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: Dun dun dun!
Chapter 8: Hard To Swallow
After her bout of rash behaviour, Eva steered clear of Englehorn. She had came to her senses in the middle of the night and snuck out of the captain's room. Thankfully, no member of the crew was switching shifts. She slipped into her room and stayed awake the rest of the night, hugging her knees to her chest. How could she have possibly slept in his bed? His warm, comfortable, lonely bed.
It was one thing to look at the man, but sleep in his bed? Eva groaned and lightly hit her forehead against the wall behind her bed. She felt beyond embarassed. It wasn't like her to act like some tramp.
"I'm so stupid." Eva whined, pushing her hands through the front strands of her unruly hair. "I ruin everything."
It wasn't until the pain in her head subsided that she finally fell asleep.
A few days past before Eva even looked Englehorn in the eyes. He avoided her just like she was doing to him. Even Willem seemed to be steering clear of Eva. The ship inched forward slowly toward America. Thanks to the last storm, the engine had taken on quite a bit of water, which meant burning coal was going to be very slow until repairs.
When Evalyn took her seat in the small dining room, her stomach rumbled beneath her robe and night gown. She clutched her belly and looked around embarassingly. It was stupid to do so, since no one was even in the room with her. With a sigh, Eva looked to the elderly man standing behind a boiling pot of water. Apparently, he was the new cook.
"Excuse me, would it be possible to get a sandwhich?"
The man didn't look at her. He grabbed a plate, slapped two peices of bread with a small strip of ham between them before holding it out to her. Eva stared at it and reluctantly took the dish. She peeked between the bread and frowned. The meat looked like it had been stored in much too cold temperatures. She folded the ham and chewed on the bread until she couldn't take it anymore.
Standing, Eva walked into the kitchen and asked where the pantries were. The old man pointed a twisted half of a finger at a cabinet and Eva turned before she could stare at his wound. He looked almost 100, and had six fingers in all.
Gulping, the girl opened a cabinet and stared at the almost empty space. There were a few cans of beans, and a black jug with two words on the side that read 'Moon Shine'. Eva opened another cabinet and felt slightly less nervous. This one was filled with cans of food. Most were unlabeled, and looked to be in poor shape.
Without any help from the old man, she managed to find the ice box, oven, many pots and pans, and supplies to fix one of her most favorite meals. Even though the head of lettuce was a bit brown around the outside, Eva still cracked it open and pulled out white and green pieces to place in a bowl. As the pot of boiling water bubbled around the edges, she poured in a pack of noodles and stirred them.
Eva glanced at the man beside her. He was staring at her blankly. "Well, if you want something done right, do it yourself." She stated, turning back to the bowl of vegetables. The tomatos were in poor shape. Even the less bruised ones looked unedible. "Are there anymore vegetables than this?" She pointed into the bowl and looked toward her companion.
He pointed his stubby hand toward the windowsill. Sitting on the unpainted strip of board was another bowl. This time, Eva felt the urge to smile. These tomatos looked wonderful. She mashed them and added a few spices she had managed to find after long minutes of searching. When the tomatos had turned into a nice paste, Eva turned back to the noodles.
She dipped a spoon in and looked up at the dining area. In the minutes she had been busy with her cooking, she hadn't notice the crowd that began to gather around. The crew men all looked starving. Eva smiled nervously and bent her head low, turning to face the old man beside her. "Thanks for telling me I had an audience."
"You're welcome."
As Eva finished preparing more pasta for the men, she was starting to notice one particular crew member toward the back of the line. Captain Englehorn was smirking slightly, his hands clasped behind his back as he waited.
Eva dipped out a string of pasta and poured on some of the red paste she had made before Englehorn stepped up. He smiled and waited patiently. "Is that salad optional?"
He nodded toward the bowl of wasted lettuce behind her. The girl turned and glanced at it over her shoulder. "Well, I was going to eat it, but be my guest. Sorry, I couldn't find any dressing."
She reached for the bowl and turned back around, holding it out for the captain. He stared at it for a moment before accepting. "Thank you."
"Anytime."
After the last man was fed, Eva sat at the table alone and ate the remaining noodles. The sauce had ran out and without a salad, she only had noodles and salt to eat. She debated on whether to make more tomato paste, but she was awfully tired. Eva scooped up the last of her noodles and ate it slowly, wishing they held more flavor.
She sat back in her seat and stared at the opposite end of the table. Englehorn was watching her, his hands crossed over his chest and a small smirk on his lips.
"What?"
"Did I say anything?"
Eva sighed and looked away. "No, but you're thinking something." She didn't know why she was being so cross with him. If she couldn't be mad at herself, she had to blame someone for the way she acted. Enlgehorn was too handsome for his own good. He almost flaunted it around her. Eva glared at herself for being so rediculous.
"I was merely thinking of what a good chef you are."
"I knew it. You want me to cook every night, don't you?"
Englehorn laughed softly, sitting up to nod at the old man behind the counter in the kitchen. "Mr. Clarence can handle it on most days. But, it would be quite a treat to taste something other than bread and meat for a while. That seems to be his specialty."
Eva stood up and carried her dishes into the kitchen sink. She dunked them under the cloudy water, before returning to the tables for more plates. "So, you want me to cook gourmet meals? If you haven't noticed, it seems the only food you have is to make pouridge or sandwhiches. I was lucky to find enough to make this." She held up an empty plate and hurried toward the sink.
"As you wish. I was just suggesting a change of scenery." Englehorn stood up and took the opposite edge of a plate just as Eva reached for it. He held on and stared at her with his narrowed, blue eyes. She felt her breath freeze in her throat as if his stare was ice. "Morgan was very fond of you. I'm sure he'd be happy for you to take over his position as cook."
Eva gasped and reached out to lightly slap his arm. "That's unfair! Now I have to do it." She snatched the plate and left the captain to stare at the place on his skin that she had smacked. He stared at her retreating form and shook his head. Out of every woman he's ever met, Eva was by far the strangest. She slept in his bed, avoided him like the plague, and cooked as if she belonged in one of the most famous resteraunts. Englehorn could only stare at her, hoping she'd crack and tell him all of her secrets. It was clear that she had many of those.
Englehorn glanced at the old man sitting on the stool. He was hunched over, peering at the captain with a toothy grin, as if he knew what he was thinking. The captain turned on the heel of his boots and hurried up to the helm.
In the evening, the crew members found their way back into the kitchen. However, there was hardly any food to be eaten. Even after Eva went on a desperate hunt for enough supplies for a meal, all she could come up with was soup and bread. She frowned down at the soup and waited for the Captain to make his way up to her. Her stormy eyes glanced back and forth as she passed bowls to the men.
As the last one stepped up, casting his shadow over the girl, she looked up. The question on her lips immediately fell at the sight of Willem. He couldn't have looked any less frightening to Eva. She gulped and carefully poured the liquid into his brown bowl. Just as he turned away, something forced the words out of her throat. "Where's Captain Englehorn?" She croaked, gripping her throat with her shaking hand.
Willem's frown deepened across his tan face. His eyebrows came together on his forehead. "Asleep. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave him to it." With that, he turned and dropped onto one of the tables. The men around him quickly found an excuse to leave his presence.
Eva put her hands on her hips and frowned at the back of the man. If he didn't want her to talk to Captain Englehorn, then she'd have to do just the opposite. Slipping her dirty apron off her waist, Eva quietly slipped out of the kitchen and into the back hallway. In the weeks she had been aboard the Venture, she had almost memorized the labyrinth of hallways.
But occasionally, one threw her into a loop. Eva bit her lips and took in her surroundings. The end of the hallway was a dead end, and the kitchen was at the other side. Sighing, Eva curiously opened a few doors, only managing to uncover a few closet with brooms and extra linen.
She turned around and stared at the kitchen door. She'd have to go back through and face Willem, unless he had already left. Hurriedly, Eva tiptoed through the dining room, not even looking toward the table to make sure Willem was there. Even if he was, he couldn't stop her from walking through.
Thankfully, Eva made it back onto the deck, hurrying down to the cabins. She found the familiar door of Captain Englehorn's and knocked lightly on it. The sun had gone down moments before, making the electric lights flicker on. It made the dark wood of the walls seem orange. Eva shivered and waited for Englehorn to answer the door. No one was answering back.
Eva raised her hand to knock again, but was quickly caught about the wrist. Her attacker whirled her around, pressing her firmly against the door, pinning her shoulders to the wood like daggers. Eva looked up at Willem and growled. "Let me go, you fat, dirty, bastard!" She managed to growl.
"What did I tell you? The Captain is asleep, and would rather be alone while he does so."
Willem released her shoulders, making the helpless teenager crumple against the door frame. She rubbed her aching muscles and glared up at the man. "Well, why should I do anything you tell me?"
A look of pure anger passed over Willem's dark eyes. He clenched his fists at his sides and stared down at Eva. She felt as if she were simply a little bug, about to be crushed under the heel of his boot. She gulped and tried to look away from his frightening face. "If I were you, I'd do all that was in my power to keep away from someone like me." Willem stormed back down the hallway, leaving Eva to shake against the door.
She sat there for almost ten minutes, trying to figure out what exactly she had done to make Willem hate her so much. All she did was call him a few names. "Maybe he just hates women..." Giving a shrug, Eva managed to gather her strength enough to stand. She glanced down at the doorknob and raised an eyebrow. It was worth a shot to try.
Her fingers gripped the brass knob and she twisted it easily. 'He sleeps with the door unlocked? That's useful to know.' Eva mused silently. She opened the door enough to stick her head in, and frowned. The bed was empty, the chair was empty. He wasn't even in the cabin. Why would Willem make such a fuss about Englehorn not being disturbed if he wasn't even in his room?
Eva frowned deeper and stood with her arms crossed as she looked around the Captain's bedroom. It was the first time she noticed it being very clean. Even his desk, which had been messy all the other times she had seen it, had been straightened up. His bed was made and the chair was pushed back against the wall.
"What are you doing in here?"
Eva spun around and backed into Englehorn's desk as the Captain slowly made his way into the room. He glanced around, as if he was making sure she wasn't stealing anything. His eyes stopped on her before pressing the question again. "I said, what are you doing in here?"
"I...I...Don't exactly know at the moment, because you've frightened the wits out of me." She racked her brain for the reason she came snooping around for the Captain in the first place. Something about dinner. She narrowed her eyes and tried not to look directly into his eyes. It was almost certain to her that if she did, she would never think of anything but those eyes.
As if it hit her square in the face, Eva gasped and broke into a smile. "I came to tell you that food is getting low. You may want to dock somewhere and stock up."
Englehorn narrowed his eyes at the girl. He didn't like people snooping around his room, and didn't like a woman--girl telling him how to run his boat. Angrily, he took a step toward her, pushing her further back onto his desk. She was practically sitting on it. Her fingers had grown white from gripping the edge so tightly. Even if she was right, he would take care of the food supply. It was his damn boat, and he would decide what to do with it.
"Unless," Eva started, her eyes filled with fear. "Of course, you'd want us all to die of starvation..You're the captain, it's your call."
"Ah, you understand finally. You're absolutely right. I AM the captain of this ship. And I would appreciate it if you'd not take it upon yourself to stroll into my private cabin anytime you wish, to give me advice on how to run MY ship!" He took another step toward her, making Eva lean all the way back against the shelves behind the desk. They stuck into her shoulder blades, but all she could concentrate on was the closeness of this man.
Hearing him shout at her made something fuzzy spread through her stomach. She glanced down at Englehorn's chest, watching it rise and fall with his breath. It was hard to concentrate on what he had just yelled at her. Eva opened her mouth to appologize but a loud blasting horn cut her off. She snapped her mouth close and stared curiously up at Englehorn.
"Was that from this ship?" The same horn thundered again, making Eva's heart pound harder against her chest.
Englehorn took Eva by the wrist and lead her out onto the deck of the ship. The moment they stepped foot out into the salty sea air, a gasp escaped Eva's throat. She put a hand to her mouth, not noticing that Englehorn still had his fingers around her other arm.
Another ship was slowing down, passing them with the bow heading straight past them. Eva stared at the name painted in bright red letters on the side of the metal. It was called the Tempest, and looked to have been throught quite a few tempests itself. The crew of the Tempest all stood near the railings, grinning malevolently. A few were shouting out to Eva, making her step behind Captain Englehorn.
The opposing ship slowed to a stop just as Venture did the same. Englehorn dropped Eva's wrist and hurried to the edge of his own ship.
Men started surrounding Eva, pushing her further back into the crowd. She stood on her tip toes and tried to make sense of all the shouts and laughter. A loud voice called over the whir of the men, making Eva climb up on crate. She could see the top of a man's head, talking to Englehorn, but addressing him as Thomas. Narrowing her eyes, Eva stood up carefully and widened her eyes at the man greeting Captain Englehorn.
He was very handsome, and looked even more so under the moonlight. His hair was black, and held back at the nape of his neck. Eva felt herself swooning slightly at the look of this man. He belonged on the cover of a bodice ripper romance rather than here among these rugged, ugly men. Well, besides Englehorn.
Before Eva could stop herself, she leaned forward, trying to get a better look of the rest of this new man. She gripped the ropes beside her, and stood on her tiptoes. Captain Englehorn turned in front of the man just as Eva had the chance to see him. "Damn." She muttered, grabbing the frayed end of another rope. It slipped out of her grasp and caused her to loose her balance.
She teetered precariously atop the edge of one of the crates before letting out a loud shriek. Eva tumbled to the ground, rolling across the anchor rope. As she tried to stand before anyone could notice her embarssing fall, her ankle twisted. She fell forward, falling right on a pair of feet. "And this is our resident stowaway." Englehorn muttered, reaching down to help Eva to her feet.
He hoisted her with ease and stepped back for his new companion to see her. Eva looked up and tried not to gasp too loudly at the sight of the new, very handsome man. As the voices of the other men getting reaquanted fluttered around, Eva could only hear her own heart beat in her ears. She shakily stuck out her hand and shook this stranger's.
"Do you have a name?" He asked with a thick, raspy German accented voice. It made Eva's head swim with dizziness. She nodded with a blush and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "Evalyn."
"What a beautiful name. I am Wesley." He took her hand and bowed low, kissing his soft, warm lips to her knuckles. Eva's cheeks blushed a deep scarlet as she giggled slightly at the man's actions. She couldn't believe he had just kissed her hand, and vowed not to wash it for as long as she could stand it.
Neither Eva nor Wesley noticed the Captain behind them, glaring at the rediculous flirting. Englehorn's hands were clenched at his sides as he tried to think of a way to get Wesley off of his ship...and quick.
AN- It was brought to my attention that I haven't been doing so hot as a writer. I didn't develop Eva that well, and it made me start rethinking this story. At first, I was a bit depressed with how it was going. I didn't like the chapters I had wrote (and I had gotten up to about chapter 10). But, after a few days of thinking things through, and after seeing King Kong again after buying the DVD, I have figured out a way to finish this story. Don't worry, the end is far ahead. And I want to say thank you to ALL of your reviews...All of you are amazing and I really can't express how I appreciate you all! Did anyone else pause and rewind through entire scenes with Englehorn in the DVD? Mine's a bit worn out by now!