Stormy Seas: Part 13

 I could see her below me on the deck looking up and shading her eyes. She had stayed there while I tightened the rigging on the main sail mast and watched as I climbed up to inspect the sails. As I climbed across the top I carefully checked each of the knots, tightening and loosening them as I thought they needed.

I crawled over to another knot and glanced down. She had her hands up near her mouth and her eyes were so wide I thought I could see the blue in them from here.

I had not made my mind up about her yet. She seemed more tame now than when I had first found her, so then she was either very foolish for running away, or someone had indeed been very cruel to her. Could one unhappy aunt have been the culprit? I moved to the last knot and wondered why this had caught so much of my interest. On land I would have brushed it off, called her a fool, and moved on. It must be boredom, I decided. I had been on the ship for quite awhile now. Six months had felt like a long time but I reminded myself that I had signed a contract with Captain Peck for the next 5 years.

I climbed back down the rigging and found Vivian waiting at the bottom.

“Are there no safety lines?” She asked before my feet touched the deck.

“No,” I replied. “We keep the other lines tight.”

“It seems so dangerous. When Aunt and I traveled on airships the crew wore harnesses when they worked on the ship.”

I headed down the ladder to the hold and she followed. “Airshipmen work out in higher heights and speeds than the Lethargy,” I pointed out.

“Still, if you fell from that tall mast-”

“The main sail?”

“The main sail-it would certainly kill you.”

“We all know to be careful,” I assured her. I helped her down the last few rungs of the ladder.

“Was your father a sailor?” she asked.

“No, he owns textile mills in Beaufort,” I said.

“Owns?” she asked. She seemed surprised.

“Palmer's Textiles,” I said proudly, the way my father always did when he talked about his business. “Do you know how to sew?”

“Of course.” She had her hands on her hips.

“Good, there's mending to do.” I meandered through the cargo and supplies to a corner where we had thrown a torn sail. “It ripped in a storm while we were crossing,” I explained as I carried it back out. From a cabinet on the wall I took the ship's sewing basket. I handed it to Vivian and she peered inside. I sat down on a crate and began unfolding the sail.

“Are these the needles?” she asked, holding one up. It was about as long as her little finger.

“There should be thread in there too,” I added.

“I've never used daggers for sewing before,” she said. She took out a large ball of string.

“I don't make a habit of sewing with anything,” I responded.

She sat down on the crate opposite me. “What happened?” she asked.

“When?”

“Why are you here when your father owns a large business.”

“The CTC is a reputable company,” I explained. “Just like my father's business.”

“No it isn't,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Do you have that needle threaded yet?”

“I can't cut the string.”

I handed her my knife.

“I've heard nothing but terrible stories about the CTC,” she continued. “Their sailors are little better than slaves and have a reputation of being rather unsavory men.”

“That didn't deter you from joining us,” I pointed out.

She glowered at me, rather like a small, angry cat. “I was trying to say that I thought you seemed different.”

“Why thank you.” I was glad to hear it. Mother would have been glad to hear it too.

“How did you end up on this ship?” she asked again. She knotted the thread and began to examine the tear in the canvas.

I sighed. I picked another needle out of the basket and reached for the thread. “I didn't want to help run the factory.”

“Why not?” she prodded.

“I wanted something more exciting,” I admitted. “I want to be a ship's Captain out on the sea.”

“But how did you get here?” She was watching her sewing now.

“Mother thought it was too dangerous,” I said. “She told father to forbid me to go but he said he wouldn't. He said he wouldn't help though.” I could still hear his voice in my head saying that if I wanted it badly enough I would make it happen.

Vivian was looking at me again, waiting for me to continue.

“So I found a boat that would hire me without my family's help and decided I would work my way up to Captain.”

“You're a fool Eldon Palmer.”

I turned around as Ray came climbing up from the boiler room. His face was black with soot and he had flecks of coal in his red hair. “What did I do?” I asked.

“I thought you were like the rest of us,” he said. “No good sons of no good drunks who sit on the wharfs.”

I waited for him to make his point.

“If you were like the rest of us you wouldn't have any other chance at being a captain, but you could be one if you got on a different ship. When we make port next you need to find a new boat kid.”

“I can't,” I said.

“Why not? Another company would let you work your way up,” Vivian said. She nearly clapped her hands with excitement.

“I signed a contract with Captain Peck for five years.”

Ray stared at me. “You signed a five year contract?” he asked in disbelief.

“It was the paper the man handed us to sign,” I said.

Ray rubbed his face with his hand tiredly. “You're a fool Eldon Palmer,” he repeated. He turned and walked away toward the lavatory.

I picked up the sail again and refused to meet Vivian's gaze.

“Maybe if you save his life the Captain will be grateful and let you go,” she said quietly.

“Captain Peck doesn't control that,” I said. “I signed a contract with him and the CTC.”

“You can't simply be stuck here for the next five years when you could be advancing your career.”

“Lets finish this sail,” I sighed. The reality of Ray's words was beginning to hit me. I should have realized before that Patrick and Victor had worked on the Lethargy for most of their lives and were still simply crewmen. I did feel like a fool, and I hated feeling like a fool in front of Vivian.