by Haley Travis
It was sweet that she kept wanting to give me the money she earned, but I'd have none of that. It seemed like this was probably the first time she had a few coins of her own, and she should keep them for herself.
This trip, watching her practically skip back up the dock toward me, I couldn't resist pulling her up into my arms for a giant hug. Larry was trailing her, as always, and politely looked away for a moment so I could give Flora a tiny kiss.
Setting her down, I asked, "How did it go today, lass?"
"Wonderful, sir. Both of the women bought absolutely everything and asked for much more. They were very grateful I could get everything to them this weekend, since they have a festival next week."
"But you told them it might be a spell before we return?" I asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't want you to make extra trips on my account."
I might not have mentioned that this particular trip had mostly been for her. Certainly, we had a few other deliveries and shipments to attend to, but her business was the focus this time around.
"I'm much more concerned about you working too hard," I said, wrapping an arm around her as I walked her onto the ship. "I don't want our sweet girl to go blind from your tiny work in the lamplight, or wearing those pretty fingers to the bone."
She grinned up at me. “It's sweet that you’re concerned, but I promise that I'm fine." She took her packages from Larry and scampered off to stow them away.
Turning to Larry, I asked, "It sounds like those shopkeepers really adore her trinkets?"
"Aye, they do," he said, his huge grin creasing his scar up higher. "This time the fabric store lady had what seemed to be her husband in the shop as well. I think he wanted to meet Flora. I was over by the front door, so I didn't hear much of their conversation, but they all seemed delighted with her."
Clapping him on the shoulder, I said, "I truly appreciate you looking out for her."
"Of course, sir." He looked slightly uncomfortable for a second before he added, "We can't very well have your face walking around this town in case those posters are still up."
"It was a long time ago. Beyond that, it makes me feel secure that you are the one looking out for her. I know you would do anything to keep her safe."
The huge man nodded as he looked slightly down at me, flashing his endearing grin. "Miss Flora has become like a sister to me," he said softly. “I'm not ashamed to say she has brought a bit of home comfort to the ship, sir."
"I agree. But she does work those wee hands too hard, so how about you and I go scrub the potatoes?"
When Flora joined us to cook supper, she laughed merrily as Larry and I pretended she was the Captain of Dinner. We obeyed her every command, which also amused the boys as they gathered around the table.
It was a wonderful supper, with everyone telling their own little tales of what happened in the village today. Teeth and McGee had been delivering packages of spices to a restaurant, and were given buttery sugar cookies by the chef. While Davey and O'Doule were delivering a shipment of grain to a nearby stable, they saw the tallest white horse they'd ever seen.
"'Twas like a mythical creature," Davy exclaimed, wide-eyed. "If it had suddenly taken off and flown away, I would not have been surprised."
O'Doule grinned. “Normally I'd say the lad was pulling your leg, Captain, but this was a magnificent beast indeed. It must have been at least seventeen hands tall. I would have paid good money to see it run full speed."
I was just about to inquire what such a sight would be worth to him, when we heard hollering up on deck.
"What sort of savage interrupts the supper hour?" I grumbled. I nodded to Larry, and he followed me up to see seven uniformed policemen about to board my ship.
"Hold up, gentlemen," I said with a wide smile. I raised my hands slightly, allowing my coat to flare out so they could see I was unarmed. When a man is outnumbered, it's best to begin by being social and putting them at ease.
“How may I help you officers this evening?" I asked, in a calm tone that suggested I expected their request to be reasonable.
"Are you the Captain of The Toothy Scallywag?"
I scrunched up my face to appear as confused as possible, then gestured to the side of the ship. "'Tis The Fortune's Favor, as you can see right here on the hull."
The officers looked between each other, less certain. "We have a warrant for the arrest of the Captain of The Toothy Scallywag, and believe you match the picture on the wanted posters."
"Well, you can plainly see I am the Captain of a different ship.” I gestured to my face. "Perhaps this mug is simply preferred by your poster artist."
I flush them a broad grin, making three of the officers in the back almost choke from trying to stifle their chuckles.
"The Mayor of Parrinport can confirm your identity,” the head officer said.
"Fine. Where is he? And does he prefer rum or ale?" I asked brightly.
The head cop scowled. "He happens to be out of town on business, but he'll be back tomorrow afternoon."
"Well, that's lovely. My navigator says the weather will be mighty fine tomorrow. We could have a picnic together."
This time one of the officers in the back chuckled out loud, causing their leader to glare daggers at him.
"I didn't realize I was an important enough fellow to garner a meeting with your Mayor," I said. "But I will certainly clear my schedule for it."
The head officer gave me a flat look. "We won't be trusting you not to sail off. We’ll throw you in the jail until the Mayor arrives."
I cocked my head, considering. "Now, I mean absolutely no disrespect, but I'm just guessing that our cook is better than your cook. So if you wouldn't mind me finishing my supper first…"
The head police officer snapped his fingers, and five of them grabbed me. But since four of them were snickering, I had a feeling they were not as rough as they could have been with a man suspected of piracy.
Larry lunged for me, but I quickly shook my head. I knew that he could throw the lot of them overboard in seconds, but I didn't want to think of the younger ones getting hurt. I also didn't want to think of what would happen if they called in reinforcements, or pulled out pistols. Or began examining the Fortune from stem to stern. Especially since some of the paint from the new name of the ship was beginning to flake off in patches.
I stood up as straight as possible, then walked very slowly down the plank, nodding at Larry with a huge smile. "You'll have to finish my supper for me, mate. Tell the tiny one not to worry. This will all be sorted tomorrow."
As I marched smartly down the dock, I inquired of the officer holding my left arm, "Honestly now, does the Mayor prefer rum or ale? When I invite him back to the ship for a drink after this all blows over, I'll need to know what to serve him."
~ Chapter 17 ~ Flora ~
* After Supper *
I heard men's voices up on deck, but it sounded like the Captain was jovial. Still, my curiosity got the better of me.
The other men didn't say a word as I crept up the stairs, peeking out to see a handful of uniformed men grabbing the Captain. He was behaving as if it was all some sort of joke or ruse.
Larry looked angry enough to smack all of their heads together, but the Captain seemed to stop him with one glance. Before I knew what was happening, the Captain was being marched away. Larry turned to come back downstairs and saw my horrified face.
"What happened?" I could barely whisper.
Larry tried to smile, then sagged, shaking his head. "Sometimes a man's past life catches up with him," he said sadly, leading me back down to the others.
We sat down, and from the looks shot around the table, it seemed like only Larry, O'Doule, and McGee had a clue what was going on.
"We know that in his younger days the Captain was a bit of a squirrelly pirate,” Larry said slowly. "Before he decided to become a respectable trader and shipper, this vessel sailed under another name, and a much different set of rules."
O'Doul
e nodded. “I would have thought that the Mayor of this town would have been long gone by now. But yes, there was an incident here. The Captain didn't show his face around these parts for several years."
"We were sure it would have been safe by now,” McGee said thoughtfully. "Memories fade. Wanted posters fade. Unless maybe that was the only interesting incident that has ever occurred around here?"
O’Doule shrugged. "No matter. We'll have to figure something out."
"The Mayor won't be back until tomorrow afternoon," Larry said. "So at least we have tonight."
Everyone settled in to think hard, but my mind was spinning and bouncing like an apple rolling down a hill. I knew it was probably my fault we were here. I had wondered if the Captain had been making extra trips on my account. By coming here on a regular basis, it must have alerted the authorities.
Perhaps the Mayor himself had come down for a stroll while the Captain was on deck. Or perhaps rumors had spread that the ship had been renamed. I didn't know how these things worked, but there couldn't be many ships of this size that made runs around the area.
"Oh my goodness," I whispered.
"What is it, Miss?" Larry asked softly.
"The man who was in the fabric store."
"The shopkeeper's husband?"
I shook my head. "I assumed that's who he was, but it could've been the Mayor himself, or someone in his family. Remember his very expensive looking suit?"
Larry shrugged. "If his wife runs the shop, he should have the best clothing, I would think."
"When he wanted to shake my hand to thank me for the brisk sales they were doing, he asked my name." I looked up to Larry, blinking hard as my eyes swam with tears. “And he asked the name of the ship I was from."
O'Doule reached across the table to pat my hand. "Lass, any of the dock men could have mentioned what ships were in port."
"But the shopkeeper could have told him we were there often. They could have been expecting us. Is this all my fault?"
I collapsed into my folded arms on the table, sobbing uncontrollably. Although I felt both Larry and Davy’s hands stroking my back, it was little comfort.
If it was my fault that the wonderful man who had transformed my entire life was in jail, I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself.
~ Chapter 18 ~ The Captain ~
* Limestone Walls *
Sometimes a tiny bit of information can be dangerous, without the rest of the information available to fill out the picture.
The authorities probably knew that a ship would never leave without its Captain on board. But they were probably too ignorant to realize that my men wouldn't just stay on the ship waiting around.
An hour after I had been unceremoniously dumped into a jail cell, a pebble came flying through the open window above. It was far higher than I could ever reach, but it was certainly enough to send a signal.
If I threw the pebble back, it confirmed that I was indeed here, but unable to speak freely. Yet with no other prisoners and the guard down the hall, it was all clear.
"Davy," I said sharply, looking up at the dim square of gray above.
"Captain. Are you alright?"
"Aye, clean and dry."
I heard him snort, containing his chuckles. “Strength?”
I had already checked the cell. The floor and walls were made of limestone, the bars of solid steel. "Fortress," I said, indicating that there was no way I could break out with physical force.
"Numbers?"
"One," I said, telling him that there was only one guard left on duty.
"Others?"
"Nay."
"Hold tight," Davy called.
"Aye."
Other men might be panicking in this situation. I was simply curious. Everything would pan out one way or the other. Perhaps my crew would find a way to break down the front door, overpower the guard, and bust me out.
Or perhaps they would weigh all of the information, and decide it would be better to wait until the Mayor was arriving, and cause some sort of grand diversion so that I could run off. They might even sail a short distance east, leaving one man here to coordinate with me, then we would steal a tiny boat to catch up to them.
No matter what happened, I knew they'd find a way.
I hated to admit that this was one part of pirating I missed, just a tiny bit. I didn't like using weapons, or transporting a lot of explosives. I really didn't like stealing at all, but especially not from regular folk.
There were aspects of the pirates' life that were perfectly suited to me, but many that weren't. Yet there was something about the little bits of adventure that fired up my blood.
My only deep regret was knowing that Flora must be worried sick. When I got out of this predicament, I would vow to put even more distance between the old life and the new.
It wasn't right of me to put her through such worry. How could I have her falling in love with me if she couldn't trust me? How could she give me her heart if I couldn't guarantee I would always be there for her?
I would never have dreamed that I would love a woman more than my ship, more than my own life. Now I pictured Flora in my arms, her sweet gentle face tipped up to mine as she opened herself completely. My little angel deserved much better.
Sitting in the dark on the floor of a stone jail cell, I grinned to myself.
I was completely in love with Flora. I was no longer a pirate. And I was deeply joyous about both of those revelations.
~ Chapter 19 ~ Flora ~
* A Plan *
The hour was growing late as Davy came back and joined us. Sitting around the table, the crew all stared at the wooden surface, and each other. My hands were still visibly shaking.
In all my life, I’d never dared to think I’d fall in love. My future had seemed so certain. My father would marry me off, and I’d have to plaster a smile on my face, and do as I was told.
It was a bizarre twist of the fates that I should be sold to a man who made me feel so much so fast. A man who lifted me up. Made me feel precious and adored. A man who wanted me to explore the world however I liked, and share things together.
There was no way I was going to let him waste even one night in jail, away from me.
Davy kindly held out his mug of rum. “Here, Miss. Take one sip. It’ll calm your nerves.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, taking my first swallow of rum ever. Handing the mug back, I tried not to sputter, choking it down. “How can liquid burn so much?” I squeaked.
At least I made the men laugh, which brightened the mood.
“Alright, men,” Larry said. “And Miss.”
I grinned, blinking hard as my eyes started to water again, this time from the roaring flush of heat tingling through me instead of tears.
“We’ve never lost a man, and we’re certainly not going to lose our Captain.” Everyone nodded, looking determined. “This is an older town,” Larry explained, “So the jail is likely fortified, and we can’t expect the Captain to break out.”
“Aye,” Davy said. “He said it’s solid, but only one guard.”
Larry nodded. “We’ll need to break him out then. And it must be tonight, before they gather the authorities in the morning. If the townspeople find out that they’re holding a… smuggler, shall we say, they’ll all come down for the spectacle.”
“Aye, then there will be eyes everywhere,” O’Doule said, nodding. “So, it’s tonight. Let’s think of our options.”
“Do we have any explosives left?” Teeth asked.
“No, we used those up blowing the lock on the treasure chests back in Claytonsfield,” McGee said. “Captain doesn’t want us to carry much of that anymore.”
O’Doule shook his head. “Let’s start with non-violent options. Can anyone pick locks?”
“House locks, yes,” Davy said. “The normal sort of little lock on a home or a stable, I can open. But the jail would have a bolt lock at the front door, and a sturdy lock on the cell where they’re holding
him.” He shook his head sadly, the edge of his headscarf flapping slightly. “I could try, but it might take me a very long time.”
Larry shrugged. “I could easily break in the front door, since that’s likely wood. But I can’t throw myself at steel bars.”
“Well, ye could,” chuckled Teeth. “But you’d have bruises like tiger stripes for days.”