‘ ’ow’ good as the next person.”
For a moment she thought he might reach across the carriage and throttle her. But finally he chuckled. “Damnation,” he said, and rubbed his forehead with slow, firm strokes.
“You got a ’eadache?” she asked.
He didn’t respond.
“Probably cuz you don’t get no sleep. ’Ow come is that? You got yourself a guilty conscience or somethin’ cuz I knew a fella once. Name was George. ’E worked in the mill. ’E used to sleep like a babe, then one day, on ’is way ’ome ’efinds a purse alongside the road. ’E picks it up and inside there’s a bundle of money.” She nodded, eyes wide. “Someone musta lost it whilst walkin’ along. So George, well ’e keeps it. Couldn’t do much else seein’s as ’ow ’e doesn’t know whose it is nor nothin’. But ever since that day ’e doesn’t sleep a—”
“I’ll pay you.”
She stopped talking. “What’s that?”
“I’ll give you a sentron if you can speak to my satisfaction by the end of the week.”
“A sentron? Just to talk good?” Her mind buzzed along. If she agreed, he would surely be more likely to trust her, and there was no reason she couldn’t simply disappear if things took a turn for the worse. And if he wanted to pay her to talk, she was willing to take his money as long as he offered it.
“You got yourself a deal, Govner,” she said. “I’ll try even ’arder than I ’ave been.”
His eyebrow twitched, but he kept his arms crossed against his torso and his gaze steady. “And you’ll not try to escape?”
She considered acting shocked, but maybe they had a bit too much history for him to believe that act, so she blew out a careful breath and slowly shook her head.
“Listen, I don’t mean to ’urt your feelings, cuz maybe your intentions is honorable, but I don’t want to go makin’ no vow what I’ll ’ave to be breakin’.”
“And why would you have to break it?”
She raised a brow and pointed to her eye. She’d seen it in the tiny mirror that hung above the berth in the barque. The skin had taken on a sickish green color that spread well past her cheekbone. She rather liked it. “I didn’t get this from no natural catastrophe,” she said. “I got it from a fella I’d not met before. Now I’d like to believe you’re different, Govner, but I’s been around a while, and I—”
“I’ll not raise a hand to you, and I’ll feed you well. You needn’t pocket your crackers.”
So he had seen that, had he? They’d served some sort of dry wafer aboard ship and since she’d been full enough after a meal of barley soup and dark bread, she’d stowed the crackers in her pocket with her weighted dice and the piece of colored glass she’d found at the wharves. “Well.” She hadn’t meant for him to recognize her propensity for hoarding and wondered if he was watching her even more closely than she knew. “A girl never knows when she might get peckish.”
“Do you promise?” he asked.
“Very well then, Govner, you got yourself a deal,” she vowed just as the carriage began to slow. She glanced out the window. “What’s ’appening?” she asked, but he ignored her as he rose to his feet, head bent to accommodate the low ceiling.
The door opened as if on its own, and he stepped down, reaching for her hand.
She came forward with a scowl, noticing the driver had already disappeared. “I thought you said it took some time to reach your ’ouse. We ain’t been travelin’ for more than an hour. And—”
“We’re not going to Newburn.”
“Why not?” He gave her hand a little tug as she stepped down, turning her gaze from side to side. “Where’s the city?”
“There isn’t one.”
“How ’bout a village.”
“None of those either.” Was there laughter in his voice? Was he laughing at her?
She narrowed her eyes a little, squinting against the sun on the fresh-fallen snow and not quite seeing the creature that ambled up until it had nuzzled
For a moment she thought he might reach across the carriage and throttle her. But finally he chuckled. “Damnation,” he said, and rubbed his forehead with slow, firm strokes.
“You got a ’eadache?” she asked.
He didn’t respond.
“Probably cuz you don’t get no sleep. ’Ow come is that? You got yourself a guilty conscience or somethin’ cuz I knew a fella once. Name was George. ’E worked in the mill. ’E used to sleep like a babe, then one day, on ’is way ’ome ’efinds a purse alongside the road. ’E picks it up and inside there’s a bundle of money.” She nodded, eyes wide. “Someone musta lost it whilst walkin’ along. So George, well ’e keeps it. Couldn’t do much else seein’s as ’ow ’e doesn’t know whose it is nor nothin’. But ever since that day ’e doesn’t sleep a—”
“I’ll pay you.”
She stopped talking. “What’s that?”
“I’ll give you a sentron if you can speak to my satisfaction by the end of the week.”
“A sentron? Just to talk good?” Her mind buzzed along. If she agreed, he would surely be more likely to trust her, and there was no reason she couldn’t simply disappear if things took a turn for the worse. And if he wanted to pay her to talk, she was willing to take his money as long as he offered it.
“You got yourself a deal, Govner,” she said. “I’ll try even ’arder than I ’ave been.”
His eyebrow twitched, but he kept his arms crossed against his torso and his gaze steady. “And you’ll not try to escape?”
She considered acting shocked, but maybe they had a bit too much history for him to believe that act, so she blew out a careful breath and slowly shook her head.
“Listen, I don’t mean to ’urt your feelings, cuz maybe your intentions is honorable, but I don’t want to go makin’ no vow what I’ll ’ave to be breakin’.”
“And why would you have to break it?”
She raised a brow and pointed to her eye. She’d seen it in the tiny mirror that hung above the berth in the barque. The skin had taken on a sickish green color that spread well past her cheekbone. She rather liked it. “I didn’t get this from no natural catastrophe,” she said. “I got it from a fella I’d not met before. Now I’d like to believe you’re different, Govner, but I’s been around a while, and I—”
“I’ll not raise a hand to you, and I’ll feed you well. You needn’t pocket your crackers.”
So he had seen that, had he? They’d served some sort of dry wafer aboard ship and since she’d been full enough after a meal of barley soup and dark bread, she’d stowed the crackers in her pocket with her weighted dice and the piece of colored glass she’d found at the wharves. “Well.” She hadn’t meant for him to recognize her propensity for hoarding and wondered if he was watching her even more closely than she knew. “A girl never knows when she might get peckish.”
“Do you promise?” he asked.
“Very well then, Govner, you got yourself a deal,” she vowed just as the carriage began to slow. She glanced out the window. “What’s ’appening?” she asked, but he ignored her as he rose to his feet, head bent to accommodate the low ceiling.
The door opened as if on its own, and he stepped down, reaching for her hand.
She came forward with a scowl, noticing the driver had already disappeared. “I thought you said it took some time to reach your ’ouse. We ain’t been travelin’ for more than an hour. And—”
“We’re not going to Newburn.”
“Why not?” He gave her hand a little tug as she stepped down, turning her gaze from side to side. “Where’s the city?”
“There isn’t one.”
“How ’bout a village.”
“None of those either.” Was there laughter in his voice? Was he laughing at her?
She narrowed her eyes a little, squinting against the sun on the fresh-fallen snow and not quite seeing the creature that ambled up until it had nuzzled
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