With the vote cast, the crew slept, awaiting tomorrow when they would set sail. Edward, however, was restless.
He tossed and turned in his bed as the gentle rocking of the ship did its best to lull him to sleep, but a nagging feeling pricked the back of his mind. Warning chills travelled down his spine as though he saw a subtle grey cloud out of thousands.
Herbert had acted strange, and Edward had to check on him to alleviate at least one of his worries.
He stepped out of bed and donned some basic clothes. Anne roused with the rustling, her hand reaching out to the empty space where Edward was supposed to be, and she was instantly awake and alert. Her eyes soon found him in the dim light of the moon filtering through the windows in their cabin.
"Edward, are you well?"
Edward smiled, though he wasn't sure if she could see. "All is well, I simply feel I need some of the night air," he said, walking back to the bed and leaning over to give his wife a kiss. "I will be by your side again soon, worry not."
Anne said nothing, and Edward didn't wait for a reply. He rose again and went to open the cabin doors. Before he was through, Anne finally called to him again. "Edward?" she said in a near whisper. Edward stopped and looked her way. "You know I love you, right?"
To Edward, her wording conveyed a message of support as well as a declaration. "Of course," he replied simply. "You know that I, too, love you?"
Anne grinned, reassured by his words. "Of course," she mimicked.
Edward smiled again and closed the door behind him, heading into the gun deck.
On the gun deck, the thirty twenty-two-pound cannons remained secured in place with heavy lines attached to the back of them and to the side of the ship. Nary a crewmate was in sight, save a few men keeping watch and having a lively but quiet conversation about which mate's wife cooked the best pie.
Edward passed by them with a nod of his head when they looked his way. The lot returned his gesture with a "Captain," before returning to the debate over spices and pie preparations.
In the infirmary, Alexandre and Victoria were still awake, speaking in French while preparing what Edward thought was medicine. He steered away from the open door, not wishing to turn into a subject of whatever concoction they were making.
He headed down the ladder into the orlop deck to the crew's quarters, brig, and various other parts of the ship just above the waterline.
No matter where Edward looked, he couldn't find Herbert, nor his wheelchair. He wasn't sleeping, he wasn't conversing with the crewmates awake in the communal area, and none awake were able to give a hint of where he was either.
His worry deepened when he noticed Christina sound asleep. The two were never far apart, and even their sleep patterns often matched each other. Only in times of distress would Edward sometimes find Herbert on the weather deck, unable to sleep, as Edward often was.
Edward rushed up the ladders to the gun deck and then to the weather deck, grabbing one of his coats hanging on a hook before heading into the frigid air above.
On the weather deck, several crewmates were milling about, talking with each other and keeping their eyes open for any suspect activity around the port. They were also in charge of ensuring the ship was ready to leave at dawn before switching with the other crewmates sleeping below.
Edward couldn't see Herbert anywhere, and even a quick glance in the quarterdeck cabin proved fruitless.
"What'cha lookin' for, Cap'n?" one of the crewmates on watch asked.
"I'm looking for Herbert," he replied. "I need to talk with him about something, but he's not on the ship as far as I can tell."
"Aye. He went inta town not an hour ago, I'd wager. Said he was tryna gather some last-minute supplies. Had a big pack with him as well."
Edward's face must have contorted into a look of massive shock, as the crewmates around began to ask if he was well. Herbert was planning on leaving on his own, Edward was sure of it. Leaving the ship in the middle of the night just before he was to helm it, and with a large pack full of supplies, no less. It was so unlike his usual activities, there could be no other explanation.
"I am well, gentlemen, return to your duties," he said after a moment to regain his composure. "I think I'll find our man Herbert and bring him back. The hour is late, and he needs to be fit and fresh for tomorrow."
With a few final words to the crew on board, Edward stalked towards the town of Puerto Plata with purpose. There were only two places Herbert could be: either somewhere in the port, talking with ship's crews to seek passage, or in an inn for the same purpose. He didn't have much time before they lost Herbert, so he had to work fast.
Edward started by going ship to ship himself, asking the crew still awake if they had seen or talked with a man in a wheelchair. Many affirmed they had spoken with such a man who had been seeking passage to Tortuga, and even offered a fair bit of coin for it too, but was turned away because Tortuga was a lawless pirate haven.
Dammit, Herbert. What are you thinking?
Tracing each ship's account of where Herbert went next, Edward found a man who pointed towards town. One ship's mate said he directed Herbert to a local inn to talk with his captain about passage,
