English Countess • Pirates Of The Caribbean (ENG)

CHAPTER I

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CHAPTER I: A ship with black sails

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The fan in her hand moved quickly to cool her sun-warmed skin. It was warm, very warm. The pink, ruffled dress she was wearing was becoming heavier and more uncomfortable, and the corset was tightening around her ribs. Still, Danielle didn't complain. She was trained to wear such dresses in hot weather. If not years of practice, she would have fainted here.

"Miss Sheldon, would you like some water?" asked the maiden humbly, who had stopped beside her. She was a little shorter than her and was wearing a simple white and brown dress that Danielle would love to wear right now.

"Yes, please" she nodded with a soft smile on her rosy lips.

Inside, she was just begging for water to cool herself down a bit. She was not used to traveling by ship. She'd only sailed it once or twice, but she was younger then and didn't remember much.

The maid, if Danielle remembered correctly, was named Clara, bowed, and walked off toward the hold, where freshwater was presumably kept.

You'll be fine, Danielle. Just three more days and then you'll be in England, dressed in white lace and frills, making your vows to Abernathy. You're only three days away from becoming Countess Bennett. What can go wrong?

She thought as she tapped her fingers against the pale wood of the railing and stared at the gold engagement ring set with a small diamond. Danielle liked it, it wasn't big, but it was comfortable. She remembered well how once, one of her older friends, got her ring tangled in her hair, just because it was too big and had too many decorations, and she just needed to fix her hair at some point. Her screaming as Danielle helped her with two other girls to untangle the ring from her blonde curls was warning enough against buying such a large engagement ring.

"How are you, Miss Sheldon?" She jumped when she heard a male voice next to her.

"Captain, you have the undeniable ability to walk silently." She turned to him with a smile.

The tall man in the white wig and captain's hat smiled back at her, his face forming small lines. He may not have been young, he must have been in his late fifties, but he was still remarkably handsome.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, miss."

"Nothing's wrong. It's my fault, I mused, but I'm fine. I may be a little warm, but it's bearable." She kept fanning herself as she spoke. The man looked at her carefully, but said nothing about it, only nodded.

"In three days, unless a storm catches us, we'll be there." He walked over to the railing and pulled out the telescope, staring at the horizon. "I think we should avoid stopping at nearby ports, but you never know. Would you like to rest in the captain's cabin?" he suggested, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

He could see how warm she must have felt, and at that moment he began to feel sorry for the upper-class woman. Those layered gowns, those tight corsets that made many of them faint. The nightmare they had to endure every day may seem like nothing to some people, but wealth comes at a price.

"I'll go there in a moment. Thank you." She nodded gratefully.

The Captain gave her a smile, but Danielle couldn't enjoy it for long. It was a pity, because he was really handsome, and if the girl guessed correctly, he didn't have a wife, which was a bit sad for her. Perhaps, like so many men who sail the sea, he married the sea.