Usual disclaimers... bleedin' disclaimers!
Two chapters today because Mul was able to edit two... thanks luv!
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Chapter 3 - Up In Smoke
Jack watched once more as Bessie walked towards her small hut, so weary that she staggered like a drunk in the darkness. She was later than the night before and he wondered what had delayed her. The cat wove around her as she stumbled through the doorway. "Daffodil!" she cursed the cat as she fell. For a moment she lay on the floor, bursting into tears before slowly picking herself up and shooing the creature out of the door.
Jack positioned himself next to the crack so that he could peer through it, grinning in pleasure as she again removed her dress and washed it, although she sang no songs tonight. He chuckled silently to himself as she reached for the bath. Pressing himself into the shadows whilst she went to the stream for water to fill it, he sidled back to his vantage point when she had finished. He leered as she removed her undershift, then gasped in shock as he saw the red weals across the back of her thighs. Despite being a pirate, he did not approve of hurting women and whilst he might threaten violence to get what he wanted he would never actually carry it out.
"Who's there?" Bessie clasped her undershift to her naked body on hearing him gasp and looked around her wildly, her grey eyes wide with fright.
Jack cursed, melting back into the trees. Damn the girl for having good ears. He crept around to the front of the hut, opening the door and swaggering in. "Good evenin' luv," he drawled. "Don't let m' bother yer... I was just passin'..."
She backed away from him. "Get out!" she hissed in fear. This time she could see him clearly, the candle giving ample light for the small hut, the flame casting deep shadows beneath his hat. Gold teeth glinted in the flickering light, beads in his hair chinking.
"I want th' map!" Jack pressed. "An' I told yer I'd be back..."
"Please..." Bessie begged, backing away from him, clutching her undershift to her. She gasped in pain from the welts, her legs buckling as she bumped against her bed.
"Well, if yer sure luv," he smiled, starting to unbuckle his belt as he deliberately misunderstood. If she was a maiden like he suspected then it might be an easy way to scare the map from her.
"No!" she squeaked. "Get out!"
"Give me th' map then..." Jack pressed, "an' nothin' will happen like... savvy?" He walked closer. "Th' watch won't save yer t'night Missy - they've already passed." He grabbed her wrist as she tried to dive for the door. "Not this time luv," he grinned, pinning her to the bed. "I want th' map!"
"I told you..." she pleaded, wriggling frantically beneath him. "I don't have the map... I don't have any map!" She burst into tears again. "Please believe me..."
Jack looked down at her, frowning. "Then who does Missy?" he demanded.
"I don't know!" she cried, looking up at him. "Please don't hurt me... do you think I'd be living like this if I did know where it was?"
Jack sat up but did not release her, chewing on a nail as he looked at her. For the first time he wondered if she truly did not know where the map was. "What th' hell yer doin' in this dump anyway?" he puzzled.
"Trying to earn enough to eat!" she sniffed.
"Yer should try whoring!" Jack grinned. "With yer body yer'd earn good money!" He reached for her breast, brushing aside a small wooden cross on a ribbon about her neck. "Of course, yer'd have t' put a bit more meat on those bones..." He was surprised to realise she was painfully thin.
"I... I..." she blushed, remembering her nakedness and pulling the blanket across her with her free hand.
"Well if yer still a maiden then that is easily taken care of," he suggested, leaning closer. Perhaps his powers of persuasion could make this evening not an entire waste of time. He could not even remember the last time he had taken a genuine maiden and from her reaction, she was.
"No!" Bessie squeaked in terror, diving for the door.
Jack dived after her and they wrestled on the floor as she frantically tried to get away from him. They crashed into the table, knocking over the flickering candle but neither of them noticed as it rolled from the table, landing on the bed. Although she fought like mad, Jack found he did not have to use hardly any strength against her as he pinned her to the ground. He looked up in alarm as he saw the bed burst into flames and realised that the shabby hut would go up as quickly. "Out!" he shouted, grabbing Bessie's wrist and hauling her from the hut just as the dried palm-leaf roof caught light.
Together they tumbled from the doorway, and for a moment Bessie lay there looking in horror as her home burst into flames. She struggled from his grasp, standing there naked, illuminated in the flames. Jack realised that the fire would be noticed and that soon the watch would arrive. He clambered to his feet, cautiously glancing towards the town.
"My home!" she cried, turning on him and beating her hands against his chest. "Well I hope you are happy now pirate! I had little enough to begin with and now I've not even got any clothes!"
"Unless yer want th' watch t' see yer like that then yer'd better come with me," Jack suggested, wrapping his hands around her body and holding her to him. She would be a welcome distraction onboard and he leaned close to kiss her.
"Why on earth should I go with you?" she demanded as she struggled from his grasp. Remembering her nakedness she tried unsuccessfully to cover her body.
"So yer want t' remain an' be beaten every day?" he argued, hoping the idea might tempt her. He reasoned that if she was on his ship then at least no other pirate could get to the map.
For a moment a flicker of doubt crossed her face. "He won't if I give myself to him..." she whispered, shuddering at the thought.
"But yer won't, will yer Bessie?" he realised. "Yer've too much of yer mother's pride t' do that..." Jack had only been a boy when he had seen her mother, before Bessie had been born, but the pale, white blonde hair was unmistakeable, the soft grey eyes - a mere slip of a cabin-boy. He looked at her, reminiscing, ruefully realising that she made him feel old. He turned sharply, hearing booted feet approach - the watch had moved faster than he thought they would. He glanced at her, outlined by the fire, his chocolate-brown eyes softening as for a moment he pitied her. "Dammit!" he hissed, removing his heavy grey-blue coat and placing it around her shoulders. "I'll be back fer it!" he said as he turned and ran.
Bessie hugged the coat around her, surprised at his kindness and savouring it's warmth in the night time air. It smelled of rum and smoke, but she did not care as she sat on the ground, watching the soldiers arrive. They stopped and stared at the hut which was well ablaze and there was no chance of saving anything within. "Put it out!" the officer of the watch ordered before turning to her. "Miss Neems, may I enquire as to what happened?" His eyes widened as he realised she was naked beneath the coat. "Miss Neems?" he pressed.
"I... I..." she stuttered before bursting into tears, the despair of her situation hitting her. "I have nothing," she sniffed.
"Well at least you managed to save a coat," he smiled kindly. "You work at Mister Cordingly's house, don't you? Perhaps he will give you shelter for the night." He offered her his arm. "Come, there is nothing we can do here..."
Two chapters today because Mul was able to edit two... thanks luv!
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Chapter 3 - Up In Smoke
Jack watched once more as Bessie walked towards her small hut, so weary that she staggered like a drunk in the darkness. She was later than the night before and he wondered what had delayed her. The cat wove around her as she stumbled through the doorway. "Daffodil!" she cursed the cat as she fell. For a moment she lay on the floor, bursting into tears before slowly picking herself up and shooing the creature out of the door.
Jack positioned himself next to the crack so that he could peer through it, grinning in pleasure as she again removed her dress and washed it, although she sang no songs tonight. He chuckled silently to himself as she reached for the bath. Pressing himself into the shadows whilst she went to the stream for water to fill it, he sidled back to his vantage point when she had finished. He leered as she removed her undershift, then gasped in shock as he saw the red weals across the back of her thighs. Despite being a pirate, he did not approve of hurting women and whilst he might threaten violence to get what he wanted he would never actually carry it out.
"Who's there?" Bessie clasped her undershift to her naked body on hearing him gasp and looked around her wildly, her grey eyes wide with fright.
Jack cursed, melting back into the trees. Damn the girl for having good ears. He crept around to the front of the hut, opening the door and swaggering in. "Good evenin' luv," he drawled. "Don't let m' bother yer... I was just passin'..."
She backed away from him. "Get out!" she hissed in fear. This time she could see him clearly, the candle giving ample light for the small hut, the flame casting deep shadows beneath his hat. Gold teeth glinted in the flickering light, beads in his hair chinking.
"I want th' map!" Jack pressed. "An' I told yer I'd be back..."
"Please..." Bessie begged, backing away from him, clutching her undershift to her. She gasped in pain from the welts, her legs buckling as she bumped against her bed.
"Well, if yer sure luv," he smiled, starting to unbuckle his belt as he deliberately misunderstood. If she was a maiden like he suspected then it might be an easy way to scare the map from her.
"No!" she squeaked. "Get out!"
"Give me th' map then..." Jack pressed, "an' nothin' will happen like... savvy?" He walked closer. "Th' watch won't save yer t'night Missy - they've already passed." He grabbed her wrist as she tried to dive for the door. "Not this time luv," he grinned, pinning her to the bed. "I want th' map!"
"I told you..." she pleaded, wriggling frantically beneath him. "I don't have the map... I don't have any map!" She burst into tears again. "Please believe me..."
Jack looked down at her, frowning. "Then who does Missy?" he demanded.
"I don't know!" she cried, looking up at him. "Please don't hurt me... do you think I'd be living like this if I did know where it was?"
Jack sat up but did not release her, chewing on a nail as he looked at her. For the first time he wondered if she truly did not know where the map was. "What th' hell yer doin' in this dump anyway?" he puzzled.
"Trying to earn enough to eat!" she sniffed.
"Yer should try whoring!" Jack grinned. "With yer body yer'd earn good money!" He reached for her breast, brushing aside a small wooden cross on a ribbon about her neck. "Of course, yer'd have t' put a bit more meat on those bones..." He was surprised to realise she was painfully thin.
"I... I..." she blushed, remembering her nakedness and pulling the blanket across her with her free hand.
"Well if yer still a maiden then that is easily taken care of," he suggested, leaning closer. Perhaps his powers of persuasion could make this evening not an entire waste of time. He could not even remember the last time he had taken a genuine maiden and from her reaction, she was.
"No!" Bessie squeaked in terror, diving for the door.
Jack dived after her and they wrestled on the floor as she frantically tried to get away from him. They crashed into the table, knocking over the flickering candle but neither of them noticed as it rolled from the table, landing on the bed. Although she fought like mad, Jack found he did not have to use hardly any strength against her as he pinned her to the ground. He looked up in alarm as he saw the bed burst into flames and realised that the shabby hut would go up as quickly. "Out!" he shouted, grabbing Bessie's wrist and hauling her from the hut just as the dried palm-leaf roof caught light.
Together they tumbled from the doorway, and for a moment Bessie lay there looking in horror as her home burst into flames. She struggled from his grasp, standing there naked, illuminated in the flames. Jack realised that the fire would be noticed and that soon the watch would arrive. He clambered to his feet, cautiously glancing towards the town.
"My home!" she cried, turning on him and beating her hands against his chest. "Well I hope you are happy now pirate! I had little enough to begin with and now I've not even got any clothes!"
"Unless yer want th' watch t' see yer like that then yer'd better come with me," Jack suggested, wrapping his hands around her body and holding her to him. She would be a welcome distraction onboard and he leaned close to kiss her.
"Why on earth should I go with you?" she demanded as she struggled from his grasp. Remembering her nakedness she tried unsuccessfully to cover her body.
"So yer want t' remain an' be beaten every day?" he argued, hoping the idea might tempt her. He reasoned that if she was on his ship then at least no other pirate could get to the map.
For a moment a flicker of doubt crossed her face. "He won't if I give myself to him..." she whispered, shuddering at the thought.
"But yer won't, will yer Bessie?" he realised. "Yer've too much of yer mother's pride t' do that..." Jack had only been a boy when he had seen her mother, before Bessie had been born, but the pale, white blonde hair was unmistakeable, the soft grey eyes - a mere slip of a cabin-boy. He looked at her, reminiscing, ruefully realising that she made him feel old. He turned sharply, hearing booted feet approach - the watch had moved faster than he thought they would. He glanced at her, outlined by the fire, his chocolate-brown eyes softening as for a moment he pitied her. "Dammit!" he hissed, removing his heavy grey-blue coat and placing it around her shoulders. "I'll be back fer it!" he said as he turned and ran.
Bessie hugged the coat around her, surprised at his kindness and savouring it's warmth in the night time air. It smelled of rum and smoke, but she did not care as she sat on the ground, watching the soldiers arrive. They stopped and stared at the hut which was well ablaze and there was no chance of saving anything within. "Put it out!" the officer of the watch ordered before turning to her. "Miss Neems, may I enquire as to what happened?" His eyes widened as he realised she was naked beneath the coat. "Miss Neems?" he pressed.
"I... I..." she stuttered before bursting into tears, the despair of her situation hitting her. "I have nothing," she sniffed.
"Well at least you managed to save a coat," he smiled kindly. "You work at Mister Cordingly's house, don't you? Perhaps he will give you shelter for the night." He offered her his arm. "Come, there is nothing we can do here..."