Almost 2 weeks after she left Connor returned to Davenport quietly. He stopped by the church and Timothy nervously confirmed that she had reached her destination safely. He did not press him for more, merely noting that once again he could let his men engage in naval warfare with a clear conscious. He unlocked the door and wandered through the house. The fires were extinguished and the house cleaned and sealed for the winter. She had left the quilt spread across the bed upstairs and everything seemed to be in place but her clothes were missing to show that she was not returning. Her journal sat on the table by the bed and be flipped through it briefly sighing to see his own face smiling back up at him from the page. He dropped the sketch of her he had brought back up from the ship and closed it in the book before storing it in an empty drawer. He knew he should burn the set but could not bring himself to do it. He headed back down stairs and turned the candle opening the door noting her dagger still lying on the table under the portrait of his first new target. Taking a bit of charcoal he added the date now months passed and hung a new portrait on the wall. Then he pulled out a mirror and a blade and began to his preparations for the war ahead.
Carolyn followed Haytham onto the ship and stood back as he tallied the inventory. The captain reported the value of the goods and he had Carolyn note them down in the ledger to calculate the taxes owed. She hesitated at the clothing line. She had been helping him do inventories for a month now and felt ready to share what she knew. "Haytham, he's terribly undervaluing these clothes." Haytham looked at her curiously. "How can you tell?" She considered the crates before them. "I did some embroidery for a woman who sold clothes down in this area. She got at least 3 times this." Haytham grimaced but had a word with the captain and the number was adjust up slightly if not sufficiently. She nodded and adjusted the entry recalculating the taxes. The moved on to another part of the ship and he showed her how they check for contraband and smuggling.
They returned to his quarters for lunch and she sat back on the couch with a sigh. He nodded in the direction of the dock. "You see the issue we have. It's hard to value people's inventory. They're always lowballing it. But we rarely have proof to adjust it upwards." She nodded then let out a laugh. "If he really had been selling them at those prices too bad he didn't have anything in my size. I'm going to need some new dresses shortly." She looked up at him suddenly. "You know that's a thought. If they claim to be selling something at a certain price and it's incredibly low we could always insist they sell it to us. I mean they can hardly claim that they wouldn't sell it for the price they just gave us. Then we could turn around and even if we sold it less than the going price would make a good profit that would more than cover the lost tax revenue." He laughed. "That's not a bad thought actually. It would have to be significantly low though to cover the cost of storing and transporting the items. " She sighed. "Smugglers and pirates. They never give up do they?" He looked thoughtful. "I suppose individually they must eventually. There's just always a new one. My father was a pirate in his youth actually. His base was around here somewhere." She looked up somewhat startled. "Edward? I never knew that." He shrugged. "It's true. We were very different my father and I."
He studied her on the couch. "And if you need a new wardrobe you should probably have them start sooner rather than later." She sighed and adjusted her dress. "Hmm I'd rather not spend the money right now. I have some time yet." She got a sudden faraway look on her face and then pressed her hand to her stomach with a laugh. "What is it?" Haytham asked, eyeing her curiously. She moved her hand and pressed in a different area. "It's moving. I can feel it. It's very… odd." She sighed and shook her head. "Me and my little stowaway. I'll be sneaking you on boats with me with no one the wiser for a little while yet."
Her contemplation was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. Haytham stood to answer it and she was surprised to see him return with the lieutenant governor following. She started to stand but he waived her to her seat and sat on the couch across from her, his demeanor solemn. Haytham stood beside her, his hand on her shoulder. He glanced at Haytham before beginning. "I feel like I needed to let you know personally. We've received confirmation from the Boston group. There was a bounty placed on the Lucinda. It has been claimed by the captain of the Aquila. She's now confirmed as lost with all hands." Haytham's grip tightened briefly on her shoulder as she gasped involuntarily at the name of Connor's ship but she swallowed and nodded. "Thank you for letting me know. It is what I expected." He reached across the table and took her hand but she stood pulling it free. "There are more ships in dock. We should probably get back to work shortly." Jonathan stood and she walked with him to the door. "Don't worry" he assured her "we take care of our own." He nodded at Haytham and closed the door.
Back in Boston Connor had thrown himself into his work as well, taking out a number of targets with an unusual deadly efficiency. He waited in the tavern for the next contract his nerves tense. Clipper approached him and slid him a drink. He picked up the cup and took a drink eyeing the assassin. "You're too tense, Ratonhnhaké:ton. You need to relax! Come on, me and Jamie have some plans." The men were more than a little drunk but he allowed them to guide him to a dark area outside of town. A large building was shuttered in the darkness but the sound of people and drunken laughter radiated from the walls. "We could have gotten drunk back where we were." Jamie patted his shoulder and raced on ahead. "Oh it's better than that!" A door opened and a man stumbled out, a half dressed woman waiving him on his way. Connor froze. "This is a brothel." Clipper laughed. "I was starting to wonder if you knew what one was! Come on! If you'll not let Dobby relieve some pressure there's plenty here who will do the job." He grabbed Connor's arm and pulled him to the door.
Once they were inside Jamie and Clipper fell into what was apparently their usual routine, a woman greeting each of them with a drink and then being dragged off laughing to a back room. He moved inside the door way, clinging to the shadows and inspecting the room. Carolyn's words rang in his head but at least most of the women appeared to be content. He scanned the room and spotted a woman on the far side clinging to the shadows herself. At a passing glance she bore a striking resemblance to Carolyn with dark sad eyes and a mass of dark ringlets and he had a moment of brief panic that her situation might have been more desperate than he thought and she had not fled after all but closer inspection showed she was shorter and slighter of build. He blew out the breath he was holding. A man appeared at his elbow. "See something you like do you? You've a good eye. She's one of our newer girls." He waived to her calling out her name. "Bethany. Come here." She flinched slightly, edged around the groups of people and approached them, her eyes downcast. "This gentleman has taken an interest in you. Why don't you show him your room?" She eyed the man and held out her hand to Connor. He shook his head but nodded for her to lead the way. The man grabbed his sleeve lightly and named a price. Connor handed him the money without looking and followed her up the stairs.
When they reached her room she barred the door and lit a candle. The room was small, just large enough for a bed, a trunk and a table. She stood by the bed, her eyes on the floor and undid the laces of her dress letting it fall. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at him at last where he stood by the door. Her eyes went wide and she jumped to her feet. "I'm sorry! Did you want me to help?" She approached him and reached out to undo the buttons of his coat. He caught her wrist. "How old are you? Truthfully." She swallowed. "Twenty." He shook his head and sighed. "This was a mistake. I'm sorry." He turned to go to the door but she grabbed him, pulling on his coat frantically. "No. Please don't go. I'm sorry. I'll do what you want. Just tell me." He turned back to the room. "Put your clothes back on." She walked slowly back to the bed, pulled her dress on and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Why are you here?" She laughed. "Why do you care?" "Tell me." She sighed. "I'm here because my husband died and I cannot afford passage back home. All my family is in England." He considered her. "Why did you not take other employment? Surely you could earn the money other ways. " She shook her head, her hand resting on her stomach. "Nobody will hire me to cook or clean in this condition. Why should they waste time and money on a servant who will have someone else to care for when they could hire a dozen who do not? But they would take me here. If I hurry I might earn enough to go home before I am of no use to them. And it's not like the men here can do me any more damage." "How much is passage to England?" She took a deep breath. "6 pounds. 2 years wages in a good house if I could find work. A few months earnings here if I play it right. It will be close." He walked to the edge of the bed and pulled her to her feet. "Pack your things." Her eyes went wide. "What are you doing?" He reached for his purse and pulled out a handful of money. "I'm getting you out of here. You do not belong here." He dropped the money in her hands and she gasped. "I… I do not need this much. I've saved half the fare already." He shook his head. "Keep it. Now pack. I do not know when the next ship sails but you should be out of here tonight."
She rushed to the trunk at the end of the bed and threw it open, shoving a few meager possessions into a large bag. She stood clutching the bag to her chest. "That's everything. I sold everything else. Who are you?" He nodded. "My name is Connor. Will you have a place you can stay until the ship leaves?" She nodded nervously. "If I can get out of here." He cracked his knuckles, "I will make sure of that. Is there another exit?" She unbarred the door and he followed her down the dark hall to a second set of stairs. She led him quietly past a number of people and through a door into the night air. As he suspected the man from downstairs chased after them, grabbing her arm and turning her around. "Where do you think you're going? We had an agreement." Connor grabbed his arm and wrenched it loose from her. "You do not own her. She is free to go if she chooses." The man laughed. "You do not leave here so easily." With a smile Connor proceeded to beat the man bloody, knocking him to the ground and continuing to strike him until he passed out. He stood and shook out his fists and shoulders. "I needed that." He turned surprised to see her still standing there watching. She swallowed and nodded at him. "Thank you. But why?" He looked down at the man lying bloody at his feet. "Because you reminded me of my wife. She would not have wanted you here." She met his eyes and then turned and walked off quickly into the night. He picked up the unconscious man and dragged him back to the stoop by the back door. He dropped him there and returned inside to find Clipper sitting at table, a woman laughing and hanging off one knee. He smiled up as Connor approached. "Ah Ratonhnhaké:ton! Do you feel better?" Connor broke into an unexpected grin. "Actually yes. But I'm headed back now. I do not think this is a place for me."
As the weather warmed trade increased and the time flew. The news of the new rules of inventory quickly spread and the reported tax value increased dramatically with only a few involuntary sales of goods. Haytham taught Carolyn some of the finer points of searching for hidden objects which she took to quickly with her deft fingers finding hidden compartments and items hidden in other goods. Soon enough she had to yield defeat and had a new dress made that would allow room for her expanding waistline. Haytham had a word with the seamstress and 2 more dresses were delivered to her room.
Carolyn frowned at him when she saw him the next morning. "You know I'm not your responsibility anymore. I need to be able to take care of myself." Haytham looked at her with mock surprise. "Is that the thank you I get? You're not going to be able to do this alone nor should you. You may not be my daughter but I promised your father I would look out for you and I shall. Besides I can't have my assistant showing up every day in the same dress. You'd look dowdy. " She laughed at him. "I'm as big a whale! I'm more scared we'll end up with a ship of lost Greenland fishers and they'll harpoon me!" She paused briefly then hugged him. "Thank you." She turned to watch the ship that was pulling into the port for inspection. "Haytham, if anything should happen to me, you would look after the baby, wouldn't you?" He froze briefly before turning to her. "Nothing's going to happen." She shook her head. "I hope so, but look at my mother. I need to know that the child will be taken care of." He took her hand as they lowered the gangplank and started to board. "Your child will be cared for. I promise. You'll be there to care for it."