something better?” he queried.
“My dreams are of corpses on a battlefield, the blood of children slain,” she said.
He sighed and leaned back. “Sorry, poppet. I’m not suicidal. I won’t join my forces to yours, but I will give you gold and buy you rum, eh?”
“Cap’n Blackbeard,” she said, determined not to sound disappointed, “I will be honored to lift a glass with you.”
He shook his head. “Ah, and you speak like a lady, lass.”
“Maybe I was a lady. Once. Past memory, past caring. God knows, I was so young when the troops came. I remember…”
“Aye?”
“My mother,” she said, blushing slightly. “Aye, she was a lady. So softly spoken, so regal…but she is gone, dead and gone, and so is the life I was born to. There is nothing to return to of the life I lived then. But…I have not lost faith in all humanity. There was Lygia.”
“Lygia?” he repeated.
“The daughter of the witch who bought my indenture papers from the officer who decided I was worth more alive than dead,” she said. “She was ugly as sin, but as sweet and kind as her mother was cold and cruel. We’ll drink to her! I imagine she is rich now, with her mother’s passing. May she find happiness at last.”
“To Lygia. Bless the lass!” he said. “Rich, you say. How ugly was she?”
Red laughed, lifting her glass high. “Quite. But who knows? With enough darkness and enough rum, the ugliest lass may become the fairest. Especially if she is rich. Or so I’ve heard men say.”
He looked at her strangely as he drank his rum.
“Curious…”
“What?”
“That it is you who came upon Laird Haggerty.”
“Why is that?”
“Ah, poppet. I keep your secrets, but I keep his, as well.”
“He has secrets?”
“He has…an agenda.”
“And?”
“I just said, I keep a man’s secrets.”
“Edward…”
“Don’t you go wheedling me, girl. I have said all I shall upon that topic. Men come to this tavern for amusement. For whores and for drink. And to listen.”
“Listen to what?”
“I’ve said all I will say.”
“But you keep giving me clues!”
“I shall say no more. Drink up.”
She tried, but he had made up his mind, and he would say no more. So they drank. She would have her promised gold, and there it would end.
T HERE WERE MANY MEN in the shanty tavern so drunk they wouldn’t have noticed an earthquake. Some lay on tables in the puddles of their own ale. Whores sat atop the laps of others, mindless of the drunkards snoring nearby. Bodices slipped, hands ran up under skirts and ribald shouting and jokes filled the air, along with the stench of old meat, stale tobacco and unwashed bodies.
Logan turned to Brendan. “Nice place,” he commented dryly.
“Aye, and obviously you know it well,” Brendan said, his tone equally dry.
Logan shrugged. “You and the captain don’t look the type to…appreciate such an establishment,” Logan said.
“Nor do you.”
“I come for business, then leave.”
“There’s no legitimate business done here.”
Logan had to laugh. “Actually, there is. I certainly didn’t intend to run into a pirate vessel on the high seas, but dealing with pirates on land can be quite profitable.”
“And very bad business, as well,” Brendan commented, eying Logan carefully. “You do know something about the art of negotiation, my friend. But there are those who don’t wish to negotiate. I’ve met many a fellow who cares nothing for human life. Expediency is what rules. Many a pirate captain would gladly have slit the throat of every man on your crew—or saved steel and bullets and simply tossed them all overboard.”
“But not without great loss of life and limb, even if I would have gone down fighting,” Logan informed him.
“True enough. So…” Brendan stared at him still. “A man of honor, are you?”
“And your captain’s a pirate of honor,” Logan returned.
“We’ll drink to he—him,” Brendan said, lifting his
“My dreams are of corpses on a battlefield, the blood of children slain,” she said.
He sighed and leaned back. “Sorry, poppet. I’m not suicidal. I won’t join my forces to yours, but I will give you gold and buy you rum, eh?”
“Cap’n Blackbeard,” she said, determined not to sound disappointed, “I will be honored to lift a glass with you.”
He shook his head. “Ah, and you speak like a lady, lass.”
“Maybe I was a lady. Once. Past memory, past caring. God knows, I was so young when the troops came. I remember…”
“Aye?”
“My mother,” she said, blushing slightly. “Aye, she was a lady. So softly spoken, so regal…but she is gone, dead and gone, and so is the life I was born to. There is nothing to return to of the life I lived then. But…I have not lost faith in all humanity. There was Lygia.”
“Lygia?” he repeated.
“The daughter of the witch who bought my indenture papers from the officer who decided I was worth more alive than dead,” she said. “She was ugly as sin, but as sweet and kind as her mother was cold and cruel. We’ll drink to her! I imagine she is rich now, with her mother’s passing. May she find happiness at last.”
“To Lygia. Bless the lass!” he said. “Rich, you say. How ugly was she?”
Red laughed, lifting her glass high. “Quite. But who knows? With enough darkness and enough rum, the ugliest lass may become the fairest. Especially if she is rich. Or so I’ve heard men say.”
He looked at her strangely as he drank his rum.
“Curious…”
“What?”
“That it is you who came upon Laird Haggerty.”
“Why is that?”
“Ah, poppet. I keep your secrets, but I keep his, as well.”
“He has secrets?”
“He has…an agenda.”
“And?”
“I just said, I keep a man’s secrets.”
“Edward…”
“Don’t you go wheedling me, girl. I have said all I shall upon that topic. Men come to this tavern for amusement. For whores and for drink. And to listen.”
“Listen to what?”
“I’ve said all I will say.”
“But you keep giving me clues!”
“I shall say no more. Drink up.”
She tried, but he had made up his mind, and he would say no more. So they drank. She would have her promised gold, and there it would end.
T HERE WERE MANY MEN in the shanty tavern so drunk they wouldn’t have noticed an earthquake. Some lay on tables in the puddles of their own ale. Whores sat atop the laps of others, mindless of the drunkards snoring nearby. Bodices slipped, hands ran up under skirts and ribald shouting and jokes filled the air, along with the stench of old meat, stale tobacco and unwashed bodies.
Logan turned to Brendan. “Nice place,” he commented dryly.
“Aye, and obviously you know it well,” Brendan said, his tone equally dry.
Logan shrugged. “You and the captain don’t look the type to…appreciate such an establishment,” Logan said.
“Nor do you.”
“I come for business, then leave.”
“There’s no legitimate business done here.”
Logan had to laugh. “Actually, there is. I certainly didn’t intend to run into a pirate vessel on the high seas, but dealing with pirates on land can be quite profitable.”
“And very bad business, as well,” Brendan commented, eying Logan carefully. “You do know something about the art of negotiation, my friend. But there are those who don’t wish to negotiate. I’ve met many a fellow who cares nothing for human life. Expediency is what rules. Many a pirate captain would gladly have slit the throat of every man on your crew—or saved steel and bullets and simply tossed them all overboard.”
“But not without great loss of life and limb, even if I would have gone down fighting,” Logan informed him.
“True enough. So…” Brendan stared at him still. “A man of honor, are you?”
“And your captain’s a pirate of honor,” Logan returned.
“We’ll drink to he—him,” Brendan said, lifting his
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