A Woman's Wail: The Silver Locket, Book 5 by Kennedy Sutton

Author:Kennedy Sutton [Sutton, Kennedy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kennedy Sutton
Published: 2023-06-06T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Hugh did well for the crew by selling the fine eastern textiles we stole last week when I was shot. Every purse aboard was heavy afterward and the men were eager to spend time on the island making a dent in their shares. Before he left on the boats, Pax paid me a gold piece in recompense for a debt he owed to Bennett and he would not hear of me turning it away.

I have not stepped foot in Trinity and I do not think I have any desire to. I would like to get off this ship and make some attempt at normal behavior but it feels like nothing good happens in Trinity, so I am staying on Pip.

With the crew ashore, I scrub myself clean on the deck of our anchored ship. Even now, in the dead of winter, it is not cold on the island. I lounge in only my spare shirt while my laundered clothing dries in the sun.

Today is my first day back on my feet after almost a week of recovering from being shot, mostly because no one is here to stop me from limping about. I should count myself as very lucky, I suppose, just as my brother said.

Often, being alone is the last thing I want. I rely on the voices of my shipmates and the steady work that comes on this schooner to keep me even keeled. Today has been a rare exception. I revel in the quiet stillness.

With care, I climb below on my slow-to-heal leg and find the crate of red wine that we stole from the last ship and have not yet sold. Feeling decadent, I tear the cork apart with my jackknife and return to the weather deck to drink red wine from the bottle.

Bennett had once bought us a bottle, not unlike this one, to share when we were in Highbay. We had confessed our love for one another between sips while soaking our bare feet in a hidden lagoon. I can almost hear his voice when I taste the tart wine. My heart is unsure if it wants the rest of the crate sold.

I am dressed once more, pleasantly tipsy, and starting on my third bottle of wine when a boat returns. The sun is sinking lower and soon it will be night. Among the men returning on the boat is Zachary. He finds my side, as I hoped he would.

“How is your leg, Jane?”

In the days since I was injured, Zachary has come to know me on a first name basis. It turns out that I enjoy his company more than I expected. It could just be that I have spent a good deal of the past week at least as drunk as I am right now.

Finding a smile for him, I pat the spot beside me. “It is stiff but it does not hurt any longer and that is due to your fine care, surgeon, not the wine I have drunk.”

“If you’re certain.

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