Chapter Eighteen

“Bloody hell! There’s a thief in our midst!”

The captain’s roar woke Jennie with a start. She’d been in a deep sleep, the best she’d had for weeks. The women around her might have fared the same, judging by their slowness to wake. It was hardly daybreak.

The crew on watch looked startled and busied themselves with the rigging and sails. Red Bull was among them, restacking the goods they’d brought from the rafts. He stole glances at Captain McGregor, rampaging from the doorway of his quarters.

“Thieving Brits!” The captain bellowed and called for his lieutenant.

Davis appeared from his berth, still buttoning his tunic. He made his way to the captain. MacGregor yanked him inside, cursing and yelling something that sounded like “Madmen, Englishmen and damned thieves,” as he slammed the door.

Davis appeared outside again moments later.

“Meadows!” he shouted.

Meadows quickly approached. Off to the side, Nate stood looking alert though his hair was unkempt. He hurriedly tucked in his crumpled shirt and followed Meadows.

Alice clutched Jennie’s arm. “What is it? What’s happened?” She blinked sleep from her eyes.

Sarah lay tense beside them; Kate and May were wide-eyed and watchful.

“I don’t know,” Jennie whispered. “Shh!”

“One of your thieving charges stole the captain’s gold coins,” Davis spat out.

In shock, Meadows looked at Nate, and then back to Davis. “But none of them had access to the captain’s quarters. They wouldn’t even know he had coins, or where they were kept.”

“Think again,” Davis spat, glancing pointedly toward Jennie’s group.

Jennie gulped. She was the only one who had been in the captain’s quarters. But there must be some mistake.

A slow flush crept up Meadows’ neck.

“Yes, that thieving girl.” Davis glowered.

“But she wouldn’t have!” Nate protested, stepping forward.

“She did go into the captain’s quarters,” said Meadows quietly.

“But only for the medical supplies,” Nate stated.

Jennie leapt up to defend herself. “I was in the captain’s quarters, but he invited me in and he was there the whole time!”

“Time enough for you to case the place and sneak back later.” Davis glared at her.

“Why would I do that?” Jennie gritted her teeth.

“The obvious reasons,” Davis said coldly.

“But I didn’t!” she protested again. She felt Sarah and Alice’s presence next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Red Bull edging closer.

“Isn’t it true you did go back later in the afternoon when the captain wasn’t in his cabin? I saw you myself,” Davis accused, his eyes glowering.

“Well, yes, to return the needle and suturing materials. But he told me to,” she retorted, her pulse racing. “He saw me go in.”

“Long enough to take something?” Davis continued his grilling.

“No! I didn’t. I swear! I was only in for a few seconds.” Her palms were sweating. “I left the door open.”

“Just time enough time to take the key?” Davis said with disdain.

“The key wasn’t in the box!” she snapped again.

“Ah-ha so you admit you saw the box and knew about the key,” he challenged.

“Of course, I saw the box,” she said indignantly. “It was right in front of my eyes above the surgical supplies. I couldn’t help but notice it. My father made my mother one just like it.”

Nate stepped forward. “I saw her too. She was in and out…no time for anything.”

“That time,” said Davis.

“When else could she have done it?” Nate asked.

“During the night.”

“But she was asleep beside us all night.” Sarah stepped up. “I’d have taken notice.”

“And were you awake all night to know if she was there the whole time?” asked Davis rudely, punctuating key words.

“Well, no.” Sarah drooped. She squeezed Jennie’s hand.

“Or are the pair of you maybe covering up for her?” Davis accused.

“Of course not.” Sarah and Alice shuffled back a step.

Meadows and Nate considered the circumstances without saying a word. Red Bull slipped in closer with an odd, expectant look on his face. Jennie went into shock. Her mind whirled with the unfairness of Davis’ accusations and his attacks on her integrity. Suddenly, she felt anger rising in her.

“I was caring for Kate all afternoon and evening, and then I went straight to sleep,” she said through gritted teeth. “I never went to the captain’s quarters without his permission.”

“Not quite,” Davis peered around at all those nearby, as if giving a grand denouement in Old Bailey. “At some point in the night you rose and returned to Captain MacGregor’s quarters and wilfully stole from him.”

“No, I didn’t!” Jennie countered. “How would I have known where the key was? It wasn’t there when I went back the second time.”

“Ahh, so how did you know that the gold coins were in the box?” He raised his eyebrows at her. “I never said where the coins were kept.” He smirked at the others.

“I didn’t know they were kept there,” she snapped. “I’m not a simpleton. You’re the one quizzing me about the box and key; it’s not hard to figure it out,” she said indignantly, jamming her hands onto her hips.

“Look, here,” said Meadows. “She does have a point.”

“She wouldn’t have done something like that, I’m sure.” The look on Nate’s face said he believed her, but Jennie knew Davis had planted a seed of doubt.

“Easy to believe, if she weren’t already a convicted thief,” Davis said. He stared down his nose at her.

“I’m not a common thief, but I do have eyes in my head like everyone else!” she retorted. How dare he accuse her of stealing the coins!

“Ah, but isn’t that why you’re here? For thievery?” Davis looked smug.

Jennie felt her face go hot.

“But that was different,” she said in a low voice.

“How? You stole something that didn’t belong to you!”

“It was a mouldy sack of oats, and in a rubbish bin! Not something anyone wanted!” she spat out.

“Still, it wasn’t yours!” Davis punched a fist into his other hand with a loud smack. He leaned forward, looking hard into her eyes.

Nate moved as if to come to her aid, but Meadows put a restraining arm on his elbow.

Gathering his composure, Davis straightened. “So, we’re back to you sneaking in during the night then, if we are to believe you didn’t take the coins when the captain knew you were there.”

Jennie mutely shook her head.

“The captain would have heard someone entering his quarters in the middle of the night,” Nate protested.

Davis gave him a withering look. “The captain was as drunk as a lord. Like usual. He wouldn’t have noticed if someone had robbed the clothes off his very person.”

Red Bull snickered. Jennie threw him a sharp look. He grinned openly at her, no longer pretending he was doing anything but paying attention to the exchange and pleased at her discomfort.

“Others would have heard someone creeping about the deck,” Nate pushed in.

“Did you?” Davis gave him another smirk. “I rather think you were all in your cups too.” He glanced swiftly at Nate and Meadows. “And we already know the madam and the child weren’t awake to see anything.”

Meadows shook his head at Nate, warning him to keep out of it. Nate ignored him and stepped between Jennie and Davis.

“You can’t just accuse her of doing this because she happens to have been in the captain’s quarters earlier and saw the box. You said yourself…” Meadows grabbed Nate’s arm, but he shook him off. “You said the captain was drunk, so anyone could have gone in.”

“But not just anyone did, did they? She’s the only one who knew about the box.” Davis shook his fingers into Nate’s face.

Jennie was grateful for Nate’s support, but the whole thing had gone on long enough. Many of the women, who had since been released on deck, and some of the crew had gathered into a crowd just beyond them.

“I didn’t steal anything.” She pushed in front of Nate. “I’d have nowhere to stow it, would I?” She whirled around in her tattered shift that showed the form of her body and obviously no place to hide anything.

“Oh, I’m sure you hid it. Maybe on one of your friends.” Davis seemed to be toying with her. He smiled. “How about we search all of you?”

“You already know you won’t find anything.” Jennie crossed her arms over her chest.

She glanced at Sarah and Alice. They both did a slow full turn with their arms lifted to their sides, then came to stand beside Jennie.

“I think you’d have hidden it better than that anyway,” said Davis, shoving past her.

He strode over to Kate and Mary, and made a show of flinging the blankets about.

Jennie and the others rushed after him.

Almost instantly he pounced on the leather pouch that contained the medicines.

“Don’t,” Jennie shouted as he dumped it upside down. “You’ll spill all the medicines.” But it was too late. Everything clattered onto the deck in a heap: dried flowers, tins, lids, lard – and a number of gold coins.

Jennie heard a collective gasp. The women closest to her had gone pale.

“What? I don’t understand!” She gaped at the coins on the floor of the deck. Where had they come from? “I didn’t put them in there. Honestly, I didn’t.”

But the look in everyone’s eyes told her they no longer believed she was innocent. Even Nate gave her a peculiar look. Alice and Sarah stood stock still, eyes frozen.

Then all at once chattering and arguing erupted. Sarah and Alice were the first to defend her innocence, and soon the other women protested at her unfair accusers. The sailors hooted and hollered for her blood.

In the ensuing mêlée, Jennie watched one gold piece roll across the deck as if in slow motion, unnoticed by the others. Red Bull stopped it with his foot. Snatching it into his burly hands with glee, he glanced around and slid it into his shirt.

Before she knew what was happening, Meadows seized her arm.

“No wait! I don’t know how those coins got there!” Jennie protested, but no one tried to save her. “Someone must have put them there.”

She looked frantically at Nate. He gave her a negligible shrug of helplessness. His eyes told her nothing.

Davis put a hand on Meadows’ forearm. “She’s on board my ship, and I give the orders, so we’ll deal with her.”

“She’s one of my charges,” argued Meadows. “I’ll mete out justice to her.”

“Hand her over to me,” Davis ordered, his voice hardening.

“I’ll take her for you, sir,” said Red Bull. It wasn’t clear which man he was calling sir. He rushed over and grabbed Jennie’s arm.

Jennie jerked to get away, but Red Bull held on tight. She kicked hard, connecting with his upper thigh, missing her central target. He let go with a snarl.

Davis turned on Red Bull and hissed, “I told you I’d take care of her!”

Jennie raised her eyes. What was this power struggle about?

With attention diverted, Meadows grabbed Jennie’s other arm and dragged her a short distance away.

“Please, sir,” she begged. “I didn’t steal the coins. I don’t know how they got there.”

“Stop thrashing about,” he ordered. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

She halted. “You mean you believe me?”

Meadows shook his head, still with a firm grip on her arm. “Not exactly, but I do believe in investigating more fully before we make a decision.” He tilted his head toward the coins. “So far it looks damning.”

Jennie searched his face, but his eyes were cold, his manner aloof.

“Someone else must have put them there,” she said, quieter now.

“We’ll see.” He didn’t seem thoroughly convinced. “I have no jurisdiction on board this ship and the Lieutenant will bring the captain in a minute, so you’d best go with him.”

“Please don’t let Red Bull take me,” begged Jennie.

He shook his head and grimaced. “At least he will have to follow my orders.” His manner softened somewhat. “Now come along.” He pushed Jennie firmly forward between her shoulder blades.

Although Jennie went back meekly to Davis, fear seized her. What did they do to thieves on this ship?

Red Bull openly snickered at her as she passed him. She leaned and spat on him. He raised a fist as if to strike her, but Nate caught his hand.

“Please, you have to believe me. I didn’t steal the coins!” She looked with beseeching eyes at Nate. “It had to be someone else!”

His gaze seemed distant. She glanced over her shoulder at Sarah and Alice. The young girl stood still watching everything, her face contorted as if she was about to howl. Sarah looked at her steadily with a troubled expression.

Davis took her below deck himself, motioning for Old Ruddick to light a lantern quickly and come along. Jennie’s heart thumped. What was going to become of her now? Any hopes of getting a reduced sentence or a reprieve through some miracle were definitely gone.

Davis roughly pushed her through the hatchway and down the uneven steps of the ladder. Old Ruddick had gone first with the lantern, but no light was cast her way, and she stumbled, her wrist twisting in Davis’ tight grip. She cried out from the pain, which only seemed to make Davis wrench her along harder.

“Bring some chains from the stern,” he ordered when they reached the hold. Old Ruddick lit another lantern, leaving the first perched on the lip of a low crate closest to the ladder. He limped off toward the holding pens of the animals. The foul smells of cow dung, bilge waters and dankness swirled around her. She took small breaths and tried to imagine the fresh sea air on deck.

As Davis clamped manacles on her, Jennie suddenly realized how similar he was to Red Bull. She looked at him with disdain, her teeth grinding.

“We may not have chains for all of you heathen convicts, but we certainly have enough for the likes of you.” His breath was sour as he breathed into her face.

She jerked her head away.

“Turn away from me now all you like,” he goaded, breathing heavily. “You’ll soon be begging me for favours.” He smirked and slowly swiped his hand across her chest.

Not again! Jennie squirmed from his touch and he smiled more, his eyes lighting with pleasure. She suddenly let herself go slack like she’d done once with Red Bull. The gleam in his eyes turned to anger. He slapped her face.

Her right cheek stung. Her head rattled. She concentrated on the scraping and clanging of chains and Old Ruddick’s uneven footsteps heading in their direction.

Within a few moments Old Ruddick reappeared, dragging thick chains in one hand and carrying the lantern in the other. Davis looped the chains around a stack of crates, roughly binding Jennie upright to them. The heavy metal links bit painfully against her waist and cut into her hips. When he’d finished and stepped back to assess his handiwork, Jennie looked at him with loathing.

He stared at her with an air of superiority and snorted. “No food or water for forty-eight hours,” he ordered Old Ruddick. “Leave no lantern lit.”

The old sailor gave a nod of compliance, but kept his head averted, stepping aside when Davis strode toward the ladder.

“I didn’t steal the coins,” she shouted after him in a last effort of appeal. She didn’t want to be left alone in the dark. “You have to find the real thief.”

He ignored her, stomped up the ladder and slammed the hatch lid down. The sudden draft of air extinguished the first lantern and she was left in the semi-darkness. She sagged against her shackles, too weary to fight anymore.

She’d forgotten Old Ruddick’s presence until he cleared his throat next to her. She jerked her head around and took in his leathery face, now shadowed with compassion.

“I didn’t steal the coins,” she whimpered.

“I know you didn’t, lass,” he said, looking steadily at her.

“I don’t know why someone…” Jennie stopped. Had she just heard him right? She refocused. “What did you say?”

“I know you didn’t, but I can’t prove it, more’s the pity.” He looked at her steadily.

“But what do you know?” Jennie grasped at the thin shred of hope.

“Just that there is some conspiracy afoot. Beyond that I cannot discern.”

“But even that is something. Can you tell it to Nate? Please,” she pleaded.

He pursed his lips without commenting on her request.

“I have to go now. The dark won’t be so bad, if you look toward the hatch. I’ll not shut it tight. There’ll be a tiny crack of light that may bring you comfort, lass.”

Down the passageway, he extinguished the last lantern and eased his unsteady limbs up the ladder. As promised, he closed the hatch gently after he’d passed through.

The creaking of the ship was more eerie than ever. Jennie’s breath came in short gasps as her fear of being left alone in the dark returned. It would be hours before the watch would change and sailors would switch places, coming back and forth to the hold, allowing in the light and some fresh air. There might be sailors sleeping somewhere down there with her, but she couldn’t see or hear them. She could only hear the rustling of the livestock and the ship’s creaking.

It seemed to take forever before her eyes adjusted. Old Ruddick was right though. Seeing the crack of light around the edge of the hatch lid did help. The stench below was overpowering, yet her stomach ached too. She’d only had the biscuit and some water the day before. She’d expected cooked oatmeal or something more substantial for breakfast, now that they had some food supplies. But that was no longer possible.

Suddenly she felt a nibble at her bare foot. She kicked it away. Ugh!! A rat! How had any of the women endured lying down here on the floor the night before?

Without being able to see or move, Jennie was stuck with no defences against more rats or bugs and other crawling, biting things. She swallowed hard and tried to imagine it was nighttime and that the crack of light from the hatch was the moon and the stars peeking out of the sky.

She closed her eyes and thought of home; her mother and sisters, safe and warm, sitting by their window in early evening watching the stars emerge. The first bright one that came out shortly after sunset – the evening star – was the one upon which each of them made their wishes.

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish, I wish tonight, played through her mind. Jennie wished hard to be back home again, forever free.

The minutes dragged, and the hours passed. She swooned from lack of food and water. She no longer had any saliva to brush her tongue over her lips. Her throat was closing up, her breathing was laboured. Then she knew no more.