Free Darkening Sea by Alexander Kent Page B

clean enough to eat from.
    He would have smiled but for his inner tension. The old grey house at Falmouth was shabby by comparison. A place that welcomed you. Where you could live.
    A small, wizened man darted from somewhere and held the reins while Adam dismounted.
    â€œGive him some water. I shall not be long.” The man nodded, his face completely blank.
    He did not turn away from the house as the man led the big horse around the corner of the building. He thought his nerve would break if he did.
    One of the paired doors swung inwards even before he could reach it, and a prim-looking woman with keys at her waist stood facing him without warmth.
    â€œCaptain Adam Bolitho, ma’am. I have letters for Captain Keen.” Or was he already promoted to flag rank?
    â€œAre you expected, sir?”
    â€œNo. Not exactly.” Used to sailors jumping to his every command, he was taken aback by her chilling tone.
    She remained firmly in the centre of the doorway. “Captain Keen is away, sir.” She may have considered telling him where he was, but changed her mind. “Will you leave a message?”
    There were voices and then he heard Zenoria call, “What is it, Mrs Tombs?”
    Adam felt his heart beating faster. The housekeeper was aptly named.
    The door opened wide and she was there, staring at him. She wore a simple flowered gown and her dark hair was piled above her ears. Her only adornments were some pearl earrings and a pendant, which he guessed was worth a small fortune. He did not quite know what he had been expecting, but she looked like a child dressing up in adult’s clothing. Playing a part.
    â€œI am sorry, er, Mrs Keen, I have some letters.” He fumbled for them, but his cuff caught on the short fighting sword he always favoured. “My ship is still at Portsmouth. I thought—”
    The forbidding housekeeper asked, “Is everything in order, ma’am?”
    â€œYes.” Zenoria tossed her head as he had seen her do when her hair had hung down like glossy silk. “Why should it not be?”
    â€œVery well, ma’am.” She stood back to allow the newcomer to enter. “If you require anything . . .” She glided away soundlessly on the marble floor but her words remained like a warning.
    Zenoria stared at him for several seconds. “You know you are not welcome here, Captain. ” She glanced around as if afraid someone would hear. But the house was completely silent, as if it were listening. Watching.
    â€œI am so sorry. I shall go directly.” He saw her draw back as he took a pace towards her. “Please. I didn’t mean to offend you. I thought your husband would be here.” He was losing her, even before he had made any contact.
    She was very composed, dangerously so. “He is in London. At the Admiralty. He will be back this evening.” Her eyes blazed. “You should not have come. You must know that.”
    A door opened and closed discreetly and she said, “Come into the library.”
    She walked ahead of him, very erect and small in this great cathedral of a house. The girl with moonlit eyes, as his uncle had called her.
    There were books piled in little heaps on a table. She said in an almost matter-of-fact voice, “All mine. Waiting for our new house when it is ready for us.” She stared at the tall windows where a bee was tapping on the glass. “They are so kind to me here . . . but I have to ask. I have no carriage and I am told not to ride alone. There are footpads and they say deserters always close by. It is like the desert!”
    Adam thought of the gardener and his musket. “When will you leave here?” He barely dared to speak.
    She shrugged. Even that sent a pain to his heart. “This year, next year—I am not sure. We will live near Plymouth. Not Cornwall, but close. In truth I find this life daunting. The family is away in London for the most part, and Val’s