LITMIR.BIZ

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excitement.

      “Stop now!” she ordered.

      Toby hit Bertie again with the pillow. The blond boy fell to the floor and started screaming as if he had been dropped off the roof.

      She wondered how much he was pretending to be hurt and how much was true. No matter. She needed to regain control. Again she asked the boys to stop. Again they ignored her. She seized the backs of their shirts, getting a better hold this time. They fought her and each other to escape.

      “May we help?”

      Not daring to release either little boy, Susanna looked over her shoulder. Raymond and Elisabeth stood beside Caroline. Her brother wore his usual black coat, waistcoat and breeches. One end of his white cravat popped out as he took Toby’s arm and drew him away from her and Bertie.

      Elisabeth knelt in front of the angry child and tried to soothe him. He refused to be placated.

      Raymond gave them a sympathetic smile. “Let me take...”

      “Toby,” Susanna supplied, keeping a tight hold on Bertie.

      “Let me take Toby,” Raymond said in his deep voice that was perfect for the pulpit. “He can stay with me at the parsonage tonight.”

      “You don’t have room for a child there.”

      “Quite to the contrary. I have far more room than I need.”

      Elisabeth stood, still holding Toby’s hand. “If the situation remains tense, I have some special sweets at the store that might help.”

      Both boys froze at her words.

      “Sweets?” asked Toby and Bertie at the same time.

      “Only if you behave nicely tonight,” Elisabeth replied. “I will check with Parson Trelawney and Lady Susanna in the morning.”

      They both nodded hard.

      “That is settled, then.” Raymond glanced toward where Caroline was gently rocking the baby. “Separating these two should make it easier on you.”

      “It will.” Susanna relaxed a bit. “I have no idea how they did not tip the jolly boat over with their antics.”

      “Because the good Lord had them in His hand, guiding them to this shore, where they would find a haven.” He smiled at them. “Don’t forget that the Book of Proverbs teaches: ‘Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.ʼ”

      “And the right path was here to Porthlowen.” Caroline cradled the baby close. “I’ll have another mattress and that drawer brought to my rooms. I don’t think Gil will let his baby sister out of his sight again.”

      “It appears we have excellent solutions for the children,” Raymond said. “Don’t you agree, Susanna?”

      “So our solution is divide and conquer?” asked Susanna, only half jesting.

      Elisabeth drew Toby with her toward the door. “Let’s give the children a chance to get to know us, and then we shall see how we can convince these two boys to get along better.”

      “Thank you,” Susanna said. The two words could not convey the depth of her gratitude. She needed help to bring the house back to its usual serenity, and she was glad she did not have to ask Captain Nesbitt for it.

      Where had that thought come from? There were many servants as well as her other brother to assist her with the children. Not that her older brother Arthur would volunteer as Raymond had. As the heir, Arthur seldom concerned himself with household issues, leaving, as their father did, such matters to Susanna. Even so, she had plenty of hands to assist her.

      So why had Captain Nesbitt popped into her mind? Had it been Caroline’s comments about him watching her? Those comments had sent a round of warm shivers rippling along her exactly as when the captain smiled at her. No, it was more likely because her neatly ordered existence had collapsed, and he was part of the reason. The best way to banish thoughts of him from invading her head was to end the tumult in the house.

      She would start now. Thanking her sister and brother again, she led the twins and Bertie back to the mattresses and tucked them in. One small step, but it was in the right direction.

      * * *

      “Captain?”

      Drake shook himself like a dog coming out of the water. Benton’s voice had the impatient sound of a man who was tired of being ignored. Looking toward where his first mate stood by the main hatch and wondering how many times Benton had called, he walked away from the railing. He had been watching the crew sealing the outside of yet another small hole...until his thoughts drifted ashore and up to the grand house.

      He forgot about the children’s plight and Lady Susanna’s dazzling eyes when he saw Benton’s grim expression. “What is the bad news? More holes?”

      “We did discover a few more in the starboard hull. Captain, we would be done much sooner if you didn’t keep sending men off to ask questions about the children.”

      “A few days will make no difference.” He saw disbelief on Benton’s face and was not surprised. Three days ago, before he had spotted the jolly boat, Drake had been as impatient as a wind-filled sail to get under way. “And they are keeping their ears open for anyone who needs cargo moved. We need to have something in the holds before we sail.”

      “We could go to Padstow or around Land’s End to Penzance and Truro. We would find cargo there.”

      “As well as the men whose cargo was ruined by the attack. I would like to have enough money to pay them for the lost goods before I encounter them.”

      Benton chewed on that, then nodded. “I understand, Captain. Our reputation and The Kestrel’s are at stake.”

      Drake was pleased. Even a year ago, Benton would not have comprehended the tough decisions a captain had to make. The young first mate would soon be ready to take over his own ship. Drake would miss Benton’s willingness to tackle any job and his good rapport with the men.

      Clapping his mate on the back, he said, “Let’s get to work.”

      “Aye, Captain.” He hurried to the hatch and down to the lower decks.

      Drake started to follow, but again his gaze focused on the grand house beyond the village. He looked away. There was nothing there for him, but he could not keep from wondering how Lady Susanna and the children fared now that a few days had passed.

      Less than two hours later, his curiosity overmastered his good judgment. He was admitted to the great house as soon as he reached its door, and a footman offered to take him to where he could speak with Lady Susanna. The footman led the way up one grand staircase and then along a long hallway decorated with paintings of people who must be Lady Susanna’s ancestors. He could not imagine being surrounded by so much history of generations past. After all, he had known neither his father nor his mother, for they had abandoned him in a neighbor’s care soon after his birth. He had found his first true family when he signed on a trading ship as cabin boy.

      “This way, Captain Nesbitt,” said the footman in his light gray livery that did not have a single piece of lint on it. He began up a narrow stairwell.

      Drake followed, uncertain where they were bound. He had been in great houses once or twice, but never beyond the public rooms, so he had no idea what to expect when they reached the top of the steps.

      It was as if they had entered a different house. An odor of dampness and neglect filled each breath he took. No thick carpets covered the wide floorboards that needed to be restained. The walls were bare, though he could see the shadowed outlines where pictures had hung between doors. They were closely spaced, so the rooms beyond them must be not much bigger than his quarters on The Kestrel. A few tables were pushed against the walls.

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