Chapter Thirty-Five

Home Again To A Dubious Welcome

Lucius Beaumont made his way aboard the Carolyn as soon as she docked and was secured to the bollards. He grinned as he leaned back against the bridge rail, folding his arms with a satisfied look.

"I'll admit I was on the point of sending out a boat to search for you," he commented wryly, watching his best friend with narrowed eyes.

"Unforeseen circumstances kept me from beating you into harbour, fair and square," Daniel replied hardly, as he tied off the ship's wheel to secure her against the wharf. "Just as I beat you into the Pool of London when you were unavoidably delayed."

"Aye, that you did…" Lucius agreed grimly, rubbing one hand over his bearded chin. "I think this then makes us about even. May the best man win the race back to that fair city. I intend to disembark my load and re-cargo before the dust has settled. I will await your return from Schooner Bay to make a fair race of it. But I tarry for no man. Take your lovely lady home and then kiss her a fond goodbye. But be quick about it."

His grin widened as he stretched out one arm to clasp his large hand tight around Daniel's right forearm and had the gesture returned in full measure. The two equally-matched men stood toe to toe, staring at each other through narrowed eyes.

"I'll accept the bet and beat you this time," Daniel replied grimly.

All around them, men from both crews nudged the man next to him and made quiet bets from the sides of their mouths so as not to stir the wrath of their respective captains. All demons, whales and foolish fallen-overboard crewmen aside, they prayed for theirs to be the first ship to return triumphant to London town and reap the rewards of a victorious crew.

No one, from the lowest seaman to the ship's Captain, liked to come in second in any race.

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"Oh, look…" Candy pushed herself well out over the ship's rail, pointing out all the sights of the bustling port. "The city is so pretty…"

"I'll be the first to say it's really good to finally be back home again," Martha commented, taking the girl's arm in a firm grip to prevent her from toppling over the side in her eagerness.

"It has been a voyage beyond imagining," Carolyn agreed. "I once thought Philadelphia was the biggest city I had ever seen. How wrong I was."

"And now you've seen London." Martha shook her head. "Who knows where we might end up next."

"We'll be confined to Schooner Bay now until after the baby is born," Carolyn replied, pressing a hand to her lower body. "It's for the best."

"Oh, good…" Martha breathed a sigh of relief. "I had hoped the Captain would make you see sense and that sailing around the world to foreign places was not for a lady in such a delicate condition."

"Don't worry. I know it's for my own good." Carolyn's mouth pulled down at the corners. "For all of us."

She lifted a denying shoulder. "But being home again means I now have to tell my mother our wonderful news. I'm truly not looking forward to that."

"But running away back to sea didn't solve the issue either," Martha opined. "The Williams women need to be faced and put in their place. And right sharpish too, I say. Once the twins get wind of your good news, likely they will come calling, too. They love nothing more than to interfere in things that are none of their business."

"Yes, but that's always easier said than done. My mother will not have forgiven me for not answering her last telegram before we sailed. She will be miffed and not loathe to express her opinion."

A strong, dearly familiar arm enclosed Carolyn's waist. "I would rather face a force ten gale at sea, than your mother," Daniel replied, kissing her cheek. "But she must and will be faced. She will be told she holds no sway in my house. If she's already forgotten the last time we spoke on the matter then I will happily tell her again."

"Thank you…" Carolyn sighed as she laid her head back against the broad comfort of his strong shoulder.

"No thanks required. You are my family now." Her husband shook his head.

He looked down at her profile and smiled. "Lucius sends his regards. He waits impatiently to race us back to London town. He feels aggrieved we have yet to make a fair race of it."

"Then we had better not keep him waiting," Carolyn replied. "We will wait impatiently at home for you to come back to us with the news you have beaten him at his own game and bloodied his nose in a fair race."

"It will be my pleasure…" Daniel shook his head as he kissed her cheek.

He frowned along the deck to where Jonathan was playing fetch with his dog and a ball among the crew's unloading of the deck cargo. "Have care there, Jonathan," he called. "You're in the way and you may go over the side if you're not alert to the danger."

"Yes, Sir." Jonathan stopped immediately to salute. "Sorry, Captain."

"Is there not work you should be doing instead of playing there?" Daniel barked back.

"I thought I was done with my work, Captain," the boy replied, pushing the ball into the pocket of his jacket. "Now we're in port and all."

"No task is completed on this ship until I say it is. Go find Malcolm and ask what else there is to be done."

The hardy crewmen working diligently around the boy and his dog grinned as they toiled on, knowing their Captain's temper was short, sharp and to the point. Jonathan flushed red as he saluted again before running for the hatch, leaving his dog to sit and look after him.

"The children have all done very well," Carolyn observed, as she took her husband's arm between hers.

He shook his head. "They still have a lot to learn. A ship is not a playground. Especially one that's just docked. He would do well to remember that. There are dangers everywhere and anything can happen."

"Then I think we should all go below and see what else we can do to help." Martha nodded. "Come along, Candy. No doubt Ellen could use our assistance with seeing to little Henry and there's the men's luncheon still to prepare."

A ragged cheer was raised among the toiling men as she passed them by. Martha had become a cherished icon of the galley space and the crew were heartily disappointed she would not be sailing on the next voyage with them. The standard cook had taken a great deal of ribbing and snide remarks about upping his culinary skills or he might be lost overboard on the next voyage out.

Martha's cheeks coloured to a rosy red as she hustled Candy below and followed her down the hatchway. Carolyn looked after her with affection.

"We will miss all this when you go back to sea…" she said softly, sliding her fingers through her husband's. "It will be so lonely out at the house without you."

"You will have our adventures to write for Sally. I've sent a message ashore advising her of our arrival. And we will return home again before you know it…" Daniel kissed her forehead. "Then we will have the winter to welcome our child and be together. They say the spring will be late in coming next season and the ice may hold unseasonably."

"I could hope for that…" Carolyn sighed, lifting his hand to her lips. "I know I shouldn't…"

"I won't breathe a word…" Daniel chuckled, letting her go as he saw a furtive figure appear from the forward hatch and slip in among the toiling crewmen while attempting to look as if he belonged there.

"Blasted Applegate…" Daniel breathed, setting his balled fists on his hips. "I ordered him to confine himself to his quarters for the rest of the voyage home."

"Maybe he's trying to make amends," Carolyn attempted to intervene. "Look, he's working hard to help the men. Let him work."

"Orders are orders…" Daniel muttered, starting forward toward the delinquent crewman. "I will not be countermanded!"

In the next instant, several things happened at once. Lost and left unattended by his young master, Buddy had begun to make a nuisance of himself among the crewmen. He jumped and barked at everything around him. His play ball rolled back and forth across the moving deck. It had dropped from Jonathan's pocket as he'd hurried below.

A thoroughly annoyed seaman seized on the moving ball after he nearly stepped on it and threw it overboard. In a flash, the dog went after it, sailing up and over the rail in a single bound to disappear over the side and into the water of the busy harbour with a single bark and then a high-pitched howl of terror as the animal realised its potentially fatal error.

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"Both the Carolyn and Rebecca are said to be in harbour down in Boston now, Sir," Jack informed his master as he entered Claymore's office. "Won't be long before the Captain's home again. You'll no doubt be glad of that."

"And how does this advantage me?" Claymore barked, keeping his eyes on his work.

"I thought you might be pleased," Jack replied quietly, walking to his desk. "You embarked a fair cargo with your cousin. No doubt you have reaped a handsome price for your goods."

"My business is my business and not for your tattling," Claymore complained as he glanced up. "If word of your speaking out of turn comes back to me…" He waved his feather quill pen at the office door significantly.

"Oh no, Sir!" Young Jack looked horrified. "I would never tattle nor tell of what I know about your business. Mum's the word."

"Good…" Claymore muttered in a slightly mollified tone. "I'd hate to have to start training up another clerk of office at this late a date in the year."

"You can rely on me, Sir!" Jack stuck out his narrow chest.

Claymore shook his head. "Well, get your work done and we'll say no more about it."

"Yes, Sir…" Jack hurried onto his stool. "Ah, you'll be pleased to see the Captain return and have the burden of looking after his house taken from your shoulders."

"We agreed we would not make a single mention of that house," Claymore replied crossly. "Now get on with what you need to get done, and no more delaying. Or you know what will happen…" He waved his pen at the door again.

"Yes, Sir, Mr Gregg…" Jack ducked his head over his open ledger and there was no more talk in the office of imminent arrivals.

The neat columns of figures swam before Claymore's frowning eyes. No matter how many times he attempted to add them up, they would not compute.

He sighed roughly. The time of reckoning would soon be upon his dropped shoulders and no matter how many ways and times his agile mind approached the subject he came to the same conclusion.

His own greed had sunk him well and truly beneath his cousin's righteous contempt. He'd been a prize fool and he knew it. But he was helpless to come up with any way to redeem himself in Daniel's critical eyes.

All he could think of to do was to come clean to him the moment the Carolyn docked and the family came ashore. He would bare his breast and his soul to see what could be salvaged from the wreck he'd made of his life in the last few weeks.

Before Carolyn's parents could get to them and lay their own complaints about what had been going on out at the house while their daughter had been away at sea. He shook his head sadly. But he did feel slightly redeemed by the fact that he never actually gave in to that demon's blandishments.

He puffed his chest just a little. "Surely that counts for something?" he muttered, shaking his head.

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The very moment he heard the dog's agonised wail and saw what had just happened, Elroy ran for the ship's rail. He dodged through the ensuing chaos of the men also running to see what had just happened, making it to the side.

He leaned over to look down, seeing the dog swimming bravely against the current, trying to keep its head above the choppy waters. Below Elroy, Jonathan opened a porthole when he heard the animal's cry and was trying to jump out to rescue his pet. But Malcolm was holding fast to his young friend's jacket and belt, not allowing him to throw himself out through the porthole to his likely demise.

In that moment of clarity, Elroy knew what he must do. His mother had always told him, a faint heart had never won the prize. Now was his moment of redemption in the eyes of his fellows. Without another thought, he jumped up and over the rail, casting himself into the harbour to land almost within arm's length of the struggling dog. He reached out to drag Bubby closer, all the while treading water and looking upwards for rescue.

The cry went up instantly. "Man overboard! Again!"

The crew jumped to their stations and all manner of ship's equipment was thrown over the side to Elroy as he floated on the surface, clinging onto his small companion. Daniel elbowed his way into the heart of the matter and set about restoring order with his voice and commanding presence.

"Fetch the rope ladder and throw it over to him!" he commanded sternly. "Be quick about it!"

Men scrambled to hook up the ship's ladder before unrolling it down the side. The end splashed next to Elroy, who grabbed it thankfully.

"Heave away!" Daniel shouted. "Pull him aboard!"

Many stout hands latched onto the ladder, dragging it and Elroy bodily up the side of the ship to the rail and safety. A few scrapes and bruises were the price of his second rescue.

"Buddy!" Jonathan burst through the crowd of men and equipment to seize his shivering, half-drowned pet.

"Here…" Carolyn took the dog from him into the large piece of old linen she'd grabbed from the deck. She helped her son rub his pet down, all the while soothing his worried fears over what had just happened. Or what could have happened if not for Elroy's quick thinking.

Beside them, the men crowded around the hapless seaman, alternatively slapping him on the back while throwing blankets around him. He stood miserably, coughing up harbour water and trying not to pass out. He was shivering from reaction and the enormity of what he'd just done.

Daniel faced the men, his expression grimly set. "A day's wages docked from the pay of the man who threw that blasted ball over the side."

Several of the crew shuffled their feet, looking truculent, but none denied the charge. Nathaniel Grimes looked them over, seeing the culprit hanging his head and staring down at his feet.

Nathaniel knuckled his temple. "It was an honest mistake, Captain. But the men accept the charge." He frowned. "But the ship's no place for a dog."

"Understood, Mr Grimes. It will not happen again." Daniel nodded. "And for our hero here?" He indicated Elroy with a frustrated flick of his hand.

"A second chance, Sir?" Grimes looked around the men for confirmation. "Maybe he's braver than he looks."

A ragged cheer went up and more rough hands slapped Elroy's back, making him stagger. He managed to hold himself upright, still coughing up the harsh salt water of the bay.

"He's shown a spot of promise with the sewing of the sails, Captain," Grimes continued. "It would be a safe enough place to keep him. Below decks and out of the way. Old Alfred's due to retire soon enough and he could do with an able apprentice to train up."

"A second chance…" Daniel sighed as he looked them over. He felt his wife's small hand laid briefly in the small of his back in an encouraging gesture.

"A sail maker…" Daniel stroked the line of his bearded chin, making them all lean forward, waiting on his pronouncement.

He frowned at Elroy, standing quietly, ready to accept his fate. "No more chances, man. Redeem yourself by becoming the best sailmaker in Schooner Bay and you might just make it as a seaman."

"Oh, Sir…" Elroy's chin rose off his chest. "Oh, yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir!"

Elroy unfurled his shrinking body to his full height, beaming with joy. His gaze shifted to Carolyn. "Oh thank you, my Captain's pretty lady. I will not let any of you down!"

He saluted smartly and dived for his errant striped sock which seemed determined to ruin his pleasure. He dragged it back up to his knee, grinning as if he'd just won a hundred dollars in gold.

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Sally Hall embraced Carolyn with real affection. "It's truly delightful to see you again and looking so well. I've been eagerly reading all about your adventures in London."

She looked enviously around the Carolyn's large and well-appointed main cabin. "I will say, I can see running away to sea does have its advantages. Once my readers have devoured your next instalment I predict there will be any number of them demanding their husbands take them away to sea."

She smiled as she looked back at Carolyn. "But then, not many of those same husbands would be capable of ordering the building of a ship as handsome as this. I can envy you that, at least."

Carolyn smiled. "I am very lucky." She laid the flat of her hand over her softly rounded abdomen. "But for the next few months, it's the shore life for me."

Sally nodded. "Congratulations. It will be my pleasure to call upon you at Gull Cottage, then. To help you through the lonely weeks when your husband is away at sea."

"I would love that," Carolyn replied, as she turned away to pick up a large sheaf of completed manuscript pages. "I will admit to dreading the loneliness. And we will have so much to talk about."

"I'm afraid I must say that my confounded father has yet to give up on the idea of closing us down. I know he has approached your mother and she did allow him to say his piece. It seems they are in agreement."

"I am aware of that meeting." Carolyn shook her head as she handed over the manuscript. "My mother does not approve of her only daughter being a published author. I told her that I'm a grown woman. I'm sorry if she can't see that, but this is my life now. How I choose to live it is no longer any of her concern."

"Then we sail in the same unstable craft," Sally acknowledged with a sigh. "Both is us with a parent who wishes us to conform to their will. Mine would see me shackled to some man and having a child each and every year like some broodmare. That is seen as my place and not as a magazine editor."

She smiled suddenly, her eyes lighting with the glow of battle. "But we will not be defeated. We will show them our mettle by publishing your works and garnering such a following that the pair of them will finally be silenced for good. My father cannot deny it if we are making good coin to fatten his already obscenely full coffers."

Carolyn inhaled as she felt the burden of her concerns being lifted from her shoulders. She hugged her publisher happily. "We will indeed. The moment we get home to Schooner Bay, I will telegram my mother and tell her everything. And I will remind her once again that she will no longer interfere in any of my affairs. I do hope that will be the end of the matter."

※※※※※

"It is truly good to be home again..." Carolyn remarked with a catch in her voice as she stood against the rail, holding fast to a nearby halyard.

She watched the sun sinking slowly into the west, painting streaks of amber light across the dark waters around them. She rose up onto her toes for a better view as the ship heeled gently over on her final run for home.

Behind them, the ocean seemed limitless. But ahead, the rugged coastline of Maine shouldered its bulky way into the sky, offering again the broad comfort of permanence. Home and the solid ground beneath their feet once more. And the lonely weeks that stretched out until Daniel was safe home again.

Carolyn wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She would not cry. She would be brave and face her immediate future. But she knew a great deal of her time would be spent up on the widow's walk for as long as the good weather held.

She had already composed the telegram that she would send to her mother the moment the ship docked. It had been hard to write, but she'd managed to convey all she wished to say. Daniel had helped with the composition and had told her how proud he was of her. That had buoyed up her spirits for the battle that still lay ahead.

The ship had left Boston Harbour for Maine in goodly time. The trip up the coast had been uneventful and speedier than usual. It was as if the very wind was eager for them to be home again.

Lucius waited impatiently for their imminent return, eager to be gone back to sea. Carolyn knew their turnaround at home would needfully be swift and abrupt. She could hope they could have one last night alone before the ship sailed again. But her husband could make her no promises.

"I cannot say if I can leave the ship. Not even to be with you once more, my love…" His regret was palpable. "It depends totally on the tides and the state of our new cargo." He left her there to watch the land approaching as he went to take command of the vessel.

"It's going to be all right," Carolyn whispered to her unborn child as the land rose higher and higher out of the ocean like a green giant. "Everything is going to be all right. I truly promise…"

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