Pirates, Kings, and Love. Oh my.

Chapter 5

[(Hey guys!! so today i wrote chapter 3, and now chapters 3, 4, and 5 are up! chapter 6 needs to be typed because i wrote it on a notepad while i was at work over the summer (yeah... didnt write much all summer, yes its lame i know) so remember to comment, vote, and tell me what you think!!)]

V

The sun was shining through the holes in the tarp when I woke up. My dress was soaking wet and my whole body ached. I could feel the steady pace the wagon was making as it continued to roll along the road.

I looked next to me at the empty space, surprised at myself for not remembering the dreadful events that had happened the night before. I almost expected to still be asleep and open my eyes to see Jonathan’s bright face smiling at me.

Instead, I stared at the blankets that had no one to lie upon them, to make them feel useful. I felt like those blankets. I felt useless, an object that has lost its purpose.

My mouth tasted dry and my heart felt raw. My stomach growled but I didn’t want to eat. What was the point? “Henry, please, just take me home now.”

“I can’t miss, it would be too dangerous for us both. The servants most likely already know we’re gone, the stable boy must’ve found your poor lad dead,” my heart wrenched when he mentioned Jonathan.

My stomach lurched and I pulled the tarp back and retched over the side of the cart. “Oh, are you alright? Do you need anything to drink or eat?” Henry turned around to look at me.

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine, thank you.” With the tarp pulled back I could see we were far away from my home. The air smelled salty, not dusty. We were near the sea.

“As I was saying, miss. We can’t go back. You’d be in a heap of trouble and I’d most likely be killed for taking you away so deceitfully.” I thought about this. I would be under constant watch of a maid or even mother. I would be forced to stay inside and sew and play the pianoforte and practice my Scriptures. And after much questioning Henry would be killed or sent away, whichever father thought was more horrid.

“Your right Henry, we can’t go back. But we can’t go to the harbor either.”

Henry looked back at me again, confused. “And why can’t we continue to the harbor?” I got up out of the back of the wagon and sat next to Henry on the bench.

“Because I have no reason too. I can’t take a boat to France all alone. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“And then what are you going to do with the rest of your life?” That was a good question. What was I going to do?

“Well, since we already established that I neither of us can go home, we will have to make lives for ourselves elsewhere. You could find a wealthy family and work for them. And I could be a governess for their children.” Henry laughed at me.

“Why is that so funny? I know what to teach them, mother has bored me my whole life with teaching me how to be a good wife and mother, so I think I know how to take care of a few children.” Henry continued to laugh at me.

I crossed my arms and sat up straight, looking forward. “Fine, if you don’t think I can do it I’ll find a family myself.”

He finally stopped laughing long enough to speak. “I never thought you couldn’t do it miss Colette. I know you are very brave and have determination, but it’s not a life that befits you. Your spirit is more wild that staying indoors all day teaching children their numbers and table manners. You would not be happy. Isn’t that what you wanted to escape from in the first place?” His voice was soft and quiet. I loved Henry as the father I never had. I looked down at my hands and folded them in my lap.