The two men spent the next couple of minutes involved in figuring out how to start talking. They each opened their mouths a half-dozen times; abruptly closing them when nothing came out. Finally David sighed.
"So, Mauriri. Anything you want to say?"
Mauriri raised an eyebrow and just stared at David. David shook his head. This was not going well at all.
"OK, I'll start."
He fidgeted slightly, trying to find the words he wanted. Mauriri waited patiently, though he couldn't help feeling a tiny knot in his stomach. Tension that had started the minute David became involved with Jenny was finally coming to a head. Mauriri prayed for the self-control to hear David out.
"It actually started long before…Jenny," David said, startling Mauriri. He blinked and focused on the Rattler's captain, who was staring at a point somewhere to Mauriri's left. The way David dragged Jenny's name from between his teeth told Mauriri that even dead she still could hurt him. David took a deep breath and continued.
"You know some of what I've told you about my father, right? His attitude and prejudices?" His eyes flicked briefly to Mauriri, who nodded, and David went on. "He had very strong ideas about who was right and who was wrong, and what kinds of people were right and wrong. There was a girl, a friend of mine. For a time I fancied her, but that went away and she was just my friend. Her name was Sarah.
"Sarah was vivacious, kind, but a bit of a free spirit. It didn't help that her family background was not the best, or that she lived in the poorer section of town. But she knew the best trails to run, the best places to watch the sea, so nothing else mattered to me. She started working for one of the women in town sewing shirts. It required late hours, and often Sarah wouldn't head for home until after 11 at night."
He paused then, gathering his thoughts, and Mauriri watched his face settle into an expression of anger and sadness.
"One morning, after she had come home very late the night before, the magistrate came and arrested her. He said that a woman fitting her description had accosted another woman the night before, taunting her fine clothes and snatching at her jewelry. Before she left, she shoved the woman, who fell and hit her head. The woman died a few hours later from the blow. Sarah was arrested. I was in shock. I knew Sarah would sometimes tease the richer people for their attitudes, but I never imagined she would hurt anyone.
"I went to see her. She swore that it wasn't her, that she hadn't done anything. But my father had railed to me about her, telling me that it was typical for trash like Sarah, and that if I valued my reputation and my place in his home, I would not believe her 'obvious' lies. I didn't want to think her capable, but there had been a witness, and I knew her temper…I didn't speak up for her, didn't try to find the person she insisted was the real criminal. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison."
David bit his lip, his eyes clouded with the memories so painful to him. Mauriri waited in silence.
"I defied my father then. I secretly looked for that other person. A few months later, I finally found that it really had been another woman, another person who knew Sarah and her habits. She had accosted the woman who'd died, and after hearing that, in her fear she told the police that she had seen someone, and gave them Sarah's description. She didn't think that Sarah would really be convicted. Most people knew that she wasn't capable of violence like that. Sarah was released, but prison had taken its toll on her. She was weak, sick. Do you remember how Isabelle was when we found her that time?" Mauriri nodded, wincing as he remembered the bruises that had covered Isabelle, and the pain she had been in.
"Sarah was worse. And it wasn't just her body; her spirit had been damaged. Not so much by the prison, but by the lack of faith from her friends, especially from me. It broke my heart to see the hurt in her eyes when she looked at me. She didn't have the strength to recover. She died two weeks later. I was there with her. In her last moments she told me that she forgave me, and she was glad I had tried to do right by her, and glad that I was with her at the end.
"And I railed at my father then. I screamed at him that if I had only listened to my own heart, I could've done something. Sarah had been innocent! He yelled back that I was an ungrateful wretch, that Sarah was probably guilty of something else anyway, and that if I didn't apologize I was no longer welcome in his house. So the next day I set foot on a boat and never looked back."
David's fists were clenched at his side, and the look on his face hurt Mauriri. It was the look of a man who had been lost, and was still not quite sure of the way home. He kept still, because David was not quite done.
"So now, when I see a woman in trouble, I always wonder if I can help. If I can prove to myself that my father wasn't always right and that my instincts can be trusted. I believed in Isabelle, and she proved me right. And Jenny…I wanted so badly to believe her. I think she knew that. And she played me like a violin."
"Why couldn't you
tell me this, David?" Mauriri interjected. "It would have explained a lot."
"Would you have understood me taking
the money?"
Mauriri snorted. "No, but we might have found another way."
David shook his head. "I couldn't see another way. She sounded so desperate, and I wanted to save her. I needed to save her."
"You could have come to me. I was supposed to be your best friend!" Mauriri's voice was starting to rise in pitch. While David's words had settled something that had been ticking Mauriri's mind ever since he'd known David, the months of frustration and anger and hurt were bubbling to the surface. He could no more stop himself than he could stop the Rattler if she were headed for him in the open sea.
"I didn't want to involve you in my problem!" David yelled back. Somewhere in his mind he knew this wasn't being said right, but he was starting to get caught up in the moment.
"That's what best friends do, David. They let each other try to help when they have problems! And the minute you even considered taking that money, it became my problem as well!"
"I know that!"
David shouted. He tried to calm himself with a deep breath, but it didn't work.
His anger and betrayal, mostly at Jenny, had him in their grip, and wouldn't
let him go. "I knew you would say no! I knew you would get angry."
"Of course I would get angry, David!
That money wasn't just for me, it was for my family! For Lianni, and Tevaki,
and Tahnee! It was my livelihood, David, and you stole it out from under me!"
"I knew what you would do, Mo! And I didn't want you to. I was so lost in my need to atone and what I thought was love that I turned a blind eye. I didn't want you to talk sense into me!"
"What!" Mauriri roared. He rushed at David and shoved him so that he hit the wall of the shed, then advanced on him until they were standing nose to nose. Mauriri's anger radiated off of him in waves so strong that David could almost swear that he could see them. But he offered no resistance to Mauriri. He took in a ragged gulp of air.
"A part of me knew she was lying, Mauriri," he said, without rancor. The last yell seemed to have taken all the wind out of his sails, and the haunted pain in his eyes hit Mauriri suddenly. He took a step away from David.
Outside, the four women had been listening to the muffled voices. They could not make out words, but the rising shouts and the anger that they could hear made them nervous. A thud against the shed wall made them all jump. They exchanged nervous glances, wondering whether David or Mauriri was the one who had slammed into the wall. In the sudden quiet they could hear their hearts pounding.
Inside the shed, David ran a shaking hand over his face. He looked up and met Mauriri's eyes head-on.
"I knew she was lying, knew that she had been lying from the moment she met me. I knew she had killed. But the other part of me didn't want to believe it. It wanted to believe that she loved me, that I had been right about her. It wanted to believe that she had been redeemed. It wanted to prove that my father was still wrong and that I had escaped from his shadow. And I think that part of me was afraid that you would make me see reason. You would make me see what an idiot I had been, and how much I'd put my friends through. I didn't want to see, Mo, I didn't want to see." He slid down the wall and sat heavily on the ground, resting his head in his hands. Mauriri crouched down as well.
His voice slightly muffled, David said, "And I didn't want to drag you down with me. I didn't want my best friend put into danger. And I couldn't bear to see the shame in your eyes when you looked at me, at the stupid person I had been."
Mauriri closed his eyes. Of course. In his bumbling way, David had been trying to spare him from the repercussions of his actions. He had been trying to keep Mauriri away from the stone-cold killer that part of him had known Jenny was. It was stupid, and inconsiderate, but in the final analysis David had been doing his best to keep Mauriri out of harm's way. He sighed gustily. David raised his head, his eyes smarting, and looked at Mauriri with a confused expression.
"I was waiting for you to slug me," he said. Mauriri chuckled weakly.
"I would have, but you were doing a far better job of beating yourself up than I could have done."
David smiled. Mauriri gripped his arm.
"I do understand, David. You acted like a complete idiot, but I do understand. I didn't know."
"I was ashamed to let you know."
"Don't be. You do things with your heart, David, and while that can sometimes backfire, at least you do put your heart into it. You care. But if you want to continue being my best friend, you have to promise not to hold things back from me. Best friends are like family, David, and family shares in each other's pain so that the burden doesn't become too big for one person to carry."
David's face brightened. "You still want me as your friend?"
"As my best friend, David. And my children want their uncle back. And I think my wife would like me to stop moping around the house." They both grinned at that one.
"Mauriri, I promise not to keep you out of the loop again. God knows what a mistake that was. I'm sorry, I am so sorry for my actions. It was a cowardly thing to do."
"No, David, it was only dumb, and scared. And it didn't help that Jenny'd scrambled your brains." He grinned at the gentle jab to David.
David looked at him, all the mirth gone from his expression.
"Are we OK, Mo? I mean really OK?"
Mauriri
considered, just long enough for a twinge of panic to rise in David's gut,
before he slowly nodded.
"We're OK, David. Really."
"Then would you like to try coming back as a partner?"
Mauriri's eyes widened in surprise. That was unexpected.
"But what about Isabelle? She's your partner now."
David shook his head. "She's the one who suggested I ask you. She wants you back as well. She says that she's better as the partner who would keep our books and schedule jobs than to actually work the Rattler. Not that she isn't a good sailor now, but she says you need the sea far more than she does."
"Oh, she does, does she?" Mauriri said with a raised eyebrow. "Just when did you and Isabelle discuss inviting me back?"
"Yesterday, after we…" and David trailed off, his cheeks suddenly scarlet. Mauriri laughed. So the rumors he had heard from Lianni were true. He found that he was glad for David and Isabelle. He was also glad that they had stopped the stupid little dance they were doing around each other and admitted what they were feeling.
"That's good," he said, "you and her. She's an amazing person. And haven't I been saying for a while that there was a connection between the two of you?"
David smiled. "Yeah, she is quite an amazing woman. She was thinking of us. She wants you and your family to be provided for, she wants you to be happy, and she wants me to have my best friend back. She wants us all to be friends again."
"So do you love her?" Mauriri asked.
"Yes," David mumbled. Mauriri leaned closer.
"I'm sorry, I must have sand in my ears. What did you say?"
David scowled. "I said yes, I love her. Happy?"
"Ecstatic."
They eyed each other, and without warning burst out laughing. They sank weakly against the wall, laughing until tears ran out of their eyes. The release of tension was palpable, and they laughed all the harder because of it.
Finally, they stopped and simply sat quietly for several minutes. David turned to Mauriri.
"Isabelle said that she has a few jobs lined up that could pay us quite nicely. So what do you say we talk about a few trial runs on the Rattler to get you back into the wing of things…partner?" He held out his hand to Mauriri.
The tall Polynesian man studied David for a long moment, then reached out and clasped the hand of his best friend.
They sat for a good hour, discussing jobs and how David and Mauriri would split the profits with Isabelle until the Rattler was paid off and they could buy her back. David wanted to keep Isabelle as a business partner, as her head for numbers and her ability to make contacts were generating them a good business. Mauriri was happy for it; he had grown quite fond of the woman. They also talked more about David and his father, what they had thought during the whole Jenny affair, and their excitement about working together again.
There had been a companionable silence for a while when David stood and dusted off his pants.
"What do you say we go outside and give those women a piece of our minds before we thank them for being sneaky and conniving?" He grinned, and Mauriri grinned back, before they carefully schooled their features and David pounded on the door.
"Isabelle! Lavinia, Katie, Lianni! We've settled things, we promise! Now let us out!"
The women cautiously approached the door. When they reached it, Isabelle nervously toyed with the key.
"Do you think they really have settled things?"
Lianni shrugged. "There's one way to find out," she said. Raising her voice slightly, she called to her husband. "Mauriri, is it really settled, or will the hammock be comfortable for you tonight?"
Inside, Mauriri choked back laughter. "She knows me too well," he said to David. "Yes, we've settled it, Lianni!"
Lianni turned back to the others. "They've settled it," she announced calmly.
Isabelle and Katie exchanged one more nervous glance before Isabelle inserted the key in the lock and removed it. She and Katie took several steps back from the door. They felt Lavinia and Lianni step reassuringly to their sides as David and Mauriri emerged, blinking in the late afternoon sunlight.
Mauriri and David both scowled, then headed towards the women, Mauriri towards Lianni, and David towards Isabelle, Katie, and Lavinia.
Mauriri reached Lianni first.
"Why didn't you try to stop them?" he said to his wife.
"Why do you think I agreed to tell you that Isabelle wanted you to do some work for her?" Lianni said, arching one eyebrow. "Locking you two in that shed seems to have done a world of good for your relationship."
Her calm admission left Mauriri without a leg to stand on, and he reached out and hugged her.
"Thank you," he whispered. "Now let's get home."
He raised his head and called to David. "See you tomorrow for dinner!"
With that, he and Lianni turned and headed for home.
David turned back and pinned the three women with a glare. Lavinia and Katie returned the glare without flinching, but Isabelle shrank back slightly from him.
"Do you have anything to say for yourselves?" he nearly growled. Crossing his arms, he stared at them. "Mo and I didn't appreciate being tricked and locked up in a shed. You didn't have a right to meddle."
To the surprise of all, it was Katie that responded.
"Of course we had the right, David," she shot back, her blue eyes glittering. "Since you two couldn't seem to get anything done on your own, we decided to take matter into our own hands. We all love you, David, and it was killing us to see how things stood between you and Mauriri."
"Besides, David," Lavinia added, "that's the first time I've heard you call Mauriri 'Mo' in months. I saw your expressions just now. You have your best friend again, David. Appreciate that."
She turned on her heel and with a little huff walked away towards the bar. David stared after her. It was a little unsettling to be scolded by Lavinia! He turned back to Isabelle and Katie. His eyes landed on the woman who was trying hard not to look at him.
"Isabelle? Look at me."
She slowly brought her eyes to his.
"David, I-"
"Don't do that again!" he said. The irritation he'd felt after he realized that Isabelle had tricked him and Mauriri and then had locked them in the shed returned and showed in his face and voice. "I know perfectly well that this had to be your idea. You can't just try and arrange things to suit yourself. I want to trust you not to try and force me."
Isabelle said nothing, but her eyes were shining just a little too brightly, before she turned and started to walk away. She managed to get about ten feet away before Katie called.
"Isabelle, wait!" she exclaimed. Isabelle continued a few more feet. "Isabelle, please, wait!" Katie called again. This time Isabelle halted, but didn't turn back. Katie turned to David with a glare so fierce that he took a step back.
"Don't you dare reprimand her, David! Yes, it was her basic idea, but we were all in on it. Lianni got Mauriri here. Lavinia gave you Isabelle's note. And I was the one who suggested the shed. And she did it because she loves you, David! She loves you so much that what you said right now really hurt her."
She advanced until she was toe-to-toe with David.
"You go over there and apologize, you great big idiot, and thank her for giving you a way to have your best friend back. Go!"
She shoved him in Isabelle's direction and headed towards Lavinia's. David could hear her muttering as she walked. He though he caught the words "bullheaded idiot" and "ungrateful" just before she disappeared around the edge of the stable. He turned back to Isabelle, who was still not facing him. He saw the slump of her shoulders and silently cursed. Katie was right; he was being an idiot. He walked over to her.
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. He saw one tear slip free and slide down her cheek, and his heart gave a sudden lurch. He had hurt her! He gently wiped away the tear with him thumb.
"I'm sorry, David," she whispered. "We wanted to see you two friends again. We couldn't stand to see you so sad. We just wanted you two to be like you were before."
He sighed.
"We can't be like we were before, Isabelle," he said. She looked down, but David put a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. "Now we can be even better. And it's thanks to you."
She smiled tremulously and raised her hand to his face.
"I'm glad for you," she said softly. She kissed his cheek.
David pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said into her soft hair. "I didn't mean to hurt you with what I said. I was just reacting instead of thinking. I do trust you, and I know that you were just trying to help. But," he said, kissing her forehead before he drew back to look at her, "the next time you get the desire to help me, try talking to me before locking me in a storage shed full of horse feed!" His smile told her that he wasn't really angry.
She slipped her arms around him and held tightly. His arms came around to press her more closely to him.
"Thank you, Isabelle," he said quietly. He could feel her smiling against his chest.
"You're welcome, David," she replied. "I love you. So very much."
He grinned. "I love you too, Isabelle. Would you like to show me how much you love me?"
She laughed as she looked up to see his seductive smile. "Why, Captain Grief, are you suggesting that such fine upstanding citizens such as ourselves engage in anything remotely carnal in nature?"
She gasped as he bent down and kissed her neck.
"I'm not suggesting, Miss Reed. In fact, I insist that we engage in many things that are quite carnal in nature. Interested?"
She had no time to reply before he captured her mouth in a passionate kiss that spoke volumes about his feelings for her, as well as unspoken thanks for her actions. When they broke the kiss, Isabelle took his hand.
"Let's go upstairs, David."
"Whatever the lady wants, she gets," David said as he followed Isabelle across the yard and up the stairs. When they reached her room, he stopped and said, "Isabelle, I am sorry about what I said."
"I know, David," she said, then seized his collar. "Now shut up."
"Yes, ma'am!"
He kicked the door closed behind them.
* * * * * *
The next day David and Isabelle headed over to Lavinia's. Isabelle sat at the table as David got tea and some pastries for them. They sat at a table and talked, occasionally laughing. Lavinia joined them after a while. She smiled at the way the two of them constantly found ways to touch each other, even if it was just a brush of one's fingers across the other's arm. She even laughed when David leaned over and kissed Isabelle's cheek, which made the woman's face as fiery as a sunset.
Mauriri found them there a few minutes later and was heartily invited to sit. He, David and Isabelle launched into a discussion about the upcoming runs, and Lavinia found herself occupied by Colin Trent, who stopped by to ask her a question about one of the families.
They had all been engaged in lively conversation for a while when Katie came down the stairs. She paused on the second-to-last step and just watched them. David and Mauriri were arguing some of the finer points of sails and wood, with Isabelle throwing in a comment here and there. David and Isabelle would glance at each other from time to time, and neither could help the silly grins that spread across their faces. Lavinia was listening attentively to Colin as he gestured animatedly about something that Katie couldn't quite make out. She smiled. Colin had been a godsend for her. She'd had no idea the release that simply talking could provide. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed that Colin was looking at Lavinia with something a little more than simple friendship. Hmm, interesting. She grinned and shook her head.
The men and woman looked up as Katie approached, and stopped talking. Their smiles invited the girl to join them. She smiled back and stopped in front of them.
"I'm glad you're all here," she said, looking at the faces that had become dear to her in the short time she had known them, with the exception of David, whom she had already loved.
"Why is that, Katie?" David said, leaning back in his seat and resting his hand on Isabelle's on the table.
Katie took a deep breath as the others looked at her expectantly. She'd spent much of the night thinking and weighing her choices before deciding on her course of action.
"I'm glad you're all here, David, because I've come to a decision about what I'm going to do with the South Seas shipping route."
TBC….
Up next in the epilogue: What will Katie's decision be, and what will it mean to our cast of characters? Stay tuned for the epilogue to "Changes"!