Tina was taken aback by her wife’s tone and it showed on her face.
“Darling, I know it is your ship and I know this is your grandfather’s home, but I will not have you dictate what I wear or do,” she said, a little less testily.
“Of course not,” Tina agreed, as they walked into the breakfast room arm in arm.
“There you are. Maybe we can eat now?” her grandfather greeted the two women and stood up to seat them both on his right. David was nowhere in evidence.
“Where is David?” Tina asked. She had expected to see him.
“He is gone off to play with the puppies,” he told them as the servants began to bring in covered platters, taking off lids to show them what they were offering. At a nod, they would serve a portion, with a shake of the head, they would go on to the next person. “He told you about them?”
“Aye, he did,” Tina responded, as she nodded at some poached eggs that were offered to her. “What kind of bitch did you find for Sir Barkley?” she asked, curious.
“I found another Newfoundland, paid a pretty penny for her too. Hope the pups are up to par when you see them,” he told her. “Do not forget we have to go down to the village today,” he reminded her as he glanced at her outfit in approval. For once, she was the beautiful woman he remembered her mother to be, and knew she would be proud of this woman she had begat.
“You do not mind if I bring Claire along to see some of what our business is about? I do not want her to think it is all cutthroat pirating,” she teased.
“It is been a long time since I did that,” he grinned, showing his even white teeth against his perpetually dark skin.
Claire examined him a little closer this morning since she was well rested and feeling wonderful. He was a dark man with a dark complexion, but whether it was from having been at sea all those years or from his background, she did not know. His goatee was carefully and immaculately trimmed. His eyes were black and he sported a gold earring in his right ear, which matched Tina’s almost exactly. He was what someone had once described to her as swarthy. He was also a very handsome man for his age and she wondered that he did not remarry. He was as tall as his granddaughter, thin despite what was proving to be a prodigious appetite, and he appeared healthy despite what Tina had told her about the accident. There was no tell-tale sign that he had been seriously hurt. Claire suddenly paid attention to what was being said as it seemed it had turned into an argument.
“You are too much like me!” he shouted at Tina, shaking his finger at her.
“And whose fault is that I would like to know?” she shouted back at him, her face turning red under her equally red hair as she stood up.
He looked at Tina fiercely, and Claire knew if he had looked at her in that way, she would have burst into tears immediately. His expression softened though as he looked at the full-grown woman who now stood before him and started to laugh. His whole body shook with his laughter.
Claire exchanged a look with Tina, who smiled at her grandfather’s mirth.
When he wound down enough to speak he said breathlessly, “You are a fine example of when hard-headed fools have children. You bring honor to your family’s name,” he told her admirably.
“Thank you, Grandpapa. I have always had a fine example,” she returned the compliment as she returned to her seat to finish her breakfast before it got cold.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Claire watched as Tina smoothed her legs, her privates, and her underarms with that paste she had used on board ship to remove unwanted hairs. Over the course of the months they had been together she had seen her do this many times and had, in fact, done it herself, copying Tina. Tina had explained that some of the women in their class in England now plucked their cuny hairs, but she preferred the paste which hurt a lot less and at least smelled pleasantly.
“We will have to pick some of this up when we sail to the East,” she told her wife, as she watched her remove the hair with the paste.
“Are we almost out?” she asked, surprised, and wondered why they did not make it in England or France.
“Aye,” she answered, nodding. “This will be my last trip to the Far East and I want to stock up on many things that will sell well in England. I am thinking I should take a trip to the old family estate when we return and see if that manager that Grandfather put in place is stealing from me or not.”
“Oh no, do you really think so?” Claire asked, concerned. Remembering her own family estate, she realized now that she no longer had any family but Tina’s. Her father would never allow her to have a part of it after she sailed off with Tina.
Tina nodded again as she began to rinse off the paste which took the hairs with it. Smooth, soft skin was left behind and she preferred it to plucking the many dark and red hairs on her body. “Well, I fired the first manager I found stealing from me, the second one moved on after a while, and this is my third one,” she explained and then went to change the subject. “Remember, I asked you if you knew how to keep books?” she glanced up as they had a late evening discussion.
“Yes, I remember,” Claire answered.
“I would like it if you could keep the books on this trip. You saw today how involved it can get,” she commented, as she finished and rinsed the tub with a little water to make sure the paste was washed out. “Your turn,” she offered, exchanging spots with her wife so she could use the paste too. They did this about once a week on ship before they bathed so they both felt clean and fresh, but only if they had plenty of water.
After first balking at it, Claire actually enjoyed the feel of it. The first time her cuny was smooth and clean, she felt odd, but it had other advantages and her wife nuzzling between those lower lips unimpeded was one of them. She thought about her wife’s suggestion that she keep the books and weighed it over in her mind. She could keep household books. That had been her father’s servant’s suggestion since she would be expected to keep her husband’s home, but the transactions she had seen today with Tina and Jacques had been involved and convoluted. She still had not been sure of some of what had occurred as they traded goods for goods and discussed other business in front of her. Her questions had not been welcome at that moment and she was afraid she would forget half of what she wanted to know. Thinking carefully, as she smoothed on the paste, she said, “Perhaps your grandfather’s bookkeeper could show me how to keep accurate books so that I do not make mistakes?”
Tina smiled. She knew that Claire was frustrated and sometimes bored, and this would give her something to contribute. She had not thought about what Claire would do as her wife, and she wanted her to be happy. Her willingness to at least try, was a positive sign.
“It surprised me how many people came to see you today,” she commented, as she rinsed her underarms and legs first, and then her cuny, of the excess hair.
“Well, I bring trade goods from all over when I fill my grandfather’s warehouses, and I know he will not cheat me,” she said, as she waited to rinse the tub for her wife so they could share it. That was something they were both coming to enjoy immensely, if they could just keep their hands off each other, which neither seemed to mind.
“Will you not inherit all this someday?” she asked, spreading her hands and encompassing the whole castle with her gesture.
“Aye, but technically my brother will be Lord Beauchene,” she said, as she finished rinsing the tub and turned on both the hot and cold water piped in from the kitchen.
“But will his...”she sought a kind word. “Infirmities prevent him from not inheriting the title?” She was trying to be diplomatic, but she had noticed he was not included on the outing to the village where many business people had come to meet Lady Beauchene, as Tina was known, and not Lady Carmichaels, as she really went by most of the time.
“Aye, they should, but not many people know how bad my brother is. We do not tell people outside the family,” Tina said, raising her voice a little over the sound of water splashing into the tub. She got in and held
out a hand to her wife, who eagerly joined her in the incredible tub.
“We have to get one of these for the ship,” Claire teased, as she settled in comfortably beside her naked wife.
“It would take up a whole cabin by itself,” Tina laughed in return.
“We could get rid of some of that cannon you carry,” she said, meaning it. It frightened her, the massive firepower they had on board including all the gunpowder, shot, and cannonballs. She knew they did not carry it for ballast, but with the intention of using it.
“You realize some of the places we will be going, we will need those cannon,” Tina warned, hearing the worry in Claire’s voice.
Claire sighed and nodded. She had to trust to her wife’s knowledge on such matters. She had been there before and knew many more things than she did about sailing.
“Are you going to be all right about this trip? You can stay here if you do not wish to go,” Tina offered, generously, she thought.
“You do not want me to go?” Claire asked, suddenly hurt.
“Not if you are going to worry about the trip. It would be so long to be parted, and I do not want that, but I do not want you worrying,” she said, turning to make sure she faced her wife to see she was in earnest about her concerns.
“Teach me to fight,” Claire suddenly challenged her.
“What?” she asked, surprised.
“If we are going to go to somewhere so dangerous, and do not think I did not hear you and your grandfather discussing it. I need to know that I can defend myself if you are busy elsewhere. I never felt as helpless as when those men from your ship attacked me,” she confided.
Tina blushed, remembering it was her men who had nearly raped Claire the first and second times. Both times she had saved her wife from a fate that she knew she’d survive, but which would leave lasting scars, the kind that might never heal. Teaching her to defend herself really would be a good idea. It would also help improve some of the sword skills of the younger members of her crew. Some of the older crew practiced regularly to keep in fighting shape, so really it was not a bad idea. “I will if you want to,” she acquiesced.
“Good, I want to wear pants so it will be easier to get about. Maybe I will cut my hair too,” she enthused.
“NO!” Tina nearly shouted and because of the marble in the room, it echoed a bit, making it seem louder to both their ears.
Claire turned to look at her in surprise and could see the final vestiges of Tina’s previous blush along with the genuine anger at the moment. “Why not, you wear pants and cut your hair?” she asked, not understanding her wife’s attitude at all.
“But I am a captain!” Tina said, with perfect logic, at least in her mind.
“What has that to do with anything? I need the freedom of movement that pants would give me on ship and I think learning to defend myself in them would make more sense than wearing skirts,” she argued.
Tina had to concede that her wife may have a point, but she did not like the idea of her wife dressing like her. She liked her in her feminine skirts, and while she had not much time to sew more outfits since leaving everything behind on Baleniesia, she still looked nice in the few outfits she did have. “All right, all right, maybe we should see a seamstress while we are here and get you a few outfits made up. I have seen those new riding outfits women seem to favor in England now. Must be shocking to see women’s legs on a horse instead of merely side-saddle?” she said, to change the subject slightly.
“Yes, it is when you go to the parks where they ride, but some wear a skirt over them anyway. It must be quite an encumbrance to manage,” she said, relaxing again from their slight spat as she washed in the still warm water.
“You never rode?” Tina asked, wondering more about her wife and her past. On board they had spoken about books, philosophy, and neutral subjects when they were alone if they were not making love.
“No, my father was worried that I would get hurt and only allowed a pony, which I outgrew by the time I was twelve, so I never learned to ride horseback.”
“Well, we will have to change that,” Tina said, earnestly.
“That might be fun,” Claire answered, noncommittally. She was not sure she would like it, and some horses were really large.
Tina washed her own hair and quickly slid down in the tub to let the suds slip out of her shortened tresses. When she came back up, slicked the hair back, and rubbed the water out of her eyes, she saw her wife watching her with a slight squint. “What?” she asked.
“That looks a lot easier to keep clean,” she pointed out, looking at the shorter, curly locks that Tina sported. It had begun to grow since she cut it, but it would take years to get it as long as it had been when they met.
“Do not get any ideas. I love your hair,” Tina said, reaching out in the water to touch Claire’s blonde tresses.
“But it would be so much easier to take care of, and it would not get in the way with the wind on board the Black Betty,” she countered.
“It is the Red Bettina,” Tina warned, automatically, trying to keep the ship’s name consistent so they did not make mistakes in the wrong company.
“Of course,” she answered, contritely. Tina had explained the reason for the name change, but she found it ludicrous since anyone who saw that huge ship with its clean lines, black color, and red stripe would recognize it regardless of the name. She dropped the issue of her hair, but she resented it too. She thought their marriage was a partnership, but perhaps Tina did not view it that way. Considering she had thought a man would be her marriage partner and they always seemed to dominate the marriages Claire had seen she had not expected anything else for herself, but with Tina it was different. Not only had she never expected to fall in love with, much less marry a woman, Tina, for the most part, did treat her as an equal except for some things. Those ‘some things’ had led to squabbles such as this.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Over the next few days, Tina relaxed and related family stories to Claire as they explored more of the castle. An enclosed garden in one area was a nice surprise and the flowers were beautiful. Many of them did not normally grow in this area of the world and were absolutely breathtaking.
As they watched David play with the puppies on the back lawn, himself like a big puppy, Claire sighed happily. She had never realized she was not happy growing up, but this felt wonderful. She had a woman who loved her and a family she was getting to know. Tina’s grandfather was an intelligent and delightful man who accepted their relationship easily. Claire had asked Tina about that once and had been told he had suspected her preference for women early on and did not object when she pursued it. To be fair, she had also ‘tried out’ men, but found she did not like their bodies against hers quite as much. Some felt they had to be dominant and it upset her, whereas with women, it was a meeting of the minds and bodies. He had merely asked her to be discreet, considering the reputation a woman could get more easily than a man. He adored his only granddaughter, and while he had David as a grandson, he knew the likelihood of more grandchildren or great grandchildren was remote.
“Tina,” she asked, to draw her attention away from Sir Barkley who was very carefully playing with his numerous offspring under the suspicious glare of his mate, who had the unfortunate name of Fluffy. She was almost as big as Sir Barkley and completely black. She was also very protective of her puppies and had only allowed Tina and Claire near them after several moments of suspicious smelling.
Tina looked up from her own observation of the puppies. She was dressed in another dress that showed off her fine figure. It was a little tight around the shoulders and strong arms, but hid her other muscles well. “Aye, luv?” she said with a smile, and handed her wife a dandelion-the lawn abounded in them. The pups were playing among them and it was very cute with their almost all black coats, only one of them was black and white and one was totally brown. There were eight of them and they were fat and waddling everywhere.
Claire smiled as she took th
e proffered flower even though it was a weed. “About this party your grandfather has begun talking about to celebrate your return. How will I be introduced?” she asked, and quickly looked down at her feet.
“I think you know we cannot introduce you as my wife. People would not understand, and it may hurt Grandfather’s business in this area. Only those who we trust and love can be told,” she said, seeing the look on her wife’s face.
Claire nodded. “But how will I be introduced?” she persisted.
Tina thought for a moment before she said, “How about the truth? Lady Claire Von Hagen from England, the daughter of Earl Von Hagen, the governor of Baleniesia.” She smiled at that idea. “You know, the truth is always easier, and if it gets back to your father, too bad, there is nothing he can do here in Canada which is a French territory,” she pointed out. Although England had a stake in Canada and was actively seeking to enforce it, the French traders were far to the west on this section of the coast, and they would not succeed for many years. “He has no jurisdiction over us here,” she said softly, knowing her wife was worried over what he could do if he got his hands on her or Tina. Tina would be hung for a pirate and he would love to be the one to pull the lever. “He cannot hurt my grandfather either. My grandfather is a very well-known man and has a lot of power despite being in an isolated area.”
Claire nodded thoughtfully. “We will soon be sailing, so he will not find us anyway, will he?” She could not imagine her father sending people after her to the Orient. His power was mostly in his head.
“We are waiting on a few of Grandfather’s ships to come into port. They are due within the month and depending on what they have to trade, and what we can stock them up with, we will sail with them. I like the idea of numbers for this expedition so that we are safer from pirates and other unscrupulous traders. I would like to meet the captains of those boats and their crews, and anyone I know that I do not want along will not be going. I will not tolerate men who cannot take orders from a woman,” she said, disgustedly. It had been a lifelong fight to get men to tolerate her orders even though she was a good captain, a fair one; she had to prove herself repeatedly. Only the crews she broke out of prison seemed to appreciate her the most and stay with her the longest. Slowly, she weeded out the ones that did not fit in her crew, as she had on this last voyage.
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