Memory of Morning Read Free Page B

the seams. He weighed it in his hand and smiled all around the table.
    I assumed the bag contained a quantity of Crown pieces, but I was mistaken. When he tipped over the open top of the bag, color spilled out over the pale linen cloth. Jewels. Wondrous, beautiful, rich and rare as the stars in the night sky. My mouth hung open, I'll admit it, and watered a bit with longing for all that splendor. I didn't even think about how valuable the stones were for a moment. I appreciated the jewels for their beauty rather than their value, and if you knew my fondness for wealth you would find this reaction surprising.
    Captain Copper smiled enigmatically as he stirred the jewel pile with a finger. The movement was as seductive as if he'd been slowly caressing some girl's hardened nipple. He touched rubies, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, a huge pearl, moonstones, opals - every jewel you can think of in every shape, size, and shade, some cut, some cabochon, some pretty lumps of color. Dazzling.
    "Are they real?" Lt. Eel asked.
    "Where'd you get these?" Lt. Breeze asked.
    "And why are you looking like the cat that got the cream pot?" Dr. Swan wanted to know.
    The captain laughed, and because his laugh was always infectious, we laughed with him. Except Dr. Swan who continued looking at him with steely-eyed curiosity, but he did smile.
    "What I have for you," Captain Copper finally said, his gaze raking us all, "is a gift. I wish I could say this generous gift was from myself, but I am as much a beneficiary of our commander's generosity as you are."
    "Commander?" Mr. Gate asked.
    "Would you mean Lord North?" Swan guessed.
    "It would."
    The Admiral of the Fleets, Southern and Northern's full name, rank, and title was Lord Adrew Osprey, Lord of the North. Or simply, Lord North. Not that long ago the hereditary title was Prince of the North, but with the ascendency of Ang as the central power within the Empire, the claims and titles of the greatest of the Great Houses had shifted and toned down.
    There was a ripple of tension between Copper and Swan. I'm not sure anyone noticed it but me, as everyone's attention was riveted by the treasure set out before us.
    "You have accepted this gift from Lord North?"
    "I have."
    "And intend to distribute it among the officers of the Moonrunner?"
    "I do."
    Dr. Swan and I exchanged looks. Swan is a member of the third rank of nobility. I am a daughter of the first rank of a gentry family. That makes us fairly close in social position, both high enough in society to be aware of the political maneuverings of our betters. And smart enough to keep our heads down and turned away from the games of courtiers. Somewhere the Dowager Empress was likely vaguely disappointed at the fact that Lord North's flagship had not gone down in the storm and smiling with gritted teeth at the news of his splendid victory over the southern pirates. Lord North was delighted with that victory, and passing out largesse to Fleet captains who had aided him in the task.
    No one in this room was going to say that Lord North was offering a bribe for future loyalty, but Dr. Samel Swan was intent on making sure the word was not only not said, but obviously not even thought of by his captain. Let us all be publicly clear about that. As I have pointed out, I think, it is a ship's surgeon's duty to give a higher form of loyalty to his captain than the rest of the crew owed.
    "Our Lord Admiral left this gift - booty from the pirate leader's own sea chest - as a token of thanks for the 'Runner's taking the risky role in baiting the pirates," Captain Copper explained. "He said also that it was in thanks for the hospitality and fun we showed him hosting him aboard our ship during the battle. It would have been rude of me not to accept this gift for all the crew to share - starting with all those here," he added.
    There were cheers, applause, and hearty thanks to Lord Admiral North. I joined in, but at the same time I was puzzled. I'd guessed that