“Of course, sir.”
She rushed away to stir something on the stove, but she turned back to me. “Don’t you all read? Did you not go to school?”
The men all shrugged.
“ O’Doule is the best reader among us,” I said, “But his eyes get tired in the dark. He reads the notes and charts in the daylight, mostly.” O’Doule nodded, eagerly eating his breakfast.
“I can read a fair bit,” I said with only a touch of pride, “But I’m self-taught, mostly, so my reading is a bit slow for storytelling.”
Davy jumped in. “Most of us were too busy trying to find work to go to schools, Miss.”
Larry nodded. “I can read signs, most of the time. Not quick enough for tales.”
Flora served us all another helping of fluffy eggs. “Then I’ll go through whatever books you have, and find some stories you’d all enjoy.”
“That’s my lass.”
Her eyes met mine, and I caught the sparkle. I know I should call her ‘our lass’, as she was a member of the crew. But it had slipped out. That way, she knew I meant it.
~ Chapter 7 ~ Flora ~
* On the Open Sea *
A great many things on this beautiful ship were wildly different. I wa
s so accustomed to my quiet little life. I often didn't leave my house more than once or twice a week, beyond my daily five-minute walk to the edge of the forest and back. My mother insisted that I get a tiny bit of fresh air and sunshine on all clear days.
Although I’d always had mixed feelings about my mother, I wish that she could see me now. The air on the open sea was so unbelievably fresh and invigorating.
At breakfast, after the round of eggs to start them off, I thought the men's heads were going to explode when I suggested adding the tiniest pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar to the oatmeal. I made a sample batch so they could each try one spoonful. I was instantly declared the princess of all breakfast. Even Teeth loved it.
Accepting praise had always been difficult for me. I was so accustomed to my father’s criticism that whenever someone said something nice, I couldn't trust it. But the men had nothing to gain by lying about my cooking, since they had to eat it.
I genuinely didn't think they had it in them to be dishonest to any member of the crew. It just wasn't their way to be anything but open.
After the washing up, I went to stand on the deck for a few minutes to get a face full of sun. I even rolled up my sleeves to feel the warmth on my arms.
"Hello, Miss," Larry said as he came up behind me. It was obvious that he was being very careful not to startle me.
"Hello. Can you believe the color of this sky?" I exclaimed.
He grinned, causing the corner of his eyes to crinkle. "Although I see it every day, Miss, sometimes it’s still quite wondrous."
"I would never have believed that I could feel so open, puttering about on a ship full of…" I paused, I'm sure what to call the men.
"If you're thinking I might be offended by the word pirate, Miss, you're mistaken. Although if you were looking to be more polite, or the authorities were around, you could always say sailors. Or traders. Both of those are becoming more accurate with every voyage."
"Thank you," I said softly. I realized that he had to lean in to hear me sometimes.
"Miss, your voice is so soft. It's very ladylike, but out here with the constant wind, there will be times we need you to speak up a bit." He grinned. "Sometimes you'll even need to yell."
I shook my head. "I've never yelled in my life."
His laugh was more boisterous than I would have expected. "You're going to have to learn, Miss. It's important."
He pointed to where Davy was at the stern. He was on his knees with his ear to a barrel, rapping his knuckles down the wood until he made a face, then marked a line with a piece of charcoal.
"What if you needed to get his attention right now?" Larry asked. "Let's see if you could yell that far."