The Captain's Choice

After the ceremony Edward called to Tom. "Tom, it is very hot and there is little breeze, I want the crew to erect canvas across amidships and allow our passengers to take the air on the foredeck. I want you to impress on the crew that there should be no fraternization, I doubt if we'll ever stop it, but we can hope to keep it to a minimum."

"That will be difficult to enforce given your present arrangements."

"I'm fully aware of that, but if you would let the crew know that I was familiar with Prunella and her case and believe her to be innocent of the charges laid against her. If there are still rumblings from the crew you can tell them that I intend to seek permission to marry her when we reach Sydney Town."

"Very good Sir, and congratulations to both of you."

A Canvas screen was soon stretched across the ship and the women were ushered onto the deck. After trying to see under the screen several of the crew climbed the rigging to get a better view. This brought ribald comments from the women and several of them exposed themselves to the watchers. Soon most of the crew were aloft being regaled with lewd comments and the exposed breasts and other parts of the women's anatomy. Edward climbed on the rail astride the screen and fired a pistol into the air. "I have allowed you women to come on deck to take the air because of the stuffiness below decks. I will only continue to do this if you cease disporting yourselves in this lewd manner. Failure to do so will result on you all being confined below decks for the remainder of this voyage. As for you men, we will reach Cape Town in a couple of weeks and you will be given shore leave. This leave will be cancelled if any of you behave in an unseemly way towards the women. Before any of you complain about me setting a bad example I am announcing to all of you that Prunella Copley and I are engaged to be married."

"What if we promise to marry one of them women, can we spend time with them?" One of the crew aloft asked.

"I think your wife might not take kindly if she ever found out, and knowing her Bill Dooley, I think that you should give a great deal of consideration before you offer marriage to anyone."

"I've seen your missus, she's twice your size Bill and she'd squash you to death just by sitting on you!"

"Yeah, she's twice the man you are, you only come to sea to get away from her!" The crew's laughter eased the tension.

Edward and Prunella returned to their cabin and were in each other's arms. "Oh Edward I can't believe how my life has turned around. I never dreamed that I would ever be this happy!"

"Nor I. I thought that there was no justice in this world when Juliette was taken from me, but now I see the world in a different light."

"My Darling, when next we make love I don't want you to pull out, I want your seed inside me."

"Are you sure? What if you are with child before we wed, won't your father be angry?"

"His anger will disappear when he sees us and how happy we are together."

"Land ho!" The lookout in the crow's nest shouted, pointing ahead of the Jupiter. "I see Table Mountain."

"We have reached Cape Town." Edward told Prunella, we will go ashore for a couple of days while repairs are made to the rigging and fresh supplies taken on board. We will book into a hotel as husband and wife and spend a couple of nights in a bed that doesn't move, and that's wide enough for the both of us to sleep in comfort."

"I like the sound of that." She hugged him. The ship was made fast and those crew granted leave first left while the others began to make the necessary repairs to the rigging. Several spars needed replacing and timber was ordered. Edward and Prunella left Tom in charge of the work and took a carriage into the centre of the town where they checked into the best hotel that they could find.

Once they were alone Prunella ran across the room and jumped onto the bed. "Oh Edward this feels so fine, come join me." He strolled across the room and fell onto the bed. Immediately they were locked in a passionate embrace. "I feel every bit your wife, Edward, take me."

Edward took her face in his hands and gently kissed her eyelids, her lips, her neck and, loosening her dress, her breasts. He loosened the rest of her clothes and she soon found herself naked. "Let me look at you. I have never seen anyone so perfect." He bent to her and kissed her between the legs, working his way up to her pussy.

"Oh, oh my god that feels so good." She opened herself to him and his tongue entered her as far as it could. "Edward, darling I can't wait for you, oh." Her body convulsed its way through an orgasm. "Come, I want you inside me, all of you inside me, now." He stood and removed his clothes and was soon inside her, moving in and out of her pussy until, with a grunt, his first orgasm joined her second. "That was the most beautiful feeling that I have ever had and I want much more of that."

"Hey slow down, do you realise that I'm almost twice your age, you're going to have to be gentle with me or you'll wear me out and we can't have that, can we?"

"Don't be silly, you are a big strong man and I swear that you'll outlast me." They cried 'enough' in the early hours of the morning, physically and emotionally spent. "Edward my darling, I dreamed that it would be like this, but the farm girls and those I met in gaol led me to believe that this act was for the benefit of men only, and once they had their wicked way they were no longer interested. Please tell me that isn't so."

"My Darling wife nothing could be further from the truth for us. I don't know about other men but I suspect it may be true, but for me to make love I have to be in love and you can be sure that I will continue to be in love with you forever. Now we should get some sleep, there are matters that I have to attend to in the morning and I need to at least look like I'm awake."

"Then hold me, I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up in them." She snuggled against him and he put his arms around her. "You have such strong arms, I feel so safe in them."

"Go to sleep."

The matters took him back to the ship to check on the repairs and talk to Dr McCauley about a deception that he had been plotting for some days now, one that involved a death at sea. "It could work Edward but for one thing."

"And what might that be?"

"You are too honest to pull it off. I know you my boy and down the track you both will have an attack of conscience and tell all, and that won't bode well for either of you. No, your original plan is far better, wait until you reach Sydney Town and go through the proper channels, who will care if she's with child before you wed. I assume by the bags under your eyes that the two of you have had little sleep since we arrived in Cape Town, and frankly I don't condemn you, she is a wonderful young woman and a suitable replacement for Juliette in every way. You are a lucky man to have found two such women, most men never even find one."

"Thank you Doctor, I knew that I could trust you to steer me back onto the straight and narrow."

"A pleasure my boy, now I must work on my hangover cures, the first crew members should be returning shortly and I fear that they might be slightly worse for wear."

"Only slightly? You seriously under-estimate the drinking capacity of the British sailor."

Edward completed his tasks and returned to the hotel to find Prunella had been busy laundering their clothes. They dined in the hotel dining room before returning once more to their room. "This will be our last night in port so we'll have to make the most of it because tomorrow night it will be the narrow bunk again." Edward told her.

"In that case I want you to let me do all the loving tonight, you'll have to be rested for the next part of our voyage. How long will this take?"

"That depends on the winds, if we can catch the roaring forties then it will be a quick trip."

"Roaring forties, what are they?"

"They are prevailing winds that, this time of year, blow from west to east along 40 degrees south latitude. If we catch them it will shorten our travel time quite significantly."

"I'd like to know more about sailing, will you teach me?"

"If you wish, I've never heard of a woman being interested in what we do."

"I meant to ask you when we had only been sailing a short time and Tom told you that the glass was dropping and a storm was imminent, what was that all about?"

"Every ship carries a barometer that measures barometric pressure, the lower the pressure the more likely we are to have a storm and the lower it gets the more severe the storm. In some places these are called hurricanes, or typhoons or even cyclones and they all spin around an intense low pressure cell bringing heavy rains and very strong winds that whip up huge seas which was why we had the ship pointing into the wind because that's the safest way to ride a storm."

"What causes the winds?"

"If you can imagine it, in a low pressure cell the air is less dense while the air around it is more dense and it tries to replace the less dense air and in doing so forms a vortex, that is it spins. In the northern hemisphere it spins in an anti-clockwise direction while in the southern hemisphere it spins in a clockwise direction. The less dense the air is in the low pressure the more the heavier air tries to replace it and the faster it spins." While he was saying this Edward was demonstrating the wind direction by circling Prunella's nipples causing her to squirm.

"I'm supposed to be making love to you tonight." She whispered as she reached for his cock, stroking it into life. When it was hard she straddled him and fed his cock into her moist pussy and lowered herself until its entire length was inside her. "Oh that feels so wonderful, it is as if we were meant to be because it is a perfect fit for me." As she rose up his shaft she bent and kissed him, her tongue pushing into his mouth. He responded by raising his hips and reaching for her breasts. "No, you just relax, this is my turn to give you pleasure after all it was you that awakened me to the joys of making love." Edward removed his hands from her breasts and she lowered herself until her nipples were brushing against the hairs on his chest causing them to harden with pleasure.

"I thought that I was supposed to be getting all the pleasure from this, but my chest hair feels nothing."

"Is this better?" Prunella was squeezing his cock with her pussy as she began to move faster on him.

"Yes, I don't think that I can hold out much longer, yes, yes, oh that's so good." He felt her muscles tighten as they both came. She lay panting on him as he slowly subsided inside her. "I do believe that if I'd met you before I met Juliette I would have chosen you. I've never had an experience like this, ever."

"There's more where that came from. I want you to never forget me when you are off at sea and I'm at home raising the several children that we will almost certainly have."

"That's something that I've been meaning to tell you, this is to be my last journey at sea."

"What? I thought that the sea was your life."

"It is, but it is just that, a part of my life. Apart from the fact that I don't want to have to leave you when I go to sea, the reason that I became a sailor is so that I can help in the family ship building company. You see, my father believes that the only way that a ship design can be improved is by having someone sail over a period of time to observe the way that ships perform in all conditions. I have given him several ideas over the years and after this journey we should be ready to build a better and faster ship for the companies that trade in exotic spices and other goods from countries like India, China and Japan. The ship that gets teas and spices to market the quickest will get the lion's share of the trade."

"I thought that life was perfect up until now but it just got better, I won't have to worry about losing you to the sea anymore." She kissed him with renewed passion and he felt himself preparing for a new onslaught on her already full pussy.

"Someone has had a good time." Tom said to Edward as he and Prunella stepped onto the deck of the Jupiter. "Everything's ready to sail and there's a surprise waiting for you in your cabin." There was a huge smile on his face.

"Oh darling, look!" Prunella said as she ran across the cabin and jumped on to the now much wider bunk.

"This is bad, now I'll never want to get out of bed." He laughed. "I'd better go on deck and see us under way."

Soon they were sailing on a southerly heading, it was at least two hundred miles before they reached forty degrees south and hopefully the strong westerly winds that would drive them towards Australia and their destination.

Nine days out of Cape Town Doctor McCauley came to Edward's cabin. Edward was showing Prunella how he plotted their course and measured the distance travelled with the readings from the sextant. "Sorry to interrupt Edward but we have a problem."

"What is it?" Edward read the concern on McCauley's face and realised that the matter was serious.

"I'm afraid we have a case of typhus, one of the crew must have passed it on to one of the passengers and she's quite ill. We will need to quarantine her from the rest of the passengers and hope that she gets better."

"We'll need to boil any of her clothes and bedding, what can't be boiled will have to be burnt or thrown overboard." Prunella said.

"Do you have experience in treating fevers my dear?" McCauley was interested, he needed a nurse to help out and none was available.

"Not with typhus, but other fevers, I assume that the treatment will be the same. If a shelter can be erected on deck and screened off from the crew and passengers then she will get all the fresh air and sunshine she needs, this seems to help in these cases."

"We will need someone to tend to her."

"I can do that." Prunella said. She caught the look on Edward's face. "It's the least that I can do in return for the kindness shown me. I want to do it."

"I don't like the thought of you being in close contact with a person suffering from typhus, I know that it sounds selfish but I don't want to risk losing you."

"I know that Darling, but is my duty to help, it's something that I was born to. Don't worry I won't take any chances because I don't want to lose you either." She turned to the doctor. "How soon can the shelter be constructed?"

"It will be ready within the hour, in the mean time she is being held in isolation in a small cabin."

"Well my Darling, what are we going to do for the next hour? It seems as if I'll have little contact with your for some time."

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to it. Come when you're ready my dear." He left them heading for the bunk.

For the next four weeks of the largely uneventful journey they spoke often from a safe distance but had no physical contact while Mary Wilson suffered through the stages of fever into full health and the wait to see if Prunella had contracted the disease until, just days from their destination the all clear was given. By this time the passengers and crew had a new found respect for the young woman who many had regarded as being lucky to have been the captain's choice.

Edward had just come off watch and entered the cabin to find Prunella waiting for him in the cabin. They rushed into each other's arms and kissed. "You are a sight for sore eyes my Darling." He told her between kisses. "I despaired for you while you were nursing that woman and wondering if you would come down with the fever, and thinking about what my life would be like if I lost you."

"I know, believe me it was a hard decision to offer my help, on the one hand she was just another convict, then I remembered so was I. Then my upbringing told me that I had to help, and then I thought of you and what would happen to you if I died. I couldn't let her die, even if it cost me the love of my life and a happy future, I just couldn't."

"I know that my Darling, and that has made my love and respect for you even stronger, and my desire to see you proven innocent of the charges is also stronger, as is my desire to marry you as soon as possible. I love you with all my heart and that's not something that a rough sailor would be heard saying."

"I know that you love me, just as I love you. If it is at all possible for us to be any happier then my news will see to it. Edward, my Darling, I do believe that I am with child." She had no chance to say more for her lips were covered by his and the breath was almost forced from her body by the strength of his embrace.

For the first time in weeks they made love, at first it was fired by build up of passion caused by their separation and then it was slow and gentle, until they went to sleep, Prunella's head on his shoulder and Edward's hands on her belly as if he was protecting the child within her body.

Three days later they had entered Port Jackson and were lying at anchor in Farm Cove. The task of ferrying the passengers ashore was well under way and Edward stood with Prunella watching the long boats with their passengers as they were delivered to the waiting soldiers. A large crowd of men had gathered to watch and soldiers stood between them and the newly arrived women in case the men rushed them. The women had none of the bravado that they showed when boarding the Jupiter, it was as if they realised that their fate hinged on their behaviour.

Edward went ashore as soon as the last of them had been landed and sought a meeting with Governor Philip. "Sire, I have a request to make. I seek permission to wed one of the convicts and to have her return to England with me where I intend to see that justice is done and the person who wrongfully accused her of a crime is punished." He had to get all of the salient points of his argument out as quickly as possible.

"I see. I suppose that you realise the implications of your actions, while I am aware that captains of ships such as yours will enter into an arrangement with a female passenger, they don't usually take it further. As for the matter of her innocence, I hope that you aren't relying on her word that she isn't guilty of the crime. It won't be the first time that a man has been taken in by a pretty face."

"I am aware of that Sire, but if you were to meet her you will be of the same opinion as I, why she even volunteered to nurse one of the other convicts who managed to contract typhus, putting her own life at risk in the process."

"Bring her to me, if she is as you say that she is I will see that you are wed."

"Thank you, Sire." Edward took his leave and returned to the ship. He was a little surprised that Prunella wasn't waiting at the rail for his return.

"She couldn't bear to be here if the news be bad." McCauley said. "Is it?"

"No. The governor has agreed to meet her and form his own opinion, and if it is favourable he has agreed that we be wed." What Edward didn't see was the thumbs up gesture that McCauley made behind his back. It was the signal that Prunella was waiting for and the cabin door was flung open as she ran to him.

The next day Prunella sat with Edward as Governor Phillip questioned her about her supposed crime. "You say that you couldn't have taken the plate and secreted it with your clothes, what proof do you have of this?"

"Sire, I didn't return to my home after the party, my father met me as I left the manor house and asked me to sit with Mrs Brabinger who was unwell with her latest pregnancy. I was with her until well into the next afternoon, long after the plate was discovered. The Magistrate was my accuser's father and he believed her and not me."

"I see, and how do you propose to prove your innocence?"

"I think that when we return as husband and wife and explain that Prunella has been pardoned by the King and that all aspects of the matter will be investigated that the truth will out."