The Jezebel's Daughter by Juliet MacLeod

Author:Juliet MacLeod [MacLeod, Juliet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Casa Cielo Press
Published: 2015-08-31T16:00:00+00:00

XIX

Spanish Town, Jamaica

July, 1716

It was difficult to avoid someone while you were both trapped on board a ship. I saw Sebastian everywhere I turned and it always seemed as though he was watching me. I ignored him as much as I could and only answered his direct questions in monosyllables. I focused on my job, on correcting maps, taking headings and depth soundings, and staying sharp during watch. I knew Ben understood something had happened between Sebastian and I, but he was too polite—or perhaps too afraid—to ask what had come between us.

Free time was a luxury and what little of it I enjoyed was spent sitting astride the bowsprit, hanging onto the stays and thinking about my situation. I could not go back to London. I had eventually come to accept that. I would have exactly the sort of life Sebastian had predicted, and I couldn't live like that. Therefore, my only alternative was to stay here, in the Caribbean. I would obviously need income, a place to live, clothing, food, books—the necessities. As I saw it there were three options: to go back to Nassau and Madame Dupris, find a husband as quickly as possible, or stay aboard the Jezebel.

There were, of course, inherent risks in all three options. Finding a husband held the least amount of dangers, though it would probably prove to be the most boring, and after six months aboard a pirate ship, I couldn't stand boring. Working for Madame was the most distasteful and would only provide for the most basic human needs for a short time, until I got old and wrinkled and men were no long interested in me. Staying aboard the Jezebel was at once the most exciting and the most dangerous. And it was the most appealing because it meant I would be with Sebastian.

He'd asked me to stay. He wanted me to stay and I wanted the same thing, but it meant that my secret would constantly be in danger of being exposed. How would the crew react if they discovered me? Would Sebastian, Ben, and I be marooned? Would we be hung for lying to them? Or might they accept me, because they'd served alongside me for six months, because I'd formed the plan that guaranteed them easy money?

When we anchored in Spanish Town, I was one of the first off the ship, occupying the bow of a jolly-boat as it was rowed to shore. I leapt out and helped drag it up the sand before turning and diving into the crowds around the beach. It was market day and I could smell fresh bread and roasting meat. The scent of flowers, of jasmine and tuberoses, overhung it all, and I was happy. Suddenly I was lighter than air. The sun was shining, flowers were blooming, and the air was warm. I smiled at everyone I encountered and was surprised and delighted when most of them smiled back. The rest of my life might be a complete shambles, but right now, in this moment, I was surrounded by beauty and I was happy.

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