atop him and riding him at one point, sickened and disgusted me.
Morning came and Graves and Katie left without speaking a word to me or casting a single glance my way. Once the door closed behind them and the key turned in the lock, I sprang from the cot and dressed quickly. Then I stripped the sheets from my bed and threw them into a pile in the middle of the room. When Tansy came with breakfast, I demanded she burn them to remove the stink of Graves's rutting.
“I'll boil them,” she said practically. “ La Metrès don't like no waste.” She gave me a gentle smile and bundled up the sheets, taking them with her as she left.
The Jezebel left later that morning. I stood at the window and watched as it sailed out of the harbor. I hadn't seen Mr. MacIsaac again since we spoke last. I found I was upset at not being allowed to say farewell to the quartermaster. I decided in that moment that I could not stay in this place a single moment more. It would be the death of me.
I sat down on the floor and let my legs hang out the window. The breezes stirred my skirts and teased tendrils of my hair loose from my braid. In the harbor, there were two ships taking on cargo—an unfamiliar brig and the Neptune , a merchantman out of Portsmouth, England. A nascent plan formed. The Neptune would be my savior. I watched the jolly-boats and saw the dock where the merchantman's cargo was stowed.
I dressed quickly and found Ben's old haversack and stuffed it full of my precious books and some of my breakfast, the things I knew wouldn't go rotten too quickly—hard cheese, rolls, salted meat. Once it was filled, I went to the door and listened intently at it. The hall was silent and the house felt as though it was slumbering deeply around me. I tried the doorknob and found that it turned easily in my hand. Tansy must not have locked it when she left earlier with the sheets.
I opened the door slowly, expecting Amos to be lurking there in the shadows of the passageway. To my surprise, the hall was empty. I stole out of my room and down the stairs, rushing but taking care be as quiet as I could. The courtyard was empty and only Old Man Turner, one of the town drunks who depended upon the largesse of the captains to keep him in his cups, was in the tavern, snoring in a heap near the hearth.
I moved as fast as I dared out into the streets of Nassau, headed directly to the docks, not stopping to speak to any of the people who greeted me. I had to find a crate or box or something to hide in before all of the Neptune 's cargo was loaded. I skirted around the tents on the beach; they were filled with pirates and whores, all of whom knew me and would inform Ben of my presence in the area, should he come looking. And he would come, just as soon as he woke and discovered that I was gone.
Soon I reached the docks and made my way hastily to the piles of cargo. I found a crate that wasn't nailed closed securely and stole inside. I was surrounded by half-full sacks of grain. It smelled a bit like a cow's byre and I snuggled in, taking care to pull the crate's lid closed after me. It was dim, but light was creeping through the boards, not enough to read properly by, but enough that it wasn't as dark as pitch.
I knew what I was doing put Ben's life in danger. It probably also endangered Tansy, but after the horrible night before and all the horrible months I'd endured, I couldn't stand one more day as Grave's prisoner. I felt no small amount of guilt over leaving this way, knowing what Grave would do to Ben and to Tansy, but the guilt I felt wasn't enough to keep me here. I was desperate enough to risk their lives; the only alternative was staying and I knew that would mean the end of my own life.
Time passed. My crate was moved onto a boat and rowed out to the ship. I could hear the sailors talking around me, discussing meaningless things—what they ate the previous night, where the prettiest whores were, how much they missed their families back in
Morning came and Graves and Katie left without speaking a word to me or casting a single glance my way. Once the door closed behind them and the key turned in the lock, I sprang from the cot and dressed quickly. Then I stripped the sheets from my bed and threw them into a pile in the middle of the room. When Tansy came with breakfast, I demanded she burn them to remove the stink of Graves's rutting.
“I'll boil them,” she said practically. “ La Metrès don't like no waste.” She gave me a gentle smile and bundled up the sheets, taking them with her as she left.
The Jezebel left later that morning. I stood at the window and watched as it sailed out of the harbor. I hadn't seen Mr. MacIsaac again since we spoke last. I found I was upset at not being allowed to say farewell to the quartermaster. I decided in that moment that I could not stay in this place a single moment more. It would be the death of me.
I sat down on the floor and let my legs hang out the window. The breezes stirred my skirts and teased tendrils of my hair loose from my braid. In the harbor, there were two ships taking on cargo—an unfamiliar brig and the Neptune , a merchantman out of Portsmouth, England. A nascent plan formed. The Neptune would be my savior. I watched the jolly-boats and saw the dock where the merchantman's cargo was stowed.
I dressed quickly and found Ben's old haversack and stuffed it full of my precious books and some of my breakfast, the things I knew wouldn't go rotten too quickly—hard cheese, rolls, salted meat. Once it was filled, I went to the door and listened intently at it. The hall was silent and the house felt as though it was slumbering deeply around me. I tried the doorknob and found that it turned easily in my hand. Tansy must not have locked it when she left earlier with the sheets.
I opened the door slowly, expecting Amos to be lurking there in the shadows of the passageway. To my surprise, the hall was empty. I stole out of my room and down the stairs, rushing but taking care be as quiet as I could. The courtyard was empty and only Old Man Turner, one of the town drunks who depended upon the largesse of the captains to keep him in his cups, was in the tavern, snoring in a heap near the hearth.
I moved as fast as I dared out into the streets of Nassau, headed directly to the docks, not stopping to speak to any of the people who greeted me. I had to find a crate or box or something to hide in before all of the Neptune 's cargo was loaded. I skirted around the tents on the beach; they were filled with pirates and whores, all of whom knew me and would inform Ben of my presence in the area, should he come looking. And he would come, just as soon as he woke and discovered that I was gone.
Soon I reached the docks and made my way hastily to the piles of cargo. I found a crate that wasn't nailed closed securely and stole inside. I was surrounded by half-full sacks of grain. It smelled a bit like a cow's byre and I snuggled in, taking care to pull the crate's lid closed after me. It was dim, but light was creeping through the boards, not enough to read properly by, but enough that it wasn't as dark as pitch.
I knew what I was doing put Ben's life in danger. It probably also endangered Tansy, but after the horrible night before and all the horrible months I'd endured, I couldn't stand one more day as Grave's prisoner. I felt no small amount of guilt over leaving this way, knowing what Grave would do to Ben and to Tansy, but the guilt I felt wasn't enough to keep me here. I was desperate enough to risk their lives; the only alternative was staying and I knew that would mean the end of my own life.
Time passed. My crate was moved onto a boat and rowed out to the ship. I could hear the sailors talking around me, discussing meaningless things—what they ate the previous night, where the prettiest whores were, how much they missed their families back in
Similar Books
