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Miles Turner stood on the dock with his ship's pack between his feet. The day he waited for all his life was upon him. Behind him, the three-masted Yankee Whaler sat at the dock. Miles felt nervous about his first voyage. His father—the company owner—insisted each of his sons gain experience on one of his ships. Miles was the youngest of the three.
"Must you go?" Sabina Chambers asked. She rose on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Papa says I must," Miles conceded, pulling Sabina close. "You'll wait for me?"
"I don't know," Sabina answered flatly. "Four years is a long time."
Miles's face seemed to collapse. His eyes drew downward, and his lips fell into a deep frown. If he lost Sabina, he felt he would lose his entire life. She was like the moon and the stars to him. Filled with emotion, he fought against fulfilling his father's expectations. He would sooner stay at home and marry Sabina.
Suddenly, Sabina began to laugh. She kissed his pouting face quickly and skipped backward. Her face lit up with a huge smile. Miles glared at her, not understanding her abrupt mood change.
"Of course, I'll wait for you," she stated, flinging her arms around him again. "I love you." Titling her head back, she accepted his deep kiss.
"Four years will fly by quickly," Miles suggested hopefully. The time already felt like an eternity.
"I asked Papa to take good care of you," Sabina firmly stated. Her father was Captain Wilhelm Chambers; his ship stood behind them at the dock.
"I can take care of myself," Miles responded hotly. Although nervous about the voyage, he held his feelings in check. He straightened his shoulders. He was determined to do his best and make his father proud.
Sabina sighed. Tiverton, Rhode Island, would seem dull once Miles left. She couldn't think of a time when they weren't together. As youngsters, they ran along the docks, looking at the tall ships. Miles' father owned the whaling company; Sabina's captained the Willful Lady, a Yankee Whaler.
One by one, Theodore Taylor's boys went to sea. The eldest, Ted, captained his own ship and was scheduled to return shortly. Alfred, the middle son, lost his life harpooning a whale in rough seas. Al's death bothered Miles. It was the reason he feared the voyage.
Tall and slender, Miles preferred books to physical activity. He wore glasses and usually kept his nose in a novel. Four grueling years on a Yankee Whaler made him want to revolt. He asked his father to excuse him and did not receive the much hoped-for pardon. Like his brothers, he had to prove himself capable of joining the family business.
"Do we have to say goodbye?" Sabina asked, tears clinging to her lashes.
"We shall say 'until we meet again,'" Miles stated, bending to peck her cheek. Grabbing his pack, he rushed up the gangway. He didn't look back.
Sabina remained on the dock until dusk began to fall. Men scurried on the deck, making ready to sail. Several climbed into the masts to check the rigging. Miles appeared in a crow's nest, too busy to notice her. Finally, with her head lowered, she walked homeward.
The Willful Lady set sail the following day. Sabina stood in her bedroom window, looking down upon the dock. Although many other sailing ships remained, it appeared empty without her father's ship. She already missed Miles.
Four years, Sabina thought. A lot could happen in four years. Miles would return a different man. The time away would mature him; whaling would strengthen his physic. She wanted to capture him in her memory exactly as she last saw him…before the boy became a man.
How often did she actually see her father while growing up? Papa always stayed home for a short time. Once his vessel was refitted, he departed on another voyage. Mama waited at home, not knowing whether he would return or become lost at sea. Whaling was a dangerous occupation. The beast was strong; it could pull a boat full of men a great distance or capsize it. Al Turner had not survived.
Ted and Alfred Turner were brawny men, men created for the sea. The complete opposite of his brothers, Miles was studious and mild-mannered. He hadn't the willpower to fight a harpooned killer. Sabina thought of their afternoons sitting beneath the apple tree, reading the macabre stories of Edgar Allen Poe and reciting his eerie poetry. How they enjoyed debating prose and verse. She hoped he found the Poe volume she hid in his pack. In his spare time, he could read and think of her fondly.
"How do you do it, Mama?" Sabina asked, joining her parent for breakfast. "Papa is away so frequently. Don't you miss him sorely? I miss Miles already."
"You get used to it, my dear," Henrietta Chambers replied, patting her daughter's hand. The mother smiled softly, her clear eyes looking into the distance. "For Papa and me, it's like a honeymoon each time he returns."
"A honeymoon," Sabina sighed wistfully. She hadn't thought of it that way, but it did sound romantic. "You mean like a rediscovery?"
"Yes, we rediscover each other," Mama answered reflectively. "Our rediscoveries are called Franklin, Morris, Sabina, Amelia, Jake, and Meredith."
"Oh," Sabina blushed, suddenly understanding. Nine months after Papa's return, another little Chambers joined the family. She suspected a new arrival would duly appear after the allotted time.
"You children keep me busy while Papa is away," her mother continued, smiling softly. I'm so well occupied that I don't have time to worry."
"But you do worry about Papa, don't you?" Sabina asked.
"Not as much as I used to," Henrietta replied confidently. "I used to when we first married. Now I know he can take care of himself and his crew. He always returns. You'll get used to it, too."
"Miles wants to work in the offices when he comes home," Sabina declared. "He doesn't want to go to sea again."
The young couple had discussed their plans for the past few weeks. When Miles returns, he and Sabina will marry. He would work in the accounting office and keep his feet firmly on dry land. He declared one voyage was enough to keep his feet wet for the rest of his life. Sabina agreed. She did not want to become a Yankee Whaler widow.
"Things change, my dear," Mama reflected. "Morris said the same thing, but he got the whaling bug after his first voyage. Franklin wanted it all along, but he works in Mr. Hodgkin's fishery. It makes no difference what they say before they leave. It's what they want when they return that matters."
"I don't want things to change, Mama!" Sabina wailed, rising swiftly. "I want Miles exactly as he is now." Rushing from the room, she ran into Amelia, who was just coming downstairs. Pushing her sister aside, she rushed outside and sank beneath the apple tree.
Morris was much like Miles when he was younger, Sabina reflected. Her second oldest brother hadn't wanted to go to sea. He wanted to become a schoolmaster. Nevertheless, Papa encouraged him to join at least one voyage. Ever after, he went to sea as first mate on the Willful Lady. Franklin, on the other hand, returned home overland from San Francisco. He was seasick during the first leg of the journey to the Pacific.
"What's your problem?" Amelia asked, standing above Sabina. "Just because you lost your man…"
"I haven't lost my man," Sabina answered petulantly.
"He's gone, isn't he?"
"Leave me alone, Amy." Leaping to her feet, she stood eye-to-eye with her sister. "You don't know anything about it. You're too young."
"I'm fourteen," Amelia protested, her hands on her hips. "Eighteen when Miles returns, for your information. "You'll turn twenty-two—an old maid if you wait for him. You'll marry someone else, I do believe."
"I will not!" Sabina shouted, her fury flowing hotly.
"Will too," her younger sister countered, sticking out her tongue and wagging it. "Or I'll marry before you. Meredith, too, probably."
Sabina lunged at her sister. Amelia circled the apple tree with Sabina on her tail. They exited through the gate and ran along the street. When they collided with Franklin, he grabbed their shoulders to halt them. Then, he dragged them back to the house.
"Were you missing something, Mama?" Frank asked, depositing his sisters on the settee. "I found these two scalawags running up the street."
"A couple big girls like you?" Henrietta exclaimed, rushing in from the kitchen. Four-year-old Meredith poked her head out from behind her skirts.
"Amy started it." Sabina crossed her arms tightly.
"Nevertheless, you are too old to act like hooligans on the streets," their mother scolded.
"Sabina's cross because Miles is gone," Amelia offered, crossing her arms.
"Mind your business," Sabina shot back.
"Won't." Amelia's tongue shot out again. Meredith imitated her sister, blowing a loud raspberry.
"Girls!" their mother shouted, exasperated.
"Get over it, both of you," Franklin cautioned. "I'll knock your heads together if you don't."
"Go peddle your fishes," Sabina offered, directing her words toward her brother. "Fishmonger."
Franklin glared at his sister. Whenever he saw her, she threw his occupation into his face. Sure, he sold fish for a living. If his job kept him off the whaling ship, it made him happy. He couldn't help it if his first voyage made him seasick. He took what he could out of life and made do.
Sabina returned her brother's expression with gusto. She did not dislike Franklin; she felt offended by his interference. He began bossing the younger children right from the beginning. Acting like the man of the house, he made up rules they couldn't possibly follow. Now that she was eighteen, she tuned out his lectures and overbearing attitude.
"Did I miss another fight?" All eyes turned toward Jake. The youngest brother stood on the bottom step, still clad in his nightshirt. "I miss out on everything," he grumbled despite his family's stares. Meredith blew another raspberry at them.
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A year passed, and Sabina still waited for word from Miles. She clung to her love for him. She could still picture him standing on the dock with his pack between his feet. His tender smile and last kiss remained etched on her memory. Several young men called upon her, but she turned them down.
Her mother encouraged her to pick one of them. She adamantly refused. Behind her back, Amelia flirted with her rejections. Her sister had grown buxom and more overbearing during the past twelve months. She hung around outside the tavern and dallied with older men. Sabina felt ashamed of her sister's unrestrained behavior. Franklin often brought her home late at night.
"You can't wait forever," Amelia exclaimed, dancing around their shared bedroom. "You're getting old, and no one wants an old maid."
"No one wants a used trollop either," Sabina hissed maliciously.
"Humph," Amelia snorted.
"What's a used trollop?" Meredith asked, popping out from under the bed.
"Never mind," both sisters shouted simultaneously.
"A whore," Jake exclaimed, scooting out from beside Meredith.
"Get out!" Amelia shouted, grabbing her younger brother and sister by the arms. Flinging open the door, she pushed them onto the upstairs landing. She slammed the door hard.
Sabina held firm during the second year. When she tried to recall Miles' face, it appeared hazy. She could capture his smile and warm brown eyes but not his nose or cheeks. His voice faded with time, also.
When Philip Harmon asked her to a bean supper, Sabina accepted. She baked an apple pie to take along and wore her best bonnet. Philip escorted her to the meeting hall, holding the pie aloft with great pride. He had long had his cap set on Sabina. Following the first date, she began seeing Philip more frequently.
Amelia settled down and kept company with Philip's brother, Alexander. The sisters and their beaux became inseparable. They both accepted marriage proposals on the same night. Sabina rarely thought of Miles with anything other than nostalgia. Her memory was as far away and distant as the Pacific Ocean. She thought of Philip as romantically as she once thought of Miles.
"I hope Papa returns for the wedding," Amelia said. The two girls lay side-by-side on the big brass bed. They had found Mama's wedding dress in the old trunk at the bottom of the bed. One would wear it, and the other would have a new white gown. "It's nearly four years."
"Four years," Sabina remarked. Their little sister, Ann Alice, would turn four in a few months. "Time does fly." She sighed, a vague thought tickling the back of her mind.
"Do you ever think of Miles?" Amelia asked out of the blue.
"Miles?" Sabina questioned. Yes, Miles. During the past weeks, she had thought of him frequently. She waited for him a long time, then he just seemed to fade from her mind. When Papa returned, her old beau would also.
"Remember? I said you would marry someone else," Amy prompted.
"Yes, you did." Sabina smiled, then became expressionless. A strange tickle rippled her memories.
Sabina discovered the Willful Lady at the dock when she awoke early. Her heart skipped a beat. Dressing quickly, she rushed to the waterfront expectantly. Papa stood on the deck, giving orders. The seamen began debarking. She watched them one by one, searching for that one special face. Miles Turner appeared, his pack slung over his shoulder. Sabina's heart missed a beat. She hadn't expected such a quick reaction.
Within minutes, Miles stood before her. His face broke out in that old familiar grin. Forgetting the long four years between them, Sabina flung herself into his arms. He had changed, grown larger, more robust. His bronze complexion heightened his masculine appearance. Still, beneath the new maturity, he remained the Miles she had loved for so long. Sabina forgot all about Philip.
Wrapping their arms around each other waist, Sabina and Miles exchanged smiles. Together, they returned to the Chambers' home. They would marry precisely as they planned, and Miles would never return to the sea.
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