Noble Duty

12. Family

I cringed when Charles said he remembered Gillian as an eager young boy. His earlier comments hinted at it, but now he has more conviction. How can she avoid ...

"Mother called me a tomboy." Gillian shrugged. "She allowed me to wear breeches and shirts and to ride the horses astride. Allowed me to spend far more time with my brothers than with my sisters."

"Aha!" Charles nodded. "And you adopted their manner. Little wonder my confusion."

"But when my changes grew increasingly obvious, she forbade me all those freedoms." Gillian looked down her shirtfront and lower. "She had me swathed in endless yards of cloth and bindings and frills, and until last week, I had all but forgotten the carefree ease of unhindered movement."

"Last week? This takes me back to another unanswered question. What brings you to New York?"

"The need of repairs." Her upper lip trembled. "Both to the ship and to us." She turned to me, and as shuddering overtook her body, she croaked, "Hold me, Jarvis."

I knelt beside her chair, wrapped her in my arms and cupped the back of her head, easing it to my shoulder while pulsing my hand. As she slowly calmed, I thought it appropriate to add to what she had said, "The pirate attack took two-thirds of our crew and passengers."

"Oh!" Charles remained silent as he watched us, and I wondered what were his thoughts. Do I add more?

Gillian sniffled and turned her face from my shoulder. "Mother and I were returning home from Jamaica after Father's death."

Charles slapped a hand to his beard, opening his mouth in wordless shock until he said, "Oh, what a fine man James was. So sad to learn this."

We remained silent while I continued comforting Gillian. Then, Charles asked, "What had taken you to Jamaica?"

"Father had been appointed Governor of the colony, but his heart failed shortly before our arrival."

Charles nodded, and after a long interval, he asked, "And Charlotte?"

Gillian pressed her lips together for a few moments, then, as tears flowed down her cheeks, she said, "Mother did not survive the pirate attack."

"Oh, dear, God!" He shook his head. "What horrors you have seen." He pointed toward the door. "I will have one of the boys take a carriage to fetch Camille. You need a woman's comfort."

"Ummm. I would love to see her again."

He rose while finishing the last of his tea. "I must also task my sons with the surveying."

I kissed Gillian's cheek and stood to accompany Charles out. As we walked aft, he said, "You comfort her well, but a woman's touch will add to it."

"I am sure it will. This is all new to me."

"New to you?"

"A week only. Since the attack." I shrugged. "I had not before been close to a woman, but comforting was forced by circumstances, and I soon realised it assists us both."

"Oh, my! With the affinity you show, I assumed much longer."

"We have grown increasingly close."

He nodded. "Readily apparent. I shall return with two of my sons to begin surveying."

"Thank you, sir."

He stepped through the bulwark gate and added, "And I will send a boy along to Customs House to advise them of your arrival."

As he strode across the wharf, I admired his vigour. What age? His ship, bought before Medway, so 1665 to 67. Fifty-one to fifty-three years ago, plus his age when he bought. I watched his fast, steady gait. Well beyond seventy but acts far younger. He berates his mind, but it seems sharp and clear to remember Gillian as a boy. I chuckled to myself at her clever wording and ...

My musings were interrupted by Jenson's voice, "Sir, mooring complete. Long leads to handle the tides with little need to adjust."

"Thank you. What is the range here?"

He pointed toward the wharf. "They said the change is up to six feet; though, it is usually between four and five."

"So, the accommodation ladder can remain deployed."

"Aye, sir. I have told the watch on deck to monitor, but it should adjust itself to the tides." He nodded along the wharf toward Charles. "The Baroness called him uncle."

"An honorific. He is wed to one of her cousins, the daughter of a great-uncle. Like my grandfather, he owned and sailed a ship captured from the Dutch."

Jenson chuckled. "Seems a pattern. This colony was also seized from them."

"True. New Netherlands." I swept an arm across the waterfront. "Its growth surprises me."

"Because of its well-protected harbour, sir. And the Hudson River is navigable far inland from here, giving access to a vast trading area."

"Trading, yes. What do you know about the demand for iron ore in Britain?"

"Our mines can easily supply our needs. What we lack is the transportation and smelting capacity. To help meet demand, we import bar and castings from Sweden."

I nodded. "Mister Betheson said they produce well beyond their needs here. Would it be wise to trade mahogany for some?"

"For bar, yes, though it depends on their current duties and taxes, sir. Your father ceased trading here because they had become excessive."

"Oh, I had thought it was because the French lost their right to trade in Hudson's Bay."

"That contributed to it. Goods here are taxed on both landing and lading, and their steady increase was the proverbial straw that broke the waggon for him."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I was working with him on refining what commodities are the most profitable to carry." He pointed toward the sterncastle. "In the bottom drawer of the chart table are reams of documents. Prices bid at the Royal Exchange, taxes, duties, imposts, brokerage fees, and so on."

"Oh! This is another thing I will need to learn and to attend."

"I can acquaint you with it, sir. I have now gained a familiarity with most of it."

"Excellent! Thank you. Could we begin now, so I am somewhat acquainted with it when Mister Betheson returns."