The Old Cape House (31 page)

Dear Mr. Johnson,

My letter is in regard to your seeking an apprentice in the business of printing. I am eager to answer your request and will be happy to meet with
you about our future together. I await your reply as to the date of our meet…

A knock on the door startled him, interrupting his written
words. He grabbed his gun, ready to face whomever it was. The knock grew louder. With his ear close to the door, he asked, “Who goes there?”

“It’s Maria.” The voice was familiar. It repeated, “Maria Hallett.”

He opened the door a crack to see if it really was her.

“Matthew, may I come in?”

He stood the gun next to the doorframe and opened the door. “Maria, what brings you here? It’s not safe for you to be out.”

“I’ve come to ask a favor. I know I shouldn’t be here, but it’s important.”

Matthew looked out into the dark and side-to-side to see if anyone had seen Maria before he closed the door. She stood by the
hearth and loosened the shawl that was wrapped around her
shoulders. Matthew could not take his eyes off of her. She was more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. She wore no cap and her brown hair fell around her head and shoulders in large waves and ringlets. Her eyes were bright and her lips looked so soft. He wanted to hold her, to kiss her.

“Matthew, I need to talk with you.”

“Of course, Maria, please sit.”

He grabbed the letter, folded it in half and hid it in a drawer of the desk.

Maria paid no attention. She was only concerned about what she would say to her friend. She knew he would ask for an explanation
as to why she needed help, so she was ready. Her words were
difficult
for her, but in the end, she told her friend of Sam’s return and
confessed that he was the man who had left her when she was with child.

As Matthew listened, he clenched his fists under the table and
struggled to hold his composure. “What is it that you want me to do?’ he asked her. “Now that you have your Sam, what do you need me for?”

“There is treasure!” she whispered.

Matthew looked unfazed by the revelation. “Treasure means nothing to me.” In his heart he wanted her and only her. He wanted her to stay with him. He held back his words of passion. “Tell me more,” he said.

“We need to travel but Sam is hurt. The salvaged treasure is too heavy to take by foot. We need you and your wagon.”

Matthew stayed silent and in these few awkward seconds, Maria noticed the absence of anyone else in the house. Looking around the empty kitchen she asked, “Where are your parents, Matthew?”

“Gone, this past winter.” He stood and turned away from her, leaning his arm on the hearth’s mantle. “Father took sick and died. Soon after, Mother followed him.”

“I’m sorry,” she moved next to him and reached for his hand. She held it against her cheek.

As he looked at her, her gentle touch moved him more deeply
than ever before. He knew he would do anything for Maria. He
loved her with his whole being.

“I’ll help you. What do you want me to do?”

May 1, 1717

EASTHAM – CAPE COD

MARIA RAN THROUGH THE NIGHT TO HER HOUSE,
eager to tell Sam the good news of Matthew’s willingness to help them. She was too happy to notice the cold chill of early spring that blew across her face. It was the beginning of a new life with Sam; nothing could stop them now.

She found Sam in the shack making sure the chests were secure for traveling. He had emptied most of her treasure into the larger one. She was pleased to see more color on his face and his bandages showed no new blood.

He sat on the floor making a small pile of coins. “Do you have a pouch for safekeeping?”

“Yes I do,” she answered and stepped closer to him.

 “What news do you have for our transportation?”

 “My friend Matthew Ellis said he would take us to Abigail’s, in North Harwich.”

“Who is Abigail?” Sam glanced up at her. “Can this woman and Matthew be trusted?”

“Yes, you have my word. We journey tomorrow night.”

Maria knelt down next to him and pulled his face to her lips. “My heart is bursting with joy because of you.”

Sam grabbed her around the waist and pulled her nearer to him. “I want you…now.”

He kissed her and cradled her across his lap. She looked up into
his eyes, waiting and hoping that he would touch her. She could
barely
contain her desires for him. He held her tighter. His kisses escalated from soft and gentle to wild passion. Maria responded with the same intensity.

Suddenly he broke away from her, his heavy breathing pushing his words out in a staccato. “Maria, I have dreamt of this night …for so many days. Indulge me ….so I may enjoy every inch of you.”

She smiled in submission as he laid her down on the bed of
straw. He loosened the laces of her corset and then followed the lines of her torso with hungry eyes. She was radiant. He could not believe that she was finally his. As he kissed her exposed breasts, he watched her
chest rise and fall in deep breaths that increased their depth each
time he touched her. His fingers moved slowly across and into her body.

She lay quiet in full sensual arousal as he enjoyed the pleasures
of her delicate skin. She wanted more. She grabbed at him. Soon
neither
of them could control themselves as their sexual desires
overpowered them. He entered her, and they became one in body, mind and heart. They both had waited for this moment for so long.

Exhausted, Maria finally spoke, “My darling Sam, it’s getting
late. I
should clean your wound once more before we sleep.” Refastening the binding on her corset she smiled, “You perform as if you had no wound.”

Sam sat up and took hold of her hand. “We’ll have many nights
and even days like this, you’ll see. I’ll make you happy. This I
promise,” he said, kissing her on the neck.

It tickled Maria and made her laugh. “Come, Sam, we must
prepare
for our journey.” She affectionately pushed his hand away and stood
up.

Taking hold of her wrist, he stopped her. “Maria?”

He took a gold chain from his pocket with the ring attached to it.
Maria remembered seeing it the night of the
Whydah
’s demise. As
Sam slipped the ring off of the chain and onto her finger, he knelt before her. “Maria, will you be my wife? I promise to take care of you and love you with all my heart.”

With tears in her eyes, she knelt opposite him and whispered into his ear, “Yes!”

It was the only word he wanted to hear. They embraced once
more, and she accepted Sam into her life again. Pledging their love to each other, they became husband and wife, blessed only by their will to be together.

That night before sleep came to them, Maria was relieved to
discover
that the last of the splinters had fallen away from Sam’s side.
Wrapping his wound with clean linen, she bound it and placed a kiss on the bandage that lay over his heart.

May 2, 1717

The next morning, Maria made flatbreads for their journey.
While she gathered her belongings, Sam walked around and through
the
house, examining its contents. He wanted to see and touch
everything connected to his Maria. He admired her weaving and spinning and ran his hands over her woven cloths. Maria was a capable woman:
strong, kind, and well skilled in the way of herbs and healing. He
asked himself, what more could a man want?

“Sam,” Maria called to him. “We must hurry. It’s almost dusk, and Matthew will be coming soon.”

Sam thought about Matthew, this so-called friend of Maria’s. He was very curious to meet him.

***

Matthew had just finished his dinner and was getting ready to hitch his horse to the wagon when he heard someone approaching on horseback. A shot of adrenalin raced through his body when he looked outside and saw Constable Ezra. He must not find out about his plans to help Maria.

“Matthew, Matthew Ellis! You in there?”

Matthew opened his door and answered, “Aye, Constable. What brings you out here?”

Dismounting his horse, Ezra said, “Looking for pirates. Have you seen any?”

“Pirates, you say?”

“Yeah, pirates, from the wreck on the coastline a few days back. We’re searching everywhere and everyone’s house.”

Matthew kept calm. “No, I haven’t seen any strangers, except
Mr. Carter, the man who bought my land.”

“Oh yes, Mr. Carter. I heard you sold. I’m going to miss you
around here.”

Eager to tell what news he had, the constable leaned close to
Matthew. “I’ve heard that as many as fifty-four bodies and five
Negroes washed ashore on the first morning after the wreck.” He waited for
Matthew to react to his interesting news, then continued, “and
twenty-
two more on the second day. Mark my words: there’ll be more of
them.”

He got no response from the brooding Matthew, who wished the man would leave. Ezra turned and grabbed the reins to his horse, ready to mount. “I’ll take my leave now. If you see any pirates, let me know. Boston is hungry for some hangin’s.”

As Ezra climbed back onto his horse he asked, “Matthew, would you favor me with a look-see by the Hallett girl?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, son. That’ll help me; I’m on my way to look in on old Samuel Harding.”

As he turned his horse away from Matthew, he glanced back. “Mind you be careful. They found an Indian pirate who’d survived the wreck hiding behind the Widow Baker’s house. They say he had some gold coins on him. Thank the Lord that the widow is gone till
next week. As we speak, that pirate is on his way to the Barnstable
jail.”

“Safe ride home, Ezra,” Matthew waved him away and retreated into his house till the Constable was out of sight.

***

Maria had nestled her new china in the near empty smaller chest among the softest of the cloths, along with her painted trinket box
and a pouch filled with the gold coins that Sam had set aside. Her
mother’s bag contained her clothes and as many threads that she could fit.

Disappointed that she would have to leave many of her
belongings behind, including her spinner, she was optimistic that she would be able to replace them with her new-found fortune. Sam, who still wore his clothes from the night of the wreck, had virtually nothing to take but the chest of gold. Maria was pleased that Matthew had offered to find a home for the goat.

The sound of a wagon made Maria and Sam stop what they
were doing and listen. She looked out the tiny window. It was dark, but she recognized Matthew in the light of the half moon.

Turning around she whispered, “It’s Matthew!”

Sam retreated to where Maria’s old gun leaned in the corner.

There was a faint knock on the door. As Maria opened it, she smiled and put her arms around her friend. “Matthew, thank you for coming.”

Embarrassed at her show of affection, he took off his hat and
greeted her simply with, “Maria.”

Sam remained in the shadows, taking a long look at the other man in Maria’s life. He saw that he was young and handsome, and Sam decided that there was a good possibility that Matthew was more than a friend to Maria–at least in Matthew’s mind.

“Matthew, this is Sam, Sam Bellamy.”

Coming forward, Sam released his hold on the gun and
extended his hand.

Matthew held back and greeted Sam only with a question, “I
hope you are well enough to travel?”

“That I am.”

“I have filled the back of the wagon with hay and straw. You’ll have to stay low as we travel through the villages.

Maria added, “I have a blanket to cover us. I think it’ll do.”

The three stood in awkward silence, each looking at the other.

Matthew spoke next, “We best be going. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

Sam asked, “If you could be of assistance to me, we have a few heavy chests to load.”

He followed Sam to the shack.

Removing the chest’s cover of straw and logs, Sam asked
Matthew, “How long have you known Maria?”

“Since childhood.”

Matthew returned the same question to Sam. “How long have
you
known her?”

“Long enough to know she loves me.” He stared at Matthew as he threw a log over to the side.

Matthew threw his log crashing against the wall. He was angry. “Then how could you have left her when she needed you the most?”

Sam stood as straight as he could and grabbed Matthew by the arm. “Do you have a concern about Maria and me?”

Matthew pulled his arm away from Sam’s hold and grasped the top of Sam’s shirt, bringing him face to face. “No, I do not, sir, but if you ever hurt her, I will hunt you down and….”

Sam shot his hands up between Matthew’s forearms and pressed his arm across Mathew’s neck, pushing him against the old wall of the shack. “Do not threaten me. Maybe you haven’t heard of my reputation, or perhaps you’re just ignorant?”

Matthew locked his eyes on Sam as he gasped for air. “I’m not fearful of you. Lest you forget, I’m here for Maria’s sake, not yours.”

Sam released his pressure on Matthew’s throat and stepped back from him. “Forgive me. It seems you also care for Maria very much.”

Matthew straightened his jacket and massaged his throat. “I pray you have a plan. They’re looking for survivors to take to Boston for trial. I can get you safely to Abigail’s, but after that you’ll be on your own.”