Defiance of the Devil

Chapter 1

"Mary, do you see that? It's the bay of Massachussetts."

The trip from England had been a long one, and the Lyon, the proud ship it was, had been thrashing about in the choppy waters of the Atlantic. Though her brother was glad to see the shorline, and her father, John Perkins, had brought the entire family to this new land, she was unsure about her what this life would be like in the American colony. At sixteen years old she was a very active part of the family, but she also had friends back in Hillmorton. Being at sea for so long and knowing that she would never see Jane or Rachel again was a disheartening prospect. The length of the ocean reinforced her sorrow.

The boys tugging at her dress, Jacob, six and Thomas, eight, were incessantly curious, and rambunctious lads.

"Where will we live?" asked Jacob.

"In a house. Maybe a barn," said Thomas.

"We will live in a house just as the other colonists do, Thomas." Mary had grown quite tired of her brothers on this long journey. There were so many people on the ship, and the ship being so narrow, that it was near impossible to avoid the boys, who were always getting into trouble for something.

"Mary, Jacob, Thomas." She turned toward her father's voice and grabbed the boys by their collars. "Come, let's get our things together as we'll be coming into port soon."

The Lyon entered the port of Boston at the end of summer in 1631. The weather had been cooperative for the most part, and only had gone stormy once or twice. The Perkins family had made the trip to the Massachussetts Bay Colony a once and final change to their lives. Having sold nearly all their worldly possessions they came to the port of Boston with a healthy sum of money and John was determined to have a nice area of land for his wife and children. After spending their due time in Boston, they finally found their peace in the town of Ipswich to the north.

The Perkins family settled themselves near Mudnock hill just outside the town of Ipswich. As the name would suggest, a good portion of the land was nothing but mud. This was due mainly to the fact that the house sat so close to the ocean, and from time to time the earth would become a sodden marsh land. The eastern part of the house had a view of the ocean and behind them was a large swath of woodland from which the boys could net wild birds for cooking. They built a modest house, for a family of eight, and the Lord provided them with a good life.

The house was abuzz with women working on wedding preparations. Even though they believed it to be prideful to want this day to be any different from every other day the Lord provided, it was nevertheless a special occasion. The Captain Thomas Bradbury of Salisbury Mass. had been courting Mary for nearly a year now, and today was the day they were getting married.

Mary's mother Judith was especially happy to see her daughter wedded to such an important man in the Essex County. Surely this was a reflection of God's providence in their work.

"Now Mary, you know that tonight you must begin your duties as a wife?"

"Yes mother. I must begin taking care of my husband, house, and beginning to bear children."

"Just as the Lord has instructed us to do."

"Yes mother."

They bowed their heads and prayed. Judith, to let her daughter be blessed with the same providence as God had shown her family, and Mary, to do the work that the Lord had in store for her. Mary hoped and prayed that she would be worthy to be taken by such a man as Thomas, that she would prove healthy and strong to raise a family as God had instructed all men and women to do, and to be able to provide for all the children the Lord saw fit to bless her with. She had doubts that she was strong enough to carry such a burden, and she asked the Lord for his blessing on this marriage.

"Amen."

The ceremony was a plain one, as weddings were meant to be done. The minister gave a sermon on the holy union of marriage, and instructing Thomas and Mary on the roles of husband and wife. Thomas how he was to Love, Honor, and Cherish, and Mary how she was to Love, Honor and Obey. As Mary looked into her new husbands eyes, she knew that he was a man who would love her, and she knew that they would live a life together in dutiful service to God. She was at twenty-two a happy woman.

Captain Bradbury took Mary away from her family, and they settled down in the town of Salisbury.

© Eric S. Riley, 2003