3 comments/ 15900 views/ 8 favorites The Captain's Choice By: Cromagnonman Captain Edward Faulkner had mixed feelings as he stood once more on the deck of HMS Jupiter watching the wretches that would make up his cargo for this voyage to Port Jackson (Sydney). On one hand he was pleased to be once more in charge of this ship while on the other hand he was missing his recently deceased wife Juliette. It was while on his previous voyage that she succumbed to consumption and died shortly before his return. Her sister had taken charge of his two children, Jeremy 5 and Eliza 3 so he had no worries on that account. His shore leave, while the Jupiter was being fitted out for this voyage, was spent with his children. It was 1789 and his cargo was one of the first shiploads of female convicts for the newly settled penal colony in New South Wales. There were a hundred and twenty of the most disreputable and slatternly women he was yet to clap eyes on, all of them sentenced to a minimum of seven years penal servitude. He knew that the best of them would become household servants for the officers whose job it was to control the hundreds of male convicts that had settled there the previous year. The rest of the women would become whores for the seamen and others and this depressed him. As they straggled up the gangplank his eye caught one who didn't fit in with the others, she was young, no more than eighteen he guessed, and her clothes were not the filthy rags that the others wore. Several seamen tried to attract her attention with lewd and suggestive comments but she studiously ignored them. One of the women made a comment to the sailors and turned her back on them before bending at the waist and hoisting her skirts over her back revealing her bare arse to them. One of the sailors grabbed her hips and dry fucked her to the cheers of his fellow crewmen. Edward wondered how many of the women would be pregnant before they reached their destination. Tom Ward, his first mate came up to him. "Loading is complete Sir, and the passengers are all aboard, if we call for a tow to the roads we can make the high tide." "Very good, signal the Harbour Master and let's get this cargo of flotsam under way. Tom, would you go to that young girl in the blue dress and invite her to await me in my cabin, do it quietly." "Very well Sir." His look was one of approval at the Captain's choice. He hurried off to carry out his duties. As the Jupiter reached the channel Edward began shouting orders. "Cast off the tow line, all aloft and set all sails, Coxswain head down wind, as soon as we reach the open sea set your course for due south." Canvas flapped until the sheets were hauled in and as the sails filled she seemed to leap forward in anticipation of the freedom of the open sea. Edward stood and watched as the crew set about their tasks, straining their backs to haul in the sheets and fixing the ropes to the belaying pins. He admired the way that they went about their duties, many of the crew had sailed on her before and knew her well. She wasn't a large ship, a cargo ship converted for naval use that had recently been fitted out by the Admiralty for this voyage, but she had a reputation as a sturdy ship capable of handling the expected rough weather. When all was in order and the course set Edward entered his cabin to find her looking at his charts. "Do you find them interesting?" "Yes I do, I am impressed by the detail, whoever drew these must be proud of his work." "Yes, Captain James Cook is highly respected by the Admiralty for his cartography. I'm Edward Faulkner, I'm the captain of the Jupiter, and you are?" "Prunella Copley." He voice was soft but refined as if she had some learning. Edward scanned through the passenger manifest until he found her name. "It says here that you are eighteen years of age and worked as a housemaid and that you were convicted of theft from your employer and sentenced to seven years transportation. Somehow you don't fit that description, while things are hard for all but the wealthy you do not look like a thief. Can you explain to me the circumstances that have led you to this?" "My father was a church man and worked under patronage at Leppington Hall, the estate of Sir Richard Lennon. I ran a small school that taught the basics to the children of the tenant farmers as well as helped my father with his pastoral duties. I also helped out in the hall when Sir Richard was entertaining his friends from London." "That much I can believe but it doesn't explain how you come to be on my ship." "Sir Richard has a daughter, Jacqueline, who is a couple of years older than I and who was to announce her engagement to Giles Thornby at a party arranged for that occasion. While I was serving at the main table I noticed Giles watching me but thought nothing of it because he was newly engaged, but late in the evening he followed me into the kitchen and tried to kiss me. I refused his advances but he pressed on regardless, it was while he had me pinned to the wall and had his hand on my bodice that Jacqueline came in and accused me of trying to seduce her fiancé. I protested my innocence but she would hear none of it, she was very angry. She tried to get her father to dismiss me from service but he would have none of that as a mark of respect for my father so she decided that there was more than one way to skin a cat." "So she arranged for something to disappear and for the blame to fall on you?" "Yes, a silver platter went missing from the dining hall and she insisted that my room should be searched and it was found there. Her father was the local Magistrate and he expressed disappointment that I should stoop to stealing from him and sentenced me to transportation for seven years. Now you know my sorry tale." "I would like to make the journey a little easier for you, I want you to stay in my cabin and to see to it that it is kept ship shape and that my meals are prepared for me. Do you think that you could do that?" "With ease Sir, but what will the other women think?" "Do you care what they think? On this ship my word is law. I am in command and am to be obeyed by all." "Including me. It would appear that I have little option but to bow to your command." "Was it a command? If you wish to be with the other poor wretches then I will respect your wishes though I would wish it otherwise." "I would willingly accept your kind offer but for one reason." "And what might that be?" "I have as yet not known a man in the Biblical sense and I fear that I might be tempted to forego my vows of chastity if you should press yourself on me." "You need have no fear on that account although under different circumstances I would not hesitate in my attempt to win your affections. I don't mean that your convict status is an impediment, for I do not see myself as superior in any way to you, in fact in many ways you are my superior." "You puzzle me Sir, how am I superior to you?" "You have been raised in a loving environment, of that I am certain, you have had more schooling than I, your manners are without doubt better than mine for I am little more than a rough sailor. I was apprenticed at thirteen and have served on ships these twenty years, I know little other than the ways of the sea. Speaking of which, I must attend to my duties." Edward touched his forelock in taking his leave of Prunella. She watched from the poop deck as he strolled around the decks, stopping to chat to the crew. She noticed the lack of formality in his manner and the way that the crew responded with smiles and laughter. "All well Tom?" He stood by the First Mate. "Yes Sir, she's making fair and the weather looks good for now but the glass is falling so I expect some rough weather ahead." "Keep a weather eye and if it looks bad make sure that the hatches are battened down and I think canvas over them will keep most of the water from the lower decks. They might be convicts but it is our responsibility to provide safe passage." "Aye, aye Sir." Edward used his sextant to set his position before returning to his cabin. He took down a chart and the ship's log entering his co-ordinates into the log before plotting their position on the chart. Prunella watched the ease with which he carried out this task. "Is all well?" "For now it is but I'm afraid we may be in for rough weather, a storm is brewing. Have you been to sea before?" "No, never." "Some people do not have the stomach for the sea and spend most of their time being sick. I will have a pail brought in for you so that if you feel the need you can be sick. How do you feel now?" "I am fine, I seem to be unaffected by the motion of the ship. I mean to ask you Sir, what are the sleeping arrangements, I notice only one narrow bunk." "Prunella, in the confines of this cabin you must call me Edward, and as for the sleeping arrangements, the bunk is yours when I am on watch and if this storm blows up you may find yourself spending a lot of time in it for I shall be with my men ensuring the safety of this ship. If you do not have your own night attire you may borrow a nightshirt from my chest, it will be much too large for you but will keep your modesty intact." "You are a kind man Edward and you can be assured that I will not take advantage of that kindness." There was a knock on the door and Doctor McCauley entered, "I have had a quick look at our passengers Edward and apart from the odd sniffle they seem a healthy lot." He stopped when he saw Prunella. "I wondered where this young lady was until Tom told me that you had invited her to join you, if you don't mind I'll give her the once over just in case." "Go ahead, do you want some privacy?" "No, that won't be necessary." He looked into her eyes, got her to open her mouth and poke out her tongue, looked at her hands, "Not used to hard work are you my dear?" "No Sir." "She's healthy Edward." He accepted the proffered brandy before leaving them. "How long will this voyage take?" Prunella asked. "All going well it will be ninety days or thereabouts." "If I'm to spend the next ninety days with you I should know a little about you. Do you have a wife and children?" She immediately saw the look of sadness pass over his face and regretted her question. "I have no wife, she died when I was at sea and I missed her final days. I have two children, a boy Jeremy who is but five years old and Emma who is three. My sister is looking after them for me." "I'm sorry that I asked." "Don't be, I must get over my loss and doing the job that I know and love will help me." The way that he said it gave her the impression that he didn't have a lot of confidence in that happening. "I will try not to mention it again, but if you need to speak of it I'll be here for you." She had reached out and placed her hand on his before realising it and quickly withdrew it. "I was right about you, you are a caring young woman and I'm convinced now that you are innocent of the charge laid against you. I will do whatever is within my power to see that you receive justice." "You do not need to do this for me for I am prepared to bear my lot with fortitude." They talked for some time and he offered her a brandy which she declined and, deciding that he didn't need a drink, he put the stopper back on the bottle. "I must leave you for a while, it's time for the changing of the watch." As he walked by her chair his hand brushed her shoulder sending a shiver down her spine, a new experience for her, and after he had left her alone her thoughts were racing, thoughts of what might be. All went well for the next two days but Edward was becoming concerned as the barometer slipped lower and lower. Although the wind was still a gentle breeze there were dark clouds looming ahead of them and the swell was getting higher by the hour. He slipped into his cabin to find Prunella on the bunk, her head over the side and the pail close to hand. She had been sick and didn't look at all well. He crouched beside her. "How are you feeling?" "Please tell me that this sea sickness doesn't kill you for I fear that I shall die." She mumbled. "I have never heard of it." He took the water jug from the basin and poured some water over the wash cloth, wringing the excess out he wiped the sweat from her brow. "That feels nice." She was just about to say something else when she lunged at the pail and brought up food that she couldn't remember eating. "Oh I feel awful." Shouts from the deck signalled that there was a change in the weather. "All hands aloft! Set the sails for foul weather! Coxswain point her into the wind, another man to the wheel!" Sailors scrambled aloft and the mainsails were furled leaving the reefed top gallants the only sails in use. The Jupiter shuddered as the first of the storm swells crashed into her bows, pouring over the rails and tumbling down the decks, she shook free of the water in time for the next swell. It was going to be a rough ride and there were cries of fear from the passengers below decks. The clouds blotted out the sun and it became dark before time and the crew were on alert. Edward stood on the poop deck watching his crew at work, they were an experienced and disciplined crew and apart from one moment when her bows weren't pointing directly into the waves and she heeled over dramatically before being straightened in time for the next wave, the Jupiter proved to be everything that he knew her to be. Some twenty long hours later the seas had calmed and the sun shone and Edward was once more back in his cabin. Prunella stirred as he entered. "Is it over?" "I'm afraid not, we are in the eye of the storm and it will be relatively calm for a while before the next onslaught." "Then you had better get some rest." As she climbed from the bunk Edward caught a glimpse of her thigh as the night shirt rose up her legs and a breast as the neckline gaped. His thoughts disturbed him, could he be having lustful thoughts about this young and innocent woman? She helped him out of his oilskins and boots and another glimpse of breast greeted him as she knelt at his feet. He felt his cock stirring and was certain that she had noticed his arousal but she said nothing. It was late afternoon when he felt her lips on his forehead. "Edward, wake up. Your dinner is here and Tom asked me to tell you that it looks as if the next blow will be on us soon." "I must be dreaming, I swore that an angel just kissed my forehead, wait it's true, it was an angel." Her face was inches from his and he reached for her and kissed her willing lips. "I fear that I shall be harbouring lustful thoughts that will not be reciprocated." Prunella answered him in the best possible way, hungrily kissing him. "Your dinner will be getting cold." "To hell with food, I want you." "Please, you must eat. I will still be here when this is over, the storm that is." He hungrily devoured the food and a steaming mug of tea. "I must leave you, duty calls you know." He stopped just inside the cabin door. "Prunella, I fear that I am falling in love with you and if you do not share my love now is the time to speak before I make a fool of myself." She moved to him and took his hand in hers. "Edward, I know nothing of love, but if this feeling that I get whenever you are close to me is love then I must be in love with you." She kissed him and he left. The night of storms slowly dissipated as the Jupiter slipped into the doldrums, that area of dead calm near the Equator where ships made little way for days at a time. Edward slipped quietly into his cabin to find Prunella asleep still. He paused for a few seconds when he noticed that the nightshirt that she had been wearing was now on top of the bed covers. He knelt beside the bunk and kissed her awake. She stirred and smiled at him, removing the bedclothes to reveal her nakedness to him. Without hesitation he bent to kiss her pink nipple. "Please darling Edward, be gentle with me." He stripped off his clothes and lowered himself onto the bunk and her. As gentle as he was she still cried out as his cock broke down the barrier and he felt for the first time in over a year the full intimate contact with a woman that he loved. Prunella clung to him. "That was nothing like I had been led to believe." "Then you've been listening to the wrong people." "You must remember that while I lived on a country estate most of my contacts were with farm workers who have a very down to earth attitude to sex and procreation and those women at the manor house, not the servants, seem to use sex to get what they want." "There is a difference between having sex and making love. I can honestly say that I have only ever made love to someone that I truly loved. You are only the second woman to whom I have made love." "Do you truly love me?" "Yes, I can say with honesty that I do, and when we get to Sydney Town I will apply to the Governor for permission to marry you, that is of course if you'll have me." "Edward, I want nothing more than to be your wife." She kissed him passionately. "Now my Edward you must rest, you've been up all night and must be tired." "I should be, but somehow I don't feel tired, I feel as if I could live like this forever." He returned her kiss with the same passion. They somehow managed to get comfortable in his narrow bunk and he was soon asleep. Prunella lay beside him and watched as he slept. She couldn't believe that her life that had been so turbulent these past six months, what with the false accusations and the trial and her time in the cells when despair almost destroyed her life, and then the prospect of the dreadful sea voyage to an uncertain future. All of that changed when Edward extracted her from the line of other women to be his companion. At first she was in dread of what that would mean for her, having overheard some of the other women talking about using their sex to gain some sort of privilege from the crew and what she was expected to give to the Captain. Her fears were not realised when she made the decision that, if and when he asked, she would willingly give all to him. She couldn't believe that she had slept naked in an open invitation to him, or her joy when he accepted it. As he slept she took in every feature of his face, the skin turning leathery from long exposure to the elements, the stubble on his unshaved chin, the fine lines around his closed eyes. To her he was the most handsome man she knew, but then she was biased. She lifted the sheet and took in his hairy chest, rising and falling with each breath and further down she could make out his limp cock. She was tempted to stroke it into life but knew that he needed all the rest he could get, so she left it limp. It was just after mid-day when he was awakened by a knock on the cabin door. Tom entered. "Edward, you are required on deck, it's time for the ceremony." "What ceremony?" Prunella asked. "It's something that's done each time a ship crosses the Equator, any crew that have not yet crossed the line have to appear before King Neptune, that's me, and suffer the consequences. I want you with me as my consort." "Do you really think that it's a good idea for me to be there with you?" "I can't think of a better way to tell the crew that you are now off limits to them." "I think by the way that Tom treats me that they already know that." "I want you to be there with me." He looked at her and put on his most intimidating gruff voice. "And that's an order." Prunella picked the laughter in his voice and responded in her best imitation of a crew member. "Aye aye Sir! Anything you say Sir!" They scrambled from the bunk and, using the wash cloth, Edward cleaned the dried sperm from her belly. Once dressed they left the cabin and Edward took his place on the throne with Prunella at his side. "Bring forth the first Pollywog!" The first new seaman was ushered forward and on hearing the list of charges Edward pronounced his punishment. "To the stocks with him, shellbacks arm yourselves with fruit and show this miscreant what it is like to be at sea!" The experienced sailors pelted the victim with mushy soft fruit for several minutes before he was released. This process was repeated several times until all new sailors had suffered through the mild indignities. The Captain's Choice After the ceremony Edward called to Tom. "Tom, it is very hot and there is little breeze, I want the crew to erect canvas across amidships and allow our passengers to take the air on the foredeck. I want you to impress on the crew that there should be no fraternization, I doubt if we'll ever stop it, but we can hope to keep it to a minimum." "That will be difficult to enforce given your present arrangements." "I'm fully aware of that, but if you would let the crew know that I was familiar with Prunella and her case and believe her to be innocent of the charges laid against her. If there are still rumblings from the crew you can tell them that I intend to seek permission to marry her when we reach Sydney Town." "Very good Sir, and congratulations to both of you." A Canvas screen was soon stretched across the ship and the women were ushered onto the deck. After trying to see under the screen several of the crew climbed the rigging to get a better view. This brought ribald comments from the women and several of them exposed themselves to the watchers. Soon most of the crew were aloft being regaled with lewd comments and the exposed breasts and other parts of the women's anatomy. Edward climbed on the rail astride the screen and fired a pistol into the air. "I have allowed you women to come on deck to take the air because of the stuffiness below decks. I will only continue to do this if you cease disporting yourselves in this lewd manner. Failure to do so will result on you all being confined below decks for the remainder of this voyage. As for you men, we will reach Cape Town in a couple of weeks and you will be given shore leave. This leave will be cancelled if any of you behave in an unseemly way towards the women. Before any of you complain about me setting a bad example I am announcing to all of you that Prunella Copley and I are engaged to be married." "What if we promise to marry one of them women, can we spend time with them?" One of the crew aloft asked. "I think your wife might not take kindly if she ever found out, and knowing her Bill Dooley, I think that you should give a great deal of consideration before you offer marriage to anyone." "I've seen your missus, she's twice your size Bill and she'd squash you to death just by sitting on you!" "Yeah, she's twice the man you are, you only come to sea to get away from her!" The crew's laughter eased the tension. Edward and Prunella returned to their cabin and were in each other's arms. "Oh Edward I can't believe how my life has turned around. I never dreamed that I would ever be this happy!" "Nor I. I thought that there was no justice in this world when Juliette was taken from me, but now I see the world in a different light." "My Darling, when next we make love I don't want you to pull out, I want your seed inside me." "Are you sure? What if you are with child before we wed, won't your father be angry?" "His anger will disappear when he sees us and how happy we are together." "Land ho!" The lookout in the crow's nest shouted, pointing ahead of the Jupiter. "I see Table Mountain." "We have reached Cape Town." Edward told Prunella, we will go ashore for a couple of days while repairs are made to the rigging and fresh supplies taken on board. We will book into a hotel as husband and wife and spend a couple of nights in a bed that doesn't move, and that's wide enough for the both of us to sleep in comfort." "I like the sound of that." She hugged him. The ship was made fast and those crew granted leave first left while the others began to make the necessary repairs to the rigging. Several spars needed replacing and timber was ordered. Edward and Prunella left Tom in charge of the work and took a carriage into the centre of the town where they checked into the best hotel that they could find. Once they were alone Prunella ran across the room and jumped onto the bed. "Oh Edward this feels so fine, come join me." He strolled across the room and fell onto the bed. Immediately they were locked in a passionate embrace. "I feel every bit your wife, Edward, take me." Edward took her face in his hands and gently kissed her eyelids, her lips, her neck and, loosening her dress, her breasts. He loosened the rest of her clothes and she soon found herself naked. "Let me look at you. I have never seen anyone so perfect." He bent to her and kissed her between the legs, working his way up to her pussy. "Oh, oh my god that feels so good." She opened herself to him and his tongue entered her as far as it could. "Edward, darling I can't wait for you, oh." Her body convulsed its way through an orgasm. "Come, I want you inside me, all of you inside me, now." He stood and removed his clothes and was soon inside her, moving in and out of her pussy until, with a grunt, his first orgasm joined her second. "That was the most beautiful feeling that I have ever had and I want much more of that." "Hey slow down, do you realise that I'm almost twice your age, you're going to have to be gentle with me or you'll wear me out and we can't have that, can we?" "Don't be silly, you are a big strong man and I swear that you'll outlast me." They cried 'enough' in the early hours of the morning, physically and emotionally spent. "Edward my darling, I dreamed that it would be like this, but the farm girls and those I met in gaol led me to believe that this act was for the benefit of men only, and once they had their wicked way they were no longer interested. Please tell me that isn't so." "My Darling wife nothing could be further from the truth for us. I don't know about other men but I suspect it may be true, but for me to make love I have to be in love and you can be sure that I will continue to be in love with you forever. Now we should get some sleep, there are matters that I have to attend to in the morning and I need to at least look like I'm awake." "Then hold me, I want to fall asleep in your arms and wake up in them." She snuggled against him and he put his arms around her. "You have such strong arms, I feel so safe in them." "Go to sleep." The matters took him back to the ship to check on the repairs and talk to Dr McCauley about a deception that he had been plotting for some days now, one that involved a death at sea. "It could work Edward but for one thing." "And what might that be?" "You are too honest to pull it off. I know you my boy and down the track you both will have an attack of conscience and tell all, and that won't bode well for either of you. No, your original plan is far better, wait until you reach Sydney Town and go through the proper channels, who will care if she's with child before you wed. I assume by the bags under your eyes that the two of you have had little sleep since we arrived in Cape Town, and frankly I don't condemn you, she is a wonderful young woman and a suitable replacement for Juliette in every way. You are a lucky man to have found two such women, most men never even find one." "Thank you Doctor, I knew that I could trust you to steer me back onto the straight and narrow." "A pleasure my boy, now I must work on my hangover cures, the first crew members should be returning shortly and I fear that they might be slightly worse for wear." "Only slightly? You seriously under-estimate the drinking capacity of the British sailor." Edward completed his tasks and returned to the hotel to find Prunella had been busy laundering their clothes. They dined in the hotel dining room before returning once more to their room. "This will be our last night in port so we'll have to make the most of it because tomorrow night it will be the narrow bunk again." Edward told her. "In that case I want you to let me do all the loving tonight, you'll have to be rested for the next part of our voyage. How long will this take?" "That depends on the winds, if we can catch the roaring forties then it will be a quick trip." "Roaring forties, what are they?" "They are prevailing winds that, this time of year, blow from west to east along 40 degrees south latitude. If we catch them it will shorten our travel time quite significantly." "I'd like to know more about sailing, will you teach me?" "If you wish, I've never heard of a woman being interested in what we do." "I meant to ask you when we had only been sailing a short time and Tom told you that the glass was dropping and a storm was imminent, what was that all about?" "Every ship carries a barometer that measures barometric pressure, the lower the pressure the more likely we are to have a storm and the lower it gets the more severe the storm. In some places these are called hurricanes, or typhoons or even cyclones and they all spin around an intense low pressure cell bringing heavy rains and very strong winds that whip up huge seas which was why we had the ship pointing into the wind because that's the safest way to ride a storm." "What causes the winds?" "If you can imagine it, in a low pressure cell the air is less dense while the air around it is more dense and it tries to replace the less dense air and in doing so forms a vortex, that is it spins. In the northern hemisphere it spins in an anti-clockwise direction while in the southern hemisphere it spins in a clockwise direction. The less dense the air is in the low pressure the more the heavier air tries to replace it and the faster it spins." While he was saying this Edward was demonstrating the wind direction by circling Prunella's nipples causing her to squirm. "I'm supposed to be making love to you tonight." She whispered as she reached for his cock, stroking it into life. When it was hard she straddled him and fed his cock into her moist pussy and lowered herself until its entire length was inside her. "Oh that feels so wonderful, it is as if we were meant to be because it is a perfect fit for me." As she rose up his shaft she bent and kissed him, her tongue pushing into his mouth. He responded by raising his hips and reaching for her breasts. "No, you just relax, this is my turn to give you pleasure after all it was you that awakened me to the joys of making love." Edward removed his hands from her breasts and she lowered herself until her nipples were brushing against the hairs on his chest causing them to harden with pleasure. "I thought that I was supposed to be getting all the pleasure from this, but my chest hair feels nothing." "Is this better?" Prunella was squeezing his cock with her pussy as she began to move faster on him. "Yes, I don't think that I can hold out much longer, yes, yes, oh that's so good." He felt her muscles tighten as they both came. She lay panting on him as he slowly subsided inside her. "I do believe that if I'd met you before I met Juliette I would have chosen you. I've never had an experience like this, ever." "There's more where that came from. I want you to never forget me when you are off at sea and I'm at home raising the several children that we will almost certainly have." "That's something that I've been meaning to tell you, this is to be my last journey at sea." "What? I thought that the sea was your life." "It is, but it is just that, a part of my life. Apart from the fact that I don't want to have to leave you when I go to sea, the reason that I became a sailor is so that I can help in the family ship building company. You see, my father believes that the only way that a ship design can be improved is by having someone sail over a period of time to observe the way that ships perform in all conditions. I have given him several ideas over the years and after this journey we should be ready to build a better and faster ship for the companies that trade in exotic spices and other goods from countries like India, China and Japan. The ship that gets teas and spices to market the quickest will get the lion's share of the trade." "I thought that life was perfect up until now but it just got better, I won't have to worry about losing you to the sea anymore." She kissed him with renewed passion and he felt himself preparing for a new onslaught on her already full pussy. "Someone has had a good time." Tom said to Edward as he and Prunella stepped onto the deck of the Jupiter. "Everything's ready to sail and there's a surprise waiting for you in your cabin." There was a huge smile on his face. "Oh darling, look!" Prunella said as she ran across the cabin and jumped on to the now much wider bunk. "This is bad, now I'll never want to get out of bed." He laughed. "I'd better go on deck and see us under way." Soon they were sailing on a southerly heading, it was at least two hundred miles before they reached forty degrees south and hopefully the strong westerly winds that would drive them towards Australia and their destination. Nine days out of Cape Town Doctor McCauley came to Edward's cabin. Edward was showing Prunella how he plotted their course and measured the distance travelled with the readings from the sextant. "Sorry to interrupt Edward but we have a problem." "What is it?" Edward read the concern on McCauley's face and realised that the matter was serious. "I'm afraid we have a case of typhus, one of the crew must have passed it on to one of the passengers and she's quite ill. We will need to quarantine her from the rest of the passengers and hope that she gets better." "We'll need to boil any of her clothes and bedding, what can't be boiled will have to be burnt or thrown overboard." Prunella said. "Do you have experience in treating fevers my dear?" McCauley was interested, he needed a nurse to help out and none was available. "Not with typhus, but other fevers, I assume that the treatment will be the same. If a shelter can be erected on deck and screened off from the crew and passengers then she will get all the fresh air and sunshine she needs, this seems to help in these cases." "We will need someone to tend to her." "I can do that." Prunella said. She caught the look on Edward's face. "It's the least that I can do in return for the kindness shown me. I want to do it." "I don't like the thought of you being in close contact with a person suffering from typhus, I know that it sounds selfish but I don't want to risk losing you." "I know that Darling, but is my duty to help, it's something that I was born to. Don't worry I won't take any chances because I don't want to lose you either." She turned to the doctor. "How soon can the shelter be constructed?" "It will be ready within the hour, in the mean time she is being held in isolation in a small cabin." "Well my Darling, what are we going to do for the next hour? It seems as if I'll have little contact with your for some time." "I'll leave you two lovebirds to it. Come when you're ready my dear." He left them heading for the bunk. For the next four weeks of the largely uneventful journey they spoke often from a safe distance but had no physical contact while Mary Wilson suffered through the stages of fever into full health and the wait to see if Prunella had contracted the disease until, just days from their destination the all clear was given. By this time the passengers and crew had a new found respect for the young woman who many had regarded as being lucky to have been the captain's choice. Edward had just come off watch and entered the cabin to find Prunella waiting for him in the cabin. They rushed into each other's arms and kissed. "You are a sight for sore eyes my Darling." He told her between kisses. "I despaired for you while you were nursing that woman and wondering if you would come down with the fever, and thinking about what my life would be like if I lost you." "I know, believe me it was a hard decision to offer my help, on the one hand she was just another convict, then I remembered so was I. Then my upbringing told me that I had to help, and then I thought of you and what would happen to you if I died. I couldn't let her die, even if it cost me the love of my life and a happy future, I just couldn't." "I know that my Darling, and that has made my love and respect for you even stronger, and my desire to see you proven innocent of the charges is also stronger, as is my desire to marry you as soon as possible. I love you with all my heart and that's not something that a rough sailor would be heard saying." "I know that you love me, just as I love you. If it is at all possible for us to be any happier then my news will see to it. Edward, my Darling, I do believe that I am with child." She had no chance to say more for her lips were covered by his and the breath was almost forced from her body by the strength of his embrace. For the first time in weeks they made love, at first it was fired by build up of passion caused by their separation and then it was slow and gentle, until they went to sleep, Prunella's head on his shoulder and Edward's hands on her belly as if he was protecting the child within her body. Three days later they had entered Port Jackson and were lying at anchor in Farm Cove. The task of ferrying the passengers ashore was well under way and Edward stood with Prunella watching the long boats with their passengers as they were delivered to the waiting soldiers. A large crowd of men had gathered to watch and soldiers stood between them and the newly arrived women in case the men rushed them. The women had none of the bravado that they showed when boarding the Jupiter, it was as if they realised that their fate hinged on their behaviour. Edward went ashore as soon as the last of them had been landed and sought a meeting with Governor Philip. "Sire, I have a request to make. I seek permission to wed one of the convicts and to have her return to England with me where I intend to see that justice is done and the person who wrongfully accused her of a crime is punished." He had to get all of the salient points of his argument out as quickly as possible. "I see. I suppose that you realise the implications of your actions, while I am aware that captains of ships such as yours will enter into an arrangement with a female passenger, they don't usually take it further. As for the matter of her innocence, I hope that you aren't relying on her word that she isn't guilty of the crime. It won't be the first time that a man has been taken in by a pretty face." "I am aware of that Sire, but if you were to meet her you will be of the same opinion as I, why she even volunteered to nurse one of the other convicts who managed to contract typhus, putting her own life at risk in the process." "Bring her to me, if she is as you say that she is I will see that you are wed." "Thank you, Sire." Edward took his leave and returned to the ship. He was a little surprised that Prunella wasn't waiting at the rail for his return. "She couldn't bear to be here if the news be bad." McCauley said. "Is it?" "No. The governor has agreed to meet her and form his own opinion, and if it is favourable he has agreed that we be wed." What Edward didn't see was the thumbs up gesture that McCauley made behind his back. It was the signal that Prunella was waiting for and the cabin door was flung open as she ran to him. The next day Prunella sat with Edward as Governor Phillip questioned her about her supposed crime. "You say that you couldn't have taken the plate and secreted it with your clothes, what proof do you have of this?" "Sire, I didn't return to my home after the party, my father met me as I left the manor house and asked me to sit with Mrs Brabinger who was unwell with her latest pregnancy. I was with her until well into the next afternoon, long after the plate was discovered. The Magistrate was my accuser's father and he believed her and not me." "I see, and how do you propose to prove your innocence?" "I think that when we return as husband and wife and explain that Prunella has been pardoned by the King and that all aspects of the matter will be investigated that the truth will out." The Captain's Choice "You are assuming that the King will issue a pardon?" "He will if you recommend it Sire." "You are an impetuous and presumptuous young man Captain Faulkner, I'll grant you that. You have it Sir, I will recommend to His Majesty that Mrs Prunella Faulkner be pardoned and set out the facts of the matter as I believe them to be. I suppose that you now want me to wed you?" "Yes Sir." Edward said, trying hard to hide his impatience. "Very well then, so be it." Edward and Prunella returned to the Jupiter as husband and wife with the letter of recommendation to the King in his hand. The celebrations went on for some time before Prunella announced that she was feeling tired and she and Edward spent their first night together as true husband and wife. The return journey was quicker and less eventful than the journey to Sydney Town. They sailed in a southerly direction until the roaring forties carried them swiftly across the Pacific and, on rounding Cape Horn they turned to the north until the Gulf Stream carried them up the eastern seaboard of North America and across the North Atlantic to England and home. Edward's first stop was to his house where he introduced Prunella to his sister Madeline and his children. Jeremy and Eliza were shy at first, not understanding that this woman with their father was their new mother but, with her abilities as a teacher, Prunella soon won them over and they eagerly showed her the back garden where they had many adventures. "She's a lovely woman Edward, I can understand you marrying her, she's very much like Juliette, and the children have taken to her. She is having a child I see." "Yes she is, we were married in Sydney Town." "I venture that she was with child before then, as she is showing already." "You don't miss much do you? Yes she was, I fell in love with her the very first moment I clapped eyes on her." "Was she a convict?" "Yes, but she is to receive a Royal pardon because she is innocent of the charges against her." "I wish the two of you well. I suppose that you would have me move out and leave the two of you alone?" "No. I want you to stay for the time being, I have work that will take me from home for some weeks and I think that you can help her settle in." "Very well, I will stay for as long as you need me." Edward stayed at home for three days before leaving to call on his father. He took with him sketches that he had made from his observations of his ship's behaviour under various conditions as well as sketches of Polynesian canoes whose slender shape and sharp bow seemed better able to withstand heavy seas than the blunt bowed English sailing vessels. He discussed his ideas with the ship designer, pointing out the severe strain on the sails and rigging caused when the ship hit a large wave, the hull virtually stopped while the rigging under sail was still driving ahead and they reached the conclusion that a ship with a narrower beam and more pointed bow would cut through the waves rather rise over it causing less strain and providing a smoother ride. After two days at the shipyard Edward took to the road again, this time his destination was Leppington Hall and the Reverend Copley. He was led into the Reverend's study by the housekeeper to find the good man deep in thought. "Good morning sir, what can I do for you?" He rose from his chair to greet Edward. "Sir, my name is Captain Edward Faulkner and I bring you news of your daughter." "I hope that she's well, as well as her circumstances will allow." "She is exceedingly well sir, in fact she is back in England." "What is that you say? Is she not in Sydney Town?" "No, I have some good news but first I must speak to you about your situation for I fear that my news may place that in danger." "Speak plainly sir and allow me to be the judge of it." "Prunella is to receive a Royal Pardon, she is free of the charges laid against her. I have just presented His Majesty's agent a letter of recommendation from Governor Phillip requesting the pardon, it is but a formality that it will be granted. What concerns me, concerns us is that this news may not be well received by your patron, after all he was responsible for the sentence of transportation." "I think that it will come as a great relief to Sir Richard. He knows now that his daughter fabricated the evidence that led to this miscarriage and he has offered his profuse apologies on many occasions and expressed the regret the he could not undo the harm that has come to her as a result of him listening to Jacqueline. How is it that you know of this?" "Sir, under different circumstance I would be here to ask your permission to wed your daughter Prunella, but alas it is too late for that for we are already wed and you are shortly to become a grandfather." "What news! Saints be praised, Edward isn't it? You have restored my faith in both God and my fellow man at a time when I despaired of ever having it restored. Tell me all, how did this come about?" "I noticed her as she was boarding my ship and decided in that instant that she was not as the other women being transported, so I invited her to join me in my cabin. I have to admit that for various reasons, I had recently lost my wife to illness and had not had any female companionship for some twelve months, that I could do with some companionship on this voyage and yes, carnal thoughts were among those in my head at the time. But on observing her and hearing her story I realise that any such thoughts were beneath me." "She was a pleasant companion and we grew closer and by the time that we reached Cape Town we knew that we were very much in love. Your daughter did something that showed to me and the entire crew just how selfless her nature was for she volunteered to nurse a typhus patient until she was over the illness. When we reached Sydney Town I applied to the Governor for permission to marry her. This was given along with the letter of recommendation to His Majesty for the pardon." "When can I see her?" "Now that I know that her return will actually bring joy to Sir Richard as well as yourself, I shall return home and fetch her. You shall be re-united in a matter of days." "Make haste sir, so that I may be with her again." Edward rode straightaway for his home. Prunella rushed from the door as soon as she heard his footsteps approaching the front door. "Darling, I'm so pleased to see you." Her kisses prevented further words for many seconds. "I missed you so much, come in." She dragged him inside. "Jeremy, Eliza, Daddy's home!" There was a clattering of footsteps as the children dashed into the house from the back garden. "Daddy!" Jeremy shouted as he threw himself at Edward. "Mummy is helping us build a tree house, come and I'll show you." He grabbed Edward's hand and led him into the back garden. "Look, isn't it grand!" It was indeed a grand structure. Jeremy took Prunella's hand in his. "Mummy is such a good builder." "You?" Edward looked at his wife. "Where's Madeline?" "Off walking the fields with her beau. You'll never guess who it is." Just then the gate at the rear of the garden opened to admit Madeline and Tom. "We heard the commotion from some fifty yards away and came as quickly as we could, we knew that it could only be your return." Prunella and Madeline went inside to prepare tea for the men. "What news of the ship, when is she to sail again and are you the new captain?" "We sail for Port Jackson in two weeks with another load of female convicts and yes, I am the new Master." "Good for you, I wish you a safe journey." Edward noticed an uneasy look on Tom's face. "I wish that I didn't have to make this voyage. As you've observed Madeline and I are in love and I do not want to leave her at this time. I fear that if I do she may find another man." "I think not, she will stay with us and we can keep any prospective suitors at bay." They were called inside where tea was laid out for them. "What news of your trip Edward, is all well?" Prunella asked. "All is very well indeed. I called on your father and have returned under strict orders to bring you to him as soon as possible. Sir Richard will also want to see you so that he can apologise for the harm that he has caused." "You went to my father without me, why?" "To ask for your hand in marriage, late that this was, it was given by the way, and to find out if your return would cause any difficulties. That was how I knew that Sir Richard wanted to apologise." Prunella forgot all about her tea and rushed to Edward and hugged him to herself. "You are such a wonderful man. I love you so much." She tilted her face to him and he kissed her. "Are you taking lesson Tom?" Madeline said. Tom was, although he said nothing. "How long are you staying Tom?" Edward asked. "I leave this afternoon, I have to be back on the ship tomorrow, why?" "We will leave in the morning for Leppington Hall, if you were to remain I would suggest to Madeline that she remain with you but as you will have left by then she will accompany us." The looks exchanged between Tom and Madeline spoke loud and clear just how they intended to spend the time between now and when Tom left. "Did you know Madeline was in love with you and had made plans to marry you on your return?" "Are you sure of this?" "Yes, she told me so herself, that was after she realised that there was no possible way that she could compete with me for your love. She is very happy for us now, especially now that Tom has professed his love for her and in time I'm sure that she will return that love." "I hope so, Tom's a good man and will make a good husband, she could do a lot worse." "So could he, she will make a wonderful wife and mother, the children love her." Tom bade a tearful farewell to Madeline, and a formal farewell to Edward and Prunella, late in the afternoon with the promise of a visit immediately on his return. Dinner out of the way Edward and Prunella were in bed, their night attire thrown over the bed stead. They mumbled to each other as they explored the now familiar territory of each other's bodies. "You are more beautiful now than ever before." He said as he ran his hand over her now obviously pregnant belly. Her attentions were on the cause of her pregnancy. "You will do no damage if you make love to me." She whispered. They had been apart for a matter of days but their love making suggested a much longer separation. "I still have bad dreams of what might have been if you had not chosen me from all of those women. God must have been watching over me." "I dread to think of what might have happened if I'd chosen another, but once my eyes rested on you there could have been no other." He fondled her breasts, now fuller and to his eyes better than before, her darkening aureoles in contrast to her pale skin. He bent to kiss them and she held his head to them with one hand while the other worked to bring his cock to life once more. The next morning Edward went off to arrange a carriage for them for the trip to Leppington Hall. "Will you two ever slow down?" Madeline asked Prunella. "What do you mean?" Looks were exchanged, Madeline's said 'you know very well what I mean,' while Prunella's said 'we kept our lovemaking as quiet as possible'. "Don't worry, I'm not jealous of you, not anymore that is. Tom has promised that we will be married on his return." "Congratulations, I wish you every happiness." Prunella's father ran faster than he had ever run as the carriage entered the grounds. He was waiting at the lych-gate for them and was overjoyed at being introduced to his instant family. Jeremy and Eliza were subdued until Prunella took them for a walk around the small cemetery telling them tales of those buried there, not all of them true. Within minutes of their arrival a messenger from the hall came down with an invitation for them all to attend. Sir Richard greeted them in the library. "Prunella, I cannot begin to imagine the hardships that my listening to the lies that my daughter told about you have caused, and I mean to make it up to you in some way." "Do not bother yourself with that for I forgive you. If it wasn't for what happened I would never have met my husband, so in a way you have done me a great favour. I cannot imagine how I could be happier than I am now but I'm sure that my life will just get happier as time goes by. Think no more of the matter." "You are your father's daughter right enough. Nevertheless I will make you an endowment of one thousand pounds a year for life." The strength of his words told him that his decision was final.