Author: Kristy Tate
Category: Young Adult
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/kristy-tate/page,6,583699-the_pirate_episode.html
“Ladies!” Lilou sputtered.
But no one paid her any attention as laundry flew through the air. When there wasn’t a towel, sheet, shirt or sock left on the line, Cherise dumped over the tub of water and it splashed over Cami’s shoes.
Cami stooped to grab more ammunition off the floor, but she slipped in the soapy water. Still laughing and soaked to the skin, she lay on the floor, gazing at the ceiling, and wondering why laundry at home couldn’t be as much fun.
“Great Apollo!” Phillip stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them.
The look on his face made Cami laugh harder.
“What is the meaning of this chaos?” Phillip took a few faltering steps.
“This isn’t chaos,” Cami gasped. “It’s laundry.”
“You are soaked through.” Phillip stomped down the stairs, bent over her, took her hand and pulled her upright. “You’ll change out of these wet things immediately.” Taking her elbow, he steered her up the stairs.
Cami cast a glance back at the women watching her retreat, and from the look of pain on Cherise’s face, Cami suddenly knew why Cherise hated her. It had nothing to do with witchcraft or even voodoo.
Cherise was in love with Phillip.
Phillip didn’t speak to her as he marched her up the stairs. When they got to her room, she wrenched her arm from his grip. “Why are you so mad?”
“You are wet.”
“So?”
“Why were you in the laundry?”
“I wanted my clothes.”
“Whatever for? I should burn them.”
“No, you shouldn’t. They’re mine, and I want them back.”
“They are unseemly.”
“Unseemly? Really?” She sucked in a deep breath. “In this place and time, they might be ‘unseemly’,” she said, making air quotation marks. “—But where I’m from, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them.”
He pressed his lips into a straight line. “You are right. Please forgive me. As of yet, I have no right to approve your apparel. I will call Lilou and ask her to bring you dry clothing.”
And with that, he turned on his heel and strode away.
Cami slipped into her bedroom and closed the door, wondering what Phillip had meant. She didn’t know what to do. Because of her sopping clothes, she couldn’t sit down on anything. She wanted to take off her dress, but the little buttons were impossible to undo on her own. So she stood in the center of the room, drip-drying and feeling childish and stupid.
Phillip probably thought she was as immature as a two-year-old, but if he did, why had he said, as of yet? What did that mean? Did he think someday he would have the right to—as he had said—approve her clothing?
Cami tried to imagine her dad, or anyone really, approving or disapproving her mom’s clothes, but her imagination faltered. But wait—the approval might be silent, but it still happened, didn’t it? The New York City courtrooms had a stricter dress code than any Caribbean Island. No one specifically told her mom what she could or could not wear, but the law offices had an unspoken but nevertheless understood strict dress code.
A light knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in,” Cami called.
Lilou slipped in the door.
Cami turned her back on Lilou, mostly because she wanted her buttons undone, but also because she didn’t want to face Lilou while she asked the question she needed answered.
“Is Cherise Captain Phillip’s lover?” Cami asked while Lilou worked on her buttons.
Lilou’s fingers paused for a second. “That’s a question for the Captain to answer.”
“I think I’d rather ask Cherise,” Cami said.
“Oh, you won’t get an honest answer from her.” Finished with the buttons, Lilou spun Cami around so they stood toe to toe. “Child, there is an order to this household, and by stepping down those steps, you disrupted that order.” She took a deep breath. “By stepping on this island, you’ve disrupted the order of things. There will be a price to be paid if you will not learn your place.”
“But that’s the thing—my place isn’t here. My place is far away—really far away from here.”
Lilou reached out and touched Cami’s cheek. “Look into your heart, my dear. It will always tell you where you belong.”
“Where’s Captain Phillip now?” Cami asked.
“He’s where he should have been an hour ago—overseeing the rebuilding of his ship.”
“And what do you think I should be doing?”
Lilou shrugged. “Child, you can do anything you want.”
“But that’s not true, is it? I’m not allowed to leave the house. I can’t have water fights with the help.”
Lilou’s lips pulled up into a small smile. “Maybe you can find some solace at the piano.”
#
Cami wandered past the library. The books tempted her, but the piano drew her. At home, her mom insisted she practice every day, which Cami didn’t mind—had never minded, even as a child—but because of all the other stuff she had to do, she was never able to lose herself at the keyboard.
But now, as the empty hours stretched before her, she decided to play for as long as she wanted. A snatch of a song toyed in the back of her mind, and she tried the notes first in one key and then another. She wished she had a pencil and paper so she could write them down, but the feather quill and ink intimidated her, so she composed and tried to commit her music to memory. Hours passed.
“Where are you really from?”
Phillip’s voice startled her. Pulling herself out of her music, she paused with her fingers above the keyboard and turned to see him standing by the door, leaning against the wall, looking so much like Dr. Fleur it made her heart stop.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said.
He sauntered into the room and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I worry for your family. They must be frantic.”
“It’s just my mom and me…and my mom is always frantic. Honestly, the neighbor’s cats send her into a tizzy because they climb on our deck. She throws a fit when the pizza delivery boy is late. Any ruffle in her day can send her into a full-blown panic.”
“I do not know what a pizza boy is, but I do understand panic. I have felt that way often, although rarely about a cat. I am sure you are much more important to your mother than a feline or this pizza boy. Your disappearance must be greatly upsetting.”
“Yes, but I don’t know how to get home, especially since I don’t know how I got here.”
A frown settled across Phillip’s face. “I should take you to Connecticut, but given the hostilities, I fear the effort would cost us our lives and the lives of my men.”
Cami lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
“You don’t seem to care…”
“No, I do care. But I don’t know what I can do about it. Even if I somehow made it to Connecticut, I don’t think I’d be able to find my mom.” She paused. “Although, I know it’s really not fair for me to stay here and mooch off of you.”
“Mooch. I do not know this word.”
“I’m taking advantage of you. I should pay you, or work for my keep like Lilou, Cherise, and the others.”
His skin blanched. “I could not accept such service from you. I wish you to remain as my guest as long as you wish.”
She grinned. “So, I’m no longer a prisoner?”
He returned her smile. “But of course you are. I just hope you find your cell pleasing. May I?” He motioned to the bench. After she nodded, he sat beside her, his leg touching her thigh. “Will you play for me?”
“Sure.” She turned back to the keys. “What would you like?”
“Do you know Barbara Jean?”
“Hmm, no.” She tried to think of something he would know and realized with a start he was technically older than Beethoven. Grinning, she launched into a Ben Folds song.
“What is this?” he asked when she’d played the last note.
“Ben Folds. H
e’s a musician from where I’m from.”
“From Connecticut?”
She frowned. “I’m not sure where he was born, but I’m pretty sure Billy Joel is from New York, and people argue which is the better pianist. Although, I think there’s not much of a contest. You can tell me what you think.” She started playing a Billy Joel ballad.
Phillip listened intently. When she finished, he said, “I liked them both, but I do believe I preferred the tune you were playing before you knew I was listening.”
“Get out!”
He looked baffled. “Have I offended you?”
“No…just the opposite.”
“Then why must I leave?” He chuckled. “Must I remind you this is my home?”
“No…it’s…’get out’ is a way of saying I don’t believe you.”
“An odd expression.”
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
“Why wouldn’t you believe I preferred the music you played earlier?”
“It’s just…that was mine. I wrote it. And for someone, anyone, to say they liked my stuff more than Billy Joel’s or Ben Folds’…well that’s huge.”
“Huge? How does music relate to size?”
“You paid me a huge compliment.”
The confusion on his face softened. “I’m glad. Will you play more?”
“Sure. What would you like to hear? Oh, I know. How about ragtime, or honky-tonk?”
“Such strange names.”
“I know, right?”
“I wonder what they mean.”
Cami blinked. “Honky-tonk is a type of country music they play in taverns.”
“And what would you know of taverns?”
“Not much, but I love ragtime.” She knew where the name ragtime came from, but since she wasn’t about talk to Phillip about menstruating prostitutes, she started to play The Entertainer.
By the end of the evening, Cami had introduced Phillip to not only ragtime and honky-tonk, but also Broadway show tunes, a collection of Disney favorites, and jazz.
When the moon had risen and their dinner had long since grown cold, Phillip said, “I have thought of how you may earn your keep.”
“Really?”
“Will you teach me to play?”
#
Cami and Phillip fell into an easy and pleasant daily routine. Phillip spent the days overseeing the repairs to his ship and the care of his sugar fields, while Cami composed one song after another. When they met each evening, Cami would play the song she’d worked on during the day, and after dinner, she’d teach Phillip how to play. They started with “Chopsticks” and by the end of the first week, Phillip had mastered “Mary had a Little Lamb,” “Row Row Row Your Boat,” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
Every day Cami wondered if and when she’d return to the twenty-first century, but after the second month, she’d concluded there was no point in questioning or resisting fate. She grew to love her life on the island, and even though technically she was a prisoner, ironically, she’d never felt so free.
While Cami and Phillip ate breakfast one morning, Galileo entered the room carrying a vellum envelope.
“A message for you, my captain,” Galileo said.
Cami watched the color drain from Phillip’s cheeks as he read.
“What is it?” she asked.
“There has been a skirmish in Kingston. I must go.”
“But your ship! You haven’t finished the repairs. Is it okay to sail?”
“’Tis okay enough.”
“But what will I do? Can I come with you?”
“No, my love.” He reached out and touched her cheek. “You shall remain here where it is safe.”
#
The days seemed longer and emptier without Phillip. She spent most days at the piano or in the library, and almost every morning swimming in the ocean. She usually managed to return from the beach before anyone even knew she was gone.
One morning, wrapped in a towel, she padded barefoot through the sleeping house right before dawn. As usual, she hoped to be gone before anyone was awake, but Galileo caught her.
Pointing his feather duster at her, he said, “Good morning, miss.” If he was surprised to see her barefoot and wearing a towel, he didn’t let it show. “Are you ready for breakfast?”
“No. I’m going swimming.”
“Ah.” Galileo held his duster midair as if he didn’t know what to do with it. “Alone? There might be sharks.”
Cami knew he was really asking her not to go.
“I’ll stay close to the shore.”
“Ah,” Galileo repeated. “If you insist, miss, let me send someone to accompany you.”
“No! I don’t want to wake or bother anyone.”
“I’m sure it will not be a bother.”
“Of course it will.”
“The Captain…”
“Is not here.”
“Still, he would be terribly upset should anything happen to you.” With a great sigh, Galileo tucked his feather duster into his belt. “I will accompany you myself.”
“Galileo! Don’t be silly.” Careful to keep the towel tucked under her arms, she pointed at the beach. “I’ll be right there! You can watch me from the window.”
“But should a shark—”
“I’ll scream.”
“Or a pirate—”
“Technically, the Captain is a pirate.”
“Or a rogue wave.”
“I’ll be fine.” Cami headed for the door. When Galileo traipsed after her, she turned and pointed her finger at him. “You are not invited!” She planned on swimming in her bra and panties and she knew her near-nudity would horribly shock him. “Look, I’ll be right there. You can leave the door open, and if I need you, I’ll call.”
Galileo looked unsure, but at least he didn’t try to follow her.
Cami passed through the wide double doors and headed for the beach. The grass prickled her feet, and the air, already warm, felt heavy and humid. It was impossible to know the day or month. Since she’d been here, the days had melded together.
In Connecticut, it was pretty easy to distinguish one season from the next, but here it seemed like winter was pretty much the same as summer, not that she’d been here that long. Or had she? Would she grow old and die here?
Phillip had called her his love. Had he meant that? She liked his company, but could she really spend the rest of her life here with Phillip and the house staff? The life her mother had carefully plotted out for her seemed like a distant memory. She kept expecting to wake and find herself back at Norfolk Comprehensive with a mountain of homework overdue, but as each day passed, returning seemed more and more unlikely.
The grass gave way to sand. The ocean, a long swatch of blue, stretched in front of her. Tossing off her towel, she waded into the warm, clear water. It lapped at her toes and ankles until she gave in to the water’s teasing and dived under. She lingered below the surface and watched blue bubbles swirl as she sank further from the white morning sun. She swam without noise, her clean strokes a reminder she hadn’t a clue where she was, or where she was headed. And maybe that was okay. She swam until her muscles ached, then climbed onto the shore, and collapsed on the beach. The sand felt warm and gritty beneath her legs. Cami wrung out her hair and lifted her face to the sun. After a moment, she lay back and closed her eyes. She opened them when she felt a shadow fall over her.
Cherise.
“I have been sent to get you.”
“Why?” Cami braced herself on her elbows.
Cherise shrugged and tossed her thick dark hair over her shoulder. “Because I must do as I’m bidden.”
“But why should I follow you?”
“What are you wearing?”
Cami looked down at her bra and panties. “This is my underwear.”
“Do you dress such for the Captain?”
“No, he’s never seen me in my underwear.”
The answer seemed to please Cherise. “You will be here if he retu
rns?”
“If he returns?”
“Do you think he is playing games with the British?”
“No, of course not.” The memory of the blood staining the ship’s deck flashed in her mind. Although, until that moment, Cami hadn’t imagined a life on l'île du Ciel without Phillip.
“If he takes you as his wife, he will still come to my bed. You may have his children, but so will I.”
Cami sat up and brushed sand off her arms and legs. A cold breeze blew past, raising goose-bumps on her skin. “Um, that’s not ever going to happen.”
“We shall see,” Cherise said, as she turned to leave.
Cami stood and watched Cherise head back toward the house. Cherise’s hips wiggled seductively with every step, making Cami wonder, again, if Phillip and Cherise were already lovers.
Cami lay back on the sand. The day had barely started and Cherise had already ruined it.
#
Phillip returned three days later. He strode into the dining room and stood before Cami. His face looked a little more weather-beaten. Weariness seeped from his eyes.
She launched herself into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”
He returned her embrace and buried his face in her hair. “I am…also glad to see you.”
He pulled away from her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and stared at her as if she was a stranger. “We must talk, and soon.” Taking her face in his hands, he ran his thumb over her cheek. “Now, I wish nothing more than to bathe. We will talk tonight over dinner.”
#
“We will be married.” Seated at the dinner table, Phillip speared a green bean and made this pronouncement in the same tone he would have used to announce it was about to rain.
Cami sputtered and bits of the roll in her mouth flew across the table. She drew the back of her hand across her mouth. “Excuse me?”
Behind her, Galileo chuckled.
“You are excused,” Phillip said. “I have been told that staying here as my unchaperoned guest is unseemly. You must either leave, or you must marry me. I hope you choose the latter.”
“What? Those are my choices?”
“I wouldn’t think marriage to me should be a punishment.”
“No, of course not. But I’m not ready to get married.”
“Why not?”
“Lots of reasons…graduation from high school.”