hull behind him it was all the excuse he’d needed to again go after Jack Lyle.
Robert had yelled for Lyle to come down and kill the rat creeping about inside the ship’s walls. A calm Lyle faced him and denied the presence of rats on The Drake. The noise, he said, was being made by a gold sovereign hidden in the framework. It was good luck to place a gold coin inside a ship. This one apparently had come loose and was rattling around.
“It’s a rat,” said Robert. “I know it’s a rat.”
“Friend of yours, maybe?” said Lyle.
Robert snorted. “A wit. We have at the wheel a genuine wit. Tell me, wit, is there some little story about this rat? You have so many little stories.”
“Jesus,” murmured Marisa glaring at Robert. “Open mouth, insert foot.”
He grinned at her. “My character’s flawed, what can I do?”
Nat put an arm around Robert. “If Mr. Lyle says it’s a gold coin, then that’s what it is. Come on, let’s get back to the game.”
Robert pushed Nat’s arm away and pointed a finger at Lyle. “I’d like to beat your dumb little face in, you know that?”
Lyle nodded. “Aye, Mr. Seldes Robert, I know that.” The little boatman patted the sheathed knife worn on his left hip. “But you think on it before you do, because the minute you come fer me, I intend to kill you.”
Robert licked his lips and blinked.
“Where you live,” said Jack Lyle, “men talk much before they do anythin’. Where I live, we do; then we talk on it. I’ve used this knife before and I’ve used it on men. You don’t pose much of a problem to me, Mr. Seldes Robert. And now I bid you all good night.”
Marisa watched him walk calmly up the stairs and when she turned towards Robert, Nat was handing him another glass of brandy. Marisa was about to knock the glass out of Robert’s hand when Ellie touched her arm and shook her head.
Before Marisa could ask why, Ellie whispered, “Nat said one more and he’ll be out like a light.”
Marisa relaxed and clutched Ellie’s hand. “Have Nat pour one for me, will you?”
Seconds later Marisa stood looking down at an unconscious Robert, watching his chest rise and fall with his deep breathing. His hair was uncombed, he was unshaven, and his mouth was open. The front of his shirt was stained with spilled brandy. Not too good looking at the moment, Mr. Seldes Robert. She wondered if Jack Lyle would have killed Robert. She wondered if she would have cared.
The next afternoon the boat docked at Napton-on-the-Hill, where they planned to go ashore and picnic near Warwick Castle. Marisa was the last to come on deck and when she did she saw Robert and Jack Lyle talking quietly with each other. She hung back, not wanting to interrupt. After the two finished and Robert went ashore to join the others, Marisa walked over to Lyle, who, as usual, planned to spend most of his time alone on The Drake.
She said, “I told him to apologize.”
“’E didn’t.” Lyle looked at his compass, then into the sun and back again at the compass.
“I—I saw you two talking. I thought he—”
“Your Mr. Seldes Robert wanted somethin’ from me, missy. That’s the way with ’im, ain’t it? When ’e wants something, he begins to ooze and grin.”
“What does he want?”
“The Clannons. ’E wants the Clannons.”
Marisa frowned.
Jack Lyle took the black briar from his mouth. “’E was pumpin’ me about that little story I told ’im. I think ’e wants to write about it. Mr. Seldes Robert is a man of very strong self interest, I suspect.”
Marisa closed her eyes and exhaled.
Jack Lyle said softly, “’Im and me’s gonna get along, missy.”
Lyle paused, then whispered, “Barely.”
“I know the feeling,” said Marisa. “Would you mind telling me exactly what it is between you two? You never met each other before, yet you fight like cat and dog.”
“Difference in men, I guess. ’E’s just not me type and I guess I ain’t is. I don’t respect
Robert had yelled for Lyle to come down and kill the rat creeping about inside the ship’s walls. A calm Lyle faced him and denied the presence of rats on The Drake. The noise, he said, was being made by a gold sovereign hidden in the framework. It was good luck to place a gold coin inside a ship. This one apparently had come loose and was rattling around.
“It’s a rat,” said Robert. “I know it’s a rat.”
“Friend of yours, maybe?” said Lyle.
Robert snorted. “A wit. We have at the wheel a genuine wit. Tell me, wit, is there some little story about this rat? You have so many little stories.”
“Jesus,” murmured Marisa glaring at Robert. “Open mouth, insert foot.”
He grinned at her. “My character’s flawed, what can I do?”
Nat put an arm around Robert. “If Mr. Lyle says it’s a gold coin, then that’s what it is. Come on, let’s get back to the game.”
Robert pushed Nat’s arm away and pointed a finger at Lyle. “I’d like to beat your dumb little face in, you know that?”
Lyle nodded. “Aye, Mr. Seldes Robert, I know that.” The little boatman patted the sheathed knife worn on his left hip. “But you think on it before you do, because the minute you come fer me, I intend to kill you.”
Robert licked his lips and blinked.
“Where you live,” said Jack Lyle, “men talk much before they do anythin’. Where I live, we do; then we talk on it. I’ve used this knife before and I’ve used it on men. You don’t pose much of a problem to me, Mr. Seldes Robert. And now I bid you all good night.”
Marisa watched him walk calmly up the stairs and when she turned towards Robert, Nat was handing him another glass of brandy. Marisa was about to knock the glass out of Robert’s hand when Ellie touched her arm and shook her head.
Before Marisa could ask why, Ellie whispered, “Nat said one more and he’ll be out like a light.”
Marisa relaxed and clutched Ellie’s hand. “Have Nat pour one for me, will you?”
Seconds later Marisa stood looking down at an unconscious Robert, watching his chest rise and fall with his deep breathing. His hair was uncombed, he was unshaven, and his mouth was open. The front of his shirt was stained with spilled brandy. Not too good looking at the moment, Mr. Seldes Robert. She wondered if Jack Lyle would have killed Robert. She wondered if she would have cared.
The next afternoon the boat docked at Napton-on-the-Hill, where they planned to go ashore and picnic near Warwick Castle. Marisa was the last to come on deck and when she did she saw Robert and Jack Lyle talking quietly with each other. She hung back, not wanting to interrupt. After the two finished and Robert went ashore to join the others, Marisa walked over to Lyle, who, as usual, planned to spend most of his time alone on The Drake.
She said, “I told him to apologize.”
“’E didn’t.” Lyle looked at his compass, then into the sun and back again at the compass.
“I—I saw you two talking. I thought he—”
“Your Mr. Seldes Robert wanted somethin’ from me, missy. That’s the way with ’im, ain’t it? When ’e wants something, he begins to ooze and grin.”
“What does he want?”
“The Clannons. ’E wants the Clannons.”
Marisa frowned.
Jack Lyle took the black briar from his mouth. “’E was pumpin’ me about that little story I told ’im. I think ’e wants to write about it. Mr. Seldes Robert is a man of very strong self interest, I suspect.”
Marisa closed her eyes and exhaled.
Jack Lyle said softly, “’Im and me’s gonna get along, missy.”
Lyle paused, then whispered, “Barely.”
“I know the feeling,” said Marisa. “Would you mind telling me exactly what it is between you two? You never met each other before, yet you fight like cat and dog.”
“Difference in men, I guess. ’E’s just not me type and I guess I ain’t is. I don’t respect
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