Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (35 page)

I thinks on this and says, "Life ain't fair sometimes, Davy."

"For sure, Jacky."

"What about Liam?" I ask, avoiding the big question for a bit.

"His plan was to take his prize money and light out for his farm in Ireland where his wife and kids were. Whether or not he made it past the press-gangs, I don't know. Saw Snag in a tavern a little later and he seems to think that Liam made it."

Good for you, Liam. I wish you the joy of your farm and your family.

"Jaimy. Did he say anything about me?" I prepare myself for the blow.

"He talked about nothin' but you and I know he checked with every ship that come in from the States to see if you had sent him a letter, but he never got one. There was the
Plymouth
and the
Juno
and the
Shannon...
"

"The
Shannon?
" I cries, and jumps up. "I sent a letter on the
Shannon
and the midshipman who took it from me
knew where Jaimy lived and swore that he would deliver it to the house and I believed him!"

"And I'll bet he was as good as his word, Jacky," says Davy quietly and shuts up, letting me figure it out on my own. Which I do.

I sit back down on the edge of the bed. "His mum prolly wants him to marry a fine lady. Which I ain't. And which is why she ain't lettin' my letters get through to him. And now he ain't got no letters from me and prolly thinks I've gone off with someone else."

"That's the way I'd cipher it out, Jacko," says Davy. "And the story of you running around in the riggin' of the
Excalibur
and takin' a dip in your drawers didn't help none, neither."

"You heard of that?"

"
Everybody's
heard of
that,
" he says, and then mimics my voice. "'
Ain't no sailor alive what can catch Jacky Faber in the riggin'!'
Oh, you're famous, you are! Famous in legend and song, just like you always wanted!" He rocks back and forth with glee.

"Hush now, you!" I hisses at him. "Someone will hear!"

"Captain Morgan of the
Excalibur
has let it be known that he will run his sword through you at next meeting, and if he has to hang for it, so be it!" he crows. "And I hope to God I'm there as witness!"

"All right. Enough," I says. "I will have a letter for you on the day after tomorrow, when next you have liberty, to deliver to Jaimy. Be good to Annie or I'll find a sword to run through
you.
Now get out. We've got to get ready to serve dinner."

Davy gets up and says, "Gladly, as I got someone to meet." With a wink, he is out the window.

Jacky Faber
In care of Miss Amy Trevelyne
Dovecote Farm
Quincy, Massachusetts, United States
November 8, 1803

Mr. James Fletcher, Midshipman
On Board the
Essex,
on Station

Dear Jaimy,

If you are reading this letter, you will know that I met Davy in Boston when his ship made port here. It was a great joy to see him and it was an even greater joy to hear from him that you were well the last time he saw you.

It was with great sorrow, though, that I learned that you have not gotten even one of the many letters that I have sent to you by way of the ships of the Royal Navy that have come to this harbor. It fair broke my heart, it did, to know that you have not been assured of my love for you and have probably gone off into the arms of another by now. Alas, I have not gotten any letters
from you, either, and that has been the hardest part of my life here, not knowing how you fare and if you think of my poor self, if at all.

I must now write of something that may distress you: In talking to Davy, he said that you said that you didn't get a letter when the
Shannon
docked there. Jaimy, I sent a letter on that very ship by way of a very kind and honorable officer who knew your address and promised me that you would get the letter. I
know
he was as good as his word. There's only one thing we can cipher from this: Someone in your house has not been passing my letters on to you. I will not insult you by telling you who I think it is, but I think you will be able to figure it out. From now on I will send my letters to you on your ship direct.

Whoever has been reading my letters knows that I continue in my love for you in spite of your long silence. If you should want to write to me, please do it to the above address, as I don't know where I will be from one day to the next and I am sure that Mistress Pimm here at the school would not give me any of your letters, as she doesn't approve of sailors and she ain't given me any yet.

All that I have written of my life here has been lost and into it all again I cannot go, at least not now. Let it be enough to say that I am happy and have many new and dear friends, but I have been demoted to serving girl because I got in a bit of trouble. After I got busted down I sent you a letter saying if you didn't want me anymore because of that or anything else, then I was releasing you from your vow of marriage to me, which I here repeat again.

I am enclosing a miniature painting I did of myself in hopes that you might like to look at it sometimes. I have done one of
you such as my poor memory and even poorer talent serve, and it hangs over my bed. Your ring rests close to my heart.

It filled my heart with hope to hear from Davy that you did talk fondly of me the last time he saw you. I am still your girl, if you still want me to be that.

With all my love,

Jacky

I'm putting the finishing touches on my miniature painting of Annie—one more little dab of blue right ... there. Good.

We set her up on a stool in the kitchen cause the light's better down there and she's sittin' there all blushin' in my blue dress that I made on the
Dolphin,
the one with the low front 'cause I copied it from the one Mrs. Roundtree was wearin' that day she set me straight on the facts of life—Mrs. Roundtree bein' one of the ladies on Palma, where we made our first liberty call, and copying my dress from hers, considerin' her particular profession, was prolly a mistake—well, what did I know, at the time?

I really think I got Annie pretty good: honey brown ringlets hanging by her cheeks, a ribbon in her hair matching the dress, her upturned nose all jaunty, and a saddle of light freckles over the blush of her cheeks. I'm right proud of this one and it is with a fiendish delight that I lean over my work and paint the bodice of the dress even lower than it actually is 'cause I know it'll drive that imp Davy stark raving mad with lust when he's far away at sea. And with
Annie havin' a lot more on top than me, I say let's make those parts extra plump and peachy, what's the harm?

"There," I says. I put the oval watch glass over the ivory disk and snap the frame down. Then I put Annie's braided lock of hair around the whole thing and bind it up with the blue ribbon.
You really don't deserve this, Davy.
Then I show it to Annie and the Sisterhood.

Squeals all around.

"Oh, do you think I should?" says Annie, crossing her arms over her chest, her face a comely shade of pink tending to the red.

"Oh yes," says Rachel, our oldest and wisest. "Oh yes, you will give it to him!"

"Better not let Father see that," warns Betsey.

"Believe me, he shan't," says Annie, looking at the thing in wonder.

"It's amazing," says Sylvie. "It looks just like her. I can't believe it." She hesitates and then asks, "Jacky, could you..."

"Of course, Sylvie," I say. "Let's drive Henry mad, too. Let's drive them
all
mad!" Shrieks and cheers from my Sisters.

Course this means I got to do all of them, but it's good practice for me and it delights them, so it is all for the good.

But if Annie hoped to spend time with Davy again this day, she is to be disappointed. As we're clearing the dishes at the noon dinner, I lift my head and cock my ear and I hear, far off, the sound of ships' bells and foghorns and trumpets, even, all coming from the harbor.
Uh-oh...
I take my tray of dirty dishes and put it on the cart in the hall and dash to the front door and peek out. I don't like what I hear and see.

"Something's up down at the docks," I say, as I rush back into the dining hall and take the wide-eyed Annie by the arm. "Come, up to the top."

We rush up to my room and I pull down the ladder to the widow's walk and up we go. I grab my spyglass on the way and while she's viewing the scene with
ohhs
and
aahs,
I put the glass to my eye and train it on the three ships down below. Sure enough, there's men running about in a hurry, doin' things that I know is done when ships is about to get under way. The
Guerriere
is flying the commodore's flag and a line of flags is hauled up the masthead. Red square, then white square with blue
X,
then the numeral pennants: one, three, zero, zero. The other ships answer with the same flags racing to their own mastheads: All ships get under way at 1300 hours. For some reason known only to the Royal Navy, all shore leave is canceled and I can hear the seamen's complaint now:
Goddamn Captain prolly had a goddamn fight wi' his goddamn mistress ashore and now I'm missin' me goddamn liberty, I am!

Davy will not set foot on the United States for quite a while yet, if ever.

Damn!
And I ain't talked everything out of him yet!

I take the glass from my eye. "The fleet's leaving early. They'll be at sea by mid-afternoon."

She takes the news calmly. She drops her head and says, "Ah, well."

"Ah, well, nothing!" says I. "I
will
send my letter by him! Do you have your miniature?"

"Yes, it's here in my vest. I was going to give it to him today."

"Maybe you shall yet do it. Let's go!" and I lead the way
back down, snatching up my packet from my bedstead on our way through my room. Down the stairs to the first floor and then down into the kitchen. "Cover for us!" I yell as we go out the back door.

We run up to the stables and I take a bridle from the rack on the wall and I go into Gretchen's stall and put the bit in her mouth and slap the harness over her head and back her out of her stall.

"Surely a saddle, Jacky!" says Henry, coming upon us in our haste.

"No time, Henry! Open the barn doors!" I leap onto Gretchen's back and move her over to the hay crib, which has a side like a ladder. "Climb up here, Annie, and get on behind me! She can carry us both. Arms around me now and hold on!"

When I feel she's on, I give a "Hyah!" and dig my heels into Gretchen's sides and out we bolt from the stable and down the road we go. I've been riding long enough that my legs are strong enough to grasp the horse's sides without the need of stirrups, and I've tried it a couple times bareback so I know I can do it.

We get to a full-out gallop down through the Common and Annie's hangin' on so tight I can hardly breathe, but she's game and don't cry out and when we get to the street we hardly slow down at all and some people look up in alarm and some shake their fists at us for riding so fast through the town but I don't care,
we've got to get there in time!

We're down School Street, and the boys and girls at the schoolyard there gaze in wonderment as two crazy girls on horseback thunder past them, and then it's on to Water Street and then a hard left on Kilby and then a right on State
and then the cobblestones of the street give way to the planks of the pier and we're on Long Wharf, where the ships are tied alongside.

There's last-minute provisions being taken on all three of the ships, but the one on the end of the pier and closest to sea, the
Java,
was already pullin' in her gangway and startin' to throw off lines. The next one in line is Davy's ship, the
Raleigh,
and the final one, flying the commodore's flag, is the
Guerriere.
It will be the last to go.

I push Gretchen into the melee around the
Raleigh's
gangway and earn myself a few curses for my cheek. I'm lookin' around for Davy and I scan the riggin' but somehow don't think he's aboard yet, and I'm lookin' over the heads of the crowd on the pier and—

"Jacky! Annie!"

I wheel Gretchen about and see Davy bounding toward us. As I suspected, he was ashore when the call to return to ship went out and he waited till the last possible moment to go back aboard.

I throw my right leg over Gretchie's head and slide off and then I help Annie off and she slips down with a fine flash of petticoats.

I got to get my business done first 'cause Davy sure ain't got eyes for me. I hand him my packet and say, "Put your hand on your tattoo."

"Which one?" he says with a grin.

"Your Brotherhood tattoo, you ninny. I've no wish to see whatever else you've had stitched on your nasty butt," I huffs. He shrugs and puts his hand on the proper place.

"Now, swear, Davy, that you will try to deliver this to Jaimy and you will place it in no one's hand but his."

"All right, Jacky, I swear on my tattoo. I will do my best to get it to him."

"Thank you, Davy, and be careful of it. There is a miniature painting in there that's on ivory what can break, and make sure it don't get wet, neither, as they are watercolors and can run."

"All right, Jacky," he says, and turns to Annie.

They embrace and I turn around to give them what little privacy they can find on a crowded pier. I hear some
whoops
from the ship, and I know that Davy's reputation is being made. I wait, patting poor Gretchie, who's standing there snorting, her chest heaving like a bellows.
Ain't you the best girl, then? Poor Gretchen, you had a lot easier life before I got here, didn't you?
She nuzzles my cheek and forgives me.

"Here, Davy, is a token to remember me by," I hear Annie say with a slight quiver in her voice. "I think Jacky made me too pretty."