Riverbreeze: Part 2 (3 page)

It was time for the newlyweds to leave Francis Tyler’s plantation. Most of the guests had already left although there were a few who were staying a day or two longer. Maureen and Phillip were standing on the dock with Robert and Elizabeth, saying their goodbyes, while the boat was being prepared. The storm was closer now and the women had to clutch their cloaks tighter to keep them from flapping in the stiff breeze. Once again, Maureen tried to convince them all to stay, but Robert and Jamie both refused.

Robert, then Elizabeth, gave Maureen a final kiss, then watched her hurry back to the house. She needed to get back to the children, along with Robin, who had been left with Sally watching over them. Maureen had generously offered to keep Robin for a week so Robert and Elizabeth could have some time alone and Robert had readily agreed. He had no doubt that Maureen would take good care of his son, and when Robert had said good-bye to him, the boy had been so occupied with playing with his cousins that he hardly noticed his father leaving the room.

Phillip stayed on the dock so that he could untie the boat. It had been decided that the Bassetts would borrow one of Tyler’s boats to return to their plantation because, obviously, they couldn’t ride the horses. There were too many of them, the brothers, the twins, the servants and the dogs, and they had too much cargo. The servants were loading the boat with the girls’ three trunks and two other crates that contained their wedding gifts from Francis Tyler.

The gifts had been a complete surprise because the round silver-plated trays hadn’t actually been purchased for the Bassett brothers and the twins. Tyler had commissioned one of the trays for Robert and Kathleen’s marriage but it had been reported lost, so he had commissioned a second one. Two years later, both trays had finally been delivered but too late to give to his daughter. Oddly the trays had been monogrammed with an intertwining B and T, appropriate for Robert and Kathleen; appropriate now for Robert and Elizabeth, and Jamie and Evelyn.

Elizabeth had only seen this as another sign that their marriages were meant to be.

Jamie had already been settled onto a pallet in the bow of the boat with Evelyn at his side. Both of them were covered with a wool blanket that had been tucked in around their legs. The pistols, pouches of powder and shot had also been stowed under the blanket in case it started to rain. It may not have been a wise decision to place the guns there but they were taking the chance that they wouldn’t need them. Jamie still had his big hunting knife, as did Robert, but if they were actually attacked, all Jamie would most likely be able to do would be to hold the knife in front of him and hope that the person fell on top of it! If they were shot at from shore…well, they would deal with that if and when it happened. Right now, since his fever had finally broken, Jamie was so exhausted that he wouldn’t be much help. He lay very quietly beside Evelyn, about to fall asleep despite the activity and the sometimes violent rocking of the boat.

Finally the two servants that Robert and Jamie had inherited seated themselves on the middle plank with their meager belongings in canvas sacks laid at their feet. They didn’t seem to be sad about leaving the Tyler Plantation; in fact, Robert thought that both of them looked quite eager to leave. He had seen them avoiding Phillip’s eye and he had also heard talk that most of the servants weren’t too fond of Phillip and dreaded having to go work for him. These two felt themselves quite lucky to be serving the Bassett brothers even though they had only met Robert and Jamie once before. They were new to the colony and still had four and a half years left to their contracts. That was the real reason why they had been chosen to be transferred to the brothers.

While Robert and Phillip steadied the boat, Elizabeth handed the dogs to the servants. The one servant held and talked to them as if they were his own pets. He even allowed them to lick his face. He was the one who had come to fetch Elizabeth earlier and had watched the beagles for her. She remembered his name now, Nathan Ackerman, and was glad he was coming home with them. The other one, older and darker-looking and with the dreadful name of Dolnick Cocke, she wasn’t too sure off yet. She had also met him briefly when she had first arrived, but being so disoriented hadn’t paid any attention to him. But he seemed to be respectful enough and he also seemed to like the dogs, which was important to Elizabeth.

Now that the boat was loaded with Jamie, Evelyn, the servants and the dogs, Robert knew he and Elizabeth should get in so they could be on their way and beat the storm. He saw the dark, gray clouds moving in, felt the gusts of wind buffeting his body, but he had to take one last look around the property and at the house before departing. The place would never be the same without Francis Tyler and a profound sadness filled him. Tyler was dead; the house was empty of occupants except for Sally, but Robert didn’t believe Phillip would allow her to stay there by herself. Robert didn’t know what would happen to it now. Phillip and Maureen could decide to expand it and move in or they could decide to tear it down or lease it out. It wasn’t any of Robert’s business what they did with it, but he would always have special memories of this place. He and Jamie had been given a new life here and they would forever be grateful to the man who had taken them in and loved them like sons.

Elizabeth moved to his side and despite Phillip’s presence, took Robert’s cold hand in hers. She smiled up at him, empathizing with him, knowing the sorrow that he felt and remembering her own sorrow at the loss of her London home. Her own feelings of disquiet were cast aside as her thoughts were only for him. Despite the fact that she had lost her father, her uncle and two homes in the space of months was insignificant. Her life was his now; God had placed her here for him.

Robert looked at her in her bright red cloak, thinking again that she looked like a child with her big, green eyes and her strawberry blond hair tied back with a blue ribbon that fluttered in the breeze. He skimmed his fingertips along her rosy cheek, then tucked some stray hairs behind her ear, thinking to himself, what am I going to do with her now? She had never lived on a plantation, isolated from friends and neighbors and extended family. He assumed she had no housewifery skills, had never cooked on a big, open fire or tended a kitchen garden or killed and cleaned a chicken or ate squirrel stew. But then again, she had surprised him with her nurserymaid skills and he thought how strange life was and how one could never prepare for what life might bring.

Elizabeth caught his hand and pressed it against her cheek, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Take me to my new home,
mon mari
.” She whispered, smiling up at him.

My husband
, she had said.
Take me home, my husband,
she had said.
Yes
, Robert thought
, I will take her home and I will teach her and protect her and love her. And that’s
what I will do with her
. He smiled tenderly and whispered back, “I’d love to.” He turned to Phillip then and said, “Phillip, we’re off. I’ll see you in about a week.”

He then helped her into the boat and settled her on the bench closest to the stern. The boat rocked alarmingly even with Phillip doing his best to steady it and she reached out frantically to hold onto the side with one hand. But Robert was perfectly calm as he easily kept his balance before sitting down beside her, not an ounce of worry on his face. Reluctantly, he helped her settle the dogs on her lap, then put his arm around her shoulders; and then he signaled Phillip to untie the ropes.

Elizabeth watched with some trepidation as Phillip pushed the bow of the boat away from the dock and the servants used the oars to maneuver the boat further into the river. The river was so wide and looked so deep and they were in this little boat. She found herself clutching Robert’s leg with one hand while trying to hold on to the dogs with the other. Robert tried to reassure her that the boat was completely safe. He told her that it had been sturdily built, that it was called a shallop and was both an open rowing and sailing vessel with one mast. It was larger than the wherries she was used to that carried passengers from one side of the Thames to the other and this should have comforted her. This shallop was about thirty feet in length, could either be rowed by four to six people, men most likely, or it could be sailed using the main and staysails. In fact, now that they were about thirty feet from shore, the servants raised the sails and the boat jerked forward as the triangular pieces of canvas snapped and filled with wind.

But then no sooner did they start to travel up the river at a pretty good clip, Papillon caught sight of a big, black bird skimming the surface of the water fairly close to their boat. The dog nearly went berserk, barking like crazy and then launching himself overboard before Elizabeth even had time to see what he had been barking at. She screamed as she watched her beloved pet struggling to swim. She hadn’t even realized that she had allowed the dogs’ leashes to slip from her hand. She quickly grabbed Fleurette lest she get away too. And as the boat continued on, she watched frantically as he drifted farther and farther away. “Robert! Do something!” She screamed. “Please, Robert! Please!” She cried out, her heart pounding. “You have to save him. He’ll drown.”

Evelyn and Jamie sat up and were watching with as much anxiety as Elizabeth. Jamie cursed his disease again, if he hadn’t been so weak he would have jumped in after the dog himself. “I’m sorry I can’t help.” He said to Evelyn. She had tears in her eyes and was so focused on the sight of her pet slipping away she seemed not to have heard him at all.

“I’ll get him.” Nathan spoke up, already slipping off his shoes, keeping his eye on the dog.

“Can you swim?” Robert asked him quickly.

Nathan paused, and that hesitation said it all. “I’ll go.” Robert said, pulling off his boots and stockings. His one ankle was still sore and he winced a little when he pulled that boot off. “You turn the boat around.”

He didn’t like it one bit that he had to jump in this cold water and go after this annoying dog, but if he let this animal drown, Elizabeth would never forgive him and their marriage would start out on this unpleasant note. So, he dove in, causing the boat to rock precariously. And ignoring the extremely cold water, with sure, strong strokes he began to swim towards the dog.

Everyone watched, holding their breaths. Elizabeth was on the edge of her seat, her body tense, tears running down her cheeks. She clutched little Fleurette on her lap, who squirmed and whined to get loose. She felt guilty that she had lost control of her pet and that Robert had to risk his life to save him. But everyone made mistakes. Surely Robert would forgive her. She thought of her previous silent vow that she had made to herself during the wedding ceremony that she never wanted to give Robert any reason to complain and she groaned. They were married for only a few hours and she had already broken that vow. But she hadn’t done it on purpose.

Nathan and Dolnick successfully turned the boat around, handling the sails in the strong winds as if they were seasoned sailors.

The dog had been swimming in circles, not knowing which direction to go now that the bird was gone. He was tiring quickly and was barely keeping his snout about water when Robert neared him. The poor thing was wild-eyed and immediately saw Robert as his savior. With the last of his energy, the dog paddled madly in Robert’s direction and within a few strokes of his own, Robert reached him. Robert, himself, had grown tired and he heaved a sigh of relief when his fingers caught the dog’s harness at his neck. He trod water as he pulled the dog to his chest. He could feel the frantic beating of the dog’s heart under his hand and realized that Papillon wouldn’t have lasted much longer. Seeing the beautiful sight of the shallop coming for them, Robert swam more slowly one-armed back to the approaching boat.

Nathan was the one who took the exhausted dog from Robert and put him down by Elizabeth’s feet. The dog immediately shook his body, spraying everyone close by with cold droplets of water. Elizabeth then grabbed him and put him on her lap next to Fleurette and clutched him to her chest oblivious of his wet fur. Fleurette started licking Papillon’s face and Elizabeth cried softly in relief.

Nathan then grabbed Robert’s arm and pulled him into the boat. For a minute Robert just sat there on the floor of the boat, gasping for breath, water pooling around him. He raked his soaking hair back from his face and squeezed it out regardless of the water splashing on the deck. When he finally caught his breath, he looked up at Nathan and said, “Thank you, Nathan, Dolnick. Good job. Now take us home.”