by J. N. Cao
“Yes, please let me see my husband.”
The man thought for a moment. “All right then. Follow me.”
He led them to the cabin of the small ship.
“I have ’em,” said the man as he stepped inside the cabin, followed by Matilda and Martha. The man’s lamp showed three other men standing about a small wooden table. The room was dank and had an unpleasant smell.
“Why is there two of ‘em?” asked the bushy bearded man. Matilda recognised him and another man as the men from the marketplace.
“The short one’s wife,” said the man, pointing his thumb at Martha.
“Where’s my husband? What have you done to him?” said Martha.
“Nothing, yet,” said the man with a moustache sitting in the middle.
“What do you want?” asked Matilda.
“We want you,” said the man with the moustache, pointing at Matilda, “to do us a job, and when it’s done, you can have your uncle and cousin back.”
“Me?” said Matilda. What could these hard looking men want me to do that they couldn’t do themselves? She thought.
“Don’t worry, it’s very simple,” continued the man with the moustache. “We know you work in the Duke’s house, and we want you to steal something for us.”
“Steal? I have never stolen anything in my life. You got the wrong person.”
“Oh no, we got the right person,” said the man with the moustache. “You know the house well, and the Duke won’t suspect a maid like you. Although we could have used that old hag Abbott, but she wasn’t easy to catch alone and has no family. Now, do we have a deal?”
Then he snapped his fingers.
Two men disappeared out of the cabin and then came back with Ralph and Roger, all tied up.
“Roger!” cried Martha.
“Martha!” Roger cried back.
“What do you want me to steal?” said Matilda.
“We want you to bring back a map. I know the Duke had recently received a chest of gold and in it, there should be a map,” said the man in the moustache, who Matilda now thought was the leader of his group.
“So all I have to do is get you this map, and you will release my uncle and cousin unharmed?” said Matilda.
“That’s right,” said the leader.
“So how would I know if I got the right chest, with the right map inside? The Duke may have many chests and maps in his study, which is where he keeps most of his important things.”
“Well then, you will just have to keep stealing and coming back here until you got the right one,” said the leader.
“At that rate, I’ll get caught eventually if the Duke notices that someone has been stealing his things. I can’t guarantee that I can return to his study that many times,” said Matilda. “The idea is not practical. And then you will have to find someone else to do the job. But it will not be easy because the Duke would have tightened his security by then.”
The leader did not respond, but only peered at Matilda.
“I think she’s right,” said the man with the bushy beard to his leader.
“You need to tell me exactly what kind of map I should be looking for so we won’t be wasting our time,” said Matilda.
The leader drummed his fingers on the table for a moment and then said, “We’d like a private moment.” The men huddled together, except for one who was in charge of watching Ralph and Roger.
Matilda tried to make out what they were whispering to each other. She heard one say, “She’s going to find out anyway just by looking at the map. It has his name written all over it, I’m sure.” And then from another, “You sure there was a map inside?” To which was answered, “Of course there was, I saw it with my own eyes,” followed by, “But it was dark you said.”
Matilda began to suspect that these men may never have seen the map before, which would complicate her job. While watching them she noticed that the leader did not appear as scruffy as the others. His clothes, although not wealthy, were not dirty or ripped. The others looked like those drunken men that she seen outside the tavern.
Finally, they broke out of the huddle and turned to Matilda.
The leader straightened up in his chair. “All right, we don’t plan on letting anybody know what we’re up to because we don’t want anybody tailing after us,” said the leader. “So if you were to tell any soul about what we’re doing, then expect no peace from us, got it?”
“I understand,” said Matilda.
“Good,” said the leader. “Now, the map we’re after belongs to Victor the Vicious.”
“Victor the Vicious?” said Roger.
The men glared at Roger. Roger then gave a weak laugh, “Sorry, carry on.” Matilda heard Ralph whisper to Roger, “So it’s true!”
“So I simply have to make sure that it’s Victor’s map?” asked Matilda.
“Yes,” said the leader.
“And you are sure that there’s such a map in the chest?” she asked again.
“Yes. I work on Sir Devon’s crew, and I know that he and the Duke have been searching for the map for years,” said the leader. “No one knows about this, not even the crew. They still think their job is to find lost treasures from shipwrecks for the King. But I was suspicious about a small chest that we found some weeks ago, so I spied on Sir Devon when he opened the chest and I remember seeing a map, though very briefly because he turned his back towards me. But I was sure that it was Victor’s map because Sir Devon guarded that chest very well and then took it to the palace. So, now are you convinced?”
“Yes,” said Matilda.
By the time Matilda and Martha returned home, it was already past midnight. They explained everything that happened at the wharf to Grandfather Tom.
“Dear Lord, what have I done to deserve this?” Grandfather Tom spoke above him. “Have I not suffered enough when you took my son and daughter away?” Then he buried his face in his hands and started to weep.
“There, there Grandpapa. I’m sure we can get through this,” said Martha as she lightly patted his shoulder.
“That’s right. I just have to get the map, and everything will be fine,” said Matilda.
“It’s not easy,” said Grandfather Tom. “What if you get caught? They’ll throw you in prison, and Ralph and Roger …” he couldn’t bear to continue, but only shut his eyes and shook his head.
“Trust me. I’ve been in the Duke’s study a few times. It’s not difficult to get in,” Matilda lied. She had only been in the Duke’s study once, when he ordered her to get him food, and was expected to leave immediately afterwards, so she had no memory of what the room even looked like. Also, the study was always locked and only the Duke had the key to it.
“But what happens after that?” asked Martha. “I mean, after you have stolen the map. The Duke will know it’s gone and he will want to find out who did it.”
“Yes, it won’t be safe for you to work for the Duke anymore,” said Grandfather Tom.
“Don’t worry. I can make it appear that a group of men had broken in. He will never suspect me.”
There was a moment of silence.
Then Martha said, “I have a feeling that it would be a good idea to leave this town and move to my mother’s. She’s living by herself, and there’s some room for us. I don’t feel like living here anymore after all that has happened. I don’t feel assured with you working for the Duke after this. And those sailors or whatever they are, knowing about us and where we live.”
“That’s right,” said Grandfather Tom. “If the Duke somehow caught hold of them and they revealed you, it would be disastrous.”
“But if I leave right after stealing the map it would only look suspicious,” said Matilda. “Besides, the reason why we moved to this town was to make a living. There’s no work left where your mother is.”
“I have already looked at our family savings and it’s enough to rent a small piece of land there to do some farming. It’s not much, but it will do for now,” said Martha.
Matilda did not know how to respond to this. She felt uncertain about leaving town. Although she did not enjoy her work at the Duke’s home, she was not keen on spending the rest of her life farming in lonely countryside. But her family’s safety was at stake, and she knew it was sensible to put aside her desires for now.
“I guess you’re right, Martha. We’ll leave after we get uncle and Roger back,” she said.
Matilda found it hard to sleep that night. Her mind was occupied with planning how to steal the map. She must first somehow get the keys to the study.
Chapter 3
Stealing the Keys
Matilda woke at the crowing of a rooster. She was always first out of bed in the morning because she had to be at the Duke’s manor before he woke up to make his breakfast. Despite how tired she was from the lack of sleep, she still quickly got dressed and left the house. She stepped onto the main road that led to the town centre. While walking along the road, she heard the sounds of hooves trotting and the rattling of a wagon behind her. So she turned around to see who it was.
It was Mr Dudley, a tradesman who lived in a nearby town. He would come to Esterwall’s city centre several times a week to sell his crops or other miscellaneous goods.
“Good morning, Mr Dudley,” greeted Matilda as she watched him pull the reins to stop his horse next to her.
“Morning, Matilda. Off to work?” he said.
“Yes.”
“I’m heading the same direction. Hop on. I’ll give you a lift.”
Matilda sat in front of the wagon next to Mr Dudley and they rode towards town. She had known Mr Dudley since she was thirteen years old. She and several other children enjoyed listening to stories about his travels and other stories that he had heard.
“Don’t see much of you anymore. Too old for my stories, eh?”
“Oh no, I love your stories. I’m just swamped with work,” said Matilda. “I think about them sometimes, but even then I don’t have much time to do that too. They’re really all I have to take my mind off these tough times.”
“They not working you like a dog, are they?” said Mr Dudley.
Matilda thought about it.
Mr Dudley sighed. “Aye, times have gotten hard for everyone.”
“Mr Dudley, do you remember the story about Victor the Vicious that you told me a long time ago?”
“Aye.”
“Do you think someone has already found the map?” Matilda said.
“I haven’t heard anything new about it.” Then he paused. “But I do know that there are people still searching for it. I remember many years ago, just after Victor disappeared, a fella named Geoffrey Lowe had gathered a few men to go find the treasure, but they never came back. Shipwrecked, most likely. Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?” Mr Dudley said.
“Nothing. I was just thinking about it.”
“Odd thing to be thinking about first thing in the morning,” Mr Dudley said.
“Do you think it’s dangerous out there?” Matilda said.
“Out where?”
“Out there, beyond where we live. Sailing the seas, exploring new worlds … finding treasure,” Matilda said.
“My girl, you asking odd questions today.”
“I’m just curious. You have done so much travelling. Do you ever feel safe? Or is it exciting?”
Mr Dudley laughed. “I don’t think I’ve done as much travelling as you may think. New worlds? New towns more like it, and only their marketplaces at that. Is it safe? Well, I’m no fighter, but I’m still here. But some unlucky ones have been murdered for their goods by pirates and such. Now, would I call that exciting? Ha ha, I think that’s enough excitement for this old bag of bones.”
Then he went on, “As for treasure, I guess that that could be some kind of adventure.”
“Yes, I think so too,” Matilda said.
“Oh, so many men died on their journey for glory, my dear. I wouldn’t want any part of it. And I wouldn’t suggest it to any young lady,” Mr Dudley said and then shot Matilda a side-glance.
Finally, they rode to the edge of the marketplace. Several sellers were already setting up their store or stall.
“Thank you, Mr Dudley. I can walk from here.”
“My pleasure. Good to see you, my dear.”
For the whole day, Matilda collected information about the Duke’s schedule for the week. She did this by keeping an ear out on his conversations with his valet, Maurice, a young man about Matilda’s age. And she knew that the Duke always carried a small bundle of keys with him.
She was sure that he was without his keys when he slept, but the idea of her sneaking into the manor at night and getting his keys from his bedroom was very unlikely. She figured that there was only one other time to act, and that was during his bath time.
The next afternoon, Matilda was in the kitchen scrubbing pots while the Duke was eating his meal in the next room. She could hear him talking to Miss Abbott.
“This chicken tastes a little funny. And smells odd too,” said the Duke.
“Your Grace, this is the best chicken we could buy with the allowance you gave me.”
“I’m sure there are better butchers to buy from. You’re just not bargaining hard enough.”
Just then Maurice walked into the kitchen and took a bucket of boiling water from the fireplace. He was in the process of filling up the Duke’s bathtub. Matilda pretended not to notice and as soon as Maurice had left, she stopped scrubbing. She had to act fast. She could hear the Duke getting up from his seat. She knew that the Duke would be left to bathe alone while Maurice put his dirty clothes in the laundry room and gathered a new set of clothes from the Duke’s bedroom. After that, Maurice would wait in the bathroom for the Duke to finish.
Matilda had earlier made the doors of the Duke’s wardrobe cabinet stuck. The wooden wardrobe has double doors, and sometimes one of them would get stuck when clothes in the cabinet become lodged in the door or the hinge, therefore block it from opening. But this could easily be fixed by opening the door next to the stuck door and reaching inside to dislodge the obstruction.
This time, however, Matilda had made both doors stick to bide herself some time. She had embedded a part of clothing from the inside into the hinges of both doors, and then shut them tight. It would be a while until Maurice could open the doors again, after some fiddling and force.
Miss Abbott then entered the kitchen, carrying a tray of unfinished food.
“Matilda! What did I tell you about buying fresh chicken? You got the Duke a chicken stuffed with god-knows-what inside.”
“I’m sorry. We always bought from Mr Paddington, and it has always been good.”
“That gambling crook! I’ll have a word with him when I see him,” Miss Abbott said.
“Oh no! I forgot to leave a chamber pot in the Duke’s room,” Matilda lied.
“Then what are you standing there for? Go on.”
Matilda left the kitchen and made her way to the stairs. She heard someone walking towards the stair case above. She thought it must be Maurice. Then she hid in the drawing room just next to the stairs. When she heard him reach the bottom of the stairs, she peeked out from the entrance of the drawing room. She saw Maurice carrying a bundle of clothes, heading towards the laundry room.
Matilda climbed up the stairs then headed to the bathroom. She placed her ear against the door and listened. She heard nothing. With utmost care, she turned the doorknob of the bathroom and slightly opened the door. The Duke was in the tub, his back towards her. He had a wet towel over his head and both arms were stretched out on the edges of the tub. He seemed not to be moving and Matilda could only assume that he was resting with his eyes closed, hopefully. She scanned the room and then spotted the keys next to the bucket on a small table not far from the door.
Matilda thought everything looked safe enough and so started to move into the room. She left the door ajar behind her and sneaked over to the table. One by one, she took each step
slowly, placing her feet gently on the floor.
KREEEN! The floorboard creaked right after her last step. And she froze.
“Maurice?” said the Duke.
Matilda uttered a yes in a deep voice above her beating chest.
“Bring me the soap. You forgot it,” said the Duke.
Matilda frantically searched for the soap, but she could not see it. Then she stepped over to the small table where the keys were, and with a closer look she saw the soap sitting behind the bucket.
She grabbed the soap and then got closer to the Duke. While she stood behind him, she held out the soap close to his face. The Duke saw the soap, took it and then started to bathe. Matilda hurried over to the table, then placed her whole hand over the keys. She clutched it slowly to minimize the rattling, her other hand reaching into her pocket to pull out a lump of clay. There were four keys and she impressed each of them into the clay. She then put the clay back into her pocket.
Matilda carefully placed the keys back on the table and went to the door. She stepped out and shut it behind her with minimal noise. Finally, she reached the bottom of the stairs, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Not long after, Matilda saw Martha arrived at the entrance of the gates just as expected. When Matilda approached the gates, she saw Martha talking to the guards.
“Yes, I need to give this to her. She forgot it today and will need it,” said Martha, holding a small medicine bottle to the guard. “Oh look, here she comes.”
“Sorry. I needed this to help me get through the day. I’m a bit under the weather,” Matilda told the guard.
“All right,” he said.
Matilda faced Martha with her back to the guards, then she took the bottle from Martha and slid it into her pocket and pulled out the clay. She then handed it to Martha. Understanding glances passed between them. Martha’s job was to get the keys made because the locksmith would be closed by the time Matilda finished work.
Matilda returned to the kitchen, thinking about the next part of the plan. All that was left was to sneak into the study room to get the map. Once that was done, then everything should return to normal.