Page 29 of Hired by Pirates

It was plain to see how much her work had drained her.

It was a different kind of task, one that honestly I don’t think any of the men would have had the stamina for. Certainly the boys could run for miles at a time, and Tobias could lift logs the length of a small house.

Yet mental work was something else entirely. Watching her tiny fingers flying as she worked, concentrating hard, her gaze riveted on her task, I had been in awe. Her determination to get the job done perfectly was admirable.

However, that set my mind along a darkened path.

Astor

needed to be a doctor. It was clearly her calling, her vocation.

I didn’t know about the legality of whether a woman was allowed to get whatever sort of certification or papers that required.

But it could definitely mean that she might have to leave me to pursue her life’s ambition.

My blood ran cold at the very idea. I would never stop her from pursuing her dreams, but I also couldn’t imagine a life without her.

My mind started to race, considering how I could help her become a doctor, yet keep her on the ship.

Maybe we could sail to towns without a physician, and she could treat people for a week at a time. Or maybe we could set up an office somewhere where she could practice medicine, and the crew and I could shorten our trade routes so that we were never away for more than two days.

It was far too soon to be thinking such things, but the thought of losing her, or even worse, holding her back, sent my thoughts spinning.

Luckily, I had a meeting to distract me.

Turning toward the main deck, I called out, “Simon, Tobias, navigation room.”

We gathered, and my mind quickly got back on track. After going over our course and confirming that we were running a bit ahead of schedule, I pulled out the old, potentially outdated map that was the focal point of our discussions.

“Let’s start from the very beginning, Captain,” Tobias said. “You’re sure that Morty doesn’t mind totally ruining his reputation in Acreton? After this, he’ll not be able to show his face there ever again.”

“He’s not bothered about that,” Simon replied. “He only moved back there so he could take care of his mother. Since she passed, he has no reason to stay. Also, the Ledford and Stroud families had been harassing her for years, making up reasons that she should sell her land to them. There are rumors they’ve been doing this to others as well. He’s keen to see them get their comeuppance.”

“Pressuring an old lady into selling her home,” I said, shaking my head. “People who are already rich just trying to get richer. It’s not right. All right – Morty will join our crew just long enough to get him away from Acreton and back to Laurel Point.”

“And he wants to be the one to tell the townsfolk himself?” Tobias asked.

“Yes,” Simon nodded. “He’s friendly with the Mayor. So when he’s giving his big speech talking about the festival fundraiser money, Morty will just go up and clap him on the back, and hand him the proof of Ledford and Stroud being swindlers. Morty will explain it to everyone, the Mayor will confirm it, then Morty will head for the Five Winds . He’ll have already dropped his things here, so we can set sail immediately.”

“Good. That part is sorted then. And he said all of the paperwork is in the bookkeeper’s office right near the Town Hall, so that’s easy too,” I said, nodding.

“To think that both rival families use the same bookkeeper,” Tobias chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

“But that’s the thing,” Simon said, “They’re not really rivals. They’ve been playing at this fake feud for years. That way they can have a monopoly on the town, and control all prices. Raise them up, then pretend to have a sale.”

He pointed to the map. “Like here. The Stroud cobbler is almost directly across the street from the Ledford cobbler. So one can have a special sale, then the other one tries to beat him. Meanwhile, both of them have prices thirty percent higher than the surrounding towns, but the people of Acreton have no idea.”

I nodded. “Most people never leave their own village, so they’re at the mercy of the local shops. These two bastards have been fleecing the whole area for years. Honest, hard working people. Disgusting.”

Tobias let out a long, low whistle. “It’s a pity that nobody will know it was a bunch of rough pirates who saved their town.”

“Yes, but after the tales of what the crew of the Dark Destiny did to them just twenty years ago, they certainly won’t take kindly to us,” Simon said.

“Which is why we are traders ,” I said, giving them each a pointed glance. “We can likely fetch a pretty penny for these bundles of spices. There’s also that bit of extra canvas we picked up in Fleeryville. For God’s sake, don’t let us forget to take down the black flag and put up that light blue one before we sail into port,” I said.

“It’s very likely that people from surrounding towns will be coming in for the festival,” Simon agreed. “So a few extra ships won’t look out of place.”

Glancing out the small window, I saw Astor walk by, stretching her arms as she looked out across the waves. I smiled to myself, realizing that the color of our innocent trader sail was almost the exact same color as her eyes.

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