“You stop laughing at my sister,” he yelled, but no one obeyed him.
“Take me to Eleanor,” Jessica managed to say. She would not cry. Under no circumstances in this world would she cry. She kept her back straight, her chin high and didn’t look right or left.
Nathaniel, for reasons of his own, led Jessica not to Eleanor but to Sayer Montgomery.
Jessica, all her energy expended on trying not to cry, just stood there rather stupidly and stared at the old man who’d lost the use of his legs. In her childhood, he’d seemed formidable to her and she hadn’t seen him except in quick glimpses since he’d been injured.
Vaguely, she was aware of Nate telling the old man what had happened, explaining why Jessica was soaking wet and her fishy clothes were smelling to high heaven, and why her face was fat and puffy with unshed tears.
Sayer’s eyes widened, then he held out his arms. “I may be useless as a man nowadays, but I still have shoulders for pretty girls to cry on.”
Jessica didn’t think twice but almost fell on him and cried as if her heart were breaking. “I didn’t do anything to him,” she wailed. “I’ve never met him, so why should I let him kiss me?”
“Ah, but he was the Raider,” Sayer said, holding her and stroking her back. He didn’t mind her fish odor in the least. “Most girls would have acted as Abigail did.”
“Abigail is an idiot,” she said, sitting up slightly, but still in his arms.
“True.” Sayer smiled. “But an awful pretty one. Quite kissable.”
“But I’m…I mean…” Jessica started crying again. “The boys don’t like me and I don’t like them.”
“Yes they do like you. They’re just afraid of you. Hardly any of them can do half of what you can do. They see you captain that leaky tug of yours and haul anchors and”—he paused to smile—“and keep young Nathaniel in line and they know you’re a better man than they are.”
“Man?” she gasped. “Do they think I’m a man?”
He pulled her back to him, burying his hands in her hair that was hanging down about her waist. “Far from it. They all know you’re the prettiest girl they’ve ever seen.”
“Not as pretty as Abigail,” she said, glancing out of the corner of her eye at him.
“Abigail is pretty today, when she’s sixteen, but she won’t be pretty tomorrow. You, my dear, will be pretty when you’re a hundred.”
“Well, I wish I were a hundred today. How can I face the townspeople tomorrow?”
He put his fingertips under her chin. “You did nothing wrong. Now think about it this way: while everyone was watching you, Ben’s wife was able to get the tea out.”
“But all Pitman has to do is accuse Ben.”
Sayer’s once handsome face turned hard. “Yes, my son-in-law has only to accuse. Perhaps Alexander—”
“Alexander!” Jessica said, sitting up. “How could you have two glorious sons and then the third one be so…so…”
“That’s a question I’ve been asking myself,” Sayer said thoughtfully, then looked at Jessica. “I want you to think about what this Raider did for Ben. Try to think of what happened to you as part of the whole picture.” He smiled. “And next time, when you see this Raider, run the opposite way.”
“Next time! He wouldn’t have the courage to appear again. Pitman will have his soldiers tearing the countryside apart looking for him.”
Sayer pushed her off the bed. “Go now and get cleaned up. Really, Jessica, you should wear a dress now and then.”
She smiled at him, feeling much better. “Aye, Captain.” She bent and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” She left the room.
Sayer waited a few moments and then bellowed, “Nathaniel!” Within moments the boy appeared, holding his little brother Samuel’s hand. “I want you to find out what you can about this Raider.”
“I can’t do nothin’. Eleanor gave me the baby to take care of. He can’t even climb a tree.” The boy’s lip stuck out several inches.
Sayer frowned in thought a moment. “Look in that drawer yonder and bring me that ball of string and that brass ring and my knife. When my boys were babies and Lily was young and sailed with me, I knotted her a bag to tie the babies onto her back. We’ll see if we can make a carrier for Samuel. Think you can climb a tree with that hefty young ’un on your back?”
“I could climb to the stars,” Nathaniel said. “You got any peppermint? It keeps him quiet.”
“You find out who this Raider is and I’ll buy you a barrelful of peppermint.”