Cutlass Anne

Cutlass Anne - Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"I have a problem, Juliana," I whispered, opening my door a crack.

"What is that, Anne?"

"How do I get out of here?" I shut the door and turned to look at my new friend.

She bit her lip and tilted her head. Suddenly she grinned and ran to the bureau where my dresses hung. She threw open the doors and riffled through everything inside. She yanked out a horrid yellow thing that my father had purchased while on one of his trips, an equally ugly hat, and a pair of sunflower yellow shoes.

"Here, put these on."

"I hate that dress."

"They are not to wear all day, it's just until you can get out of the house." She smiled.

"Do you really think that will work?"

"It should be large enough to wear over those clothes, and I can carry out your hat and shoes. Once we're away from the house you can take off the dress and discard it."

"You are brilliant!" I exclaimed, grabbing the frock and shoes.

I took off the floppy hat and slipped the offensive garb over my head. It was oddly shaped and even with the outfit on underneath it was not obvious it was a petticoat. I glanced at my reflection one more time before heading out the door. It was not the right outfit for late summer, but it would do. Nobody would say anything to me about it, and by time it reached my father how awkward I looked, I would be long gone. I tiptoed down the stairs and out the front door with Juliana. I was relieved that nobody had seen me.

"Do you want to change here or wait till you get to the shore?" she asked as we stood on the driveway.

"It might be best if I do it closer to the shore. People may wonder who the strange, tallboy is walking through town."

"What about your father?"

"What about him?" I asked.

"What if he asks questions and begins to wonder where you have gone?"

"Say nothing. Be the quiet girl that he knows you to be. If he asks you anything, tell him the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes, you have not seen or spoken to me since early in the morning when I went into town."

"Take care of yourself," she said, throwing her arms around my neck.

"You too, Juliana." I hugged her back. "I'll be back before you know it."

A twinge of sadness hit me. Even though we had never really been friends and she was always so quiet, I was going to miss her. She grew up in the house with Jane and me. Her mother was head of the female staff before she grew ill and was discharged. At that time Juliana took over. But before then the three of us would run through the gardens, swim in the bay, and pick flowers in the meadows. I stood at the end of the drive waving as she headed back into the house. Once the door was closed and all was still again, I made my way toward the shore. Despite being a cooler day, I was beginning to sweat. I was used to wearing many layers of clothes, but not this many.

"Anne?" The light, airy voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Wonderful," I muttered, rolling my eyes. Of all people to run into, the town gossip was not the one I wanted to see. "Elizabeth, good morning."

"What are you wearing?" the girl asked.

"A dress my father bought for me. I promised I would wear it at least one time."

"That thing is hideous," she said, crinkling her delicate nose at me.

"Yes, I know, but it would just break his heart if he didn't see me in it at least once."

"Hmm, I suppose it is a daughter's duty to keep her father happy."

"It is most definitely," I muttered, turning to walk away.

"Where is Jane? My sister wanted all of us to have tea this afternoon."

"Oh, she's still at home." I smiled politely.

"Good, good. I shall pop by and see if she would like to join us. Will you come?"

"No!" I said a little too quickly, "I can just tell her when I return home in a bit. She was not feeling well when she woke."

"Oh no! She's not getting sick is she?" Elizabeth asked, resting her hand on her heart as she feigned concern.

"Just a bit of a sore head. She had a bad dream last evening. She should be fine by tea time." I smiled. "It was lovely seeing you, Elizabeth, but I must be off."

I waved and continued down the road before she could ask any more questions or start a new conversation. I pulled my ugly, yellow hat down over my eyes and walked briskly through the rest of town. I needed to get to the shore before Captain Henry found a new cabin boy. The great, golden ship sat anchored in the bay. The broad, white sails looked like great, puffy white clouds. In the distance, I could see men on deck throwing ropes and other items around. A sudden wave of panic spread over me. What if they discovered I was a woman? What if I could not keep up with the work? Or worse, what if John Henry replaced the old cabin boy already and I was out of luck? What if I never found Jane?

Before the tears could well in my eyes I ducked into a small pocket of trees and ripped off the dress. Once all the other men around the dock and the soldiers were busy, I strolled out from behind the trees. I kept my head down and hat low. I walked toward a group of sailors who were loading large barrels into carts. I was going to smile until I noticed the hard looks on their faces. I tried to mimic their scowls.

"Excuse me, gentlemen?" I said in as deep a voice as I could muster.

Nobody said anything. Nobody stopped what they were doing.

"Um, is Captain John Henry around?"

A few grunts were all I got in response. I was beginning to feel extremely disheartened.

"Now men, that's no way to treat the lad," a man who was much younger than the rest of the crew said, stepping up beside me. "The captain is in town. What do you need with him?"

My jaw dropped and my stomach did a flip when I saw him. I had never seen another man like him before. He was tall, bronze, and gorgeous. His pants hugged tightly at his hips, and he wore no shirt. His broad, muscular torso shone as sweat beaded upon him. Never had such a remarkable man stepped foot in our small town before.

"I, uh, heard he may be looking for a new cabin boy."

"I see. Word travels fast in these port towns."

"Aye, sir," I mumbled, keeping my eyes down.

"How old are you?"

"Fourteen," I responded.

"Do your parents know that you want to sign on with us?" he asked.

"Ain't got no parents."

"An orphan. Well, go sit on the dock. When the captain comes back, you can talk to him." He clapped me on the back and turned to help the men with the barrels. I watched as he grabbed a blue shirt from a post and tugged it over his head.

I scurried to the dock and sat down. I removed my shoes and let my toes skim the top of the water. I figured if I was accepted to The Gilded Lady, I would have little time to relax. I turned at the sound of the young man's voice near the barrels. He must have been important, with the way the men were listening to him. I could see the sweat gleaming on his brow. His sandy blonde hair hung loosely in his eyes, and his muscular torso stretched under the dirty blue shirt he wore. Had these been different circumstances and me, not the governor's daughter, I may have considered seducing him. He stood, straightening his back, and wiping his forehead. His gaze was set on the sea.