His Defiant Wife, the Adventures of Linnett Wainwright, Book 2 (2 page)

There was a
comfortable silence as each woman drank her coffee and reflected on
the relationship each had with her own husband and the
uncomfortable circumstances that arguments with their men sometimes
led them to...and the private delightful side effect of the
spankings they occasionally received!

Linnett came
out of her reverie first and said, “Now, where was I?”

“I think you
were about to tell me how you came to be on the ship?” Sarah
prompted.

Linnett sipped
her coffee and nodded. “Yes, we were married at Lavenstock and then
I had thought to remain with my father while John travelled here.
However, when we arrived at the ship, The Tempest, a wedding
present to us from my father, it was clear that I was to travel
with John to the Colonies. I was devastated by this because I had
thought to remain at my home with my dear father and continue my
life just as before my marriage.

“I was very
angry with John and did some silly things to annoy him, which
proved..........um
....... uncomfortable
for me, so in the
end I desisted and....”

Linnett looked
up in surprise when a gurgle of laughter burst forth from Sarah,
who was chortling with merriment. “Oh Linnett, do tell.....what
‘silly things’ made you... ‘Uncomfortable’!” Sarah begun giggling
again and Linnett joined in with her infectious laughter.

“Well, first of
all, I threw a jug of water over him and pushed him to the floor
and later, I cut all the sleeves off every shirt he owned.....”

“No! You
didn’t!
Linnett Foster
! No wonder you were, what was it you
said? .......Uncomfortable?......I have to say, I am feeling such a
lot of sympathy for John at this moment.”

Linnett cocked
her head with a sheepish grin. “I wouldn’t if I were you! John had
his revenge, believe me!”

“Yes, I know
you were ........
uncomfortable
!”

“I was, too,
very uncomfortable for a number of days!”

Both girls
started to howl with mirth and Sarah had to mop her eyes she was
laughing so much. For Linnett, the laughter was the emotional
release that she needed and she laughed and cried all at once.
Finally, they calmed down and Linnett continued with her tale.

“After a while
I became used to John and I enjoyed being married. The ship was so
interesting and the Captain and his officers were lovely. There was
one particular man, Duncan, the First Officer, who became our
friend.”

Linnett stopped
and Sarah saw that she was shaking. She reached out and squeezed
Linnett’s hand. “You don’t have to carry on if this is too painful
to tell,” she told her softly.

Linnett nodded
and gulped before continuing. “Well anyway he was in charge of the
cabin boy, Pat, but then it turned out that Pat was Patsy! A girl
and nobody knew this, until one day I was on deck playing ball with
him, or rather her, and a huge wave knocked him, her, overboard.
When I undressed the youngster I discovered that ‘he’ was a ‘she’
all along. I befriended Patsy and gave her clothes and cared for
her. I only tell you this so that you will understand how I felt
when she betrayed us all.”

Sarah sobered,
nodded but did not interrupt; she could see from how pale Linnett
had become how difficult this was for her to recall.

“Unbeknown to
us all, there was a Frenchman aboard ‘The Tempest’, a pirate named
Henri Jacques. He has been a plague to all honest cargo ships
travelling between our two countries, stealing cargo and ships.

“I believe he
seduced Patsy and she helped him to take our ship; she betrayed all
her former friends, the whole crew. We were boarded by the pirate
ship one Sunday and they put the Captain and his officers to
death... single every.......one
.” Linnett was unaware that
she was now whispering.

“And your
friend Duncan?” Sarah asked quietly, reaching out a hand and
placing it over Linnett’s.

“He died in the
battle. He had a young wife and two small girls. Oh God, I must
write to them, they won’t even know what has happened yet!”

“How did you
and John end up in a small boat adrift on the ocean?” Sarah
asked.

“Patsy begged
her lover to save us and this was his magnanimous solution! Throw
us into a small boat and cast us adrift!

“The rest you
know. We were washed up on the sands and Hans and young Peter found
us near drowned. I really do not know how we can ever repay your
kindness to us, Sarah!”

Sarah waved
away Linnett’s thanks but Linnett continued rapidly, “I regret so
much running off and putting Peter in danger, I am just so sorry
please can you ever forgive me!”

“Of course I
forgive you, but why did you run away? I still don’t
understand.”

“I thought that
John had set out to Boston without me and I was trying to follow
him, to catch him up. I had no idea that your son would follow me,
honestly, truly I did not!”

“It is alright,
Linnett. Your husband has punished you, and there is no more to be
said on the matter. Hans and I forgive you, so can we now leave the
subject of Peter behind us?”

“Yes alright,
thank you, Sarah, I feel so much better! In the evening I came
across a camp and I thought it was John’s so I wrapped myself into
a blanket and waited for his return but instead of John, two men,
trappers, arrived. One of the men, Will, despite his coarseness,
was kind and not unreasonable towards me, but he was attacked by a
huge beast, a bear I think, and possibly killed.

“I fainted so I
didn’t see. His friend, a scurvy fellow, named Ned, chased me and
tried to...well
force
himself on to me.” Here Linnett
paused, somewhat overcome with emotion.

“I understand,
please carry on with your tale,” said Sarah, slightly pink and
embarrassed.

“Well that was
when John found me and the terrible thing is...oh Sarah, he
killed
Ned! Dear Lord, I have so much death on my
conscience; it was all my fault. I should have stayed here and Ned
would still be alive today!”

“Probably all
worked out for the best! I shouldn’t waste tears over a man like
Ned,” Sarah said dryly.

Linnett looked
up, shocked, but carried on with her tale, “The men went to look
for Peter and Hans found him and brought him home to you. John went
to look for the horse that I had borrowed from you. The poor sweet
thing, she had been killed by the bear creature, but Sarah, I will
buy a new horse for you and Hans, I promise you!”

“Don’t worry
about that now,” Sarah said, her sympathy for John growing by the
minute.

“Well that is
it really, except that John told me to stay at the camp fire and
wait for him, which I did but then I thought it would be helpful to
fetch some water for our return journey. John came back while I was
at the river.

“He was so
cross with me, Sarah. He became silent and wouldn’t listen to me
after that. When we got back here last night he took me into your
barn and used his...his....belt...on me....I don’t blame
him...I...I know deserved it....I mean Ned and everything.” Linnett
hung her head and a tear slid down her cheek.

Sarah sat and
looked at the beautiful young girl before her and wondered how she
herself would have coped with everything this nineteen-year-old
lass had gone through since her marriage. Not very well was her
conclusion.

“Well, well,
you have certainly had some horrible adventures, my dear, but you
are a survivor, that much is clear, and you are a very brave girl.
You have a husband who knows how to love and protect you and you
have friends here.”

Sarah stood up
and made her way around the table to where Linnett sat. She wrapped
her arms about Linnett, holding her tightly, and after a moment,
Linnett burrowed her head into Sarah’s waist and sobbed. Sarah
stroked Linnett’s hair and held her until the storm had passed.

“Right, now to
work!” Sarah said briskly, after Linnett’s tears had ceased. “To
begin we shall bake together and you shall learn how to make
bread.”

Linnett looked
up and smiled tremulously. For the first time since she had been
aboard the ship, Linnett felt that everything might be alright.

By the time the
men returned that evening, Linnett had ruined two loaves of bread
and burned two batches of biscuits. But she had learned how to make
beds and milk a cow and even helped with some of the clothes
washing.

Feeling very
guilty that, up until now, she hadn’t lifted a finger to help Sarah
with all these heavy domestic chores, she made Sarah sit down with
a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, she tried to prepare the vegetables for
the evening meal. Even that simple chore had proved difficult,
since she had never before done anything of the kind.

Linnett had
followed Sarah around diligently, trying hard to learn the tasks
that Sarah was teaching her. Several times through the day, Linnett
winced as she sat down, turning her blushing face away from Sarah’s
shrewd gaze.

Linnett was
very nervous when the men came in that evening. Taking a deep,
steadying breath, she went straight up to Hans, stood before him
and apologised prettily for what had happened to Peter and to poor
Penny. Hans had been magnanimous in his forgiveness. As far as he
was concerned, Linnett had been punished, justice had prevailed,
and he could forgive her now. Hans accepted Linnett’s apology and
patted her bottom robustly in a fatherly manner, making poor
Linnett wince.

“
Gehoorzamen
, Linnett,
gehoorzamen
!” he boomed, and
Sarah translated for her: “Obey, Linnett, obey!”

Sarah, who knew
her husband only too well, hid a smile, knowing that he had made
that gesture simply for the purpose of causing Linnett further
discomfort. John, too, was pleased to see that his wife had taken
his instructions seriously and that she had made some progress with
learning domestic chores. He had worried that she would be sulky
and resentful all day. Hans had assured him that a sore backside
never hurt anyone for very long and he added that Linnett’s was
long overdue!

While the
punishment was still causing her some discomfort, the thought of
what might happen if she failed to follow John’s instructions
ensured Linnett’s complete compliance; she had no wish for a repeat
performance. After several days, Linnett’s bread-making had little
improved.

She had asked
John if she could go for a ride with him to see the cabin, and he
had told her that when she handed him her first properly raised
loaf of bread, he would take her. Try as she might, every loaf came
out as a brick. She even asked Sarah to help her cheat and bake one
for her. Sarah had only laughed good naturedly and refused.

When her first
proper loaf of bread came out from the oven, a large crusty loaf of
golden brown, she was so proud that she was glad Sarah had not let
her cheat. John was absolutely delighted with her and for her.

Straight away,
they made plans for the journey up to the cabin. Hans suggested
that they take the wagon packed with various items needed for
furnishings. That way, when they moved up there they could travel
by horseback and leave the wagon where it belonged, with Sarah and
Hans.

Linnett was
devastated at the thought of not being able to ride as she had
planned but kept quiet. She had felt constrained around her husband
since he had punished her and was still feeling extremely wary of
him. John saw her pretty face fall with disappointment when the
wagon was decided upon. He fully expected her to speak out, voicing
her complaint.

When she
quietly stood up and left the room, he was amazed and rightly
guessed the reason why. John felt wretched. The last thing he
wanted was Linnett to feel her own wishes must always be supplanted
by his own. He brooded about the change in her, but finally he
decided to ask Sarah for advice. John knew the two women had forged
a bond of friendship. He was pleased that Linnett had made a friend
and confidant of Sarah, for he admired Sarah.

He waited until
Linnett was outside feeding the chickens, helping Peter, who was
able to hobble around on two sticks by now. “Sarah, I wonder, could
you spare me a minute or two? I need to ask your advice.”

Sarah turned
and looked at him in some surprise. John had always struck her as a
supremely confident man, even somewhat arrogant; she was intrigued
by this need for advice from a woman, and sitting down, she gave
him her full attention.

“Of course,
John, how may I help?” Sarah inquired with her gentle smile.

John ran a hand
distractedly through his dark hair. “I am not at all sure you can
help, Sarah. You know what happened the night I brought Linnett
back?”

Sarah nodded
her head, blushing. John grinned broadly at her. “I see that you
do. Well, since I punished Linnett, she has behaved responsibly and
sensibly. But she is distant and even seems to be a little afraid
of me. Do you think that she is?”

Sarah looked at
John, dumbfounded - men! she thought.

“John, you beat
the girl with your belt. What did you expect?”

John was quite
shocked and affronted.

“Well, you
aren’t afraid of Hans, and he told me that he has warmed your
backside for you any number of times!”

Sarah flushed
and dipped her head, totally embarrassed.

“Sarah, I
shouldn’t have said that, forgive me.” John was instantly contrite.
He was genuinely fond of Sarah and had no wish to embarrass her.
“You must have found the life out here quite difficult to begin
with,” he prodded gently.

“No... that
is... yes. I am so.... surprised that Hans told you, that is all.”
Sarah took a deep, flustered breath. She was disappointed with
Hans, and she would be talking to him about his loose tongue but
then Sarah remembered that she, too, had talked to Linnett about
Hans spanking her so perhaps she should stay quiet after all. Sarah
couldn’t meet John’s eyes, when she began to speak, John had to
strain to hear her soft, shy voice.