Recluse Island

Part One: The Rescue - Chapter 3

June 1845

First mate Gauither Ritzenthaler attempted to gain his footing as strong waves bombarded the large three mast ship from all sides. The storm had been raging for most of the night, now as dawn approached it was clear the deluge would not be relenting, and they were running out of time.

For over a week now the crew and passengers had been plagued with an unidentifiable illness. Day after day more and more dead were tossed overboard. Now they were left only operating at half capacity and with the storm bearing down upon them something had to be done and... fast.

Stumbling on the slick deck, Gauither reached Captain Mayhew's study out of breath. Inside he found a heated debate between the captain and navigator Alix Noel.

Gauthier knew Alix's last name wasn't really Noel just like he knew despite the story Mayhew told him that he wasn't his indentured servant. Alix had been a slave, Gauither was sure of it and somehow, he'd escaped and crossed paths with a most enduring yet unexpected protector. It was hard to determine what was luckier for the stoic and sensual man from the cotton fields of Texas, escaping slavery or meeting the man that could give him a chance at the life he had always envisioned.

"Do you think you can do it?" asked the captain.

"Do what?" Gauither asked, shutting the door with some difficulty behind him.

The winds have become increasingly ferocious over the last hour tossing the wood and nails ship as if nothing more than a sack of hay.

They both turned to face him with stern expressions on their faces, "Steer us to the island Spinosum came across nearly thirty years ago," said Alix matter of factly, as though this was the only logical answer to Gauither's question.

"Are we even sure it exists?" Gauither inquired crossing the room to join the men around the captain's mahogany desk.

It was scattered now with various papers, two inkwells, a collection of quills, a large red glass orb Robert used as a paperweight and a pile of books ranging from ship building to French literature to the history of the American Revolution.

"It exists," Robert assured them, "Ted wouldn't lie about that."

Theodore Spinosum or Ted as he was more commonly referred to by crew and friends was the original captain of the Princess Augusta. The ship was named after King George III's second daughter Princess Augusta Sophia in honor of his late wife Charlotte who had always had a fascination with British history. Ted relinquished his title and ship to Robert after suffering a stroke that left him paralyzed on his left side. Gauither was the first man Robert hired to be part of his crew. Alix at this time was already instated as the ship's navigator having been discovered in 1833 as a stowaway by Ted. He was first put to work manning the sails and mopping the deck, but once Ted realized how intelligent he was he quickly put him in charge of the ship's navigation.

The Princess Augusta was a merchant ship, but this latest voyage was a request by one of the wealthy residents of Taylor's Landing, Texas where the Princess Augusta called home. It would seem Mr. Byron Huntsville has sent away for a mail order bride from France. The ship carrying the young woman, and her sister never made port reportedly, all passengers had been lost to the sea in a storm not unlike the one they currently found themselves in. Mr. Huntsville did not believe his intended Miss Eugenia Ovechkin was in fact dead and enlisted Captain Mayhew to find her.

The Sacré-Coeur aboard which Miss Ovechkin had been traveling on had been missing for eight months. No one really expected to find her, but Huntsville was willing to pay top dollar, and Robert always did like a challenge.