by Haley Travis
“What’s a rack?” I asked, instantly nervous from the sound of the word.
“It’s a hammock,” the Captain explained. “Once you get in, it wraps around you so that you’re quite safe as the ship rocks, and can’t fall out.”
I shook my head, unable to suppress my shudder. “No, Captain, please. I can’t stand being locked in small spaces. That’s probably why I fainted dead away in the crate.”
“Easy now, my lass,” he said gently. The warmth of his big hand on my shoulder was truly soothing. “You can stay up in my quarters astern if you prefer.”
The other four men had been murmuring amongst themselves, but became absolutely silent at that.
“Don’t worry, Maggie, we’re a bunch of scoundrels, but each man here will keep you safe.”
“Just don’t fall over the rail,” the slim man with short black hair and bright eyes said. “I’m the fastest swimmer, but I can’t guarantee I’d get to you in time.”
“That’s Dobbs,” the Captain said. “And then we’ve got Dwyer.”
The big man with sandy hair nodded, but still didn’t quite look like he trusted me.
“Our navigator, Willy.” The Captain pointed to a shorter man with dark curls.
“And I’m Cookie,” said the older man with the round face, who looked at me with kind eyes. “Are you hungry, miss? Supper’s done, but I could fix you something.”
“No, thank you,” I said. With the way my stomach was fluttering, food might be a bad idea.
“Willy, you and Dobbs take the night watch, and we’ll see you bright and early.”
The Captain stood, holding out his hand to me. I took it, allowing him to lead me to the back end of the ship. There was a raised platform with the wheel, and beneath that a door, leading to what looked like a tiny building sitting on the deck.
Feeling his fingers against mine, my heart felt like a hummingbird flying in circles around my chest. It was hard to imagine that the first time I held a man’s hand was in the moonlight on the deck of a ship. A pirate ship, at that.
It was all so romantic and poetic that I felt like I was in a dream. Even though I knew I should keep my head about me, the salty air and rocking of the ship made this place feel like another world entirely.
It was impossible to imagine that I would be sleeping in the same room as this striking man tonight. Yet not terrifying. Curiously exhilarating.
There were so many impossible things that had happened today that my head began to swim again. And every time the Captain looked at me with that unusual sparkle in his eyes, it felt like my heart was falling overboard.
~ Chap ter 4 ~ The Captain ~
* The Choice of a Chair *
What in tarnation had I done? We’d just established a good balance on the Midnight Treasure .
To be sure, we’d been meaning to take one more crewman sometime soon, but not a woman. There were many pirates, er, sailors, who believed a woman on a ship was incredibly bad luck, but I felt that was a ridiculous thing even to contemplate.
Although, womenfolk were usually a bit more of a bother and a fuss, with their strange little habits and particular ways of going about things.
So very many years ago, when I once attempted to court a woman, I was informed repeatedly that I was doing everything wrong. It was a horrible feeling that I had vowed to never bring upon myself again.
No man was able to make me feel like less of a man. But a woman? She could cut through me like a sun-warmed knife through a pat of butter. It was mysterious and savage.
Still, I didn’t feel that this lovely girl would ever try to tear anyone down.
Holding Maggie’s hand, I led her into the aftercastle. There were only three rooms. A tiny locked space to store valuables and weapons, the chart-room , and my quarters.
Dwyer had already lit the lamps, as he did every night at sunset as one of his little rituals.
Watching Maggie’s eyes as we entered, she looked around at the polished wood, the neatly stacked boxes in the corner, and the overstuffed chair in the corner that I’d taken from my old family home to keep a remembrance of my mother with me.
The bed wasn’t large, but would easily fit the two of us nicely, if we stayed close. I wasn’t sure how she might feel about that.
I knew precisely how I would feel. I’d enjoy it far too much, and might forget myself. This beautiful young lady didn’t seem to realize how utterly irresistible she was.
She turned to look up at me, dropping my hand. “Thank you for sharing your private room. It is very kind of you.”
“It’s the very least I can do for stealing you away,” I said gently, patting the spot on the bed beside me as I sat. “Will you miss your family, lass?”
Her head shook, that tidy braid swinging her hair down her back. “Not the tiniest bit.”
“Really? That doesn’t seem right.”
Maggie nodded, staring down at her hands. “No, it wasn’t. My father treated me like a burden my entire life. I wasn’t a boy who could help him in the fields. When Mother passed, I had to care for my two brothers, and all three of them seemed to hate me because I wasn’t her.”
My arm slipped around her, as we leaned closer. “I’m sorry, Maggie. That’s dreadful.”
My heart broke for her. Yet there was also hope. Maybe we really could give her a better life.
“My mother always said that things look brighter in the morning. That a good night’s sleep clears away all bad things,” I said gently.
“I like the sound of that,” she nodded.
“Now, the choice is yours, and I’ll not be offended either way. Would you like to sleep in my ma’s old chair,” I pointed, making her smile, “Or share my bed?”
I noticed that Maggie stared curiously at the cutouts in the floorboards that the feet of the chair were wedged into, so that it was secured.
She hesitated, and I didn’t blame her one bit. I was nearly a foot taller than she was, and no matter how much of a gentleman I tried to be, would crowd her in the bed.
“Let me warn you though, Maggie. You said that you don’t like enclosed spaces. No matter how honorable a man I am, my arms might wrap around you when we sleep and I couldn’t stop myself. I wouldn’t want you to wake up screaming twice on the same night.”
Those pretty eyes looked up at me with a sparkle that touched my heart. “I don’t think that would upset me,” her soft voice whispered. “The terror and shakes come from feeling that I cannot escape. I’m sure that if I poked you, you’d let me go.”
“Aye, that’s true. And another wee slap won’t hurt this rough mug,” I chuckled.
I stood up to shuck off my coat and boots, keeping my back to her as she let fall first the blanket, then her dress, laying it on the chair. I lifted the blankets so that she could climb in wearing just her slip, adding the blanket I had wrapped her in over the top.
Maggie rolled to face me as I turned out the lamp by the door, leaving the one hanging over the bed for now.
“Lass, you said that you were to be married off. Will your betrothed come for you?”
She made a face as if she’d tried Cookie’s attempt at borscht. “I couldn’t imagine it. Mr. Helsby is a drunken lout, but even he likely wouldn’t want me if he heard that I’d been...”
Although she hesitated, I knew what she meant. Her reputation would be in tatters if she was known to have been with us.
“...travelling, sir,” she finished weakly. “He’ll likely be relieved that he has more time to decide about a wife. My father had been spreading the word that I must be married off within a few months, which seemed rather quick to me.”
Propping myself up on my elbow, I was lost in those lovely eyes.
There’s a difference between handing a woman over to a fine man for her own good, or a nasty man for his own good. Terrible either way, but there was a certain distinction.
“I’m sorry that your family is no better than trash,” I said roughly. “You seem like a bright girl, an
d you should have been given the opportunity to shine.”
“It might be for the best that I’m gone,” she said. “This room is twice the size of my room back home, and I already feel like…”
She took a deep breath, that luscious bosom moving up and down as I tried not to lock my eyes on the soft swell of her breasts. I failed terribly, openly admiring her delicate, feminine skin.
“Like someone had been standing on my chest for years and now they’re gone.”
“That’s wonderful, lass. Mind you, it’s a rough life out here. You’ll have much to learn.”
“Good!” she exclaimed. “I love to learn new things. I’m a good worker, Captain. Really. I’ll be useful, I promise.”
“I know you will. But for the first few days, I’ll need you to keep your wits about you. Be extra careful. No tripping on your skirts on the deck, or leaning too far over the rail.”
Maggie nodded earnestly. “I promise.”
Watching her speak was mesmerizing. Those full, lush lips sent sparks of lust over every inch of me. Yet those lovely eyes were so sharp and attentive.
I could tell she was a woman who would arouse my mind. She really didn’t need to know how much she aroused certain other parts of me as well, and I shifted to conceal the evidence.
She needed a protector. Not a letch who couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Yet when I stared at her, it was more with admiration than untoward intentions.
“Comfortable?” I asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
I returned her sweet smile, then watched as her eyes closed. Turning off the lamp, there was just enough moonlight through the window to make out her soft cheek as her breathing became slow and even.
Just as I was beginning to drift off, she shifted, as her arm reached out to me, draping over my stomach. My arm wrapped around her shoulders, and I heard a tiny humming sigh.
Something shifted deep in my heart, as I realized without a doubt that I was going to have to take a chance at wooing a woman again, and hang the consequences.
The poor girl needed someone to care for her properly. To teach her the ways of the world. To help her learn what sort of woman she wanted to be.
Just as the darkness of sleep was pulling me under, I realized that I’d taken on many new and exciting adventures in my life, but this one was going to be the most important of all.
Not just the job of caring for Maggie. The process of making her mine, in an honorable, respectable way.
~ C hapter 5 ~ Maggie ~
* Ship Life *
I’d never been pulled out of sleep so gently and peacefully before.
Instead of my brothers crashing around the kitchen demanding breakfast, all I could hear was the waves against the hull of the ship, and a low, almost purring vibration.
Instead of being cold and confined, I was warm and…free. There was plenty of space for my limbs to move around, and I didn’t feel like the walls were closing in on me.
Slowly opening my eyes, I realized that the humming sound was the Captain’s gentle snoring, coming from right beside my ear. His arm was loosely slung around me, tucking me into his shoulder.
Back in Claytonsfield, I would have been obligated to jump away, since this was completely improper for an unmarried woman.
I should think of my reputation. I should think of the path to finding a suitable husband.
But there were no town gossips anywhere near the ship. Instead, all I could think about was how warm and wonderful it felt to have such a powerful man watching over me. As if he truly cared about my feelings.
Early morning light shone through the small window, allowing me to take a better look around the room. It was spotless, with everything perfectly in place.
I appreciated the level of order. It told me that the Captain was a disciplined man, and had probably never been a spoiled brat a day in his life. Certainly he was not someone who avoided work at every opportunity, like my father and brothers.
On several hooks in the corner were various items of clothing, along with lengths of rope, and some unfamiliar tools and instruments. Goodness, I was going to have to learn so much, so quickly.
The Captain hadn’t been clear on how long I would be permitted to stay with them. Although I didn’t think that he would throw me out just anywhere, it was highly possible that he was thinking of taking me to a girls’ home, or a convent. Somewhere he thought it might be for my own good.
I was going to have to prove to him immediately that I could earn my keep aboard ship, and that I belonged here on the Midnight Treasure .
For just a few more moments, I enjoyed the warmth of his firm, strong body beside mine. My hand moved lightly across the planes of his chest, examining the thick shapes of his muscles. I had no idea where this boldness came from.
Every time we touched, a strange warm tingle traveled through my entire body. Sort of like when I was allowed to have a half glass of wine at my nineteenth birthday. But much more intense.
Maybe that was another way I could make the Captain want to keep me. Maybe he would want…
I would have shaken my head if it wasn’t wedged so perfectly into his shoulder. There was no way such a handsome, worldly man, with his own ship no less, would be interested in such a small town girl who had few skills, fewer stories to tell, and not much else.
Slipping out of bed as carefully as possible, I tiptoed over to the chair to retrieve my dress. As I pulled it on, my fingertips dragged along the arm of the well-worn upholstery.
Not many men would take their mother’s chair on their travels. It showed that he was thoughtful. Sweet. Sentimental.
As soon as I was dressed, I snuck out and walked up the few steps onto the main deck.
“Morning, Maggie,” Dobbs said, giving me a nod. He was sitting on a crate, scrubbing a large piece of metal with what looked to be a wire brush.
“Good morning. Where is the kitchen? I was hoping I could help with breakfast.”
Dobbs pointed to the steps going down. “On a ship, the kitchen is called the galley. It’s below decks.”
I frowned, feeling my fingers clench into awkward fists.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” he asked kindly. “Or of being below deck?”
“It’s tiny spaces, I’m afraid.”
“Not to worry. The galley area is wide enough that you’ll have plenty of room. When the sun is up, there’s enough light down there that you’ll be fine. Cookie is there now, just holler for him.”
“Thank you.”
Walking carefully over a few ropes on the polished wooden slats, I went to the edge of the steps. Holding the railing firmly, I moved downstairs into the dark.
Once my eyes adjusted from the bright morning light, I saw that Dobbs was right. It wasn’t dark or gloomy at all, just a bit dim in places. The sounds of frying and a tea kettle about to boil were unmistakable.
“Hello, Cookie?” I said softly as I came closer, so as not to startle him.
“G’mornin’ Maggie,” he grinned. “Can I fix you some tea?”
“Well, yes, thank you. But I was hoping that I could help you?”
His eyes grew even rounder in his already round face. “Really? Well, blimey, it’s my lucky day indeed.”
He set me up at the end of the counter to peel and chop potatoes, and I got straight to work.
At first, I felt a bit awkward being in a stranger’s kitchen. I’d only ever worked in my family kitchen that my mother had set up a certain way. It was fascinating to see an entirely different arrangement.
Instead of being arranged in bowls or glass jars, the larger vegetables were simply left in their wooden crates, stacked neatly against the wall. At first I wondered if someone had just been too lazy to put them away, but then I realized it was safer that way. Things wouldn’t roll around should there be heavier waves.
Things like soup ladles and large spoons all had holes in the ends, so they could be hung across the wall on a series of hooks. Pots and pans hung from
the ceiling in the corner. Everything swayed gently from side to side along with the lilt of the ship’s motion.
“If there’s a storm,” I asked, “Don’t the pots and pans clang against each other?”
“Aye, they do.”
“Isn’t it hard to sleep?”
Cookie chuckled, a deep rolling belly laugh. “Yes, miss. It’s a good warning bell – all hands on deck. It means we all need to get topside to handle the sails.”
