A fiery couple
The Captain's office was unusually small, for such a large ship. It might actually have been bigger, Louisa could not really tell because of the numerous stacks of paper, maps and books everywhere. It wasn't untidy though-just organised mess. Her father's study was pretty much the same at home. Perhaps it was a sailor thing.
Amongst the stacks of paper stood a large wooden desk, also covered in maps and papers. Behind the desk sat a handsome man, Louisa assumed him to be Captain Hawkins. She let her eyes linger on him a little too long to be polite, luckily he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on the map he held in his hands. She straightened a crease out of her dress and then coughed gently to get his attention.
He looked up like a startled animal. His brown eyes, wide and searching. He put the map down and stood up.
"I do apologise, Captain Jim Hawkins. You must be Miss Smollett."
"Louisa Smollett, Captain Hawkins." He out-stretched his hand; she out-stretched hers and instead of having her hand kissed as she was used to Captain Hawkins held her hand in a firm handshake.
"Please sit down, Miss Smollett," Jim Hawkins said gesturing towards the fine wooden chair in front of the desk. Its velvet seat was dark green and matched nicely with the office. Louisa couldn't believe she was noticing a thing like fabric colours at a time like this. Then, she had been slightly taken a back. She never imagined that a sailor would co ordinate colours on his ship. She sat down, removed her hat and gloves and watched as Captain Hawkins sat down in front of her. "Are you by any chance related to Captain Abraham Smollett?"
"I'm his eldest daughter, Captain Hawkins. And my father is the reason I have come to you."
"Is there something wrong? He's not ill is he?"
"No, not ill. Something much more dreadful has happened." Louisa felt her lip tremble. Talking about what had happened upset her. She hoped her emotions were not showing; she didn't want to look weak in front of Captain Hawkins. "He's been kidnapped. It happened a couple of nights ago. It was late in the evening. My sister, Charlotte was putting my little brother Joseph to bed and I was tending to my mother, for she is ill at the moment with influenza. My father was working in his study, like normal. Suddenly there was an almighty crash downstairs. I ran to the stairs in time to see a group of rough men marching through the hallway. I quickly turned and hurried to my brother's bedroom to tell my brother and sister to hide, then locked the door to my mama's room before heading downstairs. I found my mother's dagger on the desk in the hallway. Holding it tightly in my hand I crept to my father's study. There was a lot of noise inside, and crashes where things kept getting knocked over." Louisa paused for a second; Captain Hawkins had leaned forward in interest. " I'm afraid to admit that I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. I summoned all my courage and opened the door. My presence seemed to startle the men inside and for a brief second I could see my father lying on the floor, bleeding and only just conscious. Then it all happened so quickly. A man pushed me into the wall and I hit my head. I fell to the floor and blacked out, it couldn't have been for more than a few seconds but the men had gone. I ran out through the open front door and chased after them, all the while calling for help. I managed to see my father being carried across the deck of a ship- The Doubloon- to a man with one leg who I recognised from my father's descriptions as-"
"Long John Silver," interrupted Captain Hawkins.
"Yes. What do you think they kidnapped him for?"
" I can only guess Flint's treasure. I don't think Long John Silver will ever rest until he gets his murdering hands upon that treasure."
"But I thought the treasure was lost in the accident."
"That was never true. Captain Smollett and I sailed back to the island and buried the treasure in a new location. To stop anyone getting it."
"How would Long John Silver know though?"
"That I don't know. But I do know I must do whatever I can to get your father back. That man ensured I had a future and I'm not letting any harm come to him."
"Thank you ever so much. You were the only person I could think of asking for help."
" I'm glad you have asked me. I wouldn't like to think that no one was doing anything." Captain Hawkins was looking at Louisa as though he were trying to impress her, as men often do when trying to get a lady's attention.
"I just have one last request."
"Yes."
"Take me with you."
" Are you serious?" Captain Hawkins' tone of voice changed completely, to one of mocking curiosity.
"Absolutely."
" I don't suppose you have ever sailed on a ship before have you, Miss Smollett?"
" I don't see how that has anything to do with this," Louisa's voice rose in anger. Captain Hawkins was treating her like an imbecile, as though he was vastly superior to her and so she should be treated like a child.
" I haven't the time to be babysitting you."
"Babysitting! I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, Captain Hawkins. I insist you take me with you, you can't just leave me here. They've taken my father and I am going to help get him back." By this time both Captain Hawkins and Louisa had risen to their feet and were staring at each other fiercely. A period of silence passed as they each glared at each other.
"Fine," Captain Hawkins surrendered. " Fine, come along. But don't expect me to chase after you when you get sea sick, or when you skin is stinging from salt spray. I have more important things to deal with."
"Like playing at being big bad Captain Hawkins, the Pirate Hater." Captain Hawkins looked as though an insult back to Louisa was sitting on the tip of his tongue but he didn't say anything so Louisa spoke again. "When will we set sail then?"
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest."
"I'll be back then, good day Mr Hawkins." With that Louisa left before Captain Hawkins could say another word. How dare he speak to her like that? Like she was some idiotic child. She didn't know how she was going to put up with him on the long voyage. He was so pompous! She would have to put up with him though, for her father's sake. Her cheeks were still flushed red with anger as she said good bye to the cabin boy Peter and left the ship.
The Captain's office was unusually small, for such a large ship. It might actually have been bigger, Louisa could not really tell because of the numerous stacks of paper, maps and books everywhere. It wasn't untidy though-just organised mess. Her father's study was pretty much the same at home. Perhaps it was a sailor thing.
Amongst the stacks of paper stood a large wooden desk, also covered in maps and papers. Behind the desk sat a handsome man, Louisa assumed him to be Captain Hawkins. She let her eyes linger on him a little too long to be polite, luckily he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on the map he held in his hands. She straightened a crease out of her dress and then coughed gently to get his attention.
He looked up like a startled animal. His brown eyes, wide and searching. He put the map down and stood up.
"I do apologise, Captain Jim Hawkins. You must be Miss Smollett."
"Louisa Smollett, Captain Hawkins." He out-stretched his hand; she out-stretched hers and instead of having her hand kissed as she was used to Captain Hawkins held her hand in a firm handshake.
"Please sit down, Miss Smollett," Jim Hawkins said gesturing towards the fine wooden chair in front of the desk. Its velvet seat was dark green and matched nicely with the office. Louisa couldn't believe she was noticing a thing like fabric colours at a time like this. Then, she had been slightly taken a back. She never imagined that a sailor would co ordinate colours on his ship. She sat down, removed her hat and gloves and watched as Captain Hawkins sat down in front of her. "Are you by any chance related to Captain Abraham Smollett?"
"I'm his eldest daughter, Captain Hawkins. And my father is the reason I have come to you."
"Is there something wrong? He's not ill is he?"
"No, not ill. Something much more dreadful has happened." Louisa felt her lip tremble. Talking about what had happened upset her. She hoped her emotions were not showing; she didn't want to look weak in front of Captain Hawkins. "He's been kidnapped. It happened a couple of nights ago. It was late in the evening. My sister, Charlotte was putting my little brother Joseph to bed and I was tending to my mother, for she is ill at the moment with influenza. My father was working in his study, like normal. Suddenly there was an almighty crash downstairs. I ran to the stairs in time to see a group of rough men marching through the hallway. I quickly turned and hurried to my brother's bedroom to tell my brother and sister to hide, then locked the door to my mama's room before heading downstairs. I found my mother's dagger on the desk in the hallway. Holding it tightly in my hand I crept to my father's study. There was a lot of noise inside, and crashes where things kept getting knocked over." Louisa paused for a second; Captain Hawkins had leaned forward in interest. " I'm afraid to admit that I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. I summoned all my courage and opened the door. My presence seemed to startle the men inside and for a brief second I could see my father lying on the floor, bleeding and only just conscious. Then it all happened so quickly. A man pushed me into the wall and I hit my head. I fell to the floor and blacked out, it couldn't have been for more than a few seconds but the men had gone. I ran out through the open front door and chased after them, all the while calling for help. I managed to see my father being carried across the deck of a ship- The Doubloon- to a man with one leg who I recognised from my father's descriptions as-"
"Long John Silver," interrupted Captain Hawkins.
"Yes. What do you think they kidnapped him for?"
" I can only guess Flint's treasure. I don't think Long John Silver will ever rest until he gets his murdering hands upon that treasure."
"But I thought the treasure was lost in the accident."
"That was never true. Captain Smollett and I sailed back to the island and buried the treasure in a new location. To stop anyone getting it."
"How would Long John Silver know though?"
"That I don't know. But I do know I must do whatever I can to get your father back. That man ensured I had a future and I'm not letting any harm come to him."
"Thank you ever so much. You were the only person I could think of asking for help."
" I'm glad you have asked me. I wouldn't like to think that no one was doing anything." Captain Hawkins was looking at Louisa as though he were trying to impress her, as men often do when trying to get a lady's attention.
"I just have one last request."
"Yes."
"Take me with you."
" Are you serious?" Captain Hawkins' tone of voice changed completely, to one of mocking curiosity.
"Absolutely."
" I don't suppose you have ever sailed on a ship before have you, Miss Smollett?"
" I don't see how that has anything to do with this," Louisa's voice rose in anger. Captain Hawkins was treating her like an imbecile, as though he was vastly superior to her and so she should be treated like a child.
" I haven't the time to be babysitting you."
"Babysitting! I am perfectly capable of looking after myself, Captain Hawkins. I insist you take me with you, you can't just leave me here. They've taken my father and I am going to help get him back." By this time both Captain Hawkins and Louisa had risen to their feet and were staring at each other fiercely. A period of silence passed as they each glared at each other.
"Fine," Captain Hawkins surrendered. " Fine, come along. But don't expect me to chase after you when you get sea sick, or when you skin is stinging from salt spray. I have more important things to deal with."
"Like playing at being big bad Captain Hawkins, the Pirate Hater." Captain Hawkins looked as though an insult back to Louisa was sitting on the tip of his tongue but he didn't say anything so Louisa spoke again. "When will we set sail then?"
"Tomorrow morning at the earliest."
"I'll be back then, good day Mr Hawkins." With that Louisa left before Captain Hawkins could say another word. How dare he speak to her like that? Like she was some idiotic child. She didn't know how she was going to put up with him on the long voyage. He was so pompous! She would have to put up with him though, for her father's sake. Her cheeks were still flushed red with anger as she said good bye to the cabin boy Peter and left the ship.
