How?”
Anne leaned her ear closer to the crack
between the barrels.
“Leave the when and how ta me. But know
’twill be soon.” There was the grating sound of wood against wood,
and Anne shrunk back as small as she could. “Now get along, the lot
’a ye, ’fore Cap’n MacQuaid comes lookin’ ta tuck ye into yer beds
with a lullaby.”
This brought a chorus of chortles, amid the
shuffling of feet and cracking of bones too long settled on damp
wood.
The light slowly faded and Anne silently slid
her back down the bulwark until she hit the decking. She’d heard
enough to know that Captain MacQuaid and her mission were in grave
danger.
The question was, what should she do about
it? Surely the captain knew Stymie didn’t like him. The expression
on the man’s face this morning was clear enough for even an idiot
to read. And she didn’t think Jamie MacQuaid was an idiot.
Then why did he keep Stymie and the others
among his crew?
Of course he didn’t know about their plot of
mutiny. Only she was privy to that information.
Just in case one of the conspirators had
stayed to make certain no one overheard their plans, Anne made
herself count slowly to one hundred. She peeked out around the
kegs, thankful no one was there, then cautiously made her way out
of the hold. Once in the passageway she blinked her eyes against
the glare of the stubby candle smoking in its iron holder. After
glancing around she rushed toward the hatch.
~ ~ ~
“Aw, Momma, let me sleep a bit more,” Joe
mumbled, then jerked awake, the whites of his eyes wide in the
moonglow. “Stymie?”
“No, it’s Andy.” Anne whispered. She reached
out and touched the boy’s arm, sorry she hadn’t taken more care
with waking him. He trembled beneath her fingers.
When he moved over she squeezed into the
space they shared between the extra cordage and some torn
sails.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Didn’t,” he lied before scrunching back down
and resting his check on folded hands. “Just startled me, s’all.”
His lids closed.
“Joe, wait. Don’t go back to sleep. I have to
talk to you.”
One eye opened. “Where ye been? Looked for ye
at supper!”
“That’s not important.” Anne pushed up and
looked about nervously. Several pirates were on deck, the
mid-watch, but they didn’t seem to be paying her any mind. But she
wasn’t taking any chances. Anne lowered her voice. “I need for you
to do something for me.”
“What?”
Joe obviously wasn’t as sensitive to the need
for secrecy. Anne pressed her finger to his lips. “I want you to
tell the captain something.”
Joe wriggled down onto his blanket. “Ask me
in the mornin’.”
“No.” Anne shook his skinny arm. “You have to
do it now.”
Joe’s eyes popped open again. “Ye mean ye
want me to go below and wake ’em up? Wake up Cap’n MacQuaid?”
“Exactly.”
“He’d have me hide, for sure.”
“No, no, he won’t. Listen...” Since the boy
showed no signs of sitting up, Anne lay down beside him. “There’s a
plot afoot to take over the ship.” She had to clamp her hand over
Joe’s mouth when he whooped his surprise. “Will you be quiet?”
Rising on her elbows, Anne checked to see if
the outburst sparked anyone’s attention. The sailor closest to them
appeared to have drifted off to sleep. Anne could only hope
d’Porteau’s vessel didn’t break the horizon during his watch.
Joe was wide awake now, sitting and full of
questions. But at least he kept his voice low. “Who told ye? What
is they gonna do? ’Tis Stymie, isn’t it?”
Now it was Anne’s turn to open her eyes in
surprise. “What makes you think that?”
Joe’s shrug didn’t seem careless. “He’s a bad
’un.”
Anne could only nod in agreement. “And you’re
right. He’s one of them. Actually, I believe he’s their
leader.”
“Who else?”
“Truthfully, I don’t know. Perhaps, I’d
recognize their voices...” Anne bit her lower lip. “But I
Anne leaned her ear closer to the crack
between the barrels.
“Leave the when and how ta me. But know
’twill be soon.” There was the grating sound of wood against wood,
and Anne shrunk back as small as she could. “Now get along, the lot
’a ye, ’fore Cap’n MacQuaid comes lookin’ ta tuck ye into yer beds
with a lullaby.”
This brought a chorus of chortles, amid the
shuffling of feet and cracking of bones too long settled on damp
wood.
The light slowly faded and Anne silently slid
her back down the bulwark until she hit the decking. She’d heard
enough to know that Captain MacQuaid and her mission were in grave
danger.
The question was, what should she do about
it? Surely the captain knew Stymie didn’t like him. The expression
on the man’s face this morning was clear enough for even an idiot
to read. And she didn’t think Jamie MacQuaid was an idiot.
Then why did he keep Stymie and the others
among his crew?
Of course he didn’t know about their plot of
mutiny. Only she was privy to that information.
Just in case one of the conspirators had
stayed to make certain no one overheard their plans, Anne made
herself count slowly to one hundred. She peeked out around the
kegs, thankful no one was there, then cautiously made her way out
of the hold. Once in the passageway she blinked her eyes against
the glare of the stubby candle smoking in its iron holder. After
glancing around she rushed toward the hatch.
~ ~ ~
“Aw, Momma, let me sleep a bit more,” Joe
mumbled, then jerked awake, the whites of his eyes wide in the
moonglow. “Stymie?”
“No, it’s Andy.” Anne whispered. She reached
out and touched the boy’s arm, sorry she hadn’t taken more care
with waking him. He trembled beneath her fingers.
When he moved over she squeezed into the
space they shared between the extra cordage and some torn
sails.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Didn’t,” he lied before scrunching back down
and resting his check on folded hands. “Just startled me, s’all.”
His lids closed.
“Joe, wait. Don’t go back to sleep. I have to
talk to you.”
One eye opened. “Where ye been? Looked for ye
at supper!”
“That’s not important.” Anne pushed up and
looked about nervously. Several pirates were on deck, the
mid-watch, but they didn’t seem to be paying her any mind. But she
wasn’t taking any chances. Anne lowered her voice. “I need for you
to do something for me.”
“What?”
Joe obviously wasn’t as sensitive to the need
for secrecy. Anne pressed her finger to his lips. “I want you to
tell the captain something.”
Joe wriggled down onto his blanket. “Ask me
in the mornin’.”
“No.” Anne shook his skinny arm. “You have to
do it now.”
Joe’s eyes popped open again. “Ye mean ye
want me to go below and wake ’em up? Wake up Cap’n MacQuaid?”
“Exactly.”
“He’d have me hide, for sure.”
“No, no, he won’t. Listen...” Since the boy
showed no signs of sitting up, Anne lay down beside him. “There’s a
plot afoot to take over the ship.” She had to clamp her hand over
Joe’s mouth when he whooped his surprise. “Will you be quiet?”
Rising on her elbows, Anne checked to see if
the outburst sparked anyone’s attention. The sailor closest to them
appeared to have drifted off to sleep. Anne could only hope
d’Porteau’s vessel didn’t break the horizon during his watch.
Joe was wide awake now, sitting and full of
questions. But at least he kept his voice low. “Who told ye? What
is they gonna do? ’Tis Stymie, isn’t it?”
Now it was Anne’s turn to open her eyes in
surprise. “What makes you think that?”
Joe’s shrug didn’t seem careless. “He’s a bad
’un.”
Anne could only nod in agreement. “And you’re
right. He’s one of them. Actually, I believe he’s their
leader.”
“Who else?”
“Truthfully, I don’t know. Perhaps, I’d
recognize their voices...” Anne bit her lower lip. “But I
Similar Books
