The Ruthless Captain

Chapter 14

Walking blindly down the darkened hallways, I steadied myself on the moving ship by gripping onto the walls with the palms of my hands, still not comprehending what had come of us. In a short amount of time, I had managed to find out the one man I had ever loved was like the others in my life, always protecting me by lying and giving me few to little details. How could I trust anyone anymore if I thought Thomas was being truthful and loving? It was all too painful.

"Miss. Winslet?" I heard a small voice call from in front of me. Fear clutched my heart as I studied the shadows in front, scared it might be another intruder who hadn't been caught or slayed as of yet and was on the hunt for its next victim. "Is something the matter with Captain Thomas?" Jeffery, the small maintenance boy whom I had met earlier, stepped out of the shadows, into what little light the candles provided in the halls. "Are you...crying?"

"Yes." I choked out, grabbing a handkerchief from my pocket and dabbed underneath my eyes. I almost laughed at myself for being so vain in times like these. My heart was shattered, trust within me was demolished, and I had the will inside me to care about how I was looked upon this poor boy. Looking up, I caught a flicker of alarm pass Jeffery's sharp face. "Oh, no...Captain Thomas is more than alright." I reassured him in calming, soothing tones. "And yes, I am...crying." I exhaled shakily, wanting this conversation to end and to find peace among the night, hiding away so I can soak by myself.

"Is everything okay?" Jeffery asked hesitantly. "I mean not to be rude, Miss. Winslet."

Fiddling with the loose ribbon attached to my dress, my mind was at war. Should I find peace in him and burden him with my troubles or be a sad woman, crying and whining to herself? Deciding the first option was the best, I blew my nose gently into the cloth clutched tightly in my hands and exhaled deeply. "No, everything is not alright between Thomas and I." I began. "It was all perfect and then it went horribly." A sob rose in my throat. Upstairs, on deck, I heard the thunderous footsteps of the crew at work, heaving large crates of goods, stacking them up, putting them back down. They seemed to never have any breaks, come to think of it. Low creaks in the floorboards coming from down the hall told us someone was coming downstairs. Seeing the brief flash of panic on my face, Jeffery motioned for me to follow him.

"If it's alright with you, miss." Jeffery swiped his hat off his head and rung it in his hands. "You can stay in my room until the men left. We will find privacy in there."

Nodding my head, I entered his dark musty cabin, bumping right into a table that sat in front of a small vanity mirror. The room was so small; I was on his bed in one footstep.

"Sorry, about the space." He closed the door behind him. "Not much for a sailor's son, in charge of seeing shipments of fish are good or not."

"Is that your duty here on the ship?" I asked curiously, scooting over for him to sit down.

The boy ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, blue eyes a glow, cheeks pink from the coursing winds the sea brought on. He looked no more than thirteen but I knew better than that. He was near twenty, latest.

"Captain Thomas took me in when my father died from a boating accident." Jeffery explained, shoulders slumping at the thought of his father.

"I'm sorry." I placed a hand on his back, rubbing it up and down comfortingly.

"He's been sailing for twenty years, never a problem until that one thunderous night." He looked out in front of him, staring at the door with glazed eyes, lost in his memories. "The ship crashed into a bed of rocks. No survivors. My mother had already passed away years earlier, taken by sickness. I was left with no job, no money, no family. Captain Thomas knew my father from past incidents. He was the only one who came to my house shortly after the burial and offered me a spot on his boat. He said I had a keen eye for fish and would do him well for his travels, even offering me a small salary and a room to myself when he saw the other few men on ship that was pestering me about my size. He became a father to me...I could never repay him back for all the things he's done."

Slightly taken aback by the kind generosity of the man I had left behind moments earlier, I swallowed the lump inside my throat, channelling my anger. "Well, I'm glad he did that for you...I can tell by looking into your eyes, you're a good man." I gaze him a tight side hug. "I'm sorry about your parents...I'm sure they loved you and the memory of them will live on forever in your heart."

"Thank you, Miss. Winslet." Jeffery beamed and then his smile fell from his lips. "But, miss, I don't understand...What could possibly go wrong between you two? You two seemed to be unbreakable a few days ago...I never seen him look at a woman like he has done with you and believe me when I say, he's been with a lot."

"What?" I choked out, shocked at his words. "What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Well, before he settled in with you on the first night, he made strict orders to the crew members. We were sworn to protect you if harm was to come your way and he made an oath to God himself that if we were to ever lay a hand on you, he would gut us out like fish by dawn." Jeffery explained. "I never seen him care for a woman like that ever! I've seen him with countless number of women, brushing their skirts across the floors, giggling down the hallways of his house, but for you...He's a changed man."

"Well, some changed man he is." I said in low tones, feeling like I've run into a wall, head on. The edges of anger slowly slipped away from inside me. "He's been hiding a very important secret from me...I thought we were honest with each other. He told me about his past and I've told him mine. But he failed to tell me that he had tricked my husband into gambling me away just so I can fall daintily in his arms. I won't have it!" I waved my hand away, annoyed.

"I'm sure there's a good reason for his actions." Jeffery said shyly. "He always does."

Whipping my head up to look into his blue eyes, I held my breath, wondering if maybe the boy was right. Maybe I should give Thomas another chance to explain himself thoroughly. He did mention he needed to explain more.

"Jeffery, would it be alright if I stayed in your room tonight?" I asked. "I don't think it's time for me to make my returns back into Thomas's room for now..."

"It would be a pleasure." Jeffery replied boldly and then deflated when he surveying his room for space. "I guess the floor looks roomy enough." He frowned as a rat scurried into the hole beside the door.

Suddenly hit with a brilliant idea, I beamed at the boy. "How about you stay the night with Thomas? There's a comfortable chair by the corner and you can watch over him for the night in case he needs of assistance. Tell him nothing we discussed about today and only say, you were asked by me to take care of him. And I do apologize if his temper is mad right now. I hadn't exactly left him in good terms."

"I've suffered far worse than a kick in the head, miss." Jeffery grabbed a few thin blankets from the shell above his bed. "You don't have to worry about me."

It wasn't him that I was worried about.

It was me and my heart.

Author's comments: Yeah, I don't know why but I keep forgetting to update this fic???? Like it's been a month since the last chapter and holy cow, am I a horrible person. So sorry for the wait.