Wrecked Page 5

  And an adventure it was. Ethan thought he knew where he was going, but road construction had them detouring off the highway and within a couple of turns they were lost.

  “Typical man,” Bess teased. “We’re lost and you haven’t stopped and asked for directions.”

  Ethan chuckled and at the first red light they came to, punched in the address into his navigation system and found a route that would take them right to the front door.

  “Gotta love technology,” he smirked. “Who needs to ask directions when I have this at my fingertips?”

  “Any reason you didn’t do that before we left Port Lincoln?” Bess shot back.

  “I thought I knew where I was going,” he replied sheepishly.

  That made Bess laugh out loud, which in turn made Ethan laugh and by the time they reached the restaurant they were almost in tears.

  “I love listening to you laugh,” Ethan said as he turned off the car. “It makes me happy.”

  “My laugh?” Bess asked incredulously? “Why?”

  “It just does,” Ethan smiled. “There are lots of things about you that make me happy,” he admitted and saw the instant discomfort in Bess’s face. “You don’t like people giving you compliments, do you?”

  She just shrugged and looked away.

  Ethan had known Bess for a couple of months and felt they’d developed a friendship that encouraged him to delve a little deeper.

  “You are a very attractive woman, Bess. Don’t you know that?”

  “I am not,” she frowned.

  “Have you not ever looked in a mirror?” Ethan scoffed.

  “Yes!” Bess growled back.

  “You’re gorgeous. No other way of saying it. Just say thank you,” he chuckled.

  “Thank you,” she grumbled.

  Ethan laughed at her forced reply but took it as a win. He’d take it.

  “Come on,” he changed the subject. “Let’s go eat.”

  Dinner was an experience. Bess had never had curry, which she devoured in obvious enjoyment, much to Ethan’s delight. They enjoyed spiced rice and traditional fry bread, lots of vegetables with herbs and spices, and finished their meal with a sweet rice pudding that Ethan said was the best thing he’d eaten all night.

  As they drove home in comfortable silence, Ethan debated whether it was the right time to kiss Bess goodnight. It wasn’t something that he would normally have an internal debate over, but then Bess wasn’t like any other woman he’d dated. She was fragile, even though her tough defenses always seemed to be on high alert. He knew her past must have created some distrust of men. How couldn’t it? And to top it all off, she’d just dealt with a serious health scare that would leave any woman in a… delicate state. The fact remained, however, that he desperately wanted to kiss her.

  When it came time to walk her to the front door, indecision still loomed. But as Bess stopped and turned to him on the front porch, he pulled her to him and held her close, the scent of her filling him with desire. He held her for several seconds until he felt her begin to pull away. Releasing her from his embrace was almost painful, but he did so anyway.

  “I really had a great evening,” she began. “The food was delicious and the company was great, as always,” she added, slightly blushing as she lowered her eyes.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Ethan whispered. He lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Bess. Sleep well.”

  *****

  Instinctively, Bess lifted her hand to her cheek. Ethan had walked back to the car and driven the short distance to his house. It was too dark to see him walk from his car to his door, but still she watched, her hand still on her cheek. The moon was barely visible high in the sky, the breeze cool and slight. The evening with Ethan had been all a date should be.

  A date! The idea was unreal.

  The first date Bess went on was many years before. She was fifteen and she’d been asked to a school dance - Homecoming. She accepted with eagerness and she and her girlfriends giggled and planned hair styles and matched dress possibilities with shoes. It should have been a memory filled with happiness and fun. Instead, Bess just remembered how awkward she felt in her cousin’s bridesmaid dress because her step-father refused to shell out for a new dress of her own. Her best friend, Allison, had told her she looked beautiful and helped her to do her hair and make-up, even letting her borrow a pair of shoes. No, the bastard wouldn’t buy her new shoes either.

  The actual dance was fine. Four couples had gone as a group and she enjoyed being with her friends most of the night. But when it was over, her date had wanted her to be grateful for taking her. Bess had yanked his hand from out of her cleavage and demanded to be taken home. Scared to death, she was barely fifteen and wasn’t ready for anything more than a goodnight kiss at the end of the evening. He called her a fucking tease and took her home, not even opening the door of the car for her… not even waiting for her to reach the front door before he drove away, squealing tires as he went. There was no kiss.

  Bess’s second date was much better. She’d left home by the time she met Bryce. She was staying with her great aunt for the summer and he worked at the same restaurant as she did and they went to the movies a couple of times before he moved on to someone else. He didn’t, however, call her names or demand sex because he’d bought her a bucket of popcorn and a Coke.

  After that, Bess didn’t have the time or the energy to think about boys and dating. She’d worked at least two jobs up until she was hired at the daycare center, needing all the money she could earn to pay for rent, food and gas for her car. That’s not to say she never went out, but it wasn’t often, and not memorable.

  Dinner with Ethan was a completely different experience. Yes, she was older, and he was unlike any man she’d ever known, but it was more than that. It went deep – it affected every part of her being. Fluttering butterflies remained in her stomach as her hand still rested on her cheek. Tingles had raced down her spine as his lips had gently touched her skin, and her legs felt as though she’d just climbed fifty flights of stairs. Her heart pounded against her ribs and her fists clenched, so as to not wrap themselves around his torso. It was an entirely new ball game, one she was unprepared to play.

  The kettle boiled and Bess made herself a cup of tea. She’d stood outside for several minutes thinking about Ethan and trying to decipher the myriad of feelings she had. There were far too many to deal with, so a cup and tea and sleep sounded like a better plan, although she doubted sleep would come easily.

  She was right. By two o’clock she gave up and threw back the covers. The bed was warm and comfortable but all she did was toss and turn and become frustrated with her inability to make her brain turn off long enough to experience slumber. She pulled a sweatshirt over her head and wandered back to the family room and the large window overlooking the cliffs and the ocean below. It was still pitch black outside but Bess could hear the waves crashing angrily against the rocks below. She kneeled on the sofa, crossed her arms over the back and leaned her chin on her forearms as she heard gulls cawing overhead.

  It was unimaginable how different her life was than just a few short weeks ago. How things had turned upside down. Regina had suggested she apply for a job at the hospital. When Bess went in earlier in the afternoon, she was fully prepared to be hired on as a housekeeper or a dishwasher, but at the very moment she was being given a card with the web address and instructions how to apply online, a new job was being posted: receptionist in the Emergency Department. Requirements were a high school diploma, or equivalent. Check. Able to work with a computer. Check. Previous experience working with the public. Check. Available to work swing shifts, if necessary. Check. Bess had gone straight back to the house, pulled out her aging laptop, and immediately applied.

  She hadn’t mentioned anything to Ethan at dinner, even though he’d asked about her job search. It could be perceived that she was trying to get closer to him, but that wasn’t anywhere near the truth. Bess actually consider
ed the proximity to Ethan, both at home and possibly at work, a negative. He had her feeling things that made her uncomfortable and unsure of herself. She didn’t need more of that. But the only other place that anyone knew was hiring was the diner. Yes, that diner, and Bess sure as hell wasn’t that desperate… yet!

  Not that it was ever far from her thoughts, but Bess’s mind drifted to her dwindling savings. She hadn’t spent much money since she’d left her apartment that crazy day, but she hadn’t had much to begin with. If she got the job at the hospital, she’d have to spend some cash on a few new items of clothing. Her wardrobe did not include much that could be considered professional dress.

  She sighed out loud and swung around to sit on the sofa. The movement of a man off to her right caught her eye. She screamed as he walked away from her and through the doorway from the kitchen to the dining room.

  “Hey!” she yelled, and jumped onto her feet. “HEY!!” Without thinking she ran through the family room, through the kitchen and into the dining room. “Who the hell are you?” she screamed… to nothing.

  Bess looked right and left. No one was there. She hurried into the front room and then into the foyer. There was nobody there. Her bedroom was also void of anyone, and she searched thoroughly.

  “What the…” She knew she’d seen a man walking through the house. It was not a hallucination. He was real, and she’d seen him. Yet, there was not another soul in the house.

  Bess stood by the front door, the locks still turned and the dead bolt still in place. As she turned, she faced the stairs. She had to go up and search the second floor.

  7.

  His feet were planted firmly on the wooden planks of the deck even though the ship was swaying wildly in the storm. Every strike of lightning lit up the sky enough for Captain Wentworth to see he was getting closer and closer to the jagged rocks that would more than likely claim what was left of his ship. Most of his men had already plunged into the icy cold water, gambling that they could get to shore before they froze or drowned. He, however, would remain with The Mighty Elizabeth.

  Dotted along the coast, high on the cliffs, he could see light coming from the windows of the town. In one of those houses was his Elizabeth, and Andrew clung to the hope that it wouldn’t be much longer until he would see her once more. The waves beat against the sides of the ship with unending determination to batter it to pieces, yet he stood firm on the bow waiting to reach land.

  The thunder boomed loudly overhead and another flash of lightning arced across the dark sky. And then the mast cracked and fell, bringing ropes and the remains of the tattered sails with it. The end had come. Within just a minute or two the bow connected with the first of the rocks and the impact flung Andrew from his feet and across the deck. Grabbing a flailing rope, he kept himself aboard what was now half a ship. He could hear the screams of the rest of his men as they were hurled into the cold, angry ocean and he knew it would be a miracle if he survived. But Captain Wentworth believed in miracles. All he had seen in his years in the Royal Navy proved to him that miracles were commonplace… happening all around him, all over the world. He prayed for one more. He prayed with all the faith he had that he would be with his Elizabeth. They had waited so long to be together and this is not how he wanted their story to end. Pleading with God, he begged for mercy and as he said Amen, the lower half of the mast fell. He felt the sharp pain on the back of his head and then all went black.

  *****

  Elizabeth Sherton stood at the window and peered through the fogged glass at the rain pelting down outside. It was one of those storms that had her praying their roof would remain overhead and the wood stacked under the overhang would remain dry enough to burn in the fireplace and keep them warm and cozy.

  Her father, William Sherton, sat in a wingback chair next to the fire and read from the Bible, as Andrea sat on the rug at his feet, playing with some wooden blocks of various sizes. She liked to stack them as high as she could and then kick it over, her glorious laugh filling every corner of the house and making Elizabeth smile every time she heard it. The family dog, Rufty, a homeless mutt that had adopted them several months ago, lay beside Andrea, content to be a back rest for his young charge. Elizabeth glanced over at her family, happy they were together but sad that one vital member was still not with them. Andrew had written a few months earlier telling her of his plan to arrive in America in the fall when they would finally be able to be married and begin their life together. What he didn’t know was that in the eyes of the town, they were already married.

  8.

  Bess knew she was being silly, but still she turned on every light she could find on the upper floor, expelling all darkness from every corner. As she walked from room to room, opening doors and peering around furniture, there was no one to be found.

  “I know I saw you,” she muttered to herself. “I’m not crazy.” She sat on the four poster bed in the last bedroom at the end of the hall and sighed. She’d read the pamphlet that came with her medication thoroughly. There were many side effects she was to watch for: nausea, headaches, tingling in the extremities, and loose stools were just a few. Nowhere did she read she might experience hallucinations or visions. “Maybe I’m tired.”

  “I’m tired.”

  “What the…” She jumped onto the bed, standing and looking all around the room in a panic. “Who are you?” she yelled, pretending to be tough. “Where are you?”

  He stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on her. On one hand Bess was relieved she saw him, that he was not just a figment of her imagination, but on the other hand, there was a strange man in the house and her knees shook in fear.

  “I won’t hurt you,” he spoke softly.

  “I might just hurt you!” Bess spoke sharply. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” Ethan had said he didn’t want any vagrants getting any ideas about taking up residence in his empty house. Maybe he’d had a point.

  He smiled slightly. “You’re feisty.”

  “I’m angry!” Bess spat. “Who the hell are you? Answer me!” she demanded.

  “My name is Andrew. Captain Andrew Wentworth.”

  “You’re English.” Bess noted his accent.

  “Yes.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’ve been here for a long time.”

  “I live here and I can tell you that you have not been here for a long time,” Bess snapped.

  He took a step forward and Bess screamed.

  “I told you I won’t hurt you,” he frowned.

  “No… it’s… you’re… how? Who are you?”

  Captain Andrew Wentworth walked further into the room, his black boots clicking on the wooden floor with each step he took. But Bess, still standing on the bed watched him with her mouth gaping open, her eyes wide with shock. As he moved through the room she could see the wall behind him… through him. He was… translucent. He looked like a man. He walked like a man. He sounded like an Englishman. But she could see through him!

  “What are you?” she asked, the trepidation in her voice front and center.

  Andrew continued walking to the window and stood looking outside, his feet apart, his hands clasped behind his back.

  “I am Captain Andrew Wentworth of His Highness’s Royal Navy. I arrived in America during the war and stayed since I am unable to return home.”

  Bess had watched a movie on Netflix - one of those historical romances set in England. She swore this guy could have come right from filming!

  “His Highness?” she asked.

  “King George.”

  History had not been one of her strong subjects in school. She’d found it monumentally boring. She did know, however, that Queen Elizabeth had been the monarch of England for quite some time. “King George?”

  “His Royal Highness, King George III.”

  He was serious. While Bess couldn’t see his face – he was still staring out of the window – she heard his voice.

  “What year did you come
here?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

  “The year of our Lord, one thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one.”

  Her legs gave out and Bess fell onto the mattress. The man standing in the room with her was transparent and arrived in the good ol’ USA in 1781. Maybe she was having hallucinations.

  “I understand this may come as a shock to you,” he said as he swung around and looked at her. “But on my honor, I speak the truth.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Bess muttered.

  “So now that I have introduced myself to you, I think it would only be polite for you to do the same.” He raised his eyebrows and waited for her to speak.

  “Bess.”

  “Bess? Is that short for something?”

  “Elizabeth. Williams.”

  “Elizabeth,” he whispered, a pained expression on his face.

  “Yes. Elizabeth.” Bess wondered why her name caused him such apparent anguish. “Are you okay?”

  “Elizabeth was my love’s name.”

  “Oh.” What could she say? “And what happened to her? Did she also live in… in 1781?”

  “I assure you,” Andrew stated emphatically, “I am not crazy nor am I telling untruths.”

  “Somehow, I think I believe you,” Bess admitted.

  “Really?”

  She nodded.

  “I have not allowed many to see me,” he replied. “But there is something about you. I don’t know what it is but I feel you are trustworthy.”

  “I’d like to think so,” Bess said. “Huh? You allowed me to see you?” realizing the meaning of his statement.

  “Yes. Over time… your time… I have learned how to… appear, although when I really needed to… when it meant more to me than anything else to speak to her… to tell her how much I loved her… to be able to have her know the feelings of my heart, I couldn’t.”

  “So… you are… a ghost, then.” Bess accepted the ridiculousness of her sentence as she looked up at the Captain, noting again that she could see right through him, yet she was carrying on a full conversation with him.