As they lay on a blanket, under the cool shade of a canopy of trees, Sean regaled her with tales of his and Michael’s adventurous childhood on the island, of his days as one of the most notorious pirates to ever roam the Caribbean, and finally he told her the truth of how he had convinced Suzanne to hand Lynna over to him, rather than carry out a vicious plot to kill her.
It was at that moment that it really hit home to Lynna that if Sean had not rescued her, she would be dead. Just as Joshua was dead. By Suzanne’s hands. Yet finally knowing the truth of what happened to her husband did not make it any easier to accept. According to Sean, Suzanne never specified exactly how she had killed Joshua. Just that she had watched him die. Happily.
For the first time Lynna experienced the bitter taste of revenge on her tongue and hardened her heart toward the person she once thought of as a friend. Suzanne would pay. That was her solemn promise to her husband.
After a short nap, during which Lynna dreamed of her and… Sean… running along a sandy beach with Beau giggling and jumping the lapping waves between them, she opened her eyes with a smile curving her lips.
“It must have been a pleasant dream.” Sean grinned down at her, his soft lips mere inches from hers.
“Yes, it was.” For some reason her entire being at that moment seemed to focus on Sean’s mouth. She imagined, vividly, what it would feel like if he lowered his lips to hers and she felt an odd stirring in the pit of her stomach from the meandering thoughts. What was that about? To get her mind on anything other than the moist lips hovering above hers, she sought a drastic change of subject as she deftly scooted out from under him. “So Suzanne believes I have been sold to a man who enjoys inflicting pain on women?”
Rolling to his side, Sean lifted her hand to toy with her fingers. “Yes, Suzanne rather ecstatically believes this to be so.”
She sighed, lost in thought, as the few rays of sun slipped through the umbrella of leaves and danced a mottled pattern around them. “I wonder what I did to cause her to hate me so?”
“According to her, you stole her husband with your wanton and whorish ways.” A smile curved Sean’s lips. “Unfortunately, I personally have seen no evidence of either characteristic.”
“And let me be the first to inform you that you will not!” Lynna was appalled that Suzanne would tell such outrageous lies about her. “I did not steal Joshua from her. He was wed to her for crying out loud! Suzanne single handedly brought about the destruction of that marriage.”
“I’m having trouble understanding why Captain Jordan would tie himself to Suzanne in the first place.” He chose not to bring up the fact that Suzanne could work magic with her lips, tongue, and throat. “Why would a man of reasonable intelligence even consider marriage to a shrew like her?”
“Because Joshua is a man of honor.” Tears welled in Lynna’s eyes, but she hastily blinked them away. “And because Suzanne lied and convinced him she was c
arrying his child.”
“That explains it.” Sean had a better understanding of why Joshua would agree to such a hellish union.
“Then, when Suzanne was unable to conceive with Joshua, she turned to others. Joshua caught her in the act.”
“Ouch.” Sean actually felt a moment of sympathy for the man. “How did he take being cuckolded?”
“Extremely well.” Lynna smiled. “You see, Joshua had been following her, hoping to catch her so he could end their charade of a marriage.”
“Be advised that Suzanne tells a slightly different version of what caused the dissolution of their wedded bliss.”
“I’m sure she does, Sean. Suzanne is very adept at placing blame on others.”
“You know her well, don’t you?”
“I know Suzanne about as well as anyone could. Or I thought I did. She has shocked even me with her latest ploy. I had no idea she would resort to such extraordinary measures to get her way.”
Rising to his knees, Sean took her hands and helped her to her feet. “As enjoyable as this has been, we had better get back on the road. We have a few more stops to make and I hope to reach Port of Spain by nightfall.”
Back in the carriage, they stopped to watch a family of howler monkeys grooming each other by the side of the road. One of the monkeys opened his mouth and screamed a sound that sent chills to shiver over Lynna’s skin. “What a horrible sound! That is the noise I’ve heard several times during the night and thought it had to be a woman screaming. I’m happy to know some poor girl wasn’t being bludgeoned to death.”
“That is exactly what howler monkeys sound like.” Sean took her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you, but I’m so accustomed to hearing the sound on the island that I rarely even notice it anymore.” Grinning, he tugged her to sit closer and bent to touch his lips to hers. “The next time you get frightened at night, come to my room and I will be happy to take your mind off whatever frightened you.”