“Excuse me, sir,” she said, holding a hand out to him. “I been very rude. I’m most pleased t’ meet ye after all Daniel’s wrote me about ye.”
Tom took her hand and smiled down at her. “Daniel told me about you, too, especially how pretty you are. I was sure the fellow was lying, but I see now that he didn’t exaggerate a bit.”
A pathetic little smile made an appearance at the corners of her mouth. “Oh, pooh, I must look a sight.” She blushed and pushed aside a fallen lock of hair. “But I want t’ thank ye, Mr. Collinson, for bein’ such a good friend to my Daniel.”
“I haven’t been a very good friend in
this
matter,” Tom muttered ruefully. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten him into deeper trouble than he’d have had without my interference.”
“Belay that, Tom,” Daniel ordered. “If it warn’t fer you, I’d be prisoned on the
Undaunted
like a slavey, with no hope of any life at all, and no way t’ get word to Betsy.”
“And it was only t’ help him that y’re in this fix at all,” Betsy added. “We’ll always be grateful to ye.”
“There’s no earthly reason for that,” Tom sighed, “for all the good my ‘help’ has done. But standing here talking won’t pay the piper. We’d better be on our way.”
“He’s right, Betsy, love.” Daniel got up from the bed reluctantly. “Laggin’ in the valley won’t get us over the hill.”
“No, I won’t have it,” Betsy declared firmly. “Ye can’t leave me behind, nor the baby neither. Besides, you’ll never get away dressed in seamen’s clothes and lookin’ all battered, like ye do.”
“But, Mrs. Hicks,” Tom said gently, “there’s nothing else to be done. We may even endanger
you
if we’re caught in your company.”
“My name is Betsy, if you please, and we’re not
goin
‘to be caught if we think of a good-enough plan. Y’re both too cold and miserable to see things straight. I’ll slip down t’ the kitchen an’ fetch some bread an’ cold meat—”
“Nay, lass,” Daniel cut in, although the prospect of food was painfully tempting, “someone might see ye.”
“No one will see me, I promise,” She wrapped a shawl around her and moved toward the door. “After ye’ve filled yer bellies, ye’ll be able to think better on what t’ do next.”
Betsy proved to be right. A tray of food and a few mugs full of home brew made the whole world seem brighter. And after they’d discarded their damp clothes, wrapped themselves in dry blankets and permitted Betsy to tend their bruises, it became difficult to see how they could get along without her. Finally, she pointed out that they would look less suspicious travelling about with a woman, and they agreed that, wherever they should decide to go, she would be with them.
With that decided, they turned their attention to the problem of their destination. It had to be a place far from any seaport where press-gangs were likely to be active, yet somewhere which would offer opportunities to find work. Betsy, her weariness forgotten in the anticipation of the start of a new life in the company of her husband, was full of suggestions. But each one was ruled out by the men for being either too optimistic or too impractical.
She paced the tiny room animatedly, while the two men sat huddled near the fire staring discouragedly into the flames. Although their spirits were too depressed to permit their minds to function,
her
brain seethed with fertile imaginings. She would not permit herself to succumb to discouragement. “I have it!” she clarioned excitedly for the sixth time. “The perfect plan at last!”
“Now, love, don’t carry on,” Daniel admonished with gentle hopelessness. “Ye’ve said that about
all
yer ideas.”
“But this one will work, I
know
it! I been thinkin’ on it all these months, tryin’ to puzzle out where we might go when ye returned from the sea. I put the idea out o’ my head, figurin’ ye wouldn’t take kindly to it.
Tom took her hand and smiled down at her. “Daniel told me about you, too, especially how pretty you are. I was sure the fellow was lying, but I see now that he didn’t exaggerate a bit.”
A pathetic little smile made an appearance at the corners of her mouth. “Oh, pooh, I must look a sight.” She blushed and pushed aside a fallen lock of hair. “But I want t’ thank ye, Mr. Collinson, for bein’ such a good friend to my Daniel.”
“I haven’t been a very good friend in
this
matter,” Tom muttered ruefully. “I’m afraid I’ve gotten him into deeper trouble than he’d have had without my interference.”
“Belay that, Tom,” Daniel ordered. “If it warn’t fer you, I’d be prisoned on the
Undaunted
like a slavey, with no hope of any life at all, and no way t’ get word to Betsy.”
“And it was only t’ help him that y’re in this fix at all,” Betsy added. “We’ll always be grateful to ye.”
“There’s no earthly reason for that,” Tom sighed, “for all the good my ‘help’ has done. But standing here talking won’t pay the piper. We’d better be on our way.”
“He’s right, Betsy, love.” Daniel got up from the bed reluctantly. “Laggin’ in the valley won’t get us over the hill.”
“No, I won’t have it,” Betsy declared firmly. “Ye can’t leave me behind, nor the baby neither. Besides, you’ll never get away dressed in seamen’s clothes and lookin’ all battered, like ye do.”
“But, Mrs. Hicks,” Tom said gently, “there’s nothing else to be done. We may even endanger
you
if we’re caught in your company.”
“My name is Betsy, if you please, and we’re not
goin
‘to be caught if we think of a good-enough plan. Y’re both too cold and miserable to see things straight. I’ll slip down t’ the kitchen an’ fetch some bread an’ cold meat—”
“Nay, lass,” Daniel cut in, although the prospect of food was painfully tempting, “someone might see ye.”
“No one will see me, I promise,” She wrapped a shawl around her and moved toward the door. “After ye’ve filled yer bellies, ye’ll be able to think better on what t’ do next.”
Betsy proved to be right. A tray of food and a few mugs full of home brew made the whole world seem brighter. And after they’d discarded their damp clothes, wrapped themselves in dry blankets and permitted Betsy to tend their bruises, it became difficult to see how they could get along without her. Finally, she pointed out that they would look less suspicious travelling about with a woman, and they agreed that, wherever they should decide to go, she would be with them.
With that decided, they turned their attention to the problem of their destination. It had to be a place far from any seaport where press-gangs were likely to be active, yet somewhere which would offer opportunities to find work. Betsy, her weariness forgotten in the anticipation of the start of a new life in the company of her husband, was full of suggestions. But each one was ruled out by the men for being either too optimistic or too impractical.
She paced the tiny room animatedly, while the two men sat huddled near the fire staring discouragedly into the flames. Although their spirits were too depressed to permit their minds to function,
her
brain seethed with fertile imaginings. She would not permit herself to succumb to discouragement. “I have it!” she clarioned excitedly for the sixth time. “The perfect plan at last!”
“Now, love, don’t carry on,” Daniel admonished with gentle hopelessness. “Ye’ve said that about
all
yer ideas.”
“But this one will work, I
know
it! I been thinkin’ on it all these months, tryin’ to puzzle out where we might go when ye returned from the sea. I put the idea out o’ my head, figurin’ ye wouldn’t take kindly to it.
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