11I just wanted to apologize to all of you who have waited intently on this chapter. I appreciate the reviews and I have to apologize due to the fact that I have been somewhat busy since the last update (March…wow). So here is the next chapter that you have waited patiently for and I hope you enjoy the update!
- Chapter Six –
Several days passed since the incident on the deck. The two spoke minimally to one another and that was enough for now. Tanya mostly stayed in her cabin unless bright sunlight beckoned to her to come to the top deck and let the warmth sink into her bones. Captain trying to forget the conversation, but every time he went to the rail, he would set his hands down and feel the warmth like that from the sunset several, nights ago.
Ky also kept the incident a secret. He didn't want to have Tanya feel bad, so he claimed she single-handedly prepared the meal herself that night. As was a natural reaction, the crew enjoyed the stew, saying it tasted better then Ky's cooking.
"Thank you," she had said to him early the next day. "You did not have to.'
"Makes 'em like ye more. Besides, ye had a rough start on board."
Just to give her something to do, a crew member named Leei had a rip in one of the few pairs of pants he had. She set herself up on a barrel and, bending over with a needle, the sun to her back, she meticulously stitched the rip until it was secure and able to prevent future tears. After giving them back to him, she noticed Captain looking in her direction, an expression on his face a mix of wonder and impatience. Tanya ignored him and looked out over the vast sea. She could feel his eyes burning into her and, without hesitation, rose from her place at the rail and went down to her cabin, the solitude morbidly welcome.
This continued for a few days – Tanya either staying in her cabin and thinking about nothing or sitting at the rail, watching the sea. She missed her brother; young, vivacious, energetic Timothy. He, like their father, was against the marriage to McFarland. When asked, all he had said was, "I don't know why. I know he is not good; that's all I can tell you."
That was all she was left with. She had not bothered to wake him when she left – Tanya would only wait until she could see his boyish smile fitting his age-ten features. She cared more for her brother than anything else. Tim was just like their father – concerning and outgoing, intelligent and talented, loving and easily angered. She also saw a little of herself in him; his curiosity gets him in trouble with their mother when she is away from her society women.
A knock on the door of her cabin slowly slipped through the slips of her thought, shaking her awake from her constant wishing of normality. Instead of asking the sailor to wait until she was ready, she stood and threw open the door, groggily scowling at the innocent victim.
Captain had a look of sheer confusion spread across his face like a rushing tide toward an innocent beach. Although he did nothing wrong, he assumed he angered the lady Tanya by just knocking at the door. After a moment of her scrutiny, she let her anger melt from her face and a smile replaced her scowl.
"What brings you to my cabin, Captain? You didn't do anything to upset me—"
"Not yet. I don't like false praises, especially when it might hurt someone I trust. I know you came back here after…" he seemed too embarrassed to continue his statement. "The other night, you and I both know you did not finish making that meal—"
"Are you going to give me a lecture on rights and wrongs, Captain? I am fully aware that I did not, in fact, finish that small task. Is that why you came here?"
He furrowed his eyes at her in thought. In his defense, though not a good one, he did not know why he came to her cabin. It was as if his brain forgot to mention why he suddenly left the top deck and knocked on her door. He clenched his teeth in frustration and gulped heavily.
"No. I honestly don't do not know why I'm standing before you. I do not know if I was planning to talk to you know or at a later time. In fact," he paused a moment to think something over, "would you like to have dinner? Just to talk and get to know one another more. Your father told me that you like to talk. I wonder if dinner would be a catalyst for you to open up to the crew more."
She gave him a confused look. "Are you saying I'm not starting off well with the crew? I just need some time to get adjusted to their behavior—"
"Three days?"
"That's irrelevant! I…just need to get accustomed to a ship full of men and I being the only woman. Besides, where would you like to have dinner? I was just about to ask you…just when I came around to it."
"I do not care where we dine. For all I care, we trail behind the ship in a skiff with the sea splashing into our food, making us gag and laugh at our insanity."
Tanya just looked at him, wondering if it had been a good idea for her father to send this witless young captain to take her across dangerous waters to safety in America. She had never doubted her father before, but this may be an exception. This young captain seemed unbefitting the role of commander of a ship with his gaiety clouding his mind. She brushed it aside, knowing thinking on it would get her nowhere.
"Why don't we just have the meal in my cabin? It is not as far as yours and it would not be as formal."
He thought it over quickly. "An excellent idea. Around dinnertime, I shall inform Ky of the plans and we shall eat here in the comfort of your cabin. Until then, Miss Harris," he tipped his head forward, a symbol of his reverence to her.
Without further sound, Captain made his way to the top deck, the plans already established and set in stone. Tanya did not watch him go; she had to make sure her cabin was tidy and fit for a guest. Although she was just using the cabin for the meantime, she felt it was home to her and she had a feeling of territorial control over the space she inhabited. She straightened the coverlet on her bunk and made sure the lid on her chest was fitted right and closed without obstacles. Then, without anything else to do, sat and looked at the sea.
Time flew past, and the next thing she knew there was a knock on the door. Tanya leapt up and opened the door, the Captain coming into view with a tray of biscuits and two bowls of soup, two tankards of liquid balanced among the chaos. She stepped aside to let him pass, the tray balanced perfectly as he swept into the room. Tanya shut the door as Captain set the tray onto the table, flamboyancy part of a show to throw for her. What he did not realize, however, was her uneasiness to his flashy illustration.
"Shall we, Miss Harris?"
She hesitated for the slightest of moments before she started for the chair. Just before she could sit, Captain gave a gruff apology and asked that she sit on the bunk, as there was only one chair.
"But, I do not want to sit on the bunk."
"There's nowhere else. So…?"
A quick sigh escaped her and she reluctantly sat on the bunk, eyeing Captain with suspicious eyes.
"You can trust me. No childish games when it comes to formal behavior."
Deep in her gut, she knew she could trust him. An air of maturity surrounded him, making him seem less of a wicked being. She sat and waited for him to get himself comfortable before readying himself to eat. He sat in the chair and passed her a bowl of soup, but stopped short of letting it into her hands. Captain went to stand, but Tanya must have seen his attempt at courtesy and stopped him in his tracks.
"Stay seated. You do not have to go out of your way to make me feel more at ease. Let's just be comfortable and get to know each other a little more."
He looked at her a moment, trying to wrap his head around what she had said. Then he nodded slowly in understanding and sat back down, placing the bowl of steaming soup in front of her. Keeping quiet, he snatched a biscuit and dipped it into his soup. Captain kept his head down in embarrassment and timidity.
The silence built upon itself until Tanya felt regret for bringing into light the offer to dinner. She was about to say something to Captain, but as her mouth opened, he looked up at her and said, "How is everything?"
"It's food. That is all that really matters to me at the moment. Besides, it was something Ky can whip up pretty fast."
"True. He would go out of his way to make sure you are completely satisfied on this trip. Any one of the men would, for that matter."
"What makes you say this?"
"'A woman on board makes for bad luck.' Most men think this, but if does not bother the captain, the men learn to put aside all fears of superstition."
"Really? Interesting—"
"And it's not usually a handsome girl who happens to be on board. They're either married or widowed or—"
"Engaged?"
Captain nodded his head slowly. "Not too often, though. My father…once…" he let his voice trail as he looked down at his soup.
Tanya took a deep breath and gathered a thought that had been plaguing her since she met the Captain. "Why you?"
Captain raised his head and an eyebrow lifted toward his hairline. Confusion covered his face. "'Why me' what?"
"Why did my father ask you to escort me to him? Does he have any other friends with equipment to do a job for him of this magnitude?"
A flashback thrust into focus in front of him. It took more than a shake of his head to remove it from his sight. Once focused on the present, he looked at her, observing her face set in anticipation and patience.
"Why me? Why not any other ship captain with a few more years' experience under their hand? Well, it doesn't seem right."
"You—"
"Your father wanted you well when you step off of a ship's deck. Physically, emotionally—"
Captain!"
The red haze of anger that had begun to cloud his senses quickly faded and he saw Tanya wide-eyed and scared, her jaw set in defense. She stood and went to the door, her chair still where she threw it back in haste. The door opened and she looked to Captain, waiting for him to understand the gesture.
He did.
"Miss Harris, please. I apologize for this. I let my anger get the best of me for only that moment—"
"Good night, Captain. I would like to eat the rest of my supper in peace."
Captain nodded his head in understanding and stood, taking up his soup and tankard and going out the door. He turned and looked at her, apology in his eyes, but she did not blink in interest.
"Miss Harris—"
"Good night, Captain," she repeated.
He bit his lip inside his mouth and went to his cabin, guilt and regret welling inside him. He was not himself just then, and that slip up should not have occurred. A simple nod was given to her and he left her cabin, leaving her with the decency she deserved. The door slammed behind him and Captain could almost sense the frustration emitting from her room. He went to his own cabin and he set the food stuff on his desk and sat heavily onto his bunk. His forehead fell forward into his hands and he thought about before he agreed to sign up for this work. He could still hear parts of the conversation as if it was recorded and played for him at that moment.
"This task I am giving you is one that I want full trust and compliance with. I want to trust the man to do it with my life."
"Thomas, you know I am more of a friend than you had ever asked me to be."
"I know. That is why I want you to do this. You have built up the bonds of trust with me, and this is the only way I can repay you.
"Bring my daughter here to America. I do not want her to be in that damned country any longer. With the way things are, I cannot go myself, but if I did, I would get her away from harm if she leads the life she wants now."
"What is over there that would make you this discontented?"
"Her sociability. I am afraid she will get herself into something that could be more dangerous than you bringing her across that hazardous war-sea.
"If you bring her to me, you gain much more of my friendship. I will, if she will, allow you to become family to me—"
"What?"
"You may marry my daughter if you bring her here safely. My word is almost worth more than gold and riches."
"Thomas, you know I could do no such thing—"
"Please, Christopher. I trust you. For my sake, bring her here. If not you, any other man may do, except for that mongrel of a fiancée she has now."
"Why do you say that—"
"I want to speak no more of this. I will send word to her and she is to expect you as soon as possible. I suggest you prepare your crew.
"And I want her here unharmed in any way. That is my only request."