We didn’t tarry long at the inn. I insisted we return the gown and other things to the dressmaker, who was not pleased. The womanagreed to give back most of the money Marcus had spent, though he told her to keep some of it for her troubles. I hated to part with the gown, but there were more important things to worry about as we returned to Chalmers Street to retrieve Nadine.
“I hope Hawk found someone to purchase our goods,” Marcus said as we turned onto the street. “I can’t tell him why I was too distracted to look for a buyer.” He winked at me, and my cheeks grew warm. It would be difficult to hide my feelings from the others when we returned to theOcean Curse.
I knocked on the door to Mrs. Drywell’s home, and a servant answered.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“I’m here to retrieve Nadine,” I said.
“I’m sorry.” The servant shook her head. “The young lady left during the night.”
My mouth parted in surprise. “Nadine isn’t here?”
“No, but she left a note for you.”
I accepted the note and read it quickly.
I can’t return to my life on theOcean Curse. Edward was right all along. ’Tis no place for a woman.
“There’s the matter of payment,” the servant said.
I turned to Marcus, who was already on his way up the steps to join me.
“Ned is gone?” he asked.
“Aye.” I handed him the note, feeling helpless. “She left during the night.”
Marcus read it and then pulled a coin from his pocket, handing it to the servant, whose eyes opened wide at the sum. Then he took my hand, and we began to walk briskly down Chalmers Street toward East Bay.
“I hope she has somewhere safe to go,” Marcus said as he let go of my hand, his face grim. “There’s no telling how the captain will respond.”
“He can’t be surprised that she was unhappy. From what she told me, he tried to discourage her from joining him in the first place.”
“She’s been with him for three years,” Marcus said. “He must love her. He’ll be devastated that she left without warning.”
When we reached the harbor, I was out of breath. Thankfully, Hawk was waiting for us. He was leaning against a piling, watching the activity on the wharf. But when he saw us, he stood.
“Where’s Ned?” he asked.
“Left in the middle of the night,” Marcus said.
“You don’t know where he went?”
“Nay.”
“The captain won’t be pleased,” Hawk said, but he didn’t seem as concerned as Marcus and me. Hawk didn’t know that Ned was the captain’s mistress. “Did you have any luck finding a buyer?”
“Nay,” Marcus said again. “You?”
He shook his head and sighed. “The captain will be in a rage when he learns that nothing good came of this visit.”
“Come,” Marcus said. “Let’s be away.”
The launch had been instructed to return midmorning, so they were waiting for us, as well. If Marcus had taken me to Middleburg as planned, Hawk and the others would have had to wait all day for his return. Thankfully, they were ready to take us back when we needed them.
It took over an hour to get to theOcean Curse. I hadn’t expected to be back on the ship, but I was so eager to get to Salem, I didn’t care how I got there.
Captain Zale stood on the quarterdeck, his arms crossed and his sword at his side. He watched the three of us as we approached. Marcus led the way as Hawk and I walked behind him.
