She took herhands out of the soapy tub and wiped them on her apron, beforetucking a lock of unruly blonde hair behind her ear, her face allserious.
“Well thatdepends,” she replied. “Are you asking if I’m a trustworthy person?Or are you asking me to do something immoral?”
“I would neverask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself,” I assured her,making a mental note of how she didn’t seem to like her characterbeing challenged.
She smiledproudly. “Then, yes, you can trust me.” The woman turned andgrabbed a couple of fresh buns from the counter and handed one tome before lobbing off a giant bite of her own. “What’s the matter?What happened down there? Did you find your captain?”
“Yes and no,”I replied vaguely. “It was a friend who’d left the letter. A friendwho I thought had died.” I took a bite of my bun and spoke withhalf a mouth. “I need to hide him for tonight. And then tomorrowI’m heading to Cupers Cove to fetch two more of my friends. One ofthem is a very ill boy. I’ll need to hide them here until herecovers. Is that something I can trust you to help me with?”
Lottie didn’trespond, only continued to eat her bun and cast curious glances atme from the side. Finally, she spoke. “Are these mendangerous?”
“No, I swear,”I quickly blurted out. “They’re privateers, one is no more thanfifteen years old. He’s like a little brother to me. They’re goodmen, I promise you. And they won’t be causing any trouble.” Whenshe still didn’t produce a solid response, I added, “I can pay youfor two extra rooms.”
She chewed herlip in thought, but then shrugged it off. “Just pay me for one,it’s all I have available, anyway. But I can set up a cot in one ofthe rooms if you need.”
My face lit upwith joy and I grabbed the woman, bringing her colliding with mybody in a clumsy embrace. “Thank you!”
She pushed meaway, but the corner of her mouth turned up. “Did you say you hadto hide your friend here tonight?”
“Oh, shoot,yes,” I replied, remembering that Finn still waited outside. “He’sout back. Is there another exit? I don’t want to bring him inthrough the front and risk him being seen.”
She turned andmotioned for me to follow. “Can I ask who it is that you’re allhiding from?” I watched as she moved some small wooden crates awayfrom a partially hidden door and heaved on the large metal latchthat crossed the center.
“Maria andEric Cobham,” I replied. She came to a halt and stared at me withintensity. I couldn’t tell if she was angry or surprised, but hereyes narrowed, and her cheeks flushed red. I quickly added, “But Ipromise, they won’t be coming anywhere near the tavern. If we’recareful about hiding my friends, they’ll never know we’re evenhere.”
Lottie didn’treply but her face settled into a stone-cold expression. Did peoplereally fear The Cobhams that much? Or was there something Lottiewas hiding from me? She heaved on the door again and it opened witha loud, rusty creak. I peered myhead out in search of Finn, but it was pitch black, I couldn’t seepast where the light escaped from the tavern door. Suddenly, afigure jumped in the doorway from the side and tipped over a smallstack of the wooden crates.
“Christ,Lassie,” he roared, “I’ve been freezin’ me arse off out there.” Finn let out an exaggeratedshudder and looked from me to Lottie with an amused grin.
“Thisis your friend?” Lottie asked, eyes wide. “Jesus, good luck keepinghim hidden.”
I let out atired sigh. “This is Lottie,” I told him. “She’s been extremelykind to me and is going to help us stay under the radar whileCharlie heals. So, it’s a good idea to behave while you’re here,understand?” My eyes darted back and forth between the two. “AndLottie, this is Finn.”
She nodded.“Clearly not the sick child, then.”
He grabbed herhand and bent down to place a kiss on the back of it. “Milady, we are forever in yer debt.”
I rolled myeyes but couldn’t help laughing. Even in times of crisis, Finn wasa shining light. Nothing could keep him down. Lottie didn’t seemtoo pleased by his humor, though. She yanked her hand away, pursedher lips, and turned toward the stairs.
“Followme.”
***
Lottie showedFinn to his room and then left abruptly. Something about him madeher uneasy, more than her usual everyday unease. Maybe it was hissize, or perhaps she had something against Scots. I made a mentalnote to talk to her later when I had the chance.
“So, tell memore about this time travel bit,” Finn told me as we sat on my bed.I grabbed a few more buns from the kitchen and two bowls ofleftover stew. It was cold, but we happily spooned it into ourmouths in the quiet echo of my room.
“I don’t knowhow much would make sense to you,” I replied honestly. “I mean, Ihad no idea about any of it until it happened. I still know hardlyanything. I’ve managed to travel back and forth by pure luck,really.”
“Nay, I don’tbelieve that.” He grabbed another bun and effortlessly bit off anentire half in one bite. “I’ve never heard of regular people usingmagic like that. That stuff’s only for the fairies and the witches.”
“Well, my momwas raised by Martha, the Celtic witch who was in the forest withus that night,” I told him. Finn’s eyes widened, and I watched ashe mindlessly wiped his beard of stew with the palm of his hand. “Ihad no idea, not until I met her. I didn’t even know my mom wasfrom the past.”
He nodded.“Aye, the witch. She disappeared the moment ye did.”
“Really?”
“Aye, thecoward.” He gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes “So, where in thepast did yer mum come from? And where in the future are ye from,anyway?”
“I was born in1991, and when you guys scooped me out of the water that day, I’djust come from the year 2018. My mom was–” I realized then, I hadno actual idea of where my mom came from. I assumed it was 1707,but she could have come from anywhere in the past. Martha claimedto have raised
