Page 19 of Hired by Pirates

“All of her book learnin’ is serving us well, Captain,” Barnaby said, grinning ear to ear across his round face. “Apparently the secret is to lower the heat, but keep it very even.”

“She used those old bricks that we’ve been using for weighing down the tarps,” Tobias said with a laugh, before jamming another bun into his mouth.

“I remembered reading about stone ovens,” Astor said brightly. “And something about some people who made brick ovens. So I thought that if we put bricks over the coals, we could cobble together our own version.”

“You are an absolute wonder,” I murmured, snagging the roll that Woods had been reaching for.

I turned to hand it to Simon, who was just coming into the room. “Sorry, I overslept, Captain,” he said groggily.

“Sleep is good,” Astor said, wiping her floury hands on an apron. “But let me see…” She came over to put the palm of her hand on his forehead, then made a face, trying it again with the back of her hand.

“Do you get warm when you sleep?” she asked.

“Sometimes. I’v

e always liked a lot of blankets.”

“You’re probably warm because you just got up. I’ll check again in a little while.”

She handed him a teacup. “Drink this quickly and get it over with.”

He sat down with a sigh, then downed the tea as fast as he could while making a pitiful face that caused the rest of us to laugh.

As Astor and Barnaby fussed around with breakfast, I had to admit it was a great relief having her on board.

I always worried about my younger brother, and if we hadn’t been able to secure a doctor to keep an eye on him, I would have probably been tempted to scrap our job, and stay in port where he could be tended to properly.

As we all drank tea and ate breakfast, we reviewed the workload for the day. Since we’d be sailing fairly straight for the next few days, the tasks would be lighter than usual. Once we had everything pretty much settled, Astor turned to me. “Captain, since caring for Simon isn’t exactly a full-time job, what else can I do to earn my keep?”

“Keep helping Barnaby cook, I hope,” Tobias smirked.

“The lass certainly does know her way around the kitchen,” Barnaby agreed. “But though I’d appreciate a bit of help here and there, it’s not your duty.”

“You sewed up my arm quite well,” Simon said. “Can you sew clothing as well?”

She nodded eagerly. “I’m certainly not the best, but I can do simple things.”

“Perhaps if any of the lads need a spot of mending done, you could sit in my quarters and do that in the afternoons,” I suggested. “It would keep you out of the sun when it’s at its strongest.”

Astor nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea, Captain. Thank you.”

“Since you’re a doctor, miss,” Woods asked, “would it be all right to ask you about any ailments we may have?”

“Absolutely!” She seemed instantly excited by the prospect. “I don’t have the supplies with me to treat absolutely everything, but I could certainly try to advise you.”

Woods nodded quite seriously. “Once in a while I get strange pains in my stomach after meals, and as much as I want to joke about Barnaby’s cooking, it’s certainly not that bad.”

“Hmm,” Astor nodded. “How about you come by this afternoon while I’m sewing, and tell me all about it. We’ll try to get to the bottom of it.”

Tobias smiled, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “I suppose that being a doctor is kind of like being a detective in the stories, isn’t it, miss? Like a puzzle?”

She laughed. “That is exactly what it is. Since I can’t just look inside somebody, I have to guess at what it might be. It’s difficult, but I’ve always loved being able to help people sort things out.”

My foot reached out to brush against hers under the table, and I could tell from her soft smile that she appreciated the gesture.

As we all went about our work, I found myself checking in on Astor at every opportunity. Sometimes I would have an excuse for strolling by. Other times I didn’t but would drift over to ask if she needed anything, and make sure the crew wasn’t bombarding her for an opinion on every little scar or splinter.

It gradually occurred to me that in order for her to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, she was going to be treating many men, oftentimes having to put her hands on them.

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