Page 81 of Blow Me Down
“Cap’n?”
“Sorry, just talking to myself. Let’s see… I think the first thing I’d like to do is to talk to all of the people who are in charge—the mayor of the town, Pangloss, and whoever is organizing the men on the shore guns.”
Charlie nodded. “The mayor be here. Mr. Pangloss be at me blockade, but I’ll have a man let him know ye want him. Cap’n Bart left a note for him, too. As for the shore guns— they don’t rightfully have anyone in charge now that the cap’n is gone. I can go out and see if there’s any crew mannin‘ them if ye like.”
“Excellent. I’ll want to talk to the head gunners, as well. Better have everyone meet me in the governor’s house in, oh, say, two hours?”
Charlie nodded again and redonned his bandana. “As ye like. Any thin‘ more?”
I thought for a moment. “No. I have a message I’ll want delivered, but I’ll have one of my crew do it.”
He started to leave, but I stopped him with one last question. “I find this all so unexpected, Charlie. I can’t believe Bart would think anything else is more important than the blockade. Where exactly did he go?”
“Don’t know.” Charlie shrugged. “He just said he had somethin‘ important to do, and that ye were goin’ to take over as cap’n.”
“That’s so bizarre,” I said slowly, trying to puzzle out what it was Bart was up to. “Did he at least say what it was he had to go do?”
“Nay. Cap’n be tight to the chest with his thoughts,” he answered.
The men left after that, leaving me to the barrage of questions the women had for me. I tried to answer them as best I could, but I was just about as clueless as they were when it came to the hows and whys of my sudden—temporary— rise in the world.
“What are ye goin‘ to do about the blockade?” Red Beth asked.
“Stop it,” I said, making a mental list in my head. “That’s the first thing. Then I’ll—oh, Renata, there you are. You’re never going to believe what’s happened!”
“Ye’ve been made governor and captain of Bart’s crew, aye, I know. ‘Tis all over the town. Bart had a proclamation posted.” Renata handed her shopping basket to Mags and slumped tiredly into a chair opposite me. “ ‘Tis a surprise to everyone that Bart’s left the island with Black Corbin just waitin‘ to pounce.”
“Oh. You’ve heard. Yeah, it shocked me, too, but you know, I think this can be a good thing. I’m not a total stranger to managerial roles, and I do have both the administrative and financial background to take charge of the business aspects of both endeavors. As for the rest—well, it’s just a…” My lips closed over the wordgame. It wasn’t to the people who lived and worked… and died… here.
“Eh?” Renata asked, giving me a sharp look.
“It’s just a matter of asking for help from the people who have the experience I need,” I said, coming to a fast decision. I turned to the others in the room.
“Ladies, you can all help me, if you would.”
“Aye, we’d be happy to,” Sly Jez said, sitting up a little straighter.
“Aye,” Mags and Red Beth agreed.
“What would ye be likin‘ us to do?” Suky asked, frowning slightly. “The only thing we know how to do is to please a man. Ye be lookin’ for hints about that?”
“No, thank you. But actually, there’re lots of other things you can do. Jez, can you please run up to the governor’s house and let the staff there know I’ll be along shortly? Red Beth, while Charlie is dealing with Bart’s crew, would you and Mags round up the leading townspeople—the mayor and anyone else who you think should be in the know about what’s happening? And Suky, could you gather my crew? I mean, my former crew—Tar and the twins and Bas.
They’ll all probably be at the inn. Tell them to meet me up at the governor’s house, as well.”
The ladies bustled off. I waited until the door closed on their excited chatter before smiling at Renata.
“That were done right handsomely,” the old lady said, smiling back, her black eyes shining. “Gettin‘ the lasses out of the way like that. I’m thinkin’ ye’ll be just fine as Bart’s replacement.”
“Good,” I said, leaning forward, my arms on my knees. “I’m glad you think so, although I’m perhaps a smidgen less confident than you. Regardless, there are a few things I wanted to talk to you about.”
She nodded. “Aye, I thought there might be.”
“When did you first meet Bart?” I asked, figuring there was no time like the present to try to ascertain whether she was Corbin’s ex-partner.
She blinked a couple of times, clearly not expecting that question.
“I’m just curious,” I said, flinching when my explanation sounded lame even to my own ears. “It might help me to know a bit of his history, you see. Er… and the history of the island.”
