Chapter 28

"Dere's a man here t'see you, in d'front parlor, Miss Anne." Moses bowed, happy to be doing what he did so well.

Anne, wearing an old pinafore over one of the new, everyday dresses produced by a talented seamstress right in Queenstown, slid open the doors, and the big man stood and faced her, smiling, a gold-trimmed, black metal box in his hands. "Miss Conroy, I assume."

She nodded and almost flexed her knee. "Yes, Anne Conroy, sir." She cocked an eyebrow and waited, looking at his broken boots and worn clothes, his lined face and shaggy hair.

"Abner Firestson, Miss, first mate of your father's fine barky, the April May, which as I guess y'know, sank off the Capes some, what is it now, eight or ten weeks ago. Lor, guess it's more than that. It's taken me that long to get here, ma'am. This is for you, f'your father actually but I have since learned that he is dead, so it's yours. I'm sorry, Miss, real sorry, my sincere condolences. I only met him once. Fine man. But I remember you, from a crossing some time back, I surely do, you and your sister, on his other ship." He smiled.

Anne took the box and said, "Please sit down and tell me about what happened. And what this is." The box was quite heavy. She shook it and it clunked.

"Well now, we had come out'a Charleston, happy as blue birds, canvas filled, bone in our teeth, when we ran into a fierce nor-easter. Shouldn't happen down there, not this time a'year." He crossed his legs and held his knee.

"What had you been doing, in Charleston I mean?"

He chuckled and grinned. "Enjoying ourselves mostly. The cap'n, God rest him, had been with the admiralty court, the prize court it's called. That took some time on account of they hadn't done many recently; court's been there since Hector's time I think. Most privateers, they take theirs to a Dutch, French or Portuguese port, but we got these two just off the capes coming up from the south, headed for New York they were. We, well our prize crews, they brought in the two ships las' month, no, I lie, it's almost two months now; an undersized schooner out of Belfast that had been blown off course and a fat brigantine from the West Indies, Barbados I think, both small but heavily laden. Oh, and there was a third one, b'damn. Ah, sorry. Anyways, we followed, eagerly y'might say."

"You captured two British ships?"

"Aye, that we did, and then had one get clean away, sorry to say, while the first ones were heading in. Outfoxed us, she did with the help of some fog. Well, the court made us rich; three thousand and some from one ship and twenty-five hundred I think it was on t'other, at auction you understand in pounds sterling, hard money. Not many bidding I fear. One had a load of cloth, bolts and bolts of it, finest stuff; t'other a mix, mostly hardware y'might say, some powder and shot as well. The captain took his eight shares and divided the rest, and some of the men, well I think they spent it all before we sailed on a neap tide. I've got my four shares right here, taking it home to the missus." He patted his belly. "T'will keep us for a year at least."

"And this?" Anne shook the heavy box in her hands.

"T'other half. Goes to the men that fitted her out and to your father as owner, fifty-fifty I suppose. Less costs, lawyers fees and the like, it's, I believe, some twenty-six hundred pounds, a draft for two thousand, bill of credit actually, with interest of course, but several rolls of guineas that were on one of the ships, twenty I think, and some paper currency and other coins that was none a'their business, Spanish and the like. Carolina notes naturally, the paper money I mean, fit for the privy I 'spoze. We got paid in local paper except the captain did take a roll of guineas, and I got a few in my belt." He smiled shyly. "That's why it's so blinking heavy, that gold. Damn near sank me down to the bottom when I went in the water, and it's what probably did the cap'n in. Your pardon. Oh, ship's log's in there too. She was a fine barky, damnable shame. Sorry, miss." He smiled, stood and shuffled his feet, impatient.

Anne shook the box again and heard the coins thump. "Two thousand pounds, what sort of draft?"

"On the court, admiralty court, which I guess means the state. Suppose you'd have to go down there to get the silver. Three percentum interest I believe. They didn't have it, that's the sad truth. Some captains got nothing but paper; it's like a bill of exchange I suppose. We might a'done better in a Spanish court." He chuckled. "Have piles of reals and pieces of eight, up to our knees. Them Carolinians, they's like Scots when it comes to cash."

Anne nodded. "Can I get you something to eat, to drink?"

"No'um. Got to be getting home. Fellow's waiting for me on the dock. He'll take me to Fells Point. I live near Paca Town." He stood. "We come through Annapolis. That's where I heard about you and your father." He smiled at her. "You sure are a redhead, jus' like they tole me."

Anne walked with him to the door, shook his hard hand and watched him start hiking toward the river, noticing the first smell of spring in the chill breeze. Then she took the square box into the dining room, figured out how to open it after lifting two tabs at the same time and found a leather-covered book with most of the pages blank, the last date, she assumed, the day the ship was blown into the rocks and foundered. She set that aside and took out six heavy rolls of freshly-minted guineas wrapped in brown paper and a folded document with two wax seals at the bottom. She had never seen so much money, so much gold.

If I keep this, she thought, it will solve all my problems as far as the house and land. I might be able to buy back some of the farm, perhaps the tobacco land and a fieldhand or two. I'll have to contact father's Annapolis attorney and find the papers about the ships. Half of this belongs to the men who went privateering. She leaned back and closed her eyes. But the rest is mine. I suppose it's mine unless my sister should get half. But they've gone to Canada, vanished, Halifax. One thousand three hundred pounds, that's half. Lord in heaven, s'blood. The curse surprised her, leaping into her mouth unbidden.

I'm very rich, she thought, closing her eyes and leaning back, very, very, very rich. Father's estate wasn't worth this much after the bills were paid, not even half this much. A man who has a hundred a year is wealthy these days, and I have a thousand, more than a thousand. She slid the slick, heavy coin through her fingers and then studied the pudgy face of the king on its front.