Dawn on a Distant Shore
Page 78
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Curiosity said, "She ain't easy to read, but there's one thing for sure--what Pickering has to offer ain't what she got in mind."
"Because of his face?"
"No, child. 'Cause of his heart."
From the other room came the humming sounds that meant Lily was struggling up from sleep. In a moment she would realize that the one person in the world she must have was not with her, and in her despair she would wake Daniel and then the process of soothing them would begin all over again.
"She wants Elizabeth," Hannah said, feeling that truth in her own belly.
Curiosity let out a sigh and she pulled Hannah to her, hugged her hard. She smelled as she always did, of lye soap and lavender and of herself, honest Curiosity, strong minded and gentle hearted. Hannah was loath to let her go, and Curiosity seemed to know that. She cupped Hannah's cheek in her palm and wobbled her head gently from side to side. "Don' you lose faith now, you hear me?"
Hannah said, "Do you think Miss Somerville will come back?"
"Before sunset," said Curiosity. "What do you want to wager?"
Through the afternoon they waited. While they ground rice and mixed it with goat's milk and fed the twins, they waited. The Hakim came and went on his daily business, but by unspoken agreement they said nothing of Giselle Somerville; they did not know how far his loyalties reached, and neither of them cared to test him. He made Curiosity more of his medicine, and then went out once again to take tea with the captain.
Curiosity could not sit without some work in her hands and so they took up the sewing, listening all the while for the sound of a soft step at the door. Hannah pieced together leggings and tried to remember why it seemed so important just a day ago to put aside calico and linsey-woolsey for Kahnyen'kehâka dress. The old Tory with his ragged ears seemed like a dream, or a story she had heard once at the hearth when elders told tales of the days before the O'seronni came.
Charlie brought tea and polite inquiries from the captain. They were feeding the babies goat's milk from a bowl, and he stopped to touch Lily's sticky cheek with one light finger, smiling in pleasure when she grabbed at his work-hardened hand.
"Tell me," Curiosity said to him in a casual tone that made Hannah's ears prick up. "Is this here Isis the only boat the earl calls his own?"
Charlie bristled, surprised and offended, and began a long inventory of the ships owned by the Earl of Carryck. He spoke of merchantmen and sloops and cutters as if they belonged to him personally, and Hannah realized that in a way they were his--the company was his family, and this ship might be his home for as long as he lived. It made her sad for him, and vaguely curious, too.
Curiosity seemed less impressed.
"Uh-huh." She interrupted him casually, all her attention on the chore of extracting the feeding spoon from Daniel's fist. "I'm fond of stories myself. But I don' suppose you ever seen one of them ships, now, have you?"
He stared at her. "But I have, and no' two days past. The Osiris came intae Québec just as we set sail." As he grew more agitated his careful imitation of the Hakim's English gave way and his own Scots came bubbling to the surface.
"The Osiris?" Curiosity snorted softly. "That big East Indiaman you told us about? What would that ship be doing over in Canada?"
Charlie flushed such a deep color that Hannah almost felt sorry for him, a poor confused mouse to Curiosity's cat.
"But it was the Osiris! I would ken her anywhere. The earl is always sending ships on errands--did we no' sail oot o' our way tae Martinique for his cursed ti-nain plants, and hasna the Hakim been slaving e'er since tae see that they thrive? He'll ha' sent the Osiris tae Québec tae fetch a bird he fancies, or the pelt of some strange beast that canna be bred in Scotland, or some such wastefulness. Is that no' the way o' rich men?"
"I suppose it is." Curiosity had a particular smile that she saved for her menfolk when they had pleased her. Hannah had seen even Judge Middleton duck his head in pleasure at it, just the way Charlie did now, his ears tinged an earnest red.
"It was the Osiris, Mrs. Freeman, and she's headed hame for the Firth, too. You'll see her there."
"I expect you must be right," Curiosity said, shifting Daniel to a more convenient spot on her lap. "Cain't claim to know too much about ships, anyway, can I?"
Hannah could barely keep her surprise or her admiration to herself. Curiosity had put so little work into finding out what she wanted to know, and Charlie was none the worse for it, and even pleased to have been of service to her. The Osiris was headed this way, and probably not far behind. A great shudder of relief moved down her spine. Hannah put her nose to Lily's neck and took a settling breath.
Charlie was at the door when Curiosity called one more question after him. "Oh, and child, tell me this. Who are these Campbells I hear tell about now and then? Do you know of them?"
His expression darkened with surprise. "Oh, aye. Who doesna ken the Campbells?"
"Friends of the earl's, are they?"
The question agitated the boy, for he flushed again to the tips of his ears. "The Campbells friends to Carryck? They're naught but treacherous hounds, all widdershins tae honest men."
Curiosity turned to Hannah as the door fell shut behind him. "I figure that ain't exactly a compliment."
Hannah had to smile. "Granny Cora used to tell stories of the clan wars. The sachem called their men "hounds."" She closed her eyes and reached for the familiar rhythms of her grandmother's voice. ""Sons o' the hounds, come and eat flesh"--it's how they were called to battle."
"Because of his face?"
"No, child. 'Cause of his heart."
From the other room came the humming sounds that meant Lily was struggling up from sleep. In a moment she would realize that the one person in the world she must have was not with her, and in her despair she would wake Daniel and then the process of soothing them would begin all over again.
"She wants Elizabeth," Hannah said, feeling that truth in her own belly.
Curiosity let out a sigh and she pulled Hannah to her, hugged her hard. She smelled as she always did, of lye soap and lavender and of herself, honest Curiosity, strong minded and gentle hearted. Hannah was loath to let her go, and Curiosity seemed to know that. She cupped Hannah's cheek in her palm and wobbled her head gently from side to side. "Don' you lose faith now, you hear me?"
Hannah said, "Do you think Miss Somerville will come back?"
"Before sunset," said Curiosity. "What do you want to wager?"
Through the afternoon they waited. While they ground rice and mixed it with goat's milk and fed the twins, they waited. The Hakim came and went on his daily business, but by unspoken agreement they said nothing of Giselle Somerville; they did not know how far his loyalties reached, and neither of them cared to test him. He made Curiosity more of his medicine, and then went out once again to take tea with the captain.
Curiosity could not sit without some work in her hands and so they took up the sewing, listening all the while for the sound of a soft step at the door. Hannah pieced together leggings and tried to remember why it seemed so important just a day ago to put aside calico and linsey-woolsey for Kahnyen'kehâka dress. The old Tory with his ragged ears seemed like a dream, or a story she had heard once at the hearth when elders told tales of the days before the O'seronni came.
Charlie brought tea and polite inquiries from the captain. They were feeding the babies goat's milk from a bowl, and he stopped to touch Lily's sticky cheek with one light finger, smiling in pleasure when she grabbed at his work-hardened hand.
"Tell me," Curiosity said to him in a casual tone that made Hannah's ears prick up. "Is this here Isis the only boat the earl calls his own?"
Charlie bristled, surprised and offended, and began a long inventory of the ships owned by the Earl of Carryck. He spoke of merchantmen and sloops and cutters as if they belonged to him personally, and Hannah realized that in a way they were his--the company was his family, and this ship might be his home for as long as he lived. It made her sad for him, and vaguely curious, too.
Curiosity seemed less impressed.
"Uh-huh." She interrupted him casually, all her attention on the chore of extracting the feeding spoon from Daniel's fist. "I'm fond of stories myself. But I don' suppose you ever seen one of them ships, now, have you?"
He stared at her. "But I have, and no' two days past. The Osiris came intae Québec just as we set sail." As he grew more agitated his careful imitation of the Hakim's English gave way and his own Scots came bubbling to the surface.
"The Osiris?" Curiosity snorted softly. "That big East Indiaman you told us about? What would that ship be doing over in Canada?"
Charlie flushed such a deep color that Hannah almost felt sorry for him, a poor confused mouse to Curiosity's cat.
"But it was the Osiris! I would ken her anywhere. The earl is always sending ships on errands--did we no' sail oot o' our way tae Martinique for his cursed ti-nain plants, and hasna the Hakim been slaving e'er since tae see that they thrive? He'll ha' sent the Osiris tae Québec tae fetch a bird he fancies, or the pelt of some strange beast that canna be bred in Scotland, or some such wastefulness. Is that no' the way o' rich men?"
"I suppose it is." Curiosity had a particular smile that she saved for her menfolk when they had pleased her. Hannah had seen even Judge Middleton duck his head in pleasure at it, just the way Charlie did now, his ears tinged an earnest red.
"It was the Osiris, Mrs. Freeman, and she's headed hame for the Firth, too. You'll see her there."
"I expect you must be right," Curiosity said, shifting Daniel to a more convenient spot on her lap. "Cain't claim to know too much about ships, anyway, can I?"
Hannah could barely keep her surprise or her admiration to herself. Curiosity had put so little work into finding out what she wanted to know, and Charlie was none the worse for it, and even pleased to have been of service to her. The Osiris was headed this way, and probably not far behind. A great shudder of relief moved down her spine. Hannah put her nose to Lily's neck and took a settling breath.
Charlie was at the door when Curiosity called one more question after him. "Oh, and child, tell me this. Who are these Campbells I hear tell about now and then? Do you know of them?"
His expression darkened with surprise. "Oh, aye. Who doesna ken the Campbells?"
"Friends of the earl's, are they?"
The question agitated the boy, for he flushed again to the tips of his ears. "The Campbells friends to Carryck? They're naught but treacherous hounds, all widdershins tae honest men."
Curiosity turned to Hannah as the door fell shut behind him. "I figure that ain't exactly a compliment."
Hannah had to smile. "Granny Cora used to tell stories of the clan wars. The sachem called their men "hounds."" She closed her eyes and reached for the familiar rhythms of her grandmother's voice. ""Sons o' the hounds, come and eat flesh"--it's how they were called to battle."
