THIRTY-THREE

THE NEXT DAY WAS SUNDAY AND BEAUTY ORDERED A MAKE AND MEND day, which allowed Rascal’s crew to patch, darn, and wash their clothes and generally have the afternoon to themselves without having to be on duty. Fallon, however, had much to do and even more to think about.

At the top of his list was what to do with Little Eddy. The boy had been all but invisible since Loire’s prize crew had come back aboard, no doubt hoping that he would be “out of sight, out of mind.” But he was very much in Fallon’s mind and he decided to speak with Beauty, Visser, and Aja and get their thoughts. Really, he was just putting off the decision.

In fact, here was Aja at his cabin door.

“A note from Admiral Davies, captain, sir,” he said. “Just came by his gig.”

“Thank you, Aja,” said Fallon, taking the note and putting it aside for a moment. “I’ve been meaning to compliment you on your first independent command in getting Loire to Bermuda and then English Harbor. And your work on setting her to rights was truly impressive. I’ve no doubt the prize agent was astounded by your efforts. It looked like the ship was taken without a shot! But, truly, your abilities belie your age, young man. Well done.”

Aja beamed, beamed like a child at Christmas seeing the toy he’d wished for, prayed for, appear with a bow. Nothing mattered more to him than Fallon’s approval and he stood awkwardly smiling now before mumbling his appreciation and shaking Fallon’s hand.

“Now, if you will be so good as to ask Beauty and Visser to join us here I’d like your collective guidance on a matter,” said Fallon, returning to the business at hand. Aja left the cabin and Fallon turned his attention to Davies’ note, which revealed an invitation to dinner aboard the flag-ship that afternoon. Besides he and Elinore, the guests were all friends: Beauty, Aja, Visser, Doctor and Señora Garón, and of course, Paloma. Now that was a dinner to look forward to, thought Fallon. There would be a vineyard’s worth of wine poured and Davies could be relied upon to have his cook lay on his best.

But here was a knock at the door and his little meeting was about to begin.

“First, we are all invited to dinner on the flagship,” he said to the group as they squeezed into the cabin and sat down around his desk. They all smiled in anticipation of the invitation and the sure knowledge that the dinner would be a feast, indeed.

“But I’ve asked you here for your counsel,” continued Fallon, turning serious. “Something must be done about Little Eddy and I would like us all to be in agreement, if possible, as to what that something is. It is black and white, I’m afraid. He either stays aboard or he is sent home on the next packet ship to Bermuda.”

Beauty looked at Aja. Aja looked at Visser. Visser looked at the floor. No one spoke, which Fallon took as a sign that they were all of the same mind and had likely already discussed the matter, leaving one of them to be the spokesman for the group. And, in fact, it was Visser who finally spoke.

“It’s like this, Nicholas,” he said, “Little Eddy made his decision to go to sea, which we all had to do at some point in our lives. He doesn’t want to go home and I, that is, we think he could stay. I mean should stay. That is if you agree, of course.”

Fallon looked at the three of them, none a parent. Of course, he wasn’t either. But he thought of Little Eddy’s mother losing her son, without so much as a goodbye, and felt a keen responsibility to her. Even more, he had to admit he didn’t want the responsibility if the boy should be hurt or, God help, die under his command. Little Eddy might be doing no more than other boys did, perhaps, but at least some of the other boys had the blessings of their parents to go to sea. Little Eddy had stowed away. There was something in Fallon that couldn’t abide taking him away from his mother.

“You are inclined to send him home, I believe,” said Beauty, looking at Fallon’s face closely. “I confess that was my first thought, as well. But Aja says he worked as hard as any man on Loire and the crew has accepted him as one of their own, so I guess I feel he’s earned the right to stay. I will support you either way, Nico. I’m glad it’s not my decision. I guess that’s why you make the two-eighths!”

They all laughed at that, even Fallon. Responsibility on a ship eventually landed on the captain’s lap, of course, else why was he the captain? Slowly the group broke up to get ready for dinner on the flagship, Fallon still at a loss as to what to do about Little Eddy.

There was nothing decided, but no decision to regret, either.

As Beauty made her way up the companionway and walked to the binnacle she wondered why Fallon was so against Little Eddy staying aboard. After all, boys ran away to sea all over the world. After Fallon had lost his mother even he… and then a thought struck her, a thought that was clear and true and so obvious she was surprised she hadn’t had it before. Fallon had no mother as a child, which must have left a scar, and he wanted to spare Little Eddy the same wound. Even a mother as imperfect as Little Eddy’s was still a mother. Fallon probably wasn’t even aware of what he was doing, or trying to do, or why he was trying to do it.

We all keep secrets from ourselves, she thought, and turned back to her duties with the ship.

That afternoon, Rascal’s gig clapped onto Avenger and the little party climbed through the channel to be welcomed by Davies, genial and gracious as always. He asked Fallon to wait a moment, however, while Beauty, Aja, Elinore, and Visser were shown below to Avenger’s great cabin.

“You smoked our friend Sir William immediately, Nicholas,” he said with a smile. “I could not but obey his request to keep his true occupation a secret from you. I hope you understand. When he’s not a businessman he works for the government but is aligned rather closely with Lord Keith who depends on him for information on French intentions in the Mediterranean. As you heard, he is a font of information on the Barbary situation, as well. I’m sorry for the deception, I am.”

“Don’t give it a thought, Harry,” said Fallon. “I agree he certainly seemed knowledgeable enough about Algiers, which was truly helpful. In that part of the world, I’m afraid I will be lost.”

Davies looked at his friend kindly. Not for the first time did he feel like they were brothers.

“If you become lost, Nicholas,” he said, “you can always be found.”

To say the dinner was a success would be to understate the evening.

The Garóns were very solicitous of Beauty, having grown close to her during her hospital stay on Antigua the previous year—had it been that long?—and since that time Señora Garón had had a baby girl. They all talked on and on, glass after glass, dish following dish until all the news was discussed and parsed and laughed at until nothing really mattered except that moment, that night with everyone together safe as houses. Paloma Campos was radiant, there was no other word for it, her black hair and brown skin seemed to gleam by candlelight, and the way she looked at Davies put Fallon in mind of his own feelings for Elinore, and several toasts were drunk to the joy of their engagement. At the last one Elinore cast a look to Fallon that said you had better be back in time for the wedding.

Only Caleb Visser seemed to hold back. Oh, he was engaged in the evening, to be sure, but he was new to the friendships. And he had to be forgiven for wondering what lay ahead, now that he had been fully acquainted with corsairs and slave markets and greedy deys. Fallon’s heart went out to him, as did everyone’s, for they had a hint of his despair, as well.

At last, the evening came to a close and they all stood on the deck saying goodbye and staring at the show of stars that seemed to have gathered just for them. It was a spectacular night, a night for fantasies and dreams. Indeed, as Fallon and Elinore climbed down into his gig to be rowed to shore and the Pegasus Inn, where Elinore and Paloma were staying, it appeared to them a hopeful sky. A lover’s sky. And the very idea set them to thinking about what the rest of the night might bring.

That evening there was a candle by the bed in the Pegasus Inn and, though the window rattled a bit from the wind, it was peaceful and warm inside Elinore’s small room. They locked the door and tried not to let the world’s troubles inside.

Elinore was provocative and insisted on undressing Fallon first, slowly. She took off each bit of his clothing, taking her time, and when she came to his trousers she unbuttoned them ever so slowly, her fingers carelessly touching him as she turned the buttons one by one. By the time she’d released the last one Fallon was mad with desire, as she knew he would be.

When he was fully undressed she stood before him and began to undress herself. As each of her garments fell away her body’s scent grew stronger and Fallon breathed her deeply, his eyes wide and alight with longing.

At last she wriggled free of the last of her undergarments and smiled a wicked smile at him, flirtatious and beckoning.

He gave into desire and put his hands on her and pulled her to him as she put her own hands in his hair. She closed her eyes and shuddered when he moved his mouth over her and then she began moving rhythmically, writhing, under his control now, the roles reversed, leaning against his face, her hunger building.

She pulled hard on his hair when at last she released, still standing, her body shaking and pulsing and vibrating uncontrollably. And then it was past; her hands relaxed in his hair and she reached for his shoulders to urge him up. She led him to the small bed by the table and there, by the light of the candle, she smiled that wicked smile again, inviting him to take her however he wanted.