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you’ll need.”
Michael Devane had joined them in time to hear the offer of coal, and certain he could not have understood, he asked Raven to repeat it. When he did, the lieutenant was still amazed. “It did not occur to any of us that you would have coal here.”
“I’ve become interested in steamships of late,” Raven informed him, rather than admit he had stocked the fuel anticipating just such an emergency. “There are one hundred barrels of coal in the first storehouse. Tell your men to load all they need. Of course, I’ll require Captain Sinclair’s written promise of payment, but I’m sure that will be no problem.”
The anxious glance that passed between Michael and Dr. Endecott alarmed Eden so badly she reached out to touch the lieutenant’s arm. “Was my father one of those injured? Is that why we haven’t seen him yet?”
Unable to allay Eden’s fears, Michael found it easier to direct his reply to Raven than her. “Dr. Endecott has advised Captain Sinclair to leave the ship here with the others, but he won’t even consider it. Perhaps if the two of you would speak with him, you could convince him to stay.”
Raven felt Eden sway slightly, and quickly slid his arm around her waist to make certain she did not fall. He was furious with Michael Devane for so thoughtlessly subjecting her to such needless worry and angrily lashed out at him. “I wish you had had the presence of mind to tell me about this when we spoke earlier, Lieutenant. Just how badly was Nathan hurt?”
Aghast they had again provoked Raven, Clifton Endecott hurriedly explained, “He was shot in the thigh, but fortunately the bullet passed through his leg without hitting either the bone or an artery. His prospects for recovery would be excellent if he would stay in his bunk but he refuses to do so. Every time he gets up he reopens the wound and a man can stand to lose only so much blood. There’s also the danger of infection. I’ve told him he could lose the leg if he doesn’t rest, but he won’t heed my advice.”
Raven pursed his lips thoughtfully as he wondered just how far the doctor and Michael had gone in their efforts to convince Nathan to recuperate on Jamaica. “Other than serving in the Confederate navy, I’ve no idea how much experience either of you has at sea, but you must realize that forcing a captain to leave his ship against his will is an act of mutiny.”
Michael’s eyes widened and he had to swallow hard before he could reply but clearly he spoke with conviction. “When the choice appears to be forcing him off today, or burying him at sea next week, isn’t demanding he leave the better alternative?”
Eden was leaning against Raven now, but her weight was a slight burden. He knew without asking what her choice would be. “What do you have here, two dozen officers and about a hundred in the crew?”
“Minus those that will be left here, we’ll have twenty officers, and ninety-one in the crew.”
“How many of those men are willing to leave Nathan here?” Raven asked bluntly.
Michael glanced away for a moment, then again summoned his courage to respond. “All would vote to leave the captain here if you will agree to take his place.”
That remark was greeted by a stunned silence.
“You can not possibly be serious,” Eden gasped when she finally realized what Michael had said, but seeing by the solemnity of his expression that he most certainly was, she insisted he consider the obvious. “My husband is a British citizen. How can you possibly ask him to fight in a War that does not concern him?”
While Raven was as startled as Eden by the absurdity of Michael’s request, he found it strangely exhilarating. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask the questions,” he whispered as he gave her a loving hug. “What’s the real reason you came here tonight, Lieutenant, to request aid for your wounded, or to involve me in the most bizarre proposal of mutiny I’ve ever heard?”
Michael could not back down now and straightened his shoulders proudly. “The Southern Knight has the finest crew afloat, but without Captain Sinclair, well, I think we would have been better off to surrender in Havana than try to continue our mission. At least there none of the men were in danger of drowning as they would be if we’re attacked at sea.”
Raven started to laugh. “If you’re trying to make me feel responsible for the lives of the men on board the Southern Knight, it won’t work. My father-in-law is the only one who concerns me. Now is he up to seeing us?”
Dr. Endecott gestured toward the captain’s quarters. “I’ll take you to his cabin. Talk with him, and then give us your decision.”
Eden looked up at her husband. He did not seem particularly concerned, but she was certain his decision was already made. He was opposed to the War. How could he take her father’s place and fight in it? She had felt sick to her stomach ever since she had learned of her father’s injury, and she hoped she would not become ill in front of him. When they reached his cabin, he was stretched out on his bunk, but there were navigational charts lying on the table and she wondered if he hadn’t lain down at the precise instant they had knocked on his door.
Nathan not only felt weak, but was also badly embarrassed to have his daughter and her husband see him in such a pitiful state. He tried to smile, but failed. “Michael told me you’re taking the wounded. I’ll find a way to repay you for their care.”
Eden would have liked to sit down by his side, but fearing she would cause him pain, she leaned down to kiss his cheek, and then remained standing. “We don’t expect to be paid,” she assured him, but not before sending a questioning glance Raven’s way.
Raven, however, had more important things to discuss. “For a Union ship to attack you in Havana’s harbor is deplorable. For you to disregard your surgeon’s advice and not take care of yourself is even worse. Are none of your lieutenants capable of performing your duties until you’re well enough to resume command?”
“I’ve not relinquished my command,” Nathan insisted stubbornly.
“A minor point. Just answer my question.”
“Well, my lord, Lieutenant Devane is the executive officer and I fear he would have difficulty commanding a rowboat, let alone the Southern Knight. She’d be sunk or on display in Boston Harbor in less than a week if he attempted to take my place. I’ll not do that to my men. Don’t get me wrong, Devane is sincere and hardworking, but like the rest of my officers, he just doesn’t have the experience to command.”
“Would you be willing to recuperate at my home if someone could be found who did?”
Nathan was baffled by that question. “I’ve already told you, we don’t have such a man on board.”
Nathan’s face was pinched and drawn. His golden eyes had a feverish sheen, and when Raven leaned down to touch his hand, his skin felt much too warm. Clearly he was already more seriously ill than Dr. Endecott realized. “I’d hate to see you lose your leg, or worse, your life. I don’t believe in your cause, but I’m willing to sail the Southern Knight up and down the coast often enough to discourage shipping. Apparently your crew was so impressed with the way I sail they’re willing to trust me. Are you?”
That was the last offer Eden had ever expected Raven to make, and she was now shaking so badly she had to sit down at the table. “Could we talk about this?” she asked weakly. “After all you have said about the absurdity of the War, I can’t believe you want to enlist in our navy.”
