When Manon woke up, sometime in the afternoon, Belle had left her, but Kitty was curled up on the end of the bed again. She must have been awake already, because as soon as Manon looked down at her, she crawled up the bed and nuzzled at Manon's hands and face.
"Good Kitty," Manon said, "did you have a nice time?" Manon asked. Kitty licked Manon's face gently and purred, so she guessed that was a yes. Belle popped her head around the door, smiling at what she saw.
"Miss, the captain would like to see you again, if you are up to it, and then Poppy and Jen wanted to visit."
"Give me time to get dressed, and certainly. Do we know what she wants?" Manon asked, getting up.
"Not for sure miss, though she and her wife have been sitting with Sir James talking pretty much since they left us I think," Belle told her.
"And the other girls Belle?"
Belle giggled. "Asleep miss, I think they have tired themselves out."
"Well, we can see to them later," Manon said. "Kitty, you and Claire have to stay with Beth and Melissa while Belle and I talk with people again. You can play with Claire of course, but remember the rules."
Kitty just sat and rubbed a 'paw' over her face and head, licking at it in between, so Manon smiling to herself took that as another form of yes. Watching her leave, Manon said to Belle, "If she keeps this up, we are going to have to see about getting her better suits. Ones with padding for her 'paws' and her knees, or she is going to hurt herself."
"Miss, I remember you saying those suits are expensive, can we do that?" Belle asked.
"I think so dear, they are pricey, but we don't need the ones with the highest protection for her. They should be less expensive but still tough enough to stand up to the use they get. She's going to get very smelly very quickly if we can't get her clean suits."
Belle giggled, "yes miss, she did rather drench you and herself when she came on your face."
Belle had finished helping Manon dress, so they sat and waited for the captain to arrive again, which she did after a few minutes, her wife at her side.
Offers of tea or coffee were politely turned down, so the captain got straight down to business.
"I came to let you know that we've accepted Sir James' offer," she said. Manon smiled but the captain stopped her interrupting. "Given we've so many new hands about to join, Tess and I have decided to provisionally accept your girl. If you agree, we will take her back to our lodgings with us now, and see how she gets on."
Manon nodded at the captain, "Belle, get her ready please," and continued as she left. "I have to explain the situation to her captain, I've never given her details, as I didn't know if you'd accept or not."
"Captain, I was told Poppy and Jen were with you?" Manon asked.
Tess Carter snorted at her, "Belle will only let you have two visitors at a time, says you get tired too easily for more. So you know, by the time they get here, Poppy and Jen will both be free. Travers escorted them to the Guild to lodge the papers, they should be here soon."
"Not indentured then?" Manon asked.
"No," the Captain said, "with Ruby gone we decided to make a clean break of it for them. Travers was most emphatic, but I've made her pay for that."
At Manon's puzzled look Carter said, "She had to accept being made bosun. It was her old Navy rank before she put her papers in, and she's always avoided it with us. But with a bigger crew we needed another Ruby hand in a senior position."
Belle came back in, leading Beth behind her. Melissa looking a little forlorn slipped in quietly and sat on a chair at the edge of the room. She'd pulled a shirt and some trousers of some sort on, and sat and watched Beth quietly. Beth herself was naked still, with her all her restraints on and chains fixed, and Belle was carrying some of her clothes.
Manon introduced the captain and her wife. "Beth, the Captain has an opening for a crew member on her new ship. As ship's girl. If you meet with their approval, you could join the crew."
Beth nodded, going from solemn looking to a broad smile quickly.
"Those are remarkably heavy restraints my lady?" Carter said quietly.
"They were my choice, as you can see she is a splendid, powerful girl, and anything less would have been ridiculous on her," Manon said.
"She certainly is splendid," the captain said. "Beth, do you understand what a ship's girl or boy is?"
"No miss, not in detail," Beth answered. "Well beyond the sex bit anyway. It's like my Mel's job in the hotel, only for the crew." The 'my Mel' comment wasn't lost on Manon, who looked at Melissa carefully, noting how utterly miserable she looked.
"That's captain, Beth," she said mildly. "The 'sex bit' is important Beth, but most of your time is really spent as everyone's favourite dogsbody, as you would be the most junior in the crew."
"But you do learn all about the ship and sailing, and one day would be made an ordinary seaman if you do well. Which means you would become indentured, and would eventually earn your full freedom."
Beth just looked at her calmly and Manon saw the captain smile. Tess Carter took over asking questions.
"I can see you are strong Beth, but how are you with heights? If you had to climb rigging to get up a mast, could you do it?"
Beth was quiet for a bit, before she said, "Don't rightly know, begging pardon, er?"
"Sir or ma'am will do for now Beth," she said.
"Ma'am, right. Well I've never climbed up really high, but I used to do roof work at the orphanage, clearing gutters and the like, and never had a problem if that helps?"
"It does Beth yes," Carter said, giving a small nod to her wife.
"Well," the captain said. "We'd like you to come and stay with us and the crew for a few days, and see how you get on with the crew who are with us. So no sailing duties, but you would be ship's girl while you are with us."
Beth's eyes flicked first to Melissa, then Manon and finally to the door into the room where her friends Claire and Fiona were.
