Mystic Memories (31 page)

During a quiet meditation, she closed her eyes and stilled her mind of all the chatter and worries and concerns. She let go of her own need to control the outcome of her life, of all their lives. Somehow, somewhere, deep inside her, there was a knowingness that would guide her. Whether or not it was Gabriella didn’t matter anymore. She had been brought this far by a force that was greater than her, and it would take her the rest of the way.

Ask, Cara. And it will be shown to you.

“How do I help Blake?” she said aloud, then waited.

Mystic . . . memories . . . Mystic . . . memories.

The two words cycled through her mind repeatedly. She tried to figure out if there was a message in them, yet there were so many meanings to choose from. The ship. The seaport. The Hawaiian term,
Mea punihei i nā mea āiwaiwa
. Her recollections even brought back the night he spoke of making their own mystic memories. So where did these words lead her now? What did they mean?

Mystic . . . memories . . . Mystic . . . memories.

As the words became a chant, the scene of the Mystic River came into her mind; she almost dismissed it as the previous memory that Blake had given to her. Then she realized the modem boats were missing from this vision. Instead, she saw large wooden ships on the water, as well as half-built hulls sitting in cradles on the shore of the river. She paid attention to the details of the houses and buildings. A face of an older woman appeared, looking worn and sad. As quickly as the vision came, it disappeared. But she’d seen enough to convince her that they had to go to Mystic.

Dropping her hands to her lap, she drew a deep breath and slowly let it out, then got up from the chair to search for Blake.

Finding him on the forecastle with Andrew and Bud, she came up beside him and slipped her arm around his waist, smiling up at him.

“Did you find the answers you were looking for?” he asked, bringing his own arm up behind her back.

“Yes, I did.” Reluctant to speak in front of Andrew, she asked him to take the dog to the cabin with him. “We’ll be down in a little bit to make sure you are in bed.”

“Aw, gee, Cara.”

She smiled at his standard reply. “Enough whining, young man. Now, scoot.”

As he trotted off, Blake gently squeezed her arm. “I could not have done it better myself.”

“You? Ha! You are as bad as him with bedtime. If you had your way, you would let him stay up all night gazing at the stars with you.”

“Not if we had separate cabins. I will be sure to remedy this situation when I get my next ship, which will be very soon, I hope.”

“I need to talk to you about that, Blake. Over the last several months, I’ve been getting the word ‘mystic.’ I’d thought it was about the ship. But tonight I saw a vivid picture of the river.”

“Is this the same sort of message you received regarding Valparaiso?”

“Sort of.”

“Then it is settled. We shall go to Mystic as soon as I am released from my duties to the owners of the
Valiant
.”

“Just like that? No questions? No arguments?”

“None.” He turned her into his arms, then pressed his lips to her forehead. “I will take you wherever you wish to go,
lauaʻe
. And I will stay with you as long as is humanly possible. When the time comes for you to leave me, I will go with you in spirit.”

She hugged him tightly to her breast. “I don’t want to lose you, Blake.”

“Please don’t cry, Cara. I couldn’t bear it.”

She sensed his tenuous hold on his own emotions and realized how hard it was for him to be strong for her sake. Fighting back her tears, she whispered, “I love you.”

Stroking her hair, he said softly, “I love you, too.”

The following morning, as the final salutes sounded from the bow guns, Cara watched in awe as the
Valiant
sailed slowly past the low sand hills of Cape Cod and into the Massachusetts Bay of 1833. There were all sizes of boats and ships on the water, which seemed strange after so many months at sea without a single vessel in sight. Stranger still was the feeling of participating in a Spielberg movie of epic proportion, as if all the extras had been called up for an early shot.

As they passed the lower lighthouse, Blake joined her to explain that they would spend the night anchored in the harbor and take the ship into dock the next day.

On Saturday afternoon of August 17, the crew manned the capstan for the last time, pulling the ship into the wharf with a loud chorus. The entire deck swarmed with all sorts of people, from customs agents to friends.

Jimmy came over to say good-bye to Cara and Andrew, who showed his disappointment in losing his new friend.

“Where will you go now?” she asked the sixteen-year-old.

“I’ll be off t’ visit my da for a bit, then . . .” The young man shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe I’ll find myself back wit’ the cap’n again. Captain Masters is as good as they come, ma’am. I’ve heard frightful yarns about how bad a sailor’s lot can truly be on board most ships. It made me glad I was on the
Valiant
. So I’d be more than happy to sign on under the cap’n.”

“Then perhaps we will see you soon.”

“Maybe, ma’am.” He petted Bud one last time, shook Cara’s hand, then Andrew’s, and left the ship with his canvas bag over his shoulder.

While Bud sat next to her, Cara kept Andrew at her side, unwilling to let him out of her sight and risk losing him in the crowd. Boardinghouse runners pestered her, insisting upon taking her luggage on the carts they’d brought to the docks. She refused their offers, sometimes having to be almost rude with them.

In a very short while, each crew member departed with two years’ wages. Everyone else soon followed, leaving only Keoni and Blake, who was officially turning over the
Valiant
to the shipkeeper from the countinghouse.

As the
Kanaka
knelt down to give attention to the dog, he looked up at Cara. “Our chests have been sent ahead to a house where we stay whenever we are here in Boston. You should find it to be comfortable accommodations until we leave for Mystic in a few days. And as for Andrew here—” He turned to the boy. “You will actually have your own room with a real bed.”

Andrew asked, “Do I still get to sleep with Bud?”

“Certainly not in the bed with you,” answered Cara, but she saw a wink from Keoni which made her wonder if they were conspiring to bend the rules a little bit.

Blake walked up to the three of them. “Time for us to go.”

“What have you done with the papers from the
Mystic
?” asked Cara, aware of his intention to deliver the news of the wreck to the ship’s owners.

“They are with my belongings. I will pay a visit to the company Monday morning, after I have had an opportunity to bathe and make myself a bit more presentable.”

Though Cara was eager to be on their way to Connecticut, she accepted the necessity for Blake to wrap up any and all obligations first.

“The
Mystic
is headed home.”

Blake had walked into the parlor Monday afternoon, interrupting the tea and conversation between the proprietress of the house and several ladies, including Cara. Dressed in a plain white blouse and dark skirt that must have been borrowed, Cara set the cup in the saucer, clattering the china as she put it down on a low table in front of her.

“Pardon my ill manners, Mrs. Barnes, but this is rather important news to us.” Aware of half a dozen pairs of female eyes perusing him, he strode to the center of the well-appointed room and extended his hand to Cara. “But will you please excuse my bride?”

“Certainly, Captain.” The attractive redheaded woman smiled demurely as a couple of the ladies tittered nervously at the audacity of a male invading their cozy parlor.

Blake nodded to the women, bidding good day as he escorted his wife to their private chambers.

“How? When?” asked Cara, after he closed the door. She practically pounced upon him. He kissed her first, then gave her the full account of the information.

“The owners told me that another of their merchantmen had been loaded with hides and prepared to leave San Diego when the
Mystic
was blown ashore. Apparently they sailed back to San Pedro to inspect her damage, determined that she could be refitted, and put their first mate as captain of her. They believe she could arrive as early as next month.”

The rescue of the brig did not surprise him in the least. It was a common practice, even for captains of vessels belonging to other companies. A man could earn a tidy reward if a disabled ship could be refitted, hauled back into the water, and brought around the Horn with a ragtag crew. So, it seemed, was the case for the
Mystic
.

Cara gazed at him with a worried expression. “Can a ship with that much damage make it through the bad weather we experienced?”

“There are no guarantees that any vessel will survive those conditions.”

“If only we could have gotten back there before she was repaired . . .”

He wrapped his arms around her for comfort. “There is nothing for us to do now but wait,
lauaʻe
.”

“But if she goes down, my chances of returning Andrew go down with her.”

“So it seems,” he said, wondering if it would be the best outcome for all of them. Without that ship, she would give up her quest to find her way home. And he would have no reason to find his own passage to the future to follow her.

“What about Andrew?” asked Cara, sharing his thoughts.

“I remember how hard it was to lose my parents. But I also remember the kindness of Keoni’s family. If we are unable to take Andrew back, you and I can provide a loving home for him.”

She remained quiet for a few minutes, content to let him hold her. Then she looked up at him. “I still get the feeling we need to go to Mystic. Something is drawing me there.”

“Then we shall go, find out whatever it is you need to learn and return here to wait for the ship.”

The mouth of the Mystic River was a long, deep, protected harbor that was a safe haven for ships and an excellent location for the shipbuilding trade that had sprung up along the banks. Following her gut instincts, Cara had told Blake that she wanted to visit each company. One of them held the answers. She just wasn’t sure which one.