"Jack are you sure? You've only known me for awhile. Do you think its love
or infatuation?" I asked.
"Is this infatuation?" he asked before kissing me. Wow I thought as he kissed me, I think he's serious. "No, I don't think its infatuation, jack." I said. "But, do you think we should make it public? To Will I mean. I don't want to upset him."
"Alright, love. We'll keep it to ourselves for now." Jack said before leaving the room. I went to the galley to prepare dinner. I was happy and Will came down to see me and help with dinner. We talked about Elizabeth and the possibility of her illness not being influenza. Dinner was ready and I went up on deck to tell jack while Will prepared the table.
"Hello, love." He said as I approached him. "Jack, is steering the ship hard?"
"No, love. It's simple. Let me show you." he said as he slid his arms around mine and helped me steer. Will came up to tell us dinner was ready and he saw jack and I. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." He said briefly after telling us about dinner. Jack and I came down for dinner and didn't talk or sit by each other. Will made rather forced conversation with me. After dinner jack helped me with the dishes while Will steered the ship. I washed and jack dried, but by the time we were done I was soaked. Jack kept throwing his hands into the water to irritate me. Afterwards we put the dishes away and I went to change into drier clothes. I was putting on my dress, but I couldn't lace up the back. "Jack, could you come here a moment?" I asked through the crack in the open door.
"Yes, love." "Can you help me lace up?" I asked.
"Sure, love." He said as I turned around for him. He knelt to reach the strings at my waist and pulled them together and tied them at the nape of my neck. "Thank you, Jack" I said as I kissed his cheek.
"Your welcome, love." He said. He went back up to the deck and I watched in awe of his strength as he pulled the rope to lift the large sail. "What are you doing?" Will asked. Uh, oh. I was caught. "Nothing." I said praying he didn't notice.
"Love, come here a moment." Jack said to me. I walked up to the deck. "What is the matter?" I asked. He approached me with a loving look.
"Come here love." He said. I walked closer. He leaned in and kissed me. He placed his strong arms around me and held me close. "Is that all?"
"Well, I thought you might want to avoid having to answer Will, so I brought you up here. Besides I get lonely sometimes." "I can stay if you want."
"Oh, no. I don't want you to catch cold and get sick." "Alright, but Will is so awkward. He forces conversation and is very boring."
"I know love, but there's nothing I can do." He smiled and brushed back my hair.
"Now be good and talk to Will. He needs someone to talk to." I walked back down to the galley. He wasn't there. I check the rooms, didn't find Will anywhere. I found him writing a letter to Elizabeth in the fencing room. "Hi, Will. Do you want to talk?" I asked.
"Well, if you want to." "Let's talk about you, not you and Elizabeth, just you."
"Alright, what do you want to know?" "Why you tried to kiss me, why you didn't care if Elizabeth knew."
"Because I thought having an affair would take my mind off of her and the baby." "BABY?! She's going to have baby? That's why she's sick! It's not influenza!"
"Yeah, baby." Will said in a depressed voice. "Will babies are exciting, fun and beautiful. Aren't you excited?"
"No, I don't think I want this baby. I love Elizabeth but I don't know if I'm ready for fatherhood." "Trust me if you don't take this advantage now, you wont get it again."
"You enjoy changing my mind don't you?" "Yes, yes I do." I said as I kissed his forehead. "Now write your wife and tell her how much you love her."
"Alright." I went back on deck. "How's Will?"
"He's fine, writing Elizabeth. Telling how much he needs and loves her." "That's good. He needs to do that. She needs to know how much he loves her."
"Yeah, I wish I did. No man to send me flowers or letters. No man to hold me when I'm scared or lonely."
"That's not true. You have me. I'm here." He said as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm here, love. You'll be alright." "Will I? How can you be so sure? So confident that I will?"
"Because I won't let anyone take you from me. I will always be here for you. Day or night. I will be here to protect and love you." I stood there and listened to his heartbeat. The rhythmic beats soothed me. The rise and fall of his chest when he breathed intoxicated me. "Jack, I'm awful tired. I'm going to go to bed."
"Alright love, I'll be there in a minute."
"Is this infatuation?" he asked before kissing me. Wow I thought as he kissed me, I think he's serious. "No, I don't think its infatuation, jack." I said. "But, do you think we should make it public? To Will I mean. I don't want to upset him."
"Alright, love. We'll keep it to ourselves for now." Jack said before leaving the room. I went to the galley to prepare dinner. I was happy and Will came down to see me and help with dinner. We talked about Elizabeth and the possibility of her illness not being influenza. Dinner was ready and I went up on deck to tell jack while Will prepared the table.
"Hello, love." He said as I approached him. "Jack, is steering the ship hard?"
"No, love. It's simple. Let me show you." he said as he slid his arms around mine and helped me steer. Will came up to tell us dinner was ready and he saw jack and I. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." He said briefly after telling us about dinner. Jack and I came down for dinner and didn't talk or sit by each other. Will made rather forced conversation with me. After dinner jack helped me with the dishes while Will steered the ship. I washed and jack dried, but by the time we were done I was soaked. Jack kept throwing his hands into the water to irritate me. Afterwards we put the dishes away and I went to change into drier clothes. I was putting on my dress, but I couldn't lace up the back. "Jack, could you come here a moment?" I asked through the crack in the open door.
"Yes, love." "Can you help me lace up?" I asked.
"Sure, love." He said as I turned around for him. He knelt to reach the strings at my waist and pulled them together and tied them at the nape of my neck. "Thank you, Jack" I said as I kissed his cheek.
"Your welcome, love." He said. He went back up to the deck and I watched in awe of his strength as he pulled the rope to lift the large sail. "What are you doing?" Will asked. Uh, oh. I was caught. "Nothing." I said praying he didn't notice.
"Love, come here a moment." Jack said to me. I walked up to the deck. "What is the matter?" I asked. He approached me with a loving look.
"Come here love." He said. I walked closer. He leaned in and kissed me. He placed his strong arms around me and held me close. "Is that all?"
"Well, I thought you might want to avoid having to answer Will, so I brought you up here. Besides I get lonely sometimes." "I can stay if you want."
"Oh, no. I don't want you to catch cold and get sick." "Alright, but Will is so awkward. He forces conversation and is very boring."
"I know love, but there's nothing I can do." He smiled and brushed back my hair.
"Now be good and talk to Will. He needs someone to talk to." I walked back down to the galley. He wasn't there. I check the rooms, didn't find Will anywhere. I found him writing a letter to Elizabeth in the fencing room. "Hi, Will. Do you want to talk?" I asked.
"Well, if you want to." "Let's talk about you, not you and Elizabeth, just you."
"Alright, what do you want to know?" "Why you tried to kiss me, why you didn't care if Elizabeth knew."
"Because I thought having an affair would take my mind off of her and the baby." "BABY?! She's going to have baby? That's why she's sick! It's not influenza!"
"Yeah, baby." Will said in a depressed voice. "Will babies are exciting, fun and beautiful. Aren't you excited?"
"No, I don't think I want this baby. I love Elizabeth but I don't know if I'm ready for fatherhood." "Trust me if you don't take this advantage now, you wont get it again."
"You enjoy changing my mind don't you?" "Yes, yes I do." I said as I kissed his forehead. "Now write your wife and tell her how much you love her."
"Alright." I went back on deck. "How's Will?"
"He's fine, writing Elizabeth. Telling how much he needs and loves her." "That's good. He needs to do that. She needs to know how much he loves her."
"Yeah, I wish I did. No man to send me flowers or letters. No man to hold me when I'm scared or lonely."
"That's not true. You have me. I'm here." He said as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'm here, love. You'll be alright." "Will I? How can you be so sure? So confident that I will?"
"Because I won't let anyone take you from me. I will always be here for you. Day or night. I will be here to protect and love you." I stood there and listened to his heartbeat. The rhythmic beats soothed me. The rise and fall of his chest when he breathed intoxicated me. "Jack, I'm awful tired. I'm going to go to bed."
"Alright love, I'll be there in a minute."