CHAPTER ELEVEN - LOYALTY
Captian Lewis, dismissed the crew from battle stations. The crew began to slowly filter back to the armory, where Kate
once again stowed the weapons with Kevin by her side. All of the firearms were returned, and put under lock with the exception of a single musket. Mr. Hagney retained the single musket to keep the night watch.
She turned to Kevin, gave him a small kiss on his head, and kindly offered, "do you want to spend the night with me or do you wish to join the crew?"
The truth be told, the entire night had deeply frightened Kevin, first all the talk of war and then the alarm of a pirate attack. The news of the murder struck him deeply. It had only been a few days ago that he had been a simple farmer's son. He drew a deep breath.
"I am a member of the crew now, but thank you Aunt Katie."
Kate smiled and thought, he is such a brave lad. "Well go on then, join the crew."
Kevin made his way under the deck of the Concord and crawled into the small hammcock that was his bed. As he lay there, he pondered all that had transpired. The parting from his father still lay heavy upon his heart. The fear of war and the terror of pirates raced through his mind. His eyes became heavy and slowly Kevin drifted off to sleep.
As the light of the Sun broke upon the eastern horizon, the bell of the Concord began to ring. The crew reported for mess, another breakfast of bisquits and porridge. Kevin sat with the crew enjoying his meal and all the banter. The crew retold the events of the prior night and also of their hopes for good fortune, of the plunder of gold and silver, in the war to come.
Kevin thought it odd, that most of the men hoped to a gain enough treasure to settle down, to buy a farm, and to live a peaceful life. The very kind of life that Kevin himself had just left. Strange indeed he pondered, that while he was on the farm, he dreamed of the sea and yet all the men of the sea dreamed of the farm.
Lord Pembroke, much to the dismay of the local magistrate, made good on his promise that the Concord would set sail for Norfolk in the morning.
Once again, Kevin found himself by Mr. Hagney's side raising the aft sail, as the Concord left port, bound for the Sea. As the Concord sailed past Roanoke Island and into the Pamlico Sound, Captain Lewis turned to Kevin and asked:
"Are you ready to take your turn in the crow's nest without Mr. Hagney?"
Kevin glanced up at the tall mast of the mainsail and at the riggings, so tall and so high for one so small and so young. Kevin hesitated for but a second, he had to do this, he was a memeber of the crew. Kevin smile.
"Aye aye, Uncle Aaron . . .uh . . . aye aye Captain Lewis."
"Go on then lad, and remember hold tight with both hands."
Kevin raced to the riggings, and though still very new to the whole experience, he hoisted himself onto the side rails and climbed the riggings into the crow's nest.
Once again the world opened up before his eyes and the wind blew gently about his face. He looked down just breifly to see his Aunt Katie smiling with pride and with joy. Kevin too was filled with a sense of pride and joy, he was a true sailor now.
He smiled with delight at the sight of the dolphins racing before the bow of the Concord. The sound of the gulls calling filled his ears. His mind was free of all worries, he was at peace, he was at one with the ship, at one with the wind, and at one with the waves.
By midday, the Concord had sailed through the inlet and into the vastness of the Atlantic. As the last sight of the Outer Banks left the horizon, Kevin was relieved of his watch in the crow's nest.
Kevin cautiously climbed down the riggings and back onto the deck of the Concord.
"Well Kevin, me darling, what did you think?" Kate asked.
"Grand, it was all grand. The dolphins, the seagulls, the waves it was all grand. Did you see me climb the riggings, Aunt Katie, did you see me?"
"Aye Kevin, you did just fine, a true sailor you are." Kate replied.
The voyage to Norfolk would take three days at sea, with the Concord never venturing too far from the Outer Banks, but just far enough so as to avoid the dangers of the shifting shoals. Kevin spent his days learning the ways of the ship. In the mornings he would take the watch in the crow's nest. During the afternoons, Mr. Hagney would teach him how to tie knots and trim the sails. And after supper, his Aunt Kate taught Kevin how to read and to write.
Kevin enjoyed his time taking the watch and of course learning all the ways of the sea from Mr. Hagney. His Aunt Katie's lessons were rather tiresome, but she had insisted. Kevin had already learned that when Kathleen O'Donnell Lewis insisted, the matter was decided.
In three days time, the Concord enterred the port of Norfolk in the Colony of Virginia. Kevin stood on deck in utter amazement. Norfolk was filled with tall ships, with masts lined high in the sky. He thought it was as if all the pines trees in the Carolinas had been cut down and now were floating on the sea.
His eyes fixed upon the cannons of the fort, with men dressed in red coats standing at the ready. Finally, his eyes turned towards a large three masted ship alongside the dock. The hull was painted black with a yellow trim, beautiful he thought, with cannons all aligned upon her decks. He hoped that she was the Essex, his new home, the ship that would take him to war.
Kevin saw Lord Pembroke point at the black hulled ship and say: "There Aaron, there she is, the Essex, twenty-two guns and fit for war!"
"The Essex, she is a fine ship, Lord Pembroke but what of her crew? And may I inquire who are those men aboard ship?" Kate asked.
"Those men are the officers of the Essex, along with some of their own select men. We shall need to recruit a few more men for the crew, but we have an excellent beginning. The officers are fine gentleman, mostly from Maryland and Virginia. And as for the crew, men are gathering from all the Colonies with the single hope of signing aboard the Essex." replied Lord Pembroke.
"So is it my understanding that the officers have already been selected? And I have no say in the matter?" Captain Lewis inquired.
"Aaron, my dear old friend, you must understand that in obtaining for you the Letter of Marque certain concessions had to be made. I shall speak plainly, Aaron you are the finest Captain I know, but your birth, you are not of noble stock. And in the Court of Queen Anne, such things as blood and as station matter. Your Second in Command, is a Marylander by the name of Charles Howard. He is the grand nephew of the Earl of Norfolk and a distant cousin to the Queen herself. Her majesty insisted that Mr. Howard be your Second in Command. Aaron I know that a man such as yourself cares little for politics, but to a Queen, whose own grandfather lost his head, the support of the nobles is an absolute imperative. The Queen relies upon the Howards in Engalnd and here in the Colonies, for her very survival. Likewise your other officers, John Crossland and Henry Marshall are, shall I say, the sons of exiled Cavaliers. All are loyal to the Crown and to the Queen, but seeing as she is likely to die without heir there are already those who gather against her. The herself selected these men for her own purpose. Thus Aaron, you have no say so in the choice of your officers, just as I had little say so in the matter, for this was the Queen's business."
"And what of the remainder of the crew, shall the Queen select them as well, or does the Master of the Essex have any say in that matter?" Kate spoke forcefully.
"Aaron, it seems that I have disturbed the Master of the Ship by perhaps overstepping my bounds, in this matter. Perhaps, Kate and I might have a word alone for a moment."
"By your leave, Lord Pembroke." Captain Lewis responded and took his leave.
"Mistress Lewis, Master of the Ship and wife to my dear friend, I do not mean to give offence. However, we are in a small bit of a predicament. You see, although you are of course the Master of the Ship, I need not remind you that the Essex is my ship. This war, this endeavor of ours, is most necessary. We must all become patriots, to heal our wounds from all these decades of internal strife. First our Civil War between Cromwell's people and the Crown. And then our Glorious Revolution, which put a final end to the abuses of King James. An old order has died, well perhaps not died yet, but most certainly has received a mortal blow. In time most will come to accept this new order, this new age of commerce and Empire, but never forget that some families have long memories, and vengeance is a powerful force that can cloud the mind and blacken the heart, would you not agree, Kathleen O'Donnell of Donegal - Ireland?"
Kate nodded in agreement, it was not lost on her that Lord Pembroke had called her O'Donnell from Ireland thus questioning her loyalty to the Crown. He was a shrewed man, a cunning man, Kate knew he had chosen these words carefully. His tone was almost one of an accusation.
"I have a large vested interest here in the Colonies, and I shall not have those interests jeopardized by long memories and by family fueds. The young officer, John Crossland, his father was hanged in Philadelphia for taking up arms in a border dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania. Imagine that, Catholic Cavaliers waging war against Quaker Roundhats over control of the land. It has an all too familiar ring to it, would you not agree, Ms. O'Donnell?"
"Aye an all too familiar ring." Kate sheepsihly responded. She knew that Lord Pembroke was laying the foundations of a trap, one that she had to avoid but somehow knew she was already ensnared.
"Now think for just a moment what would happen if a family like the Howards were to decide to raise the banner of the House of Stuart once again in England? I tell you plainly that the rivers of England would run red with blood. Not just in England, but throughout the Empire, making all of our holdings vunerable to the French and to the Spanish, who at this very moment openly plot to place a Stuart back on the throne. Such an outcome would mean that I myself would lose all my holdings and perhaps my head. And that is an outcome that I would find rather unpleasant. Can you see that?"
Kate simply nodded.
"No, we must unite under the Queen's banner and put all vengeance aside. And since I myself wish to keep my head, I must be certain of the loyalty and obedience of all who serve me. And Misstress O'Donnell, let there be no doubt that YOU SERVE ME."
Lord Pembroke stared coldly into Kate's eyes. She did not waiver, she stared right back into his eyes. Finally, she spoke: "Aye, your Lordship I serve you."
"Excellent. Then let us come to an understanding of your loyalty and the the price of disloyalty, shall we. Aaron tells me that the young cabin boy, your nephew, Kevin is the son of Jack Henry. An odd surname "Henry", I recall a rather imfamous pirate by the name of Jack Henry. They say he was a gunner extraordinaire. A man who could bring down a ship's mast in a single shot. He disappeared some seven or eight years ago in Barbados. Wait, did not you and your sister once live in Bardados. Of course you did, that is where you met Aaron. Also, that name "Henry", I have heard tell that it is a common alias for members of the Clan MacDonald. Tell me was Kevin's father from Scotland?"
Kate knew that Lord Pembroke knew the answer to that question before he even asked, so she simply nodded in response.
Lord Pembroke, smiled, he had Kate in the midst of his trap. And now it was the time to spring the snare about her neck and assure Kate's unwaivering loyalty.
"Imagine my surprise the other night in Roanoke, upon seeing that poor Campbell fellow murdered with the note "Glencoe" attached to a knife sticking in his heart. In the very same night, Aaron tells me of Kevin's father - Jack Henry. Even more, I begin to wonder, how a MacDonald would know that the Master of the Ship was a Campbell? And how did he know that the Skye was in port on Roanoke Island that very night. A true mystery, you do not suppose that perhaps young Kevin might have signaled his father that night?"
"NO!" was all Kate could reply.
"Are you certain, Kate?"
"The boy had nothing to do with any of that, your Lordship. Of that I am certain!"
"I am glad you are certain of that, for if that were ever to be the case, then sadly the young boy would hang for murder."
Kate's eyes grew wide, her heart began to race, the trap had been sprung. Lord Pembroke had summized much, but not all of what had happened in Roanoke that night.
"Mistress Lewis, it is most fortunate that you are certain that the boy had nothing to do with that sordid affair. Assure me that I may be just as certain of your loyalty to me."
"Lord Pembroke, I swear to you my unwaivering fielty and loyalty." Kate responded. Kevin's life would be the price of her disloyalty.
"Excellent, an excellent choice, for the boy's sake, for your sake, for Aaron's sake and hopefully for my sake as well. Especially since it was by my word, and my word alone, that Kevin Henry is here in Norfolk and not on Roanoke Island being interrogated by the local magistrate. As to the crew, we, you and I, shall decide who serves on the Essex, together."
Lord Pembroke had secure for himself, the unwavering loyalty of the Master of the Ship, Kathleen O'Donnell Lewis, sealed with Kevin's blood.