‘I understand.’
‘Outstanding.’ Marrin thought for a moment, then asked, ‘When he’s not around, do you ever think about other men, you know, in that way?’
Brexan didn’t hesitate. ‘Of course I do – but not about you.’
‘Aha! See, I told you, Ford, you old- What was that?’ Marrin sat up ramrod-straight, looking as if he had been slapped.
‘I said, yes, but not about you, sorry.’
Sera laughed and clapped, spilling a bit of burning pipe tobacco into her lap. ‘You are without doubt the best scullery-maid in the whole of the Eastlands; I don’t doubt it. Please take the rest of the night off and stay here with us. Ford will pay you; just keep going like you’re going. This is better entertainment than we’d ever find in town.’
‘I’d love to, honestly,’ Brexan replied, ‘but Nedra is on her own tonight, and as you can see, we’re rather busy.’
‘You have truly glorious tits, my dear,’ Marrin said.
Captain Ford finally lost his temper and reached over and cuffed the young sailor hard around the head, but so enamoured was he that the boy didn’t appear to notice.
Brexan didn’t miss a step. ‘They’re all right, I suppose, although they do look much better when you’ve had more to drink. So let me get those beers, before I have to drag you out back and smack the piss out of you.’
Ford and Sera nearly collapsed with hysterical laughter as Marrin watched the fiery young woman move towards the bar.
‘Do you think she’d marry me?’ he asked.
‘Well, now that you’ve made such an impression,’ Sera replied, ‘I don’t see how she could turn you down.’
‘Good,’ he said, ‘I’ll ask her when she comes back. We could stand the tides tomorrow; you two could be witnesses.’
‘Sadly, Marrin, I have other plans tomorrow,’ Ford said, deciding to ignore his paunch for the night and dive into the potatoes.
‘Work, work, work,’ Marrin said, ‘Captain, you ought to think about what I said.’
‘What? All that drivel about tits?’
Marrin raised a finger to make his point. ‘First, yes, of course, and second, you should never use the word drivel when talking about my advice on the opposite sex.’
Sera interrupted, ‘Marrin, you don’t have an opposite sex.’
‘No one likes you,’ he shot back, then to Ford, added, ‘that girl, our own tavern girl, right here in Orindale… think about it, Captain. I saw the way she was looking at you.’
‘Yes,’ Ford agreed, ‘like a fat old uncle here with his two unruly children.’
Marrin mumbled, ‘He has such little faith in my teachings. It’s sad, really.’
‘Eat your dinner, Marrin.’ Sera tapped out her pipe.
‘But he could have her, Sera,’ Marrin insisted. ‘You could, Captain.’
Ford looked at the bar where Brexan was delivering food and drink to Nella Barkson’s extended family. ‘Her?’ he said. ‘Somehow I doubt it, Marrin.’
The following morning, Captain Ford went down to breakfast alone. Not surprisingly, Marrin and Sera had decided to sleep in.
Brexan brought a flagon of hot tecan over to him. ‘Good morning. Bread and cheese?’
‘Please,’ Captain Ford said, then thought of his weight. No cheese, just a bit of fruit, if you have it. I’m away from home too much; I get to eating things I shouldn’t.’
‘You look healthy enough to me,’ Brexan said.
‘I’ve the poor lighting in here to thank for that! And good morning too, by the way. I’m sorry about my friend last night. When he drinks, he thinks he’s funny and we usually end up wiping the floor with him; it’s never pretty. He was rude, and I hope he apologises when he comes down.’ Ford kept his eyes locked on the girl’s; he was not about to get caught sneaking a look at her body.
‘Oh, don’t worry about that,’ Brexan said. ‘Working in a place like this, I hear it all. Is that your ship out on the flats?’
‘You’re asking because it’s low tide.’ He’d been captain of the Morning Star for almost half his life, and the old boat didn’t merit a second glance when afloat, but when listing dangerously to port on a mudflat, it made quite a conversation piece.
‘Well, I guess so, yes,’ Brexan flushed. ‘Do you always leave it like that?’
‘Nope,’ Ford inhaled the aroma then sipped his tecan, ‘just when I’m watching the Mareks. It doesn’t cost anything to anchor up here.’
Brexan looked out of the front window. The port gunwale was nearly resting on the mud; had the sails not been tightly reefed, they would have been stained the colour of mud by now. ‘I can’t imagine why.’
Ford laughed. ‘I guess you’re right. Who would pay for that? But when the tide comes in, she’ll be back on her feet, ready to go. She doesn’t draft much; she’s small, even for a brig-sloop. So we won’t even need to kedge off; there’s plenty of tide up here.’ He tried not to feel embarrassed at the condition of his ship, keel-naked in the mud. He was her captain; he knew what he was doing.
‘Where are you going next?’
‘Southport, if I can find anything to transport.’
Brexan’s brow furrowed. ‘You’re here without a cargo?’
‘No, we delivered a load of lumber to a builder in Strandson, but we didn’t have a return shipment. I decided to make the run on the off-chance we’d find something here. I know a few people; I’ll see if I can’t underbid someone. Like I said, she’s not very big, so we don’t get a lot of heavy commercial business, nothing from Malakasia is what I mean. Mostly, we make the run between Orindale and South-port; it’s not very exciting, but the scenery is good.’
‘Nothing to ship, betting on low bids, that sounds like a risky way to make a living, Captain-?’
‘Ford, Doren Ford.’ He rolled up his tunic sleeves, revealing strong forearms, tanned like leather and tufted with greying hair.
Nice to meet you, Captain Ford. I’m glad you chose the Topgallant. Nedra keeps a nice place here, and she’s the best cook you’ll find north of the city.’
‘If last night’s dinner is any indication, you’re not exaggerating.’
‘And from here,’ Brexan chuckled, ‘you can certainly keep an eye on your boat.’
‘Again, you’re not joking-?’ It was his turn to wait.
‘Brexan Carderic.’
‘Been working here long, Brexan Carderic?’ he asked. He let his gaze follow the crooked line of Brexan’s jaw. He figured she’d either had a difficult birth and a doula who had pressed too hard on one side of her head, or that young serving woman had sustained quite a nasty blow to her cheek. Either way, Ford was transfixed by the irregularity; it was strangely endearing.
She put a stack of dirty trenchers on a nearby table and struggled to tie her hair back with a bit of rawhide. No, about a Twinmoon actually, which reminds me, if you and your crew are here through the next Moon – it’s only a few days now – you can join us for the party.’
‘Party?’
‘Nedra’s turning…’ She hesitated, checking towards the kitchen. ‘Let’s just say she’s getting older.’ She lowered her voice and whispered, ‘She might be ancient, but she can still hear like a woodland predator.’
‘Got it – if we’re still here, I trust you’ll give me some idea of what to buy for her.’
‘Men!’ Brexan said. Nedra just wants a man, but I understand they sometimes have them on a discount rack at a place just off the southern wharf.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ Captain Ford smiled. ‘Thanks for breakfast.’ He watched her go until visions of his own wife, frowning, one arm cocked dangerously on her hip, distracted him. ‘Ah, Marrin,’ he murmured into his trencher, ‘it’ll be a double shift for you today, my boy. I’ll teach you to get my thoughts wandering so.’
BOOK II
Orindale
STALWICK REES
‘Stalwick, go and help someone else, please,’ Sharr Becklen said as politely as he could. ‘I’ve got this on my own, really.’
‘But I can help with the folds,’ Stalwick started. ‘I’ve done these before. Do you remember when we attacked that caravan on the Merchants’ Highway? What was it, fifteen, maybe sixteen Twinmoons ago? Were you there, Sharr? I think you were- Anyway, do you remember when we attacked that caravan, and Gita was so furious that the one driver was her uncle’s friend’s daughter’s betrothed? The driver with the red hat? You remember him, Sharr, don’t you? Or was it a beige hat? I don’t… never mind, never mind. Anyway, when we hit that caravan, Sharr, and we spent those two nights in that ditch beside that field? It was a pepperweed field. Do you remember, Sharr? Because I was there, and I kept the fires going – I’m good with fires, I mean, that’s one of the things I can do pretty well. Anyway- Oh, it was a red hat, I can see it clearly now! And Gita was fuming, I don’t know why, I mean, everyone’s got to make a living, so he’s a driver, so what? Does every driver ask what he’s hauling, I mean, when they’re getting paid well, do they always ask? Anyway, anyway, Sharr, that day, after we hit that caravan, I helped with the tents, Sharr, and I was good with the folds- Do you remember Timmon? Of course you do, of course you do… He’s dead now, isn’t he? Bone-collectors, or some kind of monsters in a cavern, rutting dogs, I tell you, rutting dogs, but anyway, Timmon was there, and his company was there, and they were packing things up that day. I mean some of us were hurt, but I wasn’t, and Timmon wasn’t, so some of us who weren’t hurt, we took care of packing things up, and I helped Timmon that day, because I’m good with folds, Sharr- Sharr?’