An Officer but No Gentleman by M. Donice Byrd

from his scars like other people. Charlie’s disfigurement although mostly hidden, was worse than Jaxon’s. He actually felt sorry for him. Criminy! Gelded by fire . Charlie was right; he couldn’t sleep with the other men. But Jaxon already had two sets of officers, one for his ship and one to be in charge of their captured prizes. As it was, they didn’t have cabins for everyone.
    “I’m not going to kick one of my men out,” he said.  “I’ll have the carpenter put a hammock in here and we’ll share my cabin for now.  I’ll leave when you need privacy.”
    A knock at the door drew Jaxon’s attention.  He stepped out into the passageway to speak with his brother, Daniel, first mate of The Dragon’s Lair .
    “We have sails in pursuit.  It looks to be the loblolly boy’s ship, coming back for him.”
    “I think I’d like to keep young Charlie with us,” he said pressing his hand to his wound.  “Charlie and Jimmy are about the same size wouldn’t you say.”
    “I’d say Jimmy’s a bit stouter.”
    “Bloating….”  Jaxon met his brother’s gaze.  One corner of his mouth lifted.  “Take a couple of men with you in case Charlie gives you trouble.  Strip him, put his clothes on Jimmy then send his body to the corsair to give the corpse to his ship.  Tell them he wanted to learn to shoot and it misfired killing him.  Meanwhile, we go back without the corsair slowing us down.  There is no way for that merchant ship to keep up with The Dragon’s Lair .”

 
     
     
    8
     
    The three men stood outside the door in the cramped corridor eyeing each other.  The largest of the three sported a black eye that was rapidly swelling shut.  The youngest man rubbed his jaw, opening and closing his mouth to test the hinge.  And the third alternately was rubbing his left shoulder and his ribs.
    Suddenly, the three broke out into laughter.
    “Oh, please, you have to let me tell him.  I’ve got to see his face when he finds out,” Daniel choked out, his eye barely open.
    “Are you mad?  Do you want everyone to know a woman gave you that black eye?  I think we should keep this to ourselves,” Romy said.
    Daniel flashed a quick dimpled grin.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I’m sure my baby brother here head-butted me in the melee.  I only pretended to get kicked in the face.”  He mussed his brother’s hair affectionately.  “Damn, have you ever seen anything like that?”
    Levi pushed his brother’s hand aside.  “All I know is I’m in love.  I lay my claim to her.”
    Daniel shoved him into the wall.  “Tis not as though she would be interested in a boy too young to grow a real beard.”
    Romy held out the clothes they took off of Charlie.  “So what are we supposed to do with these?”
    Daniel sobered instantly.  He guided the men down the passageway and up onto the deck before he spoke.  He didn’t want Charlie over-hearing through the door.  “Our cousin Jimmy died—“ 
    “Oh, God, man, I hadn’t heard.  I’m sorry,” Romy cut in quickly.
    “I think Jaxon is going to pass off Jimmy’s body as Charlie.”
    “He what!”  Levi hadn’t known why they were getting Charlie’s clothes.
    “Look, Levi, we are too far out to take him home to the family plot.  He’s going to be buried at sea no matter who does it.  If it was you who died, wouldn’t you want to help the ship?  We need Charlie and his—her medical knowledge.  Quincy might still be alive if Charlie had been aboard a month ago.” 
    Levi nodded remembering how Quincy had died from a festering cut on his foot.
    “Jaxon promised me if Charlie wanted to leave when we got to shore, he would pay him and let him go.  I don’t think this changes anything.”
     
    Jaxon Bloodworthy stood on the quarterdeck of The Dragon’s Lair and watched as his cousin’s body was taken by rowboat to the French corsair.  The body had been dressed in Charlie’s clothing and sewn into a burial