Chapter eight: The Thin White Duke

"You know, I wish I handn't taught you to play this game, Miss Coralie...You give me a run for me money." Derack said as I raked in the coins that were on the table as our pot. The rain outside forced most of us to come into the warm galley "I've already lost thirty shillings!" I gave a small chuckle and counted out the money.

"Who else has lost? I have more than a hundred pounds here!" I said, my smile vanishing. "Come on, just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I'm stupid." I looked around at the people all squeezed in around the table. Their faces were all bland and inocent looking.

"Fine. S'your money, so it is. You can lose it." They still didn't respond.

"Man over board!" Came a shout from atop. I went pale and looked around the galley, taking a talley of who was with me. Will and Jack weren't there. I shot up, knocking my chair over and ran all the way to the slippery deck. The hems of my skirts became sodden, and were dragging me down as I made my way to the railing. The wind lashed at me, and the rain came pelting down plastering my hair to my face and neck.

"What are you doing out here?" Someone grabbed my arms from behind and started dragging me away.

"Jack!" I called out, unsure.

"Of course it's me."

"What about Will?"

"He is with Elizabeth." The howling wind made it hard for us to speak.

"Who was overboard?"

"I don't know. Some man was in the water, we hauled him up. He's asleep right now. Come on!" We slipped and slidded to my cabin and only after the door was shut, did I finally feel safe.

"What in the hell were you doin out there! You could have been swept out to sea!" He hollerd rounding on me.

"Well excuse me for being worried about the crew!" I screamed back.

"Most of the crew was inside playing bloody poker with you! Keeping you occupied!" He threw off his hat, and it landed on the floor between us.

"So, you said it yourself! MOST."

"Why are you worried about me and Will?" He demanded, still yelling.

"BECAUSE YOUR THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. He fell silent and I was breathing heavily. We said nothing for a moment. Just stood there, completely soaked and dripping on the floor, staring at each other. He broke the silence first.

"Get dried off, or else you'll get sick." He mumbled. I gave a small nod and walked into the loo. I shut the door quitely and leaned against it, unsure how to feel, and what to do. I pealed off the wet clothes and slipped into a pair of sleeping pants and a regular tunic. I threw a robe on too, just to keep the chill away.

I took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out. I let forth a small scream. Jack sat there on my chair, reading the journal I had written a lot of feelings and my life into. He turned around at my noise and looked at me, no hint of embarrasy in his features.

"This is really good, you know. You should publish it." He said, gesturing to the open journal.

I opened my mouth to give a sharp reply when Derack came barging into the room.

"Sorry, cap'n, Miss Coralie...But the man is awake..and asking for you, sir." He said breathlessly. Jack got up and followed Derack out. I followed them. They had put the rescued man up in another small cabin about two doors down from mine. When we entered, the man was sitting up on the bed, a pleastant smile on his face.

"Hello." He said in a deep rippling and seductive voice. "I am truly sorry for any inconvienance I may have caused...My name is David Robert Jones. I was on the ship Frescura Citrica but I was flung overboad by this storm. I am making my way back to London, if there is any possibility of you going there?" He asked hopefully. I studied this man. He had smooth blonde hair that was slicked back. His suit might have been crisp if he was dry, but nonethe less, he was still elegant looking. He looked to be tall, probably taller than Will or Jack, and his face had a marble like quality to it.

"No." Said Jack curtly, in his captain voice. "We are on our way to America...If you would like to wait, we will be on our way back after we do the buisness in James Town...You are welcome to wait." David's handsome face fell, but he hitched a smile back onto it.

"Alright then. I have always wanted to be a pirate..." Jack gave a snort and walked out. David saw me for the first time.

"I'm sorry, you look vaugely familier...Have we met? Have you ever been at court in London?" My mouth dropped.

"Wait...David? Thats your name. The Duc de'Jones? The Thin White Duke!" I said in a hushed voice.

He smiled. "Yes. I am the legandary Thin White Duke. And you are...?"

"My name is Coralie. I was a maid-in-waiting for the queen...Tell me, do you know how she is?" I asked.

"Oh, madame, she is no longer queen. But yes, I think I have seen your face before. What are you doing on a pirate ship?"

I went on to explain everything that has happened. He made a good audiance, and after what seemed like forever, I finished telling my tale.

"You have had it rough, so it seems." He said, nodding gravely. I stood up from the bed I had been sitting on.

"I should get going... I am supposed to be in my cabin right now." I walked out of his small room and down the hallway.

I layed down on my bed, wondering if Jack would be along to close and lock my door like a warden locking in a criminal. After about an hour or so he still hadn't come along. I sat up from my bed and started to braid my hair. It became so tangled that I gave up, reached for the knife under my matress, and chopped it all off.

When I was done, my once arse length hair barely fell below my ears...but I didn't care anymore. I swept up the locks that lay on the floor and tossed them in the rubbish bin on the side of my cot.

"Oh my giddy aunts." I looked up to see Will standing there in the doorway.

"Who is watching over Elizabeth?" I asked cooly.

"Derack...What did you do to your hair?"

"I cut it, duh." He raised his eyebrows. "What? It was getting in my way." He shrugged his shoulders and walked into my room.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just to talk?" I raised an eyebrow. "What do you think of that guy, Jones?"

"Not much. He was a respectable man at court."

"Do you think he is handsome?" Something in his tone casued me to look up at him sharply.

"And what do you care?"

"So you do like him?"

"Who said I did?"

"No one, it's just that your swaying from the subject." I gave him a hard look.

"No I am not! I don't like him alright!"

"Who do you like?"

"What is this? A school room? Why the hell do you want to know my feelings so damn much?" I demanded.

"Because of this." He produced my journal and threw it on my bed in front of me.

"Where did you get that?" I asked in a small voice.

"I went into Jack's room, to tell him that Elizabeth would be in the galley, and he wasn't there. What was there was this, laying open on his desk."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE READING THAT" I screamed at him, lunging for the journal. He was too quick for me and snatched it back up.

"I have a right to know how you feel about me!" He said in an odd voice.

"Why don't you go check on your darling Elizabeth." I said in a cold voice. "She shouldn't be out too long, she might try to take over the ship or something. You want to know my feelings for you? There are none." Will stood there for a moment speachless. He threw the journal on the floor and walked out.

"Well I'm sure that there are feelings enough for Jack, eh?" He asked in a sardonic voice before slamming shut my door.

"Why does everyone always slam my bloody door!" I yelled out to the air. All I got in reply was a howl of the wind.