Hi all! Thanks so much for continuing to read and respond. Only one more chapter to go, then the Epilogue.
Be warned this chapter is long. I didn't want it to be but it just kind of took on a life of its own. :)
Chapter Twenty-four
Freemont Island
Silver barely registered the fierce thunder and relentless rain that was raging outside, for he was lost in a haze of ecstasy aroused by Madi hotly exploring his body in a new way. She'd nuzzled his neck, biting and tasting before slipping to his chest, where she'd lapped and teased each peck. Silver groaned in aching need, as she then descended lower, over his abdomen and to the cleft between his legs her warm breath rousing him with fervent anticipation. Next, she'd touched him, gently, tentatively, stroking his shaft, gaging his fervid response, when he felt her, the delicate flick of her tongue, sampling his tip. Silver gasped as the beat of his heart went from steady to a hasten pound. When she took him into her mouth, testing this sensuous caress, which she'd never tried before, by slowly gliding over his length. "Madi" He'd breathed, for an instant eliciting her eyes, that were burning with innocence and passion, heightening his yearning as her hand steadily roamed him, when she lowered her mouth to him once more, this time adding pressure to her draw. Silver expelled a guttural cry at the intense pleasure of her caress, which she rendered over and over, each time further perfecting her technique, until he was thrown into a bright light of hotness and all coherence was lost. Now he lay trembling, his breath gradually slowing as his body floated from an extraordinary high to a blissful calm.
"I am much warmer now." Madi uttered as she snuggled to him, faintly shy, but pleased with his enraptured response to the fondle she'd been wanting to explore for some time, to requite what he'd done to her many times.
"You are warmer?" Silver sighed with mirth, loving the feel of her nude curves.
"Is that so impossible to believe?" She softly asked with lightness in her voice.
"Not impossible. For I am sweltering with warmth myself."
"Should I adjust my position to allow coolness to prevail?"
"No. I wish for you to stay as you are." He huskily declared, then pulled the blanket over them.
"What are you doing?" She questioned with a smile. "Not even a minute ago you stated that you were warm."
"I am. But it was not that long ago that you had the chills. I do not wish for you to catch them again." He spoke, then tenderly kissed her forehead, inciting her to contently sigh...
"That is not possible with you so near."
The fury of the storm continuously battered the shutters and roof, its ferocity strangely not causing fear, but seeming to amplify the intimacy between them.
"Do you truly believe it's possible for me to live free, being a woman of color in Nassau?" Madi questioned in a hushed tone.
"I do." Silver uttered in earnest. "Featherstone is a good man. He will honor your freedom, just as he will honor my pardon. The challenge will be convincing him to grant our move to Nassau."
"How would we do that, convince him?" She asked as she propped up to look him in the eyes, while her hand, innocently grazed a heated path down his chest.
"The more relevant question is how will you feel if he accepts our proposal?" Silver nearly sighed at the fervor in her caress.
"What do you mean?" Madi asked with furrowed brows.
"If Nassau becomes our home, it would mean you would have to walk away from your mother, your people, the Island -that one day was to be passed on to you to lead. Are you ready to walk away from what has been your life?" He seriously posed and watched as Madi pondered what had been said, the magnitude of abandoning everything she knew, for a life that would be vastly different from the way she lived now. She loved her mother and the people, her people, who were vibrant with life and knowledge. She enjoyed their traditions and foods, and her role as a leader and thus a teacher and architect of their community. She could not imagine her life without them. Yet she dreamed of more. She yearned for the diversity offered by a place like Nassau, an island that was breaming with people from many places, and brought knowledge about the world, books and music, languages and beliefs that were so different from her own. She wanted those experiences. And the possibility of having them roused her with excitement. Moreover, she wanted to continue the Cause, which she knew would be most impactful with them facilitating the work as her father had done from Nassau.
"When I have dreamed of leaving the Island, it was always with my mother and my people, starting a new life in Nassau or some other place that was free, yet apart of the world and thus provided access to the many wonders it offers, but if this move is what we must do…then I will be embarking upon it without them, which is disappointing to my heart." She somberly answered.
"I am aware of how difficult this must be, and that time will be required for you to come to terms with where our choices may lead...Perhaps we should delay disclosing our relationship?" He softly proposed, eying her with tenderness as he grasped her hand and held it to his heart.
"It will take time for me to accept what may be a life away from the Island, but I still wish not to wait. I want to request the marriage rite, as soon as the time is most prudent."
"Alright." Silver agreed, then kissed her lips with sweet hunger, before she again curled up to his warmth, nestling her head beneath his chin, inflaming him with a groan at the rapture in her mouth, faintly brushing against his neck and her bare breast skimming his chest.
"And what of you?" She then posed. "What feelings arise when you weigh leaving the Island?"
"Despite it's isolation and challenges, it is a wonderful place of peace and content. It is…the home I never had, our home, which I am in no rush to depart...but if we cannot stay, I will go wherever life leads me, as long as you are at my side." He replied, igniting Madi's soul, driving her to ardently taste his neck, to hug herself to him, which filled him with fire, inciting him to pull her mouth to his, where he devoured it, savoring her with fervor.
"But what if it leads some place you do not wish to go?" She languidly sighed, after their kiss slowly ebbed and she resumed her sensuous position next to his form. "You have funds from your exploits as a pirate…" She continued, stating what he'd revealed months earlier. "But it will not sustain us for long. What if, you must return to pirating?"
Silver lay silent, pondering her question. The past several months he'd spent away from the life, on the Island with her, had been a wonder. It had been one of the most difficult times in his life, but too the most exceptional. If he could take the life that they had there, and mirror it in Nassau, it would be most extraordinary. But that was not possible. If Nassau became their new home, he would have to garner a source of income, which he could perhaps do with other labors, but pirating would be the simplest. "I have learned and perfected many skills on the Island, fishing, carpentry, even some building and engineering, perhaps one of those can be used as a source of income...but if I find that those things are not viable, a return to the account will have to be considered." He finally replied, revealing just what Madi feared.
"I do not like the thought of you returning to such dangerous work. Work that you are averse to." She professed with concern.
"Says the woman who plans to make it her mission to free as many slaves as she can, upon residing in Nassau." He countered with a hint of jest in his voice.
"I am not averse to that work." Madi seriously contended, again sitting up to capture his gaze.
"You are not, but it is quite dangerous." He pointed out, his pinch of humor now gone. "Which will require more meticulous planning than when your father was leading the charge."
"As will pirating." Madi quietly contended, then laid upon him once more, causing him to fervently sigh, both thinking how Nassau, though liberal, was more organized than years past, which made using it as a hub for pirating and arranging an escape that was undetected for those in bondage more difficult. The moment was silent for a long while, save for the pouring rain and crashing thunder, as they contemplated what may come.
"I will travel to Nassau, and speak with Featherstone about our possible return." Silver softly declared into the quiet.
"Do you think that is wise, without first announcing your plan to pay him a call?" Madi questioned as his hand gently meandered her back, sending a heated shiver through her limbs.
"Considering what we will be asking, I do not want him to anticipate my arrival and thus have time to consider why I may be coming...and as a result, consult others and form an opinion prematurely." He seriously declared, as his mind continuously turned, fostering a coherent plan. "I believe the element of surprise will serve us well, if Nassau will indeed be where our future lay."
In the weeks that had followed their trip to Freemont, Madi and Silver had come to accept what moving to Nassau would mean, for him, losing a quiet life of kinship and domesticity, and for her losing the life she almost always knew. In those weeks, they'd prepared for what may be the inevitable, the scenario in which they were forced to depart the Island. Silver wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea of Nassau, which held so many haunting memories - that brutal war that left hundreds dead, butchered by his hands and the weapons of others; the worst moment of his life, when he thought Madi had perished at the hands of the Spanish. There was also the instability of that place. It frequently being plagued with a threat that could shift its power, but it was their best chance. Their most viable option for a good life if they were forced to vacate the Island. Thus, he'd traveled to Nassau and paid a call on Governor Featherstone. The man had been surprised and alarmed to see him, worried that his visit meant trouble. However, Silver had assured him that nothing could be further from the truth, that he only wished to make a request for him and Madi to be granted residence in Nassau.
The man had scoffed at his beseech, stating that nothing was ever that simple about John Silver. "Why are you here after all this time?" "What is it you truly seek?" The man had demanded. Silver had then made the case, telling the man a lie, what he could understand and thus would be more prone to believe, that he (Silver) wished to return to "life and civilization," that he could no longer stand the isolation that was living on the Island. "What of Mr. Scott's daughter? Nassau is a long way from the freedom she has experienced on the Island. Will she be able to live amongst slaves and plantation owners without causing trouble? Will she be able to live with limits on her freedom?" Silver had reminded the man that Nassau had once been Madi's home, long before the war, and that her dream was always to return and have some semblance of a life there. Madi's "reasons" had been a harder sell than his penchant for worldly life. Nonetheless, Featherstone had believed the rationale for his request, but needed time to decide whether he would authorize their move to Nassau.
Silver was certain he'd convinced the man to choose in their favor, but in case Featherstone rejected his proposal, he'd caught a boat from Nassau to the English Antilles, contacted a trusted acquaintance that lived there and made arrangements that would guaranteed Madi could live as a free woman and secured them a place of residence if the Antilles became an option they must exercise.
It was midday when Silver finally got a break from his work. Normally he'd be visiting with Madi sharing a meal while they discussed the progress of their day with intermittent kisses that occasional led to love making. What he would not give to be at her home, even if it was just watching her sleep, which she was likely now doing. The past few weeks had been hard on her, on them both, keeping her awake at nights, draining her appetite, leaving her exhausted and thus needing to take some sleep during the day to keep going. While he had been suffering an ill stomach, detesting the sight and smell of food in the mornings, but in recent weeks the sickness had calmed, which had reawakened his appetite that at times was ferocious and brought with it peculiar cravings. It had been a very stressful few weeks, which he had no desire to compound with more worries, but this was what they'd been working towards. He shakily thought as he mounted the top step to the Queen's home, then crossed the threshold. The woman immediately greeted him, then directed he take a seat on the bench that was adjacent to her desk. After making his way to the chair, he carefully placed his crutch against the nearby wall, then sat down, drawing a nervous breath as he settled himself and watched as the Queen strolled to her desk.
"You seem better than when I last saw you. Has the illness you suffered abated?" She questioned while studying him in a way that made him feel strange, as if she was looking right through him, seeing something within him, which he could not decipher in her gaze.
"It has." He affirmed, his unease failing to wane as he remembered how she'd discovered he'd been ill. She'd come upon him one morning at Freemah's while he was acquiring more ginger for his sick stomach. "Ma'am…"
"I know why you are here." The Queen suddenly spoke, interrupting his plan to commence what he'd come there to do. "I have witnessed your interactions with my daughter, that though subtle, has indicated that you have…resumed your closeness." She said, leaving Silver speechless. He knew that she was aware of he and Madi's renewed relationship, but her forwardness about it was completely unexpected. "You are here because you wish to embark upon the Funga Ndoa with my daughter."
"I do." He confirmed after finding his voice, even as anxiety barraged him inside. "I love Madi, very much, and I wish to take her as my wife, to build a life with her." He forced himself to resume, determined to not let dismay overtake him. "I am here to acquire your blessing, and that of the community."
The Queen didn't immediately respond. Instead she stood from her chair and slowly walked across the room in heavy contemplation.
"If your request is taken to the elders and denied, if you and my daughter are forced to leave this Island, how would you take care of her?" She then asked, her back still to him.
Silver knew the Queen's question was about more than just him doing his duty as a husband in providing for his wife, her daughter, but protecting her in a way in which most men did not have to be concerned with protecting their spouse.
"I am well aware of where this may lead." Silver cautiously replied. "If it does not produce a favorable result, I am preparing for Madi and I to take up residence in Nassau."
"Nassau?" The woman exclaimed as she turned around, her severe eyes again falling on him. "How is that possible considering the Treaty we've signed?"
"Augustus Featherstone." He stated. "He is an ally, and as you know, now Governor of Nassau. For these reasons, I am certain he will honor the pardon that has absolved my crimes, and will recognize Madi's freedom, which will in turn allow us to reside there without threat."
"You are certain? Meaning these courtesies have not yet been granted?" She questioned, her tone intimidating as was her gaze.
"They have not, but I am confident Mr. Featherstone will endorse my request." Silver assured, showing not even a hint of the disquiet that was raging inside.
"And if he does not? What will be the alternative?"
"The English Antilles." He responded with hesitance and noted the woman's darkened expression. "It is not ...the most ideal place. For I do not have a rapport with the Governor there, but similar to Nassau, the island is known for a culture that is… more liberal than others in the West Indies, and therefore they will recognize Madi as free and take little issue with our relationship."
"If all of this works as you have planned, with you and my daughter able to settle in Nassau or the Antilles as free residents, how will your lives be supported? Are you planning a return to pirating?" She posed the question that he and Madi had discussed at length.
"It is not my plan to resume pirating, for I am hoping the skills I have acquired here will be of use there, but if they prove fruitless, I may have no alternative but to return to the account." He conveyed with honesty.
The Queen again turned her attention away as Silver intently studied her, his eyes boring into her back, observing her every breath, worried and wondering what she was thinking, trying and failing to anticipate what may be besieging her thoughts.
"Your actions these past several months, in steeping yourself in the work, the people of this place, embracing our traditions and waiting in patience for my daughter's forgiveness, has strengthened my belief that she is everything to you." The woman stated, calming Silver some, as she again turned to face him. then came to stand at her desk, before sitting back down. "But I am yet uncertain of this union." She continued, stirring his distress once more. "The world is not kind, most especially not to my Negro daughter who would have a white husband at her side…and then there is the Cause." She said, bewildering Silver with the sudden change of subject. "I know of the work you both wish to do in liberating slaves, which will not be forgotten with a move off this Island. In fact, I am certain your passions for the Cause, specifically my daughter's will be further roused if she is dwelling so near to the atrocity that is bondage. It will result in her wanting to take action, which could raise the danger in living in Nassau or the Antilles."
Silver sat quiet, debating how to respond to her concern about the Cause. For it was something she should not know, but then she was the Queen who seemed to know all. Should he lie, say the Cause had not been considered and perhaps ease her worries in the process? Or be truthful, revealing what he and Madi thought was only private to them?
"It is true, that the Cause is still with us." He answered, deciding not to insult the woman's intelligence. "And there is a need to continue it." He admitted. "But in continuing the work or simply living our lives, the safety of your daughter, my wife, is of the upmost importance to me, and I will do whatever is required to protect her." He strongly vowed.
The Queen nodded at his response, accepting it and believing it, knowing that he had done it not so long ago, when he'd opposed the notoriously dangerous James Flint and defied her daughter's wishes to save her in every way. He had done what was necessary before and thus she knew he would not hesitate to do it again. "Very well." She then stated, adding an utterance to her silent response. "What you have proposed will be considered."
Madi slowly retrieved the books she'd used for the history lesson from the floor, feeling incredibly sluggish and a bit light in the head. She had taken some rest midday, but it obviously had not been enough. Perhaps she should consult with Freemah, make sure these persistent ailments were nothing serious. She thought, when Silver's voice emerged in her mind, reminding her that rest alone would not halt her tiredness, but food along with sleep was the only thing that would fully replenish her body. She knew he was right, but food was the last thing she desired with all that was going on. When her thoughts drifted to the meeting he had likely finished with her mother, where he would have asked permission for them to marry. Did it go terribly? Did it go well? She questioned within with worry as she pushed through the growing discomfort of her swimming head to shelve the books she held. She would not know the result of the meeting for at least another hour or two, when they planned to have a meal that evening in her home. Madi suddenly felt the faintness increase, almost causing her to stagger, forcing her to the nearby table where there was water. She poured herself a cup, then took a sip, swallowing it down as she closed her eyes and rested her hand over her middle. She needed to eat. She mused as she slowly breathed, which aided in easing her woozy head. For all the work and worry, with little food, was manifesting with these symptoms. She deduced, deciding that she would finish cleaning up, then find something to eat. Now feeling more like herself, less weak and sick headed, Madi moved to resume organizing the room, only to find she wasn't alone.
"Mother!" She exclaimed with shock upon turning to find the woman gazing at her with eyes that were stern, yet emanated a strangeness she could not place. "What brings you here?" She asked the question for which she already suspected the answer.
"I suppose you know why." Her mother answered as she walked further into the space.
"John came to see you." Madi concluded aloud.
"He did." She confirmed, her vague response and authoritative stance, making Madi feel as if she was once more a child.
"Will you present the request to the elders?" Madi then asked, fighting to keep the nervousness out her voice.
"I recall when you insisted upon moving out of my home and having a place of your own." Her mother stated, instead of answering the question which had been posed. "It was soon after your passage into womanhood and you were all confidence and independence. I was reluctant to allow you a private home that was separate from me because there was still so much I wanted to teach you, but your father thought otherwise." She said as she reached Madi who felt a surge of emotion at the mention of her father, and for a moment wondered what he would think of her making such a choice, choosing to bind herself to a white man, a pirate.
"He knew that there was still much for you to learn, but that those lessons would be taught through your personal experiences." She slightly smiled at the memory. "Thus, I relented, permitting you to build your own home, but that did not stop my wishes to keep you close, my daughter who at times, in my eyes, was just a child... But, you are far from a child now. You are a young woman who has led our people through a war, guided them through rebuilding, taught them many things, and now you are seeking your own happiness with Mr. Silver… I believe you love him, and that you truly wish to build a life with him, but have you fully weighed what the marriage rite could mean for you?" Her mother asked. "That your life here on this Island, leading our people could no longer be? That you, and he will be facing a world that will ridicule his impairment and view you as less than human? Are you ready to live in that world?"
"I will not claim that those views which are held by many do not anger and frighten me." Madi replied, firmly holding her mother's eyes. "But we, John and I, have fought a war in that world, which has thoroughly prepared us for the challenge that will be living amongst hostiles."
"And what of the child that now grows in your womb? Do you wish it to be born into that world, exposed to such hostility?" Her mother asked, her question, leaving Madi stunned silent, for what felt like minutes before she found her voice and spoke…
"What is this you speak of?" She naively asked, completely unnerved and confused by the strange assertion. "There is no child growing in my womb." She then disputed.
"My daughter you are glowing like the trees after a rain, you are frequently fatigued, and have lost weight due to your diminished desire for food. You are with child." Her mother contended with conviction. The faintness that Madi had managed to get under control seemed to re-emerge with fury, driving her to take a seat in the nearby chair, for her to close her eyes and breathe, pushing the coming blackness away. "Are you alright?" She then heard her mother's voice soothing and low. Madi slowly opened her eyes to see the woman squatting before her, watching her with compassion, prompting her to nod in response. "Did you truly not know you are with child?" Her mother quietly asked.
"I did not." Madi softly answered, timidly dropping her eyes, embarrassed at her mother's knowledge of her intimate activities, as a fury of emotion stormed her mind and heart, close to overwhelming her.
"Take some water. It will help with the dizziness." Her mother gently direct after retrieving the half-full glass from the table and handed it to her daughter, while laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. Madi sipped the liquid as she recalled the many wonderful times she and Silver had been intimate, but how her usage of the karoti ya mwitu, something she'd learned during her rite of passage, had deterred his seed until now. How was it possible that after the many times they'd been together, she'd now become expecting? She asked herself, when she remembered their voyage to Freemont and how she had forgotten the herb and thus not taken it for nearly two weeks. She then thought of her extreme tiredness, her aversion to food, which at times made her slightly nauseous, and her tender breasts, but that was often due to Silver's passionate caresses. She shyly mused. Or her coming cycle, which she suddenly realized had not made an appearance in more than a month. The truth suddenly became clear, crashing down upon her flooding her with shock.
"I'm sorry for revealing what you did not know." Her mother stated, her words invading Madi's still stunned thoughts, drawing her eyes to the woman who had moved to sit in a flanking chair. "I thought you were aware of your condition. I wanted to be certain you had considered it when planning a move off this Island."
"Mother, a move off this Island will have little to do with choice. If John and I are denied the marriage rite, we would have to leave for the Antilles or Nassau no matter my condition." She anxiously argued.
"Do you really believe I will allow my only child to be banished from this Island because of who you have chosen for a husband? That I will in turn allow Silver to be exiled?" Her mother fiercely asked. "I will not." She stated with force, surprising Madi with a revelation she should've already known. "But I know you, my daughter, I know what you have desired all of your life, to leave this Island and now to marry Silver and continue to aid those in bondage. Those are your dreams, and no matter the threats that lay beyond or that you are with child…you now have that chance, to live what you have dreamed. That is why I inquired about the child that grows in your womb, because I want you to be sure that you are ready for all the risk, that you fully understand what you will take on, if you make the choice to leave this Island."
Early Evening
Madi stood gazing over the thick foliage west of her home, her mind a rush of thoughts, her heart flushed with emotion. It had been only a short time since the talk with her mother and still she reeled with uncertainty. What would this new unexpected change mean for her and John's life? For the choices they were making? Her mother had made it clear that she would never allow their marriage to be denied and thus they would always have a home on the Island if they choose. But was that what she wanted? If Featherstone granted their request to settle in Nassau, would she want to forgo the opportunity to live free beyond the Island? Would that choice be wise for the child that now grew within her? Madi silently queried as she tentatively placed her hand on her belly and gazed down at its flatness. Her mother was right, no matter her condition, the lure of her dream, fulfilling it, would be difficult to ignore. But she may have to. She breathed and once more turned her gaze forward, her hand still resting upon her stomach. She was with child. She again thought in awe. And John, what would he think of this new development in their lives? Would he be happy, fearful? Respond in stunned confusion as she had done? In all the times, they'd spoken about their lives, the future, the subject of children was hardly a thought. For there were so many other things that had their focus – rebuilding their relationship, community responsibilities, the Cause etc. They were so immersed in themselves, in just being together and handling the many demands required of them, it had not come to mind. Furthermore, she was taking the karoti ya mwitu which he knew of, thus they did not even broach the possibility of being here, on the verge of bringing a life into this world. She thought, when she heard her name, it seemed from far away, then his touch, warm and gentle on her back, drawing her to the moment.
"John." She sighed, turning to meet his concerned gaze.
"I spoke your name several times, but you did not hear me." He worriedly voiced. "Where are you?" He asked. Madi didn't respond, but dropped her eyes as everything seemed to weigh upon her, shortening her breath, making her feel ill and faint all at once. "Are you alright?" Silver queried, his tone troubled as he caressed her cheek, his tenderness, calming the anxiety within. Madi then lifted her gaze to his loving stare and felt her nerves slightly rise again, but she swallowed them down, then drew a deep breath and answered his question…
"I am with child."