I Am Jessamine

Jessie woke up feeling very relaxed and satiated. Stretching she opened her eyes to the warm glow of morning sun spilling into the cabin. she looked around for Gray but soon realized that he had got up and left to take care of his captain duties. Gingerly she sat up and winced slightly as her sensitive parts reminded her of their exhaustive night of passion and then very early morning lovemaking before they both fell asleep again. Jess felt as though she would never get enough of Gray and his lips and hands. Just the thought brought about the now familiar clenching of belly muscles and racing of her pulse.

Shaking her head she stood up and saw, on the table, a platter of bread, cheese, slices of salted pork, and an apple which she guessed was her breakfast. Walking naked to the table she stood and nibbled on a little cheese and bread before eyeing the large jug and basin on the wash stand. Walking to it she put her finger in the water and was pleasantly surprised that it was not freezing cold, but a comfortable room temperature. Taking the wash cloth and soap Jess proceeded to give herself a good wash. She dressed and finally found her black velvet ribbon in her leather satchel and guessed someone must have found it and Willy packed it in her bag. Combing her wild curls back with her fingers she tied her hair back, called Rogue, and opened the door. The cat went streaking across the deck and down the stairs and Jess looked about her and saw nearly all of the crew at the rails and Gray up on the forecastle deck. Her heart skipped a beat but she became curious about what they were all looking at.

Jessie looked for Willy among the crew and seeing him walked over and touched his arm. Looking down he said, “Hello, lass. You look well rested. Have you eaten?” He smiled and gave her a quick squeeze before indicating out to see with his chin. Following his gaze, Jess saw flames and smoke on the horizon and they were headed towards it. “Oh my god, what the hell is that? Is it a ship?” Jessie asked breathlessly feeling very shocked at what she was seeing.

Scabbers was at her elbow and said, ‘Aye, it be a vessel of sorts, lass. We will be upon her shortly an’ hopefully be able to rescue any survivors or the injured. Curse the devil of a human who did that.” He said vehemently and spat overboard.

“We must not be too hasty, Scabbers. That tragedy may have been caused by a powder keg.” Said Willy not unkindly and Scabbers nodded shrugging his shoulders.

A shout from the forecastle had them all turning in unison to see Gray with the spyglass up to his eye, “Men in the water! Ready the boats and Mr. Tora get your black bag ready and choose those who will be helping you to prepare for the injured.”

Jess went after Mr. Tora and offered her help and he sent her to the hold to collect cloth provisions, water, and the sharpest knives from the galley. Jess did as she was asked with quick efficiency and by the time they lowered the boats Mr. Tora and the others he had chosen to assist were ready. Jess could hear cries and voices calling out and her heart twisted in her chest and she ran to the rail. Beside her, she heard Gray mutter viciously under his breath and shout to his men to get a move on.

Watching them efficiently reach the floundering survivors and drag them on board the little life boats Jess felt proud of the crew, but also so incredibly hopeless as she watched the black smoke spiral into the sky and the flames licking the ship. The hissing and crackling drowned out the cries from below.

The first boat was already hoisting survivors up and the second little boat was on its way with their rescues when a sound reached Jess just as she was about to return to Mr. Tora. Looking back Jess scanned the ocean and at first she saw nothing and did not hear the sound again. Just when she thought it may have been a noise from the sinking ship she heard it again and looked back with more care.

Being methodical with her search for the noise Jess strained her eyes and then finally she saw it. Drifting steadily away from both ships was a little head bobbing in the water with a small arm hanging on to a piece of blackened wood. Quickly looking around to see where the crew with the lifeboats were she realized they were preoccupied with their rescues and the little head was drifting further away. Without another thought Jess yanked off her boots and vest and took off sprinting like the devil was on her tail up to the forecastle and did not stop as she sprang up on the rail, bent her knees and pushed with all her might. Just before she hit the water she heard her name being called and she knew it was Gray, but she had to save that small little body drifting out on the ocean.

As she hit the water with her feet first and her arms folded across her chest Jess felt her bones jolted and the shock of the cold water made her eyes spring open. Kicking and pushing up with her arms Jess surfaced and struck out in the direction she had seen and pushed with all her strength in a freestyle fashion. At first she saw nothing, but she did hear the cries and pushed harder until finally, she saw the little head and the arm holding onto the wood. Reaching the child Jess grabbed on to the wood and gasped for breath. The little body grabbed for her and nearly sent them both down into the depths until Jess pulled his hands from her neck and made him hold onto the wood again and she went beside him and showed him to kick with his little legs. Together they kicked and started to move towards the ship and taking a bit longer than she expected they finally came within earshot as well as being visible to the crew on board. She could hear Gray shouting orders and the cargo net got dropped over the side and hung like a big ladder. She then saw Gray climbing down the cargo net so that he could reach out and help her.

The little boy had stopped kicking and Jess had to grab the child around his waist so he did not slip under the water. He was quite obviously exhausted and traumatized by the events that had caused him to almost find his end in a watery grave.

Jessie was close enough to hear Gray clearly, “Jessie give me your hand. Reach up, mo gra, I am here.” And she saw him lean down towards her, but instead of putting out her hand she pushed the little boy up towards him and he grabbed the child by the arm and hauled him out of the water and tossed him like a bag of potatoes over his shoulder and reached out for Jessie again. Looking up into his very pale face Jess saw the fear in his eyes and gave him a weak smile and reached out and grasped his warm, firm hand. With his arm hooked through the net, he held the child firm and grasped her hand, and with a joint cracking pull he got Jess out of the water and onto the net and she held on tightly with numbed fingers.

One of the crew had climbed down and taken the little boy off Grays’ shoulder and began passing him up to the next man who had come down the net until the child got passed to Willy who was standing at the railing. Gray moved behind Jess and had his feet beside hers and his hands on the net above her and together they moved up and his warm body pressed against her cold and shivering one. By the time they reached the top of the net Gray had one arm around her waist and was hauling her up with him. Willy reached over and down and grabbed Jessie by the arms and pulled her up while Gray put a hand under her backside and pushed. Jessie could not stand and collapsed on the deck, exhausted, heaving and puffing like a steam train. Gray vaulted over the rail and knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms, “You crazy, brave, selfless, headstrong woman! That was the most brainless thing I have ever witnessed a person do. God help me, I love you more than ever!” and kissed her soundly on the mouth.

Everyone around them grinned and shook their heads, but continued searching for survivors and salvaging what they could from the water. Jess coughed up water and shivered and Gray pulled his jacket off and put it around her shoulders. “Where is the little boy?” asked Jess breathlessly and made to stand. Gray gently pushed her back down and swept his eyes over the deck searching for the little boy. Spotting the child he indicated with a movement of his head, “He’s over there and he appears to be physically fine.” Jess looked to where Gray had indicated and saw the little guy curled in the fetal position, wrapped in a blanket lying on a rough cot with his eyes closed. Feeling a lot better Jess asked Gray to help her stand and they walked hand in hand over to the little guy and Jess knelt beside his little cot made of crates. Leaning over him and pushing his auburn red hair out of his face she touched his cheek gently and the little guy mumbled sleepily, “Mama?” and Jess looked at Gray questioningly. “We found no adult females in the water.” He whispered and squeezed Jessie’s shoulder. She stood up and looked around her at the people lying on the deck with varying degrees of injuries. A few had sheets pulled over their faces so Jess knew that those rescued ones had sadly succumbed and would soon be identified, have their names written in the ship’s journal, and then be committed to the ocean depths.

Turning away and walking slowly to the cabin Jess said to Gray, “Let me know if he needs a feminine touch and cuddle. He’s a baby still, no more than six years old.” Gray nodded sombrely and walked with her to the cabin, helping her take off her wet clothing. He then gently and lovingly wrapped her in the bed sheet, lifted her and lay her on the bed. “I have to go out on deck.” He whispered against her mouth, kissed her softly and Jess understood and nodded and closed her eyes and almost immediately fell into a deep, dark, dreamless, exhausted sleep.

A touch on her shoulder and her name whispered brought Jessie to the surface of wakefulness and she stretched and opened one eye and then the injured one a little slower and looked up into Grays’ face and she stretched her arms up to him and he willingly got wrapped up in her arms for a soft, warm hug. She snuggled into his neck and trailed soft kisses from his jaw to his collarbone.

“Oh, you make it hard for me to let go, Jess.” He said with a thick seductive voice that was filled with passion and Jess took advantage and pulled him tighter to her. “Jessie, the little lad requires comfort.” Gray said regretfully, “But if you continue like this we will both not be leaving this bed for a while and I think the crew will throw the tearful boy overboard.” Hearing this Jess pulled back and sighed woefully and smiled up at Gray, “I always keep my word. Best I go to the child then.” And she stood up and stretched and the sheet fell to the floor. Knowing full well Gray was watching her, she walked over to her dried and folded clothes and began dressing and not in a hurry either. She stretched and preened and knew she was putting on a show for him as he stood and watched. Finally, she sat down on a chair and pulled her boots on and looked up at him and saw that he was gripping the back of his desk chair so hard his knuckles were white and his green eyes were glittering like marbles in the sun. Jess smiled at him, tied her hair back, stood up and said, “Something to remember me by until we meet again.” And laughed as he charged past the desk and grabbed her before she got to the door.

Growling in her ear he said, “I will make you eat those words, mo gra.” And proceeded to kiss her so passionately that it took her breath away and she breathlessly held on to his arms when he let her go. “I look forward to you taking my breath away then.” And as she turned back to the door he swatted her backside and she laughed.

Out on the deck, Jess saw that the sun was setting and turning back to Gray she asked seriously, “How long before we reach Dublin?”

Frowning slightly he said, “Ten days to two weeks if the weather holds.” And knowing what her next question was going to be he said, “We managed to salvage some barrels of salted pork and water, a few boxes of fruits and some personal trunks and such, but we will have to go sparingly with everything as we now have an extra twelve mouths to feed.”

Jessie nodded and thought for a bit then said, “Surely your crew knows how to fish. You know, catch fish from the ocean?” she looked at him questioningly.

“They’re a superstitious lot, these men. They have all sorts of stories to tell, but most do eat fish.” He said quietly so as not to let the crew hear him.

Jess looked at him with a grim expression and whispered a little angrily, “Well, they eat bloody turtle soup! In my time that is not allowed because turtles are a protected species and if you are caught catching them you get fined or go to jail.”

Looking shocked he stared at her, “Jail? For catching and eating turtle?” Gray looked as though he could have been knocked down by a feather.

“Yes! A lot of species, land animals, and a lot out of the ocean, become extinct from overfishing and hunting. Fishing becomes a very big business and it is a problem.” She frowned as she remembered protesting with friends when she was in her teens, against the fishing companies and the problems were causing and when she had told Ben and Willy they had asked what she would do about it and she said simply, sell all the ships and take that money and build fisheries, canning factories, dog food and cat food plants all owned by the same conglomerate who owns the ships and create jobs. The same principle as what farmers do with chickens. Leave the creatures in the oceans to multiply and grow in numbers again and while that is happening they will be able to fill the quota with the fish produced from the manmade fisheries. She remembered Ben laughing and shaking his head and saying that it would be nice if everyone thought that way.

To avoid going into detail and getting into a hot debate about something two hundred years from now Jessie asked where the little boy was and Gray took her below decks to the main cabin.

The little boy was curled in a hammock sobbing not so quietly when Jess found him. Reaching down she touched his hair and he looked up at her with his blood shot blue eyes in a little cherub face, his auburn hair standing wildly in every direction. Jessie held out her arms and the little guy did not hesitate to climb into them and hold her tightly around the neck. She held him close as she felt his little body jerk with hiccoughing sobs and she carried him up the stairs and onto the deck, talking softly to him the whole time.

Sitting with him on her lap she started to tell him about the constellations and the way to navigate by the stars. She had been talking for a while when she realized with a start that she sounded just like Ben had when she had been smaller. He would sit outside with Jess on his lap and tell her the same things she was telling the little lad. Through her pained heart, she smiled at this thought and looked up to the skies, and sent a quiet thank you to him.

Resting her chin on the top of the boys head Jess asked, “What is your name?” and the child pulled back from her and said with a slight lisp, “My name is Gem.”

“Is that short for Jeremiah?” she asked as she brushed his hair off his forehead.

“No, my name is Germaine, but my mama calls me Gem because she says I am precious to her.” And his eyes filled with tears and Jess hugged him closer.

“Were you with your mama on the ship, Gem?” Jess asked softly, rubbing his back.

“No. My mama died and I was going to another place to live with my aunty Felicity.” Jessie felt her heart squeeze tight and the pressure of compassion for this child grew within her and she wondered about the boys’ father.

“Were you with someone on the ship?” Jess could hardly imagine the child being sent on a ship on his own.

“Yes, I was with Suzie, my nanny,” he sounded angry now, “but she always put me in the cabin so she could spend time with the other men.”

Jess knew they did not rescue a woman from the wreck so it would be safe to assume Suzie went down with the ship. “I am sorry she made you stay in the cabin, Gem.” And then she asked a question she prayed he could answer correctly, “Gem, do you know your full name?”

“Of course,” he said happily, “Germaine William Rancliff is my name and I am six years old. My mama’s name is Eloise Marie Abadie Rancliff and my papa is William James Rancliff.” With a proud tilt of his head, he nodded and looked satisfied with himself.

Jess sat shell shocked and stared ahead at nothing in particular and allowed this knowledge to penetrate. Then she asked, “Why are you not with your papa then?”

She saw the sadness cloud his eyes and he shrugged and said, “Papa is too busy to care for me.”

Just then Tad appeared with his fiddle and sat on a barrel on the deck and began to play a melancholy tune that drew a small crowd. Gem sat happily with Jess listening to the music and then one of the crew requested a song about a lassie named Molly and her ability to multi-task while milking a cow.

Jess laughed and shook her head at the bawdy lyrics and clapped her hands with Gem and the child soon forgot his miserable circumstances. Gray joined them and sat beside Jess and sang along with the rest of the crew. Spirits were lifted a bit that night and through song, laughter and camaraderie Jess and Gem became friends.

When the music and singing were over Tad came over to Gray and asked if he had done good and he was assured by Gray and Jess that he had done a marvelous job of entertaining everyone and bringing laughter and joy. Happy with that response Tad got down on his knees in front of Gem and began telling him about his time at sea and the little guy got off Jess’ lap and sat with Tad, listening intently and hanging on every word. It wasn’t long before Gem started to struggle to hold his head up and Jess was just about to say to Gray that the boy could sleep in their cabin on the chaise lounge when Tad asked Gem, “Would you like to come and sleep with me? I will tell you more stories if you like?”

Looking up at Jess the little boy appeared to ask for her approval and she looked at Gray who said, “I am sure that won’t be a problem, but you know where to find Jessie if you need her, don’t you?” and little Gem nodded and pointed towards the captain’s cabin and then stood and took Tad’s proffered hand and went off to bond and Jess felt a small amount of relief.

As the rest of the crew dispersed and those who had to remain on deck did so, Gray slung his arm around Jess’s shoulders and they stood together and walked to the railing and watched the sun finally dip below the horizon. Looking up at Gray she reminded him of his promise to fill her in on his story and she felt him stiffen slightly and saw the tension in his jaw. Pulling back a little Jess felt his distance and she knew he was torn by what he wanted to tell her or doubtful of telling her anything at all.

“You’re right, I did promise to tell you and Willy. The chaos and excitement of today just distracted me and made me forget for a while.” He sounded so sad that Jess hugged him tighter around the waist and placed her hand on his chest.

“Whatever it is, I will listen just as you did. We will work through this, Gray.” He looked down at her and gave a wry sad smile.

“Let me go through the crew and chat to each man and I will join you in a little while.” He leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head and moved away. Jess felt the apprehension building in her chest and she took deep breaths to push her concerns aside and chose to rather wait and listen to what Gray had to tell her.

Walking into the cabin Jess saw that a bucket of fresh water was standing beside the bowl and jug so she prepared herself enough for a good wash and noticed that the vial of jojoba oil was still on the table beside the basin and she added some of this to her water. She washed thoroughly, dried herself and then pulled on a pair of loose-fitting cotton breeches that tied around her waist and threw on a loose-fitting shirt that someone, Jess thought most likely Mr. Tora, had kindly folded and left upon her other few items. She quickly washed out her underwear and left them out to dry. Making sure she had done all she wanted to she threw the dirty water out of the window and it made her think of flushing toilets and indoor plumbing.

Walking over to the table she lifted the lid on the platter and saw bread, cheese and slices of pork so she put a little on a plate, poured herself a little port and sat down to enjoy a little food and quiet when she heard meowing at the door. Getting up she opened the door and in charged Rogue who made a beeline straight for the bed. Shaking her head Jess laughed at the cat and broke off some pork for him to nibble on.

Jess had finished her food when Gray walked in, and Rogue charged out, and she offered to make him a platter of food while he washed up. Nodding his head and thanking her he walked over to the basin and repeated what Jess had previously done, although this time it was Jess who got to watch the show and she smiled devilishly as she sat down with her feet on the other chair and gazed leisurely at his naked body. His muscular broad shoulders and back that tapered down into narrow hips, his tight backside, and his long well-toned legs all made Jess breathe a little faster. He turned around to pick a folded towel up off the table and Jess caught her breath at the sight of his muscled chest and abdomen. As her eyes traveled further she enjoyed the look of how his muscles created a v-shape that pointed towards his ever-present manhood. He wrapped the towel around his waist and picked up the dish with the used water and walked over to the window and tossed the dirty water out. Without looking at Jess he asked, “Enjoy the show?” and he glanced at her with a crooked grin on his face.

Choosing to ignore him, as she knew that conversation would lead to distractions she didn’t want right now, sheinstead told him about indoor plumbing while he dressed, and flushing toilets, and when he asked where all the water gets flushed to she told him about the different sewerage plants which would somehow always found its way into the ocean. “Oh, so much like what I just did?”

“Yes, but on a much larger scale as there are a lot more people in the world then.” She said.

“Huh!” he said with a bemused look and a quizzical frown on his face.

Getting his plate he sat down at the table across from Jess, “I went to ask Willy to come and join us, but he was having a well-deserved rest so I let him be.”

“That is fine, but you can still tell me your story,” Jess said looking at him carefully.

“To be honest I’d prefer to tell you and then you can decide whether you want to share it with Willy or choose what you wish to repeat to him.”

Nodding Jess sat back and let him talk, and talk he did. Jess felt herself being drawn into his pain, his anger, his frustration, his bewilderment and his loss. He spoke of his family, their home and the estate they had, his love of horses and how, as children, they had lived freely and happily. He spoke of his younger sister, Thaliana, and the mere mention of her name caused tears to flood his eyes and pain to be etched across his features. He spoke of her gentle heart and beautiful soul, her kindness and compassion. He described how she had died and the part William James Rancliff and George Daniels had played in her death. “You see, unbeknownst to me, Rancliff’s lapdog, Daniels, had taken a liking to Thalia, but she was in love with a young lad by the name of Deaglan O’Cleirigh. The son of Rourke and Genevieve O’Cleirigh. The Earl’s estate was nearby and we saw the lad often, as well as Rourke and Genevieve.” He looked up and saw the look of shock and recognition on Jess’ face, but she remained silent and nodded for him to go on. Jess’ mouth had gone dry and she would not have been able to speak even if she had wanted to. “She disappeared and we sent out a search party. Deaglan and I found her the next day in an old abandoned shed on the boundary of two properties. She had been brutally attacked, raped and had her throat slit. Her face was almost unrecognizable and one of her eyes had been punctured. Deaglan nearly lost his young mind and spent days sedated before his family sent him to recuperate with family in France. He vowed never to return to Ireland.” Gray took a shaky breath and understandably the memory of it affected him still.

“I think he would have searched for Daniels and killed him without fear of consequence or reprisal if he had known what we found in Thaliana’s hand when she was being prepared for burial. It was a button from a military red coat. The next time I saw Daniels was the day of Thalia’s funeral. He had no business being there, but he was and I noticed a button missing from the cuff on the sleeve of his jacket.” Gray told how he wanted to kill Daniels there and then with his bare hands, but his mother’s cries had stopped him and Daniels had made a nasty and inappropriate comment about dogs and their bitches. Gray shook visibly at the memory.

He spoke of his mother’s death after his sister died, of how she simply gave up living. He told her how his father had fought on bravely trying to retain their land, but how Rancliff’s accusations and false proof of the Murphy’s being traitors to the crown had caused them to lose everything. He sounded understandably bitter and angry when he told how he was beaten and whipped when he tried to take family heirlooms from their home and how Rancliff had stood on the steps leading to the front door of his home and watched as portraits, the family coat of arms and other precious belongings were thrown onto a pyre and through a bloody mouth he swore vengeance. Standing beside Rancliff was his ‘paramour’ La Rue Brossard. Jessie sat stiffly in the chair and remembered what Ben had said about Rancliff being a time traveler. Linking Valeria to Nick and then to Rancliff, Jess was happy that they had not trusted her. That was one woman Jessie was going to smack if or when she saw her again.

Gray relayed similar stories of other families who had suffered under the tyrannical megalomaniac and how they too had eventually given up their farms, estates, land and homes because they could not pay the taxes, the bribes upon the taxes and then the bands of the militia who swore to protect them only if they could pay the fee that was charged.

He told her how he and his father had found lodgings in a coastal town called Spiddle, near Galway and how he began working on a fishing boat and how he took care of his father who had become a drunk and how, one cold and rainy night, his father had left their lodgings never to return. Gray had searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Not until, a week later, his body had washed up on shore with his throat slit and a dagger sticking out of his chest. Gray said he couldn’t prove it, but he thought that his father had gone looking for Rancliff and Daniels and he had been killed for his drunken efforts.

Jess felt her heart breaking every time she looked at his face. He paced up and down the cabin, raked his fingers through his unruly hair, balled his hands into fists and then leaned forward over the desk with his head down to calm himself.

He told her how he had worked for an old fisherman and trader who had taught him everything he knew and Gray had convinced him to give up the fishing, sell his fishing boats and bought a bigger trading vessel. They had left Spiddle behind and moved permanently to Dublin. They had gone into business together and became successful enough to purchase a lease for a warehouse at Dublin harbor and trade locally and abroad. When the old man died Gray found out that he was the sole beneficiary in the old mans’ estate and he inherited everything. The old man had invested wisely and Gray had stocks and bonds, two trading ships and the warehouse, which had lodgings above it, that he now owned outright. The value of all that he owned exceeded ten thousand pounds and was accumulating annually. Although he never put much stock in money, Gray said, it would be helpful when the time came to buy back his family home.

Gray had been pacing and then looked at Jess and said, “The name of the old man who showed me such kindness and treated me like a son, who left me all he had when he died, was James Marshall MacLeod.” Jess stared at him in absolute astonishment and he said, “Yes, a very big coincidence is it not? The old man said his home had been attacked by redcoats for being Scottish Highlander sympathizers. Everything got burnt and all his livestock were killed. His wife, two daughters, and he believed his son too, were all murdered and their bodies were thrown into the burning buildings.”

Jess sat thinking about what Willy had told her about his family and how they had all perished in a fire that destroyed his home. He had not been there at the time as he had been with Ben at Broch de Clisson. When he had heard of the fire he went back with Ben and found graves for his family members, so he thought they had all perished, his father included and they already suspected Rancliff and Daniels to be the motivators of the attack.

“Our lives are so intertwined that I am finding it hard to believe in coincidence and more in fate,” Jess said breathlessly.

“So you see, mo gra, I have reason to suspect your brother of nefarious deeds when you tell me of his paramour, Madam La Rue Brossard. She is connected to Rancliff as well as Nicholas and that makes me very uneasy.” He looked at Jess carefully to gauge her reaction to this personal opinion.

“Yes, but that would make her ageless if she was already a cohort of Rancliff and Daniels,” Jess said with a frown creasing her forehead. “What age do you suspect she was when you saw her with Rancliff?”

Looking away and tilting his chin Gray thought for a while and then said, “She appeared about the same age as Thaliana, which would have made her fourteen or fifteen years old.”

“Nicholas is twenty-eight, well nearly twenty-nine, so La Rue would be between thirty -five and thirty-nine years old, but when I met her she did not look older than thirty. Then again with the advances in technology in the twenty-first century, it would explain her ageless look.” Jess said without thinking.

“You mean to tell me that in your time there are people who can reverse aging?” he asked astonished.

“No, well, not exactly. There are medical procedures to make your face look young and then there are breast enhancements as well as all sorts of other treatments.” Seeing his wide-eyed astonished look Jess tried to explain as best she could which only made Gray look sick so she stopped and got back to the subject at hand.

They sat facing each other and continued discussing everything they knew and running parallels to the people who were the cause of much heartache in their lives and finally Jess asked Gray a question that had been on the tip of her tongue, “Did Rourke and Genevieve have more children than just Deaglan?” and she held her breath waiting for his truthful reply.

“Yes, they did. A girl and then another boy. So, it’s Deaglan William, Marie-Louise and then Benjamin Rourke and as far as I know, they all still live on the O’Cleirigh estate, but that could have changed by now. Deaglan was going to take over Broch de Clisson, but I think Benjamin will be groomed to do that.” Looking at her face Gray stood up and went to her and pulled her out of the chair and held her warmly, comfortably in his arms and Jess lay her head against his chest.

This was so much to take in and Jess felt at a loss to imagine her mother leaving her with Ben and returning to Rourke only to have more children. Jess grew very angry and then the anger was replaced by hurt and then again she tried to put herself in Geneviève’s shoes. It was too much and Jess shook her head and pulled away from Gray to look into his face and then she remembered that she too had something of importance to tell him, but wondered if his hate for Rancliff would cloud his judgment. They had already shared so much and she knew there would have to be no lies between them.

“Gray, that little boy we rescued?” she started and grew a little afraid.

Gray said, “You mean the little Gem that you rescued.” He smiled at her, “Yes, what of him?” he asked as he poured them both a drink.

“He told me his full name and the name of his mother and father.” She said and took the proffered drink.

Sitting back down behind the desk Gray looked up at her and his glass stopped midway to his lips, “And their names are?” he asked darkly and lowered the glass to the table.

“The little boys’ name is Germaine William Rancliff and his mother was Eloise Marie Abadie Rancliff, who died, and William James Rancliff is his father.” Gray went a whiter shade of pale and stared at Jess then slowly picked up his glass and tossed the gold liquid down his throat and hissed between his teeth after he swallowed it all.

“The fates are playing an evil game with us, Jessie,” Gray said softly, staring at his empty glass. Before Jess could blink Gray threw the glass with all his might across the cabin and it shattered against the wall behind a few barrels which had been stored in the cabin. Pushing himself out of the chair Jess got ready to stop him if he planned to leave the cabin, but he didn’t. He walked past her to the table where all the charts were spread out and he started working on coordinates, distances and she guessed correctly that he was checking to see how quickly they could get back to Dublin.

Looking up at Jess he said, “Don’t worry about me, Jess. I would never harm a child. The lad is not responsible for his father’s sins. Did the boy say why he was not with his father?” His voice betrayed his anger, but Jess left it alone.

“Gem only said that his father was “too busy” and he was off to live with his aunt Felicity.” She said softly walking over to him and laying her arm across his shoulders. “Do you know where the ship was heading when it got attacked?”

“The surviving crew said it was bound for Barbados when it was attacked by pirates. They said that a lot of their valuables were taken, as well as stores and a few women were taken aboard the pirate ship before they were quite literally blown out of the water.” He put his arm around her waist and sat on the edge of the table and pulled her between his legs.

“Did any of them see the name of the ship before they had to escape for their lives?” she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair, cupped his face and gave him a soft kiss on the lips while looking into his eyes.

“Apparently not. They were all rather concerned with saving themselves, which is perfectly understandable.” Pulling her closer he folded her in his arms and held her against his chest, bent his head down and absently kissed her neck. Lifting his head he said thickly, “Before I get carried away I had better go out on deck for a while. If I see Willy do you wish me to send him to you?”

Jess moved away and went to pour herself a little more whiskey and said, “No, I don’t see the point right now. Let me think about it for a few days. It must be quite late and I am feeling tired.”

“I understand, mo gra, there is a harshness in dragging old bones out of the grave and it is well past midnight, so get some rest.” Walking over to her he kissed her on the forehead and then headed out to spend some time on deck, which Jess felt he needed as she knew she needed alone time to process as well.

Sitting alone Jess began to think of Nicholas and wonder what the hell he had got himself into that would bring him together with Rancliff and La Rue Brossard.