She was a real beauty, though she was in great need of a bath. Her hair was matted to her head, making the color difficult to see. There were smudges on her face and arms, probably from rolling around on the floor. A feeling of guilt washed over him as he thought of his treatment of her. If she was indeed innocent, that didn't speak much to his humanity.
He considered letting her sleep when he heard her speak. At first, he thought she was talking in her sleep, her voice was wispy and quiet. But then he saw her eyes open and staring at him.
“Beg pardon?” he asked, not having heard what she said.
“Did you want the lantern back?” she asked in response.
Her tone broke his heart, a thing he thought he'd forfeited long ago. One couldn't be a pirate without having to turn a blind eye to certain suffering. He'd killed men before, all in the name of profit. But for some reason, treating a woman like he would an enemy was beneath him. Or so he thought now, as he looked into her eyes.
Before answering, he opened the cell door and sat on a short stool left outside the brig. “Not at the moment.”
Ginny sat up once again and leaned back on the wall. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep until she woke up and found him standing above her. She wasn't too proud to admit that she hoped he would allow her to keep the lantern, even for a little while.
They both continued to stare at one another for the longest time. Nathaniel wanted to interrogate her, but couldn't form a proper question. Ginny wanted to beg for her release, but couldn't put away her pride long enough. A stalemate had developed. Finally, Nathaniel broke it with his first question.
“Was Sherwood's report used to aid your defense, madam?”
“You can call me Corliss and the answer is no. I didn't even know a doctor had examined the body until Spencer told me.” Ginny kept her tone even, thinking that if she could convince him of her innocence, she could see daylight.
“Sherwood seems to think that my cousin was heavy into his cups. Is that true?”
“Almost from the beginning of our marriage, your cousin drank too much. He needed a new wardrobe almost every few months because he became more bloated from the drink. He never ate properly and rarely exercised at all. If he hadn't hit his head, I'm certain the alcohol would have killed him eventually.”
“Why did you not stop him?”
At that, Ginny let out a bark of laughter. If she had come into Corliss's body earlier, perhaps she may have had a chance. But, Corliss was timid and had learned her lesson through countless beatings to keep her trap shut. Not wanting to irritate her captor, she went on to explain herself.
“Your cousin wanted only one thing from me: a son. When I wasn't able to give him that, he fell further and further into his bad habits. My maid told me of rumors that he was having sex with whores, trying to get anyone pregnant.”
Ginny was beginning to digress and wanted Webster to understand that her life was very much not her own while married to Lord Gammage. What little joy she had, he took it away and destroyed it.
“Your cousin was demented and cruel. I couldn't even get him to understand that if we didn't have sex, we had little chance of getting pregnant. I wonder if he wanted me to have sex with footmen simply to achieve his goal.”
“Did you?” Nathaniel asked, suddenly unable to take a breath until she answered.
“What? No. If I had gotten pregnant and he managed to remember that he hadn't visited my bed that month, he would have killed me for sure. Not to mention, if I had gotten pregnant and had a girl, I doubt either of us would have survived.”
Nathaniel stood up and paced back and forth in the small space. Ginny watched him, leery of his next move. So far, she didn't think she'd made much headway, but so far the man before her was an enigma, championing a dead man he'd not seen in over ten years.
When he did speak, his statement took her by surprise. “You seemed willing to enter Captain Northwood's bed easily enough.”
Ginny drew in a breath, surprised that he would know about that. After so many adventures, she should realize that the one thing that travels faster than light was gossip. Still, she couldn't resist asking, “How did you know that?”
He turned his head and raised his eyebrow. “How indeed. So you do not deny it?”
“Why should I deny it?” she asked, still unsure of how he came about his information. For that matter, how did he know where to find her in the first place? All of a sudden, it came to her. Monroe. That bastard. The man was still stinging from her unwillingness to sleep with him that he must of sold the information to Webster. Jackass.
“How much did you give Monroe?”
His head whipped in her direction. Then a smile came across his face slowly. Nathaniel never underestimated an enemy, and it seemed he shouldn't underestimate this woman. She was not the usual vacuous society chit. No, this one had a mind. That did not play into her favor.
“It wasn't much, really. A night in an exclusive brothel in Las Palmas. He took great satisfaction in slandering you, Corliss.”
“I bet he did. He didn't like the fact that I wouldn't visit his bed.”
Nathaniel came and sat down on the stool once again, never taking his eyes from hers. Although he wanted to know if he could trust her, Nathaniel found that he was just genuinely interested in her. Curiosity would only get him so far, especially when he was merely curious about things that didn't further his own cause.
“So you are proud to be Northwood's whore?”
Ginny did laugh that time, ignoring the pain in her head from doing so. One of the great ironies was being thrown in her face. Men could have sex with anyone, but women could not. Just how were men able to have sex without the women they put down for doing so. Instead of throwing that in his face, she decided to take a different tack.
“So after meeting a man who gives me tenderness, instead of criticism, I'm a terrible person for desiring it. When a man finally puts his hands on me because he finds me attractive, not as a means to an end, I'm supposed to shun his advances, even if I find him attractive as well.”
Never having heard it put that way before, Nathaniel almost felt bad about his assumption. If she was telling the truth, his cousin had behaved abominably. Did she not deserve some happiness? With his head bowed, he asked his next question.
“How did Northwood not know if you were only using him for his kindness?”
The look that came across her face was one of pity. Pity for him, he presumed, although he couldn't understand why.
“He came to me, Webster. Jeremy was an old friend of my uncle. At first, he treated me well because he owed my uncle a favor. Later, he decided he liked me and wanted to be my friend. Our relationship came from that. I wasn't using him and he wasn't using me. I doubt you'd understand that.”
Ginny should have left the last part off, but once she got started, she just couldn't stop. After all, she had been stuck in a hole for two days, barely fed and watered, left with only a bucket as a bathroom, and reeking of God knew what. A girl could only take so much.
Standing once again, Nathaniel stared at her from above. He didn't accept contempt from his crew and he certainly wouldn't accept it from his prisoner.
“I find your story plausible, Corliss, but I can not seem to bring myself to believe you. Perhaps once you learn your place, I will consider allowing you out of this cell. But until then, I daresay I could care less if you rot.”
Slamming the door shut, Nathaniel locked it and took his lantern up the stairs. He had left the other lantern for her, but she wondered if it was a kindness or because he forgot. Either way, she still had some blessed light. Hopefully Gideon would be down soon to give her some more food and water. It would seem that her fate would be this cell, at least for the night.
Chapter 16
Gideon came and fed her again. By the next day, Ginny was feeling stronger. Her head no longer ached and she was able to stand up and stretch without becoming nauseous. Before falling asleep, she did turn out t
he lantern, not realizing that she didn't have anything to light it with the next day. So when Nathaniel came down to speak to her again, she was sitting in the dark.
“Good morning, Webster,” she said as he approached and opened the cell door. Without a word, he sat on the stool and watched her closely. Ginny wasn't vain, but still she didn't look her best. She looked more like someone recently recovering from a bad case of flu.
“Good morning, Corliss. I have thought about your situation, but I cannot recommend your release. We are docked now, but later today, we will set sail for St. Lucia and return you where you belong.”
Over their past conversations, Ginny had been really good. She kept her sarcasm to a minimum and didn't try to incite his anger. However, with his statement, all bets were off.
“You're a real asshole, Webster.”
His eyes widened at the statement, so she decided to continue. “Blind, too. Why you can't see what's clearly laid out before you, I'll never know.”
“You have made my decision all the more easy, Corliss. You were never a lady.”
“And whose fault is that? First your cousin treated me like his personal punching bag, then your aunt lied and cheated to get me deported and now you keep me locked in a cell in a filthy hold. It seems that dick-headedness runs in the family.”
The look on her face almost frightened him. She seemed resigned to her fate, figuring she no longer had anything to lose. It caused a pain in his chest, somewhere near where his heart should be.
“I want to believe you, Corliss, but he was family.”
“Family that you hadn't bothered to be a part of in a lot of years, Webster. Things change. Gammage changed and not for the better.” Ginny saw a ray of light poking through his facade. He honestly didn't want to treat her this way, but had no way of releasing her while preserving his pride. Ginny came up with a way.
“I'll tell you what. I'll fight you for my freedom.”
Quirking his head, he almost smiled. “Fight me for it? I see no way of you beating me, Corliss.”
“Swords. Give me a chance because I'd rather die at the end of a sword than spend another minute in this hole.”
He seemed to consider her words carefully. There was no way she could beat him, nor would he let her. But if she put on a good enough show, maybe he could save some face. Slowly, he nodded his acceptance of her challenge.
Ginny smiled. “I will need some time in the sunlight to get used to it. I will also need to clean up and obtain some proper clothing. My nightgown will not work.”
“Done. You are about the same size as Noddy. I will see if he can spare a pair of breeches and a shirt for your use. Meanwhile, Gideon can see that you have a decent meal and some time in the sun.”
Ginny was elated. Finally, she would get out of the stink, that admittedly she barely noticed any longer. She could point her face to the sky and feel the warmth on her skin. She realized that she never fully appreciated freedom until she lost it.
Standing up, Ginny followed the captain up the steps. He shepherded her into a cabin, which had a porthole for light. For the first time, she got a good look at herself and was appalled. Her white nightgown was brown, streaked in places with tar. It smelled nearly as bad as the hold. Her bare feet were as brown as her clothing. She would give nearly anything for a bath.
Instead, Gideon came in with a bowl of water and a bar of soap. The smile on his face was as radiant as her own. Leaving without saying a word, he returned a few moments later with pants and a shirt. This time, he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself.
“I am so glad you were able to convince the captain. 'Tis good to see you up here, my lady.”
Ginny wanted to tell him about the challenge, but had more immediate concerns. Shooing him out of the room, Ginny stripped and began scrubbing every part of her body. The water was brown by the time she finished and she wasn't able to wash her hair, but even the little bit she was able to clean felt good.
After getting dressed, Ginny made her way to the deck, where she found many of the crew watching her. The silence was almost painful, with Ginny on display for some of the angriest looking people she'd ever seen. Keeping her head high, she walked straight to Gideon and Spencer, the only two people who looked happy to see her.
It was hard to see anything, after being in the dark hold for so long. It was still morning, so the sun had not fully risen. Gideon took her arm and walked her over to a chair that he had left just for her. Once seated, the snickering began.
“Oh, is that how it is to be, Gideon? Her majesty gets a chair while the rest of us have work to do.”
Gideon rose to his full height and gave his full attention to the man who dared speak first. Ginny recognized his type. He was the martyr, always complaining that everyone got something more than him. It was best to just ignore him.
“You would do best to watch your tongue, Hamish. The girl has been cooped up for two days. I doubt anyone would begrudge her a chair, eh?” he asked, looking around the deck, waiting for the next brave soul to speak out.
The next voice surprised Ginny, but only because it came from a female. And when Ginny said female, she used the term loosely. The woman was nearly as big as Gideon, her long, brown hair pulled back severely. The effect pulled her eyebrows back so much, she looked like she had just walked out after receiving Botox. One look at her arms, and Ginny knew this was not someone to mess with.
“I am surprised to see she lived at all. There is barely anything to her.” At this, most of the crew on the deck laughed. Even being the brunt of the joke, the sound was a relief to Ginny. It was as if the tension had been released.
“You need not worry about her, Tilly. She has all the protection she needs,” Gideon smiled as he flexed his arm muscles in a show of strength.
Before Ginny could answer for herself, a boy about the same size as Ginny ran up to her and began to pet her hair. Ginny turned to look at him and saw the boy had Down's Syndrome. He was smiling from ear to ear while petting her hair.
All movement seemed to stop, as though everyone waited to see how Ginny would react. She could guess that most ladies wouldn't take kindly to being petted, even by someone as innocent as the boy.
“Hello,” she said, “What is your name?”
“Noddy,” he answered, still fascinated with her hair. Why he should be, Ginny couldn't figure out. It didn't even look like her color, with all the filth still attached.
“Noddy? I have you to thank for the clothing then.”
Still, everyone waited, as if Ginny would commit some colossal mistake and insult the child. It was obvious that Noddy thought nothing of the dynamic on deck.
“Well, I thank you kindly, Noddy. I did not want to continue to wear my nightgown. I would look silly, huh?”
After a moment, Noddy realized that she was talking to him. A curious look came across his face, and his smile grew even bigger.
“Yes, silly, I think. Are you gonna fight the captain?”
Gideon gave her a strange look, when Ginny answered Noddy directly.
“Yes, I am to fight him with a sword. It was our agreement to get me out of the brig. If I win, I get to stay out of the brig. If I lose, your captain is to kill me.”
Noddy's eyes grew as big as saucers. “Mr. Captain wouldna kill you, pretty lady. He takes good care of me.”
Giving him a smile, Ginny said, “I'm sure he does take good care of you, Noddy.” Lowering her voice so only Noddy and Gideon could hear, she said, “Don't you worry about me, kiddo. I don't plan to lose.” With that, she gave him a wink.
Noddy snickered as children do when included in a great secret. Whispering in return, he replied, “I bet you will, pretty lady.”
Gideon, who had witnessed the exchange and seemed thoroughly intrigued by it, said, “Noddy, can you fetch your extra pair of boots for the lady to wear. And your good stockings. She will need something on her feet to keep her from slipping.”
Giving a quick salute, Noddy ran off in
search of the requested items. When he was gone, Gideon turned to Ginny, fire in his eyes.
“What do you mean by fighting the captain? Are you insane?”
Ginny couldn't help it when she laughed. It wasn't as though Gideon knew he was living a romance novel. He couldn't possibly comprehend that Ginny would end up in his captain's bed. It was inconceivable to Ginny as well, considering the torture she'd just been through.
“I'll be fine, Gideon. If there is one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's that I won't be going back down into that brig. I would rather die on this deck than do that.”
“I will not let either of those things happen to ya.”
Touching his cheek with her hand, Ginny gave him a sad smile. If this was to be her life, she was going to go out with a bang. It was high time she had fun, because she was tired of all the work.
A Lesson in Presumption Page 11
