Forty-Three Toffee

FORTY-THREE

Toffee

MARY

W ith the Rossers at the fort, the Uknaras holed up in their cabin and Enisca refusing visitors, Charles and I busied ourselves with practical matters in Renown. I found a seamstress, purchasing various necessities and ordering others to replace items stolen or destroyed in Hart 's capture. Charles, after being all too easily charmed by the shop owner, ordered an entirely impractical ensemble of dusty rose pink, trimmed with cream.

"And where will you wear that?" I inquired as we stepped back out into the slush and melt of the street. It was warm that day, the breeze mild and the only true cold wafting from alleyways still burdened by packed snow.

"Wooing," was his response.

"You'll hardly be wooing anyone if we die in the battle," I pointed out, speaking with forced lightness. The possibility of imminent death was something I held distant. "You may have wasted your money."

"I cannot take my money to the grave, Mary."

"Fair enough," I conceded.

Next I acquired a pair of boots, used but of fine quality, and replaced my sodden shoes against the slush and melt of the streets. I also purchased a cache of toffee and sweets, which I felt wholly justified considering the strain of the current situation—not least because I could not stop looking over my shoulder.

Our flight through Mere had been harrowing, nerve-shattering. But even though I now stood on Aeadine cobblestones with Charles at my side, I felt only marginally less vulnerable. How long would it take for a naval Sooth to notice a free Stormsinger on the streets? Would they snatch me without question?

I preferred not to find out. Sweets in my pocket, we returned to the docks near Hart 's longboat and lingered close by, waiting for Mr. Keo and our oarsmen to return from their own errands.

Time stretched. Charles shifted, sniffing the breeze, and cast his eye at a nearby tavern. "What if we went for a drink? And a good meal. I appreciate Willoughby's efforts, but a simple steak and potato would be a relief right about now."

I shook my head. "I'd prefer to return to the ship. Go on, Hart can see me from here." I indicated the ship, out across the water.

Charles considered a moment longer, then nodded. "Scream if someone tries to carry you off. Ah, and try not to kill them?"

He issued the request lightly, with a grin and a tap to the brim of his hat before sauntering away. But his words sat heavy in my stomach.

I popped a toffee into my mouth to distract myself. The minutes crawled by and I shifted on my feet, beginning to grow cold. I consumed half the toffees, all the while trying not to think of the coming invasion or the lungs I had stilled in Mere.

I was staring into the box regretfully when I sensed someone approach.

"You are the Stormsinger from Hart ." The man, in his early forties and wearing the double-breasted, black-collared coat of a naval officer, faced me on the dock. I couldn't immediately read his rank, but my stomach hit the dock beneath my feet.

"Sir," I greeted him, and, on impulse, offered the sweets. "Would you like a toffee? I'm afraid I've already eaten half the box. If I don't start sharing, I'll certainly eat them all."

The offer had the exact effect I'd hoped for. Off-footed, he blinked at me. "You are the Stormsinger from Samuel Rosser's Hart ," he clarified, this time more forcefully.

"Please have a toffee," I insisted. Internally, I scrambled. This man wouldn't try to conscript me in broad daylight, would he? How far away was Charles? He was nowhere in sight, and the tavern shutters were closed.

The stranger looked further disgruntled, but after a moment reached out and plucked one of the sweets. He popped it in his mouth and chewed, eyes widening. "Do these have chocolate inside them?"

I nodded. "They do."

The man chewed for a minute longer, working the tough sweet between his teeth, and by the end of it was clearly more relaxed.

"My apologies," he said, offering his hand. "I forgot myself. I'm Lieutenant Adler of Her Majesty's Recompense , and our Stormsinger was gravely injured last month. If you will permit me, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak to you regarding your skills."

I paused, about to pop another toffee into my mouth. "You would like the opportunity to tempt me away from my ship?"

He had the grace to look abashed. "I should like to speak to you about taking a position aboard Recompense , yes."

"You wouldn't prefer to throw me over your shoulder and carry me off?" My instinctual fear expressed as an unexpected brazenness, and I fixed upon it. "Or do you intend to do that once we're somewhere more private and not being watched by my crew across the water?"

Lieutenant Adler glanced over my shoulder. At that very moment, light glinted off a spyglass pointed in our direction from Hart 's anchorage.

"If I implored you to consider joining me for the good of your country, would that sway you?" he asked, speaking more lowly.

I put the toffee in my mouth and began to chew. I had no idea how much of the situation with the Mereish had filtered down through the rankings, but if Adler was coming to me on behalf of his captain and ship, he seemed like the type to keep himself informed.

Adler smiled thinly. "Is silence your response?"

"I am contracted to the Usti Crown and the Hart ," I informed him, though only after taking the time to swallow. "Not only am I loyal to my captain, but I am bound by that contract. I appreciate you not simply abducting me, Lieutenant Adler. But I cannot be convinced to leave Hart ."

He inclined his head. "I see. Thank you for your time, madam."

I inclined my head in return, and he left me. I was no Sooth, but, as I watched him fade into the crowd, I could not shake the feeling I would see him again.