Ginny thought back to how she had to step sideways through the door of her room. “Yes, I think you may be right. I will see what I can do to make myself more comfortable.”
At that moment, both men returned from their assigned missions. Placing a chair near the railing, Ginny took the seat and began her work. The basket of clothing in need of repair was not only large, but full. Ginny would be busy for the next few days at least. Smiling, she set about her work, still dreaming of learning how to fight.
********
When Digby came by with some bread, cheese and a cup of tea, Ginny put down her work and asked the boy to sit a moment. Confusion marred his young face as he did as he was told.
Smiling, Ginny asked, “I was wondering if you would like to learn how to read, Mr. Digby. The captain said that you know your letters, but haven't learned much beyond that.”
The boy scrunched up his face for a moment, then asked, “Why would I want to do that, my lady? I plan to be a sailor after all.”
“Did you ever think that someday you'd like to be a captain of your own ship?”
Eyes widened as he considered what she said. “How could that ever be, my lady? Unless I become a pirate, nobody would ever give me a ship.”
“Why not, Mr. Digby? If you work hard, learn everything there is to learn, there is always a possibility of being more than you ever thought possible.”
“What has reading to do with it then?” he asked, genuinely surprised by her offer.
“Officers must be able to read and write. They must correspond with their superiors, navigate the oceans and read about battle strategies.”
At the mention of battle, the boy's eyes lit with excitement. When he continued to see only his daydream of heroism, Ginny cleared her throat, bringing the boy back to reality.
“So, you can see it is important to learn how to read. Now, I can teach you if you would be willing to give up some of your free time to do it.”
“I guess it would be a good idea, my lady.”
Digby's voice was anything but convinced, but Ginny decided not to let it get in her way. Her plans were to make herself invaluable. Working hard didn't scare her. If anything, it would make the tedium that had to be associated with living on a sailing ship easier to deal with. In the midst of her fifth life, she was ready to have some fun, not that teaching a teenager how to read was fun, per se. She just wanted to make it through one novel on her own terms.
********
By the afternoon, Ginny's fingers ached from using the needle. Her back was sore from sitting on the hard chair, trying to keep her balance on the rolling deck. Despite all that, she was content. The work was mindless, which allowed her some time to consider her situation. Captain Northwood was handsome, but it was very unlikely he was the one she was supposed to fall in love with. During the particular time period she found herself in, pirates ran roughshod throughout the Caribbean. So, therefore, there must be a pirate in her future. Images of tall, muscular men, with long, black flowing hair came to mind as she stood to stretch out her back.
Walking about the deck, Ginny relished the smell of salt in the air and the sound of sea birds cawing overhead in the hopes of a snack. When she closed her eyes for a moment, she could almost picture herself home, on one of her vacations, drinking some rum drink and getting a tan by the water.
When she opened her eyes again, Ginny found Northwood standing beside her. The look in his eyes was anything but innocent and Ginny felt her breath catch. At being caught, Northwood turned and stared out at the ocean. Suddenly, the silence became deafening, embarrassment thick between them.
“You caught me day-dreaming, Captain. I was lost in the smell of the ocean.” Ginny stammered out, trying to lighten the mood.
“I had thought you might be asleep on your feet. You have been working so hard all morning.” Northwood's voice became gruff when he was embarrassed.
Ginny glanced discreetly around and found that they could not be overheard. Leaning over slightly, she whispered, “Captain, may I ask you a personal question?”
Looking down at her, barely turning his head to do so, he gave her a small smile. “Of course, my lady.”
“Are you married?” Ginny asked, before she could think better of it.
The small smile turned to utter shock as he considered what she asked. Deciding that there was only one way to find out what she could be thinking, Northwood responded, “No, I am not. I have never been married.”
Ginny gave her attention back to the ocean beyond the railing when she asked, “And what is your Christian name, Captain?”
“Jeremy,” was all he said, still waiting to find out what she was up to.
“Jeremy,” she whispered, liking how it sounded. Captain Jeremy Northwood. Ginny thought it a very good romance novel name. An idea began to form in her head. Perhaps Jeremy wasn't the one she was to be romanced by, but she liked the look of him. And with her newfound sense of adventure, it didn't seem like such a bad idea that she should take something she wanted for once.
Forgetting about the contrived storyline, Ginny set out to make her own love connection. And by love, she meant sex. Here, standing before her, was a handsome, virile man, closer to her real age, than to her character's. The bonus being that she was not some green virgin, awaiting the right man to take her maidenhead. No, as a widow, she could live a very different life than most of her characters had. She was free to sleep around, so to speak.
Realizing that Jeremy had been standing very still until she explained herself, Ginny said, “May I call you Jeremy when we're alone?”
“Uh... uh...” he stammered, not sure what this meant. Finally, his authority asserted itself and he asked, “You wish to be less formal?”
Before Ginny could speak further, a member of the crew came forward to speak to the captain. Ginny returned to her chair and began her sewing project again. She watched the captain from beneath her lashes as he was once again the man in charge. Something had changed because Northwood began to belt out orders to his crew. Ginny hardly knew what anyone was doing, but when complete, the ship moved faster, pushed by the wind at a more steady pace.
Feeling the wind releasing tendrils of her hair, Ginny stared toward the front of the ship. For a brief moment, she thought about standing at the bow and putting her arms out like the characters in the movie Titanic. Before she could give in to her impulse, she remembered how much she hated that movie and was loathe to copy anything from it. Instead, she returned to her sewing and went back to her thoughts of how to seduce the captain of the ship.
********
At dinner that evening, Ginny was once again invited to eat with the captain in his cabin. This time, however, Commander Reynolds joined them. Most of the meal was spent discussing ship business. Ginny sat quietly, listening to every word, not understanding most of it. But, as usual, it didn't keep her from asking questions.
“How long will it take to get to the West Indies?”
Both men regarded her for a moment, but it was the commander who answered. “It depends highly on the winds, my lady. However, it usually takes us no more than a month.”
Something niggled at Ginny, something historical she'd read about. “Do you follow the Gulf Stream?”
Both men looked confused and it occurred to Ginny that they probably didn't know what she was talking about. Then she remembered where she'd read about it. It was something Ben Franklin had written, but she had no idea what year he'd written it. It was 1775, so Franklin must have already written about the Gulf Stream, since he was about to be far more consumed by something else in the next year or so.
Finally, the captain asked, “I cannot say as I am familiar with the Gulf Stream, my lady. We will follow the coastline of Spain, before we stop at the Canary Islands. From there, we will cross the Atlantic to the West Indies.” His voice was contentious, as though he thought she was making something up.
Trying to avoid looking like a fool, she replied, “I thought I had r
ead something about it... somewhere... It's hard for me to remember after everything that's happened.” Shifting her gaze to her lap to appear contrite, both men fell for her act instantly.
“I am sure it is difficult to remember, my lady. Perhaps you will come across it again and will be able to better explain it,” Commander Reynolds offered, trying to put her at ease.
“It is of little matter, my lady,” the captain added. “The commander and I have made the journey many times. 'Tis nothing for us.”
“I know I'm in good hands gentlemen.” With that, Ginny rose to return to her own cabin. Both men rose with her, bowing to her as she left the room.
When safely ensconced in her own quarters, Ginny turned on the oil lamp and began to examine her clothing anew. The fashion of the period was far too impractical for onboard life. The last thing she needed was getting caught in her own skirts and going for a swim in the Atlantic. Truly, the only practical clothing was pants and shirts.
Taking her time, Ginny selected a plain, brown dress that had been left behind by the last occupant of the cabin. Having never made her own clothing before, the results would be questionable at best. But then, anything was better than either getting her wide dress hips caught in the small doorways or swimming.
After about an hour, Ginny's fingers ached. Putting her project aside, Ginny turned off the lamp and stared out the small porthole of her cabin. The darkness was complete and she stared at nothingness. A small, creeping feeling came upon her and she was quick to quash it back down. She refused to feel homesick, especially since she'd had so many different homes it was difficult to pick one to feel sick about. She missed the different men from her life, and for different reasons. This time around, though, Ginny was prepared to have fun and do as she pleased, within reason, of course.
On that thought, Ginny crawled between her sheets and tried to think about what the next day would bring. Instead, she fell instantly to sleep.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Ginny woke and began working on her new pants again. She had to admit that either she had more talent than she realized, or Lady Gammage was handy with a needle and thread. Either way, she completed the pants quickly and donned them to go up on deck.
Her father's only concession to his felonious daughter was to purchase her a sturdy pair of boots. As he told her upon presenting the gift, “You will not be able to wear slippers where you are going.” Touching, really, Ginny thought, but now she was more than grateful. The boots would look good with her new pair of brown pants and would keep her from slipping over the wet deck.
Wearing a chemise and button down shirt she'd discovered further in the wardrobe of her cabin, Ginny went up on deck to greet the day. She hoped the captain had something else for her to do, since she would need a day to recover from all the sewing the day before. Spotting him talking to a member of the crew, Ginny approached and waited to be noticed.
It was obvious when he noticed because he went silent and stared at her. The man he'd been speaking to suddenly turned and his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. Ginny waited a moment to see if either would recover, but realized that wasn't likely to happen when the rest of the ship suddenly went quiet and everyone stared.
Ginny thought that a giant spotlight had shown on her and she slowly looked around at the crew. The pants she'd made were not snug, but hung loosely over her hips. The shirt too was loose, giving nothing away of her figure, though Lady Gammage was not small in the chest area. Looking down, the material was not see-through, so Ginny could only surmise that men were not used to seeing a woman in pants. Unless, of course, she had a monkey hanging on her back that she couldn't see.
Finally clearing his throat, Captain Northwood issued a terse command that had the crew back to their duties. The crew member who had been talking to the captain, turned on his heel and went below deck without saying a word.
When the captain again gave her his attention, still not saying anything to her, she finally said, “You said I should modify the clothing to be more practical. This seemed the most practical.”
Northwood took a deep breath, held it a moment, then released it slowly. Ginny watched as he tried to say something, but then stopped to reconsider it. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “'Tis true. It is a most practical outfit. Though it may take some time for my crew to become accustomed to it.”
“Jeremy, are you saying that you never had a woman on board wearing pants before?”
“No, never. But then, I have had little experience with women on my ship.” Leaning closer, placing his lips close to her ears, he whispered, “Women are bad luck on a ship, you know.”
Smiling beyond the intended insult, she whispered back, “Will I sink this ship with my pants, do you think?”
Raising an eyebrow, Northwood responded, “Not with your pants, my lady.”
The two locked eyes and stared for a moment. Her smile spoke of things she wanted to do with the feisty captain. Their age difference aside, there was an obvious attraction between the two. And Ginny was dying to see if making love on a ship was any different than anywhere else.
Northwood looked into the depths of her ice blue eyes and felt his body respond. He was no green boy with his first lover, but his cock didn't know that. His attraction would soon become obvious to the entire crew if he didn't do something to stop it at that moment.
Clearing his throat again, he asked, “What are your plans today, my lady?”
Recognizing that the flirtation would have to wait until later, she stated, “I had hoped to take a break from sewing. My fingers are sore from yesterday and this morning. Is there something else I could help out with?”
Considering her request, he said, “I will have Digby take you on a tour. Does seeing the ship interest you?”
Eyes lighting up with excitement, she nodded. Northwood called out to Digby, who relished the chance to show off his knowledge.
He showed her below deck, first to the line of guns that were polished to a high shine. She was introduced to the master gunner, the petty officer in charge of the cannon's care. His name was William and he was short, with thick arms and chest. His smile was genuine, which made Ginny like him immediately.
Ginny was introduced to the cook next, and allowed to see his kitchens. After being given an apple to eat for breakfast, Digby led her to where the crew slept. There were many men sleeping, as they had been on the nightshift.
Next, he brought her on deck and introduced her to the quartermaster, purser and pilot. Ginny met the lieutenants, who were in charge of the crew during shifts. She learned about the three shifts, why they rang bells and what everyone's duties were. In the end, she was both confused and invigorated.
While taking a break, sitting on some barrels tied down to the deck, Ginny asked Digby what position he'd most want to have on the ship.
Scratching his head for a moment, he said, “I always hoped to be a midshipman, but if you can teach me to read, maybe I can be an officer.”
“Do you have any other duties right now?” she asked, hoping to start his lessons and get him to where he'd like to be someday.
“I am to clean the captain's cabin, my lady,” he responded, looking depressed over having to give up her company.
“Then I will help you, while we talk about learning how to read.”
The two proceeded to the captain's cabin and worked on letters and sounds, all the while sweeping, polishing and cleaning. When done, Digby left her to her cabin, while he completed his other tasks. Sitting on her berth, for the first time in a while, Ginny felt good. Not perfect, since she still hadn't returned to where she truly belonged, but good. Satisfied perhaps that she was living a bit of adventure which she would never have been able to have in her real life. To her, it had been a good day so far.
********
At dinner, Ginny was introduced to one of Northwood's lieutenants. He'd been assigned to the nightshift, so was asleep during her tour. Lieutenant Monroe was a tall,
gangly individual with an unpleasant disposition. More than once, he referred to her being on board as “inconvenient.” Ginny wondered why he would care one way or the other.
“What are your plans when we reach the West Indies, Lady Gammage?” he asked, his voice condescending and just that side of rude.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. It had never occurred to her to even think about it. After all, she was supposed to be given to some wealthy plantation owner to be used as a servant. Looking to Northwood, she realized that it was only in his power to make her journey more pleasant. He would have no control once they reached their destination.
Clearing his throat, Northwood spoke directly to his officer. “You need not worry about that, Monroe. I have made arrangements for Lady Gammage.”
Properly chastised, Lieutenant Monroe merely bowed his head and asked to be excused. “I must prepare for my shift. If you would excuse me, Captain, my lady.”
A Lesson in Presumption Page 4