The Harlot's Daughter

One Part Four

Brutus and James worked side by side attaching prebuilt shelving to the wall in the galley. They were blessed with a gorgeous autumn day, the sounds of productivity echoing throughout the hull as the men labored and discussed plans. "We could go after services on Sunday," James suggested.

Brutus nodded in the affirmative, "Aye, Sunday is good for me, if'n yer sure ye have no other pressing engagements." Brutus, slipping into seaman's vernacular, gave James a sidelong, ironically tolerant look as they toiled, which caused James to bark out with laughter.

"Nay, I have no other pressing engagements, Brutus, and truly, I was only showing her around the ship." Escorting a young lady down to the docks last eve, James had been caught dallying aboard the Wench when Brutus had unexpectedly arrived, scraps of food in hand for the shipyard cats.

"Showing her the smooth side of the decking is more of what I noticed." Brutus retorted.

"If I'd known ye were coming down to the docks..." James ducked his head, feigning embarrassment while grinning at the same time. He and the willing miss being caught in a most compromising position.

"If you had known?!" Brutus snorted indignantly, " You would have hidden better, is that what you're saying?"

"I would have at that." James agreed, his grin still firmly in place.

Brutus chuckled, nodding in agreement, as that in itself, would have helped.

As it was, James and the eager maid had not but made it into the hull before stripping one another's clothes quickly from each other's bodies. Brutus had walked upon a scene that caused him to do an abrupt about-face while James and his paramour had scrambled to identify their clothing.

" 'Twas quite shocking, I will admit..." Brutus continued his ribbing.

"Quite a shock to us all," James agreed. He had tried placating the young miss, yet she would have none of it, her embarrassment causing her to stalk off and demand to be taken home immediately. Brutus had just stood there shaking his head while the young lady stalked angrily up the docks with James on her tail offering his sincerest apologies and begging her forgiveness.

"Yes, well, mayhap a signal would be wise." James suggested.

"Mayhap, taking her to your rooms would be wiser." Brutus suggested.

"It would... Were I not dallying with my landlady also." James imparted informatively.

Brutus snorted again, well used to both James's promiscuousness and candor by now. The men, having become better acquainted with one another over the last sennight, got on very well. James reminded Brutus of himself and Violet before Violet had gone and gotten married, the two of them had also suffered from a lack of discretion. Not too long ago, Brutus would have been right there with James, drinking his evening away in the tavern, making off with a buxom willing wench before the night was through. 

"Does that garner a reduction in your rents?" Brutus teased.

"Hell no, I has ta pay her more, as her establishment is so accomodatin'." James shot back.

Brutus laughed his words, "Not accommodating enough, apparently."

"True, very true." James agreed. If the establishment were only a bit more accommodating, he could have taken his doxie back to his rented room. "I did not consider that when I first slept with the good woman."

"Aye, 'twas not yer brain, exactly, ye were using, James. I hear ye, that I do." Brutus chuckled insightfully.

James expressed his mirth, agreeing with his friend wholeheartedly, chuckling along with him.

"When would you like to leave?" James asked, holding the cabinet in place, while Brutus drove home another nail.

"For where?" Brutus replied, wiping his brow. 

"For Shelly, on Sunday?" James reminded him.

"Ah, aye," Brutus remembered now. "Noonish?" He queried.

"Sounds fine to me." James agreed. "That way I shall have time to give my confessions before we leave."

"Are ye sure t'will be enough time?" Brutus again teased James, "We could leave an hour or two later..."

"It should be plenty of time, ye did away with one sin I would've had ta confess to with your untimely arrival last eve," James assured him amusedly.

Brutus snorted his amusement, "I am sure after an entire week, Casanova, ye'll have yer list all written out an' you'll appear utterly repentant."

 James chuckled, a response unnecessary.

"Shall we meet here, or should we get some dinner before we head out?" Brutus left the deciding up to James.

"Let us meet at the Smoking Boar on Runner's Lane. If ye have not been there before, I can vouch 'tis worth every pence the good proprietress charges." James's mouth fairly watered, his golden eyes glowed with pleasure at the thought of dining at his favorite eating establishment.

Brutus nodded in agreement, his stomach growling at the thought of smoked and sauced boar. "I believe we have forgotten to break for noon."

"I was wondering when you would realize..." James laughed, rubbing his belly.

Brutus turned to whistle sharply, bringing a halt to the men's work. They were getting so much done, and Brutus was so impatient to get back out to sea, he had completely forgotten the time and their need for sustenance. All the men working on the different areas of the ship stopped mid-task, laying down their tools and the projects they had been working on to gather their dinner sacks and file outside to eat in the shipyard below.

After eating, Brutus tucked the scraps he deliberately left into his bag, planning an attempt to coax a kitten from it's hiding spot later, once work for the day finished. He had been having a bit of luck the last few evenings, one kitten would not come out yet, but the other would eat the tidbits Brutus tossed, warily eyeing him at the same time.

Brutus knew the others ate from the pile of fish he left behind, as it was always picked clean by morn. Brutus also knew he had much work ahead of him if he planned to coax them out and attempt to tame any of them before their upcoming, departure day.

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I took a liberty with Casanova, as it would not be used in this reference for another thirty years or so... :)

Please point out any errors, I do appreciate any and all help with those!