He gave something to everyone. To Callie he gave a beautiful stone, with a fern fossilized in it. To Tibby he gave one containing an exquisite shell.
Jim’s father had been a carver of some talent, for there were some fine pieces of scrimshaw. He gave a whale’s tooth with a sea monster carved on it to Nicky.
“Don’t show this to Mrs. B.,” Jim whispered to Barrow as he handed him a knife with a bone handle to Barrow. Barrow glanced at the knife and winked. The handle had a scandalous carving of a mermaid on it.
To Mrs. Barrow Jim gave a lovely necklace of polished green sea glass. “It was me mum’s,” he mumbled and quickly turned away. Mrs. Barrow wiped tears from her eyes.
To Gabe he presented another knife with a whalebone handle. Lastly he presented Ethan with a small wooden box. Ethan opened it and his eyes widened. It contained a fine whalebone chess set. “You should keep this, lad,” he said.
Jim shook his head. “I can’t play chess. I want you to have it.”
Ethan touched the boy on the shoulder as he turned away. “I’ll keep it for you until you can beat me at chess,” he told Jim. Jim gave him a shy grin and went back to his duties.
After his father’s main possessions had been given away, Jim placed the rest in the old boat. “Now fill it with driftwood,” he ordered, and they all gathered wood until the boat was full. Under his orders, they pushed the old boat into the sea until it floated. Then Jim took a burning brand from the fire and turned to face the assembly.
“Me da never did hold wi’ churches, as most o’ you know,” he said. “But he told me a story once about people called Vikings and how they done funerals. He told me he reckoned it would be a grand way to go. So, Da, this is for you.”
He tossed the brand into the boat and the driftwood caught fire and blazed up.
“Push!” he ordered, and the burning boat floated out to sea. They watched in silence, then one of the fishermen produced a fiddle. He started to play a slow, haunting tune, and after a moment a woman started to sing:
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow the wind south o’er the bonny blue sea;
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonny breeze, my lover to me.
They told me last night there were ships in the offing,
And I hurried down to the deep rolling sea;
But my eye could not see it
Wherever might be it,
The bark that is bearing my lover to me.
“’Twas his mam’s favorite song,” Mrs. Barrow sobbed to Callie.
Rafe, Harry, and Luke stood to one side, watching.
“That boy will make a fine man one day,” Rafe commented.
Harry turned to look at Jim. “He already is.”
Twelve
Sir Walter sent word early the next morning that the count’s yacht had sailed during the night, so a short time later they set off for London. They took two vehicles; Gabriel drove his curricle and Ethan drove a traveling chaise that had belonged to Great-aunt Gert. The other gentlemen rode.
Since no one was in a particular hurry, they took their own horses and completed the journey in a number of easy stages, stopping from time to time to stretch their legs and rest the horses. They also swapped around. From time to time Gabriel would take one of his friends up in the curricle, or they would drive and he would ride, or one of them would join Callie, Nicky, Jim, and Tibby in the chaise.
“It’s rather fun, isn’t it?” Callie commented to Tibby, “All this swapping around.”
“Yes, and to have such dashing escorts,” Tibby agreed. “Such a magnificent collection of men—it quite makes my heart flutter. They really are all extraordinarily handsome, don’t you think?”
Callie smiled. “Yes, indeed.” The chaise took a bend and she caught a glimpse of Nicky, sitting with Jim and Gabriel having a driving lesson.
