Other Oceans: Book Two of the Hook & Jill Saga Page 16

  “Reminiscent of our Doctor Hanover’s offer in regard to me.”

  “Excepting that the gentleman wished to rescue you from debauchery, my love, whereas LeCorbeau…”

  “Chacun à son goût, as his countrymen say. But you refused him?” She sipped her tea.

  “Oh, no, Madam. The decision is entirely up to the young man, as I indicated to LeCorbeau. I am not in the mood to deny our new partner anything at the moment. But the day will come! Mr. Starkey, instruct Mr. Nibs to employ discretion when in sight of our sister ship. We may engage in frequent rendezvous in the next weeks, and I’ve no desire to disappoint LeCorbeau prematurely.”

  Jill frowned. “I don’t understand why he wishes to play jackal to your lion.”

  Pride roused Smee from his solemnity. He said, “He’s a sly little rooster, but he could barely keep a civil smile on his face— the idea of playing second fiddle to the grand Captain James Hook! He’d not be standing for it, I’m thinking, without some prize waiting for him at the end.”

  Hook turned to Jill. “You witnessed Doctor Hanover’s reaction to the advent of L’Ormonde. After our gathering in the galley, I am convinced there is a link between Hanover and L’Ormonde’s captain. It does not prejudice me against his joining us, but I must know everything. Once again, Madam, your talents are required.”

  Jill was about to voice her suspicions, but Smee interrupted.

  “Captain, Sir.” Smee’s forehead furrowed. “You’re surely not wanting to allow that man near the lady again. Not after last night?”

  “Although I appreciate your concern, Mr. Smee, I believe the lady is capable.” Hook swiveled to face her. “But is she willing?”

  “Aye, Captain,” Jill replied, “The game’s begun. It would be a shame to forfeit now.” Her eyes glowed in anticipation. “As you say, the stakes are fabulous.”

  The Irishman shifted his stance. “Sir.”

  Hook regarded his bo’sun, then nodded to Starkey. “You may go, Mr. Starkey.”

  The sailor stood. “Aye, Captain. Lady.” He bobbed his head toward the pair, and clomped from the captain’s quarters, untying his kerchief to mop the back of his neck. He was glad to get well away. He never liked being close to the captain and his claw, and Smee had been brooding since before the party on L’Ormonde. It was clear the bo’sun had something on his mind that the captain wouldn’t be pleased to hear.

  The door snapped shut.

  “Now, Mr. Smee. Tell me.”

  Smee’s agitated gaze settled to rest on Jill. “Ma’am, since taking on young Miss, we’re missing our morning chats. But I’m thinking I know the direction of your thoughts.”

  She set down her teacup. It rattled on its saucer.

  “There’s more to Hanover than he lets on. It seemed to me you were holding your own with the man, but only just. I don’t advise you to go courting that kind of risk again.”

  “Mr. Smee, the captain forbids me to take part as yet in the kind of danger the rest of you must face. In the meantime, this gambit is a service I can easily perform, at little risk. Very little, compared to the battles you gentlemen fight.”

  “Jill has informed me of the gist of the interview, Mr. Smee. Name your concern.”

  “Well, Sir…the man had the gall to propose that the lady should go away with him!”

  Jill adjusted the cup on her saucer. “Yes. As I told the captain, the doctor’s display of confidence was quite enough to take my breath away. But knowing you were near was a great comfort to me.”

  “Begging your pardon, Lady, but when he got to tempting you with the diamonds, I fair had to rein myself in.”

  Hook raised one eyebrow. “Diamonds, Jill? So you led him right to the heart of the matter! How ever did you refuse him?”

  She regarded her lover with her clear blue eyes, unabashed. “Sir. I didn’t.”

  The captain returned her gaze, only half of a shrewd smile coming to his lips. His tone was thoughtful. “I see. So the game is advancing more swiftly than we anticipated.…Very good, my love. You are doing excellent work.”

  Smee reddened. “But Sir, the things the man said! How he’ll get his hands on her, that as soon as he gets the chance, he’ll near kill her with his love!”

  “Sentiments shared by every man aboard, Mr. Smee.”

  The color on Smee’s face deepened.

  As he registered the sincerity behind the bo’sun’s discomfort, Hook’s features sharpened. His voice assumed an edge. “Did the man touch her, Mr. Smee?”

  Reluctantly, Smee shook his head. He glanced at Jill. His broad shoulders rose as he drew a breath, then he addressed his captain again. “But to be honest, Sir, it’s only a matter of time.”

  Jill held her head erect and remained silent. It seemed that Smee had removed himself promptly from the companionway at her signal. Too promptly to have learned the extent of the doctor’s orders, or his final request. Or Jill’s reply.

  “Very well,” Hook said. “I have instructed the lady to act according to her own judgment. Madam, if at any time you require Mr. Smee’s protection, you will inform him,” Hook directed his gaze to the bo’sun, “and he will oblige. Now Mr. Smee, you will please bring the surgeon to me. I will assign him his new duty, as my lady requests, and also break the news of my decision. Unless he surprises me, you will proceed as discussed. Wait for him to grant you access to his quarters, where you will attend to the necessary arrangements. No doubt he will wish to accompany you.”

  “Aye, Captain. He’ll not be pleased!”

  “As I still hope for his eventual capitulation, we shall have to find a way to appease him. The lady will attend to that.”

  The lady inclined her head. “Aye, Sir. I had intended to inspect Liza’s quarters today in any case.”

  “Excellent. The timing is right for this move. We are nearing the islands, and I expect we’ll sight a choice vessel any day now. Thank you, Mr. Smee.”

  “Sir. Madam.” Smee nodded as usual, but as he turned to go, the eyes behind his spectacles lingered on the lady. That strand of hair was out of place again.…He balled his fingers together before he could obey the impulse to fix it. He thought how her perfume smelled like her skin— sweet and exotic. And she had that look about her, part heaven, part heathen. It was no wonder the doctor had fallen for her so quickly. She returned Smee’s look without blinking, and he had to be satisfied. For the moment.

  As he made his way out of the captain’s quarters, he heard Hook speaking to her.

  “Diamonds, Jill? Can you long resist such—” The china saucer clacked on the desktop, and abruptly, his words were stopped.

  The Irish bo’sun grew a resigned smile. His hand slid into his breeches pocket, where he closed it over a square of fine white cloth. He didn’t pull it out. He already knew that a little of her scent still lingered on it.

  She was good for the captain, and Smee was grateful for her. James Hook wasn’t alone any more.

  Smee hoped that that great man would never be alone again.

  § § §

  Containing his mood, the surgeon assisted the mistress as they descended the stairs and strolled aft below decks, trailed by Liza. Lit by the morning sunlight that squeezed through its gunports, this deck, too, was bordered on both sides by cannon. Only one or two poked their snouts out to sniff the breeze. All up and down the hull, the iron monsters were held in place by tackle, taut or slack, depending on the pitch of the ship. Boxes of shot to feed them were stored against the forward bulkhead, which closed off the galley. In contrast to the silent menace of the guns, a crate of chickens clucked and clattered, awaiting the cook. In a streak of white fur, the cook’s cat scampered away. Hanover ignored the surroundings, supporting Jill’s arm as he guided her past the weaponry and the mizzenmast, toward the aft quarters. Inwardly, the doctor fumed over recent events.

  Three doors opened off the stern section of this deck: Hanover’s to starboard, Smee’s to port, and in the center, a cabin for use as need determined, in
firmary or storage. Just that morning, Mr. Cecco had informed the surgeon that in spite of its proximity to Smee, who had administered his punishment, he’d taken his rest on the bunk there those nights when the fire of his back had prevented him from sleeping in his hammock. A handy room for Hook, into which his victims might slink.

  This ship, Hanover reflected, was full of people suffering from Hook’s decrees, Hanover and this lady included. And now a new outrage! With Smee, Hook’s favored lackey, as always the willing tool. Masking his fury, the doctor arrived at the door to his quarters with Jill on his arm. He stepped aside, indulging his aversion at this moment to touching any part of Hook’s ship. He signaled Liza to push the door open for them.

  The girl wore a mauve dress today. She had grown since it was made for her. Early this morning her father acquainted her with the fact that the brevity of its skirt displeased him. As her ankles chilled in the sea breezes, Liza hung back from the doorway, hesitating. Her father and the mistress entered the cabin, but Liza stood pushing the dress against her thighs.

  “Well, you must come in, Liza. I trust you tidied the bunks since this morning’s business.” Liza heeded the brusque note of anger in his voice, but understood that this time it had nothing to do with her. And unlike this morning, the lady’s presence would assure that he restrained his annoyance. Finding it enough for one morning to have provoked the ire of both her captain and her father, she hastened to obey, and ventured inside.

  The curtains hung open, and starboard windows illuminated the room. Two bunks lay straight ahead along the stern, one on top of the other, each with its own canvas curtain for privacy. A sea chest reposed at the foot of the lower bunk. On the inside wall of the cabin, left of the entrance, a pigeon-holed desk was secured, with two chairs waiting before it. The surgeon’s bag, books, and instruments were arranged in orderly fashion on the desk. A lantern stood sentinel on either side of its top shelf. The other side of the cabin contained another chair and a small table, a chest of drawers, and a mirrored shaving cabinet hanging on the wall. To the right of the door were pegs on which Liza’s few dresses were draped alongside the doctor’s tailored suits. A wooden bucket in the corner contained her blue dress, saturated and ballooning over the surface of the water. Except for her clothing, nothing suggested that a girl lived here.

  Jill stood just within the doorway and cast her gaze around the room. “Everything looks to be in order, Liza. You keep it tidy. It appears you have settled in.”

  Liza resisted the impact of Jill’s smile.

  “I will tell you that I am satisfied with your service so far, and I hope you will take full advantage of the opportunity granted you— today, under your father’s instruction, you will begin to read.”

  The doctor bowed, but his speech was clipped. “I was gratified, Madam, once I understood that the captain’s order was prompted by your request.”

  “Yes. I think it high time for Liza to begin her scholarship. Doctor Hanover’s daughter must grow into an accomplished woman.”

  “Like you. And so kind of you to make your quarters available. To us.”

  “This cabin is pleasant enough, but hardly conducive to study. And I will be pleased to enjoy your company each morning— both of you.”

  Jill had done it again; the doctor sloughed off his bad mood. His eyes warmed, and he now reclaimed his smug smile. “The benefits of the arrangement have not escaped me, Madam.”

  Jill smiled at his insinuation, then turned to Liza. “Is there anything more you need, Liza?”

  Sliding her eyes sideways toward her father, the girl pinched her skirt and lifted the hem an inch.

  “Ah. I see.” Jill bent to inspect the dress. She raised it a fraction, and Liza, under scrutiny of her father, clapped a hand below her knee, preventing further exposure of her leg. Jill looked up to the girl’s frightened face. Pausing, she stored this puzzle for future reflection, then went on, “There is plenty of fabric here to lengthen it. You’ll need a needle and thread.”

  Liza shook her head and retreated to the chest of drawers. She knelt down to open the bottom drawer, and removed a small sewing basket. Needles and pins made a prickly bouquet of its pincushion. She set it down on the floor and looked at Jill, bunching the tips of her fingers together, then pulling her hands apart.

  “Thread, then?”

  Liza nodded, her lips sketching the outlines of a smile.

  “Our sail maker has only coarse twine. But there is one man aboard to supply your sewing needs. Our very skilled tailor, who can fix anything that needs mending, from sails to stockings. You must see Mr. Smee.”

  The girl’s eyes panicked and she stood up hastily, backing into the table. Mystified, Jill looked to the doctor. His lips twisted in an unpleasant manner.

  “Doctor? What is it?”

  “Your Mr. Smee, Madam. The ‘exception to every rule.’”

  “Why? What has he done?”

  “Liza.” Hanover jerked his head toward the bunks.

  The girl cast a wide-eyed look at her mistress, then stepped forward. The little pearls on her ring glowed in the daylight as she grasped the curtain of the lower bunk. She swept it aside.

  At first Jill saw nothing but the darkened interior of the bunk. Then she made out a white pillow, and then a coverlet. A long, thin shadow lay over the pillow, something that didn’t belong. It coiled around the bedpost and snaked in heavy links, ending in an iron cuff. Jill allowed her mouth to fall open.

  “Shackles?” Her voice achieved uncertainty.

  “Again, Liza.”

  The girl obeyed, reaching up and yanking the upper curtain open as well. Jill stood on tiptoe to see another iron snake stretched over the higher bunk, eighteen inches of cold captivation. She stared.

  “Yes,” Hanover remarked. “Your Mr. Smee is the man to fix everything! He has fixed us quite nicely, as you can see.”

  “Doctor…”

  “Captain Hook summoned me this morning, as you know. After you left, he offered me my first opportunity to sign on officially as a member of the Jolly Roger’s company.”

  “You refused him?”

  “Of course I refused! And then the consequences were made clear to me.”

  “So you are still considered a prisoner.”

  “Until I swear an oath and sign the ship’s articles, it seems I cannot be trusted to roam free— under certain circumstances.”

  “But you’re not to be marooned, or confined to the brig?”

  “The captain indicated that he is being uncharacteristically merciful in my case, still hoping I will change my mind. Then he ordered his Mr. Smee to set these irons in place, to be used whenever the Roger approaches a port or a vessel.”

  “So that you can’t escape in the confusion. But Liza, as well?”

  “Your captain is a shrewd man.” Hanover laced his words with bitterness. “He won’t give her the chance to choose between her father and her master.”

  Her master. The girl shrank back, smiling only inwardly at the knot of satisfaction tightening her chest. She sat down on the end of the lower bunk. Inconspicuous, she listened, without seeming to do so.

  “Yes,” Jill said, “he is shrewd indeed….Johann, I am sorry.”

  The doctor raised his head. The anger in his eyes lessened. “It is almost worth the humiliation, to hear you say my name.”

  “It is worth saying your name to comfort you. Johann. It isn’t surprising, is it, that Captain Hook already knows what I know? You would leave us if you got the chance.”

  “No, it isn’t surprising. You warned me of his methods.” He paced as far as the narrow limits of his cabin would allow. “How I would like to see him caught in his own chains! But…” The doctor turned and focused on Jill, his taut face relaxing. “Perhaps you could help me. It could mean helping yourself as well.”

  Jill was cautious. “What would you have me do?”

  “I would never place you in danger. I seek only the answer to a question.”

 
She shot a glance at the girl on the bunk. “I told you, Sir, I am not prepared—”

  “No, no! A new question. I held a conversation with Mr. Cecco this morning. He impresses me as a decent sort, and unlike most of Hook’s crew, unintimidated by that Irishman. Mr. Cecco had the courtesy to inform me of Hook’s arrangement with Captain LeCorbeau.”

  Watching the surgeon closely, Jill commented, “Yes. We were all surprised by the commandant’s unusual proposal.”

  “Madam, can you learn whether Hook intends to have me shackled when we rendezvous with L’Ormonde? And if so, persuade him otherwise?”

  “So your hope of deliverance does have something to do with L’Ormonde. It was my guess, after our conversation last evening.”

  “Out of respect for your situation, I won’t answer, Madam. But I must have access to her captain.”

  “I can ask your question without putting myself at risk. It is one I would ask the captain in any case. But I won’t argue with his decision, whatever it may be. If you are to be restrained, you must manage to change his mind on your own.”

  “I understand. Thank you. I am sorry to say, however, that in light of recent developments, I will be unable to make the necessary arrangements as quickly as I had hoped.” Bitterness surfaced again. “I am, to say the least, disappointed.”

  Jill noticed that Liza kept her head down. Jill, too, remained silent. She sensed what was coming.

  “I was unable to ask earlier, and it seems immaterial now. But…did you sleep well, Madam?” As entitled as he felt to ask it, he had the grace to accompany his very personal question with a blush.

  She hesitated, managing a modest coloring of her own. “As it happens, Doctor, I slept quite well.”

  “That, at least, is something. But I will not be content until a plan—”

  “I will hear nothing more. You should know, Doctor Hanover, that I have signed the ship’s articles. I have sworn the oath of loyalty.”

  Her revelation gave the doctor pause. He looked her up and down, not with anger, but with eager relief. “So that is it? That is why you are reluctant to listen, or to make promises? You are honor-bound to Captain Hook! But,” he relaxed his stance, “once I have removed you from his power, such an oath to such a man will count for nothing.”