In the morning, Caleb said he needed to go into Salem to take care of some business matters and invited Zachary to join him. It was a fine day, and the boys walked the three plus miles from Marblehead. As they walked, Zachary asked, “Why do you live in Marblehead if your business headquarters is in Salem?”
“Okay, you need a bit of history here. Have you ever heard of the Salem witch trials?”
“No.”
“Well, in 1692, two girls in Salem began exhibiting fits and spells, and eventually they accused a woman of bewitching them. From there, accusations by other people resulted in several women being tried, and eventually about 20 people, mostly women, were hanged.”
“Oh. Well, I guess that might convince you to not settle in Salem.”
“Salem was founded by the Puritans,” continued Caleb, “while the part of Salem now known as Marblehead was settled by fishermen, who came largely from Cornwall, England. Their view of the world was very different from that of the Puritans, and eventually they broke away from Salem.
“However, Salem has a good deep harbor which can easily accommodate large merchant ships. During the Revolution, many Salem ship captains were enrolled as privateers to prey on the English. Residents here like to proclaim that this was where the United States Navy really began. That’s an exaggeration of course, but it was certainly one of the places that marks the beginning of the navy.
“I suppose that another reason our business is in Salem is that the Puritans are excellent businessmen. They have begun sending ships to India and China as well as Europe and North Africa. This town is going to explode with people and business, and I want to be a part of it.”
When they arrived in Salem, Caleb led Zachary to a building and into an office, where a clerk was busily working at his desk. Seeing the boys, he rose, walked around his desk, and said, “Good morning, Mr. Stanley. How good to see you.”
“And you too, Michael. This is my friend and my man Zachary. He is to be paid as our other servants are, with a deposit in the bank on the first of each month. Will you arrange that?”
“Of course, Mr. Stanley.”
“Now,” said Caleb pulling up a chair and motioning for Zachary to do the same, “we have a more far-reaching matter to discuss.”
“Oh?” said Michael.
“Yes. From now on, I do not want any of our ships participating in the slave trade.”
“But sir, that trade is very profitable to us.”
“I’m aware of that, but it’s also morally objectionable and we need to stop immediately.”
“What will we do to make up for the loss?”
“I suggest we send ships to India and China to trade. There’s beginning to be a great deal of interest in goods from that part of the world.”
Michael nodded slowly. “Do we have the proper ships for that?”
“I think we do for now, although we may need to adapt or build some new ones as the trade prospers.”
“What will we trade with them?”
“That’s a good question, and we’ll need to experiment to find out what they want. There are a few men in town who have already begun trading with China, and I suggest you consult them. They may have some ideas.”
“Yes, sir. I shall. Right away.”
“Now, do we have any ships due in soon?”
For a long time, Caleb and Michael discussed the approximate location and condition of the company’s ships. Zachary was fascinated. He had no idea that Caleb knew so much about ships and trading.
Rising at last, Caleb said, “Thank you, Michael. I can see you have matters well under control. We’ll return in a few days to find out what you’ve learned.”
The two shook hands and the boys left the office. From there, Caleb showed Zachary the warehouses where goods to be sold or traded were kept. There were rolls of cotton and wool fabrics, guns, otter fur, even rum. Then he stopped at another office, where the sign read Warren and Sons, Attorneys at Law. This time he suggested that Zachary take a seat on the bench outside.
While he waited, Zachary observed that Caleb was a completely different person at home. On the ship. He had been hesitant, scared, unwilling even to really defend himself. At home he was confident. He was taking charge of his business affairs as though he was born to them, which, Zachary reflected, he was.
When at length Caleb stepped out of the lawyers’ office, he said that he had been talking to the family lawyer. “I wanted to hear the terms of my father’s will. After that I asked the lawyer to draw up a will for me. I’ve never had one, but since I am now the head of the family, I think it’s important for everything to be in order. Not that I plan to die soon but one never knows.”
At the thought of Caleb dying, Zachary blanched, but then he realized that it was only common sense for his friend to have a will.
As they walked back towards Marblehead, Zachary observed, “You put a lot of trust in Michael.”
“My father trusted both him and our lawyer, so of course I do too. That goes for the ships’ captains also. I hope it never happens that I learn my trust is misplaced.”
The boys spent their afternoon reading. The house had a large library and although Zachary could read, he’d never had the opportunity to sit for an afternoon enjoying a book.
That night, Caleb again joined Zachary in bed. To Zachary’s surprise, Caleb leaned over him and kissed him on the lips.
Oh, thought Zachary. Where is this going? He soon learned. Caleb positioned himself lying on top of Zachary, their hard organs side by side. Then he started to move gently forward and back. It wasn’t long before they both felt the tension growing in their loins. Soon their cocks were both throbbing and shooting the fluid onto Zachary’s stomach and chest.
When they finished, Caleb rolled off his friend and took a rag to wipe them off.
“Zachary,” said Caleb as they lay side by side in the dark, “I think I love you. Is that possible?”
“I didn’t know that men could love each other.”
“I guess some of us can,” replied Caleb.
“I hope so,” replied Zachary, “because I feel the same way about you. At first I thought you were just a weak boy with no substance, but as I’ve gotten to know you, first on the ship and then as we traveled here, I realized I was wrong. You are a strong, capable person even though you don’t like to fight. After you went to sleep last night, I lay awake for a long time thinking about you and I decided I loved you. I’m very happy to hear that you love me too.”
“You realize this presents some problems, don’t you?”
“Yes. What can we do about them?”
“Well, first, we can never show our love for each other in public. We can show our friendship, but not our love. Second, people, including my mother, will soon be looking to me to wed and produce heirs. I haven’t figured that one out yet, but I’ll work on it.”
With that, they both turned on their sides and tried to sleep, although it was quite late when sleep finally came.
Caleb awoke first in the morning. He leaned over and kissed Zachary, whose eyes fluttered open. Zachary smiled, then pulled Caleb close to him so they were chest to chest and planted a long, firm kiss on his bedmate’s mouth.
It didn’t take long for them to both grow hard again. This time, Zachary lay on top of his friend, repeating what Caleb had done the night before.
After they dressed, they descended the steep stairs and found Caleb’s mother and his siblings already having breakfast. They served themselves from a sideboard and were soon digging into scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, pancakes, and rolls. They both poured themselves coffee.
“What do you plan to do today, Caleb?” his mother asked.
“I thought I’d show Zachary around Marblehead and introduce him to some people so they will know who he is.”
The maid, Geneva, cleared the dishes away. In addition to serving the meals, she cleaned the house and did the laundry. The two boys sat for a while, enjoying their coffee.
“How old are you, Zach?” Caleb asked.
“I’m not sure but I think I might be fifteen. What about you?”
“I’ll turn seventeen next month.”
“A hah! An old man!” laughed Zachary.
“I’m probably the youngest ship owner on the country’s east coast,” replied Caleb.
“But you don’t like ships,” Zachary added.
“I don’t like sailing, that’s true. But my father taught me everything he knew about the care and management of ships. I’m comfortable on them as long as they’re in the harbor,” he smiled. “And I did get better on the Bradford as we sailed about. But I’ll admit I was never really comfortable on her, and I hated the fighting.”
When they finished their coffee, they walked out of the house and down towards the harbor. Looking at the boats in the harbor, Zachary could see that they weren’t merchant ships but fishing boats.
“Where do they fish?” asked Zachary.
“If you sail out east from here you come to an area called George’s Banks, where the water is not as deep and it’s full of food for the fish. There’s also an area to the north off Newfoundland called the Grand Banks. The two together make some of the richest fishing areas in the world and men can fill their boats in less than a week. The area is what attracted the men from Cornwall to settle here.”
Zachary enjoyed walking about the small town and meeting people. Caleb seemed to know everyone. In one shop they encountered a girl he introduced as Priscilla Conway. They chatted for a while as Zachary overcame his shyness.
Leaving the shop, Zachary said, “She’s very nice, and quite beautiful if you like girls.”
Caleb laughed, saying he had known her all his life, and he believed many people in the town thought they would marry.
“Oh dear,” said Zachary. “How will you get out of it?”
“We’ll talk about that when we’re alone tonight,” replied Caleb.
Before they returned home, Caleb took Zachary to a tailor to have him measured for two suits and fitted out with shirts, shoes, socks, and underwear. When Zachary protested that Caleb was spending too much money, Caleb replied, “Well, you will be a part of the family and therefore you represent the family. We can’t have you looking like a powder monkey all your life.”
That night, when the house was quiet, the boys faced each other in bed and kissed, first gently and then more firmly. Caleb began kissing and tonguing other parts of his friend’s body, exploring as he went. Zachary lay back enjoying the new sensations he was feeling. He began breathing harder and moaning quietly as Caleb moved down to his groin, touching and licking his ball sack and then his cock. He took it into his mouth and in no time his friend was shooting large loads of semen into the back of Caleb’s mouth. At first Caleb gagged a little, but then he was able to swallow the somewhat salty and viscous liquid. When he lay back, Zachary began to kiss and tongue Caleb until he had achieved the same success.
Lying back, Zachary said, “You told me you’d say how things would work if you married Priscilla.”
Caleb sighed. “Well, if I had to marry, there’s nobody I would rather marry than Priscilla.”
At that a pang of jealousy swept over Zachary. “Oh,” he said. “Do you love her?”
“Oddly enough, in a way I do. But I love you much more. I don’t really understand it but that’s how I feel.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never let her or anybody else come between you and me.”
“What will happen if people figure out our relationship?”
“I think… I pray… that they won’t. It will take some real diplomacy on my part.”