eyes as dizziness and nausea assailed her once more. When she opened them again it was to the horrifying sight of four sailors closing in on her, leering grins on their faces. She felt panic squeezing her insides and black dots began to dance before her eyes.
‘Puny little worm, ain’t he?’ More laughter. Hannah was pulled up onto her toes by someone tugging on her ear.
‘Stand up straight when we talk to ye.’
She grabbed the arm that was doing the pulling and tried to lever it downwards, but it was hard as steel. It didn’t give an inch even when she practically hung on it.
‘Now, then, what’ll we –’
‘What’s going on here?’ A new voice cut in and instant silence ensued. Hannah’s ear was released and she opened her eyes to see the sailors shuffling their feet and looking away, as if they had nothing to do with her. A large man with straggly, sandy-coloured whiskers was glaring at the group, his hands on his hips. ‘Well?’ he barked.
‘We found a stowaway, Mr Jones, sir.’ One of the sailors pointed at Hannah, who swallowed and tried not to flinch under Mr Jones’s hard gaze. She gathered he must be the boatswain or some other higher ranking member of the crew.
‘Is that right? And why was it not reported to me immediately?’ Mr Jones turned to glare at the group of men and Hannah shuddered with relief. It wasn’t her he was angry with.
‘Er, we was just …’
‘We were on our way, sir. Just havin’ a bit o’ fun.’
‘Yes, I could see that.’ The men cringed and hunched their shoulders, waiting for the inevitable outburst. Mr Jones didn’t disappoint them. He drew in a deep breath and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Well, what are you standing around here for? Get back to work, you swag-bellied, good-for-nothing scum!’
The men dispersed like cockroaches fleeing a sudden beam of light and Hannah was left alone with the formidable Mr Jones. He turned his scowl on her.
‘You. Come with me.’ Her arm was once again gripped with a violence that made her gasp, and she was dragged along willy-nilly towards the ladder and up onto the deck. Blinding sunlight hit her eyes with unexpected force and she blinked several times before she was able to focus. She breathed deeply of the wholesome, salty air, grateful to be out in the open at last. In the next instant, the rough hand began to drag her in the direction of the back of the ship.
‘Go and ask the captain to come immediately,’ Mr Jones barked at the nearest sailor, who set off at a run. ‘As for you, young man, you’re comin’ with me. And you’d best pray the captain’s in a good mood, which he weren’t last time I looked.’
He opened the door to a spacious cabin underneath the poop deck, which Hannah knew must be the captain’s own quarters. She was shoved between the shoulder blades and landed on the floor on all fours, the air knocked out of her lungs temporarily. Before she had time to get up another voice rang out.
‘A stowaway you say? What the devil …?’
Hannah lifted her head to stare with surprise at Captain Rydon. She frowned in confusion as she tried to work out what he was doing on her brother’s ship. Then she realised he must be visiting in order for them to confer about something. Their route perhaps? Her heart began to thump with joy. She hadn’t thought to see him until they reached the first port on the journey. This was an unexpected bonus.
She opened her mouth to greet him, but the words died in her throat as she saw that an angry scowl marred the captain’s usually sunny features.
‘What is the meaning of this, boy?’ he barked, his face darkening with angry colour.
‘I, I …’ Hannah stammered, even more confused by his reaction. Boy? Surely he must recognise her? It was true they hadn’t met since the betrothal feast, but that wasn’t very long ago. Surely he couldn’t have forgotten her so soon? She opened her mouth once more to ask for Jacob, but he cut her off
‘Puny little worm, ain’t he?’ More laughter. Hannah was pulled up onto her toes by someone tugging on her ear.
‘Stand up straight when we talk to ye.’
She grabbed the arm that was doing the pulling and tried to lever it downwards, but it was hard as steel. It didn’t give an inch even when she practically hung on it.
‘Now, then, what’ll we –’
‘What’s going on here?’ A new voice cut in and instant silence ensued. Hannah’s ear was released and she opened her eyes to see the sailors shuffling their feet and looking away, as if they had nothing to do with her. A large man with straggly, sandy-coloured whiskers was glaring at the group, his hands on his hips. ‘Well?’ he barked.
‘We found a stowaway, Mr Jones, sir.’ One of the sailors pointed at Hannah, who swallowed and tried not to flinch under Mr Jones’s hard gaze. She gathered he must be the boatswain or some other higher ranking member of the crew.
‘Is that right? And why was it not reported to me immediately?’ Mr Jones turned to glare at the group of men and Hannah shuddered with relief. It wasn’t her he was angry with.
‘Er, we was just …’
‘We were on our way, sir. Just havin’ a bit o’ fun.’
‘Yes, I could see that.’ The men cringed and hunched their shoulders, waiting for the inevitable outburst. Mr Jones didn’t disappoint them. He drew in a deep breath and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘Well, what are you standing around here for? Get back to work, you swag-bellied, good-for-nothing scum!’
The men dispersed like cockroaches fleeing a sudden beam of light and Hannah was left alone with the formidable Mr Jones. He turned his scowl on her.
‘You. Come with me.’ Her arm was once again gripped with a violence that made her gasp, and she was dragged along willy-nilly towards the ladder and up onto the deck. Blinding sunlight hit her eyes with unexpected force and she blinked several times before she was able to focus. She breathed deeply of the wholesome, salty air, grateful to be out in the open at last. In the next instant, the rough hand began to drag her in the direction of the back of the ship.
‘Go and ask the captain to come immediately,’ Mr Jones barked at the nearest sailor, who set off at a run. ‘As for you, young man, you’re comin’ with me. And you’d best pray the captain’s in a good mood, which he weren’t last time I looked.’
He opened the door to a spacious cabin underneath the poop deck, which Hannah knew must be the captain’s own quarters. She was shoved between the shoulder blades and landed on the floor on all fours, the air knocked out of her lungs temporarily. Before she had time to get up another voice rang out.
‘A stowaway you say? What the devil …?’
Hannah lifted her head to stare with surprise at Captain Rydon. She frowned in confusion as she tried to work out what he was doing on her brother’s ship. Then she realised he must be visiting in order for them to confer about something. Their route perhaps? Her heart began to thump with joy. She hadn’t thought to see him until they reached the first port on the journey. This was an unexpected bonus.
She opened her mouth to greet him, but the words died in her throat as she saw that an angry scowl marred the captain’s usually sunny features.
‘What is the meaning of this, boy?’ he barked, his face darkening with angry colour.
‘I, I …’ Hannah stammered, even more confused by his reaction. Boy? Surely he must recognise her? It was true they hadn’t met since the betrothal feast, but that wasn’t very long ago. Surely he couldn’t have forgotten her so soon? She opened her mouth once more to ask for Jacob, but he cut her off
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