Four

Richard paced the deck of his ship. What should I do, Lord? Folks back home are counting on me. I’ve enough money to take care of my own expenses, but what about the others? Some of those businesses need to be up and running immediately for the sake of the rest of the people living on the island.

“Señor Southard.” Richard turned and saw Emile Fernandez climbing up and over the rail of the ship.

“Emile, what’s the matter?” Richard hadn’t expected Emile or Isabella’s return until tomorrow morning.

“We have heard the merchants will not extend credit.”

“Yes, it’s true.” Without thinking, Richard leaned over and reached his hand down for Isabella to latch on to. Her hands were strong, yet soft as delicate rose petals.

“Thank you, Mr. Southard.” Isabella straightened her skirt as she stood beside her father.

Richard’s gaze shifted to Emile, who was examining Richard for boldly assisting his daughter. “What are you going to do?” Emile asked.

“I’m not sure. I have some money, but it won’t meet the island needs.”

“No, one man shouldn’t have to pay for everyone.”

“No, and this man doesn’t have that amount of money.” Richard leaned on the rail and looked over Havana Harbor, lined with various ships of various styles and sizes. His white two-masted schooner stood out among the darker hulled ships.

“You spoke with my cousin today, sí?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t catch the names of most of the men I sought to do business with.”

“My cousin, Manuel, he’s short, thinly built, and has—how you say, rough, gray hair.”

“Stringy?” Richard asked.

“Sí. Stringy,” Emile answered, while Isabella stood quietly by her father.

“Yes, I met with a man fitting that description.” He was pleasant enough but, like the rest, he would not extend credit, Richard recalled.

“Manuel, my cousin, he says he’d like to work out a deal with you.”

“What kind of a deal?” Richard put his arms across his chest and braced himself.

“He says if you give him your ship, he will hold it until the money is sent from the others.”

“The Sea Dove?” Richard’s raised voice echoed off the water. “He’s got to be loco.”

“He may be. No one else will do business without the money. He will take your ship as, how you say, collateral?”

“Yes, collateral is the correct word.” Collateral, Lord. What would Uncle Ellis say or do? How can I tell him? “Oh, by the way, your ship is in Havana until everyone in Key West pays their bills.” Richard wagged his head from side to side. “I don’t know.”

Isabella reached out and touched his arm. “Manuel can be trusted, Richard.”

Her rich brown eyes held his gaze. Lord, help me. I want to believe this woman, but should I do this? “I will need to bring this matter before the Lord. And I will need to speak further with Manuel. Can he get me all the materials on my list?”

Emile placed his hand on Richard’s shoulder. “He said he would try.”

Richard nodded. If ever he needed to spend time in prayer, the time was now and here, in a foreign country, all on his own to make a decision that would have a profound effect on many people. Who would fault him for not releasing his ship to the hands of such blackmail? It was ludicrous for the people of Havana to take advantage in this way. He’d been thinking of a trip up the Florida Gulf Coast or directly to Mobile as the best alternatives to this crisis. Now he was presented with an offer that could provide the necessary help but didn’t give him much assurance. And, strictly speaking, he could solve his problem by buying only what he needed for himself and returning to Key West. The question was, was this a time when a man put his personal needs aside for the benefit of others?

Father God, give me wisdom, he prayed.

Late into the night, Richard continued to seek God’s wisdom. He ran the what-if scenarios so often he felt they had almost become real. Deep in thought, he paced back and forth across the deck. The starry sky shimmered in its peaceful state. The gentle lull of the waves lapping the sides of the ship beat a gentle lullaby of peace. Richard closed his eyes and listened to the stillness of the world. In the distance, some night sounds from Havana played.

He pulled in a deep breath. “Lord, help me, but I see no other way. You call me to do unto others as I’d want done to me. I guess, given the same circumstance, I’d hope someone would come to my aid.”

“Richard,” Isabella whispered.

“Isabella?” Richard turned to see her standing in the shadows of the forward exterior wall of the captain’s quarters. “What are you doing out here?”

“Looking at the moon. Are you really going to let Manuel have your ship?”

“I have no other choice.”

“But you do. You don’t have to accept.” Isabella took a step toward him.

Richard slipped into the shadows to meet her. “A man has to do what’s right, even when there appears to be great risk to himself. If I lose the Sea Dove, our business will suffer, compounding the damage the fire has already done.”

“Then why take the risk?” she whispered.

He shouldn’t continue to talk with her in secret like this. What if her father discovered them? Then again, perhaps the Lord had placed her here to help him determine the way he should go. “I don’t know if I have any other choice. I’ve gone over the figures. There are some men in Key West that might not have the resources for months to pay off their bill to Manuel. The damage to their businesses was that extensive. Of course, I don’t know their personal financial status, but I think it’s safe to assume in some cases they have limited resources. For me to give up the ship would be to put a substantial amount of equity at risk.”

“I understand. So why are you seriously considering doing it?” she continued to whisper.

Richard lowered his voice a tad more. “Because I believe God wants me to.”

“If that be the case, Señor Southard, then you will be blessed. God will provide.” She smiled and walked away.

Richard stayed in the shadows. Her honor dictated that no one know they had spoken. “Father, keep her reputation unsoiled, and thank You for her assurance that I should sacrifice the Sea Dove.”

❧

Isabella rubbed her arms vigorously. The cool evening breeze washed over her as gooseflesh danced on her arms. She knew she shouldn’t have spoken to Richard, but he seemed so lost and alone. And when she’d heard his prayer, she couldn’t keep herself from speaking to him. “Lord, forgive me for being alone with him. I just wanted to help.”

They had intended to sleep at her grandmother’s house, but once Manuel came by and told her father about his proposal, they’d left immediately. They might be stuck on Cuba until they found passage back to Key West if Richard did give up his boat to her cousin.

Her mind drifted back to the argument her father had had with Manuel earlier in the evening. Passions flared between the men. She’d been surprised to see her father give Richard such an honorable recommendation of his cousin. But that was the custom. Families were honest and open with each other—but only with family. It wasn’t that her father didn’t trust his cousin, Manuel. He was just angered that a man who had worked well with others in previous days would be so concerned about extending the credit at this time.

If there was one thing Isabella understood, it was finances. Working mathematical figures in her head was a talent she possessed and one her father worked to keep well hidden. Many men felt women just didn’t have an aptitude for numbers.

Isabella unfastened her skirt and slipped it over the chair so it would be fresh in the morning. She hadn’t packed enough clothes for an extended stay. How would they get home and when?

She removed the rest of her clothing and slipped on her nightclothes. Before sliding under the covers, she went to Richard’s desk and looked over the figures he’d been working with earlier in the day. Her hands trembled as she realized the amount of money Richard would be sacrificing for others. “Oh, Lord, keep Manuel honest.” She let the paper float back to the desk.

Isabella jumped from the gentle knock on the door. “Isabella, it’s Richard, are you in there?”

“Yes. Did you need something from your desk?” She spoke behind the closed door, her hand braced against the door, her heart pounding.

“No, it can wait until morning.”

Isabella heard her father’s voice. “Señor Southard, may I help you?”

Isabella’s face grew hot. Her father wouldn’t understand. . . .

“Isabella?”

“Sí, Papá, I’m fine.” She ran to the bed and slipped under the covers.

“Emile, tell me more about Manuel,” she heard Richard say. Her father answered, and the two men’s voices receded from the door.

Isabella clutched the covers to her chest. She’d disobeyed her parents tonight by seeking out Richard. To have her father discover her talking with him. . . Thankfully the door was closed, not that she would have opened it. “Lord, I care for this man far too much. Mother will see it in my eyes when I return. Help me, Lord. I don’t want my heart to go to anyone who isn’t the best You have for me.”

❧

The next morning Richard woke still upbraiding himself for having been so foolish as to approach the captain’s quarters. Emile’s fatherly reprimand consisted of a look that would send any sane man running as far away from Isabella Fernandez as he could possibly get. And yet, he found himself even more attracted to her.

Cold ham and biscuits sat heavy in his stomach, a sharp contrast to Isabella’s fine cooking the day before. He’d assembled the men early this morning and asked them to gather any of their personal effects on the ship, as well as anything others might have left on board. For some reason, he knew he had to give the Sea Dove as a sign of good faith, but he also had the nagging suspicion he might never see the ship again. Richard rubbed his temples and went back to his paperwork, checking and rechecking his figures.

How is it that a man can know what is the right thing to do and yet still have the hardest time trusting it is the best thing? Richard kneaded the tension out of his neck.

“Señor Southard.”

Richard found Isabella standing outside the cabin. “Isabella.” What could he say? He looked past her to see her father was nowhere in sight.

“I saw your figures last night. I just wanted to say, you’ve been asked to sacrifice a lot. And thank you for understanding our customs.”

“Why are you here now, Isabella? If your father caught you, he’d be very angry.” Richard stood up at the desk and assembled his paperwork.

“Sí, he would. But I’m out here keeping my distance.”

“But you’re still speaking with me.” Richard slung the leather pouch with his papers and money over his shoulder. He stepped closer to the door. “You know as well as I, your father would not approve.”

“True, but I have come to retrieve my belongings. My father can’t object to that.”

“No, I suppose he can’t. Come in.”

Isabella stood steadfast outside the cabin. “No, I’ll wait until you’re through.”

“So, if I stay in here and continue to talk with you, your father would not object?” He knew the answer before he asked, but the thought of sneaking a brief conversation with Isabella controlled his better judgment.

“No, he would object. Richard, are your figures correct? Would you be sacrificing thirty-five thousand dollars?”

“Yes. But how did you come up with that? I never put the figure down.”

“I’m fairly good with mathematics.”

“Ah, Nanna is very good with figures too. She taught me well.” Richard opened his hidden panel and pulled out an additional leather pouch.

“What is that?”

“Isabella, has anyone ever told you, you ask too many questions?”

Her brown eyes shimmered. “Some have said as much.”

Richard chuckled. “You are an amazing woman, Isabella. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to see your cousin and make arrangements.”

She stepped aside for him to pass.

“Richard,” she whispered.

He turned to look at her. Her head bowed down. “You’re an amazing man,” she whispered.

Richard forced every muscle in his body not to reach out and pull her toward him. He’d never met a woman to whom he’d been so attracted. Yes, she was beautiful, but that wasn’t the only source of attraction. Every stolen moment together he’d learned another fascinating feature about her. She definitely piqued his interest. A change in subject would help. “Can you and your father afford passage back to Key West?”

“Father will find a way.”

“I’m sorry, Isabella; this hasn’t been a pleasant trip for you.”

She looked at him then. “It is not your fault, Richard.”

Richard. She’d said it again. For a young Hispanic woman, she was very daring. To speak to him, to call him by his first name, to understand math. . . Perhaps, he should seek her father’s permission to court Isabella. But if I did, Emile might think that something had already happened between Isabella and me.

Has it, Lord?