Page 71 of The Irish Gypsy
The next morning Kitty took the captain'sbreakfast tray from the cabin boy and after a perfunctory tap, sheplunged through the doorway with a confidence she did not reallyfeel. Big Jim sat on the edge of his bunk with a brandy hangover.He swiftly averted his eyes from the tray of food. "Get shut ofthat for starters."
Without a word she put it outside the doorand re-entered. "Are you all right, Jim?"
"My mouth tastes like I've been sucking on ashepherd's stocking." He grimaced and hauled himself across to thewashstand. "Christ! My eyes look like two piss holes in thesnow!"
Kitty's lips twitched. The Irish could bevulgar, but not one had quite the coarse touch that Big Jim Hardinglent to a phrase. She knew she could leave him now and everythingwould return to normal.
Dismay clutched Kitty's heart when shediscovered her money was missing. She went up on deck and accostedthe captain in front of his men. He could have cursed her andordered her below, or delivered a stinging slap to silence hertongue, but instead he swept her up into the air, planted herfirmly with a kiss and carried her below to his cabin.
"Filthy, thieving bastards!" she screamed. "Ishould have known something like this would happen!"
"Are you finished? Then listen to me. When awoman comes aboard a ship, traveling alone, the first thing sheshould do is choose the biggest, strongest sailor of the lot and hewill protect her."
"In return for certain favors!" she spat.
"Kitty, everything in life must be paid for,"he said quietly. "Now the biggest, strongest sailor aboard ismyself. Be my woman, Kitty?" He took her hands in his and bent tokiss her full on the mouth. It was a nice kiss; a good kiss. Hislips were firm and dry, his soft beard brushed her cheek gently.His eyes were kind, his aroma was pleasant, his hands gentle, yetshe pulled away and begged, "Please don't force me. I'm still amaiden," she lied. "If you force me, you'll lose your job," shethreatened.
His eyes narrowed. "Who is your man?"
"Patrick O'Reilly," she whispered.
The captain threw back his head and roaredwith laughter. "I'd do more than lose my job, I'd lose my life,girl! The O'Reilly has sailed with me, and I have his measure.Kitty, what I feel for you is love, not lust. If you've chosen theO'Reilly to be your man, I'll send you to him untouched." His eyessparkled with mischief as he held her purse and money aloft. "Justfor safekeeping and the hope of a reward, you understand." He heldit too high for her to reach until she gave him the kiss hewanted.
That night as she lay in her bunk, sheadmitted to herself that his attraction was real. She realized youcould have strong feelings for different people. With Patrick iswas special, wild, passionate. It was all highs or lows, noin-betweens. Ecstasy or hell, pleasure or pain. With Jim Harding,it was disconcerting to have a man who looked ferocious enough tokill you, but who put you on a pedestal and worshiped you.
Captain Harding set himself the task ofamusing her, and she really did love him for it. They had been atsea so long, cut off from the rest of the world, they had formed anattachment. When the weather was bad, Jim did everything fromsteadying her with his strong hands, to making her laugh so shewould forget her fears.
As the sun began to get warmer, Kitty's skindarkened into a healthy tan. Her baby was beginning to show, andthough she cherished it in private and spoke to 'him' quite often,when she went up on deck she concealed her stomach with her largecloak, and when she took supper with Jim, she was always careful todrape a shawl about her.
One night after dark, one of the seamengrabbed her. She managed to tear herself away and run like someonedemented. She crashed into Captain Harding, who led her to hercabin to wipe away her tears and still her frantic pulse. Hemurmured soothing words until her tears stilled and she began torelax.
In a quiet voice Jim began to quote Shelley's'Love's Philosophy':
The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix forever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in this world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle--
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high heaven
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain'd its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth
