Lynna's Rogue (46 page)

             
“I will. And thank you. Rob?
Do you know my name?”

             
“I
sho
don’t
. But since you got all
dat
yeller
hair, and
‘
minds
me of one,
I’s gwine
call you Buttercup.”

             
She floated dreamily in the water that was so cool on her sunburned skin. Looking around, she was left awestruck by the lush splendor of the tropical paradise. She relaxed
,
feeling the tension leave her tight muscles, then tensed when something large bumped against her back. Her gasp echoed through the still forest as she froze, too terrified to turn and see what manner of man or beast was behind her. God only knew what hideous creatures lurked beneath the depths of the clear, inviting water
,
waiting to devour her. Her heart seemed to form a lump in her throat as she waited, galvanized for the attack. Holding her breath, she realized no harm had befallen her, so gathering h
er courage, she turned slowly. As she did, the
breath she held left her in a burst of merriment.

             
It was a water lily.
Or at least she assumed it was.
Having never seen one with such huge dimensions
,
she
could not
be sure. At least six feet in diameter
,
the lily pad was strong and buoyant, its brilliant color somewhere between lavender and pink. The flowers in the center were closed and she would later learn they opened only after the sun went down. Feeling str
angely adventurous, she climbed
into the lily pad to see if it would support her weight. It did, and she settled into the cu
shiony softness. She
relaxed, dangling her feet over the side and into the water as exhaustion from her trying ordeal once again settled over her and she slept.

             
Rob returned to find her asleep and floating on the giant pad. “Buttercup!” he called
several times
, but to no avail. Her sleep was one of physical exhaustion. He debated
whether or not to let her rest
. Deciding she needed food in her stomach more, he called to her a
gain, receiving the same response
. Picking up a large rock
,
he threw it in the water beside her, grinning when she sat up sputtering and wiping water from her face.

             
“What did you do that for?” she cried, sounding put upon.

             
“I called and called, but you ain’t wake up
.
”
He smiled
mischievously. “Come and eat
dese
nuts
an
berries I done found
fo
you.”

             
“
Oh.” Forcing herself to leave the comfort of her lily pad,
Lynna left the water and went to sit beside him on the damp moss. Hungrily
,
she grabbed a ber
ry and stuffed the sweet, plump,
juiciness into her mouth. She found the berries much to her liking, the same with the nuts. The tasty fare stopped the growling in her stomach, but left her far from satisfied.

             
Rob noticed. “After we finds us a place to sleep
tonite
, I see
whut
kind of meat I
kin
round
up
fo
supper.
I done
seed
plenty of rabbits and squirrels on
dis heah
island and
dat
big ole sea is full of fish, so we ain’t
gwine
starve.
”

             
Lynn
a was immediately on her feet.
“Where do we begin?” She
was eager to help, having
no desire to sleep on the open ground tonight with heaven knows what else for company.

             
Directly across from the pond Rob noticed for the first time what seemed to be an overgrown path. From the height of the grass in comparison with the surrounding vegetation
,
it was obvious that the path had once been well traveled.
Tensing, then forcing his body to relax lest he alarm the girl, he
realized they might not be alone on this island, as
he had
first suspected. He wondered if the natives were friendly and
issued a silent prayer
they were not the canni
bals the pirate captain had often
threaten
ed
him with. His insides tightened involuntarily at the thought of Lynna meeting with that horrendous fate. He
would not
let
her see his fear as he
vowed to protect her with his very life.

             
Taking her hand
,
they followed the path for several hundred feet through the dense jungle until they came to another
shaded
clearing
of soft, inviting grass,
surrounded on all sides by towering trees and scrubby plant life. Again Rob noticed that some of the undergrowth wasn’t as tall and thick as the rest. Moving to part the thick tangle of vines
,
he was amazed to find the entrance to a cave. Stepping inside
,
he squinted
,
trying to see through the eerie darkness
, but h
is eyes could make out not
hing except pitch black
.
The cave had been well used, for what he wasn’t sure, but he intended to find out.
He walked around the clearing gathering dry leaves, twi
gs, and a flint rock as Lynna relaxed on the soft carpet of grass.

             
He
rotated the flint rock into a
pile of kindlin
g until a spark ignited it. Fashioning a makeshift torch, he headed toward the cave entrance.
“You waits
heah
while I takes a look inside.”

             
“Oh, no!
I am
going with you.
I am
not staying out here alone
with..
.
with…” She looked
into the jungle, moving even closer to Rob when she heard what sounded like a woman’s piercing scream.
“That!”

             
“It
jus’
a bird, Buttercup. I spent time on a
plan
’
ation
in Jamaica, so I
knows dat
sound. Ain’t
nothin’
to be
sceared
of.”

             
“Just the same.
I am
going with you.”

             
They
shoved spider webs and other debris aside to enter
the cave
,
gasping in unison as the light from the torch illuminated the interior. “
I cannot believe it!” Lynna whispered
.
“This is unbelievable.”

             
“We ain’t
de onliest
ones on
dis
heah
island,” Rob said, nervously surveying his surroundings.
“Dat’s fo’
sho
.”
His huge hands clenched into tight fists as his sides, suddenly a
lert to hidden
danger
s
.

             
While he stood motionless,
Lynna took the torch and walked around the spacious cave
,
lighting torches that were attached to the wall. Light spilled across the room
,
illuminating a carved oak table with two sturdy chairs. A cabinet stood in one corner
,
filled with an assortment of
carved
wooden plates, bowls, c
ups, spoons and forks. What she
found most pleasing was the bed. It was a four-poster with a canvas mattress and spread, presumably made from the
sail of a ship.

             
“This is incredible
!” Lynna breathed, astonishment in her voice. “Someone must have lived here for quite some time. And whoever carved this furniture was a master of the art.” She was quiet as she moved around the room
,
amazed at the craftsmanship. “But where is he now?”

             
Rob relaxed a little, realizing
that neither natives nor cannibals were accustomed to the furnishings exhibited in the cave. “I reckon we be safe
nuff heah, fo
now.”

             
“I reckon we will.”

             
They both assumed from the vast amounts of cobwebs, dust and small furry creatures inhabiting the cave
,
that it had been vacated by its previous occupants long ago. Lynna immediately set about cleaning the place, hoping to make it livable by nightfall. On closer inspection of the much cherished bed
,
they found the moss filled mattress to be the home of a lively family of noisy
squirrels. Rob chased the
critters awa
y and carried the
mattress outside to ref
ill with fresh moss. Lynna lugged the canvas spread to the beach
to wash. Returning to the cave
,
they confronted the dirty interior together.

             
“Rob,” Lynna asked
,
unable to reach the ceiling. “Can you get those cobwebs down for me?”

             
“Yes, Ma’am,” he
answered dutifully
.

             
Lynna turned serious blue eyes on him. “Just yes, Rob. On this island we are equals. Here there is no color barrier between us.
No master and no slave.
Who knows, we may be on this island for the rest of our lives with only each other for companionship. I hope we can be friends.

             
“You is a fine lady, Buttercup
, dats fo sho
. Now,
I’se
gwine
look
fo
supper, so it mite take a spell
fo
I
gits
back.”

             
“Here
,
you might need this.” In one corner of the cave stood a various array of spears of all shapes and sizes, a wooden bow and arrow, and a collection of hand carved knives. Picking a spear at random
,
she threw it at his feet.

             
A huge grin split Rob’s face. “
A man
cain axk
fo
a better
place to be shipwreck
ed, can he
?”

             
Later that evening, Rob was lost in thought as they sat at the table after a satisfying meal of baked fish and oysters, cacoon stew, and fresh fruit. Lynna was proud of the meal
she had
prepared. Cacoon stew was made from a vine called cacoon, with pods that grew up to three feet in length. Rob taught her how to boil the pods and make a stew that was surprisingly mouth-watering.

             
“I hope some of
d
e
others on
dat
ship was lucky as we was.”

             
“What ship?” she asked curiously. They
ha
d been so busy making the cave habitable
that
there had been little time for discussion. “You said we were shipwrecked. What ship were we on?”

             
“I
keeps
forgittin
’
.” Rob sighed wistfully. “You done forgot
everthin’
.
Mite
as well start at
de
beginnin’
.”

             
As his unbelievable story unfolded
,
Lynna’s astonishment grew. She found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe
she had
actually given herself to a pirate captain to save this huge black man from being whipped. Nor could she believe she was married.

             
“What did you say my husband
’
s name was?”

             
“Michael
Debero
,” Rob answered patiently. “He was
de
brother of
de
pi’ate
captain
,
Sean
Debero
.”