Chapter Three
When Joanna, Hawk, and Adelinde climbed aboard the British Pride, they found their crew already at work. Theo and Hastings were up in the shrouds and atop the jibs, unfurling the sails and tying the ropes down to secure them. Peter was making certain the helm was still in working order, and he was calling out orders to Annette, who raced around doing whatever she could to help.
"Ahoy, Captain!" Hastings called from atop the sails as Joanna stepped aboard and moved towards the helm.
She nodded curtly and then turned to Theo, who was climbing off the ship's railing to land on the deck.
"Pull up anchor," she ordered, and Theo tipped his hat in salutation. He whistled up to Hastings, who looked surprised only momentarily before he swung down to join his comrade. Peter rushed to help, and between the three men, the anchor was pulled up and fastened securely to theBritish Pride's hull.
Joanna noticed, as she turned the ship away from the harbor, that the British Pride wasn't altogether a large ship, but she was strong and sturdy, and it seemed she was more than eager to make way to the open sea. It would be pleasurable captaining such a ship, and it seemed her work hands wouldn't be too difficult to maneuver and command.
"Now that we're out to sea, Captain," Hawk grinned, coming to Joanna's side as the ship moved slowly away from her berthed sisters, "what can we do for you?"
"Seeing as the sun is just now lowering on the horizon, I believe some food is in order," Joanna said, blue eyes piercing into the open wilderness. "We need to establish a cook for this voyage."
"I volunteer, Captain!" Annette called up to the helm.
"Very well. Off to it, then."
"Would a lady of that position know how to cook?" Hawk asked, watching Annette disappear into the hold.
"I don't know. I am curious to know what it is she's doing out here with her father's ship, however. She may have some rather colorful tale," Joanna said, leaning against the helm.
"Maybe," Hawk shrugged. "Are we claiming the captain's cabin for our quarters?"
"Aye," Joanna nodded. "And have Adelinde find our dishes and things and put them out on the table in there. I'm hoping for more than just a measly meal. It's been too long since we've had anything but stale bread and rusted water."
Hawk nodded and then walked down to the deck, immediately moving towards Adelinde, who was resting against a rail.
"Captain orders you to find our silver and bring it into the captain's cabin," she spoke.
"So now I'm the new cabin boy, am I?" Adelinde snorted.
"We each need to do what is necessary to keep the ship afloat," Theo said, coming to her side. "My guess is the dishes will be heavy. I'll carry them up with you. Any ideas where they might be, Hawk?"
"In the galley is my guess," she shrugged.
Theo nodded and then made his way to the hatch, Adelinde following grudgingly behind him. They made their way into the darkened interior and then walked down several more flights of stairs, to the bottom of the ship. There they found only one room lit, out of the three immense rooms on that level, and the light from it flooded out into the darkened walkway.
"Our galley," Theo guessed logically.
"You're smart as paint," Adelinde snorted and moved towards the galley.
The galley was one of the largest rooms in the ship, measuring roughly the size of five cabins. There were several large braziers (ovens that consisted of large boxes and metal grates) side by side, that stretched halfway across one wall. They were already heating up, making the room stuffy and warm. Annette was moving about, going from the counters, that stretched across another whole wall, to the opposite wall where all the barrels of food and hanging meat was kept. Somehow she had found a large overcoat to cover her very expensive dress with, and she looked very much like a child, running back and forth with a delighted smile on her face. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she smiled up at Theo and Adelinde as they entered.
"This galley is enormous!" she exclaimed, beginning to cut up potatoes. "I've never seen such a big one before!"
"Have you managed to find any silver?" Adelinde sighed, not at all interested in the woman's delight of the galley.
"No silver, aside from forks, spoons, and knives. My father only had china, bought directly from the East India Trading Company," Annette said, shaking her head. "There's a large cupboard to my left. See it?"
It was indeed a large cupboard, made only of the finest wood and glass, and Adelinde snorted as she walked over to it.
"You really are a little rich girl, aren't you?" she scowled.
Annette didn't answer, but continued cooking, deciding to ignore the pirate's comments.
"I'm imagining the captain will want a barrel of rum brought up as well," Theo said, watching Adelinde gather dishes and noticing the barely visible twitch in Annette's neck when Adelinde had mocked her. "Have you any knowledge of the whereabouts of the rum?" he asked.
"There's a cellar door right where you are standing," Annette said, not looking in his direction. "I peeked in there a few minutes ago. It's full of barrels."
A breathless Peter came running into the galley then, and he looked to Theo.
"Captain ordered for us to bring up rum," he panted.
Theo chuckled and opened the cellar door.
"I believe it's down here," he stated, gesturing for Peter to follow him into the bottommost level of the ship.
It was dark and creepy down in the cellar, so the men grabbed a barrel and hoisted it up fairly quickly. They then proceeded to carry it up all the different flights of stairs, onto the deck, onto the helm steps, and finally into the captain's cabin, where Adelinde was already setting the table. Being a true pirate, she didn't really know how to set anything, so she simply threw down a group of forks and knives and slid the plates in different directions.
Hastings hurried about the large cabin, sweeping up the floor. The captain's cabin was certainly the most exotic that any of the pirates had ever seen. The color code was dark blue and gold, and everything in the room must have been very expensive. There was a huge rug covering most of the floor, the bed was enormous, the window seat, looking out the stern of the ship, was large and comfortable, and everything in the place spelled out the word rich. It gave the pirates all the more reason to wonder about who exactly they had cooking down in the galley. The last name Taylor did sound familiar, but how?
XxXxX
Half an hour passed, and smells began drifting up from the galley portholes, infusing the air with their rich aroma. Joanna and Hawk had never smelled anything half as delicious, and both their stomachs growled in unison.
"I congratulate you, Jo. I think we found ourselves a cook," Hawk said, her stomach grumbling again.
"Dinner's ready!" Annette's voice called as she walked up the stairs leading towards the captain's cabin. She had a huge tray in her hands, covered with a lid, and she struggled a bit under the weight. Hastings was at the cabin door, and he opened it hurriedly. Theo reached out and steadied the platter as Annette nearly spilled it, and he caught the edge and carried it with her to the table.
"I'm hoping I prepared enough," Annette said, setting the tray carefully in the center of the table. "I'm afraid the only times I've really ever cooked is when Nancy let me help every now and then in the kitchen. We don't have any live meat down in the galley, so I'm afraid we're either going to have to buy some soon, or we may have to just eat fish for awhile. My father didn't keep much meat."
"There is also a lack of fruit. We need apples," Adelinde added, sitting down in a seat at the table.
"We'll see about making port somewhere along the way," Joanna nodded, reaching out for a fork and knife. "Now what have we here?"
She lifted the top of the tray, and a huge billow of steam rose up from the meal, bringing with it the most mouth-watering smell.
"Pork with the last of the potatoes," Annette answered, moving to a chair across from Peter. She was somewhat startled when Theo pulled her chair out for her, but she smiled gratefully and sat down.
"I can't remember the last time I had pork," Hawk said wistfully, forking out a large piece of the meat.
"What do you usually eat?" Peter asked.
"Fish. Lots and lots of fish," Hawk sighed.
"That and stale bread," Joanna nodded.
"I hope it all tastes right. The pork was completely covered in salt, as I know it should be, but I was hoping to cook out some of it," Annette said, watching everyone else get their food before she did, noticing that, once again, Theo waited for her.
"This is the most delicious meat I've ever had," Adelinde said, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Good. I'm so glad," Annette sighed.
"So tell me," Joanna said, her mouth partly full of food, "how did a wealthy woman like you end up with your father's ship out on the open ocean? What are you running away from?"
"My father arranged for me to marry, so I got scared and left," Annette said quietly. "I'm rather upset about that, actually. I shouldn't have run, and I shouldn't have taken his ship and Peter, but it's a little late now. I am engaged to marry an Admiral Groves, whom I've never met before. I will marry him when I get home. I just wanted to, well, live a little first. And he has a great love for the sea, and I wanted to understand why. That way, maybe, we can actually have something in common and get along. I'm also a little worried," she added as a side note, "that he's only chosen to marry me because of my title. Ever since my mother died, my father's given me her title of Lady, and that would certainly look respectable for an admiral to marry to such a title."
"Admiral Groves?" Joanna asked, tapping her chin with the edge of her fork. "That name sounds familiar. Do you recognize it, Hawk?"
"Seems your brother's mentioned him before," Hawk nodded.
"He's a good man," Peter spoke.
"I heard rumors that he was originally supposed to marry Marian Loft, according to herself and her father," Hastings mused. "I have connections with that family," he grinned wickedly, for the sake of his charade. "She's too much of a dandy for him, I believe."
"She didn't have a title," Annette sighed.
"Any British officer sounds like a scumbag to me," Joanna harrumphed.
"There are certainly a bountiful amount of those out there," Theo mused, raising his mug of water. "Cheers for a good voyage and the escape of Miss Annette Taylor."
"Take what you can," Joanna said, grinning at Hawk.
"Give nothing back," Hawk chuckled in response.
XxXxX
Peter, Theo, and Hastings found their way into the hold after the meal was finished, leaving Annette to clean the dishes and the captain and her first mate to settle into their room and then prepare the night watches. The men found a large room, no doubt meant for the ship's usual crew, and it was equipped with fourteen hammocks, hung from the ceiling. Pillows and blankets were piled up on one set of drawers, and Theo grabbed the pile and tossed blankets and pillows to the other men. He then proceeded to put his few belongings, an extra sword, extra shirt, and an extra pair of breeches and stockings, into one of the drawers.
He hadn't thought, as he moved to prepare his bed for the night, that Annette had fled from home because she was scared. He had heard much gossip from other women, including Marian Loft, that Lady Annette Taylor was untamable, a wild horse that had no respect for men in general, especially her father. However, the admiral hadn't seen that from what Annette had said over dinner. It seemed she very much loved her father and was willing to do what he said. She just needed time to conform to the idea. And she had every right to be scared, for in all reality, Admiral Groves had agreed to the match because she had a title and just so happened to be, to him, the loveliest woman in the British port. But aside from that, he knew nothing whatsoever about her, only what he had heard in rumors.
"I'm going to go help Annette with the dishes. She has an awful lot to clean," Peter yawned, turning from his hammock and moving towards the doorway.
"You seem tired," Theo noted, and Peter rubbed his eyes.
"Well, we've had quite the couple of days," he yawned, nodding.
"I'll assist your cousin," Theo offered. "You should sleep."
"Shall I come as well?" Hastings asked, an eyebrow arched.
"Aye," Theo nodded. "The floor will need to be scrubbed."
"You two are the strangest pirates I daresay I've ever met," Peter said, rolling into his hammock. "Good night, all."
Theo and Hastings made their way down to the galley, and they were surprised to hear singing as they moved through the hallway to the great room.
"Oh a pirate's life is a wonderful life, a rovin' over the sea.
Give me a career as a buccaneer.
It's the life of a pirate for me, oh the life of a pirate for me."
"Oh a pirate's life is a wonderful life, they never bury your bones.
But when it's all over, a jolly sea rover drops in on his friend Davy Jones.
Oh his very good friend Davy Jones."
"Brilliant song," Joanna's voice could be heard.
"It's a typical pirate one," Annette's voice answered, and she turned towards the doorway as the men stepped through.
"Evening, mates," Joanna nodded. "What brings you down here?"
"We were hoping to do a bit of scrubbing, Captain," Hastings said, grabbing hold of a coarse brush and a waiting bucket of water.
"I gamble I'll have the cleanest ship in the whole of the Atlantic ," Joanna said, rolling her eyes. "And what's with you?" she asked Theo.
"I figured I'd dry dishes, or something of that nature," he shrugged. "And I'd like to discuss the matter of the night watches with you."
"What is there to discuss?"
"Seeing as you and Hawk are the only ones who seem intent on doing any of the captaining, I should like to offer my services. We are in for quite the long journey, and I'd like to help," Theo said, taking a plate from Annette and drying it.
"You can steer a ship, ay?" Joanna asked, an eyebrow arched.
"Indeed," he nodded, noting that water was splashing all the way up Annette's arms, soaking the sleeves of her fancy dress. "I also," he offered, "have another shirt, should her ladyship here wish to borrow it?"
"No, I'm quite all right, thank you," Annette said, focusing on scrubbing grime off of one of the plates.
"You need a different outfit," Joanna nodded to Theo. "Take his shirt. You won't get far in that dress of yours. As for you, Theo, I don't just hand over my duties as captain lightly. This here is a fine ship, and I'd rather not see it beached or struck with rocks."
"I assure you, I have had some experience," Theo smiled.
"Come with me and prove that," Joanna challenged, leading the way out of the galley.
XxXxX
The air was humid and a distinct mist was covering the ocean and the quarterdeck when Joanna and Groves stepped out into the open.
"The weather is calling for a storm, Captain," Hawk called from the helm.
"When will it be rolling in, do you think?" Joanna asked.
"Near eleven o'clock or so tomorrow morning," Theo estimated.
"Theo here has volunteered to take a shift," Joanna explained. "We're going to stay out in the open ocean, traveling constantly northwards," she told him, taking the helm when Hawk stepped aside. "We'll search the islands tomorrow, but I don't want to make berth unless we absolutely have too. I'm not fond of going ashore."
"The Sparrows like to stay aboard ship as much as possible," Hawk grinned. "It's in the blood."
"And the less we go ashore, the less we'll have to keep certain members of the crew inconspicuous," Joanna nodded. "Take the helm, Theo. I want you sailing northwards, keeping slightly to the starboard side. The islands are to our left, therefore we need to stay in that direction. We have barely any waves, so you should have smooth sailing."
"I think our storm won't bring us much comfort as far as the waters are concerned," Theo said, taking the helm and gazing up at the North Star. "If anything, it will make the ocean nearly motionless."
"How exactly are we going to go about testing him?" Hawk asked Joanna.
"We'll leave him here for half an hour, and then I'll come and see if we're still on course. If we aren't, I'll throw you overboard," the five-foot-two-inch pirate captain threatened.
"Aye, Captain. We'll still be on course," Theo said, directing all of his attention to the sailing.
"For your sake, I hope so."
Theo couldn't help but smile as Joanna and Hawk disappeared into the captain's cabin. It was comforting to him to know that he would be doing what he did best on this mission. There was nowhere that felt closer to home than standing on the deck of a ship or behind its helm, directing it. Aside from God and country, the sea had been his first love ever since he could remember. He hadn't really known his family well, for they were rich enough to have servants raising him while his parents were always gone, and his brothers and sisters were older than he was, having moved out long ago. But behind the helm, he felt solid and strong, as though nothing terrible could ever really happen.
XxXxX
"I think, despite everything," Hawk said as she settled down on a couch in the captain's cabin, "that we have ourselves rather a fine crew."
"That will be proven with the first sea storm," Joanna said, settling down in the blankets on the bed. "That will prove whether our mates be faint-hearted or strong."
"It is good to have another person to man the helm," Hawk said, closing her eyes.
"So it is," Joanna yawned. "So long as he remembers his place, I am satisfied."
"What are you going to do when we find Jack? You know how he thinks himself to be master of the ship," Hawk asked.
"Show him, once again, that just because I'm little, it doesn't mean he can take advantage of me," Joanna grinned, thinking of her brother. "Besides, knowing Jack, he'll be in a barrel of trouble when we find him, and he'll be more than willing to accept me as the captain."
"One can only hope," Hawk grinned, slipping into sleep.