Page 8 of Unearthing the Smuggler's Heart
This made Gigi giggle. "You do not yet know my brother," she said, "but I assure you, that particular notion will soon make you laugh as well."
Jade hoped that was true.
CHAPTER3
The days leading up to a departure always seemed to drag past for Mathias, with nothing but impatient toe-tapping and repetitive checks and rechecks of his preparation. As ever, he barely slept the night before they were to depart, instead staring at the ceiling and counting the minutes until he could be up and away.
Sometimes he thought that was the only thing he truly wanted in life. He wanted to be up and away.
He rode out to Meridian House as soon as the sun began to rise, itching to occupy himself with something, anything, until he could finally weigh anchor.
Most of his crew would be asleep for a while yet, likely having overindulged at the local tavern the night before. It was cool out, little crystals of dew catching the sunlight as they floated down toward the earliest blades of grass brave enough to erupt at the very instant winter had concluded.
Matthias took one last contemplative breath before nudging his horse around.
His horse grunted a complaint about the hour as he ushered her into a stall at Meridian's stables, alongside an elderly nag who stepped aside and sighed to make room. He thought the two would enjoy each other's warmth as they fell back into their early-morning doze.
As he crossed the lawn in the direction of the front door, he saw that Isabelle had already awakened and begun preparations of her own, assisted by her brother, Nathaniel, who was the owner of Meridian House. They were standing next to a stack of luggage, and appeared to be having a disagreement.
"It makes more sense to go through the cove, Nathaniel," said Isabelle, her voice carrying through the hazy light. She was dressed for comfort, in one of her heavy linen skirts and a lightweight blouse, belted 'round the middle by a thick strap of leather. "Carrying everything down the path will take hours. We could try using the horses, but it rained last night and the path is steep."
"How do you propose we get all of this down the entry shaft?" her brother inquired, scratching at his chin. "We can't just punt them through the hole and hope they land safely."
"I don't see why not," Isabelle said in earnestness. "It isn't as though we're transporting fine china. It's only clothes and sundry, and it is not such a great way down."
"I'm not throwing a two-hundred-year-old cedarwood trunk through a hole in the hope that the packed mud floor breaks its landing," he replied with some amusement. "But I admire your commitment to the idea. If you hadn't taken that donkey with you back to Oxford, she would come in very handy just now."
"Hortensia is retired," Isabelle replied tartly, turning her gaze toward Mathias's approaching figure with a hand up to shield her eyes.
"Good morning!" he called, a grin finding its way onto his lips as he approached. "Perhaps I can assist?”
"We didn't want to ask the servants to assist with anything that might arouse suspicion," Nathaniel explained, leaning back against the stack of trunks and reaching out to shake Mathias's hand in greeting. "Though, with the war over, I doubt they'd think it suspicious at all."
"You can still be punished for laws broken during the war," Isabelle reminded him. "Best to err on the side of caution."
"Indeed," he agreed easily, flashing his sister his politician's smile, evidently only to irritate her.
"Is this everything?" Mathias asked, taking in the assortment of boxes and bags. "Seems rather much."
"Oh, don't you start too," Isabelle told him, throwing her hands up. "Miss Ferris is bringing most of her belongings, meager as they are, and I'm ensuring that we don't spend the last ten days of our journey eating lemons and salt cod, thank you very much."
"I like salt cod," Mathias replied, laughing when it got him a jab in the side. "That wasn't my fault."
"Now that you're here," Nathaniel said, squinting over the horizon at the first bright shafts of morning light, "perhaps we can compromise. Might we borrow a few items from theHarpyand go about this sensibly?"
"Of course. Shall I go rouse some men, then? To assist?"
Nathaniel nodded, glancing at his sister for her approval on this plan.
"All right, then," she said. "I'll go with Nate to the ship. We'll meet you there."
"Aye, captain," Mathias replied cheekily, pleased that despite it all, he did get a smile from them both.
* * *
By the timethe sun was properly bearing down on them, perched in a cloudless sky, their system of pulleys and makeshift hand carts had made short work of the luggage.
"Lucky for you, we're still renovating," Nathaniel had said cheerily. "And we likely will be for the rest of my natural life."
