“Well, I need to get into the privy. Hoping James will be out of the washroom soon.”
As Geordie walked away, Robbie eased himself out of bed and tugged on his shirt but did not bother buttoning it. James came out of the washroom just as Geordie came out of the privy, and Robbie sighed as the two men switched rooms. He would have to wait a bit longer because he also needed to visit both rooms. Hopefully he would not have to wait too long, as he was hungry.
* * *
Breakfast was a hearty, satisfying meal. Geordie had to wonder just when Mehitabel had gotten up in order to cook so much food. He was also surprised the smell of it cooking had not dragged him from sleep.
He watched her as she asked questions about Robbie’s wounds. Robbie spoke easily about it all, and Geordie supposed it was easier to talk to a woman who spoke knowledgeably about pain, broken bones, and all the things that troubled him. It was much like a visit to a doctor.
Once done with his meal and having his offer to help with cleanup kindly refused, he decided it was time to go and see the ocean. He had his coat on and was just reaching for the door when it opened and a small boy ran in. The boy halted so quickly he stumbled a little and then stared at him.
“Are you a paying guest?” the boy asked.
“Aye.” He held out his hand. “I am Geordie MacEnroy.”
“I am Abel Ampleford, Belle’s brother.” He turned and bellowed, “Hey, Belle!”
Belle came running. “Abel, we have guests. No bellowing. Why are you here and not at Auntie’s?”
“She is sick and was wondering if you could come by just to make sure it isn’t the plague.”
Sighing, Belle shook her head. “I keep telling her she can’t get the plague. There is no plague here.” She grabbed her coat. “I will go and see how she is.” She looked at Geordie. “Anything you need before I leave?”
“Nay, we are fine.”
As she and the boy hurried off, James and Robbie stepped up. “Where are ye going?” asked Robbie.
“To do what I came here to do. I am going to look at the ocean. Ye coming?”
“Nay. I am going to read a book and sit in the sun.”
“I’m coming,” said James as he grabbed his coat.
Geordie left the house to walk down to the beach. He had only gone a few steps when James joined him. Once he reached the edge of the cliff he turned toward the path they had used to bring their horses up from the beach. He was just about to start down that path when he saw a man striding up the beach and he recognized the man as Belle’s argumentative neighbor, Bennet, so he stopped. Signaling James to do the same, he crouched down, struggling to remain hidden behind a thorny, tangled bush while still keeping Bennet in view.
Bennet had the courtesy to stop where it was easy for Geordie to see him. His men gathered around him, except for the two James had recognized as having a familial attachment to Mehitabel. They sat on the beach a little to the side of Bennet, laying their guns over their laps and staring out at the water.
Suddenly one of them looked up the hill, stared right at Geordie, and grinned. He nudged the young man next to him, who also looked up the hill and grinned. Neither said a word and Geordie felt the tight knot of anxiety inside of him loosen and fade away.
“Perfect. Just perfect,” Bennet said, revealing that he had the kind of voice that carried well.
“I wonder if the fool realizes secrecy will never be his friend,” Geordie muttered, and James choked back a laugh.
“He has a general’s voice,” said James.
“Indeed he does.”
“We will build on this end of the land,” Bennet announced.
“She does not seem obliged to sell, boss,” said one of his men, then cringed faintly when Bennet stared at him.
“I am working on some ways to persuade her. There are ways to push her into selling. Important men have found ways to slip around obstinate sellers. She is not putting her property to good use. Look at this cursed path. Wide stone steps would be better and safer, easier to bring in building supplies and materials.”
“And for the ocean to wash it away,” said one of the young men related to Mehitabel.
“What are you talking about? They would be made of sturdy rock.”
“Uh-huh. Best if you get a good supply of rock then, as you will be rebuilding them a lot.”
