Secret Meetings

[thefadedrose]

** Quick note: Sorry for the delay but we had a horrible ice storm that devastated
my town. But I can continue with the stories again. **


Why do I always seem to get myself in these predicaments? I thought as I paced back and forth in front of the two troublesome wenches. It was bad enough to be in league with the Lord and Master's wife but now his sister has stumbled into the plot and that is a complication that I hadn't counted on. John has always said that I had a knack for attracting dangerous elements but, geez, what a mess I have landed into now!

I stopped suddenly in front of the two exasperating females and asked, "Okay, first off! You! The sister-in-law! What is your name and what are you doing here?" I demanded. "Um, uh, my name is Jane and as far as what I am doing here? Well, it is like this you see, uh, Meghan has been acting rather strange of late and I knew she was up to something so I followed her." Jane said rather meekly.

"No, what you were doing was spying on me as usual and just be being plain nosy is what you were doing!" Meghan retorted back.

"I was not being nosy!" Jane said.

"Well, now that we know you were spying for the most part but my question is this . . . why?" I asked of Jane.

"I wanted to know what was going on okay? She has been sneaking around lately and I just thought maybe just maybe she was cheating on my brother is all!" Jane declared.

"Me? Cheating? You are worried about me cheating? Are you insane? My husband, your brother mind you, runs through wenches like there is no tormorrow on a daily basis and you are worried about me cheating?" Meghan exclaimed.

Jane dropped her gaze to the sand looking rather forlornly. For a moment I felt nothing but sorrow for her because it was rather obvious she looked up to Meghan.

No, no, no! I cannot let my emotions control me! I cannot get involved like this! I let my heart rule me once but never again!

"Alright Jane I have to figure out what am I going to do with you. I cannot let you go. Do you understand?" I asked of Jane as I bent over to retrieve the dagger from the sand that Meghan had thrown.

Jane's eyes widened as she watched me rather alarmingly. It rather amused me to know that she was afraid of what I might do to her.

Jane suddenly started scrambling to her feet to flee but I was was much quicker than she thought and had the tip of my cutlass at her throat before she realized what was happening. "Going somewhere lass?" I asked.

"Kani! Don't! Please!" Meghan begged of me. I glared at Meghan for revealing my identity. Now I didn't have a choice but to be rid of Jane. A drop of blood appeared on Jane's throat as I pressed the blade a little further in that I had anticipated. I heard Jane's gasp of pain as I pressed harder.

"Kani! Please, I am begging you! I can handle Jane I promise!" Meghan pleaded.

"Why should I? If I were to let her go she will run back to the Lord and Master, her brother and reveal all!" I spat back.

"She knows nothing Kani! We can just forget this whole thing alright? We will all just back away and go about our merry way! I swear by all that is holy Jane will not say a word to John!" Meghan said.

So many thoughts raced through my mind as I contemplated what Meghan had said. So many lives were at stake on this venture. If one word of this leaked out mine and the others would be in the press gang and never be heard of again.

"I have some information that may be useful." Jane declared.

"And that is?" I asked of her.

"If you would just back the blade off a bit I will tell you alright?" Jane asked.

I eyed her warily but I did pull the blade back and waited.

Jane let out a sigh of relief and said, "Look, I have some idea of what you two are up to ok? But you should know that John knows more than you think."

Mine and Meghan's eyes widened in surprise as we looked at Jane. I shook my head and said, "What? John knows nothing I tell you, nothing!"

Jane looked at us both and sighed, "It is like this . . . I overheard John one night talking to someone in the crew. I don't know who so don't ask. I was hiding under John's desk so all I could see was their boots but I overheard this man tell John that he had some more information to pass on if he would be willing to pass over a little silver for it."

"What did the man say?" I asked of Jane.

"He said there was talk of a mutiny amongst the crew. And that one in particular, a wench, was head of the uprising! And that same wench was being financed rather highly to pursue said venture!" Jane said.

My heart by this time had leapt to my throat and I suddenly was at a loss for words for once in my life but Jane pressed on with her story.

"My brother demanded to know how he came about said information. He even declared that it couldn't be true and accused the man of lying to get more silver! I thought John was going to kill him, I really did!" Jane said rather beseechingly.

"But the man insisted upon the silver before revealing any further information. Then John demanded that the man leave before he made him walk the plank!"

"Then what happened?" Meghan asked.

"Well, after the man left, John came back into the study and stood there for a bit then he told me come out from under the desk. Apparently, I didn't hide well enough!" Jane said rather sarcastically. I rolled my eyes up at Meghan and asked Jane to go on with her story.

"I asked how he knew I was there and he said he heard my sharp intake of breath during the man's story. Anyhow, I could tell what little information that the man passed on had upset John so I asked who was it that the man was talking about. John said there could only be one wench gutsy enough to try something like this!" Jane turned to face me and said, "He said there was only one! Just one who could pull something like this off and the look of betrayal on his face, Kani, was something I know I don't want to see again!".