Call of the Sea

by Rebecca Hart

  Nelson stood with his arms folded over his chest, eyes hard.

  “Sorry.” She swallowed. “I just got finished in the galley. There were a lot more pots and–”

  “You aren’t Sven’s lackey, you’re mine. Leave the laundry there for now. We need to talk.” Nelson turned and strode away, movements stiff.

  Ellie jumped to action and fell in step behind him. She didn’t understand what had made him so angry. It wasn’t like she’d been sloughing off during his absence.

  When he reached the mainmast, Nelson stopped and faced her. His dark eyes swept left and right before centering on Ellie.

  A shiver coursed through her.

  Nelson leaned close, studied her face.

  Ellie held her breath.

  “Why are you here?” The whispered words hissed through his teeth. His intense gaze rooted Ellie to the decking.

  Confusion clouded her thoughts and her heartbeat accelerated. “Wh–what?”

  “You heard me. What brings you to The Surf Runner, Elysandra?”

  Her breath hitched. How could he know me? “I…who…is that?”

  Nelson rolled his eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, child. I saw your frantic mother at the docks while you were in the galley.”

  A vice gripped Ellie’s chest. Frantic? “My mother?”

  “She had a small portrait of you. I will admit your disguise is quite effective.” He reached up and flicked a short curl with his finger. “If it weren’t for this mop of red and your striking eyes, I’d never have made the connection.”

  Panic rattled around her brain. “What…did you tell her?” She twisted her fingers together. “She’d have come for me already if you’d told her, right?” Ellie gnawed her lower lip.

  “None of that answers my question. What are you doing aboard this ship? This is no place for little girls.”

  His words stabbed into her, aggravating a long festering wound. A ball of fire sparked in Ellie’s stomach, and her hands balled into fists. “I am not a little girl.”

  Nelson waved a dismissive hand. “Bah! We both know the truth of things.” He looked down his nose at her. “You expect me to ignore this information, like it has no bearing? Keep this from my captain?”

  “What bearing does it have?” Desperation laced her voice. She’d been rehearsing the conversation in her mind for close to four years—except her father always stood where Nelson did. “I can perform any task a male cabin boy can. Challenge me. I’ll pass any test you put before me. I was born to be here, Nelson. The sea is in my blood.”

  “What kind of bosh is that? Sea in your blood, my arse. What are you, a damn mermaid?”

  “My father is a captain, as was his father before him. My great-grandfather, too, for that matter.” Heat flushed Ellie’s cheeks. What if he sends me away? “Just give me a chance, please. Being a privateer is all I have ever wanted.”

  “What the ’ell are you two doin’ just standin’ around?”

  Ellie swung about to find Captain Harris barreling toward them, arms waving.

  “Ye said ye were gonna show the lad how to use the footropes and tend the yards.” Harris pointed toward the maze of rigging and ropes overhead. “Last time I checked they were up there, not down here. And ye left me skivvies strewn all over the quarterdeck.”

  Nelson’s sharp gaze shifted to Ellie before returning to the captain. “Actually, Ellis and I were just discussing your laundry, as well as his other duties. I’m glad you’re here. The lad has something he wants to tell you.”

  Ellie froze.

  Captain Harris locked his eyes on her and raised a fat gray eyebrow. “What is it? Don’t tell me ye’re afraid of heights.”

  She struggled for something to say. “Er…uh…no, sir, not at all. I…uh…I just wanted you to know…uh…what a fine job Nelson is doing of training me, sir.”

  Nelson made a pained face over the captain’s shoulder.

  “And to thank you again for the opportunity, sir.” She didn’t know what Nelson expected her to say, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell the captain her secret or ask to leave the ship. If Nelson wanted the truth known, it would be up to him to rat her out.

  Captain Harris frowned and shook his head. “That is the biggest pile of pig shit I have ever seen shoveled, boy.” He turned hard eyes on Nelson. “Get the hell to work.”

  “Yes, sir.” After the captain moved away, Nelson turned back to Ellie. His dark eyes bored into her.

  A shiver raced along her flesh. Her jaw flexed and her chin notched upward.

  After a few seconds, Nelson nodded. “I will not speak of this again, Ellis.” He blew out a sigh and shook his head. “Lord, help me.” Nelson put a bare foot into the loop of rope wrapped around the mainmast and grabbed a handhold on another further up the pole. “C’mon. Looks like it’s time for your rigging lessons.” He scaled the mast, hand over hand, placing his feet in footholds that ran up its length.

  Ellie blinked, let out the breath she hadn’t realized she held and followed Nelson up the rigging. A smile bowed her lips as she maneuvered her way up ropework. Guess he can be trusted.

  The wind whipped at her clothing and sent delicious tingles through her. Once she reached the top, Ellie poked her head over the rim of the crow’s nest and grinned at Nelson. “That wasn’t as hard as I expected.”

  “This is my favorite spot on the entire ship.” Nelson’s bald head gleamed beneath the setting sun. His eyes lit with pleasure.

  Ellie climbed over the side of the nest and settled on her bottom beside him. “Don’t you get sunburn on your head up here without a hat?”

  Nelson’s bony fingers rubbed his naked dome. “We can’t all have a head of flaming locks like you. ’Sides, I lost most of mine looking after greenhorns these past fifteen years.”

  Ellie huffed. Her thoughts returned to what she’d overhead the captain say earlier. “Nelson?”

  His eyes swept the horizon before he faced her again. “Aye?”

  “What if the captain wasn’t one of the king’s privateers anymore?”

  He frowned. “Why would you ask something like that?”

  Her eyes sought her hands; she searched her fingernails for an answer. “I sort of overhead Captain Harris say he lost his Letter of Marque.”

  “You did what?” Nelson’s gaze shot down to the quarterdeck, where the captain stood with Gorgon at the helm. “Are you sure?”

  Ellie nodded. “Positive.”

  “Satan’s gonads! He’s going to take us all down with him. With no royal seal to back us up, we’re on our own. Free for attack by any vessel on the seas, and could be declared pirates if we fire a shot to defend ourselves.” Nelson rubbed the wrinkles in his forehead, mouth forming a thin line.

  A harsh laugh burst from her. “Oh, wonderful.” She rolled her eyes. I’ve joined a band of pirates. Papa will be so proud.

  Chapter Seven

  “The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can head up to the house and get something substantial to eat.”

  Daniel finished tying off the yard line he held and nodded to Captain Winters. “Aye, sir.”

  It had been a long trip, nearly four months since they’d weighed anchor in their home port of Newquay. A smile blossomed on Daniel’s lips. Home. He lifted his gaze to the tufts of gray dotting the sky in wonder. When had he started to think of the tiny port town as home?

  The image of Ellie nestled against him on the beach materialized in his mind. She’d visited him each and every night in the three weeks before she’d gone off to school. They sat together on the beach for hours. Sometimes she’d talk to him as if he were human, like it mattered what he thought. Most nights she’d fall asleep snuggled against him. He’d always wake her before dawn so she could slip back into the house undetected.

  With a shake of his head, Daniel shoved the memories aside. He focused on Mrs. Winters’ hearty mutton stew and the soft bed the captain had been kind enough to offer in an unused storage shed nestled in the shelte
r of the bluffs behind their house.

  Daniel pulled the last rope taut and tied off the end. He straightened and turned about to find the captain approaching, a rucksack tossed over his shoulder. His blue eyes sparkled with an excited light. “Ready, lad?”

  “Aye, Captain. All set.”

  Captain Winters nodded and spun on his heel. Long strides carried him across the deck of The Siren’s Call. Before he’d travelled more than a dozen steps, two sailors came clamoring up the gangplank.

  “Captain Winters!” The short round one waved chubby arms over his head. Sweat slid in rivers down his temples. “Thank the Lord ye’re finally here!”

  The panic in the squat man’s voice rippled down the back of Daniel’s neck.

  Captain Winters stopped, swung the sack from his shoulder and dropped it on the deck. He held his hands up, palms out. “Easy, Matthews. You look like you’re about to explode. What’s got you in such a state?”

  Matthews’ hands fretted with each other over his rotund belly. “It’s yer daughter, sir. She…uh…” His gray eyes sought the decking.

  Daniel felt the captain stiffen beside him. The air around them seemed to grow heavy. Despite the warm sunshine heating his skin, a shiver raced down his spine.

  “What about my daughter?” The captain took a menacing step toward the stuttering fat man. “Spit it out!” His hands curled into fists.

  “She’s missing, Captain Winters. Gone over two weeks now.” Matthews cast a worried glance at his lanky companion. “We tried to get word to ye, but–”

  The captain waved a dismissive hand. “Never mind that. Is there any clue to her whereabouts, a note of ransom?”

  Matthews studied his toes again.

  “She wasn’t taken, Captain Winters,” the tall skinny one spoke up, ramming an elbow into Matthews’ well-padded ribs. “Yer daughter left a note for ye.” He held out a piece of folded yellow paper with a broken wax seal. “Yer wife read it, of course.”

  Captain Winters snatched the parchment from the man and unfolded the page. After a few moments, he let out a rush of air, crumpled the note and dropped it at his feet. He grabbed his rucksack from the deck. “If you will excuse us, gentlemen, I need to go see my wife.” He pushed past the startled men and strode toward the gangplank.

  Daniel used the distraction to scoop up the crumpled note and stuff it in his pocket. Cheeks flushed and heart hammering, he stepped between the two sailors and hurried to catch up with the captain.

  His mind spun. Ellie gone? Two full weeks? But where? She was little more than a child, an impish fluff of wild red curls and gangly legs. That was five years ago. His steps faltered. Could she really be fifteen now?

  Captain Winters wove through the bustling streets of Newquay in brooding silence with a panting Daniel hard on his heels. It wasn’t until they’d left the town behind and the two climbed the hill leading to the bluffs that the captain slowed his steps, allowing Daniel to catch up. “Was she really that unhappy?” he asked.

  Daniel wasn’t sure if he’d meant to speak out loud. “Pardon, Captain?”

  Captain Winters cleared his throat. “Nothing.”

  As much as Daniel ached to put his mentor at ease, he knew how miserable Ellie had been the last time he’d seen her. How much she’d wanted to stay in Newquay, or rather, how much she wanted to be at sea with her father. Daniel cast a quick glance at the captain. He had to know how much she wanted that.

  Maybe that’s what the note says.

  The parchment felt like a lead weight in his pocket. He swore he could hear it crinkling with each step he took.

  When they reached the house, Captain Winters turned to Daniel, worry lines gouged into his forehead. “I’ll need some time alone with Amelia. Get some rest and come by in the morning for breakfast. We sail again on the morrow.”

  Daniel nodded. “Aye, Captain.” He stuffed his hands in his front pockets. Fingers curled around the note. “Don’t worry, Captain. We’ll find her.”

  The specter of a smile haunted Captain Winters’ weary face. “I hope so, lad.” He pushed open the door and disappeared into the cottage.

  With a sigh, Daniel made his way across the dunes to the storage shed. The rickety door gave way with a loud creak. The familiar scent of fresh hay reached his nose. Mrs. Winters must have changed out the bedding while they were away. He lit the lamp on the shelf by the entrance and carried it to the small table in the center of the room. He reached into his pocket for the crumpled note and plopped down onto a wobbly stool.

  For a few long moments, he just started at the crumbled ball of parchment nestled in his palm. He straightened in his seat and unfolded the page.

  Dearest Papa,

  I know you must be sorely disappointed in me right now, and I’m afraid I have no words to change your mind. Despite my best efforts, I cannot be the daughter you wanted me to be. There is so much more to life than husbands and babies. I want so much more—yearn for it.

  I can’t sit here with mother another day, pining away and waiting for you to return. The sea hovers outside my bedroom window and beckons, day after day.

  It’s time for me to answer the call and build a future I can live with. Hopefully, I’ll find berth on a ship in town and be at sea long before you return home to find this.

  Please don’t come after me. You won’t change my mind.

  I love you, Papa. I’m sorry.

  Ellie

  Daniel’s brow furrowed. What ship would have a female crewmember, especially one of Ellie’s young age? He thought about the crew of The Siren’s Call. How they lived when at sea. Certainly not the sort of place or people an impressionable young girl should be around. Daniel folded the note and pushed it back into his pocket. Thoughts of Ellie at the mercy of a band of dirty thugs sprang unbidden to his mind. Groaning, he pushed up from the table.

  He rolled the knot from his shoulders, doused the lamp, and fumbled across the dark space toward his bed. After his years of service to Captain Winters, Daniel was sure of one thing: The captain wouldn’t give up searching for his wayward daughter until she was back where he felt she belonged.

  Whether Ellie likes it or not.

  Chapter Eight

  As had become routine since they’d left England over three months before, Ellie’s day started with a lesson in swordplay from Nelson. After which, she reported to Sven in the galley. Once breakfast was over and she’d finished scrubbing the dishes, she’d head for the quarterdeck and Captain Harris. The next hour would consist of doing his housekeeping, errands, and laundry—followed by the worst part of her new life at sea: polishing his putrid-smelling boots. Ellie shuddered at the thought.

  Truth be told, smelly boots were a small price to pay for getting a chance to follow her dreams. Sailing was everything she’d imagined it would be. Being at sea aboard a real ship as part of a hard working crew—what more could she ask for?

  For my father to accept me for who I am.

  Ellie’s steps hitched as the words rattled through her skull. A tight fist closed around her heart. She pushed the intrusive thought to the darkest corner of her mind and stiffened her shoulders.

  He never would’ve taken me.

  “A ship to starboard, Captain! She’s hull-down.” Nelson’s voice rang out from the crow’s nest.

  Ellie jolted upright. She scanned the horizon along the starboard side of the ship looking for the swath of white marking a ship’s sails.

  Captain Harris barreled through the bulkhead hatch onto the quarterdeck, spyglass in hand. He elbowed Ellie out of his way and lifted the instrument to his eye.

  Rubbing her bruised shoulder, Ellie’s gaze followed the path of the glass as it swept along the horizon.

  “She’s heading straight for us.” The captain squinted out at the growing mass of canvas, checked the spyglass again. “Hard to get a bead on ’er sails.” He turned to Ellie. “Get yer arse to Nelson at the cannons, lad. Better prepared than dead.”

  By the time Ellie reach
ed the mainmast, Nelson had already scaled down the rigging and waited for her at its base. “Looks like a Dutch fluyt.” He pulled a flintlock from his belt and began loading it. “If it is, Harris will attack. He won’t be able to stop himself. They carry too much cargo for him to let her pass unaccosted, regardless of any peace treaties.” Nelson halfcocked the pistol and stuffed it into his belt. “I think we may be in for a tussle.”

  Ellie’s heartbeat quickened. If we attack the ship, we become pirates. Her shoulders deflated.

  She followed Nelson down a deck to where the cannons stood in two long rows extending the length of the ship, five on each side.

  “All right, you’re going to be my powder monkey, El. Head to the munitions stores and arm yourself, then bring me as many powder bags as you can muster. If she is a fluyt, we should have her outmanned and outgunned. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll surrender without a fight.”

  Hope bloomed in her chest. Perhaps I won’t end up a pirate after all.

  Captain Harris’s voice echoed from the deck above. “All ’ands to stations! Load the cannons!”

  Nelson repeated the order for the men at the guns.

  Or maybe I will.

  The hair on Ellie’s arms stood up as the possibility struck home. Her father’s disapproving face floated to the front of her mind. She gave herself a mental shake. There was no time to worry about her father’s opinions.

  Intent on her assigned task, Ellie headed for the munitions room and knelt at her footlocker. The hinges squeaked as she lifted the curved lid. With shaking hands, she strapped on her belt and grabbed her cutlass. Ellie sheathed the blade and checked her left boot for the hidden dagger. Patting the handle, she rose and headed for the munitions stores.

  Muffled shouting and running footsteps from above sent a shudder of fear through her limbs. She grabbed a powder bag, grunting. The satchel was heavier than she expected. Ellie slung another sack over her shoulder. Leaning forward against the weight pulling her, she worked her way back to the cannons.