Page 122 of The Fighter who Needed Me
Epilogue
Nathaniel
Coming home to London after their adventure at sea had been bittersweet.
Cabe had almost died, and if Nathaniel had not known he was going to the ship, he would have.
Nathaniel had climbed over the side of the ship and had gone in through the window of the cabin, which had thankfully been left open.
Lucius had pulled the trigger, shooting Cabe and felling him, but before he could shoot again, Nathaniel’s pistol had gone off in the night, hitting Lucius in the back of the head.
Blood had flown and Rose had screamed Cabe’s name over and over, and as soon as he had freed her, had to see her crawl to him and hold his head in her lap while she sobbed.
He knew that Cabe wouldn’t like that she was in the carnage and he had lifted her from the floor, but she had run from the room, vomiting over the side of the boat.
And then she had ran. Nathaniel had gone back into the cabin to get Cabe’s body free when he noticed the blood had not pooled like it had around Lucius.
That there was only a little and it smelled strongly of rotten grapes.
He had ripped Cabe’s shirt open and noticed that while his chest was bruised and had been cut enough to bleed some, it was intact and he had taken his fist and hit it on Cabe as hard as he could, which made Cabe suck in a breath and start breathing again.
He opened his eyes seconds later, but Rose was already gone, and then Cabe was gone too.
Nathaniel had wished for years that the woman he had loved from when they were children had not gotten away.
But their family had moved after they found better circumstances and he had stayed in the slums of Whitechapel, missing the girl that had stolen his heart.
She had dark brown, almost black hair and hazel eyes. That were sometimes brown and sometimes green.
Depending on her mood. She had taught him how to read and how to write.
How to do simple math and he had flourished in the Chapel.
He found work at a small print shop and worked for hours setting each letter in place.
Until he had been old enough to join the Navy. Which he had done as soon as he turned 16.
He was assigned to the first ship and hated the Captain, and the crew. They were philanderer’s and raped women when they were not willing.
The Captain didn’t care as long as he was never disturbed, and Nathaniel never went with any of the crew anywhere.
When they got back to England after almost a year, he immediately asked to be put on a different ship.
Which was granted. And he met Cabe.
The adventures they went on, and the runs they made were wonderful.
Cabe was a caring captain who worked beside his crew, and never thought himself better than anyone.
Nathaniel had moved up the ranks to become Cabe’s right hand man, and they had become thick as thieves.
Nathaniel had told Cabe about the girl who had gotten away, that her name was Annelise Nichols and that she was it for him.
It was why he never joined the crew when they went carousing around town.
Cabe laughed, “I don’t go either.”
Nathaniel gave a short nod, “I did notice that. Why? Have you found your girl?”
