Usual disclaimers... sob!
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Chapter 4 - Broken Threads
Bessie sat quietly on the stone floor of the kitchen next to the range, snuggling beneath the blanket. One of young Miss Cordingly's old undershifts had been found for her and at least she was nearly decent. Old? It was far finer than anything she had ever owned. She had been ordered to go and buy a dress in the morning suitable for her station and told that the money would be deducted from her wages over the next four months. She sighed heavily, realising that there would be no way of leaving the household with such a debt hanging over her and no way of escaping this pirate. Despondently she wrapped the pirate's heavy coat around her as she lay down.
"What the..." A large uncomfortable bump dug into her side. Frowning she sat up and reached inside the pocket, drawing forth a bulging purse. Cautiously she opened it, surprised to find more shillings than she could count. She grinned in delight - the pirate himself had given her the means to leave, even if he had probably not intended it. She would go and find Daffodil in the morning, buy herself a dress and leave. She hugged the purse to her and settled down to sleep, dreaming of a better tomorrow.
###
It was before dawn when she rose, creeping from the kitchen, stopping suddenly on hearing another door opening. "Where do you think you are going?" Thomas hissed angrily as he saw her by the side gate.
Paling she turned to face him. "I am leaving Thomas," she said quietly. "I refuse to work in this household any longer!"
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. "You will get back into that kitchen wench and start work!" he snarled. "Or do I have to beat you again?"
"No!" she hissed, kicking him with her bare foot. He let go of her in shock at her assault and watched in disbelief as she sped off through the gate and disappeared into the town. She would not be going back.
###
Within a few hours she was standing on the deck of a boat, sailing north- westwards across the Caribbean Sea. She had taken passage on the first boat she could find, a small trader bound for Jamaica. It had not been her first choice of destination, but it meant she was free of Thomas - and free of that pirate.
She had never felt finer, with a new dress, shoes, a modest hat and the luxury of proper undergarments. Daffodil sat in a chicken-crate, hissing angrily at anyone that came near her. She did not like the sea for she hated being confined. "It won't be for too long Daffodil," Bessie comforted, risking injury to scratch her behind the ears. "In a week or so we will be in Port Royal and we can start a new life," she whispered. "To start again."
###
"What d' yer mean she left!" Jack snarled, punching the fat man in the dim light of the alley.
"She... left!" Thomas stuttered. "The day after her house burned down! Just upped and left!"
"How could she leave?" Jack leaned closer, ominously drawing his dagger. "She had no money... nothing - not even clothes!" He was furious to think that Bessie had given him the slip so quickly.
"The Master gave her one of his daughter's old undershifts," the fat man tried to explain, his eyes widening at the sight of the weapon. "All she had was the undershift and that big old coat..."
Realisation dawned in Jack's eyes - he had forgotten the small purse of rum money he kept in the pocket. To him it was nothing, but to her it would have been a lot of money. She had clearly found it and had put the money to good use. "Get out of m' sight... go on... flee little man," he sneered. "I don't want t' see yer again!"
Thomas shut his eyes in terror, unable to do anything but shake. By the time he opened them again the pirate had gone. Briefly he wondered what the man had wanted with Bessie but decided he did not want to know. It would serve the stupid wench right if the pirate ever caught up with her, it would serve her right indeed!
###
Port Royal was a definite disappointment to Bessie, smaller and far less grand than she thought it would have been considering it was home to His Majesty's Governor of the Caribbean. But it had been easy enough to find a job, few people wanted to scrub floors even in the Governor's household and if there was one thing she knew how to do well it was scrubbing floors. She changed her name again... Bessie Smith. Hopefully it would give her a few months of peace before anyone found her - perhaps even longer if she was really lucky.
She looked around the small set of rooms she had managed to buy with most of the remainder of the pirate's purse, smiling at the irony. He had destroyed her last home and now he inadvertently had paid for a new one. The place had been unlived in for a number of years for few had wanted to live in a property so close to the taverns on the dockside. With a good cleaning though it would be fine and sighing she reached for the bucket that she had just purchased. Yes, it was definitely a good thing that she knew how to scrub floors!
###
Right, before you all winge... Jack had no way of knowing it was Thomas that hurt Bessie.
And now the story can really begin... mwhahahahaha!
Reviews keep my typing.... hint!
###
Chapter 4 - Broken Threads
Bessie sat quietly on the stone floor of the kitchen next to the range, snuggling beneath the blanket. One of young Miss Cordingly's old undershifts had been found for her and at least she was nearly decent. Old? It was far finer than anything she had ever owned. She had been ordered to go and buy a dress in the morning suitable for her station and told that the money would be deducted from her wages over the next four months. She sighed heavily, realising that there would be no way of leaving the household with such a debt hanging over her and no way of escaping this pirate. Despondently she wrapped the pirate's heavy coat around her as she lay down.
"What the..." A large uncomfortable bump dug into her side. Frowning she sat up and reached inside the pocket, drawing forth a bulging purse. Cautiously she opened it, surprised to find more shillings than she could count. She grinned in delight - the pirate himself had given her the means to leave, even if he had probably not intended it. She would go and find Daffodil in the morning, buy herself a dress and leave. She hugged the purse to her and settled down to sleep, dreaming of a better tomorrow.
###
It was before dawn when she rose, creeping from the kitchen, stopping suddenly on hearing another door opening. "Where do you think you are going?" Thomas hissed angrily as he saw her by the side gate.
Paling she turned to face him. "I am leaving Thomas," she said quietly. "I refuse to work in this household any longer!"
He grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him. "You will get back into that kitchen wench and start work!" he snarled. "Or do I have to beat you again?"
"No!" she hissed, kicking him with her bare foot. He let go of her in shock at her assault and watched in disbelief as she sped off through the gate and disappeared into the town. She would not be going back.
###
Within a few hours she was standing on the deck of a boat, sailing north- westwards across the Caribbean Sea. She had taken passage on the first boat she could find, a small trader bound for Jamaica. It had not been her first choice of destination, but it meant she was free of Thomas - and free of that pirate.
She had never felt finer, with a new dress, shoes, a modest hat and the luxury of proper undergarments. Daffodil sat in a chicken-crate, hissing angrily at anyone that came near her. She did not like the sea for she hated being confined. "It won't be for too long Daffodil," Bessie comforted, risking injury to scratch her behind the ears. "In a week or so we will be in Port Royal and we can start a new life," she whispered. "To start again."
###
"What d' yer mean she left!" Jack snarled, punching the fat man in the dim light of the alley.
"She... left!" Thomas stuttered. "The day after her house burned down! Just upped and left!"
"How could she leave?" Jack leaned closer, ominously drawing his dagger. "She had no money... nothing - not even clothes!" He was furious to think that Bessie had given him the slip so quickly.
"The Master gave her one of his daughter's old undershifts," the fat man tried to explain, his eyes widening at the sight of the weapon. "All she had was the undershift and that big old coat..."
Realisation dawned in Jack's eyes - he had forgotten the small purse of rum money he kept in the pocket. To him it was nothing, but to her it would have been a lot of money. She had clearly found it and had put the money to good use. "Get out of m' sight... go on... flee little man," he sneered. "I don't want t' see yer again!"
Thomas shut his eyes in terror, unable to do anything but shake. By the time he opened them again the pirate had gone. Briefly he wondered what the man had wanted with Bessie but decided he did not want to know. It would serve the stupid wench right if the pirate ever caught up with her, it would serve her right indeed!
###
Port Royal was a definite disappointment to Bessie, smaller and far less grand than she thought it would have been considering it was home to His Majesty's Governor of the Caribbean. But it had been easy enough to find a job, few people wanted to scrub floors even in the Governor's household and if there was one thing she knew how to do well it was scrubbing floors. She changed her name again... Bessie Smith. Hopefully it would give her a few months of peace before anyone found her - perhaps even longer if she was really lucky.
She looked around the small set of rooms she had managed to buy with most of the remainder of the pirate's purse, smiling at the irony. He had destroyed her last home and now he inadvertently had paid for a new one. The place had been unlived in for a number of years for few had wanted to live in a property so close to the taverns on the dockside. With a good cleaning though it would be fine and sighing she reached for the bucket that she had just purchased. Yes, it was definitely a good thing that she knew how to scrub floors!
###
Right, before you all winge... Jack had no way of knowing it was Thomas that hurt Bessie.
And now the story can really begin... mwhahahahaha!
Reviews keep my typing.... hint!