I walked down the gangway, I couldn't wait to plant my feet on solid ground after the long, arduous journey from England to the new world, America.
My father was a wealthy merchant. I had never wanted for anything in all my life and I guess it made me a little spoiled.
I hadn't wanted to come here but ever the businessman, my father was presented with an opportunity he couldn't refuse and we had packed up a few suitcases and trunks and sent the rest of our belongings on ahead of us.
I would miss our beautiful mansion and the active social life I had with my numerous friends.
I had heard countless stories of how hard life was over here and how lawless criminals ran riot everywhere.
I clung to my purse and looked at the people bustling about their business.
This place smelt like rotten fish and sewage and I wrinkled my nose in distaste.
I looked at my father and said, "Daddy I do hope our new home is far away from this dreadful, stinking hellhole."
"Now now, Abigail language please, that is no way for a lady of fine breeding to speak. You should see this as a riveting adventure. None of your companions back home in England have ever travelled so far.
You are about to embark on a new chapter in your young life and you may even come to enjoy it."
"Now where in the blazes is Henry," he grumbled.
He went off in search of his servant who he'd sent out an hour ago to secure a carriage and some horses for us to travel to our new home.
I stood waiting patiently for my father to return. These people were a rough sort and they ogled me inappropriately. I nervously tapped my foot and ignored those around me as best as I could.
I really wish we hadn't left England.
He watched her from afar. She didn't look like she belonged in this miserable port town. Her dress was fashionable and clearly expensive. His boss had sent him to retrieve a whore to make his nights at sea less tedious. This was clearly the high end sort, not the type he could afford to purchase with his meager coin. He licked his lips and smoothed his oily hair. Aye the Captain would surely reward him handsomely for this find.
I finally spotted Henry and my father. "It's about time," I groused. "I have been waiting here for ages Daddy. What on earth kept you so long? These heathens have been gawking at me and I'm really ready to leave now."
"Sorry to have kept you waiting my dear. We had a rather difficult time finding a decent pair of horses and a carriage that didn't smell like a chamber pot."
He led me to a small, unimpressive carriage with a pair of mismatched Chestnut geldings harnessed to it.
I turned and looked at my father, my displeasure clearly painted across my face. This was a far cry from the perfectly matched, elegant steeds and large flamboyant carriages we had in England.
"This is the best you could come up with? Really Daddy what kind of place is this where you cannot even procure a decent carriage for us to travel in. We are not paupers after all."
He looked at me with a frustrated glare. "It will have to do till we find a better alternative Abigail. Be happy that at least it doesn't smell like stale ale and urine."
Henry helped me into the carriage and I arranged my skirts around me as I sat on the worn velvet covered seat.
My father climbed up next to Henry and the carriage lurched forward as we began our journey to our new home.
I didn't have high hopes about our new accommodation judging by what I had experienced since we arrived.
I realized I was exhausted from the trip and the clacking noise coming from the carriage wheels rolling over the cobbled stone road lulled me to sleep.
I awoke a couple of hours later. My father had decided that it was getting too dark to continue our journey and we stopped and set up camp for the night. Henry went to water the horses by a small stony creek some two hundred yards from where we were staying for the night.
My mood was sour and I reiterated my prior gripes to my father. "This is hardly an appropriate way for us to spend the night Daddy. Surely there must at least be an inn we could have overnighted in? That carriage is cramped and uncomfortable and you expect me to sleep in it," I whined.
"Well Abigail you have two choices, You either make do with the carriage or you can sleep under the stars with Henry and myself. I cannot do anything about the lack of inns in this region and we could hardly continue on this rough road unable to see where we are going.
We will reach our destination sometime tomorrow afternoon so it won't be long now."
After we ate a simple meal of dried meat, cheese, bread and fruit we all went to retire for the night. Daddy wanted to leave at first light and he wanted us as rested as we could be for the duration of the journey. He said I would be pleasantly surprised by our new home. He had it built to his specifications and by all accounts it was the grandest manor house in the whole town.
I just couldn't wait to have a hot bath and to sleep in a big feather bed that wasn't rocking all night long. I definitely would not refer to myself as the seafaring type.
I was restless, the hard carriage floor was hellishly uncomfortable despite the rugs and blankets Henry had placed down for me to sleep on. The eerie night noises were totally foreign to a city girl such as myself. I was worrying about the possibility of some large wild animal mauling my father as he slept out in the open. I silently cursed the man who had encouraged my father to uproot us all.
I heard a faint rustling in the bushes. I strained my ears to try and make out what it could be. After a few minutes of silence I convinced myself that I was imagining things and I closed my eyes willing sleep to come.
I opened my eyes as a noise startled me and the next thing I knew there was a hand held over my mouth as I was roughly dragged out of the carriage.
I was unceremoniously draped over a saddle and my hands and feet were tied with rough, scratchy ropes. A foul smelling rag was forced between my lips. I tried in vain to scream as tears of terror ran down my cheeks.
The next morning I could smell the ocean again. I heard the din of the harbor town in the distance. I lifted my head to see where this barbarian had taken me. My eyes opened wide as I was faced with a large ominous looking black ship with a strange red coloured flag billowing in the breeze.
The filthy brute held a rag soaked in heaven knows what up to my nose and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness.
I don't know how long I had been asleep but when I awoke I found myself feeling slightly nauseated by the telltale rocking motion of being at sea. I shot up into a seated position as I surveyed my surroundings. I was in a sparsely decorated cabin. The bed was large enough and relatively comfortable and there was a desk and a couple of wing chairs overlooking a porthole window. A simple wash stand stood in one corner with a pitcher and basin placed on top of it. A wooden closet with a mirror stood against the other wall.
On the back of the door hung a gaudy red dress you'd expect to see a harlot wearing.
I got up and tested my legs. I had rope burns on my ankles and wrists and I rubbed the area to try and sooth my skin.
I walked to the door only to find it locked. Anger started to take over me. I wanted an explanation for this and I wanted to be returned to my father as soon as possible.
I pounded on the door as hard as I could to get someone's attention.
A minute or so later it opened and a plainly dressed woman walked through the door.
She carried a tray of food and wine and walked past me to set it on the desk.
I looked at her sternly and asked to see the person who had brought me here against my will.
She informed me that the Captain would be by shortly as soon as he had finished up his business with the crew. She pointed to the dress and told me I was expected to wear it. I looked at it in disgust, there was no way in hell I would ever wear something so inappropriate.
As she turned to leave I tried to get across the room in time to prevent her from locking me in but I wasn't quick enough. I screamed at her in frustration but she was already gone.
I sat down in defeat and sampled some of the food. I was so famished that everything on my plate tasted delicious, I ate my fill and waited for this so called Captain to arrive.
About twenty minutes later I heard the key grating in the lock. The door opened slowly and a tall, striking looking man entered the room. He looked me up and down and then frowned.
"Why aren't you wearing the dress I purchased for you? Surely by now you would want a fresh change of clothing or do you like to smell the stink of travel on your person?"
I looked up at him with a look of total disdain. "How dare you presume to know what I do and do not like. I would rather remain dressed in fetid rags than wear the dress of a harlot," I spat. "I demand you take me back at once. My father will see to it that you are suitably punished for the ordeal you have put me through."
He chuckled, a crooked grin formed on his lips. "You are quite the actress aren't you my dear? Father indeed! Is that what you call your aging benefactor?"
I looked at him in complete confusion. What else would I call him?
He grabbed my arm and spoke to me sternly. "I'm sure he compensated you well for your services but I assure you I am a man of means myself and you will be justly rewarded for servicing me as well."
"I have no idea what you are referring to. I am sure you have me confused with someone else as my father is just that, my father. I'm not in his employ nor anyone else's for that matter."
He chuckled again. "Feel free to continue this charade my dear, as long as you satisfy my needs I could not care less what role you wish to play.
Now I'm going out for a little while and when I come back I expect you to be wearing that dress."
"You will not get away with this you brute," I shouted at him. I flung my wine glass at him just as he was closing the door. The glass shattered into pieces as it struck, just missing it's mark by a couple of seconds.
I sat back down on the bed, trying to make sense of what was happening to me. None of the reasonings I came up with made me feel at ease and I started to panic.
