Riverbreeze: Part 2 (62 page)

“Welcome to my home, gentlemen.” Robert greeted them, moving forward to clasp their hands. “I am Robert Bassett, my wife, Elizabeth, my brother, Jamie and his wife Evelyn.”

Captain Visser, who was the stocky, solid-looking man with the weathered face of a person who spends most of his days out of the deck of a ship, bowed and nodded at each of them in turn. His brown eyes flicked back and forth at Elizabeth and Evelyn a few times, but he was polite enough not to stare outright. He doffed his hat, saying, “A pleasure to meet you. I am Captain Andries Visser. This is Captain David de Vries.”

Captain de Vries, who had a long, lean face to match his lean body, also doffed his hat and bowed formally to the brothers, “Good day, sirs.” Then he turned to the women, “
Enchante, Mesdames
.” He swept them a gallant bow also.

Elizabeth was immediately excited to hear him speak French. “
Oh Monsieur, parlez-vous
francais
?” She rushed to ask.

“Oui, je parle francais
.” He answered, smiling affably at Elizabeth.

“Etes-vous la France
?” She asked immediately, completely forgetting her manners.

“Oui et non
, I was born in La Rochelle and lived there until I was five, then I moved back to the Netherlands with my parents.”

“Elizabeth,” Robert gently interrupted the conversation. “I’m sure this is all very interesting, but we shouldn’t keep our guests standing in the hall.”

“Oh!” Elizabeth gasped, and then flushed a bright pink. “
Je suis vraiment desole
.” She said, looking back and forth between the two gentlemen. They were being very patient and polite, especially Captain Visser since she hadn’t included him in the conversation. Then she realized that Captain Visser probably didn’t understand her. Neither did Robert or Jamie. She switched to English. “I’m very sorry, gentlemen. When I heard you speak French, I became a little excited.”

“A little?” Robert commented, but smiled affectionately at his wife. Then he turned back to the men. “Will you join us at table for a bite to eat before we discuss business? We were just finishing up our dinner, but there is still plenty to go around.”

“Oh yes, please do.” Elizabeth said. She was eager to continue her conversation with this interesting man from France.

Both captains graciously accepted, de Vries also stating that he had never known such welcoming and generous people as the people of Virginia.

“Merci, Monsieur
.” Elizabeth said. “Have you visited many people here?” She asked as the six of them filed back into the kitchen.

“Oui, Madame
. I’ve even been to see the Governor.”

“C’est vrai
?” She asked, surprised and impressed. “How exciting! You must tell us all about it.”

“Shall we sit first?” Robert said, interrupting again and trying not to sound irritated.

Elizabeth looked embarrassed for a moment, realizing she was not being a very good hostess. Where had her manners gone?

Before everyone sat down, Robert introduced the captains to Robin and then to Abigail, identifying her as his and Jamie’s sister. Elizabeth and Evelyn were surprised by this, but wisely kept their mouths shut. Robert must have his reason for introducing Abby as his sister even if Elizabeth didn’t know what it was. Perhaps to discourage the men from approaching her directly.

Then Visser and de Vries took Nathan’s and Dolnick’s places at the table and everyone sat down again.

The bowls and platters were passed to the men after Elizabeth had placed clean pewter plates in front of them. She had also discreetly and quickly cleaned the spoons that Nathan and Dolnick had used and Evelyn’s and her knives and placed them beside the plates. The servants’ horn cups were refilled with ale. The cups were not cleaned, but the captains didn’t bat an eye. They were eyeing the platters of turkey and duck and the bowls of vegetables, (although no peas were left), with genuine pleasure. After they filled their plates, the captains complimented Robert and Jamie on their beautiful home and this wonderful bounty.

Finally Elizabeth couldn’t wait any longer. She had remained silent throughout their filling of their plates and their compliments, but she was nearly squirming in her seat. “Tell us about yourself,
Monsieur
de Vries and about your visit with the Governor.” She urged. “If you please.” She added at the last moment, remembering her manners. She was quite intrigued with this man. If Robert didn’t approve of her interest, he didn’t show it.

De Vries took a long drink of his ale before speaking. He wiped his mouth, being very careful to remove all traces of drink and food bits from his mustache and beard. “As you wish. As I have already mentioned, I was born in France, but went to live in Hoorn, the Netherlands when I was five. Hoorn was my parents’ home, but they fled the Netherlands after the assassination of Prince William of Orange. My father was a seafaring man and believed I should also learn the life of a skipper. He had me tutored in the sailor’s art of wrestling and fighting with both rapier and broadsword and gunnery. Ironically my first occupation at the tender age of sixteen was a printer’s assistant and that is when I learned to speak English.”

He continued to speak in between bites of food and drinks of ale. He was a wonderful storyteller, with a deep, hearty voice and animated hands. He spoke without conceit and his adventurous tales were fascinating to everyone, including Captain Visser who had his own adventures on the high seas. He married when he was twenty-three and had a daughter but his family couldn’t keep him from the lure of the sea and the promise of a successful career in trade.

Over the years, his life as a trader had taken him to many faraway places: to the Arctic where he butchered walruses and polar bears. When one crew member was crushed to death by a walrus and the fierce weather made life nearly unbearable on the ship, they returned to Holland never to return to the Artic again. He also traveled to Italy and Greece where he battled Berber pirates and fought against three Turkish Galleys. On a voyage to Spain with two French ships, he fought and won a decisive battle against eight Berber Sea Rovers and won a reputation as a brilliant ship handler and a brave fighter. He also killed the Algerian admiral, Soliman Reis, a Dutch renegade known all over Western Europe as the Peat Farmer. Several years later, after a difficult time in his life when he joined the Huguenot navy and fought against his own country and was condemned by his own family, his reputation was restored and he left his home again for three years of adventure in the Dutch East Indies on an expedition led by the Governor General as a chief merchant. However, circumstances forced him to resign only a year later. Almost immediately he was given command of a ship and he sailed to the Orient. He studied trade with the Indians, Persians, Chinese and Malaysians, then returned home for a short rest. But the sea called to him again. He entered into trading ventures with the Dutch West India Company and joined a syndicate to colonize land on the Delaware River. After several attempts to establish a base camp, failing because of Indian attacks, he abandoned the Delaware enterprise. Afterwards he voyaged to the Caribbean as a privateer but he was not very successful. He tried to establish a plantation in South America but failed at that also. Finally he attempted to establish himself at Fort Amsterdam on New Netherland, spending five years there acting as a negotiator between the Puritans and the Dutch in Hartford, CT and between the Indians and the Dutch on New Netherland. But a large scale war broke out, and his farm and the fort were burned by the Indians and many men were killed. He finally decided to give up and go home for good. But he was penniless, so he had to take this position of pilot on a herring buss headed for Virginia, hoping to find passage to London and then to Holland.

He ended his story by stating the reason for his visit: he was obliged to help the skipper of the buss to dispose of his cargo, bartering pipes of Madeira wine for tobacco. And he also had a special delivery; a gift for
Madame
Bassett from Elsa and Isaac Billings.

“A gift?” Elizabeth asked, sitting up straighter, her interest piqued. She exchanged a quick look with Evelyn, but Evelyn only shrugged her shoulders.

“Oui, madame
. A gift.” He said, looking at her with admiration. “They said you had found their son and at the time would not accept any monetary recompense.”

“Of course I would not! They have little to give and I would not take anything from them.”

“That is very magnanimous of you. Now I believe their words when they told me how you freely offered your services and how you risked your own life to find their boy.”Elizabeth was truly humbled by their praise. “Jamie, Evelyn and our servant, Nathan, also searched with me. And our dogs! ‘Twasn’t only me.”

“But you found him after
Madame
Billings couldn’t go on. You went on without her, all alone in the forest. That was very brave and unselfish of you.”

“Merci, Monsieur
.” She said softly, dipping her head modestly. Robert put his arm around her, showing that he was proud of her too.

“Shall I have the men bring it in? It is quite large. You may need to make space for it in your parlor.”

“Quite large?” Elizabeth asked, instantly suspicious. She remembered how the Billings insisted on paying her or giving her something of value, but she also remembered how poor they were and didn’t want to take anything of theirs. She had finally convinced them she had helped them out of the goodness of her heart. She realized now that the only thing of value that they might possess was Elsa’s virginal. Oh no! “It couldn’t be her virginal, could it?” She asked in a small voice.

“Oui, Madame
, it is her virginal.” He said quite seriously.

“Oh, no!” Elizabeth let out a little cry, covering her mouth with her hands. “I cannot accept it…can I?” She looked at Evelyn, then at Robert, hoping for an answer. She wanted the instrument, she couldn’t deny that. It would be lovely to have the virginal, but to take it from a woman who took such pride in her finest possession…that would be cruel, and heartless.

“She wanted you to have it.” De Vries said firmly. “You brought her boy back. Her son is more important to her than anything.”

Elizabeth couldn’t speak. She made another little sound of distress mixed with happiness…she didn’t know what she was feeling.

“Have your men bring it in and put it in the parlor.” Robert said pragmatically. “We do not have a lot of furniture so there is plenty of space in the room.”

“Very good, sir.” De Vries stood and everyone else followed.

The men went outside while Elizabeth, Evelyn and Abigail, carrying Robin, stood in the hall with the door open, waiting for De Vries’ men to deliver her gift.

“I am overwhelmed! I told them I didn’t want anything.” Elizabeth said, hugging herself against the cool breeze coming in the door.

“They obviously feel they’re repaying a huge debt. Their son is more precious than this object.” Abigail said, patting Elizabeth’s shoulder.

“I know, but…” She stopped, not knowing what else to say.

She was still in a state of shock as she watched eight men under de Vries’ command carry in the virginal in two sections, the four-legged frame and the instrument itself. They had been instructed to be extremely careful with it and they appeared to be following their instructions, moving slowly and making sure not to knock into anything. When they brought it into the parlor, she pointed to the front wall perpendicular to the fireplace and they gently put it in place.

She immediately went to it, saying a heartfelt thank you to the men as they left. Evelyn was by her side, equally as excited as her twin. Abigail kindly returned to the kitchen, taking Robin with her, giving the twins some private time to enjoy their new present.

“I feel like I’m in a dream.” Elizabeth said to Evelyn, running her hand reverently over the fine wood of the case. “I shouldn’t accept this, but I want to. Does that make me a selfish person?” She opened the lid and lowered the fallboard to expose the keys and her fingers automatically and unerringly found the correct positions.

“No, of course not!” Evelyn reassured her. “I wish I had my viol to play along with you.”

“That would be perfect.” Elizabeth said absently. She was not convinced that she wasn’t a selfish person. Nevertheless, she started to play, a simple scale at first to hear all the notes. Then she started to play
Sing Joyfully unto God
, the song she had hummed to herself in the garden, while Evelyn looked on, her face serene.

She felt like she was in heaven. How she had missed playing an instrument. For years she had practiced every day, at first, mastering simpler compositions, then more difficult ones, bringing joy to her father and the entire household. She played by heart and hummed along with the song ……

“You are very good,
Madame
.”

Elizabeth jumped, turning to see Captain de Vries coming towards her and Evelyn. “Oh,
Monsieur
, you startled me.”