Ocean Blue Ch 03

Things were different from that day on, or at least that is the way they seemed in Katherine’s mind. Anne had been surprisingly sweet to her since that afternoon, going out of her way to see that Katherine was being taken care of.

At first, Katherine thought it was because she was scared she would tell Lord Mickelson what his daughter had been up to while at sea, but it was the way that Anne looked at her that told her the real story. Someone had told her about the incident in the kitchen and now Anne looked on her with pity. Katherine had always hated that look; she had no need for other people’s pity, it never changed anything.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing about this voyage was that she had found a man who seemed to be in love with her. Philip had spent much of his time talking with her about different things and every time she saw him, she couldn’t help but smile. Such a strange effect that a person could have on you, Katherine mused as she went through her chores. Not only had he saved her life, but he made her feel happier than she had been in years.

He’ll just leave you.

A little voice in the back of her mind would scream every time they talked or saw each other across the deck, but Katherine refused to believe that this gentleman would leave her just like that. She would tuck the little voice into the back of her mind, focusing on the present.

It was late in the night, just one day after the awful incident. The ship was passing through the straights near Gibraltar, heading into the Mediterranean Sea and the southern coast of Italy seemed so close that Katherine dreaded the end of her voyage. Katherine stood in the cabin, brushing out Anne’s long hair as she readied her for bed. Anne sat there in her night gown, very calm and compliant as if for the first time in her life she had nothing to say. Her dark brown eyes were staring at Katherine in the mirror, tracing the shape of the dark bruise on her cheek silently.

“You don’t have to make my meals anymore, Kate.” Anne said suddenly, causing Katherine to stop brushing and raise her eyes to the mirror.

“I don’t mind, Miss Anne.” She whispered, blushing slightly under the close scrutiny of the lady before her, her grip on the brush painfully tight.

Anne turned in her seat, looking up at Katherine as she searched for the right words. The air in the cabin was tense, the wrong statement could set everything off. Anne had been scared of Katherine since she had seen her in the cabin with the sailor, wondering if she were really going to tell her father about what happened. On top of all that were the rumors that Katherine had been attacked by the cook, something that Anne felt responsible for. When she looked at the bruise, she felt like she were the one who inflicted it just so that she could give herself a few moments of pleasure.

“I don’t want you to cook for me anymore.” Anne said, standing up and brushing Katherine aside as she made her way over the her bed, pulling back the covers and settling in. “I must say that the food is much improved since the old cook has gone away.” She added, an air of haughtiness in her voice made her sound like her old self, even as she was being torn apart inside.

Katherine just shook her head, too tired to argue as she blew out the candles in the room, and slowly made her way to her bed. She had been unable to sleep last night, thinking about Philip the entire night. The way he made her heart jump with just a smile, the way that his blonde hair had a curl to it that refused to be tamed, or the way that his eyes crinkled when he laughed. Everything about him enchanted her, she thought as she lay down on her bed, looking up at the rough wooden ceiling, not bothering to undress.

“Kate.” Anne said in the darkness, her voice wavering slightly as she turned in the bed, causing the wood to creak slightly. “You won’t tell Papa about what happened, will you?” Her voice was small and childlike, the fact apparent that her father’s wrath weighed heavily on her mind.

Katherine thought for a moment, weighing her options in her mind. She could tell him and watch Anne get shipped off to a convent, leaving her free to do as she willed, but what was there for her to do? She was a girl without a past and certainly didn’t have any future to speak of, so that only left the present. If she did tell Lord Mickelson about Anne’s tryst with the sailor, he would find out about what happened with Charlie, and she couldn’t let that happen either.

“No. I won’t tell him.” She whispered into the darkness, her decision final. “He doesn’t have to know… about any of this.”

Anne gave a loud yawn, curling up in her sheets, a smile spreading across her face. “Thank you, Katherine.” She said, before drifting off to sleep, the sound of her soft snoring filling the cabin.

Katherine lay there for a few moments, smiling at the fact that Anne had actually used her name correctly for the first time since she had known her. Sitting up in the bed, Katherine looked up the wall, catching sight of a beautiful night sky out the porthole. Stars brightly shining with a full harvest moon glowing over the ocean. It was too nice to just stay here, especially since sleep was eluding her, so Katherine quietly made her way to the door, pulling it open and sneaking outside without disturbing Anne.

The deck was still filled with sailors, most enjoying the cool night air and the night sky as they drank and smoke their pipes. One man with a violin was playing a simple tune as another joined in by beating out a rhythm on the deck with his fists, much to the delight of the rest of the crew, who were singing along to the old sea song. Katherine stood in the background, watching all of the men with interest, smiling as she felt at home among the noise and clamor.

“I see the little miss can’t stay away from the action, can she?” Thom stated, just beside her, causing Katherine to jump and spin to face him, startled by his voice.

“It’s so peaceful out here. How could I just stay inside on a night like this?” She asked, giving him a smile as he took in the bruise on her cheek with sad eyes. Katherine stared into his brown puppy dog eyes for a moment, feeling uncomfortable in this large grouping of men all of the sudden.

Nothing is going to happen to you, Katherine. She scolded herself as the violinist changed his tune to a fast beat kale dance, some men making the comment that they wished they had a lass to dance with.

Katherine smiled to herself, pulling her loose hair back behind her ears as she held out her hand to Thom. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes knit together in confusion.

“Wot’s this for?”

Katherine said nothing, reaching down to grab his huge hand, and pulled him out onto the deck, into the middle of the men. Some shouted lewd comments, but meant in jest, not to be harmful as they saw her leading the big sailor towards the music. “You do know how to dance, don’t you?” Katherine whispered to him as the other sailors started clapping out a beat, encouraging the two of them.

Thom grinned, flashing her a brilliant smile as he blushed slightly, something that Katherine had never seen a man do. “Of course I can dance!” He shouted, sounding offended as the crew around them laughed.

“Don’t listen to ’im lass!” A man to the left shouted. “Got two left feet, ’e does!” The comment followed by laugher from all around as Thom looked at the deck, shaking his head as the blush deepened, covering his face in a deep crimson.

“Well, I can’t let this song go to waste.” Katherine announced, looking all around her as the men stared at the beauty before them. Their eyes weren’t filled with lust, as she would have thought, but with respect as if they considered her one of their own. She was, after all, considered common by society, just as the rest of them were. She knew a world that Anne and Captain Richards would never experience, a world that had thrown them all together by circumstance. “I need someone to dance with. Who‘s up for the challenge?”

A few men stood up, shoving and jeering at each other as they stood in front of her like school children, just waiting to be picked. Katherine looked over each, her eyes taking on a sly look as she rejected each, pouting slightly that no one else wanted to dance with her. She knew that if Anne were in her position, men would be climbing all over each other just for a chance at a few moments with her.

“I’ll dance with you,” came a voice from behind her.

Katherine slowly turned around, coming face to face with Philip as he smiled, his green eyes lively as he held out his hand for hers. Just behind him stood the Frenchman that Katherine had seen him talking to many times before, his hazel eyes looking her over with a gentle yet calculated gaze, as if he were sizing her up. Katherine smiled at Philip, taking her hand in his as he turned to the violinist, requesting a certain song as the sailors watching the scene shouted things at the two of them.

“Look at mister high and mighty!” One shouted, causing Philip to laugh and shake his head. “Thinks ‘e’s better then the rest of us just cos Ocean Blue chose ‘im.”

Katherine stiffened at the comment, her eyes turning serious as she turned to look at the man. He was laughing to a few men around him, oblivious to what his comment had meant. Of course, they probably all knew about the Ocean Blue and it’s legend, but none were smart enough to put two and two together, or at least that’s what Katherine thought. Philip noticed her sudden mood change and gave her a gently kiss against her hand, bringing her back into the moment without letting on of his little secret.

“Just enjoy yourself, beauty.” He whispered, leaning in to talk into Katherine’s ear .

The music started, a fast pace beat causing Katherine to move her feet quickly, trying to keep up with Philip as he moved around with ease, his hand gripping hers as they turned in a circle.

As the crew clapped, Philip moved in, grabbing her around the waist and spinning as fast as he could. Katherine let out a squeal, her skirts and hair flying around them as she struggled to hold on. He gave her a twirl, watching as she spun around his hand before he pulled her back in, their bodies pressed close together for a moment.

Katherine was breathing hard, staring into his eyes as he gave another grin and started the spinning again, the song picking up speed as the sailors saw just how fast they could go, a good old fashion kale dance to while away the time. As the music slowed and finally stopped, the sailors cheered as Katherine leaned into Philip’s arms, laughing out loud, as she tried to stop her head from spinning. She swayed like a drunkard, holding onto his arms for stability as she laughed, her heart happy for the first time in forever.

The night went along, much the same way, filled with dancing and music as other crew members took their turn with her, each trying to show up Philip, but none coming close. As Katherine sat down to catch her breath among all the excitement, Philip silently made his way to her side, taking her by the hand and pulling her away from the crowd, his eyes sparkling with mischief. She followed without question, placing all of her trust with him as they made their way towards the crates stacked on deck.

“I have something for you, beauty.” Philip said, pulling her back behind the crates, a place that they had come to know so well in the past few days, the setting for almost all of their meetings. “Sort of a present.” He said, as he helped her to sit down in the cramped space.

“What kind of present?” Katherine asked, interested in what he had to give her as she watched him kneel down, his hand tightly squeezed into a fist, hiding something from her view.

Philip unclasped his hand, letting a delicate necklace drop from his fingers, the chain catching on his index finger as he held it out to her. On the end of the chain was a simple pendent, a Celtic design engraved on the silver. “You know what this is?” He asked, watching as her eyes widened a bit.

“It’s a love knot.” Katherine whispered as she reached out to touch the pendent, her fingers running lightly over the silver.

“It was my mother’s. Now, I want you to have it, beauty.” He said, smiling as she looked at him in surprise, her blue eyes bright with emotion in the darkened night.

“Philip, I can’t take this.” She whispered, pulling her hand back as she stared at him. “If it was your mother’s, then it must be very special to you. I…”

Philip cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips as he grinned at her. “She was a special woman. I thought for a long time that I would never find a person just like her, but here you are, beauty. I want you to have this.” He insisted, bringing the necklace closer to his face so that he could undo the clasp in the dim light.

He held it out again, watching as her eyes watered up slightly, obviously stunned by his sudden show of emotion and she gave him a loving smile. “I’ll keep it safe, Philip. I promise.”

“I know you will, Katherine.” He whispered, sitting up on his knees as he pulled back her hair, gently placing it over one shoulder as he brought the necklace around her neck.

Philip clasp the necklace around Katherine’s neck, staring for a moment at the graceful arc of the back of her neck. The way her hair curled into to tight rings at the base of her hairline and the smoothness of her skin, pale and unmarred. It was almost as if he were in a trance as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the base of her neck, Katherine taking in a sharp breath as he let her hair fall back into place.

Turning to sit in front of her, Philip couldn’t help but smile at the blush that was spreading across her cheeks. It made her skin glow in the dim light, her blue eyes brighter then he had ever seen before. “You are more beautiful than anything I have ever seen.” He whispered, reaching out to caress the side of her cheek with his hand, careful of the bruise just beneath his hand.

“You are a charmer, Philip.” Katherine said with a laugh and a smile as she picked up the pendent and brought it up so she could look at it once more.

Philip reached out, grabbing her hand in his as he locked his eyes on hers. “On the contrary, Miss Katherine. You’re the one who has charmed me. Ever word that comes out of my mouth is pure.” He whispered, feeling a stab of guilt at the statement. Of course, he had other motives for gaining Katherine’s trust, but he would never tell her that. Truth of the matter was, he could never stand to see his beauty in pain.

Your beauty? He thought suddenly, a strange thought that made him grin. He had never been enamored with a girl before, but he had to admit that it was nice to give his attentions to someone who returned them as well. And she’ll bring in the money very soon. He chuckled to himself as he thought this, a truly wicked idea he knew, but to him money was worth so much more than love.

“What are you laughing at?” Katherine asked, her look confused as Philip looked at her in shock for a moment before the smirk came back to his face. He hadn’t realized that he had been laughing out loud.

“Nothing, beauty. Just thinking about something.” He said, letting go of her hand as she leaned back against the crates, looking around their little hiding place as if to memorize every inch of it.

Katherine sat there, her hand absently playing with the pendent as she stared at Philip. The night was dark and the sea quiet as men milled around the deck, most singing in a drunken haze. She took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as she scooted across the deck and leaned into his arms, wanting nothing more than to be held by him, something that she had dreamed about. She leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling his warm breath softly move her hair as he turned to look at her in surprise.

“I see you’ve finally warmed up to me, beauty.” He whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist, lacing his fingers with hers as he brought up her arm to gently kiss her hand.

Katherine turned her head slightly to stare into his green eyes, all of the fear and nervousness that she had felt before was gone. “It feels right.” She whispered as he gently kissed her forehead.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head into his kiss as he ran his hand through her hair, putting Katherine at ease. Sitting there in the Philip’s arms, she listened to the ship creak slightly in the rolling ocean, the sound of his heart beating softly in her ear, and the sailors milling around on the deck, starting to retire for the night. Katherine felt warm and comfortable in his arms, suddenly wanting something more from him. Pulling herself onto her knees, Katherine turned and looked at Philip, her eyes narrowing slightly as she reached up to take his face in her hands, a light stubble of blonde hair on his cheeks and chin scratching her fingers.

“Do you… want me?” She asked timidly, blushing a deep red as Philip smiled and took her hands in his, gently placing a kiss into each palm, rubbing his nose over her fingers before looking back into her eyes.

“I would be a fool to say no.” He whispered, watching a smile slowly spread across her face.

With a deep breath, Katherine timidly took his hands and placed them on her breasts, looking him in the eye as she chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what else to do.

“Are you sure, beauty?” Philip asked, surprised that she was acting this way. “I don’t want you regretting anything.”

“I won’t regret it.” She whispered, shaking her head slightly.

The statement made Philip’s heart jerk, his plans beginning to unravel. You can’t be falling in love. His mind screamed as he leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips, the soft skin feeling wonderful against him mouth. This is just for fun. He reasoned with himself as he tipped her backwards, his hand cradling her head as he gently laid her on the deck.

“We’ll do this the right way.” He whispered in her ear, making her giggle slightly as he began to work the ties on her gown, exposing inch after inch of the corset beneath to his eyes. He sat back on his knees as Katherine reached to take off his shirt, gently restraining her hands. “No, beauty. Just let me do everything.”

Katherine smiled and blushed as he pulled apart her gown, exposing her corset and petticoats to the night air. His look was warm and gentle as he started to unlace the corset, smiling as she took in a deep breath at being freed from the dreadful contraption, something he always thought was silly for women to wear.

To him, the female for was perfect, just the way it was and if he ever had a wife, he would tell her that everyday. He pulled back the stiff fabric, getting the first glimpse of her small breasts, peaked with pale, pink nipples that were standing at attention. He smiled, watching as the blush traveled down her neck to the top of her breasts, yet another thing that was charming about her. Looking back up at her face, he noticed the nervousness in her eyes, those blue irises watching his every movement.

“Am I your first?” Philip asked suddenly, catching her chin in his hand as he settled down on top of her, carefully trying not to crush her with his weight.

Katherine slowly shook her head, her eyes turning sad as she stared up at him. “No.” She whispered, the confession obviously hard for her as her voice wavered slightly. “If you don’t want to…” She started, beginning to pull her clothes back around her as she tried to sit up, the sadness in her heart so strong that Philip could feel it surrounding her.

Philip quickly kissed her lips again, leaning her back against the deck to stifle her thoughts. “I didn’t say that, beauty.” He said with a smile, gently tracing a finger over her nose and lips, tracing the side of her face as he lovely caressed her cheek. “I’m just going to have to make this special for you so you will always remember.”