The Pirate and the Soldier Boy

Chapter 15

Carmen rolled up the sleeves on her jacket and plunged her hands into the bucket, the lye stinging her arms as she dragged the rag through the water. She pulled it out and wrung out the excess water before starting to scrub the tables in the galley. She was constantly amazed at the quality on this ship. There was a certain stigma attached to piracy overall, of unwashed men living in filthy conditions, most missing a leg, or an eye, or some human decency, but this didn't seem to be the case here. Levi kept everything immaculate.

The ship cook passed by. He actually was missing an eye, due to a freak accident with the cooking fire several years ago, which had created some impressive scarring along the right side of his face. But he was always quick to smile. He greeted her as he pulled out a case of spices. "Allo, Miss!"

He was among the nicer of the crew. Despite Levi's standards for employment, it was impossible to keep superstition completely out of the picture. And there'd always been a fear of having women on board a ship. As if the ship could get jealous that she wasn't the captain's only lady. Anyway, she got more sideways glances than a ten year old boy got from his mother during a sunday sermon. For the most part, she'd been avoided. Levi hadn't done much to stop it.

Speak of the devil, she thought as he entered the room. He picked up another rag and finished off the last table. Carmen dunked her hands in another bucket of water, without lye, and wiped them on her trousers, sitting on a table next to Levi. He didn't say anything for a minute, obviously savoring silence, twirling a seagull feather between his fingers before sticking it in the top of his boot. Carmen looked at his face as they didn't speak. He looked young. She wasn't great at judging ages, but if she had to guess she would say around twenty. Maybe a year or two older. But she had to wonder how he had gotten a ship this young. His light blonde, almost white hair was messy, but in a way that was obviously intentional, and it wasn't too long, as was the style that you happened upon as people grew older. He had a light stubble growing on his cheeks, and he had a very strong defined chin. All in all, Carmen thought he almost won the universal contest for most handsome man. He looked over at her, smiling lopsidedly as she stared at him. "What?"

She shrugged. "Just wondering why you weren't talking."

As he stayed silent a moment longer facing her she amended her statement. He may be right up there in the running on the contest. She didn't know what it was about people's eyes that attracted her, but Carmen found it happening again and again. And Levi's were a bright bottle green. He responded before she could come to a circle in her thoughts. "Silence is good. Time to think. And I needed to think about lots of things."

He jumped off the table as Carmen spoke. "Like what?"

He smiled lopsided again. "Oh, like what's for dinner, the deep intricacies worked into the idea of beauty, what chore I'm going to assign you next, you name it."

He held out a hand and helped Carmen off the table. "Come, milady, you have lines to splice."

She let go of his hand and started out the door of the galley, carrying her cleaning bucket. The door squeaked on its hinges as it closed, and when she looked back she could see Levi still standing in the same place looking after her. She pointedly ignored him. After all, he did have a point. No time to waste. If she wanted to have any time to herself later she would have to finish all her work. And she desperately needed to get away for a time.