Chapter Fifteen

Following Violet's amazing story, Paulie decided to tell the stories he had been reading that were miracles too. He retold his story of Jonah and the 'Ninevits', how the big fish swallowed him then spit him out onto dry land. He told about Daniel in a pit with the closed mouthed lions, because he would not stop praying. About Moses and the parting of the Red Sea, to enable His people to flee to safety. It was a lovely way to pass the time and weather out the storm.

The waves tossed the Wench about here and there, and when Josh saw the babes eyes grow wide and worried, he thought of his own babes at home. The next wave that washed them over a bit more that the children were comfortable with, Josh grinned at them from across the table and emitted a 'weeeee' as they rode the wave. The boys caught on and helped him to reassure the children, that if they were not worried, the wee ones did not have to be either.

In between the stronger waves all were enthralled as Paulie was turning into quite the storyteller.

Chauncey had joined them, scratching his sleep tousled head, he entered the galley barely awake, yet he perked up quickly when he realized a story time was in process.

The old man settled into a seat, to drink his coffee, and to take part in one of his favorite pastimes.

'Ol Chauncey especially liked the story of the man who traveled around healing people of what afflicted them. He wished that man were here now, he would ask him to touch his eyes to help him to see better, like the blind man in the story Paulie just finished telling.

Oh, what a wonderful thing that would be!

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Violet wanted to be out in the storm, he could not contain himself to a room right now. His amazement and joy knew no bounds and he could not sit still. He had told Paulie to carry on, as everyone now felt safe and protected below, while listening to how God cared for His own.

Violet and Betsy stepped into the hallway outside the galley. Betsy could tell that Violet was full of energy and needed to bask in his miracle.

"I am going to join Brutus up top, I feel a need to be out there where it happened, I just need to be under His sky right now."

"May I come with you?" Betsy wanted to be out there too. She understood Vi's need to return to the scene of his deliverance, and she wanted to share these first few hours of his new faith with him.

"Of course you may, you were the one thing missing when I was topside a fore. Shall we go ride the waves together, my sweet?"

Betsy smiled and nodded, her eyes shining with love at this beautiful man who wanted to share his life with her. She was glad he did not ask her to stay below where it was safe, that he encouraged her to join him at the helm, teaching her to sail a ship and how to navigate. That he was willing to teach her to wield a sword, that he loaded her pistol for her. That he did not treat her as a fragile female, except at night, he did treat her gently then. That she did not mind.

They went to their cabin and he found her a jerkin and a hat. They then went topside with Brutus.

Vi had to help her keep her footing, as the deck was wet, and the ship was being hit by waves coming over the port rail. The waves were not huge nor mighty, simply the sea was churned up, due to the winds. The rain was not pouring down hard, just a light rain being blown every which way, as the Wench made her way homeward with Brutus at the helm.

Brutus watched their approach, he smiled at the best friend he had known forever, and the small, fresh faced, pixie girl beside him.

Brutus saw the care that Violet extended to the small slip of a girl, and it made him want the same for himself one day. The way she turned and smiled at Violet, her small hand upon Vi's arm, her eyes so filled with love and joy as she looked upon him.

Mayhap it was time to be open to that kind of love himself. Violet seemed to be very content.

Brutus was almost one year older than Violet, at a score and eight, he still had plenty of time to find the right bride. Was she at home where he claimed safe harbor, or was she as of now, a girl in a foreign port. Did she reside in London, or may she be a colonial's daughter in the New America's? He would just have to start praying that the Lord would lead him to her, whomever, and wherever she was.

Watching Violet and Betsy made him yearn for someone to share his life with. She should not mind sailing. However, would he have the same concerns Violet had shared at the beginning of his marriage?

Children, when, and if he had any, would it be feasible to raise them on a ship? He guessed it would depend on the ship, the woman, and how he felt about it when he did find her.

The couple came to join him on the helm deck. Violet stood with his back to the railing, Betsy tucked under his arm beside him, as they both put their hands on the rail behind them to hold themselves steady.

Betsy saw Vi looking around the ship at the sea, still shaking his head in wonder. She had not stopped smiling yet. She turned her attention to Brutus as he addressed her.

"So Elizabeth, you do not have a sister out there somewhere, do you?" Brutus giving her one of the nicest compliments she had ever received from him.

"No," she laughed, "No sisters Brutus, three cousins in the America's I am aware of, but I do not know them, as I journeyed to England before I can even remember." Her voice was filled with pleasure, that Brutus would like a girl of his own, that was like her. "I will pray you are led to the right one though, if you would like me to."

Brutus nodded and turned his attention out in front of them, he would join his prayers with hers, and keep his eyes and his heart open.

"It has come to me, just in this very moment, that God uses the storms in our lives to get our attention." Violet waxed poetic.

Which made Betsy remember, "You just brought something to my mind, Violet. T'was a storm that put the Green Eyed Lady on that island where we met," Betsy felt a lift in her own spirit, "If I look for Him I can see where He has interceded. The first pirate attack when my leg was injured, which seemed such a horrible thing at the time, He used to bring my Lady and her betrothed together, also ending in you and I finding one another. Sometimes the things we see as terrible, He will use for His good. You just must keep your eyes and heart open for what He wants to bring out of it." She furrowed her brow trying to remember the words, "'All things work for good to those who are faithful,' I just remembered my Papa used to say that quite often. And there is the story of Joseph, his brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. But if they had not, his family may have starved years later."

"Amazing, is it not?" Violet queried, as he shook his head. He hoped this feeling never left him, that he could remember this day and the amazement forever. Especially as he knew life could be hard. That things could happen to take the joy out of life. As when Josh lost his father. Yet, God had given him Sissy, and they had loved one another for a very long time, and had been gifted with three sweet children.

Or his own Kitten, losing her parents as a tiny babe, yet God had made sure she had a Papa, who had raised her to be a wonderful soul and the perfect wife for him.

There was Paulie, who had known loss and betrayal, sinking into the bottle and bitterness, yet, look at him now. Violet started chuckling, as Betsy and Brutus both turned questioning gazes upon him.

He waved a hand in the air, "I was just thinking of Paulie down there," Violet had to stop speaking as he laughed, the others faces growing even more curious, as he had a hard time holding his mirth, "A month ago if you told me he would be reading bible stories to a galley full of people, I would have told you that you were insane."

They both shared his laughter in agreement.

"Mayhap the fault is ours, it truly was when I named Him limitless, that He showed me just how much. It may be that through our own doubts we limit Him, and what a shame that is. All I can say is that after today I believe that part where the book says ask Him to remove the mountain and it shall be moved." Violet's face held conviction as he finished, "Yet, He also showed me it may certainly not be in the way I think He should." He went back to shaking his head, "Just gone, I would have never asked for that, I would have never thought it in the realm of a possibility."

Betsy hugged him and returned Brutus' smile.

"I felt something too," Brutus felt he should share also, "Right before I came up to relieve Vi, in the galley, when you were reading the Psalms, something I have never felt before in my own self, moved through that room." Brutus' face was serious, he knew it had been something special, and he also did not want to not recognize it for the extraordinary thing it was.

"It was the Spirit, she will tell you." Violet had a huge grin on his face, he was still a man, and he still liked giving the answers.

Betsy laughed, "Just ask Violet, Brutus, he has been touched and now knows all." She and Brutus laughed, as Violet turned sheepish.

"Saucy wench!" Violet grumbled, as she threw her arms around his neck and he swung her side to side. He looked over her to Brutus and shared a grin with his friend.

"Oh, he is 'touched' alright." Brutus laid a finger to his temple, as Violet swatted at his arm, Brutus and Betsy found this highly amusing.

"And to think, I thought I wanted to be with you two, to bask in my glow." Violet pouted.

This made them laugh even harder.

"Humph, I shall just go and talk to Sam and Pete then." Violet left them and went down to the main deck, there to discuss the disappearing ship they had seen, or not seen, or both.

Betsy leaned back against the rail, holding on tightly, so she could ride the waves safely.

She looked at Brutus' profile as he was watching Vi talk to the men, Vi was waving his arms around while he talked, and still being amazed.

"You do not have a sweetheart in the village where you grew up?" She could not believe such a fine fellow did not have someone special waiting for him. His jet black hair was so dark it almost had a blue tint to it. He wore it much the same as Violet, except Brutus' was even longer. His would come down quite a few inches past his shoulders if it were loosened. His baby blue eyes were fringed with the same blue, black lashes and brows. He had a small cleft in his square chin, strong cheekbones and a broad forehead. A very good looking man, she thought.

"No, all the girls we grew with have married and had babes by now. We only stay a short time to visit our family and bring them our offerings." Brutus had been looking out ahead of them, glancing at Betsy once or twice as he spoke.

He took a moment to look fully upon her. She was utterly adorable, a small pointed chin, huge brown eyes, pretty, long brown hair with the same brown, light winged brows, a light sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose, her face tanned from being out in the sunshine. Her face was heart shaped and fragile. She suited Violet perfectly, and the love he saw pass between them, was as if they were created only for one another.

Was that what you received when you let God pick your mate? If that were so, Brutus was willing to wait until that perfect one came along for him. Of a sudden, the shallow, quick, find a woman and bed her while in port, did not sound so good anymore.

He made a decision right then to give it up. He could wait for the right one, if this is what you received for being faithful and patient.

Betsy saw that Brutus was looking at her, but his thoughts were off in the distance. "What is it, Brutus?"

He smirked at her, "I was just thinking how happy it makes me to see Violet get what he deserves."

"And what is that?" She tipped her head to the side, to see him better, as he had turned forward once more.

He turned to look her straight in the eyes, "You." Then he went back to looking forward as she smiled.

"And that is a good thing I hope." Her voice lightly tinged with laughter.

"A very good thing."

She blushed and smiled, looking down at the weathered wood of the deck, "Thank you, Brutus. I happen to think I am the blessed one."

"No, ye both are."

Brutus smiled a dazzling smile as she returned it, her cheeks still shaded a lovely color of rose.

"I think you may be right." Betsy looked down to where Violet was patting Sam on the back. Both of them grinning and talking animatedly.

"Brutus would you like me to bring you some coffee?" She realized it was growing colder as night was setting in.

"Why, yes, I would, that would be most welcome Elizabeth, I thank ye for thinking of it, that would be right nice about now." He nodded at her, as he gave her a dazzling smile.

She returned it even as she moved to the steps to descend to the lower deck.

Yes, I think I would like a wife just fine, Brutus thought, as he watched her move away.

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Violet gave Samson's shoulder a last squeeze, then left him, to help Betsy navigate the deck.

He gave her his arm, "It seems we have some new believers aboard," Violet was still so animated that she could not help but to continue smiling as they made their way below. Violet continued waving his other arm around as he spoke, "Sam and Pete were just as awed as I, when I told them what you had been reading, and what I had been praying at the time. They both said they knew they would have been chained to the oars to rot away. Pete was even thinking the sea sounded better than staying aboard, yet he would not leave us to fight them alone, even though t'would have been a lost cause."

Violet was still filled with an energy that had only been fed as he had talked to his men. He had explained to Betsy in his miracle recanting, just how very evil the Barbary pirates were. His men would have rather drowned in the sea, than to be captured alive.

"I do not want to imagine, and I wish all of their victims had been delivered as we were." She held Violet's arm as he escorted her down the hall. "I offered to bring Brutus some coffee, do you think the other men topside would like some also?" She looked up into her husband's face, remembering Brutus' words about Violet and her both being blessed with one another, and she could not agree more. She felt energized just being around him, she still felt the little shoots of lightning when he touched her, and his kisses took her to another realm. She knew he derived pleasure from her also, as he could not keep from touching her in some way if they were together. It made her feel very valued. And very loved. God had been very, very good to her when He allowed this pirate to steal her heart.

"We will just take them some and see." Violet ushered Betsy into the galley and they went to the stove to serve their men.

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I pray, and this is what I get, I hope you all continue to enjoy!