“Aye, that is so,” the captain replied.
“I’d like to hire on. I’m badly in need of the work.”
“Well, lad, I’d like to help you, but I’ve got a full crew already. We’re just heading down the coast for a short haul to Brighton.”
Simon strained to hear the rest. The man hesitated a moment then said, “I heard you might be going to Leaudor.”
“Leaudor? Is that where you’re going, my boy?” The captain chuckled. “Everyone knows the ports are closed to foreign ships. If you want passage to Leaudor, I’m afraid you are out of luck.”
The voices grew dimmer and Simon could no longer make out what they were saying. A few minutes later, the door pushed into his cheek, and he stepped rapidly back. The captain stood in the doorway.
“You can come out now.”
Simon hurried to the trunk and opened the lid. Isabella scrambled out, her breath coming in spurts.
“Thank goodness,” she said heavily. “I was about to smother.”
“Who was it?” he asked the captain as they returned to the sitting room.
The captain busied himself adjusting the curtains, then he extinguished the candle, plunging the room into darkness.
He moved back toward Simon and Isabella and lit a smaller taper then motioned them into the kitchen. “Stranger. Not a local. Said he wanted to hire on my ship.” A look of blatant disbelief twisted his face. “Rubbish. I don’t believe for a minute he was a sailor.”
“How are we going to get into town unnoticed?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Simon curled an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. If only he could take away her fear and anxiety. “Don’t worry, Isabella. We will come up with a plan.”
“The house will be watched for sure,” the captain said grimly. “Getting the two of you out of here will be tricky at best.”
Simon paced back and forth, his mind whirling with possible options. None seemed viable enough. They were too dangerous, or too obvious. There had to be a way he and Isabella could escape to the harbor.
He turned to the captain. “Do you have a cart?”
Captain Martin nodded.
Simon pressed his lips together. “I may have a way. It’s risky, but then the alternative is certain capture.”
Isabella looked dubiously at him. “What do you have in mind?”
“The captain could take out pulling the cart. We could stow some barrels in the back and cover them with blankets. If anyone is watching, they would naturally assume we are hiding in the cart.”
Isabella’s eyes lit up, glowing brightly in the candlelight. “Of course! And then we could sneak away while they are occupied with the cart and rendezvous with the captain in town.”
Simon nodded. “Exactly.”
The captain rubbed his chin in his hand. “It just might work. It doesn’t appear that we have a choice in the matter. I’ll set to work at once preparing the cart, and I’ll depart within the hour. Meet me behind the tavern, but don’t go in.”
He exited the back of the house, leaving Simon and Isabella alone. The two sat in front of the fire, waiting tensely for the captain to return. Half an hour later, he strode back in and looked over at them. “It’s time.”
Chapter Fourteen
Isabella twisted her fingers nervously as Merrick kept watch from the window. The captain had been gone ten minutes, and the plan was for her and Merrick to leave in five more.
Fear and anticipation warred within her, sending her stomach into turmoil. They were so close to achieving their goal, and yet it seemed an impossible feat. She whispered the familiar prayer her mother had taught her as a child in a fervent attempt to bolster her courage.
“Are you ready?” Merrick murmured beside her.
She swallowed and nodded.
