Read Online Demons & Pearls (The Razor's Adventures Book 1) by P.S. Bartlett - Free Book Online
Authors: P.S. Bartlett
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quiet now and be still. It is always the same with these two. In a moment, she will kiss him and all will be well,” the Jamaican woman said and folded her hands in front of her apron. “Or, she will break something over his head and then take him to bed, and we will all stand here until she’s through.”
I turned to Cassandra and rolled my eyes. “Let’s hope for the kiss.”
Cass burst into laughter and then slapped her hand over her mouth as the door pulled open and out stepped the Captain. “Watts, fetch the ladies’ trunk and take it ta’ the third bedroom upstairs.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Ladies, follow me and do us all the kindness of allowin’ me ta’ introduce ye ta’ Missus McCormack. And fer the love a’ Christ, keep yer traps shut,” he whispered to us before we filed in.
The Captain led us into the grand parlor of the home. We were beyond impressed with our accommodations, but we weren’t naive enough to think we wouldn’t be earning the roof over our heads; we certainly weren’t guests in this house.
“Millie, allow me ta’ introduce Miss Ivory Shepard, the eldest of the girls.”
“How do you do, Lady McCormack,” I asked as I bowed to her.
“Why do ye bow like a man? Didn’t yer mother teach ye proper?” Millie McCormack snapped with a scowl. She was a tall, lean woman of about thirty-five, with coal black hair, and her golden brown eyes were slanted slightly. Either that, or her bun was far too tight.
“Never really had a mother, and our aunt and uncle who raised us died when we were just girls.”
“Well, that’s no excuse for not knowing a proper curtsy. We’ll work on that. Do ye always wear men’s clothes, too?”
“Well, ma’am, I suppose I do. I prefer to do men’s work, so the clothes just help with that.”
“Who’s next?” she sneered and fanned her hand at me, “This one’s a lost cause.”
I laughed under my breath. For as much as Lady McCormack cared about us being proper ladies, she spoke like a street trollop and carried herself like a sailor. With her boney knuckles pressed into her hips and the swagger in her walk, I could see immediately that Lady McCormack wasn’t a lady at all, no matter how hard she tried.
“Yer all maids, I assume? I won’t have whores in my home.”
We all nodded and smiled sweetly until I thought I’d burst into laughter. It was funny to imagine a woman like this insisting that we all be maids. Once we’d all been scrutinized and she’d waved us off due to our dripping and less than pleasant aromas, she requested the Jamaican woman we now knew as Coco to strip us of our clothes so they could be laundered and to get us bathed and ready for dinner within the hour. She had obviously, as the Captain mentioned, done this before—more than once. We were bathed, provided with clean clothes, and brought down to the dinner table as instructed. Thank goodness we’d still maintained our good table manners, even on the farm. Otherwise, had I been forced to endure any more of her lectures that evening, my razor may have shown her that her hospitality left a lot to be desired, severing any opportunity to find out if there was more to this witch than just her tight bun and even tighter arse.
Chapter Six
~Ladies in Waiting~
As our first real night ashore fell over the house, I was already figuring my way out. We had to sleep two to a bed, but Cassandra was a heavy sleeper. She hardly moved when she slept, which allowed me to slip away during the night to do a bit of exploring alone, long before the rest of the house would wake. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I’d find what I was looking for in this town—a hard, toe-curling drink. I wrapped my hair tightly, covered it with a scarf, and pressed Uncle William’s old cavalier down hard on my head. Out the bedroom window I went and down the trellis.
The main street was easy to find. All I did was follow the gold and orange glow of lanterns in the dark
I turned to Cassandra and rolled my eyes. “Let’s hope for the kiss.”
Cass burst into laughter and then slapped her hand over her mouth as the door pulled open and out stepped the Captain. “Watts, fetch the ladies’ trunk and take it ta’ the third bedroom upstairs.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Ladies, follow me and do us all the kindness of allowin’ me ta’ introduce ye ta’ Missus McCormack. And fer the love a’ Christ, keep yer traps shut,” he whispered to us before we filed in.
The Captain led us into the grand parlor of the home. We were beyond impressed with our accommodations, but we weren’t naive enough to think we wouldn’t be earning the roof over our heads; we certainly weren’t guests in this house.
“Millie, allow me ta’ introduce Miss Ivory Shepard, the eldest of the girls.”
“How do you do, Lady McCormack,” I asked as I bowed to her.
“Why do ye bow like a man? Didn’t yer mother teach ye proper?” Millie McCormack snapped with a scowl. She was a tall, lean woman of about thirty-five, with coal black hair, and her golden brown eyes were slanted slightly. Either that, or her bun was far too tight.
“Never really had a mother, and our aunt and uncle who raised us died when we were just girls.”
“Well, that’s no excuse for not knowing a proper curtsy. We’ll work on that. Do ye always wear men’s clothes, too?”
“Well, ma’am, I suppose I do. I prefer to do men’s work, so the clothes just help with that.”
“Who’s next?” she sneered and fanned her hand at me, “This one’s a lost cause.”
I laughed under my breath. For as much as Lady McCormack cared about us being proper ladies, she spoke like a street trollop and carried herself like a sailor. With her boney knuckles pressed into her hips and the swagger in her walk, I could see immediately that Lady McCormack wasn’t a lady at all, no matter how hard she tried.
“Yer all maids, I assume? I won’t have whores in my home.”
We all nodded and smiled sweetly until I thought I’d burst into laughter. It was funny to imagine a woman like this insisting that we all be maids. Once we’d all been scrutinized and she’d waved us off due to our dripping and less than pleasant aromas, she requested the Jamaican woman we now knew as Coco to strip us of our clothes so they could be laundered and to get us bathed and ready for dinner within the hour. She had obviously, as the Captain mentioned, done this before—more than once. We were bathed, provided with clean clothes, and brought down to the dinner table as instructed. Thank goodness we’d still maintained our good table manners, even on the farm. Otherwise, had I been forced to endure any more of her lectures that evening, my razor may have shown her that her hospitality left a lot to be desired, severing any opportunity to find out if there was more to this witch than just her tight bun and even tighter arse.
Chapter Six
~Ladies in Waiting~
As our first real night ashore fell over the house, I was already figuring my way out. We had to sleep two to a bed, but Cassandra was a heavy sleeper. She hardly moved when she slept, which allowed me to slip away during the night to do a bit of exploring alone, long before the rest of the house would wake. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I’d find what I was looking for in this town—a hard, toe-curling drink. I wrapped my hair tightly, covered it with a scarf, and pressed Uncle William’s old cavalier down hard on my head. Out the bedroom window I went and down the trellis.
The main street was easy to find. All I did was follow the gold and orange glow of lanterns in the dark
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