The Jezebel (Taskill Witches 3)

“Would you avoid the law if you were on land, in Scotland, or is it because you are at sea?”

Her comment amused him. It was a topic they often debated aboard ship. “There are ways, even on land. In the border country the smugglers have trained ponies to follow a path along a low ledge on the cliffs. They carry smuggled goods inland for them, so that they won’t be spotted by the excise men.” Roderick grinned. “I’ve seen the clever beasts myself, from the sea. Quite a sight it was, too. They needed no man to guide them. They follow the path to their destination quite happily.”

Her mouth quirked and he could tell she was picturing it.

Roderick felt the urge to share more of his thoughts on the matter. “The truth of it is that men will sometimes do anything to feed their kin, and sharing what little coin they earn with the taxman is hard to do when their mothers are ailing or the bairns are crying for food.”

Maisie nodded.

“Does my lawlessness shock you?” He swiped up his ale mug, knowing already that it did not shock her at all. He wanted to hear her opinion on the matter.

“No. I have seen men even in high and respected places twist and control a situation purely for their own gain. Your tale seems almost noble in its cause in comparison to some of the things I have witnessed and heard tell of.”

There it was again. A curtain had been pulled back, briefly. What a strange comment it was, too. Did the things she had seen account for the wisdom beyon

d her years? Roderick thought about asking her what she meant, but quizzing her directly had brought nothing. Her comment had, nevertheless, revealed something about her. What it was he couldn’t immediately fathom, but he stored her words away in case they made sense in different circumstances.

“How do you avoid the excise men when sailing into the harbor?” she asked, turning the conversation back on him.

Roderick would rather have spoken more about the matters she had hinted at, but he acquiesced. “It isn’t easy, for they watch every move and are often in their rowboats and boarding before you have time to set down anchor. But there are ways.”

“There are?”

She was so much happier learning about him. Roderick felt torn. He liked to see her happy. “One is to create a diversion.”

“How do you do that?”

He loved to see the spark in her eyes. She liked to learn, he could tell. “Send men ahead in a rowboat or by foot along the coast. Spread a rumor that there are goods aboard another ship, and then dock and unload while the excise men are otherwise occupied.”

“How clever.”

Roderick found he enjoyed her interest in their seafaring ways. “It may seem unlikely, but there are even ways to hide an entire ship from view.”

“Hide a ship? Surely that isn’t possible.”

“It is. It’s about knowing the coastline as well as you know the back of your own hand. Canny seafaring men make note of every convenient bay or island outside the established harbors. There is one along the coast from here, for example, and if we had set down anchor there we would be within an hour’s walk of Lowestoft, but no ship here would be able to see the Libertas because of the shape of the intervening coastline.”

She sat back in her chair, obviously impressed. “That is most canny.”

It was common practice amongst free traders and merchant shipmen, but Roderick was glad they’d found a subject that did not irritate either of them.

“Yes,” he added, “if a seaman knows the coast well enough he can make a ship disappear from view—” he flickered his fingers in the air “—as if by witchcraft.”

He thought she might chuckle, but instead she looked at him aghast, her eyes widening. What in God’s name had he said now?

He was about to ask what was wrong with her when she rose from her seat and turned away to stand by the fire, warming her hands. A moment later, she turned back and offered him an apologetic smile.

Roderick frowned. He would give anything to understand this woman, but her thoughts and actions baffled him. All that he could glean from this latest oddity was that she wanted to be closer to the fire.

He took action. “Come, if you are cold we will draw the chairs to the fireside and I will request a glass of port for us to enjoy there.”

“You are most thoughtful.”

“I attempt to put you at ease.”

“I know you do.” She smiled, as if to herself.

Was there some underlying comment there? He didn’t want to consider it, for it irritated him again. Instead, he reorganized the chairs. A moment later he called for service and requested a bottle of port. When it arrived they sat either side of the fireplace, each nursing a crystal glass filled with the potent liquid.