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Authors: Morgan Llywelyn
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have a nice profit out of this night’s work.’
Tom spoke up. ‘If you paid him, it wasn’t robbery.’
‘Of course it was not robbery,’ Muiris said. He sounded insulted. ‘It was business. Though I grant you, it can be hard to tell the difference. Some ship captains are honest. Others, like the one on that caravel, are corrupt to the bone. They skim their ship’s supplies and sell the goods ashore, or keep the ship undermanned and pocket the money that is meant to hire a larger crew. And it is not always the captain who is dishonest. Sometimes it is the owner. There are many ways in which the owner of a ship, or a fleet of ships, can enrich himself and no one the wiser. Och, Tomás, we have many partners in our business.’
* * *
William Flynn stood in the doorway of his wife’s bed- chamber . ‘Are you awake? The hour is late, but–’
‘I am usually awake, even at this hour,’ replied a soft voice from the darkness. ‘Is something wrong, William?’
‘I fear I must return to Dublin.’ He went to sit beside her on the bed. ‘I should never have left the capital when I did. I let myself be discouraged and gave in, which is not like me.’
‘No, dear,’ she agreed, moving over to make more room for him.
‘I hesitate to tell you this because I do not want to worry you, Kate. Strangers have been asking questions in Bantry about the size of my property. Unless I act quickly, the bailiffs may throw us off our land and give it to the New English .’
His wife gave a muffled cry of distress.
He swiftly gathered her into his arms. ‘Don’t be frightened , Kate,’ he murmured. ‘’Pon my honour, I vow no one will take your home from you.’
‘How can you prevent it?’
‘By following the advice I was given,’ he replied. ‘I shall call on the Lord Deputy, Thomas Wentworth, in Dublin Castle. Beg him on bended knee if I must. My desire for a political appointment is not merely selfish ambition; it is a matter ofsurvival. If I have a position with the administration I can protect my property.’
‘Are you certain?’
‘I am not certain of anything any more,’ Flynn said gloomily .
She forgot her own distress. ‘Oh my dear, this will mean another dreadfully long ride for you.’
‘Not this time. In the interest of haste, I shall ride to Cobh and book passage on a ship from there.’ He forced a smile. ‘We are about to have a ship owner in the family, remember? Might as well make use of him.’
CHAPTER NINE
Summer Storm
A fterwards Tom could hardly believe his adventure. He was safely back in his bed by the time the sun was up. The night had passed as swiftly as a dream. But he had proof of his exploits. His damp clothing, still smelling of salt and pitch, was wadded up in a corner of his room.
Tucked under his goosedown pillow were several small, tightly wrapped packets. Muiris had given them to him when they parted. ‘Thank you for the night’s work, Tomás. You are entitled to a share of the proceeds.’
When Tom unwrapped one of the packets he found a number of small brown stones. He was puzzled. ‘Why are you giving me pebbles?’
Muiris chuckled. ‘Not pebbles, lad. Whole nutmegs. Those other packets contain cloves and mace and cinnamon, as well as saffron and ginger. Spices have become very costly because of the import duties. If you sell yours in the village markets you can make quite a bit of money – just don’t mention where you got them. Better still, keep them. A pinch of spicein your mother’s food may tempt her appetite.’
‘It’s kind of you to care about my mother’s welfare.’
Muiris cocked one eyebrow. ‘Some say I am a kind man, Tomás.’
As soon as Tom had washed his face in the basin on his washstand and dressed in fresh clothes, he went down to the kitchen. He found Cook pummelling a large ball of dough. He stood watching for several moments, savouring the yeasty smell. Then he took a folded square of paper from his pocket and laid it on the
Tom spoke up. ‘If you paid him, it wasn’t robbery.’
‘Of course it was not robbery,’ Muiris said. He sounded insulted. ‘It was business. Though I grant you, it can be hard to tell the difference. Some ship captains are honest. Others, like the one on that caravel, are corrupt to the bone. They skim their ship’s supplies and sell the goods ashore, or keep the ship undermanned and pocket the money that is meant to hire a larger crew. And it is not always the captain who is dishonest. Sometimes it is the owner. There are many ways in which the owner of a ship, or a fleet of ships, can enrich himself and no one the wiser. Och, Tomás, we have many partners in our business.’
* * *
William Flynn stood in the doorway of his wife’s bed- chamber . ‘Are you awake? The hour is late, but–’
‘I am usually awake, even at this hour,’ replied a soft voice from the darkness. ‘Is something wrong, William?’
‘I fear I must return to Dublin.’ He went to sit beside her on the bed. ‘I should never have left the capital when I did. I let myself be discouraged and gave in, which is not like me.’
‘No, dear,’ she agreed, moving over to make more room for him.
‘I hesitate to tell you this because I do not want to worry you, Kate. Strangers have been asking questions in Bantry about the size of my property. Unless I act quickly, the bailiffs may throw us off our land and give it to the New English .’
His wife gave a muffled cry of distress.
He swiftly gathered her into his arms. ‘Don’t be frightened , Kate,’ he murmured. ‘’Pon my honour, I vow no one will take your home from you.’
‘How can you prevent it?’
‘By following the advice I was given,’ he replied. ‘I shall call on the Lord Deputy, Thomas Wentworth, in Dublin Castle. Beg him on bended knee if I must. My desire for a political appointment is not merely selfish ambition; it is a matter ofsurvival. If I have a position with the administration I can protect my property.’
‘Are you certain?’
‘I am not certain of anything any more,’ Flynn said gloomily .
She forgot her own distress. ‘Oh my dear, this will mean another dreadfully long ride for you.’
‘Not this time. In the interest of haste, I shall ride to Cobh and book passage on a ship from there.’ He forced a smile. ‘We are about to have a ship owner in the family, remember? Might as well make use of him.’
CHAPTER NINE
Summer Storm
A fterwards Tom could hardly believe his adventure. He was safely back in his bed by the time the sun was up. The night had passed as swiftly as a dream. But he had proof of his exploits. His damp clothing, still smelling of salt and pitch, was wadded up in a corner of his room.
Tucked under his goosedown pillow were several small, tightly wrapped packets. Muiris had given them to him when they parted. ‘Thank you for the night’s work, Tomás. You are entitled to a share of the proceeds.’
When Tom unwrapped one of the packets he found a number of small brown stones. He was puzzled. ‘Why are you giving me pebbles?’
Muiris chuckled. ‘Not pebbles, lad. Whole nutmegs. Those other packets contain cloves and mace and cinnamon, as well as saffron and ginger. Spices have become very costly because of the import duties. If you sell yours in the village markets you can make quite a bit of money – just don’t mention where you got them. Better still, keep them. A pinch of spicein your mother’s food may tempt her appetite.’
‘It’s kind of you to care about my mother’s welfare.’
Muiris cocked one eyebrow. ‘Some say I am a kind man, Tomás.’
As soon as Tom had washed his face in the basin on his washstand and dressed in fresh clothes, he went down to the kitchen. He found Cook pummelling a large ball of dough. He stood watching for several moments, savouring the yeasty smell. Then he took a folded square of paper from his pocket and laid it on the
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