“I’m sure there are. He’s handsome and funny, rich and powerful, but I am a married woman.”
“Married?” She held her hand over her bulging mountain of cleavage. “Mason didn’t mention a thing about you being married.”
Of course he didn’t, I thought to myself. “Yes. Earlier this year, I married Thomas Wilshire.”
“Thomas Wilshire? Well, that’s the name of the lad who went missing from Barbados on that full moon night.” She shivered as though a ghost had walked through her. “Wait. You are from Barbados, too…and the timing is about right…Are you the one they call the Ocean Eyed witch?”
I rolled my eyes. “I am not a witch. His family started that terrible rumor to shield the fact that their son fell in love with the daughter of a whore. And I don’t even know why everyone says we vanished at night. We left in the morning.” I had become terribly annoyed with this stupid story already.
“I also heard that you two were seen walking through the graveyard at sunrise, with your black cloak blowing in the misty morning air.”
“Oh, those dastardly bum-bailies. After I gathered my meager belongings from home, we went to the graveyard so I could leave a flower by my father’s tombstone before we ran off. And I only wore my cloak so no one would see me.”
“See, all such demeaning rumors are forged of many different tales. It astounds me that anyone bothers believing any of them.” Adaline let out an exhausted laugh.
“You don’t believe it?” I asked, stunned that she so easily changed her tune.
“Of course not, joli. It is the cruelty of the world which inspired me to make this a safe haven for women.”
My heart warmed. “Thank you, Adaline. I certainly appreciate your hospitality, and it is wonderful that you have made such a place for people like me.”
“I have my story, too, cherie, and it isn’t a pretty one, so I am more than happy to give back where I can. Now, my curiosity is running wild. Please tell me more of the truth behind this dashing mystery.”
Stung in the heart by the hurtful truth, I hung my head for a moment, but then I thought about what Mason had said about coping with your ghosts.
Shaking my head loose of the painful memories, I stood up with straight shoulders and walked towards my wall of art. “See this painting?” I pointed at the canopy tree I had painted. “Under the shade of this beautiful tree is where Thomas and I spent our first day together. And this,” I waved my hand around the moonlit bay I had painted a few days ago, “That is where he proposed to me and promised to take me away from that insidious island. It was a beautiful night that I never will forget. And this one,” I showed her the painting next to it, “These are the stars I admired from the porthole of the bunkroom I shared with Thomas. It’s the first place we made love. Unfortunately, that is also where he was murdered. By pirates.”
“Is that what truly happened to him?”
“Yes. I would never make up such a horrible story.” I shuddered at the memory of him falling to the floor after he was stabbed.
“Come here, you poor dear.” She hugged me tight and rocked me like a baby. “As if the loss of your lover isn’t heartbreaking enough, now you’re facing all these dreadful rumors.”
“Please don’t tell anyone I am here, Adaline. Not only because I can’t bear to face that terrible world after all of this, but I also fear that his mother will have me burned alive if she ever finds me.”
She kissed my forehead. “I will never tell a soul. You are a sweet girl, and I am proud of you for being so strong when you must be devastated inside.”
Backing out of her loving embrace, I fidgeted with my braid. “I was, I mean, I am devastated, and though I am sure I always will be, painting my pain has helped me to cope with it. Reliving these moments so dear to my heart helps me feel like they are not so far gone from me.”
“Oh, that is heartbreakingly beautiful, mon cher.” She took my hand and smiled at me with watery eyes.
Surprisingly, I had not shed one tear. “I will be fine, Adaline. I have to be.” I thought of the way Mason simply refused to be weak, and then remembering that this all started with her talking to me about him calling me his lady, I concluded, “Mason was nothing but nice to me, and I appreciate all he did to help me along, but I will be loyal to my husband’s ghost until I reunite with him in heaven.”
“That is a very honorable stance.” Her pleasant smile was followed by a timid stutter, “But…how…will…if you don’t…” She looked around nervously. “Oh, I know I shouldn’t meddle in your personal affairs, but liking you as much as I do, I am just going to jump right in and say it. If you are not going to be with Mason, how do you intend to take care of yourself in the world?”
My heart sank in my gut. Slapping my forehead, I sighed, “Oh, bother, I haven’t even thought of that. Struggling to survive my pain as I do, I have developed this terrible habit of forgetting about the future. I think I subconsciously ignore what is ahead of me because it will most likely be awful.”
Adaline’s pretty lips drooped in dramatic sadness.
“I honestly do not know what I will do. I know Mason only paid for so many months here, and I suppose I will need to start thinking about what I will do when my time runs out.”
“Oh, Hannah, Hannah, Hannah.” She shook her head and set her warm hand on my shoulder. “First let me say that I am not trying to discourage your independence, but I know better than anyone that women only have so many options in the world. And considering your story, your choices are especially few. I will help you all I can, but you understand that I am running a business here, and I must uphold very strict rules to keep my paradise pleasant for all whom I house.”
“I certainly understand that.”
“Now, with all of that said, I want to assure you that Mason Bentley is a good man, and in all the years I have known him, I have never once heard him refer to a lady as his own. I know for certain that he will come back for you, and when he does, I want you to consider what he has to offer.”
Though I believed her faith in her friend was true, I had no faith in anything. “Thank you for your concerns,” I plainly stated.
“That is the last time I will bother you about him. I promise.” She rubbed my arm. “Now, I noticed that you are getting low on paint.”
“I am. I was just wondering how I was going to get some more.”
With the bed made, Adaline perfected the way the pillows stacked against the headboard. “I am heading to town today, and if you promise to paint me a picture to hang over my mantle in the dining hall, I will gladly buy you some new paints in exchange.”
“I would love to paint you something, Adaline. It is the least I can do for all you have done for me.”
“Let’s see how it turns out and maybe I’ll take another piece of art as a trade for more time here.”
“Oh, Adaline, that would be marvelous.” I nearly jumped with joy. “I have never had any real friends and am so used to people being mean to me that I am overwhelmed by the kindness you have shown me.”
Straightening her colorful skirts, she said, “There is something fascinating about you, Hannah. I like having you and all of your paintings around.”
After a warm and wonderful hug, she kissed me on the cheek. While heading out the door, she added, “We are having a dinner party tonight, and there is a new girl I’d like you to meet. She isn’t very happy about waiting for her sailor. Maybe you can help her feel better.”
As the door shut behind her, I looked at Feather. “A party? I don’t think I have ever been to a party. I wish I had something better to wear.” Looking down at my paint-stained red dress, I huffed. “I am a mess. I suppose I will just have to do something nice with my hair.”
While playing with my hair, I told Feather about my mother. “She used to do my hair when I was very little. Braids and twists and pretty ribbons. It is due to her Nordic heritage that we have this unearthly blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. Her grandmother was a Viking,
and she taught my mother how to do these uniquely beautiful hair styles.” While separating my tail into multiple braids of all different sizes, some of which I laced ribbons through, I eyed myself in the mirror. “I look a lot like my mother, Feather, and that is a good thing. Seeing her now you wouldn’t know it, but she was once very pretty. She used to be nice, too, but that was very long ago. Yet, the few memories of her being sweet with me are the ones I try to remember. Oh, I suppose I should write that letter I promised her.”
Sitting down at the desk, I dipped my quill in the ink and wrote:
Mother,
I am sorry it has taken me so long to write, but I want you to know I am alive and well. The winds have shifted in ways I never expected, but adjusting my sails, I have found a shore I never would have come upon otherwise. And I am very happy here. I have been painting a lot, I have made a few friends, and I have a cat that I have named Feather. Life is good in my little world, and I hope everything is good for you as well.
Sincerely, Hannah
After addressing the envelope with no return address, I spent the rest of the afternoon painting the picture I’d promised Madame Adaline. I decided to replicate the wrought iron gate of La Vie en Rose. Wanting to surprise her with it, I did my best to have it done before dinner and ended up making a rather abstract version of it so I didn’t have to worry about waiting for the layers of paint to dry. Being especially pleased with the way the pink Bougainvillea flowers and the spikey green vines twisted around the beautiful gate, I smiled at my finished project. Adaline was going to love it.
After signing my name at the bottom, I touched up my braids and straightened the layers of my dress. While I once again cursed the dingy thing, Adaline came through my door. Not only had she brought me paints, but like the angel she was, she granted my wishes by bringing me a new dress to wear for the party. It was a beautiful blue color that had to cost her a good chunk of money.
Ogling over the satin and lace, I sighed, “Oh, my goodness, Adaline, you did not have to do this.”
“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little head. The seamstress owed me a favor and was happy to settle with this lovely new design of hers. You’ll be the only one wearing anything like it. Plus, your paintings are worth much more than a few cans of paint, Hannah.” She smiled and then caught a glimpse of her gift.
Her eyes filled with tears as I told her all about the painting. She loved it so much she hung it right away.
Over dinner, Adaline rambled on to the guests about how much she adored my painting. To my humble satisfaction, everyone else liked it just as much as she did. One of the ladies even offered to pay me for a custom piece. Apparently, Mason was right about me being able to make money with my art, and for the first time in my life I realized I now had something worth a damn to offer the world.
“I’d buy one if I had the money,” the new girl said to me.
Her name was Brandywine, but she introduced herself as Brandy. Her short brown hair was a mess, and she was so thin I worried that she hadn’t eaten in weeks. Yet, she barely touched her plate of food. My concern for her grew when I noticed the bruise on the side of her pale white face. Beyond her battered appearance, she carried on in pleasant small talk as if not a thing was wrong in her world.
When the party moved out to the lantern-lit back yard, Brandy and I sat on the porch and watched everyone dancing. The band was excellent, the weather was superb, and I finally had made some friends. Tonight was a wonderful night.
As of yet, my chat with Brandy had been light and pleasant, but the more she drank, the more her mood darkened.
“I hate it here,” she slurred for the fifteenth time. “I know it’s nice tonight and all, but I just want to go home.”
“Where is your home?”
“Down in town. Not that it’s nicer, but it’s better.” She belched.
“How did you end up here?” I inquired.
“My stupid pirate of a husband forced me here so I don’t run wild while he’s away. Dumped me off so he can go stick it to all the whores he can get his hands on. He says he pirates for the money, but I know he just likes running away from me. He isn’t true. None of them fen-sucked pirates are true.”
Aghast by her terrible outburst, I fiddled with my braids and tried to find something nice to say. “Hopefully he will be back soon, then you can return home.”
“Aye. At least at home I have the freedom to roam. I hate being stuck up here on this hillside.”
“I like it, myself, but then again, I’ve never had much of a social life. This is the first party I have ever been to.”
“You’re jesting? You’ve never been to a party? Well let me tell you…” She went on to tell me about the parties she and her husband would have at their house. Honestly, I wasn’t the least bit interested in such activities, but to be polite, I lied. “Sounds fun.”
“Oh, it’s always a good time. Until Morty starts drinking too much.”
I snickered to myself, for I had felt the same about my experience with her.
“He gets so nasty violent when he’s drunk. Slaps me around like a rag doll, he does.” She prodded the bruise on her cheek. “I have to get him drunker so he passes out sooner, then I can do whatever I want. That’s when the real party begins!”
Unsure of what to say about her real party, I focused on the troubles with her husband. “I am sorry that he treats you that way, Brandy. Are you sure you still want to be with him?”
“I don’t ever want to be with him. He is ugly and mean and only marginally successful in the bedroom. But what the hell else would I do in life? I could be a whore to other men, or I can be his whore. At least this way I only have to tolerate sleeping with one man I don’t like, instead of a bunch of strangers I don’t like at all.”
Disturbed by her entire situation, I started looking for ways to excuse myself, but she kept rambling on. Grabbing my arm, she rubbed her hot cheek on my shoulder. “I like you, Hannah. You’re nice and pretty, and I like your artwork. This dress is so unique, and I love the way you put those ribbons in your braids.”
Now she was being friendly to me. How would I ever get away?
“So what whorehouse are you from?” she slurred.
“Oh, I am not from a whorehouse.” I couldn’t believe she asked me that.
“Sorry.” She lit her pipe. “I should have guessed. You’re too pretty to be a whore. Your skin’s all soft and shit.” She patted my cheek with her clammy hand.
While I wiped her sweat off my face, she exhaled her smoke and coughed. “Where the hell do you come from, then? And what the shit are you doing here?”
Hiding in my room as often as I did, I had not had to answer that question yet. Twiddling my fingers, I hummed as I thought of the best way to tell my story. “Well, have you heard the name Mason Bentley?”
“Of course I have!” She sprung up like a monkey. “My husband has sailed with him before. He is so…” She looked around and hissed like a little snake until she found the right word. “Dangerous! That’s the word I was looking for. He doesn’t just acquire gold, he gets lots of it! Many men die sailing with him and Black James Reid, but those who survive their harsh tactics come home so rich they’d never have to sail again if they were smart. But they’re not. They are all stupid pirates.”
She belched so loudly, I thought the band would stop and look at her for being so rude, but looking around I saw that the rest of the party was no better off. Swaying like sailors keeping balance on the tide, they fumbled around with glasses in their hands. Many more were now dancing, and those who were sitting were playing cards, smoking pipes, and women were wildly draped across the laps of the men. The once elegant evening now bustled with a filthy tavern-like atmosphere. Even Adaline was sitting on a man’s lap, slapping his cheek and feeding him rum.
“So, anyhow,” Brandy pulled on my arm. “How is it that you know the saucy Mason Bentley?”
No longer wishing to have any relation to the saucy and dangerous
pirate who risked the lives of all his men to become rich as idiot kings, I simply stated, “He’s the one who brought me here.”
Her eyes widened, lustfully. “Are you fucking him?”
Mortified by the vile wording of her terrible question, I held my hand over my chest and gasped in horror. “No. No I am not. I was not and I will not.”
She laughed at me. “You must be some kind of princess. There’s no woman amongst this lowly class of us who wouldn’t rip her skirts off and hop on that big ol’ cock of his. Any who haven’t yet already, anyhow. He’s been with more women than…”
Jumping to my feet, I sternly said, “Stop. Stop. Stop. I do not want to hear about that part of his life, and I will never be one of his many. I am not like that, and,” remembering the way my father would settle disputes with his rude customers, I stomped my foot and solidly concluded, “I refuse to continue in this heinous discussion with you. Good evening, Brandy.”
Storming off like a little hurricane, I heard her laughing like a senseless drunkard amongst the many others at the party as I headed up the stairs.
Shutting my door behind me, I lit a candle and paced the floor as I reported the evening’s events to Feather. “Sorry to wake you, my friend, but I just have to tell you about my interesting night. It started well enough, but then my new friend Brandy got drunk and told me some things about Mason that I wish I never knew. I mean, looking the way he does, and living the life he leads, I figured him to be well experienced with women, but I truly did not like hearing about it one bit. Disgusting. I cannot believe his dirty lips touched my cheek.”
Rubbing the place where he kissed me, I was certain it warmed up again—just like it had when he tricked me into letting it happen. And to my own annoyance, the very heat I imagined, physically traveled down my neck and settled into my heart as I remembered being in his arms. I then thought of the silly way he would laugh when cracking his stupid jokes, and the way the one side of his mouth would lift in a smile when I caught him staring at me…
Uncharted Secrets (Uncharted Secrets, Book 1): Endless Horizon Pirate Stories Page 8