Berried to the Hilt Read Online Free PDF

it!”
    “Thank you,” I said. “Unfortunately, I can’t eat it, but I’ll ask the guests what they think.”
    “I told Claudette it was best not to bring it—said folks might think she was trying to stack the odds.”
    “I wouldn’t worry. The whole island is guilty of that.” I led him into the dining room and showed him the array of cranberry-related food items. “I’ve got a jar for comment cards, and I’ll send the feedback to Claudette.”
    “May I?” he asked, indicating Emmeline’s streusel cake. It looked tempting to me, too; it had been harder to resist than I expected.
    “Be my guest,” I said.
    He picked a large piece and took a bite. “Claudette’s got some competition this year,” he said, surveying the spread as he chewed. “What is that?” he asked, pointing to the chutney.
    I told him.
    He shuddered theatrically. “Who’s the bright bulb who came up with that one?”
    “Maude Peters,” I said. “At least it’s creative,” I offered.
    “That’s one word.” He finished off the cake in one big bite, swallowing it almost whole. “Good cake,” he said with an approving nod. “But I didn’t come to jaw about baked goods. I hear some of the folks from the university are staying here.”
    “They are,” I said.
    “Good,” he said, and reached down and drew a sword. I involuntarily took a step back.
    “Eleazer …”
    “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” he asked, cradling the sword. The hilt was worked in cracked leather and silver, and the blade was filigreed. “It’s a cutlass, I believe from the eighteenth century. I was hoping they could take a look at her,” he said, holding it up in the light. “It’s a family heirloom. I don’t know where my grandfather got it, but the legend is it belonged to the old pirate himself.”
    “Davey Blue?” I asked.
    Eleazer nodded, a twinkle in his eye.
    “Unfortunately, they’re not here right now,” I said. “They went out to the wreck site. Do you want to leave it here?” I asked. “I’ll be sure to ask them.”
    “Nah,” he said, re-sheathing the cutlass—which was a relief, to be honest. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Eleazer—I was just happier without weapons being waved about. “I’ll bring it by another time. In the meantime, I’ve got the skiff out back; want to go look at the wreck site?”
    “I wouldn’t think there’s much to see,” I said. “It’s underwater.”
    “Yes, but don’t you want to know where it is? Besides, the archaeologists are out there. You never know what they’ll find!”
    I glanced at my watch. I’d done most of the prep for dinner; if I made it back in two hours, there would be plenty of time to finish getting ready. And since two of my guests were presumably out at the wreck site, I wouldn’t have to worry about them showing up and me not being at the inn.
    “Why not?” I asked. I slid the wrapped pan of scallops into the refrigerator and grabbed my jacket and gloves. “Let me just get a thermos of hot cider to take with us. It’s cold out there!”
    “Mind if I take a few of your goodies to munch on?”
    “Go ahead,” I said. I knew Claudette kept him on a tight diet at home; this was a real treat for him. As he selected a few choice morsels, I headed back to the kitchen and fixed us two thermoses of cider and a few cookies for myself. Then I left a note for John and followed Eleazer outside.
    The fall air was bracing, and I shoved my gloved hands into my pockets as I followed Eleazer down the walkway to the dock, my bag of goodies bumping against my hip. The grass had turned the pale yellow I’d always thought of as winter wheat, and across the dark blue water, the pink granite mountains glowed in the afternoon sun.
    I clambered after him into his skiff, watching with admiration as he deftly untied the ropes and pushed us away from the dock. The process took maybe twenty seconds. He was a waterman through and through; he moved with a graceful economy that I