Page 10 of Hired by Pirates

“You’re safe, Astor. You’re not alone anymore. You’re part of a crew.”

She stepped back, looking up at me with an odd smile. “Really?”

“Yes. For the moment, you are our doctor. But this is a small crew and most of us wear many hats, as it were.” I reached down to give her hand a little squeeze. “Don’t jump. I’m about to holler.”

Stepping back, I dropped her hand and bellowed, “All crew to the main deck.”

The stomping of work boots seemed to come from all directions. My ragtag bunch of men gathered around in a circle, some of them staring curiously at the pretty young lady beside me.

“Men, this is Astor. She is the ship’s doctor now. She’ll be keeping an eye on Simon so that he can keep the use of his arm and hand.”

There were a few curious murmurs that I silenced with a sharp glare. “She’s a full member of the crew, but this is her first time on a ship, so I trust that we’ll all guide her and keep her safe while she learns our ways.”

They all nodded in agreement. One of the things I appreciated about my crew was that they were all fairly obedient, and knew when to keep their mouths shut.

“You’ve already met Simon, the first mate and navigator,” I said, as my brother gave her a tiny wave with his good hand.

“I’m feeling a lot better already, Miss,” he said. “More like a dull ache than a stabbing sort of evil.”

“Good,” she smiled. “Just keep it still, and come to me immediately if you feel feverish.”

“Aye, Miss.”

“You’ve briefly met Jake and Jocko,” I said, as the two younger boys waved madly, showing off, pleased that they knew the newcomer already.

“Tobias is our bosun,” I said, pointing to the only man aboard even bigger than I was.

“And general strong man when needed,” he said to her with a wink as he bowed politely.

“Woods is our carpenter,” I said to the thin man with dark hair tied back in a scarf.

“A carpenter named Woods?” Astor grinned.

“Aye, that’s my last name, and nobody can be bothered to say Aloysius, so there you go,” he shrugged.

“And I’m Barnaby, Miss.” The older, portly man stepped forward to kiss Astor’s hand. “I’m the cook.”

The poor lass seemed a bit overwhelmed, so I thought it might be best to keep her busy.

“All right, so let’s all keep a close eye on the doctor while she gets her sea legs,” I said. “Jake and Jocko, why don’t you lads take her for a quick tour of the ship, and point out everything she needs to know to keep her safe.”

“Aye, Captain,” they said as one. I swear, sometimes you would think they were twins. It was uncanny.

“Then take her down to Barnaby, and he can show her the galley. By then we’ll need lunch.”

“Aye,” Barnaby agreed.

“Are you all right with this plan, Astor?” I asked.

She nodded eagerly, but her voice sounded shy. “Yes, Captain. I love learning, so I’m going to think of this as a class, like back in school.”

“Brilliant. Off you go.”

The boys led her down to the stern. I knew they were sentimental types, and would likely think she’d want one last look at her hometown as it faded into the distance.

“Simon, Tobias – chart room.”

Once we’d assembled at the big table, I rolled out the map of Acreton.

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