Secrets of the Past

Chapter 3

As Abigail and Joshua did their daily chores they tried to stay close together. Jack had Abigail sew ripped sails while Joshua volunteered to help. Jack raised an eyebrow but smiled and went on his way to find some rum.

"Why is it pirates like rum so much?" Abigail asked.

"I don't know. Haven't had any. Have you?"

Abigail shook her head. "My father would have a cow."

"Whats your father like?"

"He's the judge in our town. My family has high important roots. My uncle, my fathers brother, is governor."

"Your uncle, would that be Elizabeth's father?"

She nodded. "How do you know who Elizabeth is?"

"Well, word has it around here she kissed Jack when engaged to Will."

Abigail smiled. "They're rumors because my cousin loved Will more than anything in the world, except maybe her son."

"It wasn't a lovers kiss, but a kiss of death. She distracted him while she chained him to the boat so she and Will could live."

Abigail stopped her sewing and leaned back in her chair. Would Elizabeth so something like that? She shrugged and went back to sewing.

"Why didn't anyone else hear me crying last night?" The crew all slept in one room except at the back their was a sheet hug up with two beds. One for her and one for Angelica. Angelica wouldn't stay where men could watch her sleep.

"They were too drunk to be woken I guess. What about Angelica? Where was she?"

Abigail shrugged. "She was probably using the loo or couldn't sleep I suppose."

"Are the sails ready?" Jack approached and asked swaying as he took another drink of rum.

"Almost, just give me a minute." Abigail said.

She sewed with Joahua for a few more minutes. "Here you go Jack." She handed him the sail.

"That's captain to you. Come on lad, help me get it up."

"Be careful," Abigail warned them.

"Women, so worrisome." Jack complained as he and Joshua climbed up to put the sail up.

Abigail watched until Angelica came. "We will never get anywhere with everyone standing around." Even though everyone was standing around Abigail knew she was talking about her by the look she gave her. She'd been getting that look lately and didn't know what she had done.

When Jack and Joshua made their way safely down Abigail tried to see if Jack knew why she got could stares from Angelica. "Have I done something to offend her?"

Jack wondered the same thing. He had seen how Angelica give her bad looks and how she couldn't stand the thought of her on the ship, but yet wanted her in the same sheeted of area as her. "I'll ask her."

"Why don't you like the girl?" Jack asked Angelica a few minutes later in his captain quarters.

"If I were to tell you you'd wish you'd never known. Even I can look bad to a dirty pirate like you. I am black beards daughter after all. Let's have her run and get supplies and leave her."

Abigail's curiosity got the best of her and she pressed her ear against the door.

"Her father and I have bad history."

Jack was amused. He sat down and smiled. "Did you kill him?"

"No, Jack. I used him. I used him and that's all you need to know."

"She's not going anywhere," Jack repeated from their last conversation.

Abigail ran back to the side of the ship so Angelica wouldn't know she'd been listening. Angelica came out shook her head and then left.

"Tonight when everyone's asleep meet me out here," Joshua whispered in her ear.

Abigail smiled going on with her chores. She couldn't wait for tonight to get here.

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Abigail heard the soft breathing of Angelica below her and loud snores of the men. She decided the coast was clear and carefully made her way down and to Joshua.

She found him staring at the moon and looked so peacefully he didn't want to disturb him, and instead got a good look at him. The moonlight lit up his dark hair. She creeped around and looked at his bright blue eyes.

"It's so peaceful and beautiful out here. I wonder if they crew and Jack ever notices. They're always drunk or hungover."

"I don't know."

She stared at the moonlight on the waves and compared it to the dark waves. When she was little her and her father would go out to a house that belonged to a friend of her fathers near the ocean, and would come out at night, sit, and listen to the waves without much conversation. She missed that time with her father. She missed her father dearly.

Joshua swallowed. "Abigail." He turned to her. "I really am quite taken, and would like to court you properly if we weren't on this bloody ship. Would you let me do the best I could?"

Abigail smiled, looked down, and felt the heat rise to her cheeks and ears. "I can't get over Thomas for a little while after, you know what had happened."

"I understand." He reached for her hand. "But you will, with me."

They walked hand in hand around the ship talking and laughing. Both Abigail and Joshua didn't want the night to end, but they would be really tired the next day if they didn't get some sleep. They had to stay up until 2 in the morning for the crew to pass out.

When Joshua dropped her off at her room he got braver and kissed her cheek. She went to sleep with her hands where his kiss lingered.

____________

Angelica was awakened to moaning and groaning above her. She looked up to Abigail having a nightmare above her.

"Abigail," Angelica shook the distressed girl.

Abigail opened her eyes confused to find her she knew. Why would the woman who despised her so awaken her from her nightmare? Angelica knew that was exactly what was going through her mind.

"Sorry," she apologized thinking she had bothered angelica, turned on her side, and went back to sleep.

Angelica laid back in bed wondering what to do. Should she tell the truth and put the pieces together? No, that'd be stupid. Any chance she'd have with Jack would be ruined.