Page 3 of Miss Whittier Makes a List
The captain strode across the deck, nodded to her, and stood in front of Captain Winslow.
“Captain, I am Captain Sir Daniel Spark and this is His Majesty’s frigateDissuade.I am requiring and requesting that youturnover to me all deserters from His Majesty’s Royal Navy.”
“I have none on board,”growled.
“I think you do,”Captain Spark replied, biting off each word as though born to command.“I demand that you summon your crew and have them show me their papers.”When Winslow said nothing, he looked over his shoulder at the carronade, which was now reloaded and pointed at point-blank range.“Well now, sir?”
Wearily, Winslow motioned to his men who stood about the deck, talking among themselves in guarded tones, and then glanced up at the Marines in theDissuade’s shrouds.“Line up and show them your papers, lads.”
“Good of you to be so obliging,”said the captain.
With a growing sense of stupefaction that someone without a by-your-leave could so coolly commandeer a ship of another country, Hannah sat with her hands balled into tight fists and observed this intruder to theMolly.
He was tall, impeccably dressed in the white pants, whitevest, and blue coat of the Royal Navy, and rendered even more imposing by the high fore-and-aft hat he wore. I wonder how he keeps those trousers so white, she thought, fascinated in spite of herself. Gold epaulets fringed both shoulders, proclaiming him a full captain. His face was mahogany-colored from constant exposure to the sun, with weather wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He was thinlipped and grim, with a straight nose. From his buckled shoes to his hairline, he was well built, but without an ounce of fat anywhere that she could see. In any other setting, she would have thought him a magnificent specimen.
“Dear me,”Hannah whispered under her breath, making herself smaller on the grating where she sat.
She thought she spoke softly, but he turned toward her, raising one eyebrow in a scrutiny that lasted only a brief moment, but which seemed to go on and on. His eyes were the cool blue of ice rimming a deep winter pond, and stood out distinctly in contrast to his tanned face.
He cleared his throat.“If there is something about me you see that does not meet your scrutiny,please let me know.”His words were crisp and lively with command.
Hannah blushed and looked away from him, raising her chin proudly and gazing out beyond the rigging to the port bow. There was a long pause, as though he waited for an answer. Reluctantly, she looked back at him.
“Well!”he asked her, one eyebrow raised.
“I think thee is a perfect beast,”she replied as distinctly.
“Oh,does thee?”he replied, his voice heavy with mockery. To her further dismay, the lieutenant of Marines standing beside him laughed out loud.
One glance from the captain’s disconcerting blue eyes ended that outburst and turned it into a cough. The captain directed his gaze next at Aaron Winslow, who stood beside his men lined on the deck.
“Sir, Lieutenant Ream here will examine your crew’s papers. If anything is out of order, he will seize that party and return him to theRoyalNavy, where he belongs.”
Winslow made no reply. The Marine made his way down the line of seamen while Captain Spark stood ramrod straight, eyes ahead, taking no notice of Winslow. The Marine read each paper carefully, then stopped before the sailing master. When the man did not hand over his paper, he tapped his chest.“You there,”he barked.
The sailing master stepped forward,forcing the Marine to back up. He turned smartly and faced Captain Spark.“Elijah Cogburn, late of theTemeraire.”
Captain Spark allowed himself a tiny smile. He strode to the sailing master.“I thought I recognized you, Cogburn,”he said, his voice mild, but with that hint of sarcasm that Hannah was already beginning to loathe.“Wethought you jumped ship.”
“I found a better berth, sir,”Cogburn replied, eyes straight ahead.“And a better country.”
Captain Spark came closer, until Cogburn was forced to take a step backward.“May I remind you—all of you—once an Englishman, always an Englishman!="+0">”
The sailing master made no reply. At a small gesture from the captain, two sailors sprang forward and hustled Cogburn to the ship’s railing. He looked back at Winslow, the bare pleading evident on his face.“Captain Winslow! Can you do nothing?”
Her heart wrung out, Hannah scrubbed savagely at the tears in her eyes. She knew she should not say anything, but something deep within her compelled her upright. In a moment she was standing beside Captain Spark,who regarded her with faint amusement. She looked up and up to his face, and nearly lost her courage, staring into those unsettling eyes.
“What gives thee the right to do this thing?”she raged, amazed at her own temerity, even as she spoke.
“The right of the Royal Navy, and I might add, a man who has guns and muskets trained on this deck,”he replied coolly. He glanced at Captain Winslow.“I suggest you retire this little termagant below deck or I might be tempted to use her for chum and troll for sharks!”
Hannah gasped.“Thee is despicable!”
“I certainly am,”he roared back.“Now sit back on your grating before I paddle you!”
She did as he ordered, not doubting for a moment that he would have turned her over his knee. Tears came to her eyes once more as the Marines in the shrouds and the sailors on the opposite deck laughed. She sat as tall as she could, while tears of rage and humiliation streamed down her cheeks.
After a moment, the Marine lieutenant continued his perusal of citizenship papers. He pulled out an Irishman and two Canadians, then saluted to CaptainSpark.“That’sit, sir,”he said, showing him the papers.
