Page 102 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage

And on January 12, the prime minister had had the Távora family executed.

Whether the Távoras really did it or not, though, I can’t be sure. The prime minister has always hated them, so it would be easy to blame an assassination attempt on them to get them out of the way.

There’s nothing to openly connect me or Lucia to the family.Reminding himself of this provided a little comfort, but he couldn’t quite quell the nervous jump of his pulse. Accusations of treason were few and far between.

If the quadrilheiros think I’m part of the conspiracy, there’s no way I’ll get a fair trial; my fate will be decided from the moment I’m arrested.

“Where are we going?” Lucia asked in Santiago’s ear, piercing through the man’s concentration as skillfully as an assassin attacking a target.

Santiago jerked back in surprise, his calm facade slipping away for a moment to reveal the anxiety lying beneath. “We were scheduled to leave for England, but I doubt that would be safe now. We’ll have to think of an alternative… Andreas, do you have any ideas?”

His friend nodded, solemn and confident.If he’s only pretending to be composed like me, he’s doing a much better job of it.

“Norway.”

Santiago looked at the man curiously.TheSão Nicolauhas never been to Norway before, and as far as I know, neither has Andreas.

“What couldpossiblybe there? Isn’t it absolutely frigid?” he asked the captain.

“In the winter, aye, but by the time we arrive, summer will have already started. I have a friend there who can help us. We’ll find a place to stay, somewhere far from the reach of His Majesty and the prime minister.”

“And we’ll come back when it’s safe, right? We will come back home?” Lucia asked, touching Andreas’s arm.

The simple action reminded him of how young his sister still was, just shy of seventeen.

“Of course we’ll return! We’ll need to give you a proper birthday celebration with all your friends, won’t we?” Santiago gave Lucia his most encouraging smile, hoping he could put her mind at ease.

“I don’t mind being away on my birthday, so long as I’m with people I care about.” Lucia’s eyes flickered between Santiago and Andreas, making Andreas blush.

Santiago coughed to dispel the awkward feeling that had settled over the group. “Well, let’s get the sailors up, then, so we can leave.”

“A-Aye, let me do that,” Andreas said and hurried off to rouse the crew.

Santiago took one last look at Aveiro, a beautiful city of canals and boats, wondering when…if he would see it again.I’ve left the city so many times, but it never felt like this before.

“What’s going on?” a voice asked. Santiago spun around and watched as the crew made its way onto the deck. Several of them appeared to have just woken up.

“Mr. Mendes! We weren’t expecting you until the morning. Is something going on?” the same voice spoke again, though this time, Santiago recognized the speaker as the ship’s newest recruit. He racked his brain for the man’s name, but nothing came to him.

Andreas shuffled over to Santiago. After a few seconds, he realized why Santiago wasn’t answering, so he leaned over and whispered, “Adriano Rodriguez.”

Santiago cleared his throat and nodded his thanks. “There has been a change in plans, Rodriguez! We’ve learned of a more lucrative venture in Norway, so we’ll be traveling there instead. My sister shall be joining us as well. I expect there will be no trouble, or you’ll have to answer to both the captain and myself.” Santiago’s pointed expression left no doubt of what he meant by his last statement.

A few whispers passed between the sailors before Rodriguez spoke up again. “Norway is much farther away. Are there enough provisions for us to make it?”

Santiago grinned. Most of the sailors kept their opinions to themselves, especially if it could look like they were questioning Mr. Mendes’s judgment.This Rodriguez fellow is still almost a boy, yet he’s bold enough to ask what must be on everyone’s minds.

“No need to worry about that! We always bring more than enough, so we’ll be fine.”

Before any further questions could be asked, Andreas shouted, “Well, you heard Mr. Mendes! Let’s get going!”

“But, Capitão,” First Mate Silva said, “some of the men went into town for a drink and haven’t returned.”

Santiago frowned. The longer it took them to leave, the more likely they’d be caught by the quadrilheiros.The officers might already be on their way to the docks now.

“It’s important that we leave as soon as possible. If the men aren’t back before the ship is ready, then we leave without them. Understood?” Andreas barked.

The men jumped to attention with shouts of “Aye!”