The Devil and the Dark Water

83

Their yawl bumped against the Leeuwarden’s hull, as Eggert and Thyman pulled in the oars. They hadn’t spoken a word during the crossing, and it was clear both were nervous around Arent. He took up the entire rear bench and had barely moved the entire trip. He was silent, glowering at the ship.

Thyman whistled up to the deck and a seat was immediately lowered from above.

‘Who goes first?’ asked Sara nervously.

‘I’ll go,’ said Creesjie. ‘No harm will come to any of you, I swear. You’re safe here. Everybody is. Old Tom’s work is done. The demon is banished.’

As Creesjie was hoisted into the air, Arent leant closer to Eggert and Thyman.

‘How long have you worked for Creesjie,’ he asked.

They glanced at each other, uncertain whether to answer. ‘You two helped her steal The Folly in Batavia, didn’t you? Were you the Portuguese thieves who slipped away from me?’

Eggert grinned, as if reliving an old jest between friends. ‘Aye, but if she hadn’t told us you were coming –’

Thyman nudged him in the ribs, but Arent seemed satisfied.

‘Did you kill the animals, Eggert?’ he asked. ‘You were guarding the passenger cabins. Would have been easy enough to walk into the captain’s cabin and open the hatch in his ceiling.’

‘He was supposed to, but I had to do it in the end,’ sniffed Thyman. ‘Eggert didn’t have the stomach to kill the poor little pig, so he kept watch from the captain’s porthole for the Leeuwarden instead, then called up to me when they lit their lantern.’

‘Weren’t the way it happened,’ replied Eggert angrily, shoving him. ‘It was only the sow I couldn’t hurt. I’d already killed the chickens a few minutes earlier, and drawn the symbol in the dark. You couldn’t have done that quiet as I did. I did most of the work.’

Sara glanced at Arent. His expression mirrored her own thoughts. Who would trust these two fools with anything?

The seat came down again and this time Sara went up. Lia followed, and finally Arent. It took six men to lift him.

The Leeuwarden was identical to the Saardam in every way, except for the conduct of the crew, who went about their duties quietly and diligently. The captain and his senior officers were talking on the quarter deck, their measured tones a stark contrast to the gruff bickering of Crauwels, Larme and Van Schooten. After the rowdiness of the Saardam, it really did feel like a ghost ship, and Lia pressed against Sara’s side nervously.

Arent stretched up to his full height, the entire crew pausing in their duties to stare. They’d heard the stories. They just hadn’t believed them until now.

‘This is not how I intended us to meet again,’ came Sammy’s familiar voice from behind a lantern.

He lowered the blinding light, bringing a gasp from Lia. Though he was dressed wonderfully in ruffs and ribbons, with a cane and a feathered hat to complement them, his face had been badly injured. Half of it was mangled, an eyepatch covering his lost eye.

‘You don’t like the hat?’ asked Sammy wryly.

‘With your permission, Sara, I’d like Dorothea to take the boys to my cabin,’ said Creesjie. ‘It’s the same one I had on the Saardam. They can bathe and rest, they’ve been through a lot.’

Sara nodded, watching as Creesjie kissed the boys goodnight. They came to Lia, then her, for the usual hugs before bed. As they went skipping up the staircase to the quarterdeck, Dorothea chasing after them, Sara felt dizzy. It would be so easy to believe nothing had changed at all.

Sammy went to Creesjie, taking both of her hands in his own. Concern was written across his face. ‘Are you well? I became worried when you didn’t signal.’

‘They faked a witch hunt. You’d have been proud, brother.’

‘Brother!’ exclaimed Arent.

Sammy bowed extravagantly. ‘Forgive me this long overdue introduction, my friend. I’m Hugo de Haviland, or I was.’ His accent had changed slightly and his expression had become haughtier, as though Hugo had been wearing Sammy the entire time. Then he grinned suddenly, bringing the problematary back to the surface. ‘Using the dwarf was genius, I truly didn’t expect it.’

‘Dwarf?’ asked Creesjie, glancing between Arent and Sammy. ‘What part did Isaack Larme play in this?’

‘Sara and I realised that if the island were the home of Old Tom, it made sense to assume that the Eighth Lantern would be prowling the waters,’ said Arent, whose gaze hadn’t left Sammy. ‘Everybody believed sending a rescue boat was a suicide mission, so we reasoned that if we asked for volunteers they’d likely be those who already knew there was a friendly boat waiting.’ He scratched beneath his eye. ‘I hid Larme in a cask and put him on the rescue boat with the other supplies. I told him to sneak out once he was aboard and find Pipps in the captain’s cabin.’

‘How did you know he’d be there?’ asked Lia.

‘Because I know Sammy.’

Sammy became abashed. ‘I’ve spent three weeks in the stinking darkness, I thought I deserved a little comfort. You can’t imagine my surprise when Larme turned up at my door, bold as brass, and told me Arent knew everything, and I should blow up the Eighth Lantern if our friendship held.’

The problematary beamed at Arent, like a proud parent. ‘I knew you’d work it out.’

‘You did most of it,’ grunted Arent, ashamed of the praise.

‘A few hints, here and there,’ scoffed Sammy, waving them away. ‘It’s only your second case, I wanted you to enjoy it.’

‘People are dead,’ said Sara sharply, annoyed by how flippant he was.

‘That’s how most of our cases start and end,’ said Sammy, baffled by the objection. ‘If it’s any consolation, everybody who died deserved it. Apart from the people who died in the wreck, but that was Crauwels’s fault for ignoring the plan.’ He ran the back of his fingers down his scarred face. ‘And I think you’ll agree, I’ve been punished for my misjudgement.’

A soft wind blew across the deck, the rigging creaking.

‘There’s no point doing this out here,’ said Creesjie, casting a glance at the crew, who were trying hard to make it appear they weren’t listening. ‘Why don’t we go into the great cabin?’

‘Of course, of course,’ said Sammy. ‘Everything is arranged.’

Instinctively, he tried to walk alongside Arent, but the mercenary glared at him and he fell back another step, beside Lia and Sara.

‘Were you the whisper?’ asked Lia, still in awe of her hero, despite everything.

‘At various times all four of us were. Myself, Creesjie, Eggert and Thyman. It was actually one of the simpler things to achieve,’ he said modestly, as they passed into the compartment under the half deck. Without passengers, it was a neat and tidy space used for storing tools. ‘We paid Bosey to drill little holes high up in your walls that we could whisper through. We plugged them with caulking when they weren’t used to keep the sound from travelling between cabins.’

A stronger gust clambered over the railing, plucking at their clothes. In the distance, the bonfires on the shoal seemed momentarily to blink out. It was as if the entire island had disappeared.

‘What about the crew?’ said Lia. ‘How did you whisper to them?’

‘The crates in the cargo hold almost touch the grates in the floor of the orlop deck, and the sailors slept on the other side of those grates. At night, without any light to see by, a whisper’s the easiest thing in the world to make horrifying.’

‘But why go to such trouble, Creesjie?’ asked Sara, giving voice to the question that had tormented her since the beach. ‘If you hated my husband so much, surely you could have found a simpler way of killing him?’

‘Where would be the fun in that?’ wondered Sammy, confounded.

Creesjie offered him an exasperated glance. ‘It wasn’t enough to kill him, Sara,’ she said. ‘We wanted him to know what it felt like to be hounded and haunted, the way we had been as children when the Mark of Old Tom started appearing across our lands and strangers were beating on our gates, accusing us of witchcraft. Samuel and I had always been gifted, and suddenly those gifts became accusations. Servants we’d known our entire lives crept past our rooms, terrified we were going to bewitch them. If we went into the village, rocks would be thrown at us, all because Pieter Fletcher and his witchfinders carved a few symbols in the woods and spread some rumours. We wanted Jan to know he was going to die, and be powerless to prevent it, the way we were when the mob finally stormed our home, butchered our parents and burnt our world to the ground. We wanted him to know our terror.’

‘And you wanted him to know it was you,’ said Sara, with sudden understanding. ‘That’s why you put the mark on the sail that very first day. That’s why you bought a cabin using an anagram of your own name. You wanted him to find you.’

‘I wanted to face him before the end,’ affirmed Sammy. ‘I wanted him to know who’d done this to him. I was waiting for him in Dalvhain’s cabin the night I killed Vos.’

‘Reckless, as always,’ said Creesjie, rolling her eyes. ‘I thought that part of the plan was too dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen. He rarely does.’ Arent grunted sympathetically, in spite of himself. ‘What would you have done if Drecht had seized you?’ demanded Creesjie, becoming annoyed at her brother afresh.

‘We’ve spent years studying Jan Haan,’ replied Sammy, his weary tone suggesting this was an old argument. ‘He was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. He knew the scale of his enemy, and, in every situation where the odds have been against him, he’s tried to negotiate. I knew he’d come with his cap in his hand, hoping to appease us long enough to betray us. Besides, Eggert was guarding the passenger cabins. If Drecht had tried to seize me, Eggert would have stabbed him from behind. The situation was in hand.’

‘What did you offer him?’ wondered Lia.

‘Your father’s greatest weakness was thinking that everybody wanted what he wanted, but they lacked the cunning and ruthlessness to take it. I told him we wanted our family’s fortune back, and our name restored, something that would be in his power when he joined the Gentlemen 17. We told him that if he betrayed us, we had complete control of the Saardam and would kill him, his family and Arent.’

‘Weren’t you afraid he’d just sail back for Batavia?’ asked Sara.

‘He had the ascension order in his pocket telling him that any delay would endanger his chances of claiming a seat among the Gentlemen 17. Not to mention a cargo hold full of profit spoiling every day we were at sea.’ Sammy smiled darkly. ‘Greed is capable of killing even the most cautious of men.’

‘That was one of your old orders, wasn’t it?’ Arent asked him.

‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘I preserved the stamp.’

‘How long have you been planning this?’ Arent said, stunned.

‘Since I recruited you,’ he said. ‘I only chose you, because I was hoping you’d deliver me to your uncle and grandfather, but, then, to my disgust, it became obvious you were actually an honourable man. Probably the only one I’d ever met. I became your friend in spite of myself. Falling in love with those we believe we’re using is actually something of a family trait.’

He looked at Creesjie knowingly.

‘Hush, brother.’

They entered a great cabin dressed in candlelight and shadow. A feast had been prepared, with a golden ham, its skin crisp and fat dribbling down its sides. Potatoes were piled high and a cone of sugar sat on the table, the granules sparkling in the candelabrum’s warm glow.

Stewards pulled out seats and poured wine.

‘What is all this?’ said Sara, banging the table in frustration. ‘There’s an island full of scared people over there, including children, and we’re sitting down to dinner? We need to bring them aboard. They need to know they’re safe!’

Creesjie glanced at Sammy, then her fingers. ‘You’re right, dear heart, but we have much to discuss first. How about we send a yawl back with food and wine for them? We only need an hour. By the time they’ve eaten, we can start bringing them over. Acceptable?’

Sara nodded reluctantly and Sammy called a steward, relaying the order in a hush.

‘How did you afford all of this?’ wondered Arent, feeling the painted beams in the ceiling. ‘You must have bought off the entire crew. I know you charged an extravagant amount for your services, but this scheme would have cost a fortune.’

‘Actually, Edward Coil bought all of this,’ said Sammy, gesturing for everybody to sit down.

‘Coil?’ asked Sara, shooting Arent a glance.

‘He was a clerk accused of stealing a diamond and fleeing to France,’ said Arent, taking a seat. ‘I thought he was guilty, but Sammy found proof of his innocence.’

‘Only I didn’t,’ corrected Sammy, laying his napkin on his lap. ‘Coil gave me the diamond in return for finding a way to free him, but the reason he’d stolen the diamond was because he was infatuated with …’ He gestured towards the woman at his side.

‘Creesjie,’ finished Lia.

‘Exactly like Vos,’ said Sara, shaking her head. Creesjie smiled at her hopefully, seeking any tatter of their friendship. She was disappointed.

‘You solved that case, Arent,’ said Sammy. ‘You got everything right and I took it away from you.’

And here, at last, was the apology, thought Arent. Not in the words, which Sammy had never said, but in the tone, and the sorrow. For the wreck and the fear, Sammy felt little responsibility, but he’d lied to Arent about his achievement, rather than celebrating it. It was the only regret Sammy had.

Arent saw him then, truly, for the first time. Not the great man he’d believed in, just a clever one. Callous and cold, like all the others he’d met. Through Sammy, Arent thought he saw a future where strength was subdued by intelligence, making the world safer for everybody, especially the weak. But Sammy believed slaughtering innocents was a fair price to pay to kill a powerful man. He was no different from the kings Arent had fought for.

‘The diamond bought us the loyalty of the Leeuwarden’s crew,’ said Creesjie. ‘On its last voyage from Amsterdam, we diverted it to this island to drop the supplies and build the huts and the Eighth Lantern. The Leeuwarden arrived in Batavia a few weeks late, but everybody believed a storm had blown it off course.’

‘We thought we could convince the governor general to take this ship back to Amsterdam, but he was adamant about sailing on the Saardam,’ said Sammy, picking up the story. ‘So, I paid for the eager services of Bosey and Crauwels instead. Eggert and Thyman had been with us for years, and we knew we could count on their loyalty.’

‘Why were you in that cell?’ asked Arent.

‘Because I wanted to be.’

Creesjie cleared her throat. ‘Once my brother delivered the false ascension order to Jan, bearing the accusation of spying, we knew he’d ask Crauwels to recommend somewhere to secure him. We had the captain suggest he be imprisoned at the front of the ship.’

‘I couldn’t risk being asked to investigate because I knew you’d see through my failures immediately,’ said Sammy, pompously. ‘But nobody could blame me for not solving a demon’s scheme if I was manacled in the worst cell on the ship.’

Sammy placed a sliver of meat into his mouth. ‘Once I was in that cell, I had the freedom to come and go as I pleased. We had Bosey build a trapdoor from my cell out on to the beakhead. That allowed me to don my leper’s garb and slip into the water, so I could swim over to the ladder leading up to the poop deck. I usually did that after Arent left me. I had only to drop through the trapdoor we’d built from the animal pens into Crauwels’s cabin, then dart across the corridor into Dalvhain’s cabin before anybody was up and about. I spent most of my days in there.’

‘That’s why you had Eggert and Thyman slaughter the animals,’ said Lia, with sudden understanding. ‘They made such a racket every time anybody went near them. If you were constantly coming and going –’

‘It would have been noticed,’ finished Sammy. ‘As it was that first night when Sara saw me at her porthole. I’d gone to collect the candle snuffer from my sister, but I didn’t know your cabin and Dalvhain’s had been swapped. Arent nearly caught me, but I managed to get into the animal pens before he did. I dropped into Crauwels’s cabin with a chicken in my arms. Thank heavens, everybody was too distracted to hear it.’

‘You murdered the governor general while everybody was eating dinner, didn’t you?’ asked Arent, pushing away a pile of potatoes to lean his elbows on the table.

‘Yes.’

‘And it was you who saved me from Vos?’

‘That hadn’t been my intent, though I’m glad I was there.’

‘Did you kill Wyck?’ asked Sara.

The ship listed slightly, the plates sliding on the table.

‘He was a stable hand in our house when we were children,’ said Creesjie, taking hold of her wine. ‘Pieter tried to coerce the servants into saying they’d seen us performing satanic acts, but Wyck stood by us. He lost an eye for it, and ended up joining the Company after the family was slaughtered. That experience changed him.’

Sammy touched his sister’s cheek soothingly.

‘When I whispered to him, he told me he’d recognised Creesjie on the deck,’ said Sammy. ‘And that he’d want paying for his silence. We couldn’t let that stand. I actually offered him a fortune to kill Arent during their fight.’ Seeing Arent’s baleful glare he held his hands up. ‘I know he couldn’t win. I was hoping Arent would kill him in self defence, sparing me the trouble.’

‘How did you make the white smoke everybody mistook for fire?’ wondered Lia, with a professional curiosity.

‘Something I stumbled on while making philosopher’s wool from zinc,’ he related happily. ‘It’s impressive, isn’t it? We laced the caulking on the orlop deck with it. I had only to touch a flame to the tar and it burnt away, creating that white smoke, while leaving the wood intact.’

From his voice, Sara might have believed he’d used it for nothing more than conjuring tricks at court. Watching Lia’s delighted reaction, she could have believed the same.

‘How long have you been doing this?’ asked Arent, his voice cracking. ‘Committing crimes?’

Sara could hear the rage, barely controlled. She sought out his hand under the table, but his fist was clenched.

‘I was planning murders long before I was solving them,’ admitted Sammy. ‘My family name was destroyed, and we had nobody to support us. Emily and I survived however we could, and it turns out more people want somebody dead than care who killed them. I could tell you I carried on doing it because I was poor and starving, but I’ve lied enough for today. My gifts demand exercise, and the only thing more thrilling than unravelling a complicated murder is plotting one, then seeing it come off so perfectly nobody even recognises that it was a crime. Kings die peacefully in their beds. Nobles fall off horses while hunting. Beautiful heiresses commit suicide at balls. Good mysteries so rarely come along, but if you’ve got a little imagination, you can invent as many as you want. It’s proved a lucrative venture over the years. I’ve exported them to France, Germany, the Cape. They’re my spices, but unlike sugar and paprika, the nobility will never get sick of murdering each other.’

‘You really are Old Tom,’ said Arent hollowly.

‘There’s no such thing as demons, Arent.’ Sammy took a sip of wine, the liquid reddening his lips. ‘But there are always bargains to be struck.’

Perhaps it was the wine, or the dancing shadows, or the flush in his cheeks, but there truly was something devilish about him, thought Sara.

‘Bargains,’ she repeated slowly, hearing an offer in his tone.

Creesjie clasped her hands and leant across the table, into the candlelight. ‘I told you earlier that we did all this because we wanted Jan Haan to know our fear. But we also did it because we didn’t want to be caught. Everybody on that island believes a demon killed your husband, which is exactly what we intended. That’s the story they’ll go back home and tell.’ Seeing Sara’s doubt, she waved a hand. ‘All of this we can explain away, but superstition burrows itself deep. They believe it now. They believe in Old Tom. They’ll spend their lives cursing him for things that go wrong in their lives, and rubbing charms to keep themselves safe. Their children will believe, and so will their grandchildren.’ She paused, gathering herself. ‘I love you, Sara.’ Her eyes found Lia. ‘I love you, Lia. My boys love you. I want you to come with me to France as you planned. We have Jan’s treasure, which means we can live the life we always talked about, free of any obligation to marry.’

Lia shot a quick glance at her mother, but Sara kept her gaze firmly on Creesjie. Lia was sweet and clever, but she cared little for the suffering of strangers. She wanted the life so long promised with Creesjie, and Sara knew those dark eyes would beg her for it.

Sara didn’t know if she’d have the strength to resist. Or, even, if she should. For the fifteen years she’d been married to Jan Haan, she’d dreamt only of her freedom. Now, she was being offered exactly what she wanted. Part of her yearned to accept, to snatch at it greedily.

‘Whatever your intentions, hundreds of people are dead,’ growled Arent. ‘Children have lost their mothers and fathers. Husbands have lost their wives. You can’t walk away from that. Somebody has to be held to account.’ He stared at Sammy fiercely. ‘That’s what we did, Sammy. We held people to account for doing things like this.’

‘Your uncle was held to account,’ said Creesjie. ‘And my conscience aches for the hurt we’ve done accomplishing that, but it’s assuaged by the knowledge that we prevented the Gentlemen 17 from taking control of The Folly, and, through that, expanding an empire which empowers ruthless men like Jan Haan.’

‘Until you sell it to somebody else,’ argued Arent.

‘We’ve destroyed it,’ said Sammy flatly. ‘Or, at least, the two parts we recovered. The Folly was much too powerful for any king or Company to possess.’

Only Sara heard Lia groan, pained by the years of lost work.

Creesjie hung her head. ‘We grieve what we set in motion, but it was Crauwels who cost these passengers their lives. We intend to save who we can and return to Amsterdam.’

Sammy leant forward into the light, fixing his attention on Arent. His expression was watchful, but also hopeful – like a child making a request of his father. Sara could only curse herself for missing the resemblance between him and Creesjie earlier. They had the same shape to their eyes, the same chin. The same unnatural beauty. Perhaps that was another reason they’d ensured they were rarely in the same room together.

‘I know your nature, my friend,’ said Sammy, addressing Arent. ‘I know it burns you to let something so unjust go unpunished, but there really was a devil, and we really did banish him from this world. The Folly would have brought untold suffering, and we’ve destroyed it. There is good in this, as there is ill. Accept our version of this story and we’ll split Jan Haan’s treasure with you and the passengers. You’ll be free, and you can choose whatever life you want. Maybe one day, we’ll even solve a puzzle together again.’

Sara looked at Arent, trying to gauge his mood. Normally, his face was a mask, every emotion locked away. Not tonight. Fury showed through his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes. It coursed through his tense shoulders and balled fists. He was ready to sink this ship with his bare hands.

‘What’s the alternative?’ asked Lia, her voice quivering. ‘What happens if they say no? Will you kill us?’

‘No,’ exclaimed Creesjie, horrified. ‘No, dear heart, no. If any part of me could let that happen, I wouldn’t have confessed when I thought Isabel was going to burn you.’

‘If you don’t like our bargain, you’re free to stay on the island in peace,’ said Sammy, sounding genuinely pained by the idea. ‘There’s food enough for years and the hunting’s good.’

Obviously discomfited by Arent’s anger, he peered at Sara. ‘Old Tom asked you what you most desired, and you said freedom. Now, we’re offering it to you. The question is: what will you pay for it?’

Sara looked at Lia, then Arent.

Lia’s stare was pleading. This was everything she wanted. By contrast, Arent’s huge frame seemed to fill the great cabin, his massive shoulders rising and falling, like a bull pawing the ground. Here was the Arent of the songs, implacable and unstoppable, sent by heaven to topple kingdoms. But the god he’d served had disappointed him. There could be no forgiveness.

Sara knew that whatever she said next would decide whether Arent lived or died, and how many people lost their lives trying to stop him.

What was her heart’s desire? And what would she pay for it?

For a second, there was only the creaking of wood as they awaited Sara’s decision.

‘No,’ she said softly. There was an intake of breath from around the table. Arent tensed, ready to spring out of his chair. ‘No, I’m sick of being dictated to,’ continued Sara. ‘There’s a third way.’

‘I assure you, we’ve thought of everything,’ said Sammy, eyeing Arent warily.

‘Hush, Samuel,’ rebuked Creesjie. ‘What’s your third way, dear heart?’

‘Atonement,’ said Sara. ‘These passengers deserve recompense for all they’ve lost, and you’ve treasure enough to give them new lives, but you can’t saunter away afterwards like nothing happened. Too many innocent people are dead. You have to make amends.’

‘And how do you suggest we do it?’ queried Creesjie, cautiously.

‘By turning Old Tom to noble purpose,’ replied Sara excitedly. ‘By making sure he whispers to those who deserve to hear his voice.’ Sensing their gathering objections, she rushed on. ‘We all know there are hundreds of others like my husband who do terrible things, but are so powerful they go unpunished. What if that wasn’t the case? What if the next time a noble murdered his maid, Old Tom found him and made him pay God’s price? What if the next time a king led an army to slaughter, then fled the battlefield in cowardice, Old Tom was waiting in his castle?’

Sammy and Creesjie exchanged an incredulous glance, but Arent was smiling. As was Lia.

‘Look at the lengths you’ve gone for your revenge,’ pressed Sara. ‘Four years you planned this and Arent and I solved it in a few weeks. Lia invented The Folly to fend off boredom. Imagine what the five of us could accomplish together. Imagine the good we could do.’

‘We can’t avenge every act of evil in this world,’ protested Sammy, but his words were at odds with the eagerness in his voice. He wanted to be talked around, Sara realised. Here was a challenge that would last the rest of his life. She just needed the right words.

‘We don’t need to avenge every act of evil,’ said Arent in a low rumble. ‘But we can make people terrified to commit them.’ He stared at Sammy. ‘You’re a scheming, lying, betraying bastard, Sammy Pipps, but you were my friend until today, and I’d wish it so again. You blew up the Eighth Lantern because I asked you to prove I could still trust you. Now I’m asking for this.’

‘Creesjie, please,’ begged Lia, reaching for the older woman’s hand across the table.

Creesjie looked hopefully at her brother. ‘Is it even possible?’

‘We’ve treasure enough,’ mused Sammy. ‘A ship, an island. Not to mention cleverness and cunning aplenty. It just might be. I’d certainly like to find out for myself.’

Tentative smiles were exchanged, as a strange new contract was signed between them.

‘Then maybe it’s time a devil did what God will not,’ said Creesjie gaily. She turned her inquisitive stare on Sara. ‘Where do we begin?’