Page 53 of The Swan Syndicate
“I suppose in some ways it’s still the same in my time. Men leave for work or military duty. The difference is that in my time, women also leave for work or join the military, and the men are left behind to worry.” She shrugged, noted the quill in her hand, and ran her fingers over the sturdy feathers. “I guess all of that is to say the two of us need to find a balance. Neither of us will stop worrying about the other. So, we have to find the strength to let the other do what’s important to them and then do the best we can to support their endeavors, either through action or with patience.” She laughed. “And that’s as much philosophy as I can spare for one day.”
Jamie considered her words. “You’re a complex woman, Lady Caldway.”
She turned back to her task. “You don’t know the half of it, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She’d written two pages of nonsense, discovering she’d remembered everything from composing the invitations. Beckworth’s three taps of the quill had been a perfect discovery. Why hadn’t Barrington mentioned it? Before she knew it, shewas copying the inventory Jamie had identified from his ledger to a separate piece of paper. She assumed it was some form of checklist. When she added the last item to the page, she closed the inkpot, dried off the tip of the quill, then left the page to dry on its own.
It was at that moment that she realized she knew next to nothing about how the cargo business operated. Or smuggling for that matter. If they were dealing with smugglers, she had to understand how everything worked.
On a mission to learn, she went topside, but Jamie and Fitz were busy and Beckworth and Lando hadn’t returned. She considered Michelson or Lane but decided she could wait. The day was warm for winter and the sun had made an unexpected appearance.
With nothing else to do, she’d returned to the cabin to grab a few sheets of paper and ended up where she currently sat, making another swan as she watched the docks and a nearby ship as the crew prepared it for sail.
A whistle made her glance up. One of the sailors waved at Fitz, who was working with two others to mend a sail. Fitz laid his portion of the sail down and called for another to resume the repair. He met a man running up the gangplank who handed him a letter.
It had to be the message they were waiting for. When they’d first arrived in port, the first response from Hensley had been waiting with only two words—keep monitoring. From what Beckworth told her, it wasn’t surprising since the only thing they’d been able to tell Hensley was that they’d run across Cheval.
Since Jamie’s last letter to Hensley had explained that the two smugglers seemed to be in partnership and they’d witnessed the movement of unknown cargo between them, this letter wassure to say more. She was sure of it. The question was whether the order would be to continue monitoring or get more involved.
Excitement tingled through her as she folded the last couple sheets of paper in half, gathered her swans, and stuffed everything in her pocket before making a beeline for the gangplank where several men had gathered. They were waiting for Jamie, who slowly made his way toward them, stopping to check the repair of the sail before arriving to shoo the men away.
“Let’s get back to work, gentlemen.” Jamie took the letter from Fitz. “Everyone will know if our mission has changed once I’ve had time to consider Hensley’s answer.” He glanced at Stella. “I know how curious some of you are.”
Stella felt the blush creep up, but she was too giddy to care. She turned to scan the docks, searching for any sign of Beckworth or Lando. There wasn’t any, and when she turned around, Jamie had walked off. Disappointed he didn’t open the letter but understanding why he hadn’t, she huffed a sigh and leaned against the railing. If he was anything like Finn or Hensley, he’d shut himself up in his cabin while he considered the response.
She stared up at the masts and the blue sky beyond. The waiting would test every last ounce of patience.
“We’ll know soon enough, lass.” Fitz had stepped next to her as they watched Jamie disappear through the door.
“It doesn’t make the waiting any easier.” She studied Fitz. His gaze was full of mischief, and she chuckled. “You already have a betting pool going, don’t you?”
“You want in?” He rocked back and forth on his heels.
“You know I’m not the best with how the money works, but how about a crown that says Hensley wants to break up MacDuff’s and Cheval’s little party.”
He rubbed his hands together. “That’s something I can work with.”
“You think otherwise?”
He glanced around the deck, then leaned over and lowered his voice. “I think when the men hear a crown’s been added to the pool, they’ll wager the opposite just for the chance of winning.”
“Which way are you betting?”
He gave her a grin. “There’s not a chance in hell Hensley will risk those two smugglers joining forces. It’s a sure bet.”
Then he strode away, whistling as he went, tapping a sailor on his shoulder and taking the man’s place to finish work on the sail.
Pleased she’d bet on the winning side, she suddenly frowned. Was this how Beckworth felt when a new assignment came along? A mix of excitement with a touch of dread. And what did it mean for her participation? Would he ask, or demand, that Jamie remove her from the ship and send her to Waverly?
She rolled up her sleeves. They could give it their best shot. Regardless of what the letter said, she wasn’t getting off this boat. Feeling a mood coming on, she stormed across the deck, raced down the stairs, and made her way to the galley.
She pulled out pots and pans, a stack of ingredients, coffee beans, and the coffee pot and went to work. If the sailors hadn’t already completed the task, she would have scrubbed the deck. Busy work was what she needed, and since it was close to lunchtime, she didn’t wait for Cook as she started cutting turnips for the stew.
While she sliced and diced, she mentally created a list of all the reasons it made sense for her to remain aboard the ship. She grinned. Beckworth just loved her lists.
Lando crawled to the boulder Beckworth was hiding behind. He wiped his brow and, staying low, turned his back on the three men loading kegs and crates into the back of a wagon.
Beckworth continued his watch, and when the men returned to the old barn, he stayed low as he worked his way back to their horses. Lando didn’t make a sound, but he knew the big man was behind him.
