My Dear Sophy (20 page)

“
I believe that good fortune has more to do with
your
generosity toward the men in regards to grog and shore-leave, sir, than to my able management – expert as it was.” The officer threw a wink towards Reverend Croft as he uttered the last comment.

Reverend Croft laughed and moved forward to shake the man's hand. “Glad to see you again, Lieutenant O'Brian! It looks like you've been keeping my son in line.”

O'Brian responded in sober tones but with a twinkle in his eye, “It is an arduous task sometimes.” Sophy watched this friendly exchange with interest. This officer O'Brian had a quick humor that exactly suited the Crofts. It was easy to see that the man was on good terms with both the captain and his family. And Sophy noticed how fondly the man looked at his friend.

Captain Croft made the introductions of the rest of the group as Sophy continued observing O'Brian. “Miss Wentworth, Edward, Frederick,” the captain said, “may I present my first lieutenant and oldest friend, Brandon O'Brian.” They made formal bows before O'Brian forever endeared himself to her brothers by announcing that cook had prepared a special luncheon for their guests and that the meal was waiting for them in the captain's cabin below.

“
I propose,” Captain Croft spoke, “that we eat first and then, after we are sated, I will show you around the ship. What say you?”

“
Aye aye!” The boys said loudly and saluted as best they could. Their laughter carried them downstairs – or “belowdecks” as Sophy began schooling herself to call it in true nautical style. Sophy was surprised how narrow and steep the steps were. Mr. O'Brian helped her down as she needed one of her hands to hold her skirts out of the way. They turned toward the right and headed to the back of the ship. Here Captain Croft showed them around his quarters. And again, Sophy was surprised at the small dimensions of the rooms. They were comfortable and well-furnished, but not spacious. Sophy had the fleeting thought that she might be quite comfortable living in a place like this.

The captain's quarters were divided into a few spaces. The main room, where they stood, featured a large table with enough places to seat their party and quite a few more. To the sides of the main room were a few more private cabins which Captain Croft did not show them. She assumed one housed his bed and personal items.

As Sophy looked around, Freddy and Edward were inspecting the two large cannon that occupied the front part of the main room. The cannon stood like sentinels on either side of the door. The boys seemed hesitant to approach them until the captain said, “Come, lads, the guns won't go off if you touch them!”

“
They're real?” Freddy asked in amazement, never having seen anything like this before.

Captain Croft and Lieutenant O'Brian boomed with laughter that seemed to echo around the small room. “Of course they're real!” The captain exclaimed.

O'Brian explained with the same patience the captain had shown on the main deck. “Nothing must be wasted on a ship this size. Every little bit of space is terribly important. So even the captain must sacrifice some of his rooms. If we come to an engagement in battle, we can tack up the doors of the smaller cabins.” Here he moved toward one of the closed doors in order to demonstrate. “We latch those doors up to the ceiling and have room to move the guns or set sharpshooters at those windows.” The boys looked up at the ceiling to spot the hooks where the doors would be latched. Sophy could see her brothers drifting off into dreams of battles and shooting guns. They ran to look out the windows.

Sophy was also heading towards a window, though at a more sedate pace than her brothers. The windows at the back of the cabin, which also happened to be the back of the ship, were angled outward so that she could look down and see the sea below. The sight made her a bit dizzy and she reached out to steady herself on the window frame. Sophy needed a few moments for her mind to adjust to the sight, but then she discovered that she actually found it quite soothing. Everything else seemed to disappear as she watched the soft motion of the sea when it caressed the side of the ship.

Before she lost herself in reverie too much, a short and stout man entered the room with a tray of food. He had thick, bare arms and no hair and wore a stained half apron. Behind him followed three boys, each of whom could not have been over Freddy's age, also carrying trays. The group of four made their way to one of the closets along the wall, which Sophy now saw was a kind of pantry. The short man was spreading out food on the counter there.

Captain Croft addressed him. “Foster! What delicacies have you prepared for us today?”

The man grinned and answered in a heavy northern accent, “May I say welcome back, sir?”

“
Thank you, Foster. It's good to be back. And may I introduce my guests today?” The round of introductions was dutifully made again as the three young boys began to lay dishes on the long table. The food smelled delicious and reminded Sophy how hungry the journey had made her.

“
Please, everyone, let's sit and eat the delicious creations I am sure Foster has prepared for us. He is a most excellent cook!” The man blushed and raised his knuckle to his forehead in what Sophy now recognized as a naval salute. “Thank you, Foster, I believe we can serve ourselves now.” Foster raised his knuckle again and led the three boys out of the room.

So the party sat down to a luncheon of simple but tasty food. The boys asked questions about everything they had seen so far. Sophy was content to eat and listen. The sun streamed through the windows, which were closed against the sea breeze, and cast a warm light over the room.

Sophy could now see that the furniture, though well-made, was worn with use. The table on which their luncheon was spread showed signs of constant and heavy use. Scratches in the surface could not be hidden even by the high-shine of many polishings. There were two wingback chairs in the corner of the room with places that she could now see had become shiny with use. But these signs of use only made the room seem more comfortable, like the place had been used and yet still lovingly maintained. The more time she spent here, the more she settled into and enjoyed the atmosphere it all created, one of cozy and comfortable ease. And the sailors she had met so far made it seem like that was the way across the whole ship. They all genuinely liked being aboard.

All of this placed Captain Croft in a different light. Until now, she had only seen him in parlors and over tables, telling stories to entertain his guests. But something had changed when they had stepped aboard his ship. She began to see a new side of him. The burden of command seemed to sit quite easily upon his shoulders. Sophy had noticed that his sailors listened carefully when he talked, as if he was an oracle uttering prophetic words. She assumed he didn't have many discipline problems aboard ship. The men seemed eager and pleased to do whatever he asked of them. And Captain Croft seemed more than willing to reward them for the work that they did. Hadn't the cook blushed when his captain had complimented him even on this simple fare? How easy men could be, Sophy thought.

And so the meal passed, with Captain Croft and Mr. O'Brian sharing stories and catching up with each other on the past week. It seemed that it had been a calm one, though the captain did raise an eyebrow at O'Brian's offhanded mention of a slight scuffle that had taken place in the town between their midshipman Fitzgerald and a sailor from another ship. Sophy sensed more of a story there, but the men didn't pursue it further.

After they had eaten their fill, the captain and O'Brian started them on a tour of the ship. Since they were already belowdecks, the men showed their guests the officer's quarters and the midshipman's berths. Sophy could not believe how many men slept in one small area. Then they went to the kitchen – which Sophy learned was called the galley – and thanked Cook Foster for the lovely meal..

As they made their way through the ship, Sophy continued to observe Captain Croft with his men. They all seemed happy to welcome him back. He shared jokes with them and asked them about personal matters. Though Sophy had lost track of where they were in the ship or how many people they had been introduced to, he remembered everything. He addressed all the men by name, a feat Sophy would have had a hard time accomplishing. What's more, he knew the business of every man on ship. Prudent, Sophy thought. He
is
the captain. But no less impressive for that fact. Captain Croft seemed to have a genuine affection for these men.

After they had been to the very bowels of the hold at the bottom of the ship – the boys had insisted on being shown every possible inch, fearing never to have an opportunity like this again – the group finally made its way back to the sunshine and fresh air of the main deck. They all blinked quickly to adjust to the sudden shift from the gloom of belowdecks. It was as yet only early afternoon with the sun still high in the sky. The group of guests emerged at the opposite end of the ship as they had entered before lunch.

Now near the front of the ship, Sophy looked up into a vast canopy of ropes, wooden beams, and bundles of gray canvas. How could anyone remember what all of these things did? They threatened at any moment to become a helpless tangle. One slip and an entire sail might come crashing down. And who would be brave enough to climb to the dizzying heights, for up close the masts towered higher then anything she'd ever seen. The top of the mast disappeared into the afternoon sun. What would it be to climb to that height? She shuddered slightly at the thought. Absolutely terrifying. And to do that in a storm? What a life to have as a normal, everyday routine! Sophy's respect for the profession of sailing was growing each moment.

Captain Croft swiftly vetoed Freddy's idea for a trip up the rigging and ushered them further back toward the middle of the ship. When they reached what the captain called the mainmast in the center of the deck, the group met some of the sailors who were carefully testing one of the sails for weak spots. They pulled and pushed on the fabric to see how it stretched and to make sure it would not rip. With a seamstress's trained eye, Sophy could see that this piece of canvas had been patched many times over.

The captain introduced them all to the sailors, who invited the boys to put their hand into the work. Sophy laughed to herself to think that at home neither Edward nor Freddy would
ever
be seen with a needle and thread for patchwork. Yet here on the ship, the work suddenly became acceptable. It became “real men's work.”

While everyone else was occupied with the sails, Sophy struck out on her own. She strolled further along the deck, closer to where they had boarded the ship. She stopped when she reached the large wheels. There were two of them, connected by what looked like the axle of a carriage. Both wheels had spokes sticking out. One of the spokes of a wheel had a loop of rope around it that held it steady.

Sophy was intrigued by the relative simplicity of it all. A whole ship turned by one hand. A ship held in place at the moment by a length of rope. Sophy reached out her hand to touch the smooth wood. And she thought of the many hands before hers that had touched this same spot. How long had this ship existed? As long as she herself had been alive? Longer? And how many places had it traveled? What adventures had it seen? What could this wheel tell her about life in distant places?

Though she knew she had fallen into a sentimental mood, Sophy allowed herself to stay there for a moment. No one was around who would prompt her to be practical. No one to say that she could dream all she wanted, but life and adventures like this would never be hers. She was at the wheel of this vessel and she imagined its life was her own. Sophy could almost feel what it had felt, experienced the trials and adventures this ship had experienced. It might seem strange to imagine, but she really felt that the
Pleasant
had its own soul, its own personality and life that could be spoken of as memories. Like her own life. Though what memories the ship must have!

Sophy caressed the wheel unconsciously, wanting to feel in harmony with it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Around her she heard the sounds of the sailors. She heard the water as it lapped against the ship. She felt the soft sway as she rocked, a sway that had already, in the hour they had passed on board, become a comforting background movement. It was practically unnoticeable until she closed her eyes and concentrated. And Sophy smelled the salt air carried on the breeze. That smell would be in her hair and her clothes, even as she traveled back to Milverton.

She took another lungful of it and opened her eyes. The
Pleasant
was facing out of the harbor and so, beyond the canopy of ropes and the group of sailors, all she could see was the horizon. The sun was still high and, again, Sophy had the feeling of seeing a mirage as the water sparkled and shimmered along the line of the horizon. She could almost imagine being alone with the
Pleasant
with all of the world's oceans in front of her.

Sophy closed her eyes again, eager to hold the picture in her imagination. She used all her senses to imprint it on her mind. In private moments she would return here, would again smell the air and feel the sun and the shift of the deck below her, would again feel the smooth wood of the wheel and see the shimmering water before her. And most of all, she would conjure this feeling of freedom, a moment of forgetting that she would soon return to a life without these sensations and without the promise of adventure.