He stared deeply into her eyes. “You know how it ended for the miserable pirate?”
She nodded, fascinated by the husky tone of his voice. A chill raced down her spine at the notion of the pirate having once been so close to Angsley Hall, even if it was a hundred and fifty years earlier.
Grayson continued, “Kidd was eventually captured and imprisoned in Boston before being sent back to England,” he paused a moment, then added, “for execution.”
Every child knew the story of how the rope broke the first time they tried to hang Captain Kidd, and how the executioner had to re-hang the pirate.
How awful!Eleanor imagined it would make for an angry ghost if ghosts were real. She had never believed in them, which was why reading Gothic novels didn’t bother her. Not only did she love to be thrilled and terrified, she liked how the narrator explained all the mysterious things, often with wind banging a door or rattling a shutter.
“And you know where this rock is?” Eleanor asked, staring at him, realizing she enjoyed simply looking at his fine features.
“You’re gaping at me,” he said.
“Am I?” She supposed her mouth had dropped open a little while she was admiring him.
He grinned. “That’s fine. I like when you look at me that way.”
She smiled back, then reminded him, “The rock?”
“Yes. I can take you there if you like. It’s not far from the tree we climbed.”
“We should figure out more before we go on an expedition. And we should take supplies.”
“Like a canteen of brandy?” he proposed.
She laughed. “No. Like shovels and picks. Maybe even a compass.”
“Good idea, but as you said, let’s figure out more.”
He seemed to be waiting for her to study the paper again, so she did, though Eleanor much preferred, at that moment, to look at him.
“If it’s a rock and not a tavern, then the glass must be other than one for drinking. A looking glass, for instance.”
“Also, not a very practical thing to take to a rock.”
“True.” She could think of nothing else.
“It must be some type of glass a pirate uses,” Grayson surmised, tapping his chin.
The word jumped suddenly into her mind. “A spyglass. You know, a telescope. That would be a useful thing to take to a rock, especially if one were then looking for something particular, such as treasure.”
Grayson rubbed his hands together. “I think you’re on to something. Pirates, all sailors for that matter, always have a spyglass, don’t they?”
Leaning close again, he read further. “I can help with the next part. The devil’s seat is another local term for a section of the bishop’s hostel rock that seems almost as if it were carved for sitting upon.”
Eleanor shook her head. “I can hardly believe Beryl never took me to the rock or mentioned such a thing as a devil’s seat.”
“Don’t be too hard on her. You are far more of the nature dweller than she is. She may never have climbed the rock in her whole life.”
Eleanor shrugged. She would let it go for now, but it seemed strange indeed her best friend had not mentioned Captain Kidd once, even after Beryl fell in love with her own pirate.
“I assume the rest of the numbers and directions tell us which way to point the telescope,” she surmised. “And thus, we will need a compass after all. I hope you can handle all that particular stuff. I am not keen on numbers and degrees and directions.”
He nodded solemnly. “I believe I can handle that.”
With sheer excitement, Eleanor clapped her hands spontaneously, then hoped he didn’t think her childish.
“I don’t believe we can go further with this puzzle,” she said, “not without going to the rock and sitting on the devil’s seat.”Even the very words were thrilling.
