Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

I pulled a chair from the hallway into the room and sunk into it. I looked up at Flynn, eyes wide. I listened for a few moments to the sounds of the pub. The voices and revelry that had been happening below us settled down as the men returned to work from their lunch. A knock came at the door and a plump woman walked in with a tray.

"I thought maybe you all would be hungry. It is not much, but tis better to eat something than nothing."

"Thank you," I said wearily.

"The young man, is he alive?" She glanced toward the bed.

I nodded my head, watching Flynn's chest rise and fall steadily.

"The captain will be fine," Scully replied with his eyes still shut.

"Good. Good." The woman put the tray of food down on the table and left.

The steaming bowls of beef stew and freshly baked bread smelled delicious. We each grabbed one and began eating. I had not realized how famished I was.

"Do you want to sleep?" Christopher leaned against a wall with his arms folded across his chest.

I shook my head. "Too much to do. I have to find a ship heading to Virginia and then decide if we follow John Jacks or go after Jane."

Scully stretched out his arms and yawned. "What did you do while you were gone?"

"A lot. John Jacks did not kidnap only Jane. Apparently he does not mind accepting young women as payment. He sells them off to the highest bidder, and that is that."

"Where is he now? Why do you need to find a ship to Virginia?" Christopher straightened up and paced around the room.

"I have no idea where he is, but he has a shop in a port town in Virginia, where his latest kidnap victim is from. This is why I need to find a ship going there, so she can leave Port Royal as soon as possible."

"Where is Jane?" Scully furrowed his brow and stared up at me.

"An aristocrat in London bought her last week."

"Then we go for your sister. John Jacks will be there next month, but there is no guarantee Jane will be." Christopher's tone of voice was so final.

"I know, but what if he takes more girls?"

"Don't worry about that right now. You worry about getting Jane back."

I nodded, finished my stew, and got up to leave. "I have to find a ship that can take the girl back to the colonies. Make sure Flynn gets on The Gilded Lady."

"Aye, ma'am," Scully said with his mouth full of meat.

Before I walked out the door I sat on the edge of Flynn's bed. His color was returning to normal, and his body was no longer ravaged by fever. I leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The corners of his lips quirked up quickly as his eyes fluttered a bit. He sighed heavily and continued snoring. He really was going to be okay. At least that was one weight off my shoulders.

***

I stepped out into the midday. The sun was high in the sky. The day had grown so hot that I almost instantly began to perspire. The heavy jacket felt so stuffy and my shirt clung to my body. I tried running my fingers through my hair, but found the soft hair I once prized was now hardened sea-salt curls that refused to allow my fingers to part them.

In the port, I watched as the men came and went from their ships. There were men and women of all ethnicities working and hollering at one another. Nobody paid anyone else attention that was not their crew.

"Where you headed?" I asked one man who was carrying a large crate.

"Spain," he replied in a thick Spanish accent. His dark hair was plastered to his head from the sweat.

I kept along the pier until a small merchant ship came into view. I approached the ship, watching the men for a few moments. They rushed about loading and unloading things. A tall, slender man stood at the helm barking out orders to his men.

"Can I help you, lassie?" he asked, peering over the side of his ship.

"Where are you going?"

"The colonies and we're not looking for no woman crew."

"I do not need a job. I have my own ship," I motioned toward The Gilded Lady.

"Then what do ye want?"

"I have a young girl on my ship that was taken from her home by a pirate . . ."

"Like you?" He arched his brows at my overly adorned outfit.

"No, not like me. John Jacks took her from Virginia and one his men were trying to sell her."

"How old?" he asked.

"She is sixteen. I will pay you ten gold pieces if you take her back to Virginia."

"Ten gold?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Why so much?" He stroked his beard.

"Why are you asking so many questions? Either you want the gold and take the girl back to her town, or I find someone who wants to."

"I think we can accommodate the young lass aboard for a few weeks."

"Good. Since I am paying you ten gold, I expect her to be treated well. She will have her own room, and nobody will bother her."

"Aye, lassie."

I nodded and headed back to my own ship. The girl was standing on deck watching the bay.

"I found a way for you to go home," I called.

"You did?" She smiled down at me.

"Aye."

"Which ship?"

I pointed to the small merchant ship and smiled. "It is nothing spectacular, but they are going to the colonies."

"I do not know how to thank you," she cried, running for the gangplank.

"Just stay safe."

"I will." She grabbed my hand.

I led her to the ship, paid the captain, and bid them farewell. John Jacks would have to wait. As soon as Flynn was aboard The Cutlass, we were making way for London. Tightness formed in my chest as I watched the girl follow the captain to the room under the helm. In a few weeks, there would be one family who would be able to sleep soundly. I stood and watched until the ship was out of the bay and sailing off into the midday sun.

"Cap'n? Ye alright?" a man called to me.

"Fine," I hollered back to Scully.