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Clay Younge had been watching the Coastal Trader with both interest and envy as she docked.

He was a sailor, so any ship interested him, but it did not take an expert to see that the Trader was superior to the Runner in every way.

He was envious of the way that the crew worked as a cohesive unit to accomplish their tasks, unlike his band of miscreants.

Then he saw something that piqued his interest. Three men were tossed off the ship for attempted theft and slunk away toward the inn.

His first mate was sitting with him playing cards, so Younge told the man to join the three in the bar and to find out as much as he could.

The man grunted his agreement and headed down to comply, especially since the ales would not be at his own expense.

As much as she disliked the delusional woman, Johanna álvarez had agreed to sit with Karen Younge to have some company for the day.

She hated having to stay in her room, but it was only for that one day.

Tony had gone on one of his rambles that morning and had said that he would return no later than the morning of the third day hence.

Her son had been distant for the last few weeks, but she had experienced distancing from him before as it was just part of his growing up and did not let it concern her overly much.

He would soon remember that she was his primary source of company and his responsibility.

It did not take very long before Karen Younge started babbling about her dear George again.

If she was not sure that Younge would set his crew on her if she harmed his sister, she would happily cut the annoying woman’s throat.

As it was, she was seriously thinking about having the insane woman ‘fall’ overboard when they finally sailed from this nowhere town they were holed up in.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The visits from friends and neighbours were long, but the family appreciated that it was a needed part of the grieving process.

The new Duke of Bedford had known that Lord Sed had been much loved in the area, but until he saw the outpouring of genuine love and sorrow for his uncle, he had not realised the depth and breadth of the love and esteem the tenants, servants, and townspeople had held for his late uncle.

That night he had discussed his observations with his wife, and they had both pledged to continue the legacy of benevolence that their uncle and all the Dukes of Bedford preceding him had set.

Lord Tom was no longer overwhelmed by his new position; yes, it would take him some time to grow into his role as duke, but thanks to his training and the confidence of his wife and family, he did not doubt that he would follow the tradition set by his father and Uncle Sed, and those who came before, and be fair in his dealings with those who depended on his estates for their livelihood.

His wife was growing into her role, gaining confidence with the support she was receiving from all of the ladies in the family.

Each day that passed found Lady Amy Bennet becoming more comfortable in her role as mistress of the estate.

Tom and Amy Bennet had finally moved into the master suite.

Lady Rose said that she was happy in her new suite.

No one would hear of her moving to the dower house, even though it was less than a mile from the great house.

An additional change for those in residence was that Mr. Winters, who had been overwhelmed when his legacy was revealed to him, had taken his leave to go live with his family and relax and enjoy his sunset years in retirement only the day before.

It had been hard for him to leave the Bennet’s employ, but he felt that with his master no longer alive that it was time to retire.

The royals and their spouses had departed following the funeral after conveying theirs and the rest of the royal family’s condolences once again.

The family, excepting the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, would depart for Town in three days.

They would take their time on the return trip, the first stop at Pemberley where the Darcys and Lady Catherine would remain for a few days.

They had also planned for there to be at least one day spent at Brookfield to see Jane’s and Richard’s estate.

Next would be Snowhaven to take leave of the Fitzwilliam parents, and finally Hilldale as Marie and Andrew returned to their estate.

From the Viscount’s estate, the Bennets, Phillips, Bingleys, and Gardiners would travel to Longbourn.

The older Phillips would return to their home in Meryton, their married children and the Gardiners were to be hosted with the Bennets.

After a day or two, the three families would travel to their own homes in London.

The first order of business on arriving at Longbourn would be to move Lady Rose and her belongings into her suite.

As hard as it was to contemplate life without her Sed in it, she had to proceed; the living had a responsibility to live for those they lost, and with the honour of both those alive and lost, she would live her life to the fullest. Now that Bingley’s lease had ended, James Bennet would move into Netherfield and take the reins of his estate, he was glad to take the burden of the daily running of it from his father who had taken it on while James had attended to his schooling.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The unloading of the Coastal Trader had gone as smoothly as Tony had hoped it would.

The local men were resting as they waited for the wagons to pull up on the quay so the goods that were to be transported to Dublin could be loaded.

The young man was almost shaky as his excitement grew to an almost fever pitch as the point of no return closed in, preparing to execute his plan.

The first of the carts pulled up and was ready to be unloaded, and once that process was completed the goods to be loaded would be carried on board.

At the bar in the Happy Leprechaun, the three ‘disgraced’ men were bitterly complaining about the ‘unfair’ treatment that the captain had meted out.

Some of their former shipmates had arrived at the inn and had jeered and yelled at the disgraced men until they had left the inn when they were threatened with more than verbal obscenities.

Amos Laraby sat and watched the scene unfold with interest. After the three left, themselves yelling obscenities and threats of vengeance back at the crewmembers, Laraby approached one of crew to ask if he could buy him a tankard of ale.

“I’s never one to say no to grog, thank ye kindly,” the seaman said. After the briefing he knew what to say to keep a consistent tale if asked about the three thieves.

“Ow come your cap’an kicked ‘em there men off your ship?” Laraby asked, certain he was being subtle.

“Cause they tried to steal fr’m us, thas why! Let ‘em rot in ‘ell, tries to thieve from us!” the seaman said with convincing disdain.

“Where do ya’ sail to fr’m ‘ere?” Laraby asked.

“To Dublin with us,” the seaman said with genuine glee, “we’s gets us a week shore leave before we sail agin.

” he sighed. “Gre’t ‘ity tho’, them ‘as some o’ da best sail’rs we ‘ad.” Laraby felt that he had learnt enough and said his farewell to his new friend by wishing him a safe trip back to Dublin, then went back upstairs.

After verifying he was alone, he knocked on his captain’s door and was bade enter.

“T’is what we thought, Cap’n,” Laraby reported.

“Them three tried to steal and gots caught so the Cap’n tossed ‘em off ’is ship.

I ‘eard the crew talking about it at the bar and I spokes to one.

‘e spilled that they be kicked off but ‘tis gonna be ‘arder fer de rest as they’s some o’ the best sailors they ‘ad. I ‘ad a man follow ‘em, ’n they went ta the ol’ wider’s ‘ouse an rented out a room for all three of ‘em.”

“Well done, Laraby. If we needs more crew members we knows where to find them!” The men watched as the labourers loaded the vessel.

As Younge watched, aside from it going slow because the longer it took, the longer they had to stay inside, he scanned the group.

He started when he thought he saw Alvarez, but the lad was blonde and at this distance many had the same features, so he dismissed it with a chuckle, many young men look the same at that age.

On his third trip loading sacks, Tony decided that with the cargo already in the hold, and what they had added, there were more than enough places to hide.

He made sure that he was not in anyone’s line of sight and deftly slipped behind some crates, finding a little void between two large crates that had others on top of them.

There was just enough space for him to lie down between them.

What he could not have known was that Mr. Clements and his three remaining men kept a count of who boarded and disembarked their vessel.

It was after seven in the evening before the cargo was all loaded.

Some of the Trader’s crew who had stayed aboard to work and were not part of those lucky enough to have liberty, went through the hold to make sure that the cargo was all secure.

Clements knew that there was one left hidden on board somewhere.

The four blended in with the crew as they secured the hold for sailing early in the morning.

One of the guards heard a sound coming from a void between some crates and signalled Clement and his fellow guards.

Once his men were stationed to cut off any possible avenue of escape, Mr. Clements stood next to the void.

“Out with you,” he commanded. “You do not want me to have one of my men drag you out, now do you?”