Letting herself enjoy the thrill of anticipation, she smiled back at him. “Yes, my lord, so shall I.”
It was midday by the time Raveneau walked from Trafalgar Square onto the Chamberlain Bridge which separated the inner and outer basins of the Careenage. To the east of the swinging bridge, exposed hulls were being scraped, painted, and repaired. To the west, the outer basin and Carlisle Bay were lined with tall-masted schooners and other ships from every corner of the Caribbean. Adam paused for a moment to watch cargoes of plantains, mangoes, and lumber being unloaded and transported to nearby warehouses.
Asa Forester was waving to him. The rotund older man stood halfway down a set of wide steps that led from a landing to the water. Adam remembered his grandfather explaining that the Wellington Stairs were often used by visiting dignitaries and royals when they disembarked from their ships.
“There’s nothing like it, is there, Raveneau?” Forester called in robust tones, spreading his arms wide to gesture at all the activity in the port.
Adam met him on the broad landing and extended his hand. “I take it business is going well, sir?”
“Do you see the bags of sugar and casks of molasses and rum that are arriving at the wharf? That’s my lighter that they’ll be loaded onto, and then transported to that magnificent ship out in the bay.” He pointed to the northwest.
“Could that be the Patriot, your latest acquisition?” Drawing up the bill of sale and other papers had been the first of many tasks for him as Forester’s lawyer. “A handsome ship indeed.”
“I’m grateful to have found a solicitor I can trust, Raveneau, so that I continue to attend to the matters of true importance, like building my fortune!” He threw back his curly white head and laughed. “I trust I haven’t kept you too busy?”
“I share your sense of gratitude, sir. I have a fortune of my own to build.” A dry smile touched Adam’s mouth.
“And I understand you asked me to meet you because you need a favor?”
“I do. However, if you agree, perhaps I could earn it with a few hours of my professional services at no cost.”
“Very interesting!” Forester waggled his bushy eyebrows. “There is a tavern just a stone’s throw from here on Bay Street. I propose that we sit down and discuss this matter over a cold glass of ale.”
It was time Adam didn’t have, but on the other hand, the man was his best client and this conversation could save his marriage. So, he went along to the Pelican House, dodging puncheons of molasses being rolled haphazardly toward the waterfront via two-wheeled carts called spiders.
“Someone should find a way to put brakes on those contraptions!” Forester barked after nearly being run down.
Once they were safely settled at a table by the window and had been served, Adam leaned forward. “Sir, as you know I have access to all your records—”
“Of course! I had a good feeling about you or I wouldn’t have hired you, Raveneau.”
Adam smiled, thinking how pleasant it was that Forester seemed to know nothing of his title. It was a welcome respite from being called “my lord” at every turn. “Thank you, sir. In your records, I saw a bill of sale for a brigantine called The Golden Eagle. Do you still own it?”
Forester drained his glass. “Another hot day in paradise. I really longed for a swizzle, but my wife would say that it’s much too early... isn’t it?” He tugged at his celluloid collar. “The Golden Eagle, you say? Yes, yes, I own her. Older than the devil, but quite beautiful. She’s just returned yesterday from Venezuela. Why do you ask?”
“The Golden Eagle was my grandfather’s ship.”
“Ah! So that’s where I’d heard that name Raveneau before! My memory’s not what it used to be; too much rum, my wife would say.” He paused to chuckle and signaled for another ale. “She’s a beauty, just old fashioned. Why did he sell her?”
“I think, by the time he was eighty, he realized that the ship needed to be in more regular use, and his children couldn’t take it. My own father was hopelessly landlocked, and my aunt had married a Frenchman.”
“Hmm! I’m only the second owner since Nathan Raveneau, as I recall. I heard that she had quite a colorful past!”
Adam gave him a jaunty smile, remembering some of the passages in his grandfather’s log books. “You might say that. And I would like to give her one more adventure, if you’ll consent to letting me borrow her for a few days.”
“That’s quite a request!” Forester exclaimed, his eyes widening. “Are you experienced with a vessel of that size? I wouldn’t have imagined a solicitor on the deck of an eighteenth century brigantine!”
“My great-grandfather was a famous French privateer captain, and I have cousins who are still building and sailing ships in Essex, Connecticut. I suppose it’s in my blood. Actually, more so than the law, to tell you the truth.” Leaning back in his chair, he took a long sip of ale and added, “In any event, I would need another captain because I will be... otherwise occupied part of the time we are at sea. I was hoping that you might lend me a skeleton crew along with the ship. A discreet skeleton crew.”
“You’re a brash one, Raveneau!” Forester’s eyes sparkled. “I like that! Yes, I’ll help you. How soon do you need the Golden Eagle?”
“In two days.” He finished his own ale and took some money out of his pocket to pay for them both. “I’m very grateful. Thank you, Mr. Forester.”
“I don’t suppose you’d be interested in coming to our house for dinner... and meeting my daughter? She’s quite a charmer!”
“Although I’m sure your daughter is lovely, I’m afraid that I’m married.” Counting coins onto the table, he shifted his hand to make his wedding ring more visible.
“Are you? That’s not what Basil Lightfoot’s been telling people. If you’ll take a piece of advice from me, I would tell you that it’s not a good policy to let your wife live apart from you. People begin to gossip.”
Adam felt a familiar surge of frustration and a possessive white heat when he thought of Basil Lightfoot or any other man believing that Cathy was available. “I appreciate your advice, Mr. Forester, and I agree. My advice for you, if anyone should mention my wife to you again, is to suggest that they mind their own business.”
The other man blinked. “I can see that I’ve touched a sore spot!”
“Not at all.” Standing, he flicked a bit of dust from his sleeve. “The important thing is that we have a bargain. I’ll be in touch to settle the details.”
“Of course. And let this favor be my gift to you. I intend that we shall have a long and prosperous working relationship, and perhaps this will set the seal on it.”
A smile flickered at the corners of Raveneau’s mouth. “No doubt it will.”
Chapter 30
“How many of you can tell me the name of the President of the United States?” Cathy asked the twelve adolescent girls seated before her. When several hands went up at once, she beamed and gestured toward a student in the back row. “How smart you all are! Frances?”
“Theodore Roosevelt, Miss Cathy,” she answered in a small voice.
“Very impressive! I’d like you all to write his name, as you think it is spelled. I’ll write it, too, and then we’ll talk about it.”
As all twelve dark heads bent and they went to work, Cathy felt a surge of happiness. It was immensely satisfying to have put together a classroom here in the hotel’s sunny music room, with three rows of long tables, a dozen matching chairs, and a small desk for her in the front. The day before, she had had her doubts that the girls would really come, but all twelve of them had arrived on the mule tram, just as June had promised. They wore freshly laundered and pressed white dresses and bows on the ends of their braids, and each one carried a pencil case and an essay book. On that first day, Cathy had used some of her own books, holding them up to show illustrations and then passing them around. Before planning lessons, she had decided to spend a day or two quizzing them on various subjects to discover how far they had come with their previous teacher.
One of the hardest decisions had concerned her own name. She felt strange about asking them to call her Mrs. Raveneau, since she lived apart from her husband and the marriage could well be over. Yet, it didn’t feel right to introduce herself as Miss Parrish, either. So, for the time being, she said that they might call her Miss Cathy.
The girls had begun putting their pencils down when suddenly Theo appeared in the doorway, walked past the tables, and whispered in her ear.
“Oh, dear,” she told her students with a bemused smile, “it seems that I’ll have to step out for a few moments. But Mr. Harrismith will teach you in the meantime. He is very interested in the recent success of a flying machine built by the Wright Brothers, and I know he would enjoy sharing his knowledge!”
The sound of them buzzing behind her as she walked toward the door made Cathy pause. “And I know that you will show him your best manners. We are all here today because of Mr. Harrismith’s kindness. If there is any misbehavior, he has my permission to drill you on sums.”