22. Jonto #3
“Have you spoken to anyone about your concerns? Your uncle possibly or perhaps the Archduchess? He can’t be allowed to get away with that.”
Isla scoffed and glared at Jonto, irritated by the absurdity of his words, which reflected the narrow confidence of someone living in a protected substratum of society.
“He’s a nobleman, Lord Jonto. You, of all people, should know the privilege granted because of that.
Add the fact that he’s a very wealthy landowner who has the ear of the King, and you can imagine what would happen if I went forward with unsubstantiated rumors impugning his good name.
” She turned to face Jonto and rested a single elbow on the rail. “May I be candid with you, My Lord?”
“If you knew any of my friends, they’d tell you I’d never betray your confidence. Of that, you can be certain.”
The wind plucked loose strands of hair from Isla’s chignon and whipped them across her furrowed brow. She remained silent, swiping them away with a finger before tucking them behind one ear.
The gentle creaking of the ship’s hull as they moved through the water reminded Jonto of the sound of loose floorboards beneath the restless pacing of a nursing mother’s feet, giving her hope that the Jest would somehow ease Isla’s mind enough for her to trust her with her fears.
Once again, Isla faced forward and clasped her hands together as she leaned on the railing, only this time, rather than being white from the force of her grip, they were chafed red from repeatedly rubbing her thumb back and force across the delicate skin.
“I don’t want you to think that I’m someone who easily loses hope or feels sorry for herself, but however I look at my future, it seems bleak, indeed.
Merely living with Montfort would be a nightmare, but if I found that he raped any of my women servants or used Perrin in disgusting ways, I’d have no choice but to kill him.
” Her voice caught on a sob. “Do you know what they do to women who murder their husbands?”
“That’s taking your fear and anxiety to the extreme, something I find never ends well.
” Knowing the gesture would be inappropriate but feeling Isla could use a friend, Jonto gingerly laid a comforting arm around her shoulders.
“I’ve always found it insanity to worry about what might be or what might happen in the future. There are always options.”
“For a man, possibly. But for a woman without rights? For a woman in my position, the saying, ‘There are always options,’ becomes vacuous and hollow. I would expect more from you than pithy platitudes, My Lord.” She turned as if to walk away.
Jonto, who still had her arm around Isla’s shoulders, gently pulled her back. “My Lady. Isla. May I call you Isla?”
Isla pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the tears from her face. “From what I hear, you’re a god on board your ship and can do as you like.”
“Well, I’d like to call you by your given name, but I’d never do so without your permission. So, I ask you again. May we consider ourselves friends where you call me Jonto, and I call you Isla?” Jonto hated seeing someone she’d come to care about so despondent.
Once again, knowing she was moving into what Lady Fitzgerald would consider inappropriate behavior, she placed her hand on Isla’s cheek and turned her face so they were looking into one another’s eyes.
With what she hoped Isla would understand was a genuine, caring smile, Jonto lowered her chin but kept her gaze locked on those despondent eyes that were usually so full of grit and determination.
“Lady Brighton, there’s always hope when your good friend is a pirate captain who just happens to own an entire fleet of ships. ”
At least Isla chuckled at that. “You mean you’d whisk me away to faraway lands where King Jaydon couldn’t reach me?”
Jonto lifted a shoulder. “Perhaps.”
Isla shook her head. “I know you won’t understand this, but Windsong Hall is my home.
It’s all I’ve ever known, and most of my friends live in Fachan’s Bay.
Your ships are your home, Captain, and your crew, your family.
Even when you sail to those faraway lands, you’re still home.
Yes, you have Kraken’s rest, but it’s only a place to lay your head when you’re not at sea.
It’s not really your home, is it?” She gazed at the deep black sky through an opening in the fog, the combination of which created an eerie atmosphere of loneliness and isolation.
“Our personalities are so different, Lord Jonto. I think I’d rather die than permanently leave the home my great-grandfather, grandmother, and mother left to me. ”
As much as Jonto enjoyed having her arm around Isla’s shoulders, she removed it and spoke quietly, wanting Isla’s full attention on what she had to say.
“I understand more than you think. When I watched my sister go overboard, my very last sight of the person most beloved in my life was of her two round, panicked, frightened eyes locked onto mine. I felt powerless, so bereft that I tried to throw myself overboard to join her. I’d be dead if it hadn’t been for Nico locking me into a one-armed embrace while steering the ship through that infernal hurricane.
In fact, Nico convinced me to return to my family’s estates, put everything in order, and set out to sea as an honorable merchant. ”
Once again resting her forearms on the railing, Jonto shifted so their shoulders were touching.
“So yes, I do understand what it’s like to feel so helpless and hopeless that I wanted to take my own life.
But if there’s one thing I learned, it’s that we can’t know what the future holds.
For example, the Archduchess is a formidable woman.
If anyone can change the King’s mind, it’s her.
Of that, I have no doubt. Don’t assign the worst possible outcome to your future.
Perhaps this voyage is the perfect time to live for the day and relegate our fears of the future to… well, to the future.”
To Jonto’s astonishment, Isla slipped her arm through hers and rested her cheek on her shoulder.
“Yes, we can, and…” she steadied herself against the captain as the ship rolled gently to starboard, “… and I wouldn’t mind if you call me Isla.
” A whisper-soft chuckle accompanied her words.
“And I think this would scandalize Robert if he saw us standing here like this. But I think this is okay among friends, don’t you? ”
Jonto turned her head and rubbed her lips in Isla’s silky hair.
She breathed deeply, smelling the jasmine-scented soap she provided for her guests.
Her body was telling her how very badly she wanted to gently suck on that rosy bottom lip that protruded just a bit too far whenever Isla was perplexed or angry.
Her mind, on the other hand, was screaming at her to move away, to not only move away but to keep as far away as possible within the confines of the ship.
The far-off clanging of a ship’s fog bell gave her reason to do just that.
More than likely, one of her escort ships was signaling their location and checking in to ensure they’d neither gotten too close nor too far in the fog.
Jonto stepped back to listen for distant peals from the second support ship.
Isla released her hold on Jonto’s arm. “What’s that?”
Jonto put a finger to her lips. “Shhh. Listen.”
On the quarterdeck, Tilden responded with a report from the Jest’s fog bell.
Not five seconds later, a third ship off to starboard did the same.
Raising his gaze to the crow’s nest, Jonto shouted to an invisible presence high up on the main mast, “Keep a sharp lookout aloft. Do you see any ships in the fog?”
The watchman shouted back, “Aye, Captain. Lights to port and starboard, about a mile on both sides.”
Jonto grinned at Isla and took her hand, pulling her to starboard side of the fo’c’sle.
She pointed to a second bell securely attached to a bell stand.
“I’m giving you a task, sailor. Ring that bell five times, wait five minutes, and ring it again.
If after a time, you hear a bell in the distance, ring our bell to answer. ”
Excitement rose in Isla’s eyes, and she stared at Jonto, trying to decide if she was serious. “You want me to ring the bell?”