Usual disclaimers. but at least it is nearly Christmas!
***
Early August
They camped near the stream for two days whilst Catherine recovered, her breathing coming easier without the strenuous ascents. Jack and Oran were glad of the rest too - although they were fit and uninjured, both had been finding it harder and harder to keep the pace that Little Feather set, especially with little sleep and cold food.
When he felt happy that there were no more Kickapoo trailing them, Little Feather permitted a fire, although he carefully banked and screened it. Jack sat next to him, quietly staring at the stars. "So how much further to th' English territories?"
"Another week, possibly two depending on the pace we set." He glanced across to Catherine. "How is Little Fox?"
"Better now she can have some tea an' hot food... an' a rest! Give her a day or so more an' she should be fine t' ride. She may be small, but she's tough!"
"We will be heading down now, so it should help her," Little Feather admitted. "The air here can be hard on those not used to the mountains..."
"I'll let her know when she wakes." Jack smiled as he looked across at her, curled asleep in her furs. He had been very worried about her but she looked a lot better now. She hated delaying them, considering herself weak, but he knew she was not - merely shorter and a lot more delicate. He would be grateful to get her back to civilisation though, and not have to keep looking over his shoulder for savages trying to kill them.
***
Mid-August
Jack looked at Catherine in shock. "No!"
"I meant it Jack! You look too unusual to pass as a normal sailor - we will have to do something about your hair! Little Feather says we should reach the English territories within a day or so now..."
"But..."
"I could make it an order..."
"You would, wouldn't you?" He pouted, sulking - how dare she want to cut his hair!
"Jack, we have to get home! Nobody will hire us or allow us to buy passage if we look like pirates!"
"But my hair..." he wailed as Little Feather laughed at his discomfort.
"I might not have to cut much, just tidy it a bit and remove the braids!" She smiled. "Trust me?"
So Jack sat patiently whilst she unbraided his hair, removing his beads before sending him to wash his hair in the stream. Catherine cut it carefully with a knife, before tying and plaiting it into a single straight braid. "Shave!" she instructed.
"No..." he begged.
"Jack!" Deft fingers removed the small beads, a quick dagger cutting the small plaits before he could protest further. "Now, do you want to shave or do I do it?"
"Without a mirror luv, I'll have t' trust yer!" he smiled.
Oran laughed at him, but Catherine looked up sharply. "I don't know what you are so amused at Oran - you're next!"
Jack stood up, laughing at Oran's expression as he gingerly felt his smooth face. Catherine walked across to him, adding her hand to his. "Mmmnn," she smiled, "positively handsome!" She paused, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "Can you help me change later?"
***
Late the following day the four of them rode into Fort Cumberland on the Potomac River to the amazed and curious stares of the townsfolk. A guard blocked their progress.
"Halt!" he shouted. "What is your business in Fort Cumberland?"
"A decent bed an' passage down river," Jack smiled, "in that order if possible."
The guard, Joshua Albany narrowed his eyes. "Where have you come from?"
"The Chickasaw territories to the west of here... is there a problem?" Catherine rode forwards next to Jack.
"Not many people come out of the west Mistress." Joshua frowned. He was smart and knew that there was something that did not feel right about these strangers. "What were you doing?"
"Visiting friends," she smiled. "But it has been a long journey and I really could do with a decent meal and a real bed..."
He eyed them carefully. The woman was dressed well, if plainly. She was also barefoot. The man... there was something about him he could not describe... cat-like, deadly. Suddenly he had the clear thought that he would not want to cross blades with the stranger. He looked closely at the other two - another dark haired man and a savage. Both were muscular and looked like fighters.
He frowned before eventually sighing. "Inn is over there Mistress, but your savage will have to sleep in the stables. Moore don't take 'em!"
"Thank you," she smiled, walking past him before he could question them further.
The third man and the savage lead the seven horses into the Fort. Joshua stared at the horses - native horses with no saddles and rope bridles. He watched them enter the inn, resolving to watch them carefully.
***
Catherine sighed blissfully as she lowered herself into the steaming bath tub, little gasps of pleasure escaping her lips as Jack leaned across washing her back. His mind drifted as he gently washed her scars, remembering the first time he had seen her soft white back before smiling as he watched her wash her hair. Eventually she rose, stepping carefully from the bath tub. "You next!" Deft fingers relieved him of his clothes, pushing him towards the water before washing away weeks of trail dirt. After rinsing his hair he stood up, dripping water everywhere as he wrapped his hands around her waist, backing her towards the bed. The door was locked, his wife was naked, what more invitation did a man need?
***
Oran sat quietly in the stables sharing a jug of ale with Little Feather. Jack and Catherine had disappeared to their room with nearly indecent haste - not that he blamed Jack at all for it had been eight months now since he had been totally alone with her. He smiled wryly, realising that they would not be seen for quite some time. He noticed Little Feather looking at him quizzically.
"Eh? Oh, I was just wondering when we might see the others again... tomorrow... the day after..."
Little Feather smiled as he shrugged. "We are warm and dry, we can wait!"
Oran laughed. "With those two we might have to! At least I can ask around to see the best way of heading to the sea... perhaps we can join a caravan or something a little safer... maybe even find a boat!"
***
Oran had been right - Jack and Catherine did not surface until late the following day. Taking his ale, he joined them at their table, Jack eating the hearty stew ravenously.
"Oran," Catherine nodded to him. "What's been happening?"
He smiled, unable to resist teasing her. "Well... since you two were too busy to get out of bed... I did some asking around. We are in Fort Cumberland, which is about a hundred miles north-east of Alexandria..."
"Alexandria?" Jack mumbled as he swallowed his food.
"Alexandria is a trading post on the Potomac, 'bout half way between here an' the sea!"
"Potomac... flows into the Chesapeake Bay... Yorktown! We can pick up a ship from there!" Jack smiled broadly now that he knew where he was.
Oran shrugged. "A hundred miles to Alexandria, another hundred to the Bay and a further hundred to reach Yorktown..."
"We should ride - at least as far as Alexandria," Catherine suggested. "We should hopefully be able to get passage down river from there... leave in the morning?"
Jack smiled as he scraped the last of his meal from the plate, realising she was as eager as he to get back to the Black Pearl. "Mmmnn, sounds good t' me! But that means we'd better get an early night..." He let the suggestion linger, grinning broadly as she rose. "After breakfast Oran... no earlier!"
***
That is absolutely all I have typed at the moment, so I have to leave it there. Hopefully I will have a few more chapters up over the weekend sometime!
Please keep reviewing... and if you haven't - why not?
***
Early August
They camped near the stream for two days whilst Catherine recovered, her breathing coming easier without the strenuous ascents. Jack and Oran were glad of the rest too - although they were fit and uninjured, both had been finding it harder and harder to keep the pace that Little Feather set, especially with little sleep and cold food.
When he felt happy that there were no more Kickapoo trailing them, Little Feather permitted a fire, although he carefully banked and screened it. Jack sat next to him, quietly staring at the stars. "So how much further to th' English territories?"
"Another week, possibly two depending on the pace we set." He glanced across to Catherine. "How is Little Fox?"
"Better now she can have some tea an' hot food... an' a rest! Give her a day or so more an' she should be fine t' ride. She may be small, but she's tough!"
"We will be heading down now, so it should help her," Little Feather admitted. "The air here can be hard on those not used to the mountains..."
"I'll let her know when she wakes." Jack smiled as he looked across at her, curled asleep in her furs. He had been very worried about her but she looked a lot better now. She hated delaying them, considering herself weak, but he knew she was not - merely shorter and a lot more delicate. He would be grateful to get her back to civilisation though, and not have to keep looking over his shoulder for savages trying to kill them.
***
Mid-August
Jack looked at Catherine in shock. "No!"
"I meant it Jack! You look too unusual to pass as a normal sailor - we will have to do something about your hair! Little Feather says we should reach the English territories within a day or so now..."
"But..."
"I could make it an order..."
"You would, wouldn't you?" He pouted, sulking - how dare she want to cut his hair!
"Jack, we have to get home! Nobody will hire us or allow us to buy passage if we look like pirates!"
"But my hair..." he wailed as Little Feather laughed at his discomfort.
"I might not have to cut much, just tidy it a bit and remove the braids!" She smiled. "Trust me?"
So Jack sat patiently whilst she unbraided his hair, removing his beads before sending him to wash his hair in the stream. Catherine cut it carefully with a knife, before tying and plaiting it into a single straight braid. "Shave!" she instructed.
"No..." he begged.
"Jack!" Deft fingers removed the small beads, a quick dagger cutting the small plaits before he could protest further. "Now, do you want to shave or do I do it?"
"Without a mirror luv, I'll have t' trust yer!" he smiled.
Oran laughed at him, but Catherine looked up sharply. "I don't know what you are so amused at Oran - you're next!"
Jack stood up, laughing at Oran's expression as he gingerly felt his smooth face. Catherine walked across to him, adding her hand to his. "Mmmnn," she smiled, "positively handsome!" She paused, standing on tiptoe to kiss him. "Can you help me change later?"
***
Late the following day the four of them rode into Fort Cumberland on the Potomac River to the amazed and curious stares of the townsfolk. A guard blocked their progress.
"Halt!" he shouted. "What is your business in Fort Cumberland?"
"A decent bed an' passage down river," Jack smiled, "in that order if possible."
The guard, Joshua Albany narrowed his eyes. "Where have you come from?"
"The Chickasaw territories to the west of here... is there a problem?" Catherine rode forwards next to Jack.
"Not many people come out of the west Mistress." Joshua frowned. He was smart and knew that there was something that did not feel right about these strangers. "What were you doing?"
"Visiting friends," she smiled. "But it has been a long journey and I really could do with a decent meal and a real bed..."
He eyed them carefully. The woman was dressed well, if plainly. She was also barefoot. The man... there was something about him he could not describe... cat-like, deadly. Suddenly he had the clear thought that he would not want to cross blades with the stranger. He looked closely at the other two - another dark haired man and a savage. Both were muscular and looked like fighters.
He frowned before eventually sighing. "Inn is over there Mistress, but your savage will have to sleep in the stables. Moore don't take 'em!"
"Thank you," she smiled, walking past him before he could question them further.
The third man and the savage lead the seven horses into the Fort. Joshua stared at the horses - native horses with no saddles and rope bridles. He watched them enter the inn, resolving to watch them carefully.
***
Catherine sighed blissfully as she lowered herself into the steaming bath tub, little gasps of pleasure escaping her lips as Jack leaned across washing her back. His mind drifted as he gently washed her scars, remembering the first time he had seen her soft white back before smiling as he watched her wash her hair. Eventually she rose, stepping carefully from the bath tub. "You next!" Deft fingers relieved him of his clothes, pushing him towards the water before washing away weeks of trail dirt. After rinsing his hair he stood up, dripping water everywhere as he wrapped his hands around her waist, backing her towards the bed. The door was locked, his wife was naked, what more invitation did a man need?
***
Oran sat quietly in the stables sharing a jug of ale with Little Feather. Jack and Catherine had disappeared to their room with nearly indecent haste - not that he blamed Jack at all for it had been eight months now since he had been totally alone with her. He smiled wryly, realising that they would not be seen for quite some time. He noticed Little Feather looking at him quizzically.
"Eh? Oh, I was just wondering when we might see the others again... tomorrow... the day after..."
Little Feather smiled as he shrugged. "We are warm and dry, we can wait!"
Oran laughed. "With those two we might have to! At least I can ask around to see the best way of heading to the sea... perhaps we can join a caravan or something a little safer... maybe even find a boat!"
***
Oran had been right - Jack and Catherine did not surface until late the following day. Taking his ale, he joined them at their table, Jack eating the hearty stew ravenously.
"Oran," Catherine nodded to him. "What's been happening?"
He smiled, unable to resist teasing her. "Well... since you two were too busy to get out of bed... I did some asking around. We are in Fort Cumberland, which is about a hundred miles north-east of Alexandria..."
"Alexandria?" Jack mumbled as he swallowed his food.
"Alexandria is a trading post on the Potomac, 'bout half way between here an' the sea!"
"Potomac... flows into the Chesapeake Bay... Yorktown! We can pick up a ship from there!" Jack smiled broadly now that he knew where he was.
Oran shrugged. "A hundred miles to Alexandria, another hundred to the Bay and a further hundred to reach Yorktown..."
"We should ride - at least as far as Alexandria," Catherine suggested. "We should hopefully be able to get passage down river from there... leave in the morning?"
Jack smiled as he scraped the last of his meal from the plate, realising she was as eager as he to get back to the Black Pearl. "Mmmnn, sounds good t' me! But that means we'd better get an early night..." He let the suggestion linger, grinning broadly as she rose. "After breakfast Oran... no earlier!"
***
That is absolutely all I have typed at the moment, so I have to leave it there. Hopefully I will have a few more chapters up over the weekend sometime!
Please keep reviewing... and if you haven't - why not?