“And you don’t take nearly enough. I propose to change that.”
Before she could inquire what he meant by his statement,
Sara and Mary entered the house, covered in dust and carrying
the floor rugs between the two of them. They stopped short
when they saw Teach leaning against the table and Anne standing near him.
“Ah, I’m glad you decided to come inside. I would like to
give you the day off,” Teach said.
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Sara’s mouth dropped open, mirroring the look on Anne’s face. Mary stared at him, as if he’d just grown horns. Or perhaps a halo.
It was Sara who found her voice first. “Have we done something wrong, sir?”
Teach shook his head. “No, quite the contrary. I was just
telling Anne I think you’ve all worked very hard. I’m quite sure the house has never looked better.”
The two girls preened beneath his praise. Anne’s eyes narrowed, no doubt wondering what he was playing at.
Teach reached into his pocket, produced several gold coins,
and handed some to each of them. It was Barrett’s money, and
he wouldn’t miss a few schillings. “Here. I want you to take
these and go into town to buy yourselves something new. Or
useful. Or whatever it is you feel you can’t live without.”
Teach would have been hard pressed to determine who out
of the three of them was more surprised by his actions. “I’ve
never had this much money to spend on myself before,” Mary
said, a wary look on her face.
Sara gazed at Teach with adoring eyes. “Thank you, sir.
Thank you ever so much.”
Embarrassed, he brushed aside the praise, for he’d done it
for only selfish reasons. He still thought Mary was a harlot, and Teach had decided to tell John the truth before it was too late.
“Think nothing of it. You just make sure you go and enjoy
yourselves for the rest of the day.”
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“The whole day, sir?” Sara asked.
Teach nodded. “The whole day. But I don’t want you resting
upstairs. I want you to treat yourselves to something in town.”
He took a slice of bread and broke it with his hands. “But you
can’t mention this to my father. This is to remain between the
four of us, do you understand?”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, sir. We won’t tell a soul,” Sara
assured him. “Will we, Mary?”
Mary shot a glance between Anne and Teach, her head
tilted to the side, a shrewd look in her eyes.
“I’m sure John wouldn’t mind a visit from you, Mary. He’s
eager to see you,” Teach said.
Mary’s lips moved, but Teach wouldn’t have called it a smile.
“Oh, yes, well . . . perhaps.”
It was left to Anne to be the voice of reason. “What about
Margery? She’ll be back before long and wonder where we all
have gotten to.”
Sara’s face fell, but Teach was unaffected.
“Margery won’t say a thing. Where do you think she’s
been this whole time? She’s in town as well. If you see her,
tell her I sent you on an errand.” Polishing off the piece of
bread, he wiped his hands together, before reaching for the
rugs. He’d told Margery to make a thorough search for the
stolen items at the market and to take her time getting back.
He’d done it only to get her away from Anne, but things were
turning out nicely. Teach gave the girls a slight nudge. “Now
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go. Hurry. Put on a fresh dress and make yourselves scarce.”
If their departure hadn’t been so comical, scurrying up the
back stairs, Teach might have felt sorry for Anne, for they did
not think to ask if she wished to join them.
Nevertheless, he had ulterior motives and was glad they
hadn’t. Leaving Anne to tidy the kitchen, he replaced the rugs
in their proper rooms.
In less than twenty minutes Sara and Mary were gone.
Anne had just swept the floor when Teach reappeared, a
swath of wine-red velvet in his hands. She returned the broom to the pantry and cleaned her hands before drying them with a rag.
“Here,” he said.
“What is it, sir?” Anne asked, fingering the smooth material.
“Does it need mending?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Put it on,” he said.
Her eyes flew to his face. “Why?”
“Because you can’t go out riding in that dress of yours.”
Anne took a step back and looked toward the door, as if to
determine how far Sara and Mary were.
Teach’s eyebrows drew together. This was not the reaction
he’d been hoping for. “Well, don’t just stand there. Go upstairs and put it on.”
She stood rooted to the spot. “I’m not going riding, sir.”
“Yes, you are. You’re coming with me.”
She swallowed. “Where?”
Impatiently he gestured toward the courtyard. “Out there.
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In the country. You’re going to get on a horse and ride.” He’d thought Anne was different. Could it be that she disliked the outdoors as much as Patience?
“And if I choose not to?”
Teach gave her an incredulous look. “Why would you do
that?”
“Because you’ve just given everyone the day off.”
Teach ran his fingers through his hair. “Yes, I know I did. I