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Conall took a deep breath. Since they had come up the James River, leaving behind the ocean, the air was heavier and hotter. Kenna was gripping his hand very hard as they tried to take in the sight of the Jamestown waterfront, which, after months within the confines of the ship, was overwhelming.
Stretched out before them, as far as the eye could see, were wharves, bustling with people, livestock, wagons coming and going. And it was noisy, ships groaning up against the jetties, sails flapping in the stiff breeze off the water, the dull roll of barrels being loaded on and off for transport back across the Atlantic. Beyond the waterfront stood a stout palisade wall, and through the open gates, Conall could see lots of wooden houses and a few brick buildings, the bell tower of a church rising above most of them.
There was a deal of shouting, people talking in unfamiliar tongues all around them and strange faces. There were men whose skin was so dark it was almost black and another man who had fine, sharp features in a face the colour of old leather, long, black hair, beaded, his chest swirling with strange tattoos.
‘There are so many people, Conall,’ said Kenna.
‘Aye, and there’s so much trade, all these vessels coming and going, taking tobacco and sugar and such back to England. There are fat profits to be made, Kenna, and our family connections will give us a good start.’
‘Do you think fortune will smile on us here?’
‘It already has because we made it here safely, and we are together.’ He kissed her quickly to reassure her.
Conall could not quite believe they were finally here after months of travelling, first to Ireland and then on to the New World and Jamestown, Virginia, where he was to seek out his father’s cousin.
‘Kenna, I know this is strange, it is a lot to take in, but I believe we were fated to come here. I feel it. Scotland was always too small for me, and there is nothing but ruin and damnation back there anyway. I miss my family. I miss Dunslair and all the people in it, but I also know that living my whole life there would have been a kind of prison for me. Even if my father gets that pardon, I think I would still prefer to be here, in a new country, where I can be my own man and build something with you.’
Kenna smiled, and his heart melted.
‘As long as I am with you, I am happy,’ she said.
‘Come on, let’s get off this dock out of the way.’
They made slow progress along the wharves, shouldering their way through the crowds of busy people until Conall spotted a sign that read ‘Campbell Tobacco and Trading Company.’
‘That must be it, over there, look,’ he said, pointing. ‘Morven Campbell, my father’s cousin, he owns this wharf.’ He smiled and pulled Kenna round the side of a building, pushing her up against the wooden slats. He put his hands into her hair, warm and soft like duck down. With the sunlight in her blue eyes and the tenderness in her face, she had never looked more beautiful to him.
‘Kenna, before we go in, I have something to say. I know you are overwhelmed, I know you may be homesick, and I understand. All this is strange and frightening. It is a lot to take in. But know this and never, ever forget it. Whatever this becomes, I would not trade that life back in Dunslair for this one with you. Not for an instant. I love you, Kenna Campbell and when I have finished this business with my cousin, and we have found ourselves a quiet room, when we are alone, I will show you how much I love you, over and over again. Don’t ever forget this day and what I am saying to you now, for I swear, before God as my witness, that I will never make you regret one day of the life you spend with me.’
They kissed for the longest time, overcome by excitement and hope and their love for each other and then Conall and Kenna went inside to begin their new life in a new world.
THE END
