Wings of the Morning

  for all my 23 years, and I don't know what I'll do without him."

  Darsey silently weighed his choices. To coddle her right

  now would make matters worse, but he fully believed that she

  needed to grieve her father. He decided that for the moment

  at least, she needed to buck up. Her grief could come later.

  "I'll tell you what you'll do," Darsey's voice was stern.

  "You'll captain theAramis just as he taught you."

  Smokey looked at him in surprise and saw that the entire

  crew was standing by, 25 officers and men, their eyes not on the waters that had swallowed her father, but fastened on her.

  Smokey turned completely to face them, and as she did so,

  Sftwsev moved to stand with the men. A moment passed, and

  s'n stepped forward, his posture and voice holding

  respect.

  : are your orders, Captain?"

  ^''nt have been more surprised than if he had

  tfflg at her. She studied their faces, and as her

  Teach man, he removed his cap in a gesture of

  s>

  17

  fealty. Smokey fought the tears that threatened to choke her

  and spoke when she could

  "I've a yearning for southern waters," she told them softly,

  her voice gaining momentum with every word. "Ready yourselves,

  men, and set sail."

  "Aye, aye, Captain" was all she heard, her every word their

  command. She watched as they moved to their positions. Her

  own gaze went back to sea.

  "You can do this," Smokey whispered to herself, "and you

  can do it well, thanks to your papa." She prayed then, asking

  God for guidance and wisdom. In so doing, she gained her

  first glimpse of what her father had felt all these years--the

  duty, the responsibility to his men, and even the loneliness in

  going on without someone you love.

  Darsey surreptitiously watched his new captain from his

  place behind the wheel. He was praying also. Smokey might

  have been surprised to learn that his prayers were not for her

  as a captain, but for her as a woman. He asked God to bring

  a special man into her life. Someone who would love her

  enough not to be intimidated by her position. Someone who

  would see her for the extraordinary woman that she was.

  Darsey understood more than any of her men what a

  superb captain she was. He believed, however, that she would

  make an even finer wife and mother.

  21kennebunk, maine

  Jury 9,1850

  amid the crowd of well-wishers, Jennifer Pemberton

  stood next to her husband and studied the bride. She was as

  lovely a bride as any girl could hope to be, her eyes sparkling

  with happiness over the day's events. Jennifer was reminded

  of the way she had felt at her own wedding just the year

  before.

  Hundreds of people were attending today's celebration,

  since the groom's father was a man of some influence in the

  area. Jennifer's attention strayed for a moment, and her eyes

  caught sight of another woman in the crowd She looked pale

  and somewhat overwhelmed, and Jennifer wondered if she

  wasn't as much a stranger in these surroundings as she herself

  was.

  Wearing a dreadful brown dress that did nothing for her,

  the woman, she observed, was quite petite in both height and

  build. Her hair was blue-black and shiny, but pulled back

  tightly into an unbecoming bun at the back of her head

  Jennifer wasn't sure what prompted her, maybe it was the

  almost fearful way the woman held herself, but she felt compelled

  to seek her out. After touching her spouse's arm, she

  moved a few yards away to stand beside her.

  22

  "Friend of the bride or groom?" Jennifer's voice was very

  kind, and the other woman, after starting slightly, looked like

  she had been thrown a lifeline.

  "I guess the groom," she admitted in a hesitant voice. "My

  father was a merchant sailor, and we've had dealings with

  Carleton Shipping for years."

  "Was a merchant sailor?" Jennifer prompted gently.

  'Yes. He died two years ago. I run the business now."

  Jennifer again heard the hesitancy in her voice, but couldn't

  place the reason. She took her to mean that someone sailed

  her father's ship or ships, and she did the book work.

  "By the way," Jennifer spoke again, finally remembering

  her manners, "I'm Jennifer Pemberton."

  'Victoria Simmons," she supplied, giving Jennifer her first

  real smile. Jennifer was so surprised at the way it transformed

  her features that for a moment she said nothing.

  Why, she's lovely! she thought to herself. The drab color of

  her dress and her severe hairstyle are hiding a lovely flower

  amid weeds.

  "Areyou a friehd of the bride?" Victoria wanted to know,

  feeling strangely at home with this woman who was watching

  her so intently.

  "No. I'm in the same position you are, or I should say, we

  are. My husband does business with Carleton Shipping. I've

  never even met Ben Carleton, but Tate--that's my husband-- knows him. Until today I'd never seen the bride or groom.

  What are their names again?"

  "Steve and Bridget," Victoria replied

  "Oh, that's right."

  Both women watched as the newlyweds made their way

  toward the door. Once they were out of view, Jennifer turned

  finrf, ikte headed toward them.

  t, here comes my husband. Tate," she spoke when he

  Ibeside her, "this is Victoria Simmons. Victoria, this is

  """*. "Rite Pembenon." Hp meet you, Victoria."

  23

  "Thank you. It's nice to meet you also." Victoria couldn't

  have been more sincere, but she was suddenly out of words as

  she stood before this tall, striking couple. Amoment of silence

  fell until another couple approached, and Victoria found herself

  just outside their circle. After watching a minute with

  some regret as the other four visited with careless ease, she

  turned and walked away. It was going to take more than two

  hours to get home on the stagecoach, and she knew she had

  best get going.

  She was a block away from the church when she heard a

  man calling her name. She didn't know anyone in this part of

  Kennebunk, so for a moment or two she ignored him. The

  voice was insistent, however, and Victoria finally turned Tate

  Pemberton was rushing up the street, a look of profound relief

  covering his face.

  "Jennifer nearly panicked when she couldn't find you. She

  thought we'd lost you for good We have our carriage. May we

  offer you a ride home?"

  "Thank you, Tate," she told him sincerely, thinking this

  was the nicest gesture she'd experienced in a long time. "And

  please thank Jennifer for me, but I live on the other side of

  Kennebunk, nearly to Kennebunkport, and I'm sure that's out

  of your way. I'm going to take the stage."

  "We live in Kennebunkport, so your home must be right on

  the way," Tate told her with surprised pleasure as he took her

  arm and began to lead her back up the street. Tate asked her

  exactly where she lived,
and when Victoria explained, Tate

  nodded decisively.

  From down the street Victoria spotted Jennifer standing

  outside the church, looking anxiously in their direction. Even

  from a distance, Victoria could see her smile as they neared

  "I thought we'd lost you, and we had so little time to get acquainted,"

  Jennifer told her sincerely, still wondering what it

  was about Victoria Simmons that attracted her.

  "I appreciate your offer, but are you sure it's not a bother? I

  came on the stage, and it's really no trouble."

  24

  "You're right on our way," Tare supplied as the coach

  appeared. He ushered the ladies inside. Within moments they

  were headed down the road toward home, the women sharing

  one side of the coach and Tate across from them.

  "I really appreciate this, Jennifer," Victoria began, but the

  other woman cut her off.

  "Please call me Jen or Jenny. All my friends do. We're glad

  to give you a lift. The stage can be so crowded and stuffy."

  Victoria smiled at her, and Jenny was again amazed by the

  change in her. Jenny would have been surprised to learn that

  Victoria smiled because, compared to some of the cabins she

  had occupied in her life, the stage felt huge.

  "Jen tells me you're in shipping," Tate mentioned at that

  moment.

  "Yes, I am. It's not a large business, but we're never without

  work."

  "How many ships do you own, Victoria?"

  'Just one," she told him.

  "I might know your captain," Tate leaned forward slightly,

  frank interest covering his handsome face. "What's his name?"

  "Do you always go by your full name?" Jenny asked, choosing

  that moment to interrupt her husband "Or do your friends

  call you Vicky?"

  "Actually," Victoria turned to Jenny, since Tate didn't look

  at all upset over the interruption, "my nickname is Smokey."

  "Smokey?" Jenny was surprised.

  "It's her smokey gray eyes, Jen," Tate said with satisfaction.

  "That's right," the smaller woman told him with a smile.

  "That, along with the fact that when I was a baby, my father

  used to say I would get so angry he thought smoke might come

  from my ears."

  The Pembertons enjoyed this, laughing at the vision. The

  conversation moved to many avenues in the next two hours,

  and with only one brief stop, Smokey was home a little ahead

  of the stage. She thanked the Pembertons for the ride and

  25

  made her way into the house, a rambling, somewhat ramshackle

  two-story that had been home since her father died.

  Smokey lived with her first mate, Darsey, and his widowed

  sister, Willa, who were both still up and settled in the small

  parlor when she came in. Smokey took a chair by the open

  window, and they looked at her expectantly.

  "How was the wedding?" Willa wanted to know.

  "It was nice."

  "It didn't give you any ideas, did it?" Willa's look was

  hopeful.

  Smokey laughed. "What was I supposed to do, grab the

  first man I saw and make it a double ceremony?"

  "That's not what I meant, and you know it," Willa told her

  with a stern look that could not mask the fact that she wanted

  to laugh at Smokey's words.

  "Who brought you home?" Darsey questioned her.

  "The Pembertons. They live just beyond Little Fishing

  Rock, and when we met after the wedding, they offered me a

  ride."

  "Old Saul Pemberton? I thought he passed away more than

  a year ago." Darsey frowned in thought.

  "It wasn't Saul, but his son, Tate, and Tate's wife, Jenny.

  Jenny's maiden name was Knight." Smokey fell silent for a

  moment.

  "You should have seen her dress," she said almost dreamly.

  "The bride's?" Willa assumed, hoping the wedding had

  started Smokey thinking about having a family after all.

  "No," Smokey's voice was still soft. "Jen Pemberton's. It

  was beautiful. Makes me wish I had taken your advice, Willa,

  and gotten myself some new clothes."

  "Well," the older woman said almost indignantly. "There's

  nothing stopping you from getting some now."

  "Yes, there is," Smokey replied matter-of-factly. She stood

  and stretched, hiding an expansive yawn behind her hand.

  "We sail for Wales in two days. What would I do with a fancy

  28

  dress aboard ship? Goodnight, Willa." Smokey kissed the

  older woman's cheek and then moved toward Darsey.

  "Goodnight, Dars," she said after she'd kissed him also.

  "Sleep well, lass," he told her and watched her lovingly as

  she left the room.

  Willa waited only until she heard the floorboards creaking

  upstairs before she lit into her brother.

  "Honestly, Darsey, you've got more pull with that girl than

  anyone! You could have said something--put in a word or

  two!"

  "About what?" the man asked in genuine confusion.

  "Her clothes!"

  "What *s wrong with her clothes?" Darsey frowned in puzzlement.

  "She's always clean and well pressed"

  Willa snorted in disgust. "I'm not talking about that*/wear

  clothes that are more stylish than hers. Most of her clothes

  look like widow's weeds. It's not as if she can't afford something

  new." Willa's emotions were high, but Darsey was calmly

  logical.

  "Be that as it may," he told her, "it's just like Smokey said

  What would she do with a bunch of frills on board ship?"

  "Well, she's not going to sail forever," Willa said petulantly

  and rocked a little harder in her chair, all the while frowning

  in her brother's direction.

  Darsey, who had entertained this thought on more than

  one occasion, suddenly had nothing more to say.

  It was growing dark so Tate and Jenny had decided not to

  rry at Smokey's small house in the country. Still, she was the

  ^^r^v1Cu ?nversation as they continued their ride home.

  jgatshe the sweetest thing, Tate?"

  ^^d she is," he answered as he moved across the

  |next to his wife. "There's something fascinating

  27

  about her. She's such a mixture of confidence and vulnerability."

  "I was surprised at her age when she first told us, but then

  as I watched her, I saw that she certainly isn't a child"

  "Well, 25 isn't what you'd call old."

  "No, but when we were at the wedding, I'd have said she

  was closer to my 20. Then as we talked, I realized she has

  almost a worldly look about her. Not worldly really," Jenny

  immediately contradicted herself. "But her eyes seem older

  than the rest of her, if you know what I mean."

  Tate silently digested this. "You know," he said finally, "we

  did an awful lot of talking, and other than finding out that she

  shares our faith in Christ, we really didn't learn much about

  her."

  "Do you suppose that was deliberate on her part?"

  "No, I think she genuinely liked us, but I just get the

  impression that she hasn't many friends." Oh,

  Tate!" Jenny was struck with what she considered a

  wonderful
idea. "Go back in a few days and invite her to come

  for a visit. I know we would have such fun, and something tells

  me she would love staying in a house that was right on the sea.

  It would be such a change for her after living inland"

  Tate agreed wholeheartedly, and in three days' time the

  coach took him back to Smokey's house. Smokey wasn't there,

  however; the door was answered by a woman. Tate assumed

  her to be the woman named Willa, about whom Smokey had

  spoken.

  Willa told Tate that Smokey was away and wasn't expected

  back for quite some time. Jennifer, he knew, would be very

  disappointed

  29

  morocco

  one month later

  "You don't have to say it, YusuF. I can tell by the look on

  your face that Smoke has been here. Is the whole load gone?"

  "I am sorry, Captain, yes," the old man's grin belied his

  words. His smile was infectious, however, and Captain Dallas

  Knight grinned grudgingly in return.

  "How does he do it?"

  Yusuf's grin widened to rival the size of his thick waist.

  "The ship," he said, and Dallas' eyes narrowed in thought. "I

  am not saying Smoke is not good captain. But the ship is fast.

  Maybe even fastest." The captain nodded, catching the other

  man's meaning, even amid the broken English.

  Dallas had gotten word concerning a load of tea in Tangier.

  Since he had been in Spain, he'd set sail almost immediately,

  but as usual, a ship called the Aramis, and a captain

  known only as Smoke, beat him to it. It was a continuation of

  the familiar pattern of the last two years, but that was no

  comfort. His business was suffering as a result.

  Dallas appeared to study the toe of his boot, his mind

  miles away. You wouldn'/ think that in an ocean the size of the

  Atlantic, one ship could cause me such trouble.

  R was all too true. To Dallas it seemed that the Aramis, or

  lather her captain, had no rules. The ship did not seem to be

  governed by time or wind The Zephyr, Dallas' ship, had been

  on the losing end of the expertise of the Aramis' captain on

  many occasions. It never seemed to fail--if word aired that

  merchandise of great value was up for grabs, the captain and

  crew of the Aramis did the grabbing.

  Dallas finally thanked Yusuf and returned to his ship.

  Within minutes they were underway. He had one other stop.

  Some miles down the coast, in Casablanca, a load of sugar

  awaited him. From there, he was forced to admit, he had no