The day had warmed considerably, and Esther found herself wishing to be out of the sun in all the layers of her dress. But Papa needed her there, especially since the soldiers hadn’t proven to be any good at finding foundation stones. It was a new task to them to be sure, but it was also clear that they didn’t appreciate being told what to do by a lady, so they tried in earnest to get better at the job. Only to fail time and again and be sent back to the rock pile for her advice.
She pulled out her fan and waved it briskly. Her cheeks were no doubt pink from the heat. One of the downfalls of having fair skin.
Surveying the pile of stones gathered, she walked around it to find the right one to finish the foundation of Sam’s bastion. It needed a good corner but a flatter top. Substantial depth and height as well. The soldiers who didn’t seem to mind her presence had helped to lay out the stones so she could see them, while the others voiced their displeasure at heaving the massive rocks and continually asked why one stone wasn’t as good as another.
If it were up to them, the walls would be a jumble of rocks of all sizes, which would prove to be unstable and topple over. So she kept at it. She tried not to speak much and let her brother be the one to order the soldiers around. They were working quite hard.
“The cap’n’s comin’.” A whisper-shout echoed from one man to the next.
Esther lowered her brows. Just as the men said, the captain strode toward them, his red coat draped over his arm. She tore her gaze away. While she wasn’t surprised by his informality in this heat, the sight of him in his shirt and breeches made her heart pick up its pace.
Captain Latham was a handsome man. And a very strong one. Of that, her eyes were certain.
As soon as she looked back to the pile, she spotted the stone that would be perfect. “That one.” She pointed.
The young soldier named Peter gave her a smile. “I shall fetch it straightaway for Mr. Howland, miss.”
“Thank you.” But Peter wouldn’t be able to lift it on his own. It would probably take three men. She opened her mouth to say as much but then snapped it closed. The majority of the men didn’t like her giving her opinion.
“Good day, Miss Howland.”
She curtsied to the captain but kept her eyes averted. “Good day to you.”
“Pardon me.” He slipped his coat back on. “I see they are making good progress on the bastions.”
Lifting her fan, she whipped it faster than she probably needed. “Yes, Captain Latham. We just chose the last stone for the foundation of the north side.”
“My men have told me that you are quite particular.” His grin made her feel at ease. “And that is a good thing.”
“I wondered what you would hear. Most of them do not appreciate my presence, but the choosing of the stones is of great import for the structure to be stable.” The fact that she’d said so many words to him shocked her a bit.
“I can see that.” He clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk among the pile. “Would you mind explaining to me how you choose?”
She blinked at him. No one had ever bothered to ask such a question. “I would not mind at all.” She cleared her throat and prayed she could make sense and keep her tongue from tying. “We start with the largest stones at the base. I must see the space that we need to fill and then discern the dimensions and shape. Then I simply find a rock that fits.” Esther gave a little shrug. She’d been helping Papa so long, it was second nature to her.
“What caused you to take an interest in such a task?”
His questions weren’t of the polite sort to keep the conversation going. He genuinely seemed interested, and it lifted Esther’s spirits. Perhaps she could survive here with at least one man treating her respectfully. “Papa and Sam needed help one day as they were both down in a trench on their knees. Thankfully, it was a small stone, because I was not much older than ten at the time. It took all of my strength to drag it over, but it was a perfect fit. And it saved them a trip to the rock pile.”
“Fascinating.”
“Papa says I have an eye for it. I like to help when I can.”
“Watch out!” The shout made her jump.
Then a blood-curdling scream followed.
Captain Latham ran toward the sound. Esther followed and put a hand up to shade her eyes so she could see. What happened? Lord, please let Papa and Sam be all right.
Men scrambled from every corner.
Papa ran toward her from the bastion. “Come with me, Daughter.”
“But—”
“Now, Esther. A man’s arm is crushed underneath that last foundation stone.”
The cook examined the mangled arm. “Cap’n, sorry to say, but he’ll lose it. The barber-surgeon in Boston will have to do it. I lack the tools here.” He wiped his hands on a rag.
Christopher let out a heavy breath. The colonel had insisted on taking their barber-surgeon with him everywhere he went. That left them on the island with dozens of men and no medical help. Christopher hated for men to get hurt under his command. And he’d done a pretty good job ensuring all was well. But lifting massive stones was sure to create issues. It was a miracle the soldier was still alive. That stone could have crushed him—not just his arm. “I shall have some men get the skiff ready.” Turning on his heel, he was thankful the young soldier had passed out from the pain. An amputation was always hard to bear, but even more so if the patient knew about it ahead of time.
“Captain, sir.” One of his sergeants stopped him. Steven had been a bit too outspoken about the curse and having a woman on the island. The look on his face said that his chosen topic of conversation would be precisely that.
Christopher narrowed his eyes. “Be quick about it. We need to get this man to Boston.”
“Yes, sir.” He lifted his chin. “But I saw the whole thing happen. Miss Howland was the one who instructed—”
“Yes, yes. I know all about that. But she certainly did not have anything to do with the accident.”
“But sir, she should not be here.” Steven lifted his chin.
The ridiculousness of the statement made Christopher want to toss all the superstitious ninnies into the ocean. “This is neither the time nor the place. Is that all, Sergeant?”
A scowl filled the man’s face. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. You can row this man to shore.” His tone was gruff, but the man had overstepped. “Assign three others to go with you. I shall expect you back tonight. No excuses.”
“Yes, Captain.” Steven stomped off.
He couldn’t seem to squelch the rumors, but he could at least try and stave off the worst of it. No one needed to be blaming Miss Howland for this disaster. They’d had plenty of accidents on the island without women around to blame them on.
With a shake of his head, Christopher headed back to the bastions where his men still worked. His legs ate up the distance, but with every step, his dread grew. If Steven was already blaming the lady, how many others would do the same?
The sharp sounds of chisels and hammers hitting rock resounded throughout the work area. He headed straight to Mr. Howland.
The older man had sweat trickling down his temples.
“Mr. Howland.”
The man looked up with relief on his face. “Captain. How is the boy?”
“I am afraid he will lose the arm, but other than that, I believe he will be fine.”
Howland shook his head. “ ’Tis sad to hear. I tried to warn them about the dangers, but these young men believe they are invincible.”
“Aye, sir. No one is blaming you.”
“But they are blaming my daughter.” He pointed a finger toward the soldiers. “I have heard it. And she has too. So I allowed her to return to our cabin for a bit of respite.” Howland sat on a rock and swiped at the sweat on his face. “I heard tell of what you said to your men, and I appreciate it, Captain Latham. But I will not stand by whilst they say horrible things about my daughter.”
“I would not expect you to, sir. I will speak to the men again. Do you know who it was who is spreading the rumors?”
“No, the names of most of them are still unfamiliar to me. But I saw Esther’s face when she overheard it. She’s a strong and quiet one, but I saw the hint of tears.”
“I shall go apologize myself. After I speak to the men. Again.” Christopher didn’t wait for the man to respond. Pure anger pushed him forward.
“Atten-tion!” His harsh tone caught everyone’s attention. The soldiers all moved in to form their lines and ranks.
For the next five minutes, he berated his men for their participation in gossip and superstitious lies. Additional duties were added for everyone. He wanted to deny them all supper as if they were a bunch of careless children, but he couldn’t do that.
Silence engulfed the group as Christopher yelled his orders once again. No gossip. No curse. No ill treatment of Miss Howland. Then he ordered that each man apologize to her individually as soon as they saw her next.
Not that it would cure the problem. But he could hope. He stepped away, his ire still growing. But he needed to calm down before he saw Miss Howland. He had to show her that they could be gentlemen. And that he was in charge of his men.
But how? They clearly had no shame in believing in a silly curse. Even when that defied orders.
The ground crunched beneath his shoes as he approached the small cabin. Would she even answer the door? He hoped so. To his utter consternation, the stonemason’s daughter occupied his thoughts all too often of late.
He lifted his hand and knocked.
A shuffling noise sounded. Then the door opened a crack. Her blue eyes peered out. “Captain Latham.” She opened the door a bit wider.
“Miss Howland, please allow me to offer my apologies for the men yet again, letting their mouths take off without them. I told you that gossip would not be tolerated, and I am working on that now.”
She looked down at her hands, a lacy handkerchief twisted between her fingers. “ ’Tis not your fault, Captain. But I appreciate the apology.” She moved to close the door.
“Please. Hiding away is not going to make this any better.”
Her head tilted as she gazed at him. “I do not see any other appropriate plan, sir.”
“Take a walk with me.” The words were out before he realized what he’d said.
“Pardon?”
“Forgive me.” He swallowed. “Would you care to join me on a walk of the island?”
“I …”
“Miss Howland. I know that your time here so far has been nothing but heartache and embarrassment. I am not wishing to cause you any more discomfort, but I do believe that if you hide away, the rumors will only grow. Let the men see that you are not afraid of them and that you have nothing to do with any ridiculous curse.” He offered his arm. “Thus, the walk. They will see you in public and will see that I certainly do not believe in any such nonsense.”
Much to his surprise, she exited the cabin and closed the door. “Thank you. A walk would be nice.”
Her father had said she was strong. But all he’d really seen was the quiet and shy woman. He watched her for a moment. Her hair, plaited and wrapped in a knot at her neck, glistened in the afternoon sunlight. The cap on her head covered too much of it. Why did women always have to cover their hair? Didn’t scripture call it a glory?
She turned her head and looked at him. “Is there something wrong, Captain?”
He blinked several times. “No. Not at all. Why do you ask?”
“You have a frown etched on your face.” She pulled away. “If you have other duties to attend to, we do not have to go.” Her eyes snapped with a fiery light.
He liked it. “I have no desire or need to be elsewhere, Miss Howland.” He let a smile emerge. “I admit I was pondering a question, but now I would like nothing more than to show you our island.”
A soft smile lifted the corners of her lips and made her whole face light up. “Lead the way, Captain.”