Disclaimer: I don't own anything ok? K!
When Evalyn Henley grows tired of being ordered around like one of her servants, she decides she is in need of her own life, independence and adventure. And where does she go looking for it? On the open seas, of course.
AN: No warnings...nothing to say...Just read
Chapter 5: The Deal
After Eva and Englehorn took a stroll around the small port, the girl complained of a terrible headache. It had come on so strong that she had to be helped up the gangplank of the ship. Morgan quickly batched up a new pot of the steaming liquid that soothed her the night before, and she was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Englehorn waited for the cook to finish up in her quarters before the portly man exited and shut the door with a soft click behind him. He ran a hairy hand over his face and sighed as he glanced down at the empty mug. "I don' feel righ' doin' this cap'n."
"Doing what? You aren't doing anything except taking orders."
"But, she's a sweet girl."
Englehorn smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. His face, tan from the hours and hours spent under the sun, turned into that of someone plotting something dark and sinister. He almost felt the urge to laugh minacally. "A sweet girl indeed. A sweet girl who is getting me a sweet amount of money."
"But, cap'n." Morgan followed the younger, more handsome man to the lower decks. As soon as they reached the kitchens, Morgan continued. "She ran from that home for a reason. Maybe she was bein' abused. Ever think abou' that?"
"It's not my problem."
"Cap'n."
"Enough of this. She's not my problem...or won't be until we dock back at America. Her parents are expecting her home." Englehorn smiled again, clipping his old friend on the shoulder. "And if they're willing to pay for her arrival back, then who am I to deny them of that?" With nothing more of the matter said, Englehorn flashed another wicked smile before hurrying up to take his shift at the helm. If this girl was who Willem expected her to be, then in a matter of days, they were going to be very rich.
!i!i!i!i
Evalyn woke with a start, sitting up with a deep gasp in her lungs. Her nightmares were terrible. All of her fears of falling overboard in the ship were pushed to the back of her mind during the day, and at night, resurfaced as terribly, haunting dreams.
Sighing, she wiped the sweat off of her temple and slipped a makeshift robe over her bare arms. She had found an extra large sailors shirt, designed for winter temperatures, and used all of her sewing talents (which were miniscule) to make it a bit more comfortable. At least now she could go out on the deck with her negligee and not seem like a floozy.
The moon was hidden behind a patch of white, cottony clouds. Every so often she could see it peeking through a gap, shining down on the water to make it sparkle. Eva smiled and leaned against the rail, thankful for the fresh air on her face, no matter how salty it tasted.
Spreading her hands across the railing, Eva turned to peek up at the helm, smiling once her eyes locked onto that orange glow of a cigarette. For some reason, it comforted her to know that Englehorn was at the helm tonight.
She knew he slept most of the day, waking around dusk to take his place. She turned to look back at the sea, but immediately looked back. Her eyebrows raised and a sudden amount of anxiety took hold of her insides. Willem was at Englehorn's side. The two looked to be in a serious conversation, yet Englehorn never looked away from the horizon.
Her heart raced beneath her chemise, and she was afraid the men would hear the thumping. Eva held her hand to her throat and wished Willem would just dive into the ocean and swim to the bottom. Swim or sink.
He was as large as a sinking ship, maybe he would go down like one also. Eva chewed on her lower lip. She knew he had seen the picture of her family. It was ripped and taken from the frame. Only someone who was deranged and on the verge of being psychotic would do something like that.
But, maybe the men were just conversing about sailor things. Perhaps discussing what port to dock at next, what to deliver next-- Eva narrowed her eyes. She didn't have the faintest clue as to what exactly Englehorn did with his ship.
He hadn't mentioned anything as to what they were actually doing on the sea. But, no one was forbidden to sail. Everyone had a right to. Maybe Englehorn just liked to travel. "Now I'm just being naive." She growled, making her way back to her quarters. She kept to the shadows, even though it was very late into the evening and the sailors she knew were asleep already.
Which was exactly where she should be. But, even as she laid on her small, comfortable cot, sleep didn't come to her. Fear of nightmares and fear of Willem haunted her until the sun lit the hallway beyond her door. Eva glanced at it quickly before dressing. She wanted to catch Englehorn before he took his leave. Although, that wasn't until noon.
Still, she wanted to talk to him and see if he acted any different.
"If I were back home, roosters would just now be crowing." The sun was still directly above the eastern horizon, making Eva yawn. She wasn't used to getting up early, or staying awake until morning. Even the sight of the sun made her wish she had willed herself to sleep a few hours ago.
Thanking the heavens above, Eva was happy to see Willem gone for the morning. No doubt, he was probably taking another peek at her belongings. The thought made her shudder visibly, causing Englehorn to raise an eyebrow at her. "Feeling better?" He asked, turning back to the nobs and switches on the board beside the wheel. Eva stared at them in curious confusion before shrugging. "I guess so."
"Good."
Silence fell between them. Fear gripped Eva's heart. He wasn't speaking to her, or more than usual. It had to mean something. With her fingers shaking, Eva let her fingers dance nervously over the wheel. She accidentally turned it a hair to the left, but it was enough to make Englehorn straighten. He grabbed the wheel and turned it back to where it was, as if he could feel the tiny turn of the rudder.
Eva's face lit up in embarassment. She was so ignorant, and he only made her feel more stupid with the looks he gave her. He knew. He had to know.
'I should just jump over board and end my life now. It's not going to get any better.'
"Do you know Morse Code?" He asked suddenly, knocking Eva out of her sucidal thoughts. She shook her head before realizing with his back turned, he couldn't see her. She cleared her throat and stepped beside him. "No. What is it?"
He sent her that look that told her he was questioning her sanity, before pointing to a device. It looked almost like a very miniture sewing machine, with a flat knob across the top. She reached for it, but Englehorn took her hand and dropped it at her side. "Morse Code is an international language. Ships talk to the port master to see if there are storms in the area, or other such things." He smiled quickly, before taking her hand and holding it over the flattened knob.
He pushed her finger against it, which seemed very peculiar to Eva. But she was too engrossed in the feel of his skin against hers to care what the hell he was doing. When he had finished, Englehorn dropped her hand. "What did you do?"
"Spelled your name."
"You did? But, there are no letters."
The captain sighed before pointing to the knob she had previously pushed numerous times. "The letters are represented with dots or dashes. One dot for the 'E'. Three dots and a dash for the 'V'. Two dots for the 'I' and another dot for an 'E'." Englehorn demonstrated each letter with quick pushes to the device. Evalyn smiled in dazed wonder at the machine, not able to wait to try it out for herself.
She was fascinated. So much that the previous fear of Englehorn knowing who she was, was pushed to the corner of her mind. It sat among her fear of capsizing and falling overboard. She would deal with it in her nightmares.
"What are the other letters?" She asked, pushing the device in random order. She had probably just said a bit of profanity to the reciever of her message, and was contemplating on sending a 'sorry' to them. As more of the crew woke to relieve the others of their duty, Eva watched as Englehorn wrote out the alphabet. It looked like a foreign language when she stared at the dots and dashes.
But, she was determined to learn it. At least it would impress the captain. Although it was something so simple, Eva was sure he would just congratulate her on not being an idiot for once.
Chewing her bottom lip, Eva sat in a discarded chair and practiced the code by tapping her fingernails against her chair. Hours passed, and she was beginning to string words together. She had learned her name...Only the first three letters of it, but it made sense.
Every once in a while, to take a break from concentrating, the girl would stare at Englehorn's back. Or in lucky cases, catch him glancing back at her. He would pretend he was reading some charts, and had fooled her for a while. But she had caught his gaze and knew that, since there was nothing over her head but blank wall, he was looking at her.
With noon approaching, Eva felt the more urge to impress Englehorn. She began tapping without looking at the chart, and even strung sentences that said things. Of course, when she realized Englehorn did infact know Morse Code, she stuck to names. It was a good thing she didn't code that she thought he was handsome. That would have been down right embarassing.
Before retiring for a few hours rest, the captain turned to the Morse code machine and tapped away. The dots and dashes jumbled together, confusing her. Every once in a while, she would catch a few letters. And twice, the could have sworn he had spelled her name. But, many words have E's and A's in them. Frowning, Eva stood up and folded the slip of paper with the code on it.
"I'm going to go eat. Have a nice sleep." She smiled faintly as he gave her a slight nod. He was busy studying the framed charts on the walls. Eva was almost reluctant to go, wishing she could run back in the small room and throw her arms around his waist. 'Oh, don't be rediculous! Not a week ago, you couldn't stand the sight of men. Now you can't stand the sight of leaving a man behind!'
Too angry to eat, Eva sat in her room, pouting even though she wouldn't admit it. She was angry at herself for thinking so foolishly about Captain Englehorn. Of course he was handsome, and charming, and had an accent that sent shivers down Eva's spine, but she should never act on those feelings. He was a sailor, for heaven's sake! Eva didn't exactly know what being a sailor had to do with her predicament, but she needed to place the blame on something other than herself.
"I wonder how long it will be before he dumps me off in some deserted, cannibalistic, remote place?" She crossed her arms over her chest, oblivious to the fact that Englehorn had just sent word to the American coast guard that Evalyn Henley was found, safe, and returning to her family in just a few weeks.
AN- Phew. I know it's taking me longer, and longer to put new chapters out. But, school is killing me. I thought that by cutting my hours down, I wouldn't have it so bad...I was wrong. They just decided to make all of the classes I have...super hard. Between my four classes, I have tests every week. Ok, enough complaints! I don't think anyone expected this turn of events! Also, expect more of a harsher Captain Englehorn...And remember, he's only nice to Eva's face. Tsk tsk. What will we do with him? What I have in mind involves handcuffs, and whipped cream... Sounds like a reasonable punishment! Please review! TA TA!