The Hands of Time (30 page)

“Are you all right? How is the baby?”  He held me by the shoulders to help me keep my balance. 

“We
’re
all right.  How bad was it?”  I knew it was bad, but I wanted to hear it from him. 

“Two men were swept off the deck and washed overboard.  We threw them ropes, but the sea was too rough
,
and they were sucked down too quickly to grab hold.  God rest their souls,” he crossed himself and looked out over the dark ocean.  “I think
Lady Violet
suffered a lot of damage, but I
cannot
see too well in the darkness.  We will have to wait till morning to assess the damage
fully
.  I can see
her on the horizon
,
and she is leaning to the side badly.  Looks like the main mast is broken.” 

He looked really worried
,
and I decided not to ask what there was to be done in case the mast was truly broken.  He would know more in the morning
.  Right
t now he needed food, rest
,
and dry clothes.  The
c
ook was already in the galley trying to conjure up supper for the weary men.  He
’
d not be able to make a hot meal, but there would be biscuits and slices of cold meat washed down with ale, which sounded pretty good to me right now.  I was starving and very thirsty.  Alec handed the spyglass back to the
c
aptain
,
and followed me down to our cabin to change.  He looked awfully grim and I just bit back my questions leaving them till morning. 

Chapter 5
8

I slept like a baby that night, worn out by worry and the physical strain of riding the storm.  Alec came in when I was already do
z
ing off
,
and was gone by the time I woke up in the morning.  Bridget and Finn were still asleep
, so
I dressed hurriedly and went up on deck.  The
c
aptain had set course for
Lady Violet
the night before
,
and I saw her lying tilted in the water in the gr
a
y light of early morning.  She was shrouded in mist
,
the figurehead
resembling
a giant mermaid rising out of the dark waters and searching for sailors lost at sea. 

We were nearly alongside her now, Alec’s face distraught as he took in the damage.  Debris floated all around the hull of the ship, some chunks of wood as large as Finn.  The mast was broken and lying across the starboard
,
forcing the ship to lean on its side at a precarious angle.  I didn’t know too much ab
out sailing, but the vessel didn’t
seem to be in a seaworthy condition.  Alec left the
Star
with a skeleton crew
,
as the men boarded the ship to assess the damage and see to the survivors.  I turned around and went back down in search of Finn.  My breasts were heavy with milk
,
and I needed my son to bring me relief and some comfort. 

Finn was already happily gnawing on his teething ring as I entered the cabin, Bridget in the act of changing his wet clout.  I waited for her to finish
,
then lifted him to
my breast, cradling his sturdy little body, tears rolling down my cheeks.  We could have all perished in the storm last night
,
and the knowledge of how close we came to death was overwhelming.  I held the baby tighter willing him to stay alive through the voyage
,
and then in the wild land we would be calling home in the near future.  The thought of primitive conditions, disease and s
k
irmishes with the
n
atives
,
left me feeling pessimistic and scared.  I longed for the comforts of Yealm Castle
,
and wished we
had
never undertaken this voyage. 

The men didn’t
return until suppertime, tired and dirty.  I allowed Alec to eat in peace before calling him up on deck to hear the news.  His hair was tied back carelessly
,
his shirt stained with dirt and sweat.  He looked exhausted and I told him so, getting a tired smile from him in return.

“How bad is it?”  I asked, not really wanting to hear the answer. 

“Bad enough.  Seven men were lost, the main mast is broken and the cargo hold is thigh
-
deep in water.  We sawed off the mast in order to right the vessel, but no amount of repair will allow her to limp all the way to America.”

“What are you going to do?” 

“We will go back first thing in the morning
to
take inventory of the cargo and food supplies.  If everything has perished, we will have to divide the men between us and the
Dawn
,
and abandon
Violet
, which I think is the most likely outcome.  If the cargo is salvageable and the food stores not too badly damaged, I might send her back to
Plymouth for repairs
,
and she can come to America when she is ready to sail again.  Let
us
go to bed.  I am done for.”  He put his arm around me as he led me to the stairs leading to the cabins below.  I looked out over the moonlit ocean searching for the outline of the
Dawn
.  Where was she and how did her crew fare during the storm?

The men spent the next two days aboard
Lady Violet
trying to salvage what they could.  Some of the cargo was wet, but intact
,
being made of iron.  It would likely not rust before we got to
Virginia,
and the sailors transferred what they could over to
Morning Star
.  The flour, barley
,
and sacks of beans were inedible, but barrels of salt pork, beef
,
and cod had not been damaged
,
and were also off-loaded and stored in our cargo hold to be used for the additional men coming aboard. 

There was no sign of the third ship
,
and I knew Alec was concerned not only about its fate and that of the men aboard, but what he would do with all the extra sailors
,
should they come aboard
and have to stay with us throughout the rest of the voyage
.  There was no room for all of them below
,
and men would now have to share their hammocks or take turns sleeping for lack of room.   It was decided that
Lady Violet
was too badly damaged to sail back to Plymouth
,
and there was no other port anywhere where she could be towed for repairs. 

Alec was sorry to lose her, but there wasn’t much to be done
.  T
he men stood on deck
, watching
silently as Alec set fire to the sails and the deck before coming back aboard the
Star
. 
Violet
was getting a burial at sea
,
and we all watched as the flames began to spread, fanned by the
wind, engulfing the ship and illuminating the darkening sky.  I could still see the painted eyes of the figurehead staring ahead
,
as the flames reached her head, giving her a fiery halo before consuming her body. 

T
he ship burned for over an hour before finally beginning to sink, swallowed up by the inky
-
looking waters of the
North
Atlantic
,
and leaving an empty space where only a few moments ago the pyre had been.  We all stood silently for a few moments
,
before the sails were unfurled again
,
and we began to move away from the scene of the disaster.  Alec hoped to catch up with the
Dawn
within the next few days
,
and off-load some of the men and supplies.  I fervently prayed that the ship had survived the storm
,
and longed to see its silhouette on the horizon.  It wasn’t much, but it was nice to know that we weren’t completely alone amid the vast ocean.

Chapter 5
9

We finally docked in
Jamestown
, Virginia at the end of
October
,
and I
’
d never been so happy to see land.  It felt strange not to feel the deck moving beneath my feet
,
and to stand on solid ground once more.  The
Misty Dawn
had docked a few days before us after waiting for us to catch up after the storm
,
and taking on half the men from
Lady Violet
and some of the supplies.  To Alec’s great relief
,
Misty
Dawn
had not been damaged by the storm at all
,
having been ahead of us by about half a day and avoiding the storm altogether. 

I never wanted to see another ship as long as I lived
,
and followed Alec down the wharf toward a
n
inn.  We would rest, get some real food, take much
-
needed baths
,
and await the carriage from Rosewood Manor, Uncle Thomas’ estate.  I looked forward to meeting the rest of the family, but deep down
,
I worried that they would ask too many questions about my past.   

Alec checked us into
the only
inn
available
and sent a messenger to the plantation.  I hoped that we would have at least a full day to rest before anyone came to get us, giving us a few hours of much
-
needed privacy after being among people for nearly three months.  We enjoyed a decadent supper in the inn’s dining room
,
then went directly upstairs to fall into a
soft
bed
,
desperate for rest.  Alec and I shared a bed for the first time since
leaving Plymouth
,
and I snuggled against him, enjoying the feel of him against my back.  The berths had been too narrow to sleep together
,
and I sighed contentedly as his arms pulled me close
and
I sank into a deep sleep. 

I would have slept on and on if Bridget
hadn’t
come by in the morning to bring Finn for his feeding.  He
’
d enjoyed some mashed potatoes and m
a
shed peas the night before
,
but I would still nurse him to supplement his diet until his first birthday.  I sat up in bed, pulling down my nightdress and giving him what he wanted, trying not to disturb Alec.  He was dead to the world and I wanted him to get his rest before moving on to the plantation. 

Finn looked up at me with those round, green eyes and I felt a pang of sadness, thinking of his father.  I wished that I could tell Finlay about our journey
,
and how big and strong his boy was.  He was starting to crawl and was curious about everything
,
from the seagulls overhead to the bugs he saw crawling on the ground.  He
’
d spent
nearly
half his life aboard a ship
,
and was now gazing at the world around him with eyes full of wonder.  My eyes filled with tears as I thought of how proud Finlay would have been of his son
,
and wished that he could see him grow and thrive.  I promised myself that I would tell Finn Jr. about his father when he was old enough
,
and keep Finlay’s memory alive for as long as I lived. 

I leaned back against the pillows trying to find a more comfortable position
,
when there was an urgent knock at the door
,
and a boy erupted into the room throwing himself at the still sleeping Alec.  The boy threw his arms around my husband’s neck
,
kissing his face and urging him
to wake up.  Alec’s arms went around Charlie, giving him a bear hug and kissing him back.

“Oh, Alec, I
have
waited and waited for you.  I am
s
o glad you are finally here.  Is this baby Finn?”  He gazed at Finn with wonder
,
then looked away in embarrassment seeing my exposed breast. 

“I am sorry, Ma’am, I
did not
realize…” he stammered and turned away, his face beet red.