Prologue
Nellie tiptoed out of her room, moving slowly down the hall to a small cellar door and pulled it open, wincing at the small creak the hinges caused that seemed to echo throughout the entire hall.
"Sweetie! Is that you?" Her mother Elizabeth's voice filtered down the hall to her.
"Yes mother, I was just getting a peach before I retire to bed," she called back and hurried down the stairs into the darkness but rather than head towards the shelves of food she turned to a dusty old chest.
The dust tickled her nose and caused her to sneeze as she opened it and shifted through the various types of cloth inside until her hands brushed across a thick velvet material and pulled it out. Unravelling the blanket, inside was a pair of black breeches with a white baggy dress shirt that had strings woven through the deep v-neck.
With a quick glance behind her at the stairs that were illuminated by the dim candlelight that filtered through the door, then slipped her dress down until it pooled at her feet in a mass of itchy velvet material, the frigid air made goosebumps spread across her tanned skin. Then pulled the breeches on so they rested snugly at her hips and the shirt, tucking it into her bottoms a bit.
Then she reached back in and shuffled through a few more things and pulled out a thing leather belt with a couple loops hanging off and with some difficulty wound it through the belt loops on her pants.
She quickly turned and silently hurried up the stairs, not even bothering to close the cellar door and went straight to her room.
Her nose crinkled slightly at the flowery perfume scent that filled the small space and reached under her bed to pull out a pair of black boots and slipped them on her feet.
With a small sigh she approached her desk, dipped the quill into a small jar of ink and began to write.
Dear Mother,
I am sorry for leaving but the sea calls to me as does the need to find him. I promice to be careful.
With love,
Nellie Swann
A prick of sadness swirled in her stomach as she headed towards her balcony but was quickly consumed by excitement when the wind brought a small taste of the salty sea air to her, and she climbed down the vines that covered the side of their house.
House but not home no matter how much mother hopes it to be, she thought as she raced into the undergrowth of the forest, heading towards the sea. My home is not on land. "Goodbye mother."
She approached the dock where a trading ship was tied, and went right up to the main standing in front to it. "Excuse me sir but would you allow me to ride on your ship and be dropped off somewhere?"
The man tipped his hat up and looked down at her. "Have I not seen you before?"
"My mother an' I were here tradin' goods just like everyone on this island."
"Well why don' you run on home to your mother, a ship is no place for a lady," he commented then turned to walk onto the ship.
She followed and grabbed his arm. "Please sir! I can care for myself and do work." Her eyes looked into his pleadingly. "And I will do this for you as well, I am sure you deliver for a wig company as well am i right?"
He stopped and looked at her in interest. "Yes."
She unbound her waist length hair, a determined glint in her dark eyes. "I will sell some for seven shillings which if i must say is a much lower price than what i know it to be worth. Many people are in want of dark hair."
He reached forward and felt a couple strands, although they looked rough and coarse it was very smooth and slid through his fingers like water. " I could get a great deal from this."
She squared her shoulders trying to hide her discomfort. "To my shoulders is where i am willing to cut it," she grabbed a knife from the many that sat atop the barrels on the ship and easily sliced through the strands until her hair was shoulder lengthed and bound the rest with a cord of leather.
"You get this for seven shillings, and sail me to where i need to go. I will also help with keeping the ship in order." She held a hand out. "Do we have an accord?"
He shook her hand then dropped seven coins into her hand. "Alright." Then he took the hair. "Where is it that you are heading missy?"
She turned and walked over to the railing, inhaling deeply through her nose, feet adjusting quickly to the sway of waves beneath her that rocked the ship. A smirk found it's way onto her face, one that her mother had always hated and loved because it was hauntingly familiar to someone she had once known, Nellies father. "Tortuga."