by Haley Travis
I went back to the charts, and the books where O’Doule and I had planned out our next several voyages. I must admit, his method of knowing where we were going at least seven to ten trips in advance was helping us greatly.
Before, we were simply sailing about, going with the strongest winds, or our desires to visit a certain port where we enjoyed the restaurants. We’d overtake smaller ships easily, liberating them of valuables as we went.
Unlike other ragged crews, we saw no sense in causing harm. Once our ship met another, they were terrified. Then they saw the sizes of Larry and I, and their hands shot into the air in surrender. It was quick as a whip to get them to hand over their gold and goods, and be on their merry way with no injuries.
We never messed with the poor fishermen, or the working ships. In fact, several times we’ve pulled up alongside to share an ale or a tall tale. The fancy boats with their crews dressed in matching uniforms to impress their rich owners, who sailed around purely for pleasure – those were the targets. It was obvious that no matter how much they had on the boat, they had a hundred times that amount back in one of their many houses.
I had liberated the sack of twenty gold pieces from the owner of a brand new lily white boat that was obviously on its first voyage. As a sailor, I would have congratulated him on his maiden run. But the way he’d been screaming at his crew, treating them like trash when it was clear he had no idea what he was talking about. I shook my head at the memory. What a horrid man. I felt for the crewmen, who must have been desperate for work to sign up with such a rig.
Reviewing our lists, O’Doule had made notes in his tidy handwriting about the features of each town, so that we could keep them all straight. Our next port of call had a wonderful butcher, and a fabric store that Larry had said was well stocked.
With Flora here, I could treat each of the boys to a new shirt, and her to a new dress. I realized I was grinning down at the weathered book as I thought of her being able to make herself a dress of her very own. Something fit for her new life here without pointless ruffles that overwhelmed her small frame.
She seemed to be fitting in perfectly in every way. I adored that the girl tried so hard. She seemed eager to begin working. I’d seen many a lass who thought she should be pampered and lazy, simply because she was a woman.
Closing the book and carefully shutting off the lamps, I went down to the galley. I heard Flora’s sweet laugh mixed in with the gruff rumbling chuckles of the other men. When I entered, I instantly noticed the eating and cooking area was cleaner than I’d ever seen it.
“What’s this dirt in the eggs?” Teeth asked suspiciously, poking at his plate with a fork. In all my life I’d never seen such a fussy eater.
“It’s a touch of black pepper. Try it,” Flora said softly.
Teeth looked up to see me, and nodded before he placed a forkful of food into his mouth. He chewed cautiously, then his eyes lit up. “Miss, this is golden!”
My gaze locked on her lovely features as she smiled softly. She was proud. It looked good on her.
She bustled about, setting up a plate for me, and Davy as he arrived. “I don’t mean to change your usual food,” she said softly. “I just cook a certain way. If anyone doesn’t like it, please tell me and I’ll fix things any way you like.”
Taking a bite of her scrambled eggs, my eyes rolled back in my head. “Lass, how the devil did you get these so…”
“Fluffy,” Davy muttered with his mouth full. “And they taste huge.”
Larry laughed. “How can taste have a size?” He took a bite, then cocked his side to the side, chewing and swallowing. “Davy, this might be the only time you hear it, so listen well. You’re right. They taste huge.”
Flora’s bright laugh filled the room. “It’s just a bit of pepper and oregano, and a touch of milk, then whipping makes them fluffy. Did you not do that before?”
McGee shook his head guiltily. “My Ma wasn’t as sharp a cook as you, Miss. I’d have never thought of that.”
I ate a few more bites, watching a flicker of sadness shimmer through Flora’s eyes. “I wish I could have brought my cookbooks,” she said softly. “And my pattern books. Had I known that I was leaving, I could have prepared better for you all.”
Waving for her to come to me, I wrapped an arm around her waist as she stood close. “Don’t feel guilty about something completely out of your control, my sweet girl.” I wished I could kiss her sadness away, but it might frighten her. And not in front of the men. Instead, I gave her a little squeeze. “We’re going to a town with a huge fabric store. You and Larry are going to go get the fabric to make each of the men a new shirt, and yourself a new dress.”
Her pretty little mouth fell open for a second, and I had to lean away slightly to resist kissing her. She was far too tempting.
“Sir, I don’t need–”
“We’re pirates, we do as we like, remember?” I chuckled.
O’Doule shot me a look as he sat down to his plate after Teeth left to mind the wheel. “You mean, traders. Shippers.”
“Aye, that’s what I meant,” I chuckled. “Flora, would you like a new dress? You could make it fit comfortably for your new life of walking around on deck. You could make it more or less fancy, whatever you like.”
Her lips turned up in the sweetest little smile. “I’ve never made myself a dress purely for comfort,” she said softly. “I was always instructed to put myself on display to the local men to fetch a husband.”
“Keep making food like this,” Davy mumbled through his mouthful, “And we won’t care if you have ten eyes and tentacles.”
The men laughed uproariously. I nodded to her. “See? Now you’ll have to ask each of the men what color shirt they’d like, and Larry will take stock of the things we need for the ship.”
She nodded carefully. “Yes, sir. I’ll see if I can haggle well and get good prices. I’ll make the most of your money.”
I shrugged. “It’s the ship’s money. Get a fair deal, and that’s fine. These are good townspeople, and we want to be welcome in their port. Spreading a bit of the wealth is spreading the word that we’re respectable.”
I realized that Flora likely had no idea what we really did for work. She didn’t ask, and that would likely come as she became more comfortable. Perhaps the details could wait through our transition from thieves to smugglers so that she respected us all a bit more.
Something rolled around the back of my mind, then came forward. “Flora, did you say that you can read?”
“Yes, sir.”
She seemed surprised that a glance passed from man to man around the table, as they all grinned.
“So, if we gave you books and enough lamplight, you might read us stories in the evenings?”
“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."
In all my years, I was taught that a lady never raises her voice. Not in anger, not ever. The thought of it was completely crass. Women should be seen and not heard. Yet Larry was right. If there was some occasion where I would have to get the men's attention, my weak little whispers would be useless.
Taking a deep breath, I called out, "Davy."
He moved on to another barrel, tapping and marking as he went.
"Pretend you’re a wild animal, Miss," Larry chuckled. "Or pretend there was a prize if you succeeded."
I looked up at him and tried to scowl, but it just made me giggle.
I tried to think about using my muscles to make my voice bigger. The power of my lungs. The power of my throat. Surely I could holler one word across such a distance.
"Davy!" I hollered at the top of my voice. He didn't even flinch, simply continuing his work.
O'Doule came up beside us. "Shall I holler for you, lass?" he asked.
"No, thanks," Larry explained. "I was trying to teach Miss Flora that she'll need to learn to raise her voice sometimes."
O'Doule nodded, taking off his spectacles to rub them on his shirt. “Aye. Lass, there will be times when you need to stop being a proper young lady, and remember that you're a crew member now. The rules of polite society do not apply out here."
I smiled at him. "Yes, thank you. I'll keep trying."
"Practice makes perfect," he said, nodding. "But you know, Davy’s right ear is the one pointed at us, and that's the one that's half deaf."
O'Doule went down below, as I turned to look at Larry with my fists on my hips. He held up his hands as if I were going to slap him. “Miss, you know I meant for the best."
I burst into laughter, but this time, I didn't hold myself back. My parents weren't here to judge me. There were no open windows so the neighbors might hear. The ship was completely open to everything. I laughed louder than I ever had before, and it felt positively glorious.
Larry laughed with me for a moment, then grew serious. "Miss, I should mention this before I forget. I'm to help you with a problem on your back, I believe."
I closed my eyes and took a breath. "Yes. Thank you."
I followed him down to the pantry, and he rummaged around until he found a large metal tin. Since there was no one else in the galley at the moment, he led me to sit on a barrel.
"If you'll pardon me, Miss, I need to…"
I turned back over my shoulder to see the huge man practically sweating from nervousness. "It's all right, Larry," I said with a soft smile. "I'm sorry I can't reach the buttons myself."
I watched as he closed his eyes, swallowing hard, then giving his head a shake. As his eyes snapped open, he seemed completely focused on his task. He unbuttoned the back of my dress slowly, his thick fingers obviously giving him trouble. As he opened the panels of fabric, I felt him become still as a stone for a moment.
"Miss… I am so very sorry."
"I'm fine, but thank you."
I flinched as he began to rub the salve along one of the welts. "It doesn't hurt that much," I said quickly. "It's just chilly."
He worked quickly, coating the marks in a thin layer of ointment. He re-fastened the buttons part way up, then stopped. "Miss, if I left the top two buttons undone, your dress wouldn't be pressing against the sore areas as tightly. That might help it heal faster."
"Oh," I said. "That's a good idea." I turned to him. "I assume the men of the ship won't be scandalized if they see an extra inch of my back, will they?"
He smiled, putting away the tin and wiping his hands. "Not in the slightest, Miss. I'll never tell the tales of what some of us have seen.”
“I probably don’t want to know.”
“You surely don’t,” he agreed as I jumped off the barrel. “Shall we go to the sewing area now?”
As soon as we set to work, I was thrilled that I was given the task mending sails with Larry. It was quite straightforward stitching, but obviously sails were much larger than any dress or sheet I had ever worked on. Having something I understood and felt confident about would help me feel more settled here.
"How are you getting along on the ship, Miss Flora?" he asked.
"Pretty well, I think," I said. "Everyone has been very patient with me."
His crooked smile was warm and genuine. "Miss, it takes everyone a little time to get their sea legs. Heck, it takes some people days just to figure out how not to trip on the ropes on deck. I think you're doing very well so far."
Watching him grin, I’d been wondering how honest and open I should be with him.
"Is there anything troubling you, Miss? I would be happy to help with anything I can."
I took a breath, collecting my thoughts and trying to put them in order. "The only thing that is truly strange to me is that my father basically owned me before, and now the Captain owns me. But he is a complete stranger. It's a bit… unsettling to think about."
Larry reached out to give my hand a little pat, surprising both of us. "Miss, do you think that the Captain treats me as if he owns me?"
"Not at all. You are a member of the crew, and he is obviously the leader. But it's all one big team here isn't it?"
“Five years ago the Captain won me in a game of cards," he said matter of factly. I must have looked astonished, as he la
ughed uproariously. "'Tis true, I swear, Miss. My previous Captain was paring down his crew, and we had never seen eye to eye." He looked uncomfortable for a second. "And I don't mean that as an insult, seeing as he only had the one eye."
"I know what you mean. But he actually risked you in a game of cards?” I shook my head. "That's just… Disrespectful."
"Aye, ‘twas the best thing that ever happened to me," he nodded with a gentle smile, his hands still busy stitching. “Captain Samuels had given me a look first. He asked my permission with the raise of his eyebrow, waiting for my nod before he raised the bet.”
I smiled to myself. That certainly sounded like the Captain I was getting to know.