Chapter Twelve

With Thee Beside Me…

"Boston…?" Carolyn queried in an excited tone the next morning after breakfast as she and Daniel waited in the living room for her parents to arrive. "Six days to be alone together. Oh, I think that would be a truly marvellous idea for our honeymoon. I would love to see the city."

"And we would have another very important mission we need to perform whilst we are there." Daniel nodded as he took her hands between his. "I do think it best if your first completed manuscript was hand-delivered to your editor, Miss Sally Hall at 'Ladies' View' magazine. I think it would please her immensely to finally meet you in person after all these weeks of written correspondence. We can also discuss her needs and thoughts for any further works."

"Oh Daniel, I would like that very much. Thank you." Carolyn nodded, grateful for the weeks they'd managed to spend together, closeted in the alcove, polishing their first novel to both their satisfactions. "And I'm a free woman now that Uncle Claymore had finally let me go." She smiled.

As a belated wedding gift, her reformed uncle had suddenly stated his intention to hire a new clerk of office. A young man from the orphanage he'd had his eye on and who'd proved to be good with figures.

Last night, Claymore had given the hastily scrawled note to Martha to pass along. 'The young man will never be as good as my beloved niece, of course…'

This welcome news had left Carolyn free to attend fully to her literary work. "I have often wondered what Miss Hall is like. Her letters have always been no-nonsense and to the point," she pondered now.

"If she is anything like you, my dear, clear-headed and forward-looking, I shall like her very much," Daniel tried to counter the worried concern in her eyes. "She is a woman making her way in a man's world. She must work that much harder to be accepted in her role."

He grinned quickly. "Besides, I still have a fund of suitable stories that you could use for your further works. We are not spent yet. And then there some not-so-suitable ones we shall keep for our own pleasure."

"But if we are to sail for Boston, there will be no time to post her a letter advising of our intention to visit," Carolyn worried. "We cannot simply arrive at her offices unannounced."

"Young Malcolm will be sailing with us on the Charlotte for his first time," Daniel soothed her. "He is of age and has nagged me long enough for a berth. He is dependable and may carry a message to Miss Hall's offices as soon as we dock in Boston. We will beg her indulgence for a meeting when we go ashore."

"Thank you, that would be wonderful. But I'm afraid going to sea with you will not be my mother's idea of a honeymoon." Carolyn grimaced, looking down at the three rings that adorned her left hand. "And she knows nothing of my new literary success. She's always said that my wishing to make a living from writing was very unseemly for a lady."

Daniel shook his head as he lifted her hand, turning her wedding ring with the ball of his thumb. "Your mother needs to be told the truth in no uncertain measure," he replied hardly. "You are no longer any concern of hers. Not now, nor at any time in the future. You are mine and that is the end of the matter." He kissed her ring to seal his words.

"Yes, Daniel…" Carolyn's lashes swept down in satisfied agreement just as there came a loud knocking on the front door.

"I'll get it…" Martha called from the kitchen as she bustled to open the door to admit the Williams.

"Chin up…" Daniel placed two fingers beneath his wife's face bringing her frowning gaze back to his. "One more well-placed broadside should send your blasted mother running back to Philadelphia. Then we may get on with living our life together."

Carolyn caught her bottom lip between her teeth, looking troubled. 'You make it sound so easy…"

"It will be easy enough, rest assured. You must remember who is in sole command here…" Daniel stood up, taking her with him as the doors to the room opened. "And it is most certainly not your mother…"

※※※※※

"Boston? Oh dear, you really want to take our daughter away to sea with you?" Emily Williams' eyebrows rose incredulously as she stared up at Daniel. "So soon? Do you really think that is at all wise? Carolyn is not used to the ocean. What if she becomes ill?"

She turned to her husband, seeking his confirmation. Bradford looked deeply uncomfortable with being asked for his agreement. "Carolyn is now a sea captain's wife," he replied quickly. "I do believe it is a common occurrence and safe enough. And she has always possessed a strong stomach."

"That still does not make it right," Emily huffed, taking refuge in her lace-edged handkerchief. "I wish we did not have to leave today. Perhaps it would be better if we take the children home with us."

"Cease and desist your fussing, Madam! I command it!" Daniel's tone was brutally sharp. "I will make no apologies for my words. I must remind you once again that it is no longer your place to like or dislike any decisions I might make regarding my own family. I do not wish to argue with you for the first time, but I will if you persist in perpetuating this foolishness."

"Ohhh…" Emily stared at him in wide-eyed shock. Her pinched face paled alarmingly.

"Yes, yes, of course. I completely understand your position, Captain," Bradford waded in manfully, nodding his tacit agreement to his daughter's scowling husband. "We will say no more on the subject. Emily is a little overwrought by everything these last few days. Her nerves, you see. They are very fragile."

"I can understand that." Daniel nodded, but his expression remained hardened. "But never forget I am in sole command within this house. No one else."

"And I do not believe I stand in need of your permission, Mother," Carolyn added quickly, not wishing to upset Emily further, but standing her ground. "Nor did I ask for it. And I think a short voyage to Boston will make for an ideal honeymoon for us. I know I will be fine. I'm sure my stomach will not become upset by a few waves."

She moved closer to Daniel's bristling stance, taking his hand in hers. "The children and the baby will be safe with Martha and the nurse Claymore has hired for Henry. We will only be gone for six days. I am sure I will come to no harm."

"If you're sure. But I still do not like it…" Emily took refuge in her handkerchief, as she walked over to the living room's fire to warm her hands.

The other three adults looked after her, all with varying degrees of exasperation.

"I think it best if you do not linger here any longer than needed," Daniel ground out hardly. "We sail for Boston with the dawn."

"Oh yes, yes, of course…" Bradford hurried over to his wife, taking her arm. "Now, the coach I have ordered to take us home will be here any moment, my dear. Our luggage is packed and waiting in the foyer. There is nothing more to keep us here. We do not wish to outstay our welcome and I have my banking I must get back to."

"Do you really think it will be all right?" His wife looked at him. "I have heard such awful stories of terrible accidents at sea."

She looked past her husband's shoulder to her wrathful son-in-law. She opened her mouth to comment further then shut it again quickly when she saw the warning look in his eyes. Finally understanding her opinion was neither sought nor wanted, Emily gave up the battle and subsided into mulish silence.

"None of which has yet happened to any ship under my command," Daniel replied, his harsh frown darkening to furious. "Do not seek to speculate on what you do not understand, Madam. I will hear no talk of ships foundering in any storm. You would wish a curse on the voyage and that I will not allow!"

"Emily meant no harm. I'm sure everything will be fine," Bradford agreed decisively, relieved his wife was not making a bigger fuss. "Now dry your eyes, my dear, and come say your goodbyes. We are for home while our daughter and her husband are bound for Boston with our blessings. It is about time they got on with their own lives and we returned to ours."

"Thank you…" Carolyn walked over to kiss his wrinkled cheek before hugging him close. "Dear, Father. I knew you would understand."

"I am just so glad to see you are finally settled and happy." Bradford removed his spectacles to wipe at his eyes and sniffed. "I have missed you."

He sighed. "I will miss you." He replaced his eyeglasses over the bridge of his nose.

"I know…" Carolyn hugged him tightly. "We will come and visit when next we are next in Philadelphia."

Daniel came up behind his wife. "On my honour and life, your daughter will always be safe with me, Sir. I could never allow any harm to come to her."

"Of course, I know that, young man. I always have since the day we first met." Bradford accepted his son-in-law's hand in a firm handshake. "I expect nothing less from you. I will admit, a voyage to Boston does have a certain appeal. It is a long time since I have been to sea. I used to sail quite a lot as a young man. But that was before my marriage to Emily…"

He shook his head sadly as he linked his wife's unresisting hand through the crook of his elbow. "Come along, Emily Charlotte Williams. It's past time we took our leave." He escorted her firmly from the room.

Carolyn stared after them. "Well, that went better than I expected…" she breathed cautiously.

"They needed to be told who is in full command of this vessel." Daniel looked after them. "I doubt they will be so foolish next time they come to stay. Which will not be for some time if I have anything to do with it."

"Well, I do think they know that now." Carolyn went up onto her toes to kiss his bearded cheek. "I have never seen my mother so totally at a loss for words. It was a novel experience for her."

"Then all that remains is for us to tell the children of our plans." Daniel pulled her hard against him with his hands spanning her trim waist. "After that we may run away to sea with our consciences clear."

※※※※※

With the early morning sun rising beside her, the Charlotte sailed a steady southerly course down the coast of Maine toward Boston, through an ocean that tossed and heaved like a wild horse. Heeled over before the rising wind, the ship cut a jagged path through the foaming waters, her straining sails, sheets, and halyards all creaked and groaned in the shrieking cry of the wind.

Her sea-washed decks were a hive of activity, as the crew bustled to their stations, ready for their commands. Mr Jarvis, the ship's young first mate stood holding fast to the wheel as he deftly guided their course with the ease of long practice. He looked none to worse for wear after his attendance at his Captain's wedding party.

Beside him, young Malcolm stood with his thin chest puffed out as he awaited any terse orders to be tossed his way. He grinned with pride at having finally gained Daniel's long-sought permission to sail aboard his ship as the Charlotte's newest cabin boy. He'd not slept all the previous night and his dark eyes were as wide and round as saucers as he managed to keep his balance against the rise and fall of the slippery wooden decking beneath his bare feet.

Carolyn sighed as she stood in the stern, holding fast to a creaking halyard and trying to keep her hastily snatched breakfast down. She'd left her children on the dock, safe in Martha's sure care. It had been a wrench to leave them all behind, but ahead of her lay the promise of her immediate future as a published author and an adventure in a city she had never seen.

She turned her head to watch the sun rise from the dark waters all around them. The restless ocean appeared limitless and they were suddenly completely alone as the safe harbour of Schooner Bay quickly sank below the horizon.

She pulled her dark velvet cloak closer around her shoulders with her free hand. The wind off the restless water was keen and despite her brave words her woman's stomach was not behaving as well as she hoped it would. But then her world had always been steady beneath her feet, not pitching and rolling like a runaway horse so much that she dared not take more than a few steps unaided by a strong halyard or stout rail.

But she would not miss anything of this new adventure for all the world. Upon seeing her wan face, her husband had cheerfully informed her that if she must be sick it is better to do so in the privacy of their cabin until she'd gained her sea legs. Carolyn had tossed her curls at his sensible advice and made her way slowly and unsteadily up onto the deck to prove him wrong.

"Men…" she complained to the wheeling gulls overhead, pressing the back of her hand to her firmly closed mouth.

Walking deftly along the canting deck with the ease of long practice, Daniel paused to admire the brave picture his wife made. Her small chin was lofted against the elements, her stance defiant as she clung to the creaking halyard beside her. The wind played through her long curls, tossing them playfully around her shoulders.

Daniel was well aware she did not find her present situation very tenable, but his defiant wife had refused to remain below in their cabin despite his sensible advice. He admired her fortitude even as he shook his head at her womanly foolishness to prove him wrong in his assessment of her unwelcome condition.

"Have I ever told you how truly lovely you are?" he murmured against her ear, as he came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"I'm sure you have…" Carolyn leaned back gratefully into his solid embrace. "But I do not mind hearing you say it again."

"You are even lovelier than the dawn…" Daniel replied softly. "You have shot down all my masts, torn my sails, and spiked my guns…"

"A sailor's compliment?" Carolyn questioned softly.

"Madam, if you are to sail with me, you will quickly learn the term is seaman. Sailor is a land-lubber's word. It has no place on any ship I command."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Carolyn gave him a small salute, with a smart snap, before pressing her fingers again to her closed lips.

Daniel sighed against the fragrance of her hair. 'You should not be out here, my dear. You have proved your point. I have already shown you the perfectly good cabin awaiting you below. My crew are too curious about you. I would hate to have to flog any of them for overstepping the bounds. The whole reason why I do not allow women aboard is they are too easily distracted from their duties by a pretty face or any glimpse of a well-turned ankle."

"Ah, but I am the only one you will ever allow aboard, my dear," Carolyn replied, lifting a hand to lay it over his on her shoulder. "So, I do think your crew is safe from your wrath."

"Yes, there will never be another…" Not caring who might be watching, Daniel drew her closer, savouring the moment. He turned her to face him, his open palms framing the softness of her face.

Carolyn went willingly, her arms sliding around his waist, her fingers gripping his linen shirt beneath his unbuttoned jacket, as their lips met in a deep kiss of love and understanding. Time appeared to stand still beneath the wail of the wind.

Finally, Daniel lifted his head, looking down at her, as if he was only seeing her for the first time. To his chagrin, he knew they had become the attention of too many pairs of watchful eyes.

"My dear, you must go below now, for your own safety. That is not a request this time," he muttered as he turned his head to glare at his nearby crewmen.

He raised his voice to be heard over the wind. "My scurvy crew well know my thoughts on the idle speculation of worthless barnacles!"

Behind them, the so-named idling crewmen sprang back into belated action. They hurried to prove to their irascible captain that it was not they who'd been gawping at his good fortune and secretly admiring the beauty he held close in his arms.

From his position in the ship's waist, Nathaniel Grimes grinned his appreciation of the situation. He chuckled as he pulled a grubby notebook and pencil from the top pocket of his shirt and opened it to make his mark.

Despite the dire warning, he was not going to be kept from running a new book on how soon some unwary or unfortunate crewman overstepped the bounds of their captain's famously short temper and incurred the full force of his wrath.

Oblivious to it all, Carolyn sighed as she moved her head to rest her cheek against his shoulder, revelling in the steady beat of his heart. "I love you, Captain Daniel Gregg… I think I always have…"

"I love you, Carolyn Gregg, more than life itself. I always will…" Daniel sighed as he surrendered to the moment and he bent his head to claim her lips again.

The only sound was the voice of the wind making its own music through the creaking stays and sails of the Charlotte as the crew hurried about their duties with averted faces and watchful eyes.

※※※※※

Carolyn stood against the ship's rail, her wondering gaze trying to take in everything at once. The sprawling city of Boston was different from any expectations she might have had. Her heart beat rapidly with excitement.

The ripe smells and crowded nature of the docks were exactly as Daniel had described them. The early morning sunshine was a welcome change from the intermittent squalls of rain they'd encountered the night before as they waited in the outer harbour to be escorted into the inner waterways and the port itself. They navigated their way into a safe berth.

The smoky air was heavy with the smell of sea brine and the scents of thousands of different items piled in bulging sacks and staked in boxes all along the dock waiting to be shipped out. The strong smell of bales of dried tobacco hung in the air.

And the docks teemed with people from all walks of life, jostling their way up and down the dockside, each intent on their own business. Shouts and calls added to the din as each person tried to make themselves heard above their fellows. The quiet solitude of Schooner Bay seemed a world away.

The immediate horizon was crowded with warehouses and noisome taverns, all jostled together like the giant tumble of a child's building blocks. Beyond them the city sprawled outwards toward the interior.

"I could wish we were able to go ashore and explore…" Carolyn's gloved hands tightened eagerly on the ship's wooden rail as she rose onto her toes, trying to see everything at once.

In command of the ship's berthing, Daniel looked down on his wife, smiling at the picture she made. From the trunk she had brought with her, she'd chosen a silk gown of sea green with a flowered bonnet tied over her tumble of long blond curls.

Daniel sighed roughly. A man would have to be blind not to notice her soft, feminine beauty.

The fact that several members of his crew were also taking an inordinate interest in the first woman their irascible captain had allowed aboard any ship he commanded, stirred his ire. Leaving the wheel in the capable hands of the harbour pilot they'd picked up in the outer harbour, he leaned forward briefly on the poop deck rail, glaring down into the ship's busy waist.

"The next scurvy knave who takes an inordinate interest in my wife will have his back striped to ribbons and thrown overboard!" he bellowed at no one in particular.

The briefly idling crewmen jumped at the outrage in his voice. They all shouted and bellowed to each other as they scurried back to their duties with increased alacrity. They didn't pause to wonder if their captain would actually carry out his dire threat.

Captain Gregg hadn't yet ordered the whip to be laid across any man's back, but none of his motley crew wished to test his patience too far with their ogling glances at his new wife. None of them knew what a man might do for the safety of such a pretty little lady. Not one man was about to test him on that subject.

"Twenty-five lashes will be dealt to the next man who looks up needlessly from his appointed duties!" Daniel ordered loud enough for the crew to hear, nodding with grim satisfaction.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" The ship's first mate, Mr Jarvis, saluted him smartly, doing his best to hide his smile.

He, too watched his master will deepening curiosity. He'd never seen him in a finer mood, or more protective of any woman he'd previously dallied with. But then Captain Gregg hadn't married any of the beautiful women he'd previously squired to a cotillion or out to an intimate dinner at the Parker hotel. One or two of those ladies still lived in Boston and had often enjoyed their usual convivial visit from the Captain any time he docked.

Now those same fine ladies were going to be doomed to disappointment. Jarvis smiled with quiet satisfaction as he glanced down at the new Mrs Gregg with renewed respect. He wondered what the slighted ladies would say when they discovered their dashing Captain was now married.

"I am sure they will not take the news very well, at all." He shook his head as he hurried back to his own duties, careful not to be caught looking in Carolyn's direction again. He tool valued his hide above anything.

Working in the waist, Nathaniel Grimes stopped for a moment and pulled out his grubby notebook. He opened it and made a quick notation. Satisfied, he nodded before stowing it again in his shirt pocket and going back to his work.

Carolyn heard the commotion behind her. She turned her head to smile up at her husband as he watched over her like a hawk. She'd heard his brusque command and the shouts of consternation in reply. She felt capable of repelling any unwanted male attentions, but she liked the sound of Daniel's proprietary air and commanding voice.

Cherished was the word that came into her mind at that moment. No other man had ever made her feel quite the same way before. It made her smile.

"I am Captain Daniel Gregg's wife…" she whispered, testing the flavour of the words and finding them very palatable indeed. "I couldn't be happier…"

She touched a finger to her rings, safely hidden beneath her glove. She sighed, long and low, remembering the depths of their shared passion during the previous six nights. It often seemed they had barely slept, spending the hours of darkness slowly exploring and understanding each other's more intimate needs and desires.

Warmth crept into her cheeks now, forcing her to keep her face averted into the stiffening breeze blowing off the harbour water running beneath the Charlotte's stout keel. But the wanton images in her mind would not be banished so easily.

Lat night their cabin had been lit only by the light of the full moon through the window, jostling for position between the squalls of rain clouds. The silvered light cast their moving shadows as an ageless tableau across the cabin wall.

"I love you more than life itself…" Daniel had declared as he propelled his wife once more, with his body and voice, to that magical place where everything shimmered and dazzled, divorcing them from every reality but their ultimate pleasure.

"I know…" Carolyn had buried her face into the sweat-slicked muscles of her husband's broad shoulder as her whole body shuddered with release and mindless satisfaction. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, than here, with you…always…"

Carolyn sighed as she glanced up at the sun, blazing in the sky. The day stretched ahead, seemingly endless until she could finally be alone again with her husband. Her breath caught with longing and anticipation of the night to come.

She wondered if they would go ashore for the night. She wanted to experience the city and see its sights. She prayed their accommodation would possess a wide, deep feather bed.

Guided by Daniel's iron hand and shouted commands, the Charlotte finally bumped gently against the dockside, swinging slowly into position among the line of many other ships and barges. Onshore, dock workers scrambled to catch the thrown mooring lines before securing them to the bollards, bringing the Charlotte up short. The ship bumped against the dock again, creaking and groaning at her sudden confinement before settling reluctantly against the rugged uprights, her seasoned timbers scrapping against them as the tide continued to rise beneath her.

Malcolm stood at his station beside the wheel, quivering like a small thin greyhound eager to run at the slightest command. His dark eyes were fixed on his hero, awaiting his next orders, as Daniel quickly fastened the wheel in position. He stepped forward, hoping to a new order.

"You can stand down now, lad," Daniel said, reaching to ruffle the boy's crop of untidy dark curls. "Get you below and see the cook. You look like you could use a good meal. When you've eaten, come and find me. I have an important errand ashore you will run for me."

"Aye, aye, Sir! Thank you, Sir!" The boy saluted quickly, his dark eyes sparkling with joy. "I've done all right?" he asked anxiously. "You're pleased enough with me? I am to sail with you again?"

"You have done better than I expected," Daniel complimented him with a wry smile. "Much better than I did on my first voyage out as a raw cabin boy. I threw up more than once. My captain was all for setting me ashore and washing his hands of me. But I learned quickly enough."

"Oh, thank you, Sir!" Malcolm beamed with unalloyed pleasure. "I'll be back in a flash! I won't let you down!" He turned on his bare heel and scampered below decks to the galley.

"Young and eager…" Daniel looked after him and sighed. "You have the command, Mr Jarvis…"

Giving over control of the ship's unloading to his first mate, Daniel descended the steps slowly, savouring the moment he would once again stand at his wife's side. Carolyn's face was averted when he finally stopped beside her.

Grasping a nearby halyard, he moved to stand between her and the eyes of any observant crew member, using his powerful body to create a close, private space against the rail. He shook his head as he heard her sigh, long and low.

"You sighed, my dear. Are you still feeling unwell?" he asked with swift concern. "Should you stop being so stubborn and go below?"

"No, not now…" Carolyn turned to him. "I was just… thinking…"

"Ah, I see. I do wonder if your thoughts run the same course as mine."

"Definitely…" Carolyn's cheeks warmed anew as she smiled up at him, wanton longing in her eyes.

She reached to toy with the polished brass buttons of his unbuttoned jacket, rolling one between her fingers. She drew him closer with the contact, further blocking anyone careless enough to look in their direction.

"Ah, don't look at me like that, my love, or I will not be responsible for my actions…" Daniel took her small gloved hand within his, carrying it to his lips.

He pressed a kiss to the backs of her fingers. "Tonight, we will finally have a berth ashore. A wide, feather bed in a room with a fireplace. Our London cargo will be loaded before we sail for home again."

"And that bed will be in a room that doesn't roll from side to side." Carolyn nodded quickly. "A pity, I will miss being rocked to sleep in your arms."

"Who says we are going to sleep tonight, Madam?" Daniel released her hand as he leaned still closer. His blue eyes gleamed with such intimate intent that left Carolyn in no doubt of his sensuous meaning.