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She took a small sip then a deep breath. “Great Neptune, that was rather frightening,” she said and a round of nervous chuckles wentout.
“God save me, Mia,” Devin yelled and slapped his forehead. “That? That’s what you call frightening?” Mia only nodded at him and took another sip. “That was frightening. All these people here, and knowing you were in the right, going to win the fight before it started and that was frightening, but jumping a hundred feet or more from a cliff into the ocean wasfun?”
“It is,” both Mia and Smithe said, making everyone but Devinlaugh.
“God save me,” Devin sighed as the admiral stepped up and patted his shoulderconsolingly.
“Only He might be able to Captain, only Him.” Again laughter filled theroom.
Devin gathered Mia against him, “Naughty little pirate,” he whispered before he kissed hertemple.
“Aye, Captain,” she said with asigh.
Chapter 18
Mia curledher toes back from the waves. She’d never be used to the icy cold of these waters. Winter or not these waters were dark and cold. And while she knew for sure she had a good crew of friends here on land, the majority of the people were also dark andcold.
The clouds moved off the moon, and the light cast down giving the wave caps a soft pale glow. Pulling the brooch from the pocket of her dressing gown she stepped forward into the beam of light. Her thumb brushed over the cold jewel and Mia smiled with sadness at how cold every connection to this island for herwas.
Looking out towards the horizon she wondered if her mother ever really cared about this last item reminding her of the man that not only brought on her disgrace, but also coldly tossed her to the side with hurtful and bitter words. Molly Cadley had given the brooch to Captain Gregor Dekker as a way to ensure she was able to stay on the ship. But had the surrender been difficult for her? Mia always assumed it was, but then Mia hadn’t known it was something belonging to that man rather than Molly’s ownfamily.
His letters—Mia shook her head, still hurt by how they started so hopeful then quickly turned hateful. James Briskbee happened upon Molly Cadley in church no less. And while Molly’s family saw him acting as a man might towards a woman he was courting, in between the distance from Falmouth to Bodmia he became a different person. It was Molly showing up at his family estate and announcing she was with child that exposed his deception and started him writing vile things to her mother. Demanding she leave he and his family alone. Telling her she was welcome to the brooch. Payment for the multiple beddings had. At some point Molly must have warned if he didn’t wed her, her own father was going to send her away, or killher.
Again the sadness, as Mia realized she’d always hoped the brooch belonged to her grandmother. The irony of the fact it did stripped a little more of her childhood from her. How many nights had she dreamed of a kind old woman stepping up to her and proclaiming that she’d spent her life seeking Molly and Mia? But that was nothing but a dream Mia couldn’t hold on to anylonger.
Her past was her past and these reminders that kept her holding on to false hopes and wishes would do as they did to her mother, they would spill the wind from her sails that she could never sail towards happiness, or worse like her mother allowed, be the anchor that sank her to the bottom of thesea.
The waves rolled up again, reaching her toes. She wouldn’t be held down anymore. Her past wasn’t going to be an anchor around her neck. She’d kept something of herself away from at least one man who’d given her all of him and if she didn’t resolve this within her now she’d miss the chance to have everything offered by the man in her lifenow.
The clouds moved back across the moon and the waves gained in the strength of their roll and crest. Clutching the brooch, she brought it to her heart, held it, then drew back herarm.
The hand came out of nowhere and clamped down before she could release the jewel into the sea. His other hand then folded around hers completely. “No, Mia. I won’t let you doit.”
“Devin,” Mia tried to pull her hand loose, but Devin held on and stepped around in front of her. “I don’t want this, it’s a meaningless trinket, it’s a reminder those hateful people aremy…”
“They’re your nothing, Mia.” Devin told her and forced her fingers open so he could take the brooch. “And this isn’t a meaningless trinket.” He held it in his open palm, but in the darkness only the smallest glimmer from the gems winked at her. “If it was meaningless, the commodore wouldn’t have held it for you. He’d not have given it to you as a weddinggift.”
“Because he didn’t know what it was,” Miacried.
“Didn’t he? I think he did. What was it he said in his letter? If you ever need help, send this to him and he’ll bring everyone to your aid.” Devin rolled the brooch so he could hold it up to her. “To your papa, Mia, this is the symbol of a rescue. The moment he became a hero. Found a purpose in life.” He held it out to her and Mia took it. “He wants you to have it so he might know if he can be a hero again someday. Are you going to deny him that?” Mia could only shake her head. “This might have started out as some object bartered to buy a young woman’s heart and then her body, but it has become a token of devotion and love between two people who went on to share their lives. If it meant anything less, don’t you think your papa would have sold it? No one but a man in love would agree to keep a woman on his ship for an undesignated amount of time, with no named destination on the horizon. He did this knowing doing so might hamper his efforts to make a true fortune. This jewel might be worth a good sum of money, but it’ll never be worth enough to justify doing what your papa did for your mama without the fact he lovedher.”
“I don’t want to be reminded every time I look at this of how it was obtained,” Mia said though now she knew she couldn’t give it to the sea. “To know that the man who fatheredme—”
“Mia,” Devin said stepping close and pulling her against him so her head rested on his chest and she could hear his heart beating. “That man spilled his seed, but it means nothing. Any base animal can do what he did. That you hold him as a father… truly I don’t understand that, nor do I understand how the commodore isn’t hurt every time he’s reminded by you that he isn’t your father. That you separate thetwo.”
“Mama wanted… do you think it hurts him?” Mia hadn’t ever considered such a thing. Mama had been adamant that Mia make the distinction. Fathers were terrible people, but Papa… Papa was a greatman.
“I’d be hurt, Mia. If I couldn’t claim fully my child, whom I loved so much. I’d be hurt knowing she refused to let someone who did nothing at all for her continue to hold on to part of her. Hold on to her so she was constantly hurting. Nofatherwants his child to hurt,Mia.”
“I’m not Briskbee’s child, am I?” Now what Smithe said to her made more sense. Her blood wasn’t that man’s blood and he’d never have anything of her heart. So why did she let the man hold on to her soul and cause her suchgrief?
“You’re what you told him you are. The product of the love that Molly and Gregor had for each other. And when you keep your word and you pass this down to our child, you’ll tell them that very thing. That this is how we know who torescue.”
“Aye, Captain,” Mia agreed rather glad at the moment she did have Devin to navigate throughthis.
“Come on, it’s late and I’m sure there are better things we could be doing then standing here in the moonlight.” He took her hand and led her inside and up to the bedroom. He teased her about getting sand in the bed before helping her with her robe and finally with her nightrail.
“Captain,” Mia said as she put her arms around his neck and reached to kiss him. But when she tried to turn the kiss into something more, he stoppedher.
