The girl giggled. “And I’ll wager the lady gave ye scant coin for yer travels. I’ll see what I can find in the kitchens besides the bread and cheese.” Then she turned about, swinging her hips as she hurried off.
Mother of all mercies, Annabella thought.What that poor lass must do to earn her keep. I ne’er really thought about such lasses before.She turned so that she could not be seen, and reached into her shirt to pull two coppers from her purse, one for the meal and one for the serving wench. Across the room her husband ate a small meal as she surreptitiously watched him. Her own plate came with the bread, the cheese, and a slice of goose. She thanked the barmaid, and then daringly dropping the large copper down between the girl’s breasts.
The wench giggled. “Are ye sure I can’t do anything else for ye, sir?” she tittered, bouncing up and down on her toes so that her big breasts jiggled.
“Nay, nay!” Annabella assured her, feeling her own cheeks grow warm. “Thank ye.” If the lass only knew the truth.
The girl turned away.
Annabella ate the food on her plate quickly. Angus was still seated at his place, sipping from a pewter tankard. When he finally arose she was too fearful of losing sight of him, for she was certain he would go directly to the ship. She didn’t want him catching her, especially before they sailed. He would be furious. He would feel he had to take her back to Duin, and that would delay his quest close to a month. Annabella walked slowly, keeping to the shadows. The street was still busy enough that she would not raise suspicion. Finally she saw a vessel ahead, and across its bow was written in gold letters, THE GAZELLE.The earl strode up the gangway.
Annabella waited a few long moments. She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears. Could she do this? Did she dare? But she had to, for every instinct told her that Angus would need her whether he realized it or not. She took a long, deep breath, exhaled, and walked up the gangway of the ship.
A boy of perhaps eleven years of age awaited her as she stepped onto the vessel. “Ye’ll be the lad spying in France for his mistress,” he said. “I’m the ship’s cabin boy. Me da is the captain. Do ye hae a name? Me da dinna say.”
“He never asked me, but ’tis Robert Hamilton,” Annabella replied quickly, combining her father’s name and her mother’s maiden name. “Where am I to shelter?”
“Ye’ll hae to share a space, as we only hae two cabins for passengers,” the cabin boy said. “The captain said ye hae good manners, so he ordered me to put ye in the large cabin. Ye’re fortunate. In the smaller cabin is a French wine merchant and his son. They’ve traveled wi’ us before. I call the older man Master Heave and Blow, for he’ll vomit and fart all the way to Brest. His son will simply vomit and moan until we sight land again. Do ye get seasick?”
“I’ve never been to sea,” Annabella said.
“Dinna drink too much until ye get yer sea legs,” the cabin boy advised. “Yer cabinmate is already on board. He’s a nobleman, he is.”
Mother of all mercies!Annabella swallowed back a gasp. It had to be Angus, and they were still tied to the pier. “I think I’ll stay on deck until we’re under way,” she said. “The day has been warm. I’ll welcome the sea breeze.”
“Suit yerself,” the lad said. “When ye’re ready, just call me. Ye hae better find yerself a spot out of the way, for we are about to cast off.”
“Thank ye,” Annabella said to him, and he hurried off. She found a small sheltered spot, and sat down upon a barrel top to watch as the ship was made ready to sail. The gangway was drawn up. The ropes holding her to her dockage space were released. The sails were slowly raised by sailors both upon the deck and scrambling above the deck untying the rolled-up sheets, fastening them down where they should be.
They were suddenly moving away from the great stone quay. She could feel the gentle motion of the waves beneath the vessel. They were away! She remained upon the deck as they finally cleared the harbor, moving out into the Firth of Forth. The ship continued its passage, but Annabella could feel a change in the sea as the vessel moved along. It seemed deeper suddenly. Eventually a small island came into view. She knew from her own lessons as a girl that it was known as the Isle of May. Once there had been a monastery located upon it, but no one lived there now but creatures.
The sun set and the twilight filled the sky. Annabella remained on the deck watching as they left the Firth of Forth, moving out into the open sea. A light wind filled the ship’s sails. It was surprisingly cool, but then, autumn was almost upon them. Annabella pulled her cloak about her. The sky above her was now dark, and bright stars began to twinkle. She shivered. She was going to have to go in sooner rather than later. Maybe Angus would be asleep.
As if anticipating her need, the cabin boy appeared. “I hae time to take ye to yer cabin, Master Hamilton. Will ye be coming along then?”
“Aye,” Annabella said, standing up. “Lead on, lad.” Then she followed him.
He led her below the main deck. At the bottom of the stairs he opened a door, saying, “The nobleman is wi’ my da right now, but he’ll return soon enough.”
“I’ve ridden a long way the past few days, and slept along the road. Yon bunk seems fine to me,” Annabella said. “I’ll be going to sleep now.”
“Aye,” the lad said. “’Tis as good a pastime as any. Good night then.” And he was gone, scrambling up the narrow ladder that served as a staircase.
The cabin had three bunks built into the wall. One stood alone, and the earl’s cape lay upon it. The other two bunks were set one above the other. Annabella considered sleeping on the top, but decided against it. Instead, setting her saddlebag beneath it, she sat down upon the bottom bunk, wondering how fresh the straw in the mattress might be.
She pulled off her boots, setting them with the saddlebag. Then, hearing footsteps outside, she lay down, pulled up her cloak, faced the wall, and feigned sleep as the door to the cabin opened.
His footsteps crossed the floor to his bunk. She heard him grunt softly as he pulled his boots off and stored them beneath his bed. She heard the straw in his mattress crunch as he settled himself. She was scarcely breathing, but then Angus began to make the gentle little snuffling noise that indicated he was sliding into a deep sleep. Annabella relaxed. While she would attempt to conceal her identity from him as long as possible, the worst was now over. By morning they would be far at sea and on their way to Brittany. There was no way he could send her back to Duin now. She slid into her own deep slumber, feeling vastly relieved.
The next few days passed quickly. Annabella formed a simple routine. She would appear in the galley in midmorning, where the cook would give her a bowl of hot porridge and a slice of bread and cheese. The food, she learned from the talkative cook, was better on voyages of shorter duration, as theirs would be. The fresh bread they took on in Leith as well as meat could be stored without going bad and becoming maggoty. She was always alone in the galley at this time of day. The earl and the captain seemed to have common interests. The seamen went about their duties. The other two passengers, the father and son, remained in their cabin, as the cabin boy had said they would.
As the earl ate in the captain’s cabin each evening, Annabella was free to collect her meal when she chose. She would take it to her cabin, eat, and return the bowl to the cook. She spent her days either seated upon the barrel watching the sea, or in the cabin sleeping. She managed her personal needs quickly, and as soon as the earl left the cabin in the morning. She ate and drank sparingly, thus saving herself from seasickness.
The night before they were to land at Brest, the ship was overtaken by a storm that tossed the vessel hither and yon. Thunder roared, and lightning cracked ferociously all around them. The sails were brought down to keep them from being blown too far off course. But the storm did not last more than a few hours, and by early dawn they were sailing between Île d’Ouessant and the coast of Brittany. Annabella was amazed that her first fears when the ship began to rock had quickly subsided, and she was brought to ill-concealed hilarity at the sounds coming from the smaller cabin next door.
Her fellow passengers were really not good travelers. Their howls of anguish followed by their equally loud prayers to Saint Christopher and the blessed Mother did not allow for sleep, even if the fierce storm had. The earl had not returned to the cabin at all, and Annabella imagined he kept company with the captain. Now, as the noon hour approached, the ship entered the landlocked harbor of Brest on the Penfield River. The town was set on the two hillsides, divided by the river and dominated by its dark stone castle. The town had been part of the dower portion of Claude, the daughter of Anne, the Duchess of Brittany, when she had married Fran-çois I.
Annabella made certain that her plait was securely pinned beneath her cap. She couldn’t believe that she had had the good fortune to elude her husband’s eye in such close quarters during their voyage. But, of course, Angus was concerned with clearing his good name. He would hardly consider that his wife had disobeyed him and followed after him. Now, however, she had to find a place to rent a horse so she might follow Angus to his late mother’s home to learn the truth of what had happened. She gathered up her saddlebag and went out on the deck.
