When Colin promptly nodded, she sat down beside him, heedless of what the dust might do to her expensive gown. From that vantage, she could see much of the garden below. Beth had finally despaired of growing the kind of lawn that abounded in Britain, but her garden was laid out in the English style, with formal paths bordered by lime trees and swaths of native flowers. The delicate tropical fragrances filled the warm night. Selena was about to remark on the garden’s beauty when Colin piped up.
“Did you see the cap’m?” he asked, the eagerness in his young voice unmistakable.
“The captain? Do you mean Captain Ramsey?”
“Yes, him. Papa said the cap’m was to come tonight. I hoped I should be able to see him. Papa says he has a great schooner and he sails over the sea and fights with pirates! That’s what I will do when I am big. I will be a cap’m. I mean to have a giant ship. This giant,” he explained, spreading his short arms out as wide as they would reach. “Papa said he would take me to the harbor and show me the cap’m’s schooner…”
Selena wondered, as Colin’s artless chatter continued, why Captain Ramsey seemed to be the sole topic of conversation this evening. One would think none of the islanders had ever seen a ship’s master before—as if Antigua weren’t the site of the largest naval base in the Caribbean.
Just then a footfall sounded behind her, interrupting her thoughts and causing Colin to break off in mid-sentence.
“Good evening,” a familiar deep-timbred voice interjected into the silence.
Feeling her heartbeat quicken alarmingly, Selena turned her head to glance up at Kyle’s powerful figure. She could understand how he might be viewed by a young boy as a heroic figure.
“Forgive me,” he said slowly, “but I couldn’t help overhearing my name mentioned.”
Selena was dismayed by the effect his sudden presence was having on her pulse rate, but she was resolved not to let it show. “Colin,” she murmured, trying to regain her composure, “I daresay the captain perceived your wish, for here he is, in the flesh. Captain Ramsey, may I present Master Colin Thorpe.”
Colin’s eyes grew very wide as he gazed up at Kyle, his cherubic mouth forming an O. But when Kyle responded to the introduction with a polite greeting, Colin abruptly scrambled to his feet and stood stiffly at attention. “S-sir!” he stammered.
“Colin is a great admirer of yours, Captain,” Selena added. She hoped Captain Ramsey would understand such awe and be gentle, but after his earlier claim that children were an encumbrance in his line of work, she was afraid he might not.
“Is that so, lad?” Kyle flashed a broad smile, putting Selena’s fears to rest. “I’ll wager you do me too much honor, but I’m flattered nonetheless. Did I hear you say you want to captain a ship?”
“Yes, sir.” The boy nodded earnestly, seeming to gather courage. “I want to fight pirates like you.”
“Well, I’ve fought a few in my time, but it’s dismal work and wretchedly hard, not the least exciting, the way I thought it would be when I was your age. But commanding your own ship—now that’s a fine ambition.”
“Cap’m… do you suppose…? Could I go with you?”
Selena winced when she heard her own words echoed in the boy’s request; she had made the same suggestion that morning and had been turned down. She was grateful when Kyle didn’t refuse outright but cocked his head, appearing to give Colin’s question serious consideration. “I should like to take such a fine lad with me,” he said after pause, “but I’m giving up command of my ship. After this voyage I won’t be sailing any longer.”
His answer surprised Selena; she hadn’t thought him the kind of man who would ever give up the sea.
“However,” Kyle was saying, “my ships will still continue in service—”
“Ships?” Selena interjected curiously. “You have more than one?”
He glanced briefly in her direction, “I own several.”
Colin’s eyes grew round again. “And they are all yours?”
“Yes, lad,” Kyle said gently. “And I’ll still have plenty of acquaintances when I retire from the sea. I expect when you grow a little older, I can find you a berth on a worthy vessel—if you’re still of the same mind, and if your father approves. Of course, you’ll have to decide whether you want a military career or one in the merchant marine. There’s money to be made in commerce, though some don’t think making money is a gentleman’s occupation.”
“Oh, yes sir! How old, sir?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“How old must I grow?”
Kyle’s expression remained sober, though Selena thought she could detect a gleam of laughter in his eyes. “Some apprentices sign on at twelve. You might do the same, only you would still have to complete your schooling. It can be arranged, though, so that you can study on board. It’s what I did.”
When Colin beamed, Kyle reached down to ruffle his mop of black curls. “However,” he added with increasing sternness, “if you mean to become a seaman, the first and most important thing you must learn is how to obey orders. I expect your mama put you to bed hours ago, is that not so?”
“Aye, sir!” His rosy, round face breaking out in a sheepish grin, Colin raised his hand in a clumsy salute.
“No, lad, let me show you.” Kyle reached down to take the small hand in his large one and demonstrate the proper method. “Aye, that’s the way of it. Now lead the way to your bedchamber, and I’ll tuck you in—before your mama finds you still awake and gives us both a tongue-lashing.”