Rogue Wave (The Rogue Wave Series Book 1) Page 2

  “Allen?” Catherine called out quietly. The boy slept in the loft area above the stables. She walked over, stopping just below the ladder. “Allen? You awake? I brought you the Apple Charlotte.”

  Still no reply. Catherine climbed up the ladder, she would just leave the dessert up there for him. Careful not to drop it, she managed to climb up the ladder, though her skirts made it difficult. It will be a miracle if I manage to get back down without breaking my neck, she thought.

  Catherine placed the dessert nicely by a pile of various items belonging to Allen. She had never been up in the loft before, soft straw was laid out with a pillow and blanket in one corner. In the other corner, there was a lamp, a pile of neatly folded clothes, a pair of extra shoes and a book. Catherine picked the book up to examine it, the head footman was teaching Allen to read. It was one of the books from her father’s study, he must have loaned it to him. She looked around, she could see why Allen liked it so much in the loft. It was quiet and peaceful.

  She spied the clothes again. On an impulse, she grabbed them and the shoes and quickly climbed down as best as she could without slipping. A sudden thought came to mind. The dress was such a hassle to climb in, she easily saw why men needed breeches instead of gowns to work in. It had also occurred to her, that if she was going to find a way to sneak out for a bit, that she could not very well walk out of the Plantation grounds without being spotted or stopped. If she dressed in boy clothes though, no one would glance in her direction. She ran back up to the large house and snuck up to her chambers to hide the clothes. Composing herself, she returned to her guests.

  The next morning, she sat in the warm sun, taking in the sounds of the birds, the bustling sounds from the docks and the ocean. Her book sat open in her lap; she was completely lost in the story when she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up, blinking a couple times, she had not heard her father approach.

  “My dear, I have been thinking a lot about the conversation we had the other day…and well.” Sitting on the bench next to her, he grabbed for her hand and held it in his, looking down at it. “Catherine, last night, Lord Anderson, was quite taken with you. As you know, he recently purchased one of the larger Plantations.” Catherine blanched, she knew exactly where this conversation was headed. The ladies the previous evening had even implied as much, they had suspected what she had dreaded.

  “Catherine, he is a fine young man, I think you will be very happy.” He tried to give his best, hopeful, smile. “When I return from my endeavor, we will hold your wedding here on the plantation.” He gestured with his hand behind him. “Of course, you and your friends may start planning it as soon as you wish. I am sure you will have lots to go over. You will be so busy planning your wedding and then running your own grand estate that you will not even have time to dream of adventure. In fact, you will be living a new kind of adventure.” He squeezed her hand.

  Before he could wrap his arm around her in an embrace, she snatched her hand back, and ran off towards the stables. Her heart was thundering in her ears. She could not think straight, she needed a minute. How could he have done that? Her father had always told her he would let her choose who she wanted to marry.

  Catherine ran into the stables, straight to Sunny, wrapped her arms around his neck, and sobbed. Why would he would promise her to someone so suddenly or to a man she only recently met? She would be living on the same island on another plantation, doing much the same as she did now. Nothing would change, she would be living the exact same life. Just sitting, talking, waiting. Once she married she would probably never get another chance to get out and see more of the world.

  Her head snapped up. She would go through with the marriage if she must, but not before she saw what lay beyond the docks. Her father would be leaving the next day for a few months. That would give her plenty of time to leave the plantation in her disguise. She could buy passage to some of the lands and ports she had read about, live her life the way she dreamed and have a story of her own to tell. Then she would simply buy passage back, on another ship, come home…and plan her wedding to Lord Anderson.

  Catherine and the head staff were silently lined up outside the entrance to the big house to bid farewell to Lord Benedict before he left on business. Catherine was a mixture of nerves, excitement, and sadness. She loved her father and did not wish to hurt him, she knew that when he found out she had left, he would be terribly worried. This was not the typical farewell. This was a farewell to life as they knew it. Her adventure and forthcoming marriage loomed over the parting.

  Her father stepped out of the house. He spoke with staff, leaving little instructions to different maids and footmen. He placed a hand on Elijah’s shoulder. “Take care, man. I trust you will have the entire house in order, much like you do every time I leave for a bit.” Elijah had been a footman for many years under the Baron and had more than earned his right to be the butler. Over the years, they had become friends.

  Lord Benedict looked toward Catherine, who stood opposite to the staff. “My dear, I am very proud of you. I am happy you came around about marrying Lord Anderson. You will have a happy marriage, I believe, and will never be far from me, should you ever need anything.” He pulled Catherine into a big, fatherly embrace. Catherine desperately fought back tears.

  “I love you, father. Be safe and write when you get the chance.” She knew she would more than likely not see those letters, as she would be out on the rolling waters herself. The difficulty passed. It was not too late to change her mind, but she knew if she did, she would wonder all her life, what kind of adventure had she missed. Her father squeeze her one last time and smiled. Kissing her forehead, he turned and climbed into the waiting coach. As the carriage lurched forward, he waved and sat back in his seat. Catherine let out the breath she had not realized she had been holding. She turned and walked into the large house. The staff followed close behind her, quickly returning to their various duties.

  The night before, she had tossed and turned, trying to decide what she would do and what her plan should be. The clothes she would wear were under her bed, tucked away safe from being discovered, or so she hoped.

  She had not thought of anything else she would need, save a bit of money. After all, the ship would provide food and a cabin. She did not need to pack any gowns nor books; why read about an adventure when she was finally going to live one? She would wake before dawn and head to the docks. There, she would buy passage on a ship and be out of port before the staff even realized she was out of the house, let alone off the plantation grounds. She smiled to herself, she was confident that her plan would work.

  Catherine had barely drifted off when another dream of crashing waves and screaming men scrambling about the deck of an enormous ship woke her. Light was barely peeking over the horizon through her window, warning her that this was her moment. She reached under her bed for the clothes she was borrowing from the stable boy. Slipping out of her soft nightgown, she pulled the large, baggy shirt over her head, then shuffled her legs into the very scratchy pants, that hugged her thighs, perhaps a bit too tight.

  Accustomed to soft layers of fabric and clothing Catherine felt rather exposed and itchy. Tucking the shirt in, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. The shirt was large, she had not realized that even though Allen was still a few years younger than herself, he was taller than her by a couple inches and his shoulders were broad. The baggy shirt hid her figure well enough; the pants did not quite do such a good job. She stared at herself for a moment. It will have to do, she thought.

  Tying her hair back, she hid it under the hat, then pulled on the shoes. They were a bit too big. Grabbing her disregarded night gown from the floor, she tore a few strips of fabric from it and stuffed them in the shoes. It was not the most comfortable of outfits, to be sure, but at least now her feet would not be slipping out; she could move around freely and most importantly, she would not be recognized.

 
Taking another quick glance in the mirror, she grabbed the bag of coins off her dresser and stuffed them deep in her pocket. Lastly, she placed three notes on her dresser. One for Emma, one for Allen, and one for her father. She touched the folded parchment addressed to her father. “I love you,” she whispered to the letter.

  Catherine slightly opened the door to her chamber. The hallway was empty and silent. Slipping through the door, she edged her way down the hall and onto the stairs. There was no one on the stairs. She crept down and worked her way towards the front door.

  “Emma, I will be setting the clocks this morning, John is helping Gregory.” Catherine froze.

  “Alright, thank you, Edward.” Catherine flattened herself against the wall, inches from freedom. She watched as Edward, one of the footmen, headed towards the large clock that sat just outside the door to her father’s study. Emma walked into the main sitting room to open the curtains and fluff the pillows. Catherine exhaled, that was too close. She crept nearer to the door, slowly wrapping her sweaty hand around the handle. As quick and as silently as she could, she leapt outside, closing the door with a light click.

  Catherine ran towards the front gate; if someone was to look out the windows, they might spot her and wonder why the stable boy was leaving. She could not risk any questions. The large gates screeched loudly as she passed through them.

  Her legs carried her past the plantation grounds and towards the heart of the port. It was still too soon to assume she was safe from being spotted and recognized but she had made it this far. Now she had to find a ship to buy safe passage. As she got closer to the port, she slowed to a walk, savoring all the sights. Of course her father had been with her when she had visited the docks before, but now in disguise, it was an entirely different experience.

  In the port men were everywhere, loading and unloading boxes, carrying goods and animals from all over. The smells assaulted her nose as she tried to focus. Perhaps she could ask one of the women at the stalls if they knew of a ship she could buy passage on. Glancing around, she walked towards one of the small stalls. The woman was putting out various fruits. “Excuse me, I was…” No, that would not do. Her voice was too high. She cleared her throat and deepened it. “Excuse me, would you happen to know of a ship that is taking on passengers?”

  The women looked directly at Catherine, who swallowed nervously, as if the woman could see right through her disguise. “Head down to the docks, ask to buy passage on The Alice. It is a passenger ship that is headed towards England. You’d better hurry, it will be sailing soon.” The woman went back to setting up in her stall.

  “Thank you, I am much obliged.” Catherine said with the deepest voice she could manage. The Alice, she thought to herself. She would go to England and see a bit of where her mother and father were from. She hurried down to the docks, filled with excitement and nerves.

  “Look out, lad!” A gruff voice said. Catherine stumbled, something hard bumped into her back. She turned to see a large, scowling man carrying a big box. “If you ain’t goin’ to help, I suggest you go find a place to sit…out of the way.”

  Catherine froze; the port was far busier than she had expected. Taking a step forward, she tried to find someone that looked as if they might know about The Alice. She spotted a tall man standing with a board and parchment, speaking to different men, ordering them to load boxes or to go on board the nearby ship. Perhaps he would know where she could find The Alice. She walked forward, a bit unsure of herself. What if he could tell she was not a boy?

  “Hey, you! Boy!” A large hand grabbed Catherine’s shoulder. “You must be one of the new sailors.” The man grabbed Catherine’s hand and turned it over. She was shocked.

  “Not a single mark.” He laughed and looked back at another man. “Come, you carry those there boxes on to that ship.” He pointed to a group of boxes then to the ship that was behind the man with the board and parchment. Stunned, she found herself struggling under the weight of one of the wooden boxes. She marched her way towards the ship and practically dropped the box at the tall man’s feet. “Excuse me, Sir. I…”

  The man with the board cut her off. “I heard him tell you to carry the boxes.” He gestured to the rather bossy and rude man behind her, that was now yelling at a young man that was quickly growing paler by the second. “You best do as you are told, lad, or you will find yourself in front of the Captain; that, you do not want. Get goin.” The man said, hardly even taking a second glance at Catherine.

  A man was coming up fast behind her, with a load in his arms that blocked his view. She quickly picked the box up again. If she did not hurry, he would run right into her and she did not fancy being yelled at again. Quickly, she rushed up the plank that joined the ship to the dock. Setting the box down, she looked around. An actual ship. She could hardly believe her eyes. It dawned on her: this was not The Alice, she was sure of it. There did not look to be any other passengers on board.

  “Excuse me, is this The Alice? Where can I find The Alice?” She said to a sailor, a bit more fanatically than she wanted.

  “The Alice?” The sailor chuckled. “Sorry son, that ship sailed out already. This here is The Trinity.” The old sailor stomped his foot on the wooden planks.

  “No, there must be a mistake, you see, I was supposed to buy passage on The Alice.” Panic rose in her throat. This was all going so wrong, so suddenly. She had to find a way off this ship. She whirled around only to slam into a hard figure with dark eyes.

  Lucas surveyed the scene. Men were bustling about loading cargo onto The Trinity. It was a familiar sight, if not a beautiful one; gruff men loading dirty boxes onto a ship, in the morning fog. It looked chaotic and yet there was a kind of grace to it. One exception being the small cabin boy that had just stumbled up to Alaric; nearly dropping the load that was unmistakably too heavy for him. Once on board, it all became clear. The lad had somehow found his way on board the wrong ship, not just any ship, but a privateer ship. Clearly, he had meant to board a passenger ship instead. Lucas laughed, the lad was in for a big surprise. They were ready to set sail. Even if he jumped ship and swam back to the docks, it would be of no use. There were no more passenger ships due to come in that day.

  He walked over to the boy, ready to explain the situation and that he had just unwittingly signed himself onto a privateer ship. Suddenly the boy turned around, slamming right into him. Short, rounded shoulders, Lucas estimated him to be no more than fifteen.

  “How old are you, lad?” Lucas asked.

  “I…well…I,” Catherine fumbled for words. It had not occurred to her to think of her age or a name for that matter. She could not very well use her own.

  “Spit it out, lad, we don’t have all day. Your age!” Lucas demanded.

  “Fourteen, Sir. I…I am fourteen.” Catherine decided since she was wearing the clothes of a fourteen-year-old boy and it made her look far younger, she might as well say she was.

  “Very well, and your name?” The man asked.

  “I,” Oh blast it, why had she not thought of a name? “Allen…Treadfast, Allen Treadfast, Sir.” Catherine said, lifting her head a bit and sticking out her chin.

  “Treadfast?” The corner of Lucas’s lips twitched slightly. “Very well, Allen Treadfast,” he said in a tone that made Catherine uneasy. “Welcome to The Trinity. I am Captain Lucas Harding and that there,” he pointed to the tall man holding the board and parchment, “is Alaric, my first mate. By the looks of you and your state of confusion, I believe it is safe to say that you have never set foot on a ship before.” Lucas looked the boy over, amusement in his dark eyes. “Follow Ol’ Shorty around for a bit. He will teach you how things are done on board. Once you get the hang of it, we will find you a proper place.”

  Lucas gestured towards the older sailor that was working with the rigging. He chuckled, shook his head, and walked off. It was only then, that Catherine realized the ship was no longer
anchored. In fact, the port was now growing farther and farther away. It would not be long before her home was but a speck on the horizon.

  When they were a few hours from port, Lucas strode over to Alaric who was at the helm. “What do you make of the new recruits? Particularly the small lad?” Lucas gestured with a grin towards the boy who called himself Allen Treadfast. He had just fallen backwards onto a mess of ropes. The lad was definitely hiding. More than likely a runaway from one of the plantations, the boy’s father probably owned or work on one of the many on the Island. He could not blame the boy, he would not want to live such a dull life either. The fact was he would have to find out who the boy really was and find a way to get word to his family, letting them know what happened so they would not think he kidnapped the lad. While on board Allen is going to pull his weight, it will be good for him, Lucas thought.

  “The others seem to know a bit about sailing. Many of them have been on ships before and have at least done a hard day’s work. I don’t believe the lad, has done much of either. I heard what he told Ol’ Shorty, ‘bout being on the wrong ship and saying he was supposed to be on The Alice. What are you going to do about him?” Alaric asked, his hand steady on the wheel.

  “I agree with you there, he definitely is not accustomed to working, let alone on a ship. But there is nothing to be done about it. We’ve a deadline to meet, we are merchants this time, remember?” Lucas smirked.

  “Ah, it won’t be too bad. Maybe we should slow down and enjoy this trip, if all goes well, we may not even have to see battle.” Alaric shrugged.

  “Well, with so many new recruits, you are probably right. Maybe that would be for the best, if we didn’t see battle this trip.” Lucas glanced back at Allen. He was not sure how the boy would take a battle. It was hard enough on a seasoned sailor to witness the destruction. He had seen grown men vomit or even faint from nerves, before they took a ship. “Plus, we need to think about our task the Governor assigned. We need to avoid enemy ships as much as possible. Not only can we not afford to be too late in delivering the parchment to Monsieur Dupont, we also cannot risk it getting into enemy hands.” Lucas said, as he scanned the horizon.