Juliet: A Seafaring Tale of the Early 1700's

Chapter Eight: A Brief Engagement

For the first two months of the return journey, Sir Avery seemed content to merely court Juliet and to cement his relationships with the other crew members. Juliet waited for him to speak, though as England neared, she began to grow a little anxious about the matter. Still, it was his place to speak of it and she had enough other business to occupy her thoughts, so Juliet bided her time.

Only when they'd left the warm southern waters did Sir Avery approach her with his proposal. She was taking a turn at the helm near the end of the third watch when he approached. "Good morning, Sir Cooke," she greeted him. "I was under the impression that Mr. Pondu was to relieve me this morning."

"Good morning, My Lady," he returned easily. "I am rather counting on Mr. Pondu to take the helm this morning. The sunrise is promising to be particularly clear this morning, so I had thought to invite you to breakfast with me on the quarterdeck."

Juliet ignored his means of addressing her, though she had certainly noticed that he only addressed her as 'captain' when others were around. "I should enjoy taking breakfast with you, Sir Avery," she agreed, inclining her head politely.

He smiled and returned her nod. "Then I shall wait below for you to join me at your leisure." After a short bow, he turned and descended the steep stair that led from the helm to the quarterdeck.

When Juliet had been relieved by Mr. Pondu and descended that same stair herself, she found that he'd endeavored to bring a small table up, along with two chairs. A white tablecloth covered the table, upon which rested a number of dishes, all covered by silver lids. Sir Avery stood behind one chair, obviously waiting to seat her.

With a smile, Juliet obliged him. He'd convinced Maddy to serve them, it seemed, because Maddy was hovering nearby, dressed in his best clothes and ready to serve breakfast as soon as Sir Avery was seated. Juliet smiled up at Maddy when he spooned some oatmeal into her bowl. "It's been a long time since you served as cabin boy, Maddy."

"Aye, Cap'n," he agreed with a grin, "but Sir Cooke paid me a shilling to pretend I was still cabin-boy." He winked, finished serving the couple and stood respectfully away from the table.

Juliet bowed her head for a silent blessing then bit into her breakfast. The cook had added apples and sugar to the cereal. Her tea had been served exactly as she preferred it. "This is lovely, Sir Cooke," she remarked after tasting the food. "To what do I owe such a treat?"

He was seated facing the east so that the rising sun shone onto his face, giving him a golden glow, though he had to squint in order to look up at all. Juliet knew he'd been gallant to seat her as he had, because if the table had been in any other position, she'd be looking into the sun herself. Sir Avery looked up at her, but he didn't answer for a long moment.

"My Lady, the treat is my own, to see you framed by the morning sun's golden rays as I enjoy an excellent breakfast on such a lovely morning." He took another bite of his breakfast and Juliet followed suit.

A few minutes later, he looked up again. "By now, My Lady, my feelings toward you should be clear since I have never attempted to hide them. You knew from my first day aboard your ship that I intend to ask your hand in marriage and why. I have discussed it at length with the crew, and I believe I have a fair proposal to offer you."

Juliet swallowed quickly when he began speaking and nodded her permission to press his suit. "Pray, tell me what you propose," she invited, and then listened intently as he outlined his offers for her ship, her crew and herself.

When he'd finished explaining what he had in mind, she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You have been very thorough in thinking this through," she complimented him.