“Aye.” The older man nodded. “I’m sure she does. Probably joins in. My Mary would.”
After that they walked in silence, but the words they had shared seemed to bond them in a way Nick had never felt with another man. It was a spiritual joining that made him feel he had gained a brother and not just a job.
He thought of Elise and wondered at her faith. Nick imagined it was probably a strong one. She seemed so kind and at peace. There was nothing pretentious about her.
And even more amazing, she loved the sea.
Nick liked the crew of theMary Elisealmost immediately. The men were friendly and open about their duties and what they thought of the captain.
“Cap’n isn’t one to accept second best,” the youngest member of the crew declared after the captain left Nick in his care. Just turned fifteen, Tom Mallory was years ahead of his age. He explained he’d been orphaned at only six and had lived his life on the streets until he got himself in trouble. Some time ago, a local judge had asked Captain Wright to take him on, giving him a job in lieu of going to jail for breaking into a local grocer to steal food.
“I’ll give my all,” Nick assured him. The boy looked him up and down and gave a nod. Apparently Nick had passed muster. Besides Tom, there were another six men, plus the captain and Elise. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to join them until later. It seemed like all the men knew their jobs and were good at them. They had been with the captain for some time and worked as one body to ready theMary Elisefor departure.
The captain showed up after having been gone an hour or two. A large man trailed behind him. The captain was at least six foot two and two hundred thirty pounds, but this man was bigger still.
“Men, this is Booker Duran. I’m hiring him on for this short run. It’ll let me see what kind of worker he is.”
Nick looked Duran over. The man was huge, but Nick had worked with big men before. More worrisome was the coldness that edged his expression. There was a hardness about him that suggested he was used to being in control. That could cause problems when working with a crew.
“Seamus, show him the ropes. Nick, you come with me. We need to talk.”
Nick startled at this. He wondered if the captain had found out the truth about him. It bothered him something fierce not to be completely honest with his employer about his background. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t be honest if asked, but Nick was hesitant to just offer up the truth. He comforted himself that he hadn’t and wouldn’t lie to the older man, but it nagged at him nevertheless.
Captain Wright stopped abruptly and turned back to the men before they could disperse. “By the way, you may have noticed Elise isn’t with us. She was nearly killed when a freight wagon collided with the carriage she was in. This young man saved her.” He patted Nick’s shoulder. “So for the time being, we’ll be cookin’ for ourselves. I’ll even go first.” He called to his second mate. “Sam, you assign and write down who’s going to cook tomorrow and all the days after that.”
There was a bit of grumbling, but most of the men said nothing.
Booker Duran made his protests known. “I didn’t sign on to cook.”
Captain Wright walked to where he stood, and despite Duran being a bit taller, the captain looked him in the face. “Mr. Duran, on this ship we do as ordered by the captain or first mate, or in your case most any other man on board theMary Elise. If that’s a problem . . . there’s the gangplank.” The captain motioned toward the side of the ship.
Duran scowled. “I don’t think anyone will care for what I cook up.”
“That’s not the point. Not one of these men can cook as well as my daughter, but we eat what we’re served or go hungry. Do you understand?”
“Aye aye, Captain.” The words sounded sarcastic and insincere, but Nick knew that the captain would have his way.
“I suggest you have a last meal in town tonight. It might be the last edible thing you get for a while.” Captain Wright laughed and gave Nick’s back a nudge. “You too.” He motioned for Nick to follow him. “I know I told you about young Tom earlier, but I’m gonna ask you to keep a special eye out for him with regard to Mr. Duran. The man clearly has a chip on his shoulder and a desire to take on the world. I don’t want to see Tom influenced to do something stupid.”
Nick breathed a sigh of relief that the captain didn’t yet know about his past. “I’ll definitely do what I can.”
“Duran has his issues, but I believe in giving every man a chance to right his wrongs.”
With that, the captain headed to the stern. Nick thought about his comment and wondered if that would extend to someone like him. Someone who had caused the death of so many.
The next morning, Nick awoke in the darkness of theMary Elise’s forecastle. Most of the men were pulling on their boots.
“You better get a move on, Nick,” young Tom declared. “We’ll eat our breakfast and then get right to work.”
Nick nodded. He was more than ready to be back on the water. Most of his sailing had been spent on the Great Lakes.He had worked on an ocean-going schooner for a couple of years, then traded life on the Atlantic for that of the Great Lakes. Now, with ten years of working experience in every area of responsibility, Nick felt confident, yet he wasn’t too proud to fill in for any man. He had always believed it was a good thing to use his skills and keep them up to date.
After a rushed breakfast of overcooked oatmeal, fresh fruit, and lots of hot coffee, they were underway. A tug helped get them out of the harbor while the crew saw to last-minute tasks. Once they were clear of the breakwater, the real work began.
“Raise sails!” Captain Wright called to the crew.
The sails were unfurled on all three masts and released to catch the wind. It was a beautiful sound as they snapped into place.
“First mate, take the wheel,” Captain Wright barked, relinquishing control.
