The Ship

Chapter 17
“So the telegraph said that we could find her here on this island. Do ya suppose we will John?” Thomas asked.
“I think so Captain. But if she left on her own accord I don't suppose she will come willingly,” replied John.
“Well we are going to find her, and when I do I swear I'll-”
“Easy Captain she's your little sister, ya can't expect her to come back home if she has to deal with you on those terms.”
“John I tell ya that girl has been a stubborn pain since the day she was born. Someone's got to set her straight.”
“Tom ya got to consider that possibility that she ain't leave on her own. She could have been kidnapped!”
“Oh your right, and if that is the case I'll ring the neck of whoever did it.”
Thomas and John stayed together while the other two men went off in another direction. The sisters were still flirting around and when they saw Thomas and John they immediately focused their attention on those two men.
“Oh! I'm so sorry sir. I didn't mean to bump you so. I suppose I wasn't paying to close attention to where I was going,” Alice said to Thomas in a flirtatious way after intentionally bumping into him.
“Oh Miss its quite alright I suppose I wasn't paying attention either. Do you mind if I inquire your name Miss?” replied Thomas.
“Oh Alice sir, Miss Alice, and yourself?”
“Thomas is the name. Well Miss Alice it was quite nice to meet you, but I must be on my way. I have a bit of business to take care of.”
“What kind of business Thomas?” flirted Alice.
“Well.. uh.. important business Miss. I- I must be on my way now,” Thomas said as he hustled away. Alice let him go on his way frowning as he walked away.
Penny went to head back to the girls who were still being annoyingly flirty and she decided to leave them be. Penny walked all around town looking for something to do or some shop to visit. Thomas and John were walking about town asking questions to see if anyone had seen his sister. While Thomas was being harassed by another flirty lady John tapped him on the shoulder.
“Yes what is it John?” Thomas snapped slightly.
“Look.” John said pointing Thomas in a specific direction. The woman tried to keep his attention in any way possible.
“Good god woman! All you women are desperate!” Thomas shouted after the woman tried to seduce him by running her hands down his chest and further. Thomas looked to see a young woman walking down the street. She had long wavy dark brown hair, similar to Thomas's and she wore a pretty tan calico patterned dress. “Is that...That is her, and she's alone. She must've left on her own! Oh I'll-”
“Thomas! Wait! Remember what I said,” calmed John.
“Oh shove it Johnathon!” snapped Thomas running off.
“Tom, Wait!” John ran after him just barely catching up to him.
“You know she ain't gona want to see you. She will run off as soon as she catches view of you. Be smart about this or you'll lose her,” John begged.
“Oh fine then. We'll kidnap her.”
“Yeh that- What!” John said appalled.
“Johnathon my friend we are going to kidnap her,” Tom repeated.
John knew that was a terrible idea but Tom was almost as stubborn as his sister. Penny continued walking down the streets aimously and bored. John and Thomas trailed closely behind her. There was a street market near the center of town crowded with people. Tom thought it the best way to kidnap his sister without anyone really taking notice. John and Tom blending in with the crowd stepped ahead of Penny and hid in an alleyway. They waited until Penny got just close enough to grab. Penny passed by just barely when Tom grabbed her from behind covered her mouth and dragged her into the alley.
“Shut up!” Thomas snapped quietly through Penny's mouth covered struggling screams. Tom pulled her further into the alleyway. John kept a lookout.
“Let go! You fuc-”
“Thats a foul mouth you've seemed to of acquired these past few months!”
“What! Wh!” Penny fought finally getting Thomas's hand away from her mouth.
“Penelope Marie Chous!” Thomas snapped.
“Thomas!” Penny said just barely turning around. “What are you-” Penny said finally realizing who she was with.
“Penelope you are coming home right now!”
“No! Let me be you jerk!”
“What makes me you think I'm going to leave you be. You disappeared months ago without a word to anyone, and you think I should let you be?” Tom said.
“Thomas I am a grown woman if I choose to leave that is my choice not yours!”
“Well Penelope most don't settle to well when their Duchess just disappears into thin air!”
“I don't care! I don't want that life, I am perfectly fine without you and that horrid life! How the hell did you find me anyway?”
“Well I received a rather urgent telegraph just yesterday. You know. I've been on this island for several days now. Late last night I had someone deliver a message here to me. Very early this morning we went out looking for some fish. Came back this afternoon to find out about that message I received. It was about a girl who arrived recently in port and fit your description exactly. The messenger claimed to have met you at some ball or something.”
Penny stared at Thomas without saying anything. “So Penelope what do you say to that? Did you meet some people at a ball last night? The messenger was a man of sorts, he was with some woman too. Neither said where they thought they saw you or where you were exactly just that you were on this island. You do realize I've been looking for you since the day you disappeared? I suppose it was just luck to find you in the same place I made port to gather supplies for my ship.”
“Well Tom thats just swell now if you'll excuse me I think I'll be on my way,” Penny said as she attempted to leave.
“Oh no you don't!” Thomas said as he pulled Penny's dress ripping it. “Oh! Thats a new dress you just ripped Thomas!” said Penny angrily.
“Well I am sure it went real well when you were off doing whatever it is you've been doing. Where did you go anyway,” James said firmly holding Penny's arm.
“For you information I jumped ship! It was quite the adventure too. Swords and pirates and lots and lots of treasure. And I wasn't wearing a dress. I had some of your old breeches. I think they fit quite well too,” Penny said deliberately trying to piss Thomas off, and making sure to leave all the other information out for just then. Thomas was appalled. “Pirates! Swords! Are you mad!”
“No I don't think so. It was quite fantastic too!” she said still working to piss Thomas off.
“Well Penelope if you had such fun with all that, then I'm sure your adventure back home will be just fine. And you won't mind a little talking to once we get back to the ship!”
“I am not going home Thomas and you can't force me now let me go!”
“Penelope you better stop struggling you know what happens when you struggle. You should remember your childhood.” Thomas was ten years Penny's senior and spent a good deal of his life taking care of Penny while there parents were off doing their business. He became more of a fatherly figure than a brother. And he kept Penny in line and put her back in her place when necessary.
“You wouldn't dare!” Penny snapped.
“No you don't think so? I'll strap you to the mast if I must.”
“Thomas I am not a child!” Thomas informed Penny of how she was acting like one and would be treated like one if she did not stop before he hauled her over his shoulder and headed the opposite way through the alley and directly back to his ship, followed by John. Once he reached where he could be seen he put Penny down and guided her forcefully to the ship. He passed Alice and her sisters once again. Once Alice noticed that the man she was speaking with earlier was taking Penny she tried to stop him.
“Excuse me sir, Penny is with us, where are you taking her?” Alice asked.
“I beg your pardon Miss but Penelope here is my sister and we need to have a bit of a discussion. Goodbye.” Thomas said as politely as possible and left quickly before Alice could say anything more.
“Oh.. Oh dear! Girls! Elizabeth! Samantha!” Alice shouted to them from a distance. The two sisters came running over to see what was going on.
“What! Where is Penny?” Elizabeth asked. Alice quickly explained everything to them as they all ran back to the house. They needed to find James and tell him what happened.
“James! James!” They all ran in all at once calling for him. James came running to them to find out what the commotion was.
“What! Sam, Lizzie, what is so urgent!” James responded in his already foul mood.
“James, she- Penny is gone!” Alice said between breaths.
“Well she was going to leave anyways what difference does it make,” James said annoyed but hiding his true feelings..
“She isn't just gone James. She is gone with- with-”
“Who!” James yelled.
“Thomas Chous!”
“Chous? Chous!”
“Yes!” The sisters said together.
“Did, did she go willingly!”
Alice shook her head no. “Damnit,” James said to himself. “ Well shes gone ain't nothing I can do about it. Probably serves her right anyway!” James said angrily walking away.
“James!” Alice yelled.
“Alice what! She ain't want to be here anyways! What do you want from me!”
“To go after her!” Alice said.
“Why so I can go looking for her and have her not want to be anywhere near me or this place! Chous has a strong urge for my head! It be a waste of my time!”
“Because she loves you!” she shouted. James froze and looked at Alice in partial shock and anger at once. “Even if- even if you were a horrible bastard to her...” Alice said and stopped as if she were waiting for an explosion.
“What! How do you know she loves me! How do you know anything about us!”
“She told me...”
“She told- Jesus Christ! Alice your a liar! Get out of my face!”
“James its the truth, she told me you were cruel but then you changed. She told me that she was in love with you!”
“Never! How could she be! Lies its all lies!”
“Well fine! Be that way! Maybe you haven't changed! Be a bastard your whole fucking life then!” Alice yelled now very angry. James slapped her across the face. “Don't ever talk to me like that again Alice Lisle Mitchell!”
“I'm sorry,” she said insincerely rubbing her cheek, without really being sorry. “ But she is in love with you! Why else would she resist leaving here you as-” Before she finished her sentence James turned around again as if he were going to strike her again, but Alice backed away. James stopped and went back the other way.
James knew there was no way he could get to Penny even if she did want to be with him and not back home. Thomas Chous and James Mitchell had history that would get between Penny and James. It couldn't be easy to get to someone your in love with if their older brother hated you and would kill you at the drop of a hat. James being a pirate encountered many individuals but none that he had ever seen again. It had been about ten years before. Thomas although a son of a Duchess had his own ship and went on frequent trips, especially when he was in his twenties. Once he hit his late twenties and early thirties he had to start taking more responsibility back home and did not get on as many outings. Thomas though very much unknown was a retired pirate himself. James and Thomas started out together in their early pirating days. There was a competition over positions, women and ships. Pirate things that were ridiculous but created two enemies who strongly hated each other.


Once one the ship Penny was locked in Thomas's cabin. Penny had had enough with getting locked in cabins and was not happy. She was forcefully taken away and being sent back to a life she hated. Thomas was ruining her life and she would let him know. Thomas decided not to wait until the next morning to leave port and by the early evening he and his crew with Penny locked on board were on their way back to Port Loll. Penny refused to talk to anyone in her captivity. As soon as she was able she was going to steal a lifeboat of the ship and leave. Even during supper Penny refused to talk to Thomas.
“So I take it your never going to speak to me again Penelope?” Thomas asked.
“Stop calling me that! You know I hate it!”
“So I guess you will be talking to me?”
“Nope!”
“Well you will adjust back to the life you are expected to live soon enough Penny.”
Penny only glared at her brother with a look that could kill. Thomas just ignored her. Penny was always being watched by someone aboard the ship so she never had a chance to escape. It was two weeks before they reached Port Loll again. After about the first four days of complaining Thomas finally gave Penny a pair of his clothes to wear instead of the dress she had on her when she was taken away by her kidnapping brother. Penny wished she were back with James. She wondered if James would even come looking for her. She wondered if he even cared enough to face her and her brother.