Mrs. Bodeen gives me a nod. Of recognition? Of thanks? I don't know. Other girls come out on the landing and say, "John Thomas, come up, come up, John Thomas," but he says that nay, he's workin' and can't let their considerable charms keep him from his duty, and we all head back in the direction of the Pig.
So we're rollin' back up the street, my bully boys and me, and I still got my shiv half out of my vest, for show, really, since I don't plan on pullin' it out, most of this fightin' bein' in fun and not in deadly earnest, when there's a line of striped shirts in front of us and we know they are British sailors and it don't look like they mean to let us pass without a fight, and Ephraim squares his shoulders, as do the Barkley brothers, and Henry raises his puny but brave fists and John Thomas prepares to do damage to the line of battle when I hear a familiar voice say, "You know, Jacky, when I thought of you back here in the States, I really thought you'd be sittin' in a rocking chair with a shawl about your little shoulders, some needlework in your lap, and a prayer on your lips. I really did."
I squint into the night and there's a sailor in the center of the line who's grinnin' at me and then all the noise and revels drop away from me. It's Davy! Oh, good God, it's Davy!
I leap forward and wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist I'm so glad to see him, and I start blubbering and crying and...
The rogue kisses me full on the lips and shouts out, "Didn't I tell you, Mates, one in every port!" Cheers from his mates. I blush and reflect that I seem forever to be making boys' reputations at the expense of my own.
I unwraps my legs on that one. Davy ain't changed, not in that way. He has gotten taller and under my hands the muscles on his arms have become harder and more well defined, but I'm hardly noticin' 'cause all that I can think about is..."Jaimy! Where's Jaimy? Oh, Lord I didn't know the Dolphin was comin' in. Where's..." I'm pounding on his chest with me fists and lookin' wildly about as I'm sayin' this.
"The Dolphin ain't in, Jacky, and you should calm down. The Dolphin's crew was broke up as soon as we got to England. Too much hidden damage—she had to be put in dry dock and they scattered us out to the nearest ships around. I'm on the Raleigh, Tink's on the Endeavor, and Willy to the Temeraire."
As my stunned mind is soakin' this in, Davy's pals wave off and head down the street to one of the open taverns, thinkin' the only dolly-mop in sight is already taken up by their mate Davy, and my crew looks Davy over and figures things out pretty much and we all start moviri' again toward the Pig.
"And Jaimy," I say, full of dread. He could be killed, or dead of some fever, or...
"He's on the Essex, on station off Toulon, last I heard," says Davy, putting his arm around my shakin' shoulders. "Now, you just forget about Jaimy, 'cause he's sure forgot about you, the snob. Now let's me and you go get married and have a fine toss in the hay and then we'll talk about other things." Davy looks out across the crowd. "Let's us lovers find a preacher." He points at a tall man in a black coat. "Sir! You there! Are you a preacher? Well, who cares, you'll do, now just say the words, now..."
Then I starts blubberin' and put my face in my hands. For one moment I really thought I was gonna see Jaimy again and now no ... no...and Davy sees my cryin' face and says, "Ah, now, I was just foolin' wi' ye. The last time I saw jaimy, all he could talk about was you—it fair made me sick, it did ... disgustin', I can tell you."
"He did?" says I, through my tears, "Really? I ain't got no letters..."
"Really, Jacky. Now let's have some fun. I'm back to sea in three days and if you think I'm gonna spend any of my liberty in talkin' about your Jaimy Fletcher, then you don't remember your old pal Davy very well. I means to rack up some memories to hold me when the wind blows cold. Who's all this, then?" and I introduce him to Ephraim, who don't look like he's got a whole lot of use for him, and Henry, who don't know much about the world and is glad to meet anyone who's seen some of it, and John Thomas, who sees Davy as one of his seagoin' brethren and claps him on the back, and we all surge up the street and put the ladder back up at the Pig and the girls' faces are lookin' down at us in relief that we got back without damage and we climb up and I do more introductions and then Davy's lookin' at Annie and Annie's lookin' at him and I come back to my senses and say, "No. No, Davy. She's a nice girl. You stay away from her."
I get between them. "Annie, don't..."
But it is too late.
Well, at least I can keep them to hand-holding tonight. But there's so much I want to ask him! I guess it will have to wait till later, after they're done with the sparkin'.
Amy comes over and stands next to me and puts her hand on my arm to bring some sense back to me, I guess, and then I hear a call from down below and there's Ezra, and Amy looks at me with narrowed eyes and I just shrug and feign ignorance, but of course I did send word to him that we would be up here tonight. I direct him to the ladder and he comes up and bows to Amy and she dips in return. Ladies and gents, even on the sloping roof of a tavern in the middle of a night of devilment, I swear.
Then I turn around and notice that I have lost my own escort. Henry and Sylvie are over on the roof beam, sitting together, holding hands, and looking into each other's eyes. Ah well.
The street revels are winding down and the Popes and Devils alike are being thrown onto the bonfire on Cobb's Hill and it's safe enough for Maudie to send up a trayful of ales and we gratefully quaff them, our throats dry from shouting and singing. And then Ezra buys another round and we sing and dance and...
Lord, what a night!
On the way back, I look at the couples in the moonlight and it strikes me that unlike on the Dolphin when I was the only girl with a boy, here I'm the only girl without one.
We turn up the road twixt the school and the church and we're startled to see a man with a dog on a leash, patrolling the graveyard. The Preacher has hired a watchman! All who are in on the plot exchange glances: Changes will have to be made in our plans. I shiver a bit—I could have been so easily caught. I was lucky to have seen him this night.
When we go round the school and arrive at the kitchen entrance, most get into amorous embraces till Amy coughs, "Ahem," and the lovers part. Paul and his brother go off down the hill and I go and get between Davy and Annie, which ain't easy. With a final squeeze of his hand, she turns and gives him a wave and then she joins the other girls, who all go in the kitchen door, opened by Peg in her nightgown, clucking over her girls like any mother hen. Sylvie, I'm sure, would go into the hayloft right off with Henry but good sense prevails, and after a long good-night kiss, she, too, disappears through the kitchen door, and Peg's strong arm reaches out and pulls the door shut. There is the sound of a latch being thrown.
Henry, in a daze, wanders back to his bed after what has to be the finest night of his young life. Ezra and Davy escort us around to our rung ladder and look at our rope trick and Davy says something like, "Can't keep that one down, for sure." Ezra takes Amy's hand and bows over it and kisses it. Amy lets him do it and then turns and goes to the rope. When Amy goes up, shinnying up like I taught her, Ezra looks away like a gentleman. Davy don't, and I 'spect he won't look away when I go up, neither. I can't wait to get that little weasel alone for a while, but it ain't gonna happen now, I know.
"I gotta talk to you, Davy," I whispers.
"I know, Jacky, I know," says he, "but I got the duty tomorrow and they won't let you on the ship, not to talk to the likes o' me, they won't. But it will all keep. I'll see you on Monday. I'll come here."