The Grey Lady Ch. 10

"You're on your own, Captain." The bald man shook his head and concentrated on getting the ship in safely.

Standing beside Sam at the railing, Toby too had seen the woman and suddenly grew quiet, glancing over at her. Sam noticed the child's unease.

"Is something wrong? Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah! Ever'thin' is jest fine." The boy kept looking around and she looked around too in an effort to try and figure out what the problem was.

"Ah'll be back in jest ah minute. Yew keep lookin' out an' watchin' Wexling."

And with that Toby slipped away leaving her alone at the railing. Something was up but she wasn't sure just what it was. He seemed nervous or apprehensive or uneasy.

There was a hue and cry from the docks and her attention was drawn back to Wexling. The closer that they got the clearer her view was of the port. Now she could see that it was somewhat seedy and the women were definitely more along the lines of trollops and whore. In the back of her mind, the thought occurred that perhaps she herself could be considered a trollop or a whore. She paused in her thinking. The Captain's Bedwarmer? Now that she carried his child, just what would be her title once that little bit of information was made public?

Glancing along the pier, there was one man that seemed to draw her attention. Standing on the balcony of one of the buildings that overlooked the harbor, he was nude from the waist up. One huge arm crossed his barrel chest while in his right hand he held what looked like a mug of which he would periodically drink from. He appeared to have a rather long beard and longish hair, and hanging from his left elbow was a rather scantily clad woman.

From where she stood, Samantha could not see the pirate's eyes narrow or know just how angry he was. But looking through his spyglass, Jake noticed it and could not help grinning at the man's displeasure.

"You enjoy rubbing salt in the man's wound?" Bilge questioned the captain and Jake answered quietly.

"He can just go to hell. I'm not backing down."

Jake was aware that Toby was standing nearby waiting to get his attention. Without even looking at the boy he asked, "Is there a problem, Toby?"

"Ah, yes Sir. Thar's someone waitin' fer yew on tha dock."

"I see her Toby. You just follow orders and stay with Sam."

"Yes Sir!"

Quickly the boy ran back to Sam's side. He didn't know what was wrong but he was sure that something had happened to make the Samantha unhappy. The fact that she had not eaten her evening meal had not gone unnoticed by him and he thought that it might have something to do with her having to kill Carter. She was really affected by such things so he decided to work hard to try and make her happy. That meant making sure that she didn't see Margarita standing on the dock eyeing the Captain.

Like a well-oiled machine, the crew of The Grey Lady moved as they came up alongside the wooden dock. All eyes on land watched and waited. The tension was almost a tangible thing and although Samantha was new to all of this, even she could feel the excitement, almost as if this was all for show. Even the eyes of the pirate that stood on the balcony seemed to be intently watching them despite the wench that stood beside him demanding his attention.

As soon as the ship came within reach of the pier, the place came alive. Where before the townsfolk had stood disinterestedly waiting, suddenly everyone seemed to jump to attention as the dock became a hive of activity. Ropes were thrown and quickly tied to wooden posts like some strange spiders forming a link between the ship and the pier.

"Stan! Parker! The larboard!" Out of nowhere there was a gangplank making a small bridge so that now the Grey Lady was connected to land and Wexling.

Sam felt eyes on her -- a creepy feeling of sudden attention that made her skin crawl. Quickly she scanned the various people that lined the shore. The majority of folks seemed to be men and certainly more than one pair of male eyes drifted in her direction. But the uneasy feeling did not seem to come from any of those men and she continued her search. The crew of the Grey Lady knew her, and for the most part, she knew them and they seemed to have no interest in her either.

Her eyes were drawn finally back to the man on the balcony and a chill ran through her. The large pirate's eyes seemed to bore through her, as if he were able to see from that distance through the well-worn gown that she wore. As if he knew all her deepest, darkest secrets.

Fear ripped through her. This was a man of violence, someone that would enjoy rape and torture. His unblinking eyes bore through her as he wrapped his left arm around the waist of the woman beside him and pulled her in to him. Swinging her around, the woman was bent over backwards and he crushed his lips to hers. The kiss was long and hard and yet through the entire episode, the pirate's eyes continued to hold Samantha captive. As if he were laying claim to her even from this distance. It scared her.

Toby noticed Sam's gaze and spoke, his voice low and fearful.

"That's Cap't McCandle. 'e's cap't uv ah ship called Tha 'ollow Promise."

McCandle. This was a name that she had heard discussed recently -- the man that had hired Carter to kill Jake. This was the man that wanted to steal the Grey Lady.

" 'e's mean! Yew wants ta stay 'way frum 'im." Sam nodded, agreeing with the boy.

"Jake! My body had been craving your attention."

It was a woman's voice that broke her attention away from McCandle and she turned to see just who was talking. Overly loud and oozing sex, she saw one of the women that had been standing on the dock watching their approach making a bee line up the gangplank and straight for Jake. The woman's body seemed to be a symphony of movement as she swished her skirt while she sashayed across the deck, her hips swaying and the low neckline of her blouse giving everyone a glance at the full breast that bounced with each step.

As she reached Jake, she flung her arms around the Captain's neck and began to smother his face with exaggerated kisses before she finally found her objective and locked her lips to his. Without much success, poor Toby began to try and draw Sam's attention away from what was happening practically right under her own nose.

"Miz Samantha, did yew see this 'ere buildin' o're 'ere? It's wun uv tha oldest buildin's in Wexling." He was pointing ineffectively to some building along the waterfront but she wasn't interested in the least. Instead she just stared at the woman.

"Just who is she?" Without taking her eyes off the trollop she waited for his answer.

"Margarita." Toby was really afraid to say more, and so he just shut up.

Samantha couldn't help the jealously that flared up inside her. He belonged to her and she to him. He had said so, and despite the way that he had acted last night, she still believed so. Wanted to believe so. After all, on the entire trip from Rabel he had reminded her of it over and over. And yet, here she stood watching this woman slobber all over her man.

And Jake was not even stopping her. He didn't encourage the woman, but he didn't stop her either. Most of the crew grinned at the wanton display and a few of the men also cut their eyes over in her direction, taking note of the flush in her cheeks.

"I am sure that you have missed by body, mi amante. I have missed you." Margarita began kissing him again, speaking between each rather exuberant peck. "We can spend days in bed, making up for all the time apart."

Jake stood still, a faint smirk on his lips as if he found the entire situation amusing. But Samantha was not amused at all. In fact, she wanted to yank the woman's hair out and give her a swift kick in the backside. Maybe knock some of the sway out of those hips.

Straightening herself up, Samantha slowly strolled over to where this Margarita drooled over Jake like some wayward dog. The crew of the Grey Lady magically parted to allow her unfettered access to the two standing on the deck. She stood near them, giving her a better view of the whore while the crew worked hard to appear very, very busy but if the truth were known, their act really fooled no one, most especially the three people involved in this charade.

At first Margarita pretended to not notice Samantha. But Samantha knew better. This Margarita was attempting to lay her claim of ownership. Finally, the woman paused and turned to regard Sam. Pursing her lips, she raised an eyebrow as she looked Samantha over from head to toe. There was a look of distain on her face as she stood there.

"Mi amante, what is this thing? Did you raid some poor fishing ship?"

"Margarita, this is Samantha. Samantha, this is Margarita."

"Sa-Man-Tha? Tsk tsk tsk. Such a bland and passionless thing. This trip must have been pure torture for you, mi amante."

And with that the slutty woman turned her back on Samantha as if she were not worth the time wasted so far. In an effort to prove to everyone gathered here, Margarita proceeded to rub against Jake with her hands roaming up and down his body. Sam wondered if the woman would actually rip her clothes off and make love to him right here in front of the crew and indeed the entire population of Wexling that stood on the dock watching the unloading of The Grey Lady.

It was inevitable that the woman's fingers would discover the wrapped ribs that were hidden under Jake's shirt. Margarita's eyes widened as she realized just what she had found. It was then that she noticed his wrapped hand and began to put these bits of information together.

"Oh, but mi amante, what is this? Was my poor Jake injured? A battle? Oh, my poor, poor thing, let me make you feel better!"

Jake just stood there with a bemused look on his face while Samantha found herself getting angrier and angrier. Perhaps it was because he could see Sam's clenched teeth and suspected that she may be getting to her breaking point. Whatever the reason, Jake finally decided to speak up though the smile never left his face, as if he found this all terribly amusing. Sam herself failed to see anything even remotely funny.

"Everything is just fine. Thank you for your welcome and your concern. Samantha, are you ready?" With those words he reached past Margarita to hold out his hand to Samantha. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he escorted her to the gangplank with Toby quickly falling in step behind the two. Margarita stood there, her mouth open in surprise as she watched the trio walk across the gangplank and step onto the wooden dock. Left behind with the crew of the Lady, one of the men sidled up to Margarita and, giving her a toothy grin, reached out a hand to rest it on the woman's shapely ass. The resounding slap across his face was loud and drew guffaws from the rest of the crew.

As she stepped on the dock, for a moment her body seemed to want to continue the rocking of the ship despite now being on dry land. As if understanding the problem, Jake's arm tightened around her waist as he escorted her towards the white carriage where Press waited. "You will soon have your land legs," he assured her as he led her wobbly legs towards the carriage.

Press was thin and not nearly as tall as Jake, but his smile was infectious and welcoming. As they approached the carriage, the black man had jumped down and tipped his hat in greeting.

"Welcome home, Captain Masters. Master Toby." Press turned to her. "Ma'am." He turned back to Jake. "Samady has been cooking all day in anticipation of your arrival."

Samantha was a bit surprised as the man's voice was deep and cultured sounding. He used proper English, unlike Toby's missing "h"s and slang sounds.

Jake quickly helped Sam into the back of the carriage while Press held the horses still. Toby scrambled in and sat in the seat facing her with his back to Press, and Jake quickly climbed into the seat beside her to settle down, one arm resting along the back of the seat and the other along the side of the carriage. The incident on the ship with Margarita seemed to have no effect on him in the least.

The sun was setting and already a man was climbing a ladder to light the lamps that intermittently lined the rough streets. They put out a weak light and Sam was glad that Jake was there beside her, so comforting in the darkening evening.

Suddenly their movement forward halted, and she and Toby were surprised. From out of nowhere a thunderous voice boom out.

"Cap't Masters! So glad ta see ye safely 'ome." Press looked back over his shoulder to Jake, his eyes apologetic. The poor man was spooked and Toby flinched and moved away from the direction of the voice. Samantha could already guess its owner; the voice sounding like rocks crunching together. It was loud, deep and raspy. This was a man used to being heard, to being obeyed, a man to whom the word 'no' did not exist. The voice carried a false note of concern and as the man came into view, Sam could see that it was indeed the pirate that she had noted standing on the balcony kissing the wench. McCandle!

He had chosen her side of the carriage to approach and though he spoke to Jake, his eyes almost never left his perusal of Samantha. From this closer view, she could see better the things that were not easily visible from the deck of The Grey Lady, for despite having had plenty of time to put on a shirt, the pirate looked just as he had when she first laid eyes on him. He thrusted his bare chest out proudly as if physically pushing himself into the carriage.

In the waning daylight, she could see the heavy thatch of hair that covered his chest though it failed to camouflage the rather large and intricate tattoo of some strange ship along with something that looked like a Kraken attempting to crush said ship. At least that was what it looked like from where she sat, and she certainly did not wish to get any closer to see if her assumptions were correct. Even from this distance she could smell the rather pungent mix of ale and sweat that emanated from the pirate, his greasy beard and hairy chest well wetted with the odoriferous compound.

"Captain McCandle, I see that you have been enjoying yourself here in Wexling." Compared to McCandle, Jake's voice was smooth, yet deep and deadly.

Suddenly a huge beefy hand clapped down on the carriage railing beside her and Samantha gave a start. The carriage shook and Press had to use a firm hand to keep the horses under control though Jake remained unmoved and acted as if he had expected the action. Staying calm, Jake continued to lean back in the seat unruffled by McCandle's actions, his arm unmoved from the back of the seat behind Samantha and she was grateful for the comfort that it provided. To unknowing eyes Jake appeared to not have a care in the world. However, his left thigh had been touching her right thigh and despite the layers of clothes between their skin, she could feel his leg muscles tense and knew that he was like a dangerous animal ready to pounce.

McCandle starred at Samantha and grinned at her reaction to his stunt.

"Ah seems ta 'ave scared yer lit'l prize, Cap't. Plucked 'er frum sum wayward ship that traveled 'crost yer bow?"

Instead Jake chose to ignore the man's obvious hints as to just who she was. She personally wanted nothing to do with his pirate and would just as soon McCandle not know her name or anything about her. She wished she were as far away as possible from the man. Even Toby was uncomfortable in his presence. It took every bit of strength that she possessed to avoid shrinking back against Jake and Toby sat so far away from where McCandle stood ogling Sam that any further would have put him outside the relative safety of the carriage.

Only Jake appeared unmoved by the man, as if he considered the pirate an amusing insect. However, when he spoke, there was a quiet dangerousness to his tone. Though he was not as huge as McCandle, he still exuded a deadly power all his own. Jake's eyes narrowed as his gaze took in the large hand on the edge of the carriage. Entirely too close to his property -- Samantha. She suddenly felt herself between the two wild animals that momentarily battled for supremacy -- a bear and a panther. Definitely a dangerous place to be.

"Was there a question that you had or are you wondering as to whether I had a successful voyage?"

For once McCandle's eyes cut over to Jake as he gave him a sly grin. "Ah proper gentleman wood introduce me ta so beautiful ah woman." His eyes switched back to her as if mentally undressing her.

"When I find a gentleman, then I shall introduce her to him." A raised eyebrow was the only change in Jake's face. By the contrary, she could see the grin slowly fading from the scruffy pirate's lips. Changing tack, he tried again.

"Margarita didn't look tew pleased at findin' 'erself usurped in yer affections. Ev'n Ah could see that frum w'ere Ah stood."

Just a slight tilt of his head was the only answer that Jake gave. Obviously not the reaction that McCandle had wanted, she could see that the pirate was trying to make Jake uncomfortable. However, Jake refused to fall into McCandle's trap. In the dimming light, McCandle deliberately tried again to obtain the information that he sought.

"Cum back wif anythin' ta auction off? Ah'm always in tha market fer items. Or slaves." She understood his implications easily enough, and she was certainly not happy. She did not appreciate the idea of being a slave. Especially a slave to McCandle.

For the first time since they had been stopped by McCandle, Jake slipped an arm around Samantha's waist and drew her back against him. She happily leaned back, the warmth of his body making her glad that she was with him instead of McCandle.

"Home, Press." It was an order. As if he had been waiting for just those words, Press cracked the whip over the heads of the pair of chestnuts. With a start the carriage jolted to life, pitching Toby into the floorboards at Jake's feet. McCandle was left behind staring angrily at them.

Sam didn't want to move; her heart was pounding in her breast as Jake's strong arm held her against him. For the first time since she made her announcement, he seemed to want her with him. Or could it be that he didn't so much want her as he didn't want McCandle to have that which he considered his property. It would be nice to know the answer to that question but this was not the time or place to ask.

The pirate had other things on his mind other than the woman that he held in his arms. He was quiet for several minutes as the carriage traveled through the cobblestone streets until it gave out to a dirt road and the town gave way to countryside.

"Press?" That was all that he had to say before the man driving the carriage starting answering Jake's unspoken questions.

"Yes, Captain Masters. Captain McCandle has always been a bit of a blow hard when you are away. But lately he had been implying that you would probably not return. Said that he had it on good authority. Even told several of the servants that he would soon own all of us. Would own the house too. Aaron and the other men stepped up the patrol to make sure that neither McCandle nor any of his men would set foot on the grounds. He has been waiting all afternoon for the Lady to arrive. Locked himself in a room upstairs in the Scuttlebutt with that Miss Carol, staring out to sea. One of the girls was overheard talking about it. Said that he was waiting for a sign from the Lady."

"You know that he would not own any of you."

"Yes Sir, Captain Masters. Little Gerome told McCandle that we were not slaves. That we were all free men. But that man just laughed and told Little Gerome something along the lines of 'NOT WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH YOU!' Scared Little Gerome down right sick."

"I'll take care of it."