Chapter Twenty-Four
"May 18th at eleven in the morning." Father Andrew replied.
"That's the date, Father." Jack answered as the priest Rose. Later that afternoon, as was scheduled, Father Andrew arrived and spoke with the couple about changing the wedding date. He listened in fatherly understanding and when he heard about Kingston's disappearance, he spoke to Jack.
"I would recommend you draw him out before he causes more damage, Jack. Because I know about his history, he won't wait to have the wedding take place. I would suggest that you contact all the others and prepare the ship for battle. But have them know that only because of Rose's pregnancy you're changing the time. I don't believe speaking to them about the history and pirates should be brought to light."
"Completely understandable, Father. We shall do so." Jack answered and he watched as Rose agreed.
After Father blessed them, he soon left and Jack was left alone with Rose. Father arrived in the afternoon and thankful the change of plans were spoken about, he turned to Rose as he explained.
"William knows little about the pirate treasure or about our history, Elizabeth. I want to tell you that because of the mates, whom I've already contacted, will be here soon, I want to thank you for having cleaned the manor for their arrival. Father Andrew, as I mentioned before, already knows about our history, so that we didn't speak about."
Rose nodded but she gestured for him to continue. The couple talked with Father in the living room and now, they resumed to the previous subject.
"Reason why I mention William is because he was influenced by Morgan's son to bully and manipulate him to listen to him and not me. John was too young to understand so Richard targeted William. They're close in age but my guess is that Morgan thought John was too young to understand what was happening behind the curtain. And the two of us know why he cried earlier."
"Yes, I do." Rose replied and she remembered how William wept. The humbling praise he'd heard from her touched him that before Father arrived, all William ever did was break down and cry. He even let Rose take him in her arms and she soothed him as she would image Our Blessed Mother would. Gathering him in her arms, he cried so hard it hurt her and Rose felt her unborn baby pause inside when William cried.
But Jack wasn't finished.
"The mates will be here tonight, Rose. Drosselmier has been a wonderful contact to have done some seeking himself and they all will be here before midnight."
"Before midnight?" Rose answered.
"Yes. The manor can hold 100 people and I presume everything's been clean?"
"Yes."
"Including all the floors?"
"Yes."
"Good. I'm pleased to hear that. And thank you for having done such a splendid job doing so! I know they will like it when they arrive."
"Jack?"
"Yes?"
"Why the rush to get the treasure? Or assemble the mates?" Rose asked and she felt she was pulled into an adventure… beyond that of simply staying at his home for some time… until arrangements were made for her to travel out of state. But Jack replied.
"Because of greed, Rose. Morgan is greedy to have that treasure, which is easily transferred into American dollars. The original pirates weren't able to make that transition so they chose to hide it under the Statue of Liberty until they were more cable of doing the change. Then the calls of family life appeared and they forgot about it."
"Yet… someone managed to keep the truth alive while their descendants lived on." Rose answered and Jack nodded.
"Yes. That's something about our history I don't know much about. All I know is that the first Dawson pirate and his mates, along yours, were friends and they parted ways when they married. The treasure was long lost but one of them had the map with all the marks and where it was hidden and so on and so forth."
Then before either he or Rose could continue, there was a very loud pound from the front door and Jack rose. As he did so, he spoke.
"Well… the first of the shipmates has arrived and if I'm correct…"
The front door burst open and Jack heard.
"Ah! Why is it that every time we arrive here… the door never seems to be blown over?"
Another answered.
"That's because you're accustomed to the ship's cannon fires! Not doors that explode on your command!"
It was at this moment Jack stepped into the main lobby and the fragrance of sea water met his nose. He kept his composure when two men, who were dressed in what was New York's "fisherman" attire, stared into his eyes and one of them, who truly smelled like the sea, saluted him as he called.
"Captain Dawson! Sir!"
"Gentlemen." Jack replied.
He wasn't a bit amused when the second mate answered.
"Captain? It would be wise you don't inform us to come at the manor on such fast notice! We were already finishing our fishing when we received the telegraph!"
"I understand that but it was because of Kingston's attack which made me do that." Jack replied and he gestured for some of the maids to take the men's cloaks. As if he were king of a castle, they were at his bidding. Jack was thankful all of his staff knew of the family history of pirates but it felt even better knowing a few of them were descendants from the original. Ginger, as well as Heather, and Emma, were all women from 1830 but it made Jack wonder how it was they didn't marry any of the shipmates!
As he tried to brace himself for more of the mates, he heard Emma speak.
"And you seem to smell like the fish of the sea!"
"That, my dearest Emma, is why I stay away from you! Because you always pout and complain about how I smell!"
The first man spoke. He handed the woman his cloak but Jack knew this attitude anywhere. These two knew each other well because they were brother and sister but he didn't cross the line of their relationship. The brother was shorter, with a beard which needed shaving, and he always ate tobacco. It was a mark of the fisherman he was but also a part of the pirate descendant. Jack was thankful his side didn't "eat raw tobacco".
"Finish up with taking their cloaks away so they can meet the new mistress." He called and as fast as lightning, Emma did as she was instructed. Before long, both men were well taken care of and on Jack's insistence, they were directed to their rooms and he was informed the rest would be arriving. Even Albert was helping. Jack prayed he would fair finely for the fight which he planned to talk about with the others when they arrived and he also knew Drosselmier would be present. Then he felt an arm touch his.
Turning, he almost bumped into Rose as he exclaimed.
"Oh! Rose! I didn't see you there! Is there something you need?"
"I wanted to know how many of them are will be here." She replied and he was touched.
Reaching out, he gently touched her cheek and when he gazed into her eyes, he answered.
"Enough to steer a ship."
Then the door opened again and the rest of the mates started to appear. Jack turned and after he greeted the men, most were of the fishermen side of New York, he turned to Rose as he whispered.
"Most of them dislike being called to take the ship on such short notice. I didn't explain it to you but I have a ship which has a lever that will be able to dive and lift the treasure chest out of the water. That's another reason why Morgan Kingston didn't take my life. He knows where I've hidden my ship but his doesn't have the lever to fish out the gold."
He watched as Rose listened. She narrowed her eyes and noticing this, he turned and waited for her to speak. The maids, thank goodness, were already taking care of the "mates" as she answered.
"Then if Morgan knew of the location, why is it he didn't take your life first before he took the treasure?"
"Because he likes to fight, Rose. If I know him… he wouldn't leave behind some mark on my side without a fight. It's part of being a pirate if you may recall."
"Yes. And those folk tales would tell me so." She replied but Jack gently corrected.
"But you're a part of this too, Rose. Remember: Edward was a pirate descendant too."
He felt her step close to him and when she placed her head on his shoulder, Jack felt his heart soar to the Heavens when she gently replied.
"Even though I've been here for only a few weeks, I don't want to see you hurt than you already are, Jack. I realize now…"
"Yes?" he asked and his own heartbeat.
Her head was still on his shoulder as she softly replied.
"I love you."
That did it. Jack turned and gently gathered her in his arms, ignoring the others around them, he took her against his chest and in a voice he'd wanted to whisper to her about for the longest time… Jack replied.
"I love you, too."