Aboard Providence Read online

  “Thank you, Sarah,” Anna said. “Go and sleep by Olivia in the Owenses’ room tonight.”

  Sarah turned her frightened eyes to Jonah. He opened his arms and she fell into his embrace. He hated to see her distraught and almost told her to go sleep by Marian, but then remembered Mrs. Foster’s condition. He bent down and kissed the top of her head. “Father will be better soon, Sarah. Go get some sleep.”

  She gazed up at him. Though their time together was rare, their bond was sure. He couldn’t imagine her growing up thousands of miles away from him. That thought alone made him consider changing his plans, but he couldn’t, no matter how it tore at his heart. “I will take care of Father, I promise.”

  She left the room, and he immediately felt the weight of his words.

  He walked to the window and stared out at the black of night, trying not to listen to his mother’s nervous whispers and his father’s slurred replies. If he didn’t return to Philadelphia soon, he was putting his future at risk. The thought of letting a false charge brew tied his stomach into a wrenching knot. He had to tell his parents, even though they would be shattered with disappointment. He turned to face them, but the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.

  Doctor Ashton motioned weakly with a limp hand, summoning Jonah closer. “Son, I’m grateful you’re here to help me and your mother. My injuries seem devastating today, but they will soon heal. This voyage is important to us—your mother and I—and to this wonderful group of families from the church. We’ve been preparing for months. Our plans are final. We sail in less than four weeks. All I want is to take my family to a new land and establish a new settlement with my dearest friends. You must come with us to South America.”

  Anna’s eyes grew wide. “What’s this? You’re not staying with us?”

  “I need to finish college first and—”

  Doctor Ashton raised a finger. “You might not be satisfied with your training, son, but I am. We will take our books and our instruments and be a fine medical team, you and I.”

  Anna drew a kerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her nose. “We need you, Jonah. I can take care of your brothers and sister, and the men can handle your father’s chores while he is laid up, but you will have to help him. Please stay with us.” She lifted a thin hand to Jonah. “I cannot leave any of my children behind.”

  Jonah wanted to help his father heal and relieve his mother’s sadness, not add to their misery. But if he accompanied his father on the voyage, the academic confirmation of his worth might slip from his grasp. Though the daunting chasm of his circumstances grew wider with each day he spent away from Philadelphia, if he sailed back to America with the captain immediately upon delivering the group to their new settlement, he might still have a chance at restoring his name and earning his diploma. He would go on the voyage with his family to help his father, but he couldn’t stay in their new land. He took his mother’s waiting hand. “Of course I’ll stay with you and help Father.”

  She lowered her chin. “And sail with us to the new settlement?”

  “Yes… and sail with you.”

  * * *

  Marian gripped a whistling copper kettle with a kitchen rag and poured its boiling water into a teapot. After quietly setting the kettle on the Ashton’s iron trivet, she leaned over the teapot and watched the twisted leaves of the young hyson tea unroll as it brewed. Though late at night, she inhaled the potent steam of the golden tea and felt instantly awakened.

  The stove gave off enough heat to draw her back to its warmth. The quiet of the kitchen ignited her imagination. She had only seen a few sketches of South American landscape and they were in her uncle’s volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica. The pictures portrayed a wild jungle with a loincloth-clad native stalking through the undergrowth with spear in hand. Though Reverend Colburn had said the coastal islands where they would settle were hundreds of miles south of the Amazon and unpopulated, she imagined their new land would be as exotic and enigmatic as that jungle image. No matter the scenery, there were sure to be new plants to study and new teas to brew.

  Footsteps thudded along the balcony above. Jonah descended the stairs without touching the rail, walked through the kitchen without acknowledging her presence, and stomped to the back porch without closing the door behind him. He passed the bay window then stood near the porch steps with his back to the house. His breath made white puffs of frustration on the cold night air.

  Marian poured the tea into a cup and carried it outside.

  Jonah glanced at her over his shoulder as she closed the door then he turned his face away. Perhaps he did not want company. She stood near the door, tea in hand, and dithered a moment. Finally, she stepped forward and held out the cup. “Would you like some tea?”

  Jonah looked at it and then at her. “Yes, thank you.” He breathed the words more than spoke them as he accepted the teacup with both hands. “Shouldn’t you be in your room with your family, sleeping like everyone else?”

  “I couldn’t sleep tonight if I tried.” She wiped her fingers on her skirt, unsure of how to manage their sudden emptiness. A stiff breeze blew through the porch. The cold air made her bury her hands in her sleeves. She almost went back into the kitchen to pour herself a cup, but didn’t want to lose the opportunity to speak with Jonah alone. “How is your father?”

  He did not answer. After sipping the tea, his lip twitched as if he were about to smile, but the gesture didn’t materialize. “This is hyson, isn’t it?”

  “Young hyson, actually.”

  “When did you become the purveyor of exotic teas for Accomack County?”

  Though his tone held a sarcastic quality, Marian smiled at his words. “I spent last summer in Richmond at my cousin’s estate.”

  “And that gave you high tastes?”

  “No, it only gave me a hobby. I like to experiment with the medicinal properties of leaves and this tea cured my hay fever.”

  “While you were in Richmond at your cousin’s estate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Perhaps it was simply staying indoors during the summer that eased your symptoms.”

  She detected a dose of arrogance in his comments. It was probably a result of years spent acquiring knowledge. Still, her experience was not to be dismissed. “No, I am certain it was the tea. Different leaves have different healing properties, you see. Plant oils do also. I like to experiment with them. One day I will find the perfect healing blend for every ailment.”

  “You will?”

  “Yes, I will,” she answered emphatically and immediately regretted her tone. She didn’t want to sound harsh. Between his being pulled away from college and his father’s injury, he had a right to be frustrated. After drawing a slow breath, she gave her voice the most ladylike quality she could. “I’m taking several tea bush saplings on the voyage to plant in our new settlement so I can keep experimenting. I believe a person can achieve any goal if he or she tries hard enough for long enough.”

  Jonah took another sip and raised an eyebrow. “You believe that?”

  “I do.”

  “I believe your optimism is dangerous.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  He grinned. “Don’t.”

  “Then I take it as a challenge.” She liked his smile and stepped closer. “Jonah, I’m worried about Doctor Ashton. Will he be able to make the voyage?”

  Jonah’s grin disappeared. He turned his face toward the darkened yard. “Only if I go with him.”

  “What do you mean if you go? Isn’t that the reason you’re here? To go with us?”

  “No.”

  His answer first baffled her then she thought of his years spent in college. Maybe he had made plans for his life long before the Accomack families dreamed up the group migration to South America. If she had a life far from her family or were involved in some adventure already, she might not want to leave either. But she wanted Jonah to go with them. The voyage seemed less appealing without him. She inclined her head. �
��Will you go now that your father needs you?”

  “Yes.” He set the teacup on the porch railing and stared at it for a moment. “That is probably why you can’t sleep.”

  “Because of the voyage?”

  “No.” He pointed at the empty cup. “Because of the tea. It has caffeine in it, a stimulant.”

  “Oh, I’ve always had bouts of insomnia, even when I was a child, so I doubt the tea can be blamed.” Though their every opinion seemed to differ, she enjoyed being alone with him. A glance into the bay window reassured her no one was in the kitchen. The globe of her lantern lent its soft light to the empty room. “Besides, being awake at night doesn’t bother me. I love the quiet of the night. I do my best daydreaming at night when the world is sleeping.”

  “That was almost poetic.” He leaned his shoulder against the porch column. “I came here to say goodbye to my family. This adventure you all are planning…it’s my father’s dream, not mine. And now he can only see it through with my help, but…”

  “But what?”

  He crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her, silently. The cold wind went still. His gaze was unrelenting and she wanted to look away but didn’t. He lowered his chin. “I remember you being a trustworthy girl when we were in school together. When the other girls tattled on the boys or lied about each other, you always kept silent. Are you still trustworthy… as a woman?”

  His question surprised her. She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I certainly hope so.”

  “Good, because I must admit something in confidence.” He wiped both hands over his face. “I’m going on the voyage, but I will be coming back to America on the ship with Captain Frakes. Mr. Weathermon has signed the deed to the Providence over to him. He told me so when we were on the stagecoach, but I’m not sure if the other men are aware of their transaction. After Captain Frakes delivers the group to South America, he is going to the nearest port, taking on a crew, and sailing back to Delaware. I plan to come back with him.”

  “What about Mr. Weathermon?”

  “He will be staying with the settlement. But I cannot. I must return to Philadelphia. I could never be happy in another land. I could never be happy here even in Accomack County. My life is in the city, as a doctor. If I give that up, it will be the death of me.”

  She glanced again through the window at the empty kitchen. “Is your family aware of your plan?”

  He shook his head. “My father is injured, but he has hope because he’s looking forward to this voyage. That hope will help him recover. If he knew… if he knew my plans, it would crush his spirit. I cannot rob him of hope while he’s healing.”

  Marian wanted to point out that it would be no better to hurt his father after he had healed, but she was flattered that Jonah trusted her and so she bit back her words. He needed her support and whether or not she agreed with his choice, she was struck by the desire to encourage him. It might only be for a few weeks, but he would have her camaraderie. “You’re doing the right thing by staying to help your father.”

  “It doesn’t feel right to me.”

  She glanced across the dark property of the Ashtons’ estate and considered the commonality of their difficulties: he was complicating his life to relieve his father’s pain and she spent her life carrying her mother through grief. They both wanted to relieve suffering and serve others. The difference was that he had acquired the education to spend his life healing people but she only could experiment and dream of finding cures. “Didn’t you train to be a doctor so that you could help people heal?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then you are doing what you were made to do. You’re being a good physician to your father just as he has been to us for years. And wasn’t your grandfather also a doctor?”

  “Yes, but his work was different.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jonah buried his hands in his trouser pockets. “My grandfather only treated patients early in his career. He was also a businessman and amassed a fortune trading pharmaceuticals. And he was a vocal proponent of regulated medical licensure. I can’t imagine what he would say if he knew I might not earn my degree because of this voyage.”

  He looked down at his feet and his voice became quiet. “My grandfather was highly respected and even though he died years ago, it would have been important to him that I earn my medical degree. But no matter how much I feel like I should be back in Philadelphia, I can’t leave my father in his condition, nor can I let the rest of you sail without an able bodied physician.”

  “See, you are doing the right thing.”

  He gave a short nod but said nothing. He only watched her, his expression impassive. Finally, he leaned back against the porch railing. His hand bumped the teacup and made it clank sharply against its saucer. They both jerked at the sound. Jonah picked up the cup and looked at her. He was smiling. “I’m a lout.”

  Marian chuckled. “No, you’re not.”

  “I nearly broke your cup and saucer.”

  “Actually, it’s your mother’s cup and saucer.”

  She laughed quietly again and before her chuckle died out, Jonah caught her fingertips in his hand. “Thank you,” he said, holding her gaze.

  “For the, um, tea?” Her face felt warm and she was thankful it was too dark on the porch for him to see her blush.

  “For letting me confide in you. And yes, for the tea.”

  She had been right that he needed encouragement, but she had not expected the physical connection, or the wave of emotion it produced. Her thoughts were muddled. She briefly wished she could be flirtatious like Peggy or unaffected like Olivia. She could only listen to him and keep his secrets and allow only friendship, considering she would stay with the settlement and he would not. “Jonah, whenever you choose to tell your father, he will understand. Things might be hard for a while, but everything will be all right.”

  “There is that dangerous optimism of yours again.” He glanced toward the kitchen and let go of her hand. “Goodnight, Marian.”

  Chapter Five

  The spacious barn quickly warmed as the men participated in Captain Frakes’ calisthenics instruction. When it was time to practice with the ropes and pulleys, Jonah peeled off his coat and looked for an empty hook on the barn wall by the horse stalls. A drip of sweat slid down his forehead. He dabbed it with his sleeve then hung his coat on a hook beside the horse brushes.

  Gabriel McIntosh dashed by and tossed his coat over a stall gate. It slid down the gate to the floor near Jonah.

  “Get that for me, would you, Jo?” Gabriel yelled over his shoulder as he hurried back to the group of men pulling on ropes rigged around the beams in the center of the barn.

  Jonah hadn’t been called Jo since he left for college at sixteen. “If you’ll use my real…” He trailed off, not wanting to waste his words on a person who wasn’t listening. He wasn’t Jo. His father, whose given name was Joseph, never went by Jo either.

  He lifted Gabriel’s coat from the barn floor and laid it across the gate. Then he glanced in the stall at Marian’s pregnant horse. She had seemed to have a secret bond with the horse she called Gypsy, and now Jonah felt bound to Marian too. But theirs was not a mutual confidence; he had told her his secret—part of it anyway—but she had given away no intimate knowledge of herself. It made him feel indebted, as if he were at her mercy, a feeling he found both exhilarating and exhausting. Exhilarating because even a moment in her presence made him forget everything but the desire to know her more. Exhausting because as his admiration deepened it made him want to keep her in his life, and that kind of desperation was unacceptable.

  He could easily love her, and since their futures were planned on two separate continents such a love would destroy him. He had resisted romantic entanglements thus far in life, but never before had a woman accidentally captured his attention like the optimistic and effortlessly beguiling Marian Foster.

  And such thoughts would surely ruin his peace.

  Jonah shoo
k his head and walked back to the men. He reached for the thick rope that trailed on the ground behind Gabriel.

  Mr. Weathermon stepped beside Jonah and boomed, “Since you’ll be ship’s doctor, you won’t be called to the rigging. There’s no need for you to build your strength. Your father needs your attention as will anyone else who should become ill or injured.”

  Gabriel looked back at Jonah. Henry Roberts craned his neck around Gabriel and stared too. Jonah glanced at his former schoolmates who had stopped to watch his reaction to Mr. Weathermon’s command. No one knew he planned to sail home with Captain Frakes, only Marian, and she wasn’t around. The men couldn’t know why he too needed to build his strength. He tightened his grip on the spiny rope. “I believe it is wise for every man aboard the ship to have some understanding of the ropes, including the ship’s physician.”

  Mr. Weathermon nodded then wiped the sweat from his jowls with a folded white cloth. “Very well, Jonah. Have at it.”

  Captain Frakes pointed at the two men ahead of Jonah on the rope. “Gabriel is in front because he’s the biggest of you boys. Henry is a wiry chap, but he’s got a powerful spirit. And Jonah, you’ll be the shantyman.”

  Jonah looked at Captain Frakes. “I beg your pardon.”

  “You seem to be the smartest of the lot, so you’ll keep the rhythm. It’s the only way to manage with a small crew, especially when it comes time to walk the capstan. Start by singing Cheer’ly Man or Jack’s the Lad. Doesn’t matter to me. Just set the rhythm and keep the boys pulling at a steady pace.” Captain Frakes turned to the other men. “Providence is gaff rigged on her mainsail and foresail. A gaff is hoisted by two halyards. We often start with four men on each halyard… three if they’re strong and can stay in rhythm. Once you’ve trained, two of you should be able to manage each halyard.”

  Jonah tried to concentrate as Captain Frakes continued the demonstration, but with each colloquial sailing phrase, his interest waned. He stood with one foot firmly planted behind the other, knees bent, hands gripping the rough rope, and wished he had never left Philadelphia. If the extended absence from medical school did not end his chance of a career, his sensitive hands would be ruined for surgeon’s work when he returned to America with Captain Frakes, but he had to sail home, so he had to learn the ropes.