Page 135 of Storm over the Caribbean
From within the cabin issued a ghostly, echoing wail, and a moment later came the sound of an unconscious fence hitting the floor.
You might ask: How do I know the sound of an unconscious fence hitting the floor?
Working for Mr Ambrose provides the most interesting experiences.
“So…” I cocked an eyebrow at my dear husband. “Satisfactory negotiations?”
“Adequate.”
“A-adequate?” one of the pirates squeaked.
Another one of them raised a trembling hand to point at Mr Rikkard Ambrose’s massive sack full of money. “Adequate? That’s what you callthat?”
Cocking his head, Mr Ambrose cast a glance at the bag. “You’re right. I should have gotten more. Hm.”
“More?” The pirate’s jaw dropped. “Are you insane? I don’t even understand how you got that much silver out of the old bastard! How? How did you do it?”
In answer, Mr Ambrose pulled open the sack and revealed a massive pile of coins. None of them were silver. Instead, all of them were a bright, shiny gold.
The pirate’s eyes rolled up into his head, and, keeling over, he hit the ground with a thud.
“Now, let’s return,” Mr Ambrose ordered, stepping over the unconscious body on the ground. “We shouldn’t waste any time.”
***
When we returned to the pirate camp, we were welcomed with thunderous cheers and applause, due to how amazingly popular we were among our loving pirate friends. It totally had nothing to do with the humongous pile of money we brought back.
“Gold! Gold! Gold! Mwahahahaha!”
His fat belly wobbling in rhythm with his laughter, Gaptooth grabbed whole handfuls of the glittering coins, threw them into the air and let them rain down on him.
“So…” Cocking my head, I glanced down at the empty bag in my hand. “This is just a wild guess, but…you like money, right?”
“Gold! Gold! Hahaha! Mwahahaha!”
Mr Ambrose leaned over towards me. “I think that is an answer in the affirmative, Mr Linton. Clearly, a man of good taste.”
I cast another glance at the pirate leader, who by now was trying to swim in the massive pile of gold. It was very nearly large enough. Turning my head, I looked over at Mr Ambrose. “Good taste?”
He sent me a silent look back. The meaning was obvious.Of course. After all, it’s gold.
I made a mental note to prevent my dear husband from influencing our child’s upbringing at all costs.
“Ha! Hahaha!” Suddenly resurfacing from the gold, Gaptooth stumbled to his feet and slapped Mr Ambrose on the back hard enough to smash a marble pillar. Mr Ambrose didn’t even budge an inch. “Hahaha—ow! Haha! Good man! Good man! You did a wonderful job! Everyone, get out our best whiskey! Roast some meat! We’re having a feast for our new crew member!”
Another thunderous round of cheers went up from the crowd. Moments later, people rushed to the casks and camp fires, distributing drinks, skewering meat to roast, bragging about the thousand and one things they would buy with their newfound riches.
“Three cheers!” Someone shouted. “Three cheers for our heroes!”
“Huzzah!” The pirates roared. “Huzzah! Huzzah!”
I leaned over to Mr Ambrose. “Is it just me, or did they forget the fact that you broke the neck of one of their men just a few days ago?”
“I brought them gold.” He gave a shrug, as if that explained everything. Taking all things into account, for them and him, it probably did.
Narrowing my eyes, I lowered my voice. “Will I have to expect you to want to replace your dear wife just as easily?”
“Of course not.”
