Chapter 3
'How long have you been a captive, miss Gray?' he then asked me, releasing my lock of hair and continuing his round, this time walked bigger circles in his cabin.
I sighed in relief for he had created some distance between us. It helped me think.
'I am not entirely sure, but I guess a little over a week or so,' I told him. I noticed he stood by the window, watching me before he stared outside again.
'Have they, harmed you, in any way?' he asked me then. I froze again. I knew what he was referring to.
'Only some bruises, nothing serious.' He turned his head sharply, staring at me.
'There is absolutely no excuse for their behaviour, miss Gray.' His harsh answer made me nervous all over again, so I broke the eye contact and stared around his cabin.
His footsteps approaching was what made me look for him again.
He took a kerchief from his pocket and slowly wet it from a bowl of water, before he came closer. He raised his hand to my face and instinctively I took a step back, flinching. He halted his movements and watched me, his mouth a firm line.
'You have a bleeding cut on your eyebrow, miss Gray.' He explained, again reaching for my face. This time I closed my eyes and froze, letting him dab at the cut. It stung a little bit, not more than the bruises hurt.
'How did you get this cut?' he asked me, gently touching me with the damp kerchief.
I kept my eyes closed, firmly.
'It was yesterday, sir. They- they scared me and I tried to get away from a certain person whose hand was completely decorated with rings.' I stopped there, pretty proud at myself for not using the word pirate.
'He hit you?' the Capitan asked me. I nodded. When I felt him remove the cloth from my head, I opened my eyes, shocked to see him so close, his eyes right before mine.
'Maybe one day, you will understand my hate for those persons who declare themselves pirates, miss Gray. Or maybe you already do.'
He walked away, placing the kerchief on his desk.
'You should get some rest, you may use the bed. Later on this evening I will let a bath be prepared for you, it might help with your… bruises. I will join you shortly for dinner.' He nodded in my direction, straightened his coat and then left the cabin, leaving me alone with all my thoughts and fears.
I was glad he had told me I could use the bed, for I felt like collapsing right then and there. I walked over towards the mahogany bed and admired its red sheets, before I let my hand feel the material. So soft. I lied down on my side and felt how I could just cry if I would let myself. The thought that the Capitan could re enter at any given time made me try as hard as I could not to.
I let this day play before my eyes and was scared and relieved at the same time. However the Capitan was the feared man I had heard about, he had not treated me as rough as the pirates had done. That was a good sign. Good enough for now.
I kept my eyes closed and tried my hardest not to fall asleep, but it was hard. I tried to keep myself busy enough, thinking everything that had happened over and over again, but eventually even thát could not prevent me from falling into a slumber, lying down on the too soft sheets.
A warm hand on my cheek pulled me from my slumber. I had to blink twice to remember where I was and with who.
'es hora de despertarse, señorita gris,' I heard him say. I instantly sat up straight, watching him. He stood beside the bed, and I stared at him.
'What, what did you say?' I asked him. He grinned a little bit.
'Time to wake up, miss Gray, let us have dinner, you must be starving.' He extended his hand to me, something I found very frightening. Nevertheless, I took his hand and let him pull my to my feet.
'Come,' he said, placing my hand in the crook of his arm and leading from out his enormous cabin. I felt my heart beat fast as we walked in the open air. It was completely dark outside, some of the men aboard still working and walking around.
I could not help but stop and look up, admiring the stars above us. The Capitan stopped too.
'A sight to behold, no?' he said. I quickly brought my eyes on him, momentarily forgetting where I was, once again. I nodded.
'It is so beautiful,' I whispered. He nodded, looking me straight in my eyes. He leaded me further around the deck, towards another door.
'This is my private dining room, we will eat here every night,' he told me, opening the door for me and letting me walk in first. I gasped seeing how beautiful the room looked. Like the other cabin, everything in here was made of mahogany. There was a large dining table, red curtains and candles, lighting up the room. The table was set up for two, enough food for the entire crew on the table already.
He closed the door and walked beside me, pulling out a chair for me to take. We would sit next to each other, what would do nothing for my nerves, but I was starving. The pirates had not bothered feeding me much and now all the adrenaline was gone from my body, I needed food. My mouth watered seeing the chicken and bread.
I sat down and felt him push my chair in behind me. For someone with such an unfriendly, stern face, he surely had manners.
He sat down himself beside me, pouring us glasses of wine.
'Disfrutar.' I had no clue what he had just said. He grinned.
'Enjoy,' he said, taking his own glass and taking a sip. I took a piece of bread and hungrily took a bite.
He placed some of the chicken on my plate, before he took some for himself. He ate in silence, but he kept glancing over towards me often enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.
For a few minutes I tried to concentrate the food before me, glad to feel good food on my tongue. After I took a small sip of wine, I could not handle the silence anymore.
'This is the best meal I have ever had,' I told him. I watched his face, it was as hard as ever, but I thought I saw something in his gaze, something warm. It left his face before I was sure.
'Good to hear, miss Gray.'
He himself finished his plate before me, patiently watching me, finish mine, sipping from his wine.
I noticed his eyes seemed dark enough to be black, only the candle light showing the warm brown in his eyes.
'Will you lock me in your cabin during the days?' I softly asked. He seemed taken aback by my question, but he recovered quickly.
'Like a pirate would, you mean, miss Gray?' He asked me. I swallowed.
'You may call me Olivia, Capitan,' I told him softly, a little shocked at his harsh question.
'Miss Gray, I will not lock you in any room, like a pirate would. You are my guest, and will be treated as such. Though I do not want you wandering around the deck by yourself. But you are welcome to explore with a escort with good weather.'
His words surprised me, almost thinking of him as a true gentleman.
'Don't ever make the mistake of comparing me to a pirate again, miss Gray.'
