Chapter 9: Getting Acquainted
Jake slept the whole night in a chair next to Charlotte. In the early morning she woke up startled to see that she was in a real bed. She turned to her other side and saw Jake. "It wasn't just a dream," she mumbled to herself, causing Jake to start awake.
"Hey there," Jake leaned forward to check on her. "How're you doing? Do you want more to eat?"
She tried to pull herself into sitting position but wasn't quite strong enough. Jake rushed over and helped her sit up. "Thank you. I think I could manage more food."
"Good, I'll go have someone make you breakfast." He jogged out of the room for a moment and returned soon after with guests. "Would you be willing to meet a couple of important people in my life?"
"I would love to. I want to know everything you've done all these years."
"This is Becky, my wife. She's a part of my crew."
"It's wonderful to meet you! I should have known that you would be married by now," Charlotte smiled, but then realized that Becky was holding a moving bundle.
"I'm so glad I finally get to meet you too! And this little fellow is Christopher Jake Cardinal. He's very eager to meet his grandmother for the first time." Becky slipped the baby into her arms.
"Oh my goodness!" Charlotte breathed. "He's beautiful, and he looks just like you did at his age." Her eyes became moist with the beginning of tears. "I've missed so much of your life, Jake. I missed your marriage, your firstborn's birth—"
"But now you can make up for lost time by spending it with Christopher. I would much rather find you now than never know what my mother was like."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was Muggins with a tray full of food. "Hi there! I wasn't sure how hungry you were and what kinds of foods you'd like, so I made you a sample of everything."
"Thank you so much." Charlotte returned Christopher to Becky's arms and received the tray.
"Well, enjoy!" Muggins called as he left.
"Jake, while I eat, do you think you could tell me all about you and how you met Becky and how you became a pirate captain?"
Eager for the chance to talk about himself, he said, "I'd love to!"
"Well then, I'll just leave you two alone to talk." Becky made her way to the door.
"Oh, please stay, Becky." Charlotte said after swallowing a bite of toast. "I'd love to hear things from you too."
"No, you and Jake deserve some time to talk alone. Maybe I'll come in again later. But before I do leave, is there anything I can get either of you? Jake, do you want some breakfast?"
Both Charlotte and Jake shook their heads, and Jake said, "No, I'm not hungry right now, thanks." He turned back to his mother and began his story, "I should start out by telling you that I grew up in an orphanage."
Charlotte's eyes grew wide. "What happened to Winnie, your aunt? Do you still have the envelope I left with you when you were a baby?"
"Aunt Winnie is fine; but she just…couldn't take care of me. I only just got the letter a couple weeks ago." Jake went to his coat hook and pulled the envelope out of the pocket of his jacket. "We cracked your code for the location of the golden Incan llama: Swords, Ireland. We're actually headed there right now."
"Keep a tight hold on that information, Jake," she warned urgently.
"Don't worry, I have been. Now, go ahead and keep eating. You need to get your strength back."
After Jake had finished telling Charlotte of his childhood and she had finished all of her breakfast, she asked, "Do you think we could actually make one stop before we arrive at Swords?"
"Sure, wherever you need to go, just tell me where."
"Wonderful! The coordinates are 50.084 north, 5.54197 west."
"Okay, I'll go tell January that there's a change of plans."
"I would love to be able to go out on deck with you and see your wonderful ship."
"Why not?" Jake shrugged and helped his mother stand up. "Just go ahead and put all your weight on me while we walk, and if you get tired, I'll have somebody get you a chair."
"Thank you, Jake," she smiled as she held onto his arm. Her first steps were shaky, but as she continued to walk, she gained strength. "What is your ship called?"
Jake opened the door, and they walked out. "The Scarlett Ruby, because of her scarlet sails," he responded, pointing up at the sails.
"Such a beauty she is! And a good crew, by the looks of it. Your father and I were never able to get our own ship, but I am so happy to know that you're much better off in your career than we ever were."
"Good morning, Captain Cardinal!" Cutthroat Pitzel called out from the helm. "Good morning, uh, Captain's mother!"
"That's Pitzel, our helmsman," Jake whispered to Charlotte as they waved at him.
"Oy, you're up and about already!" Nora jogged over. "You look much bettah than when we first found you."
"This is Nora, my second mate and cousin," Jake introduced.
"Your cousin...Winnie had another child! Oh, it's so good to meet you, dear! How is Friedrich doing?"
"Well, you can actually ask 'im yourself. I have 'im ovah there coilin' ropes."
"He's a part of the crew too?"
"Oh, no, no," Nora shook her head violently. "He's in the British army; he's just an honored guest who wanted to help find you. So, uh, what should I call you? I mean, when I'm not bein' your niece. I mean, Becky is Red-Eyed Beck while she's on duty, so what do you want us to call you?"
Charlotte giggled slightly, "You can call me Quick-Foot Charlie; that's what I was called while I was on the Seagull, so I might as well reuse it here."
"Okay, Quick-Foot Charlie, I hope to see you at the lunch table today."
Multiple introductions later, Captain Cardinal finally managed to give January Jones the new coordinates to follow. Charlotte was worn-out by that time, so Jake helped her back into his quarters. He spent the entire day with her, telling her rest of the story of his life. He expressed how he became a pirate and how he eventually acquired the Scarlett Ruby. Lastly, he described the island of Jakeston and explained his journey of finding her. Becky would occasionally come in, making sure that Jake was telling all true stories.
Charlotte was able to make it to the dinner table with almost no aid. There at the table she was able to meet the rest of the crew, including Scully (He was only allowed out of bed for meals.) and Mimosa. Everyone had questions for Charlotte, but Becky had the most intriguing one.
"So, Quick-Foot Charlie, why do you think Dave Senoj took you in the first place?"
"Well," Quick-Foot settled down in her seat, "you see, he and I had a run-in of sorts in the past. I knew him before he even considered piracy a worthwhile vocation."
"What?!" Jake dropped his chicken leg. "You knew him before he was a pirate?!"
"Yes, I did. He was the man my parents were trying to force me to marry when I was twenty-two. Back then, Dave was very unpleasant to deal with: he intended to control every single minute of my life, and he never cared enough to listen to what others said. The next time I saw him, he was a spiteful, hard-nosed brute. I had heard rumors that once I ran away he embraced his unwholesome behavior and became a ruthless pirate. Part of me feels as if I were the cause of his becoming such a horrible person."
"From the sound of it," Becky tried, "Senoj was rotten to the core from the beginning. I doubt you were the root cause; you probably were just a last thing to set his big ego off."
"Perhaps that's what it was," Quick-Foot nodded.
Just then, the look-out scrambled into the mess room and hollered, "Land ho!"
Everybody grimaced at how loud he was, and Jake admonished, "You don't have to shout! You're not in the crow's nest!"
"Sorry, Cap'n," the look-out cowered as he back out of the room to return to his post.
"We'll go on land in the morning after breakfast," Jake decided.