Resurrection

Chapter 15: The Ship's Jezebel

As the color of Saraghina's small porthole turns from blue to orange, she can tell that the day is coming to an end. She spent most of the day reading, now only having fifty pages left of The Canterbury Tales . She read in the living room mostly, but still finds her small, hidden room to be comforting. It feels more like a private reading nook than a bedroom these days.

Saraghina closes her book, then stands up from her former bed. She situates herself in front of the mirror, just observing herself. She wears a floral, lavender, English-style dress with her long, curly hair down. She admires the look, though she knows that people on the mainland would think she looked peculiar. A Mediterranean peasant girl in an English garment without a cage or bustle, letting her curly hair fall free and wild. Saraghina smirks to herself in the mirror, enjoying how the lavender looks against her tan skin and dark hair.

Knowing that it's nearly time to have her nightly confrontation with Izzy, Saraghina pushes her door open and enters the main cabin. She immediately sees Edward perched at the window, eating a piece of bread, smoking a pipe, and peeking at the sunset. He hears the door open, as well as soft, barefoot footsteps along the wooden floor. He looks over his shoulder, admiring his girl aglow with the candles and sunset.

"You finish that book yet?" Edward asks with a small grin, adjusting himself to face Saraghina.

"Almost. I have about fifty pages left. I've really enjoyed it." Saraghina begins, standing in front of Edward and taking his hand. "If possible, I'd love to talk to Lucius about it tomorrow."

"That shouldn't be a problem." Edward says, then brings Saraghina's hand to his lips for a kiss. She blushes immediately. "How do you feel about seeing mean old Izzy Hands again tonight? How'd last night go, anyway?"

Saraghina sighs, then feels her heartbeat pick up again. She thinks about the conversation she and Izzy shared about Edward . . . and about Stede Bonnet. She hates lying, but she supposes that leaving out some details from a story isn't lying.

"It went . . . as well as it could've." Saraghina responds with a slight giggle. "He wanted to know how you felt about the raid, and what you did the rest of the day. I think I apologized to him at one point and he got angry at me, I was just trying to be courteous."

"Leave it to an arsehole like Izzy Hands to yell at a girl for apologizing." Edward sighs, bringing Saraghina onto his lap. "A man like that doesn't deserve your courtesy. Just the fact that you speak to him is remarkable."

Saraghina rubs her thumb on Edward's hand in her lap, then meets his pleasant gaze. Her heart flutters every time she looks into his big, dark eyes.

"There is one thing I'm a bit nervous about . . . with Izzy tonight." Saraghina begins. Edward's face immediately possesses a hint of concern.

"What is it, dear?" Edward asks, trying to hide any agitation in his voice.

"Do you . . . do you think he heard us last night?" Saraghina asks smally. Edward sighs as he thinks.

"He might've. His bunk isn't too far from here." Edward thinks out loud. "You're worried he'll say something about it?"

"I know I shouldn't care what he says, but I'm still nervous. He's insinuated that we've been . . . doing it . . . and he always says it with so much disgust and anger . . . almost like he's . . . jealous, maybe." Saraghina ponders.

Edward smirks at the observation. "Jealous of who? Me or you?"

"Maybe both of us?" Saraghina considers. "But . . . I think mostly jealous of me . . . for being with you."

Edward's smirk falls as the familiar situation settles in. "It's not the first time I've heard something like that from him."

There's a brief pause as Saraghina searches Edward's face, seemingly lost in thought.