Piracy

19. Confused By Him

Harry and I fell asleep together for quite some time, sufficiently exhausted by our impromptu activity. A sharp knock on the door woke us late in the afternoon.

"Captain, you're needed on deck!" It was Niall's voice that came through the door.

Just before he left, he bent over me and gave me a sweet kiss. After that, I fell back to sleep, feeling wonderfully content. It was dark by the time Harry returned. He stripped off his clothing and climbed in bed next to me.

"I'm sorry I stayed in bed all day. I was quite tired."

"No worries," he sighed, kissing me on the cheek. Thankfully he didn't initiate any more sexual activity for the evening. I needed a break for a little bit.

We laid there just holding each other for a long time. I finally gathered my courage to ask him, "Are your parents still alive?"

His body tensed. I knew he might not be willing to answer. "Why do you want to know?" He asked in a flat voice.

"I just don't know much about you, who you really are, where you came from, how you came to be a pirate. I just want to know you better."

"You don't need to know anything about me," he replied.

"But I want to, Harry. Why don't I start? My father died when I was very young. My mother and I went to work for the Aubigné family after that because we needed the money. They were very good to us, except Master Aubigné. He was always angry and violent, but thankfully he wasn't around much. After my mom died about four years ago, the master took to whipping me and treating me like a slave." I finished in a whisper.

Harry was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke softly. "If I ever have occasion to meet that man, I will likely slit his throat."

"Harry!" I said, surprised at his violent response.

"No man should ever touch a woman in anger. He should die like the dog he is."

I decided that now wasn't the time to bring up the fact that Harry had been rough with me more than once. "Well, calm down," I said, patting his chest. "It's over now and hopefully I'll never see him again."

Harry hugged me closer and kissed my forehead. We fell asleep contentedly after that.

The following day, I asked Harry for permission to go to Hadley's cabin to visit with her. He agreed and told me only to go there and back. I wasn't happy he was still treating me like a child, but at least he was giving me more liberties. 

I made my way across the ship, again enjoying the bright sunlight. I wondered if we were headed into the tropics. I glanced up at the helm and blushed when I thought about the things I did to Harry there just yesterday. He caught sight of me just before I entered the cabin corridor, and he gave me a wink, making my cheeks burn with happiness.

As I approached Hadley's quarters, I noticed that the latch was no longer employed, so I wondered if she was allowed to leave her room on occasion as well. Then I heard noises, specifically sexual noises. I stopped and listened carefully, wondering if it was Hadley and Niall. Surely they hadn't gone nearly as far or as fast as Harry and I had, unless she was keeping secrets from me. Soon, I heard a woman's voice moaning, panting and increasing in volume. "Oh, you're wonderful, keep going!" 

Hadley threw open the door just then, as if she knew I was coming to visit her, and she covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. She yanked me inside and said, "That happens quite often down here."

"Who?" I asked. "There are other women on the ship?"

"Yes, a few, I think. I'm not sure how many," she said.