Snippet #1865214

The grip on her arm hurt. He was right to hold her so tightly though. In this crowd, all eyes on the queen she could easily blend in and slip away. Pavati shifted slightly, the fingers were pinching her skin.

"Stop your blasted moving. Can't you see there are important people around? Not that the likes of you would understand." The whisper was harsh and mocking in her ear. Her eyes watched the stage, she saw the man mount the stairs. So this was to be the captain. Not that it matter to Pavati, she was only there because John was making her come along. Again, he was smart to. Left alone she would have been gone before he had stepped fully aboard the ship.

Pavati watched as the new captain greeted the female captain who had been instructing them since their arrival. She rather liked the woman. Pavati got the sense that while Cpt. Mastrotoni never said anything, she was not fond of John. That was enough to make Pavati like her but she also commented favourably about the maps and things that "John" did and that gave Pavati a sense of pride. Pavati had overheard someone say that Olivia had been the sailing master of The Cartographer and she had so much she wished to ask the woman but didn't dare.

A hard pull on her arm made Pavati move. John dragged her to where the two captains stood. The others of the crew were all moving to greet the new captain as well. Pavati frowned and stood beside him as he cleared his throat, getting their attention. She looked over the new man. Slightly younger than John possibly and he had the look of a sailor.

"John Lotering. I am your sailing master. Glad to be aboard with you Captain Fletcher." John removed his right hand from Pavati's arm, replacing it with his left as he reached out to shake Gareth's hand. He dug his fingers into Pavati's arm, a silent warning to behave.

Pavati's eyes narrowed and she fought the urge to make a noise as the fingers bit painfully into her skin. Her fight instinct caused her to pull away just a bit. John's eyes turned on her, full of anger that she would dare move while he was speaking to his captain.

John, barely keeping his composure looked back at Gareth, "Don't worry, it doesn't speak much and I will ensure it behaves." Pavati turned to look at John, eyes narrowing but she said nothing. Her gaze turned to Gareth. No one on board had said anything and she didn't expect them to. A domineering husband was not unusual. None of them had seen the chain that held her to the desk as he made her work. Not that the chain was needed. Pavati was not used to being on a ship. She didn't have the legs to handle walking steadily on the rocking vessel. John had chided her for it, commenting that if she couldn't handle it while they were in port what was she going to do in the open ocean and in a storm.

Pavati could think of a number of things she would do once in the open ocean, most revolved around somehow pitching John overboard and into the the water. Sometimes she stabbed him first, other times he would hung up in a rope before falling over. These thoughts gave her comfort whenever her stomach churned and her cheeks paled as the deck under her rocked.

She seethed inside as John waited for Gareth's greeting.