Free His Spoilt Lady by Vanessa Brooks Page B

Pettigrew at your
service, ma’am, welcome aboard The Tempest! The weather is
favouring us, yes indeed! Now, please, I insist you join me below.
I have some fine brandy and a Madeira ready in anticipation of your
arrival. Please do follow me! Follow me!”
    He waved his
arm expansively in the direction of the bridge and walked away from
them in that direction, assuming they were obediently behind him.
They all did their best to keep up but kept having to stop as the
seamen ran across their path hampering their progress. They also
had to avoid obstacles such as open hatchways, piles of rope,
barrels of tar and supplies not yet stowed away.
    The captain,
obviously at home on his ship, leapt around these potential death
traps with the grace and ease of a nimble but portly cat.
Eventually, they arrived safely by his side, and the captain
gestured to a small dark stairway leading down. “Ladies first!” he
shouted genially.
    Linnett took a
firm hold of the rail and stepped down. She waited at the bottom of
the stairs for the captain, whom she now recalled seeing at her
wedding. He led them to a cabin, flinging the door open into a
pleasant, if smallish, room. Linnett glanced around curiously. In
one corner stood a large table or desk covered with charts, and on
the side of this was a box with many rolled up maps, tightly packed
together. Various strange brass instruments were dotted about on
the table, along with quills and an ink stand. At the other end of
the cabin, a table was laid with a white cloth. Set out on this
were glasses and bottles, along with plates of small pasties and
sweetmeats.
    Linnett
suddenly felt very hungry. The captain poured them all drinks and
handed out round pewter plates. Linnett barely listened to the
conversation so intent was she on eating pasties and sipping her
Madeira wine. She realised that the men had all turned to look at
her and that the Captain had spoken to her. “I am so sorry, Captain
Pettigrew, could you repeat that please?”
    “Of course, my
dear. I asked if you had been to sea before.”
    “Well, no,
actually. Why?” Linnett asked curiously.
    “Just wondered
how your sea legs were, that’s all, m’dear. Still, we’ll soon
know!” He winked and chuckled.
    Linnett was
surprised but not too concerned. Naturally, he assumes that I am
returning with John to the colonies, she thought to herself. She
was about to put him right on the matter when he suggested that he
show them to the owner’s cabin. They all followed the captain out
into the passage, and he led them down and away from the stairs.
The passage was lit from oil lamps that hung from the ceiling; they
swung gently to and fro with the ship’s gentle movement.
    They turned
right and came to a door. The captain stopped, withdrew a large key
from his coat pocket and lent forward to unlock it. “Here we are,
then. Now, anything you need, just let my first officer know, he’ll
see to it. I will leave you to settle in. Dinner is early aboard
ship; we eat at eight bells.”
    He then turned
to Linnett’s father, ‘Sir Thomas, your servant sir, we set sail in
one hour so don’t get caught on board!” With another of his
irrepressible chuckles the Captain bowed to Sir Thomas and left
them alone. John opened the door and they all entered the cabin.
Sir Thomas coughed. “I think I shall leave you to unpack and get
yourselves sorted. I’ll say my goodbyes now.” Alarmed, Linnett spun
round to face her father. Had she heard correctly?
    He said, “My
dear, I wish you all the happiness in the world. God willing, we
shall see each other again”
    Her father took
her in his arms in a great bear hug, holding her tightly against
him. Linnett gasped, stuttering, “B-but, I am n-not leaving, Papa.
I am coming home with you!”
    Sir Thomas
Wainwright gripped her arms firmly and looked into her face
sternly. “No child, your place is at your husband’s side and that
is where you will be….. now that is quite enough, Linnett!”