Authors note – Well here it is, the long-awaited for (I hope) next chapter,
all other chapter have been improved and updated and if you really want to
get in my good books you can go to the beginning and see what marvellous
improvements I've made. But if not – don't worry, there've been no major
changes to the plot so you're not missing out on anything. Anyway, my
apologies if you've received 19 Author Alerts thanks to my mass updating.
Also, thank you for everyone who's reviewed so far – please continue to do
so! And thank you to my good friend Helen who kindly proof-read my latest
version and pointed out my many, many typos and grammatical mistakes.
I stood in the middle of a gaudily decorated room, while Ana fussed about me. "Are you sure about this?" I asked as I squinted into the mirror of burnished silver. "yer look like a princess, I promise." Ana replied as she strung a length of ribbon through my hair.
I have never been a beauty, my face is rather thin, with a large nose and heavy-lidded eyes. My hair is, and always will be, nothing more than a frothy mass of black. At home my figure had tended towards roundness but months of ships fayre had reduced me to a birch switch. Travel had also sunburned my cheeks, freckled my nose and hardened my hands.
The cheaply cut green silk dress, with purple petticoats, did nothing to improve my appearance, nor did the heavy make-up or hastily piled hair. Ana had refused to let me wear the heavy white lead make-up so popular at Red House, but she needn't have worried as I was deadly pale with headaches, nerves and regret.
"There, all done." Ana met my eyes in the mirror and flashed me a brief smile "I reckon we'll stay put t'night – let the bastards come crawlin' to us!" She clapped me on the back firmly – I flinched and watched as she walked off – I could not get used to the sight of Ana in a dress. The tightly-fitted scarlet bodice made me wonder how I had ever mistaken her for a man.
****
"That's Captain Flitch – get 'im if yer can, 'e's jest pulled into harbour wiv' over a thousands ducats they say." I followed Ana's gaze to a haggard looking man with a wooden peg where his left leg should have been. I shuddered and took a deep drink from my tankard, I could not swallow much after the previous night, but I longed for a warm glow to take away the worst of this dismal brothel; a girl cost more with a bed and across the room were couples laid across tables, against walls and a few flexible young ladies making full use of the chairs and benches.
As a young wife of six children my mother had taught me what to expect on my wedding night – but there were no weddings here and some of the sights did not quite fit my mother's descriptions.
"An' that there is ol' Johnny – that scoundrel. 'E's two 'undred ducats in dept if 'e's penny an' round the bastard goes wiv' two girls on 'is arm. An' that bloke claims to 'ave been a cabin boy on Blackbeard's flagship, but don't yer believe a word of it. Don't bother wiv' 'im neither – 'e's got the pox, that'll send yer mad an' kill yer wiv'in a year. An' that bloke," Ana faltered as a familiar figure made his way though the crowds, bowing graciously and doffing his hat to a giggling mass of cleavage and curls.
I bit my lip and watched as the insipid wretch snaked her arms about him and pulled him closer, she laughed as Jack whispered in her ear and turned her head fetchingly as he slipped the lace neck of her dress from her shoulder – I watched in disgust, surely he wasn't? But no, evidently he had no wish to look like those other red faced, sweating and he took the girls hand and lead her to a curtained stairway.
My heart leapt up to my throat as they disappeared into the crowd. Without stopping to think I glanced at Ana – she was engaged in conversation with a red-cheeked young sailor, I recognised him as one of our own crew, though he obviously didn't see the connection between the dusky lady before him and his stern quartermaster. I dived into the crowd, avoiding the flailing limbs I managed to catch up with the couple before they passed through the curtain.
"Jack," I tugged on the sleeve of his dirty shirt.
"Scullery,"He slurred, "Wot a love-er-ly surprise."
I stood in the middle of a gaudily decorated room, while Ana fussed about me. "Are you sure about this?" I asked as I squinted into the mirror of burnished silver. "yer look like a princess, I promise." Ana replied as she strung a length of ribbon through my hair.
I have never been a beauty, my face is rather thin, with a large nose and heavy-lidded eyes. My hair is, and always will be, nothing more than a frothy mass of black. At home my figure had tended towards roundness but months of ships fayre had reduced me to a birch switch. Travel had also sunburned my cheeks, freckled my nose and hardened my hands.
The cheaply cut green silk dress, with purple petticoats, did nothing to improve my appearance, nor did the heavy make-up or hastily piled hair. Ana had refused to let me wear the heavy white lead make-up so popular at Red House, but she needn't have worried as I was deadly pale with headaches, nerves and regret.
"There, all done." Ana met my eyes in the mirror and flashed me a brief smile "I reckon we'll stay put t'night – let the bastards come crawlin' to us!" She clapped me on the back firmly – I flinched and watched as she walked off – I could not get used to the sight of Ana in a dress. The tightly-fitted scarlet bodice made me wonder how I had ever mistaken her for a man.
****
"That's Captain Flitch – get 'im if yer can, 'e's jest pulled into harbour wiv' over a thousands ducats they say." I followed Ana's gaze to a haggard looking man with a wooden peg where his left leg should have been. I shuddered and took a deep drink from my tankard, I could not swallow much after the previous night, but I longed for a warm glow to take away the worst of this dismal brothel; a girl cost more with a bed and across the room were couples laid across tables, against walls and a few flexible young ladies making full use of the chairs and benches.
As a young wife of six children my mother had taught me what to expect on my wedding night – but there were no weddings here and some of the sights did not quite fit my mother's descriptions.
"An' that there is ol' Johnny – that scoundrel. 'E's two 'undred ducats in dept if 'e's penny an' round the bastard goes wiv' two girls on 'is arm. An' that bloke claims to 'ave been a cabin boy on Blackbeard's flagship, but don't yer believe a word of it. Don't bother wiv' 'im neither – 'e's got the pox, that'll send yer mad an' kill yer wiv'in a year. An' that bloke," Ana faltered as a familiar figure made his way though the crowds, bowing graciously and doffing his hat to a giggling mass of cleavage and curls.
I bit my lip and watched as the insipid wretch snaked her arms about him and pulled him closer, she laughed as Jack whispered in her ear and turned her head fetchingly as he slipped the lace neck of her dress from her shoulder – I watched in disgust, surely he wasn't? But no, evidently he had no wish to look like those other red faced, sweating and he took the girls hand and lead her to a curtained stairway.
My heart leapt up to my throat as they disappeared into the crowd. Without stopping to think I glanced at Ana – she was engaged in conversation with a red-cheeked young sailor, I recognised him as one of our own crew, though he obviously didn't see the connection between the dusky lady before him and his stern quartermaster. I dived into the crowd, avoiding the flailing limbs I managed to catch up with the couple before they passed through the curtain.
"Jack," I tugged on the sleeve of his dirty shirt.
"Scullery,"He slurred, "Wot a love-er-ly surprise."