The Spells of Paradise

Chapter 19: Same Game, Different Pawns

        

Chapter 19: Same Game, Different Pawns

John had finally gotten over his seasickness, but he felt his stomach was as empty as could be with how much he had vomited into the sea. He knew that for the rest of the journey he would be the butt of every joke on the ship, but he took it in stride. They knew he was no sailor; he merely dealt with the finances of the cargo that came from the sailing. That job he was good at. This one, not so much.

Captain Rutherford had said that they would need to divert their course to avoid the worst of the storm. In doing so, they were no longer going westwards, towards Portsmouth. Now they were heading slightly north, towards the island of Belmoran. John had never heard of it before but, according to the captain, it was a small island off the coast of Ireland, so hardly anyone knew of it besides those who lived there.

Now that John was feeling better, he began to rework his plan. How was he going to get to London or Lanfore now? He did not want to press Captain Rutherford any further, but he had paid for a voyage to Portsmouth. If it came to it, John would have to make that fact known. But then again he had to be logical: Captain Rutherford had to go to Portsmouth as well. But then again he said he may have to send another, less damaged merchant vessel from Belmoran with another captain under his employ, so John would have to embark with that one instead.

As he considered his current predicament, John knew he at least had a heading. He knew Fitzgerald Thornton's niece, Beatrice, was in Lanfore, likely with Lucy. He would start there first and, if it so happened that they weren't there, he would travel to London. He knew for certain that Lydia was there, so it would not be a wasted trip. He just didn't want to be the singular mad man blindly wandering about England, with no idea of where to go and no heading with which to start.

In his spare time, he also often thought of his mother, and how she must be faring on her own. They had been together since leaving England for Charlestown, and he didn't dare to think about what must have been going through her mind to see him leave her behind. John certainly wished he could have placed foolish morality aside for the sake of being with his mother, but he knew that that was not what she would have wanted. He was doing the right thing, he knew it, but sometimes he wondered about the cost of it all.

"We need keep steady for a while," Captain Rutherford told John when he asked about their trek. "She wasn't damaged much in the storm, but pushing her any more than she can go may bear expensive consequences. The sooner we get her to Belmoran the better. I'd say a week or so, no more."

"I am in no rush," John assured him. "I may not be fit for sea travel, but perhaps I can be swayed otherwise in a week."

Both men shared a laugh at that, because it was not a likely possibility. John knew that he wouldn't ever consider work on the high seas either way. It was better fit for men with stronger wills, backbones, and stomachs!

Even so, when John watched the sun slowly set over the golden horizon, he couldn't help but wonder what else he was willing to pay to make at least the smallest attempt at further sea travel. If it meant he would bear witness to such magical sights every day, he knew he would be at least he smallest bit willing to give it a shot.

That was, until they hit their next squall!

XXX

Lanfore, Hertfordshire

James had all day to mull over his conversation with Bertha Denning the night before. He knew he was finally in a place where he had a leg up over the Magistrate, but he wasn't sure if he himself was in a better place, especially after what was said.