The hour was growing late as Davy came back and joined us. Sitting around the table, the crew all stared at the wooden surface, and each other. My hands were still visibly shaking.
In all my life, I’d never dared to think I’d fall in love. My future had seemed so certain. My father would marry me off, and I’d have to plaster a smile on my face, and do as I was told.
It was a bizarre twist of the fates that I should be sold to a man who made me feel so much so fast. A man who lifted me up. Made me feel precious and adored. A man who wanted me to explore the world however I liked, and share things together.
There was no way I was going to let him waste even one night in jail, away from me.
Davy kindly held out his mug of rum. “Here, Miss. Take one sip. It’ll calm your nerves.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, taking my first swallow of rum ever. Handing the mug back, I tried not to sputter, choking it down. “How can liquid burn so much?” I squeaked.
At least I made the men laugh, which brightened the mood.
“Alright, men,” Larry said. “And Miss.”
I grinned, blinking hard as my eyes started to water again, this time from the roaring flush of heat tingling through me instead of tears.
“We’ve never lost a man, and we’re certainly not going to lose our Captain.” Everyone nodded, looking determined. “This is an older town,” Larry explained, “So the jail is likely fortified, and we can’t expect the Captain to break out.”
“Aye,” Davy said. “He said it’s solid, but only one guard.”
Larry nodded. “We’ll need to break him out then. And it must be tonight, before they gather the authorities in the morning. If the townspeople find out that they’re holding a… smuggler, shall we say, they’ll all come down for the spectacle.”
“Aye, then there will be eyes everywhere,” O’Doule said, nodding. “So, it’s tonight. Let’s think of our options.”
“Do we have any explosives left?” Teeth asked.
“No, we used those up blowing the lock on the treasure chests back in Claytonsfield,” McGee said. “Captain doesn’t want us to carry much of that anymore.”
O’Doule shook his head. “Let’s start with non-violent options. Can anyone pick locks?”
“House locks, yes,” Davy said. “The normal sort of little lock on a home or a stable, I can open. But the jail would have a bolt lock at the front door, and a sturdy lock on the cell where they’re holding
him.” He shook his head sadly, the edge of his headscarf flapping slightly. “I could try, but it might take me a very long time.”
Larry shrugged. “I could easily break in the front door, since that’s likely wood. But I can’t throw myself at steel bars.”
“Well, ye could,” chuckled Teeth. “But you’d have bruises like tiger stripes for days.”
“I’ve heard of guards in many towns being bribed,” O’Doule said, tapping his fingers on the table. “But it would take a great amount. Only the Captain would have that much coin, and he’d have it well hidden.”
“How much?” I asked, trying hard to make my voice sound steady.
“Perhaps fifteen to twenty gold coins or so,” he said.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, dashing to the Captain’s quarters.
I’d been keeping the profits from the necklace and jewelry sales in a little cloth bag, hidden under my old dress on a shelf. I had tried to give it to the Captain, but he refused. So I just let it build up. I hadn’t bothered counting it for some time.
Dashing back to the galley, I emptied the bag onto the table. O’Doule shot me a look, then began counting. I found it amusing that he didn’t ask where the money came from. The rest of the men simply stared at the money.
“This is from the jewelry sales,” I said quickly. “I haven’t spent a cent.”
Larry immediately patted my shoulder. “We’d never think of you as a thief, Miss.”
“Ladies spend a lot on their trinkets, don’t they?” Davy muttered, wide-eyed as he stared at the coins.
“They do,” I agreed. “Especially the women who aren’t quite high class, but want to be seen as such. They’ll drop a fortune to appear fancier.”