Page 41 of The Pirate's Daughter

“All the rain and the waves have swamped the bilge to a good four feet,” Devin said. It wasn’t very much of a concern, four feet of water in the bottom of a ship like this was a nuisance not a danger. It’d need to be pumped out though if they ran again into bad weather or highseas.

“So? You have men on the cranks?” Mia asked as her eyes went to theplume.

“No,” Devin said and sighed. “The shaft cracked some months back and we’ve not found time to go ashore for an elm to bore out. We will use buckets. It’s one reason why I don’t want to let it get todeep.”

“You should like me to help. I canchange.”

“No,” he said and started urging her back towards the rail. Off the centerdeck.

“Perhaps you might like if I took a look at the crack.” She’d dealt with such things on her own ship. Sometimes it wasn’t necessary to replace the entireshaft.

“No, Mia,” he said. “You stay here, out of theway.”

“I’m capable ofhelping.”

“Mia, I have no doubt, but this is something you’ll not be a partof.”

“Well, what should I be at then?” She should behelpful.

“Not a thing, let the crew do theirjob.”

“The crew?” Mia gasped even as he walked away. “The crew?” Wasn’t she part of the crew? Looking around she saw most everyone at some duty. Scrubbing decks, hauling out the sheets to dry, any number of things. Any of which she’d done a million times over. “I can do anything needing done on a ship,Captain.”

“I’m sure,” he said and Mia found she rather disliked the way he said it. “But the crew will see to the duties and you’ll stay out of the way.” With that he turned and walked away, disappearing down the hatch with several of the ship’sofficers.

“I can empty a damn bilge,” Mia shouted afterhim.

“Ah now, Mrs. Winthrop, ain’t no one says you can’t,” Quiggly said as he stepped up beside her. “This, though, is one of those things the captain likes to do with just hisofficers.”

“Empty the bilge?” Mia turned to look at the man who stood there grinning like a fool. “Why might anyofficerlike to do such dirty, laboriouswork?”

“Captain has them do it to keep them humble, he says,” Quiggly said and gestured to the hatch as the first bucket came up and was spilt over. “Reminds them how to worktogether.”

“Oh,” Mia replied. Some rather raw words rang out followed by a good deal of laughter as Mia watched the chore become more rhythmic, aided by the singing that started up. The men, officers that they were, worked steady through the day emptying the bilge, a bucket at a time, until it measured only a bit more than a foot deep. Meanwhile the rest of the crew put the ship right above deck and below. Beyond the shanty songs used to keep everyone working in time, they laughed and cursed and teased each other through the process and Mia heard all of it, longed more each hour to be a part of it. But each time she attempted to lend aid she was rebuffed. She wasn’t so much as given a rag that she might try to polish the brightwork. And as the sun sunk lower on the horizon, her restlessness grew. When Devin and the officers finally came topside, Mia hoped she’d be useful now in helping them clean up. But before she could step forward with the offer, several of the midshipmen lined up and tossed buckets of water at thegroup.

Again, curses mixed with laughter as several more buckets were filled and tossed at the normally stiff men of rank. Clearly it was something done often enough. And given the teasing and jostling, it was something that bonded the crew. When it was all said and done, Devin stepped out of the group and toward her with a broad smile on his face. Mia felt her breath catch and was ready to let the day pass as one where the men simply needed to be together. Tomorrow would find her able to join inagain.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Devin said, coming close and shaking his head so that water sprayed out over her. “I’m starving. It was a little more work than I remember. I’m going to have to see to the replacement of thatshaft.”

“I’d have helped,” Mia reminded him as she followed him towards their quarters. “I’ve run up buckets before.” She followed him inside and watched as he took up a sheet to dry off before stepping over to his locker for clothing. “I didn’t do anything at alltoday.”

Devin stopped drying off to look at her strangely. “What might you have liked todo?”

“Something,” Mia told him and plopped down on the bench under the porthole. “I wasn’t even allowed to polish brasstoday.”

“Mia that’s part of the duties of the crew,” Devin told her and went back to drying off. Before Mia could respond he added, “You’re not part of the crew. Let the crew work, stay out of the way and we’ll all get on wellenough.”

Mia felt her mouth drop open. She couldn’t have heard him correctly. “Not part of the crew?” sheechoed.

“No, you’renot.”

“Then what am I?Cargo?”

“No, Mia,” he said, and chuckled like there was anything at all amusing about what he said. But he didn’t elaborate further, simply dressed and made ready to join the officers for supper. “Are you coming?” he asked as he pulled on his coat and pulled the door open. Lifting her head, she caught his eyes, still waiting to hear him answer her question as to what she was aboard this ship. Not captain she knew, not navigator or bosun’s mate or even a deck hand, but something other than cargo being hauled around. “Come on,” he said and waved her towards the door. “The crew can’t eat until I do and we’re allhungry.”

Again, the crew, which excluded her. “I’m not. Go withoutme.”

“Mia?”

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