Raised By Wolves 1 - Brethren (18 page)

With the sleek lines of the vessel and their dark eyes watching us with predatory intent, I was minded of the sharks. I was sure this one could leap forth from the water and bite whatever hairy arse it chose. I wondered if Fletcher would claim God responsible for that, too.

It was obvious to them we held a cargo of bondsmen, and they shouted many words of encouragement in several languages as we passed: most suggesting that our cargo would do well to jump ship, and if they ever did run, they would have a home amongst the Brethren, as these men apparently called themselves.

“Look at her; she’s not even flying the Union Jack. She’s already under the damn buccaneer Jolly Roger,” Belfry muttered. “No respect.”

I looked at the Griffon’s flags; she was flying red colors, no markings, just brilliant crimson against the blue sky.

“Jolly Roger?” I asked.

“You don’t think that has another connotation, do you, sir? I was under the impression it was a French term. Perhaps….”

I shuffled it about a bit in my mind until I understood.

“Jolie Rouge,” I pronounced correctly in its native language. “Pretty Red. I would think the connotations would involve blood or power.”

“But nothing more… salacious?” he asked.

“Possibly,” I teased with a grave face. I left him to contemplating the possible salacious meanings behind every term he must have heard in these parts and looked over my companions. Fletcher was viewing the Griffon with alarm, as were Harry and Dickey, but there was a spark of curiosity in Tom’s eyes, and Davey’s gaze positively ached with yearning.

He caught my eyes.

“You can join them,” I mouthed.

“How?” He shook his head at my foolishness.

Belfry was called by the captain, and I stepped closer to Davey to speak quietly. “I do not know yet. Let me see more of the lay of the land so that I can formulate a strategy. Will we dock?”

He sighed. “Captain’s not stupid. He won’t even dock until after you have your men off. And this wharf is damn expensive. We’ll come in to offload your cargo real quick.”

“That does complicate things. Still… Do you maintain the same watch schedule in port?”

He frowned. “Aye.”

“Good, then I shall know when you should be on deck. Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. If the opportunity presents itself, I cannot have you chasing about after your possessions.”

He shook his head with a derisive snort. “I only have a small bag.”

I snorted in turn. “I usually travel as light.”

He did not seem to believe me, and I sighed.

A hand rested on my shoulder; and I forced myself not to start, and instead, glanced casually back to see Fletcher.

“The bo’sun’s watching you two,” he said just as casually.

I smiled as if he had just delivered a joke. Old Fletcher had a dishonest bone in his body after all, and the wherewithal to exercise it.

I ignored Davey for now, and returned to watching the shore of my new home. The rest of the Port Royal side of the passage into the harbor was lined with buildings and pens on the beach; someone said they were for sea turtles. Then we rounded the second point and came into the harbor itself. As Davey said, the captain did not steer for any of the wharfs, but instead sailed into the bay and anchored nearly a quarter mile from shore.

Captain Starling asked to meet with me in his cabin, and I quickly obliged. He sat at his desk with a tired sigh and the wave of a fan. The cabin was sweltering, and he had dressed to go ashore in periwig, large hat, full coat, and boots.

“We will go ashore and meet with your father’s agent,” he said slowly. “Steins gave me a letter for him to introduce you, as we have arrived well before any other news of your coming could. The bondsmen will stay here until you have a place to take them. You are contracted for a week in that regard; additional days will cost additional money.

I am sure your agent will have made arrangements, though, and you will probably have them all cleared in a day or two. After your men are secure, we will dock and unload your cargo. Before that, we have one final bit of business. You were contracted for twoscore men and there are forty-one. Since you have befriended the lot of them,” he seemed disapproving of this, “I leave it to you to choose which one I get to sell.”

I was appalled but I suppose it was to be expected. “I want all of them. How much would one of their contracts normally fetch? Name an amount and I will pay you.”

He nodded slowly. “I thought you might say as much. Forty pounds.”

I knew this was high, yet I saw no point in bargaining. Between this and the amount I had promised Belfry, I had nearly halved what little my father had given me for my own use.

I retrieved my purse, and he handed me a sheaf of contracts.

“Whichever one you choose is yours; the rest will be handed to your father’s man,” he said.

It seemed an odd thing for him to say, until I realized the implications. I had purchased this contract, not my father. I rifled through the sheets until I found Fletcher’s.

A half hour later, my cabin mates and I were gathered on the deck with our belongings and prepared to depart. The captain would be rowed ashore with us, to meet with my father’s barrister, a Mister Theodore. Most of my baggage would be landed with the rest of the cargo. I, of course, retained my weapons and personal bag.

I left Old Grisholm in charge of the men and took Fletcher with me.

I told him it was to aid in the arrangements, and he did not question it.

The others were anxious to get off the damn ship, and I assured them I would get them ashore as soon as I could.

As I was not sure under what circumstances I would see him again, I pulled Belfry aside and pressed a bag of coin into his hand.

“Thank you for a fine voyage and all your assistance. I wish you well in your coming nuptials.”

“Thank you, my Lord, your fine acquaintance has honored me greatly. Perhaps we will meet again the next time we sail here.”

“But of course, feel free to pay me a call. You will be most welcome.”

He bowed deeply, and I responded as if he were a gentleman of station equal to my own. He seemed to take great pleasure in this, and we parted company.

I did not see Davey. It was still his watch, and he should have been above deck; but he was not to be seen, though I did notice the bo’sun eyeing me with a smirk. I vowed to settle accounts with that man when I came to pick up Davey. It seemed he harbored a mistaken perception of his own worth.

Shortly thereafter, we disembarked onto the longboat and were rowed to the common wharf across from the King’s House. It was the original Governor’s mansion until he moved to Spanish Town. There were no ships before the landing, and so the large house was afforded an uninterrupted view of the bay and mountains to the north.

The rest of the half mile or so of the northern side of the cay was quite crowded with ships and wharfs and buildings of several stories in height. There were three docked ships: all English merchant vessels of large tonnage, and all in the process of unloading and loading cargo.

Four other vessels rode at anchor in the harbor. They presented quite an engaging sight against the lush green mountains, which I guessed to be the Blue Mountains from the crude maps I had seen.

The landing places bustled with activity, as people, dressed both well and common, embarked or disembarked from the small craft that were used to cross the bay. All in all, it looked like any small English port I had seen. Oddly, I did not see any buccaneers.

Captain Starling met with a man on the wharf and sent for someone to fetch my father’s barrister. I was not looking forward to meeting this Theodore, as I was sure he would be much as Steins had been. Starling also sent someone to fetch Tom’s uncle’s man. Then the captain sat in the shade and waved his fan.

I took the opportunity to pull Fletcher aside and explain what had occurred. I handed him the contract and bade him tear it up.

He shook his head with wonder. “But Lord Marsdale, you have paid my passage here.”

“Then I expect to hire you cheaply to run my mills,” I chided. “And you owe me forty pounds.”

His eyes went wide at the sum. “My Lord, I may as well be your bondsman,” he shrugged.

“Let us draw up our own contract for a term based on the number of years it would actually take you to earn the money, as if it were a loan.”

He finally smiled; and then true elation gripped him, and he swept me up in a great embrace. As I had not been chest to chest with another man in months, I was torn between wanting him to stop breaking my back and wanting him to squeeze tighter. Thankfully he released me before my hungry body tried to wrap itself around him.

We rejoined the boys, who were regarding us curiously. I explained about Fletcher now being a free man. They seemed surprised and pleased at this news, but quickly returned to appearing ill-at-ease.

“Is something amiss?” I asked.

“This is not as I expected,” Dickey said.

“How so?” I asked.

“I expected more,” Dickey replied. This was apparently a sentiment shared by Tom and Harry.

I chuckled. “Well, Jamaica, and this cay, has only been in English possession for eleven years now. I quite frankly expected less. But never underestimate the perniciousness of British industry. I imagine in ten years the whole cay will be packed with buildings like this, all the way to the southern shore. Land will be at a premium, and these lots on the harbor here will be worth hundreds of pounds.”

“And it will still be small,” Dickey said with disdain.

“Aye, but all commerce for Jamaica will flow through it,” I said.

“How many people are there here?” Harry asked.

“Oh, from what I heard, there are over ten thousand men, women, and children on Jamaica, and maybe a thousand here in Port Royal.

Beyond that, possibly a few thousand Negro slaves.”

“And well over two thousand buccaneers,” a wherry man who had been listening to us added. “But they come and go. Don’t know what we’ll do if’en they all land at the same time. Probably run outta drink.”

I gawked at the figure. “Over two thousand? Residents or no, that is twice as many people as I was led to believe the town possesses.”

“Oh, aye, sir,” the wherry man said. “There’s a mess of ’em. Can’t control ’em. They run amuck in the streets at night, and the good folk stay indoors. The Governor had to be moved to Spanish Town after one of the bastard captains took to shooting the place up. Some crazed Portugese arse.”

I was amused. “But it is my understanding the Governor has reason to want them here?”

“Oh, aye, aye, Governor Modyford loves ’em dear, due to most of our money coming from ’em too. Not like he don’t line his pockets, if you understand me meanin’, sir.” Then he looked as if he realized he had spoken more than he should.

I gave him a reassuring shrug. “I know few here, and would not pass along the opinion of an honest man.”

He smiled at that. “Thank ye, sir, I was forgettin’ meself.”

An officious-looking man wearing a nice coat, stockings, and real gold buckles on his shoes charged onto the wharf and approached Captain Starling. They exchanged pleasantries and paperwork, and then Captain Starling ambled down the street. The man, who I assumed to be Theodore, stood and read through the letter from my father. His face betrayed nothing, though he occasionally glanced in our direction. Once he finished, he approached us and bowed to Dickey.

“Lord Marsdale, pleased to make your acquaintance, I am your father’s agent, Jonathon Theodore.”

Dickey was taken aback, and I found myself laughing as I looked us over. Dickey was indeed the only one of us still dressed as a man of quality, in full coat, hat, and stockings. I was wearing a shirt, breeches, boots, and little else other than a pistol and sword. My coat and hat were thrown over Tom’s luggage. I had not even bothered to pull my hair back.

“Um, sir, I believe you are mistaken,” Dickey said quickly. “That is Lord Marsdale.” He pointed at me; and Theodore turned to regard me, with initial embarrassment that quickly became bewilderment.

I stepped forward and bowed before offering my hand. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. I have only heard the best about you, and my father has been quite happy to have hired a man of such fine recommendation.”

He recovered quickly, and bowed before shaking my hand. “My apologies, my Lord, I did not expect you to look like you had been roving,” he said with diffident good humor. “And thank you very sincerely for your too kind words.”

I decided I might actually try to like him. He seemed forthright.

“Roving?”

He nodded. “Aye, my Lord, I assist some of the buccaneer captains in land grants and other legal matters with the prize courts. They clean up when necessary, but for the most part they come to me looking as you do. That is always when they have the money to spend.”

“Ah, well, it is good to know I will blend in with the local populace,” I said.He glanced at my weapons. “Are you proficient, my Lord?” I noted that he wore a sword at his waist, but from the look of the scabbard and hilt, it was either unused or exceptionally clean and new.

“I am very proficient,” I assured him.

“Then, my Lord, you will fit right in,” he assured me. He turned his attention to my companions and gave me a curious look.

I introduced him all around.

He recognized the name of Tom’s uncle and his agent. “Mister Eaton, if your uncle’s man does not soon appear, you are welcome to accompany us to my home for refreshments,” he assured Tom. “I will send a boy round to inform him of the change in your location.”

With that, he turned back to me and gave another glance to Fletcher. “Um…”

I had introduced Fletcher by his name and given no account of his status or relation to me other than to refer to him as a traveling companion. I did not want this man treating him as a servant. “He will be staying with me as my guest, for the time being. And where might we be staying?”

“My home, my Lord.”

“Oh, will an extra guest be a burden? I would not want to bring an unsuspected imposition upon you. Not that you had any warning of my arrival, either.”