“Good morning, lassie,” the Captain whispered.
I blinked awake, startled, then realized I was snuggled against his chest in a very familiar manner. “Oh,” I gasped, sitting up and quickly shifting to the edge of the bed. As soon as I moved away, I wished I hadn’t. His body against mine felt so… I didn’t have the right words, just a huge mess of swirling feelings in my stomach.
The Captain laughed, completely unoffended. “Apparently in your sleep, you decided that my chest was softer than your pillow. I’ll have to start hauling more barrels to toughen up.”
I was appalled until I saw the gleam in his eye. He sat up and cupped my cheek in his palm. The touch caused my heart to race, as my eyes traveled up his powerful arms, and across his strong shoulders.
Noticing his eyes wander downward, I realized that the top button of the shirt I was wearing had unfastened in the night. He was taking in the view of the tops of my round breasts. Without even thinking, I leaned back a touch so that he could get a better look.
His eyes narrowed with a saucy glance. “Lassie, I’ll admire you every chance I get, don’t you worry. But right now I’m going to go check the ship’s position. I’ll turn away so that you can dress quickly and I’ll button you up.”
I jumped out of bed, pulling on my dress, but not bothering with the petticoats. They were cumbersome, and I didn’t know what would be required of me today. “Okay, I’m ready.” He turned back, grinning when he saw I was wearing only the dress. “Much better,” he said as he buttoned me up quickly. “This is not the place for fancy ladies. We might have to get you some true sailor’s togs.”
I nodded, feeling a light tap on my shoulder. “Done. You get down to the galley and help McGee with the food, alright?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, darting out the door. As I carefully made my way through the dimly lit hallway, I found myself grinning. This would be my first full day on the ship, and I’d actually begin working to earn my keep.
It was all so exciting I felt like my heart might burst.
~ Chapter 6 ~ The Captain ~
* Breakfast *
“Larry, a word if ye will,” I called across the deck.
My first mate trotted over, always quick for such a big man. “Aye, Cap’n?”
“I just wanted to see how you thought Flora was doing so far. Speak freely, you cannot offend me.”
Larry grinned, turning his weathered face from severe to friendly. “I think she’s a fine girl, Captain. We spoke a bit, and she knows a lot about sewing. She's eager to teach me things as well. I like that she wants to learn history, and more about the ship.”
“She’s getting on with the other men?”
He nodded. “Aye. They’re trying to mind their tongues when she’s about, but she hasn’t seemed offended by the saltier curses. I like that she offered to help with the dishes without being asked. She’s a proper lady in some ways, but not too proud to get dirty.”
I was clearly pleased. “Thanks, Larry. I appreciate you helping with her. It might be good having a woman on board to tidy us up a bit. We’ve been becoming a pretty coarse lot. Now that we’re down to the crew who is looking for more respectable trading, it might be better for us to pull up our bootstraps.”
Larry nodded, pondering. “That makes sense, I s’pose. You’ve never mentioned bringing a lady on board before though. If you don’t mind my asking, Cap’n, why now?” He flashed a saucy grin, knowing he was the only crew member who could get away with saying, “Aside from the fact that she’s exactly your type, of course.”
I lifted the back of my hand, but he didn’t flinch, knowing that I was merely teasing.
/> Then I shook my head in frustration. “He was selling his daughter to strangers, mate. If I had refused, can you imagine what some honorless ruffian would have done with her? She may have become the toy of all manner of rough men.” My jaw clenched, beyond furious at what I’d seen last night. “There are wounds on her back where her father lashed her. Can you find what’s left of the salve, and put it on for her?”
The larger man looked uncomfortable. “You want me to touch your lady?”
“Think of it like fixing a broken piece of the ship.” I clapped my first mate on the back. “You’ll be fine. See you in the galley.”
I went back to the charts, and the books where O’Doule and I had planned out our next several voyages. I must admit, his method of knowing where we were going at least seven to ten trips in advance was helping us greatly.
Before, we were simply sailing about, going with the strongest winds, or our desires to visit a certain port where we enjoyed the restaurants. We’d overtake smaller ships easily, liberating them of valuables as we went.
Unlike other ragged crews, we saw no sense in causing harm. Once our ship met another, they were terrified. Then they saw the sizes of Larry and I, and their hands shot into the air in surrender. It was quick as a whip to get them to hand over their gold and goods, and be on their merry way with no injuries.
We never messed with the poor fishermen, or the working ships. In fact, several times we’ve pulled up alongside to share an ale or a tall tale. The fancy boats with their crews dressed in matching uniforms to impress their rich owners, who sailed around purely for pleasure – those were the targets. It was obvious that no matter how much they had on the boat, they had a hundred times that amount back in one of their many houses.
I had liberated the sack of twenty gold pieces from the owner of a brand new lily white boat that was obviously on its first voyage. As a sailor, I would have congratulated him on his maiden run. But the way he’d been screaming at his crew, treating them like trash when it was clear he had no idea what he was talking about. I shook my head at the memory. What a horrid man. I felt for the crewmen, who must have been desperate for work to sign up with such a rig.
Reviewing our lists, O’Doule had made notes in his tidy handwriting about the features of each town, so that we could keep them all straight. Our next port of call had a wonderful butcher, and a fabric store that Larry had said was well stocked.