Arabella

An Interesting Supper

Arabella wrung her hands in nervousness as she hesitated outside the Captain's private dining quarters. She dreaded having to face him again, especially after their last encounter. Questions swirled around in her head as she raised her fist to knock on the door. Why did he want her to dine with him? It was surely not because he enjoyed her company.

She huffed in frustration as her knock was left unanswered.

He wanted me to dine with him, and now he ignores me?

She had gone through all of the trouble of changing into the red gown that had been left in the Captain's cabin for her, brushing through her tangled hair as best she could with her fingers, and now he could not be bothered to admit her in to dine?

The princess shivered with nerves and cold as she turned around to glare up at the sky. A strong breeze had whipped up as a storm loomed on the horizon. Ominous dark clouds spotted the sky, hiding the last of the pretty sunset. The first drops of rain pattered on the wooden deck of the Dream of Melissa and a distant rumble of thunder could be heard as lightning flickered across the distant sky.

When still no one answered her knock, Arabella turned the handle herself, entering the room of her own accord. It was dark, the only light coming from the tall windows along the far side of the long room. The only furniture inside was a long table, covered in a rich burgundy table cloth, with two cushioned chairs at each head. The table was set, a variety of dishes displayed across its surface. Tall silver candelabras stood in various places among the sea of food, unlit. Lightning flashed outside, briefly casting light through the dark room, bringing a clap of thunder with it.

"We're in for a storm."

Arabella nearly jumped out of her skin as the Captain's deep voice sounded right behind her. Spinning around, she saw that he had entered the room behind her without her hearing him. He turned around to shut the door as the rain came down harder, leaving the room in darkness.

She could make out his shadow as he stalked back towards her, his large hat making him appear even taller. His boots thumped rhythmically on the wooden floor as he passed her. Arabella caught a whiff of salt, steel, and that masculine musk in his wake as he stopped next to the table. She stood in place as the pirate captain struck a match against the table, igniting a tiny orange flame. His face was bathed in the dim golden light as he began to light the candles on the table and Arabella could not help but admire his features.

He was infuriatingly good looking.

Stop it!

She shook her head, ridding her mind of those outrageous thoughts, as the Captain blew out the match, causing a wisp of smoke to rise into the air. He turned to her, his eyes glinting in the candlelight as they assessed her.

"Sit."

The Captain gestured to one of the chairs as he moved towards the other at the opposite end of the table. Arabella complied without a word, watching as he took off his hat, placing it to the side. He pinpointed her with his piercing stare and the princess almost forgot how to breathe. In an attempt to look at anything but him, she noticed a painting on the wall next to her.

It was quite extravagant, the artist having paid great attention to detail. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that the scene in the painting was of familiar grassy cliffs covered in wildflowers. In fact, the painting itself was extremely familiar.

That's the painting from Eleanor's room!

Realization washed over Arabella as she remembered where she had seen it before. Back home, her sister had the same painting hanging in her bedroom. When they were younger, Arabella was jealous of Eleanor and wanted the painting for herself. She had sneaked it into her room one day to keep, but had been found out and scolded heavily for her selfish act. Her parents had ordered her a replica of the painting so that she would no longer be jealous of Eleanor, but it had never arrived. Arabella had waited weeks and weeks, yet it never came. Her father had told her that the ship it was on had most likely either been sunk, or captured by pirates. They would surely have kept a painting as valuable as that.