Chapter Forty-Two

Moby Dick, Round Three

Claymore left Gull Cottage with his sorrowing heart a great deal lighter than when he'd first entered the house hours before. He placed his hat on his head and kissed his hostess's cheek, promising to relay any messages from the docks as soon as they arrived by any means.

He would send out telegrams to the harbour master in Boston, asking for any information that may be gleaned. He would leave no stone unturned.

"Thank you, Claymore, for coming to see me," Carolyn reassured him. "It did take a great deal of courage. I just knew that devious man wasn't you. I know Daniel will be glad you were not you when you did that despicable thing."

"Thank you, my dear. I am so very glad we could clear up such an unfortunate misunderstanding." Her uncle inhaled deeply and kissed her other cheek in gratitude. "I shall be on hand to explain all to my cousin, the moment he returns to you, safe and well. And he will return to you and yours. You have my solemn word on that. Captain Beaumont too. They will all come back safe and sound."

He turned and hurried away before she could see the tears that were burning in his eyes. He vowed he would settle himself in the harbour master's office and not budge until any information came in. He would be the first one to hurry the news to his niece. It was what any decent man would do for his family and those he loved.

"I can become a decent man…" he reassured himself as he climbed back into his carriage. "I am a decent man…" He smiled mistily, wiping a hand across his stinging eyes. "I vow by all that is holy…"

He shook one fist at the darkening sky. "That blasted demon shall not prevail! Not on my watch!" He raised his hat toward the house before flicking the reins against the rump of his horse, encouraging it into a brisk trot.

"Goodbye, Uncle…" Carolyn watched him leave before she slowly shut the front door. "God bless…"

Calling to Martha that she going upstairs, she climbed the staircase to the first floor and then walked up the narrower one that led into the wheelhouse. The folded ladder tucked into the ceiling beams slid down easily, unfolding to bump gently against the floor.

Gathering her skirts in one hand, Carolyn climbed up and out onto the widow's walk above the house. The view of the far horizon was enhanced by the elevation and she stood for some time with her back to the sun setting behind her as she looked far out to sea. The gathering gloom didn't make it any easier to see.

She knew her eyes were playing tricks on her. She did not see wide, handsome sails on the horizon, moving toward her at a brisk pace. The clouds and skeins of seabirds winging for home for the night deluded her tired brain into seeing what simply couldn't be there. Could not be there, no matter how much she wished for it to be so. She knew Daniel's arrival was days out yet. But still, she stood and looked, willing and hoping for her fantasy to become reality. Darkness crept closer and below her, the house lights flickered on.

Sometime later, she was grateful to hear Martha on the ladder, puffing her way up with a tray of coffee pot and two cups balanced in one hand. "The children are doing the dishes and then their homework. I thought you might need this. Good and strong. And I brought up your shawl. You won't wish to catch old up here."

The housekeeper placed the tray on the small table Carolyn used for her writing on fine days in the sunshine. She handed Carolyn the shawl before she poured two cups and handed one to her mistress. "You look like you could do with some perking up. Anything I can help with?"

"No, but thank you. I needed this." Carolyn accepted the shawl and pulled it around her shoulders. She took the coffee cup with a nod. "Uncle Claymore brought some news he wanted to share with me. We did not wish to burden you or say anything in front of the children at dinner."

"Well, now that we're alone, burden away…" Martha shrugged coming to stand next to her. "You know I can take it. I don't like seeing you looking so pulled about and worried. Old Claymore came here looking like his dog had just died. If he ever had room in his heart for anything other than money. It was so odd."

Carolyn inhaled deeply, releasing her breath slowly. "It seems that what he did with renting out our house for that wedding was not of his doing. He was… possessed. Taken over by a base demon."

"A demon, you say?" Martha's greying eyebrows crawled right up to her hairline. "Well, I never. He told you that?"

She shook her head on a low whistle. "Well, you've sure got me there. Go on, then. Just, exactly, what else did he tell you?" She looked down at her coffee. "I might need to fetch some brandy to put in this."

Carolyn sighed as she sipped her coffee. She appreciated her friend's attempt to lighten the dire situation.

Slowly, she related the whole sorry saga. She shrugged as she ended the tale. "I do believe him. Claymore may be many things, but he is not a liar. This all did happen and he is so very sorry for his part in it. Captain Beaumont's ship is at risk too. There has been no word of him either."

"No word is a good word. But it surely does give a body pause," Martha replied, staring out at the far horizon. "And you say, right now, the Captain is out there, somewhere, battling with this George Turner. The good Captain Beaumont too."

She whistled again. "If I may say, I pity any demon that takes on your husband and hopes to win. Fair fight or foul. He may get some licks in and land a few punches. But my money's on the Captain," she continued stoutly. "I will bet anything you like that he's sorting that blasted spawn of Satan out right now and no mistake."

She straightened her carriage. "As God is my witness," she said loudly, shaking one fist at the lowering sky. "Turner shall not prevail! The men are better than that!"

"No, he will not…" Carolyn agreed as she put one arm around her friend and hugged her. "You're very good for me. Turner can go back to the hell he crawled out from."

"Yes. And I'm just sayin' what is…" Martha shrugged. "The Captain's the better man. Beaumont too, for all his cheeky grin and winning ways. Always has been, always will be."

"A decent man…" Carolyn whispered, placing a protective hand over her abdomen.

"Aye, that too." Martha nodded. "And don't you forget your man has more than one reason to come home. And he will come home to you, demon or no demon. Nothing, and no one on God's green earth, or under it, would ever prevent that from happening. You have my word on that."

"Thank you, Martha…" Carolyn kissed the other woman's lined cheek and they stood for some time looking out over the restless ocean and stacking hope against the belief that all would be well. It just had to be…

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The roiling storm slowly sank further and further behind the Carolyn. The leading edge may still be towering high into the evening sky, but its full force was lost. It now puffed and blew like an old warhorse, making no headway against the wind blowing steadily from the faraway land below the horizon and forcing its path sideways into the west and not the south where it wanted to go.

Hidden within the grumbling thunder and flashes of lightning, George Turner scowled at the stern of the ship that was fleeing before his slackening power. Her running lights blinked on in the gathering gloom as the safety lanterns were lit. It showed her crew and Captain was dismissing his storm. They now thought themselves safe enough to use matches.

No doubt they also thought themselves safe enough to rest and eat their evening meal as if nothing was happening. It grated against his sense of what he saw as fair.

"Confound them all!" Turner shook his fist at the sky and lightning streaked across the distance, falling well short of the ship's slowly vanishing stern.

"Blast!" Turner tried again, hurling another bolt that also fizzled into the dark ocean like a limp firecracker. Nothing died but a few unfortunate fish who floated belly up on the surface.

Turner scowled at the ship, imagining he was seeing someone standing in the stern watching him through a telescope. Someone who knew he was there, rejoicing as the demon's storm slid inexorably beneath the horizon. A flash of white teeth in the darkness of a sodden beard. A hand raised in mock salute and a booming challenge called out over the waves.

"You will not defy me!" Turner roared from his hiding place, his mouth open in a full-volume scream as he lunged forward, his arms outstretched as he made one final, infuriated effort to reach his nemesis.

Because he knew that was who it was. That man in the stern of the ship, smiling at his efforts as if they were nothing but an afternoon breeze. His fury then knew no bounds. Lightning flashed, thunder rolled and more unfortunate fish died. But the ship sailed on, seemingly unharmed.

Captain Daniel Gregg, standing arrogantly in the stern of his ship, made a crude, one-handed gesture toward the demon's screaming visage and laughed at him. "Is that all you have? Is that the best you can do? Nothing but a lot of puff and bluster? Come on and get me, you demon scum! If you dare!"

"You will not get the best of me!" Turner howled on the wind. "Victory will yet be mine!"

The storm surrounding him dissipated as if it had never been. Debris and broken things that had been drawn up from the depths of the ocean crashed back onto the roiling surface and sank once more beneath the restless waves. Dead fish floated on the waves, adding their stench to the stink of ozone and the briny salt water.

Suddenly, from the water rose a truly gigantic sperm whale. It breached to almost its full length and then fell back onto the surface with a resounding splash that sent ranks of tall, creaming waves scurrying toward the Carolyn's stern. Its blowhole spat out torrents of water and then it lunged forward.

On board the Carolyn, Daniel watched and waited, easing the pain of his bruised and torn shoulder muscles. As the storm had slipped away behind them, he'd managed to grab a few minutes of much-needed sleep and had eaten a hot meal. Half a tankard of rum had bolstered his reserves of strength.

But none of that mattered now. He felt the blood coursing through his veins once again.

This was his moment. The battle had truly been joined.

He knew baiting the demon would get him to change his shape when he saw he was losing the race. He'd expected this happening and relished it. Now it was a more even fight, even if the gigantic whale dwarfed his ship.

He turned on his heel, hurrying back toward the bridge, taking the steps two at a time. "Douse those lights, men!" he shouted. "Clear the decks and prepare for action!"

He grinned as he slapped Mr Javis on the shoulder, causing the younger man to stagger slightly as he clung to the wheel, keeping the ship on an even course. "Hold her steady, Mr Jarvis. We'll have him right where we want him soon enough."

"We will?" Jarvis asked doubtfully, casting a worried eye over his shoulder at the ranks of waves following the ship. "I hope you're right, Captain. That blasted fish's tail could smash us into matchsticks with one swipe."

Behind them, the giant whale breached again. Its long narrow mouth was wide open, its size appearing to be able to snap the ship in two with one bite as it hurtled toward them at a greater speed. It sank again, its tail flicking up into the air as high as a three-story building.

"We won't let him get that close." Daniel's grin was hard and lean. "If we can catch him in his physical form and wound the demon, then he will skulk away with his tail between his legs as he's done before. He's too puffed up in his own powers to see the dangers. He dreams he has us now."

"Aye, aye, Captain…" The first mate saluted him with awe in his voice. "If you say so."

"You'll see…" Daniel slapped him on the shoulder once more. "Keep her on an even keel, lad. That's your task now. You'll soon understand what I'm about."

He turned and ran back down the steps to the waist of the ship, shouting orders to his eager crewmen as he ran. Behind them the whale rose above the waves once more, gaining ground with every powerful flick of its gigantic tail.

※※※※※

Captain Lucius Beaumont sailed his ship into the safe harbour of Horta in the Azores. The island of Faial offered the welcome shelter from the storm they'd been seeking. But scanning the ships already tied up there offered no sign or sight of the Carolyn to his seeking glass.

"Blast…" Lucius lowered his telescope. "Where in Hades are you? As if I didn't know."

They'd lost sight of their sister ship many miles back as the night closed in and the ensuing darkness became as black as the inside of a tomb. All of Lucius' concentration had been on keeping his own vessel afloat. He could only pray his experienced brother captain had managed to do the same.

"Confound the demon…" Lucius eased the tired and torn muscles of his shoulders and back. Both his body and his ship had taken a severe pounding on the open ocean.

But once the ships parted ways, the storm had changed course, seeking Daniel's vessel only and abandoning the Rebecca to her fate. That was what worried Lucius the most. That his good friend was out there somewhere, being hunted by a base demon with a mission to sink him without a trace. No one may ever know their fate. He dreaded being the one to carry the news home to Carolyn.

But he also knew he and his ship were of no use in any rescue mission until they'd cleaned up and set all rights. They needed to restock supplies and rest. His crew needed to eat and sleep. They were all dog-tired, battered and bruised from the last two days.

'All except one'… Lucius sighed as he saw the Countess Beauvoir climbing out of the forward hatch looking as if she was going for a Sunday stroll along the deck and hadn't just ridden out the worst of the storm.

Lucius was sure she would be far too seasick to annoy anyone with her incessant demands. But she appeared to have an iron constitution. Nothing worried her more than missing a meal.

Of course, the woman should have been safely tucked up in her cabin, neatly stowed out of harm's way. But she'd soon begun demanding and insisting, opening her door every time a hapless crewman had passed by in the corridor outside. Her constant calls for hot water, clean towels and linen had been answered as best they could. She'd made her commands known and the cringing crew had been powerless to deny her.

Lucius had tried and failed to make the woman see reason. She insisted she'd paid handsomely for her passage home and she'd been promised it came with all the amenities she expected. Lucius had made the agreement in good faith. But circumstances had changed radically. That didn't worry the countess. She said it was none of her affair.

Lucius had quickly abandoned the effort, knowing he had more important issues to solve such as keeping his ship afloat. He did briefly entertain the attractive idea of tossing the harlot overboard. But he'd been fairly sure, after five minutes of her ceaseless haranguing, Turner would only throw her back!

The Countess had driven the ship's cook mad with her requirements to be properly fed, demanding he make up a daily menu to her specifications. Lucius had just been informed that the poor man was now holed up in his storm-tossed galley blubbering into his tankard of rum and saying he'd never signed on to be left at the beck and call of that devil woman. He would rather throw himself over the side and drown than serve her one more plate of food!

"Daniel, you did try to warn me…" Lucius closed his eyes and lifted his face toward heaven. "I could swear she's in league with the demon."

"Captain!" Vanessa commanded with an indignant raising of her parasol in Lucius' direction as soon as she saw him watching her. "I desire a word with you, Sirrah! Immediately! I have yet to see my breakfast! I have been kept waiting for nearly an hour! Where is your man? Are you in command of this sorry excuse for a vessel or not?"

Lucius shook his head wearily. "Good luck, Daniel. Wherever you are." He grimaced sourly. "I swear I would rather face Turner any day of the year than this confounded, nit-picking, sour-tongued harridan!"

※※※※※

Carolyn sat at the desk in her bedroom trying to compose her latest manuscript. But the words utterly refused to come. Her quill hung uselessly over the paper, slowly dripping ink and causing a spreading stain she didn't notice.

She had no appetite for writing anything. Her heart and mind were simply not in it. She'd made confident promises to Sally Hall she couldn't keep. But that was before. Now nothing seemed to be going right. Her tears dripped from her chin onto the ink, spreading the stain further.

For two whole days, since Claymore's visit and his dire warning, there'd been no word from the harbour. No sign of Daniel or Lucius or their ships.

Young Jack had been sent up to the house with twice daily updates, but his words offered no comfort. He said Claymore had moved into the harbour master's office, much to that gentleman's deep chagrin. But he would not be moved. Telegrams had been sent out hither and yon, extolling everyone with any input to tell all they knew as soon as they knew it. No one was spared the whip of Claymore's tongue or the demands of his pen.

Now the third day of their ordeal had dawned bright and clear. The promise of the morning should surely bring with it good news. Surely, it would be today. Carolyn's shoulders slumped. It had to be today.

More tears fell, ruining the blank page. Finally noticing the mess, Carolyn pushed her pen back into the inkwell and balled the paper. She tossed it into the waste paper bin beside her with a muffled cry of despair.

"Here, now…" Martha admonished quickly, appearing in the open doorway with a covered tray of food. "It's not that bad. We've heard nothing new. No word is surely a good word. The moment Claymore knows, you will know."

She put the tray down on the corner of the desk. She reached to draw up Daniel's chair and sat down, pulling her mistress into her warm embrace. "You just go on now and cry it out. We want to show your husband a clean and freshly scrubbed face when he returns. Not one with tears all over it and a sorry bottom lip all aquiver with misery." She patted the back of Carolyn's head comfortingly, where it rested in the curve of her shoulder.

The minutes ticked by on the bedside clock. Slowly, but surely Carolyn's sobs began to lessen. Then finally ceased altogether.

"I wish we could have sailed with him. And then I would know the truth." Carolyn sniffed as she sat up.

Martha pushed her back into a sitting position with her hands on her shoulders. "If we'd sailed with him, then he'd have us to worry about too. That could have been the final straw. Some things are just not meant to be."

"Yes…" Carolyn pushed her hair back from her damp cheeks. She pulled her handkerchief from the pocket of her skirt and blew her nose. "We must be brave."

She straightened her carriage. "We will make our plans to welcome them all home." Her expression brightened. "We can do that."

"Of course, we can…" Martha watched her carefully. "We can make it the best homecoming the Captain has ever seen. First thing we can do is to make a list of everything he likes."

"Yes…" Carolyn nodded. "Thank you, Martha. I just feel so helpless sitting here trying to write when my mind is not in it."

"I know…" Martha patted her hand.

She indicated the covered tray. "Now there sits your luncheon. Soup and some nice thick slices of buttered bread. And before you refuse, remember there are two of you and you both need feeding up. We'll have no wan cheeks when the Captain finally comes home. Or he will tick me off mightily."

"Well, we can't have that," Carolyn replied loyally, even though she didn't feel like eating.

But Martha was right. She must eat. She must remain healthy for the sake of her child and her husband. Bracing herself, she accepted the bowl and spoon the housekeeper handed to her and did her best to appear as if she was enjoying the meal.

"It's good soup," she murmured, sipping it from her spoon.

The hot liquid slowly warmed the chill from her heart and bones. Feeling better for it, she took a second spoonful and then a third. Without thinking, she reached for a thick slice of the buttered bread and dipped the edge into her bowl before eating it delicately but with growing relish. More soup and then more bread soon followed.

"You make sure you eat it all. It'll do you the world of good and then some." Martha nodded, seeing the bloom slowly returning to her mistress's cheeks. She sent a silent prayer up to heaven. And a plea for the Captain to come home soon. It needed to be very soon…

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