I patted my tears away as I waited on the docks for my ship. When Samuel's family returned, they had not been grateful as I hoped they would be. Instead, they fired me immediately and sent me packing. I tried to find work after that, but they began to spread rumors about me. They said I whored myself to the pirates who robbed them while their son watched... Even if I tried to repair the damage they had done, things were already so far gone, and word spread quickly. People didn't even look at me in the streets and spit in my direction in the square. I had to leave. There was simply no other way.
I used the lavender pirate's gold to purchase passage to Port St. Croix. It was a large trading hub where I would no doubt be unknown and be able to find work. Perhaps no longer as a governess should my tarnished reputation ever come to light, but I was skilled at other things. A lady's maid might suit me well enough. Though being a maid hardly appealed to me, I wanted to teach children! But I supposed there was no hope of that now... I boarded the ship and found my quarters, deciding to practice my curtsy and manner of walking. Lady's maids had particular standards to measure up to, and if I had any hope of meeting them, I would need all the practice I could get.
YOU ARE READING
As A Stranger Or A Friend?
RomanceUpon the blurred line of morality and at the mercy of circumstance, two souls meet. Again. And again. And again. So, is it simply a coincidence or something more? When a young Mariel leaves home, she is instructed to lead a quiet, ignoble life. For...
