The Grey Lady

As in most stories, the beginning requires a certain amount of exposition to set it up. This first chapter does not have a lot of sex. But if you will just read and enjoy, there will be more action in the subsequent chapters.

*****

Sabina couldn't help but laugh. John was doing his best to imitate a buffoon as he jumped around and made faces. Sabina's laughter seemed to float on the breeze and she clapped her hands in delight. The more she laughed and clapped, the livelier John's actions became until he finally flopped down in the clover, panting and red-faced. She eventually got her amusement under control and stood up from the large rock she had been sitting on. Grey eyes merrily looked at the 6-year-old boy as his red face slowly returned to its normal color. His brown hair with its stubborn cowlick was sweaty and in its usual disarray. She reached a hand out to him, and her long blonde hair swung forward to make a curtain around her round face with its sprinkle of freckles across her nose.

"Come." She looked at him with a smile. "Your Mother will be wondering where we have disappeared to."

John looked up at his aunt with utter devotion. He loved her with all his heart and couldn't understand why everyone laughed when he proclaimed that when he grew up he was going to marry Auntie Sabina. He thought that she was the most beautiful lady in the world, except for his Mother. He jumped up and took his Aunt's hand and the two begin to walk back to the house.

Sabina knew that Rachel would be glad for the time that she had spent with the child. Like most children, he never liked to take a nap, but hopefully now he would be tired enough to sleep for a couple of hours. Rachel was in her third month and she and her husband, Sander, were hoping that this time they would be blessed with a daughter. But Rachel seemed to be tired lately, just getting over a slight congestion and Sabina had her resting as much as possible. Sabina's visit had only been for a fortnight but she was trying to help out where possible. And a 6-year-old boy can be very wearing on the nerves, and stamina. Sabina didn't mind.

They walked along the dirt road with the little boy chatting up a storm, telling her all about the new bug that he had seen yesterday. But she could tell that today there would be no argument when the mention of sleep came up on their return to the house. Then she would be able to get some work done while both John and Rachel slept.

"Quiet," she cautioned John. "Mommy may be asleep. We don't want to wake her, do we?" John looked solemn and began making a big deal of sneaking into the house with Sabina. Since she could not hear any noise, she suspected that that was true. She got a mug of water for John, and he slurped it down noisily before giving Sabina a grin. But she could see in his eyes that the little boy was tired. She ushered him into his bedroom and as he sat on the edge of the bed, she removed his shoes. He was still chattering away and Sabina gave a little yawn, hoping that maybe the child would get the suggestion.

"Tell me a story," he asked and Sabina began telling the story that was John's favorite. It was something that she had made up, but John loved the tale about a pirate named Captain Long Drawers. Just a silly story, but in only a couple of minutes the little boy was asleep. She tucked the blanket around his small body and quietly left. Checking into the other bedroom, she could see her big sister asleep on her side, softly snoring. Probably in another week or so, Rachel would be back to normal, at least until it got closer to her delivery date. Sabina braided her hair, grabbed her hat and headed outside to work in the garden. She hoped that she could get just a bit of work done while they were both asleep. Sander would be gone for another week so the majority of the hard work would have to wait until his return. However, despite her slender build, Sabina was stronger that she looked. She walked to the far end of the field and began to work, pulling weeds and grass growing between the rows of tender shoots. The sun beat down on her, and her hat provided very little comfort against the afternoon heat so Sabina pushed her thoughts to other things.

Sabina and Rachel had grown up in a very loving family. Both her Mother and Father had provided a nurturing childhood and though there had been an 8-year gap in their ages, they had always been the best of friends. When Rachel had married Sander, Sabina was happy for her sister, but sad to see her move away. The birth of her nephew John was a joy to the family. Now everyone now looked to her, expecting her to marry one of the local young men. As she reached her twentieth year, her parents began to suspect that their younger daughter would become an old maid. And it wasn't that she disliked men, but to her the local young ones all seemed so immature, so childish, or so boring. She didn't know who she wanted, only that she had not yet met the man of her dreams.

It wasn't that she was ugly. But next to her sister, Sabina had always felt like a washed out version of her sister. Whereas Rachel's chestnut-colored hair was thick and rich-looking with waves and curls running down her back, Sabina's hair was pale blonde, straight and long. It refused to curl no matter how hard she tried. Her grey eyes were pale compared to the rich brown of her sisters. Rachel had taken after their Mother, but Sabina looked just like her Father's Mother, though the woman had died before Sabina had been born so she only had her Father's assurance that she was the spitting image of Clara Mearth.

Sabina looked at the sky overhead and figured that she still had another hour's worth of work to do before she needed to head back to the house and start the evening meal. By that time Rachel would be awake and even John could help her prepare things. She turned back to her work, pulling the weeds and humming a little tune under her breath.

******

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

The nearest doctor was in Rabel and unfortunately, she didn't have a horse so it would be up to her to make it to town on her own legs. She knew that she could ride back with the doctor, but the important thing was to get into town as fast as possible and get him out to the house. Rachel had started bleeding a little before sunset and even though she was trying to remain calm, Sabina could tell that she was scared. Sabina herself was scared but she knew that time was important. Little John could tell that something was wrong and looked as if he was going to burst into tears. Sabina took a moment to calm his fears. "John, you need to help your Mother. You need to stay calm and help her. Okay?" His big eyes looked like they were going to spill tears down his round cheeks. "Honey, I need to go get the doctor. You need to look after her and get her anything that she needs." She bent down and kissed his forehead before heading out the door and turning towards town. It wasn't really that far to go. It was just a bit of a distance when someone you loved was in danger.

The moon was starting to rise as Sabina ran down the road. She didn't care if it was conduct unbecoming a young lady, she would run as hard as she could. Finally, she felt a pain in her side and slowed to a fast walk as she tried to catch her breath. With each step she said a silent prayer. "Please dear Lord, let her be okay." After a few minutes, she began to run again. Soon she had set a pattern of running followed by walking fast until she had caught her breath. Then it would be back to running. Soon she could see the flicker of lights from the port of Rabel. She knew where the doctor's home was so at least she would not waste time searching for him.

In the dark the town looked less friendly. Suddenly, spaces between buildings were cause for trepidation. As she rushed along the street, she felt her heart pound as a burst of laughter from behind her caused her to look nervously back. A group of inebriated men staggered down the street, laughing and singing a raucous song. She pulled back into the shadows between two buildings, hoping that they had not seen her. She probably would have been safer with the drunken men than with the man with whom she shared the dark alley.

******

Picky Pete held his breath. In the dark, it had been hard to pick the dead man's pockets. This was the third man in 2 days that he had managed to rob and kill. He leaned down to wipe his pick on the dead man's clothes. The mark didn't even have enough to make it worthwhile. He was gonna have to find another one before the ship set sail. He had maybe an hour before he had to be back at the ship.

Then she stepped into his arms, or almost into his arms. He held his breath as she stood just within reach. He could see that she was young, and probably pretty. Maybe she was a doxy on her way to work at one of the local pubs. She would certainly be a snug harbor for his dingy. He laughed silently at his own joke. Then he had a thought. He was still in a bit of trouble with the Capt'n. Maybe if he took him a gift, it would get him back in his good graces. And just maybe the Capt'n would let him have a poke at her when he was through.

In the dark, he tried to sidle up close to her. As his foot knocked against a bottle, he panicked when she turned to see what was behind her. Without thinking, he picked up the bottle and brought it down on her head. She gave a little cry before slumping to the ground in the filthy alley. Pisser!! He had probably killed her! He bent over and listened for her breathing. It was weak, but there. God, but she was pretty from what he could see in the darkness.

As she lay there among the urine and blood coating the street, Pete reached down and gave her breast a squeeze. Soft! He tried to unbutton the front of her dress, and only succeeded in ripping the buttons off her dress. But it gave him a chance to get a good feel of her firm, young breast. His cock rose as he gave her nipples a good hard pinch. He expected her to moan, but she remained unresponsive. He spent a minute pawing the soft white mounds, pinching and pulling on the soft skin and leaving red scratches around the rosy areolas. He finally realized that he needed to get her on the ship and fast. What he really wanted to do was give her a good poking, but he knew that the Capt'n would know and then his gift would be for naught. He reached down and lifted the hem of her skirt to cop a feel while he could. His hands ran up her legs, giving the soft flesh hidden by her drawers a good pinch. He followed her leg up to where he found the slit in her drawers. Reaching through the opening, he placed his hands the curls hiding her mound and felt the heat from her body. He so wanted to dip a finger in that hot spot. Unable to stand the temptation, his fingers searched to find the hidden entrance. Although hot, the area was dry. What a disappointment!

He peeked out the alley and saw that the way was clear. Bending over, he grabbed the girl and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. She made no sound. This was gonna be easier than he thought. With one hand on her legs to steady her, he reached under her skirts and ran his other hand up her leg as he strode down the street towards the pier where the ship was anchored. Her drawers covered her well enough so that all Pete managed to do was get the white cotton thoroughly dirty with the gore from the alley. He had to satisfy himself with pinching and pawing the back of her legs and buttocks through the rough fiber.

He was glad that she didn't weigh that much as the pint or two that he had consumed earlier that evening made him just a bit unsteady. He would not have been able to carry someone the size of Jenny. Jenny was his favorite whore to use when he was back home, her body soft and plump like lots of pillows made to cushion his body. He always looked Jenny up when at The High Tide. In Rabel, he had arrived at one of the local taverns for a tumble just as the last girl was heading upstairs with another customer. He had thought to wait for one of them, but then he had met his last mark, and had decided to earn a bit of money before setting sail when the tide left. Now, instead, he had this juicy plum.

The dock came into sight and he could see some of the crew stowing provisions away. He headed towards the gangplank. Everyone seemed busy and he managed to make it up the ramp and onto the ship while still balancing the girl on his shoulder. If anyone thought that is was strange for him to carry a female on the ship, they didn't say anything. Pete slipped inside and made his way to the Capt'n's cabin. Hoping the Capt'n was busy elsewhere, he would slip the girl in and once they set sail the Capt'n would find his little gift waiting for him.

Pete's luck held as the cabin boy was nowhere to be seen. A quick knock and a glance inside found an empty cabin. Crossing to the bunk, he dropped the girl on the large bed and looked down at her. Pisser, but she was beautiful! Her pale skin made her look like she would break any minute. Her dress was torn and badly stained with the blood, urine and filth from the alley. Her breast could be seen in the opening where her dress and chemise were torn. Pete decided that he might as well make the gift look more enticing to the Capt'n, and while he was at it, he could get a better look for himself. After all, that should be a benefit of obtaining the girl. Reaching out, he jerked the rest of her dress open, effectively ripping the fabric and making the dress totally useless. She wouldn't need it anyway, if she was to be the Capt'n bed warmer.

He rolled her from side to side, removing the shreds of the dress and dropping it to the side. With his knife, he cut her the laces on her corset off, pealing that away too. In her chemise, her body looked perfect. His hands pulled and squeezed her tits leaving scratches and welts on the soft white skin. With his knife, he finished cutting away the torn chemise and pulled it from her body. His cock throbbed as he drooled over the beauty laying on the bunk. His fingers skimmed along the curves of her hip, pinching and pawing the soft firm skin. The golden curls nestling between her legs drew him and he spread her thighs to pinch and pull the tender skin between them. His fingers found her slit and was disappointed to note it still dry and unresponsive.

The ship dipped as it headed out to open sea and he realized that he needed to get up topside before it was noticed that he was missing. His cock had plans, but this time his head won the battle and he kicked the pile of torn clothes to the side, pulled the sheet up over the tasty tart and slipped out, leaving the young girl lying on the bunk.

*****

One look at him and you knew that this was not a man destined to work behind a desk, even though that was exactly what his father had expected of him. Jake Masters had worked hard to make his way from crewman to captain of his own ship.

He stood on deck as his men worked as a unit to cast off The Grey Lady from its moorings. He was built solid but was definitely not stocky or fat. Most people who met him were reminded of a panther or a leopard and his movements belied his size. Standing just over six foot with his black hair and dark eyes, people felt uneasy around him. Most people avoided any confrontation with him. With women it was a different story. He seemed to attract them no matter what port they were in and he usually had no problem finding a companion.

For the most part, he was satisfied with the crew. There were a few men that he felt were slackers, like that man Carter; or Picky Pete, he thought as he saw the man appear topside and start work. He had been tempted to leave the man in Rabel. But Pete was fond of drink, and Jake really didn't want his plunder to be revealed to just everyone so he had kept the man on. Once they reached Wexling he would dump him down there where the law was laxer. Bellowing out orders, The Grey Lady dipped in the open sea and turned South toward their mark.

The wind strained the sails whipping a loose line. Jake's voice bellowed and the slacking man grabbed the wayward line to tie it down. Picky Pete! He should have known. The moon was rising in the star laden sky, impossibly large and bright. This was living. His father never had understood what drew Jake to this life instead of spending his time in drawing rooms and board rooms. Eventually, he turned the wheel over to Bilge, his first mate, and headed down to his cabin. He had some work to do before catching a bit of sleep.

Entering his cabin, something felt wrong. He stood by the door, holding his breath as he looked around the room. Over in a corner he spied a bundle. In large strides he crossed the cabin and picked up the bundle, realizing that it was the remains of various woman's clothing. He turned to look and saw her. She was haunting. Her pale features looked delicate against the white sheets. Her hair was long and blonde, and fanned out to framed a round face. Her lips were pale and parted and he could see white, even teeth. He reached out to touch her warm, soft skin. What was she doing here? Had she stolen on board for a bit of a lark, or to run away to a new life? It was not the first time he had a woman in his bed, but right now was not really convenient. He reached down to shake her awake.

"Wake slut." She didn't move nor did she make any noise. "Come on Girl! I'm tired and need some rest. Maybe tomorrow we can have a tumble." He shook her harder but she didn't stir. All his shaking managed to do was roll her head towards him. That's when he saw the blood. Quickly he parted her hair and saw the cut in her hairline. Crossing to the door, he stepped out and called to the cabin boy to get Bilge. He returned to his cabin and closed the door. In the corner was a bucket of fresh water. He poured it in the basin on the chest and found a clean rag. Carrying both over to the bed, he began to work to clean the obvious wound on the girl's head. At the knock on the door, he gave a curt "Enter," but continued his work. Bilge entered and crossed to see what Captain Jake wanted. Jake heard his sudden intake of breath as he saw Jake working on the girl

"How did you manage to get her on board?" Bilge could appreciate the sleeping beauty lying there in the Captain's bunk. Jake growled as he cleaned the cut, and Bilge noticed the bowl was tinged pink from blood.

"I don't know where she came from, but it looks like she needs a stitch or two. Hold her down while I stitch her up. God knows the last thing I need is for her to wake up and start screaming and thrashing around." Bilge held the girl's arms as the Captain threaded the needle and began stitching her cut. He was surprised that she didn't move nor make a sound. It only took 3 stitches, and Jake worked to be sure they were tiny and neat. He usually didn't care how his stitches looked as long as they did the job. He had stitched up many a man cut in battle or from an accident on board. But this girl was pretty and he didn't want to mar her good looks. He didn't like the fact that she hadn't awaken. That was not a good sign. Jake stepped back and looked at his work. It would have to do.

He barked an order over his shoulder to Bilge. "Find out who put her here. You might check first with Picky Pete. He was late to his station." Bilge quickly left and Jake decided that maybe he had better check to make sure that there weren't any other injuries. He pulled back the sheet to reveal the upper half of her body, and stopped. She was beautiful! Pale like a sliver of moonlight, yet every bit a woman. Her lush body woke his cock and he found it hard not to imagine his lips teasing her nipples to hardness.

Starting at her shoulders, he slowly felt down her arms, checking each finger. She had no broken nails but her hands did show signs of manual labor as there were a few rough calluses on both hands. So she wasn't a high born lady.