Seacrets (10 page)

Godsey fumbl
ed with the keys to the cargo holds, not noticing the disappointed look on Maura’s face.

"Aye, I get it just fine.You're no better than most men, Godsey. I'm disappointed in ya. I thought ya really cared for me, like a father."

The tears began to well up again in Maura’s eyes and Godsey didn't know what to do.

"There, there, gel. It ain't like ya think. I do care about ya like a father. That's why I'm wantin' ya to flash ya feathers, lass. Ya see the Cap'n, he's a good and decent man, child. He'll be able ta care for ya. I can tell he's got the eyes for ya. Why, since he found out ya was a female, he can hardly take his eyes from ya, when you're on deck. He don't wanna marry that tart, back in New England, anyway. Everybody knows it. You can make him happy, I know, if ya just give it a try."
With one final jiggle of the keys he finally got the door open and began to look for the cargo marked feminine.

              Maura stared past Godsey and felt that all men cared about in this world was how to trick a maiden from her virginity and then leave her with their bairn. Even the marriages she was acquainted with, through her father or as a governess, were loveless and lonely, for the woman. She wanted real love, and wanted to choose for herself, the man she’d spend the rest of her life with. Not some forced union by others or to save her own neck from doom. She wanted the kind of love she'd read about in books. Strong, lasting and unconditional.

Maura let out a deep sigh then considered perhaps Godsey is right and that kind of love doesn't exist, that she is behaving as a foolish school girl, with her head far and away in the clouds.

Then Godsey awoke her from her thoughts. "Maura, Maura. Are ya listenin' ta me gel? This is the best for ya. Ya've got ta trust me on this, now."

Maura answered with feelings of defeat in her heart, "Yes, Godsey I'm hearin' ya. I'll try."

Clapping his hands together, and breathing in a deep sigh of relief, he opened yet another door inside the cargo holds. They both looked about, holding lanterns high, to be able to distinguish one crate from another as there were no windows this low in the ship.

Finally they came to the crates contain
ing women's apparel and accessories. With an iron bar Godsey worked at the sides of the crates to pry them open. When he finally achieved his goal, Maura's eyes lit up as though it were Christmas morn. All at once, for now anyway, she drew a huge smile to her face and Godsey was relieved.

"Nothin' like a new dress ta make a lady smile, eh?”

Maura immediately began pawing over the many and varied shades and styles to find just the right ones. She finally chose a pale pink gown. It was three different layers of fabric. Satin under garment, covered by a gosimerlike eyelet lace. It had an empire waistline with a pink satin ribbon that tied in the back. The bodice was snug fitting to show off her obvious womanly curves and the neckline was well below the décolletage area, as was the current style.
Yes, this is the one
. She thought.

Godsey spoke up and interrupted her thought process. "He says you was ta choose as many as ya wanted."

Maura replied, with a smile, “I am up on deck most all the time when I am not doin’ my cabin chores, so this will be fine. I will, however, choose several sets of under garments ta change inta after I've bathed." Maura chose several cotton and silk chemises and pantalettes, two pair of silk stockinet’s and one pair of satin slippers to match the dress she had chosen.

Then she eyed a white lace and satin dressing gown. She held it up and placed it in front of her
, the length of her body and imagined what she'd look like in it.

This must surely be for the intimacy of a brides wedding night
, she thought and then found herself imagining she was wearing this garment for Daniel.

All at once she opened her eyes and was immediately ashamed of her thoughts. She set the dressing gown atop the crate, for now, and continued on to the next, as Godsey now had that
crate opened for her. It was filled with all sorts of hair ribbons, combs, soaps, lotions, and perfumes. Maura made her way through the crate in a most disciplined and orderly fashion, being very discriminatory in her choice of fragrances. She made her final choices and told Godsey to close up the crates, as she was finished with her selections.

Godsey did and then hurried her towards the cabin's portal, so no one would see them carrying the items back to the Captain's cabin and become suspicious.

As Maura started to exit the portal she reached back and quickly snatched up the white satin and lace dressing gown from the top of the crate in a last minute after thought and threw it over her shoulder.

With a few quick jiggles of his keys,
Godsey locked the door to the cargo holds.

Once back inside the Captain's cabin Maura hurriedly put her new treasures away, for she still had plenty of the days work left to do.

§

The sky was a bright line of fiery pink,now that the sun was below the ocean horizon. This was Maura's signal the days work, on deck, was finished and she was to make her way below deck and begin the usual nightly ritual of getting Daniel's dinner from the galley and readying the great copper tub for his after dinner soak in a steaming hot tub.

This time she was excited to be able to return to the cabin. She could not wait to lavish herself in the wonderful smelling soaps, lotions and perfumes and don her new gown.

Ahh, to feel feminine for the first time in over one month
, were the only thoughts occupying her mind, at the present. It felt good to have thoughts other than the trappings of fear gripping her mind. 

“
As soon as the evening meal is collected and kept warm atop the woodstove, I’ll put the kettles up to boil for Daniel's bath water, then go straight to work on myself. I want to look perfect for Daniel when he returns to the cabin.” She spoke aloud.

“My stomach feels as though I’ve a cage of butterflies living within.” She giggled.
“Why am I feeling this way?” She kept asking herself, over and over. She touched her hand to her cheek and found it was aflame. She was frightened of her own thoughts.

“
Godsey is right. I must make certain to keep myself safe for the rest of the voyage,” she reasoned with herself. “But still, should I not be ashamed of myself for tricking him this way, through seduction? Listen ta me, as if I truly have any idea how ta seduce a man a’tall.” She chided herself for her wicked thoughts.

Or could
it be Daniel is right after all?
She further thought.
Mayhap all women are as he said
,
looking for someone to take care of them and give them an honest name for their brats.

But in the end her desire to look and smell like a female, again, overrode any and all other thoughts.
Maura began her transformation from boy to woman.

†

Chapter
Eight

Her transformation complete, Maura stepped away from the mirror on the back of the cabin door. Turning this way and that, giving close inspection to her final creation atop her head. She worked her long black wavy tresses on top of her head with the combs she had chosen from the crates below.

She selectively let a few stray curls fall where they may to give a sense of allurement and innocence. Her skin was scrubbed and scrubbed with the scented soap and then lotions applied to the most heated parts of her body. Maura was a natural beauty. She need not wear any color to her cheeks, lashes, or lips.

Her nervousness made her quite warm in anticipation of how Daniel might react at seeing her for the first time dressed as a female. Her chest heaved with excitement and anxiety. There were moments when she could not take in enough air.

She thought,
mayhap a small glass of brandy will calm my nerves
. She walked to the cabinet above the desk and opened the beveled glass door, took out the crystal decanter and poured a full glass of blackberry brandy.

Maura
recalls only tasting brandy once, at a cousin's wedding, when she was just thirteen summers and it was only a small taste, at that. She had no idea the amount she had poured for herself would be too much for her to tolerate, for her small stature. She raised the glass to her lips and with eyes squeezed tight, in anticipation of a horrid tasting elixir,

she
took a small sip. "That's not bad a ‘tall." She said aloud, and downed the rest in one walloping gulp.

Still not feeling relaxed she returned to the cabinet and poured herself another full glass.

"That
should
do it. Everybody always says brandy makes them feel relaxed, mayhap I need more, because I am not a regular partaker of the drink." She reasoned with herself.

All at once she began to feel the heat ris
e to her cheeks and she felt unusually giddy.

"I guess I'm relaxed, now."
She laughed aloud, held her hand to her mouth and hiccupped. “Oh my, excuse yourself, Maura McCoveny!” She laughed even hardier, this time.

The clock upon Daniels desk chimed eighteen bells. Maura had finished her chores some time ago and decided to curl up in Daniels oversized leather chair, slippers kicked off
with her knees tucked up under her gown. Many more curls had fallen off the top of her head, by now, to frame her angelic face.

Her
downy lashes slowly swept upward as she heard the cabin door creek open. It was incredibly difficult to keep her eyes open for too long, as the amount of liquor she’d imbibed made her overly relaxed.

§

Daniel was unusually late returning to his cabin as he was detained by his old friend, yet a while longer. They had at last shoved off with their prisoners and Maura's letter to home, minutes before he retreated to his cabin.

Earlier, Godsey had reported back to hi
m his request to have Maura choose items had been taken care of and she had since returned to the cabin to begin her evening duties.

Daniel was all of a sudden tense and excited, all at the same time. He could only imagine what she might look like in female attire. He already knew she was quite appealing, even in the boy's garb. His mind was racing.
I must gain control of myself. She can not be allowed to get the better of me.
He conceded he’d never felt feelings of excitement of this character. He suddenly did not trust himself.
Damn women
, he thought.

When he opened the cabin door, all of his frustration faded and he thought he'd laid eyes on an angel. The room was filled with the soft light from every candle he had in his cabin. His breath was caught in his throat, as soon as he caught sight of her curled up in his leather chair. One leg
was tucked under her gown and the other leg was sticking out bare, to just above the knee. His thoughts were reeling, at this point. Her bare leg was tempting him to come to her and caress its shapely form.

He stepped a bit closer to take in more of
her beauty, when he spied the brandy decantaur setting on his desk still open with a goodly amount gone from the glass decanter.

He drew a slow grin to his face, sh
ook his head, while running a hand through his shoulder length black mane. He walked to his desk and poured himself a full glass of the warm sweet liquor. Then he slowly and deliberately brought the glass to his lips.

Daniel took in a full swallow, while sitting on the corner of his desk. He sat quietly for an undetermined length of time, taking in the full of her form in his chair. Daniel found himself actually feeling jealousy for an inanimate object, wishing she were curled up so cozy as that in his arms, instead of that old leather chair.

All at once Maura felt as though she were being looked upon and with a start, lurched forward in the chair, nearly falling out onto the floor.

Daniel's outstretched arm stopped her and settled her back into the chair.

Maura felt dizzy and light headed. She tried in earnest to stand and greet her captain properly. "Why it's Captain Daniel, I meam, mean Cap'n Hargreton, or is it Hamingtom." she stated with a giggle.

T
hat had Daniel laughing aloud, himself. “God, you’re precious… and drunk.”

"I'll be right up ta get ya dinner Cap'n and then ya bath. Just give me a minute ta get my thoughts together."
Maura staggered from the chair to the stove and almost dropped the plates of warm food on the floor.

Daniel quickly rose to his feet and caught her wrists
, grabbing the plates from her.

"Here, woman, be still!" He shouted, scaring Maura
with his booming voice. "I'll set the places. You just sit still before ya kill ya self."

Maura let out a great laugh. She had not had such a rouse of laughter, as this, in many a week.

"What in God's name are ya laughin’ at, woman?" Daniel stated with much frustration.

"Why you, Captain, that's who!" I am supposed ta be serving
you,
and
you
are now serving
me
." Maura gave another huge round of laughter.

Daniel
reached out and in one fell swoop picked Maura up out of her dining chair, into his arms, mid laughter and dropped her, clothes and all, into the tub of steaming water.

Maura resurfaced, hair streaming down her face, gown soaking wet and completely awakened from her drunken state.  She was certainly not laughing now.

"What did you do that for? Oh my brand new gown, it's soaking wet! Oh you!" she was furious.

Now he was laughing so hard he needed to hold onto his stomach, for it was actually in pain from laughing. He too, had not had such a laugh in quite a while
. “Oh thank you Maura for this well needed laughter.”

The laughter came and went as quickly as it began and
he was left looking into her eyes, of which he noticed were even more beautiful, when fiery.

Her emerald green eyes glar
ed at him through the wet strands of hair, covering her face.

Her breasts heav
ed, with each breath she took. The steam from the bath water rose off the swell of her breasts. Up over the bodice of her drenched gown, he could see a small hint of pink cresting above a tiny tuft of wet lace.

Daniel,
thoroughly overcome by her innocence and beauty, was unable to take his eyes from her. He imagined she was trying, in her very inexperienced way, to prepare herself for him. He surmised from her drunken state she must have become afraid and in an attempt to relax herself, she ingested too much brandy. He fought against the temptation to ravish her at this moment. He had never taken advantage of any female. All had been most willing participants, when he felt the urge to partake of the opposite sex. He felt certain she’d never been intimate with a man and he did not want to frighten her. He knew he would not be able to sail all the way to New England without tasting her. Of this he was certain. But it must be done delicately.

Daniel moved closer and bent to one knee, beside the tub. He reached out to caress
one side of her face and brush away the strands of wet hair from in front of her beautiful eyes.  He ran a thumb across one smoldering cheek and felt the soft velvet of her lashes brush against his thumb as she cast them toward the water. He moved his hand down, wiping away the droplets of water from her chin and neck, stopping at her décolletage area, above her breasts.

Then
He removed his hand, completely, from that part of her body, never taking his eyes from hers. He reached down below the water line, into the tub, in search of one, smooth, shapely calf. He ran his hand along the fine line of it and when he was sure he was being given silent approval, he proceeded to advance up, under her gown, toward her soft, shapely outer thigh.

There was not a sound, between them, only the swirling, ripples of the warm water.

Before advancing any further, he took careful notice of Maura's facial expression.

When he began to advance toward her thigh area, he noted her eyes
to resemble a frightened doe. There was a dreamy, yet somewhat, frightened look to them. This told him she trusted him, but he should go even slower. To ease her tension, a bit, he smiled into her eyes.

This look wa
s very different than any other Maura had seen upon his face.

She
continued to stare straight into Daniel's eyes as if she knew he were trying to comfort her for what would happen next. Maura's mouth suddenly went dry and she instinctively parted her lips and ran her tongue across them, in anticipation of his kiss.

Daniel leaned in close
, and with both hands, cupped her face pulling her to him.The kiss was soft at first and then became more desirous as he pressed closer to her.

Maura knew this kiss was much different than the first kiss they had shared on the morning he discovered her true identity. This kiss had a definite purpose to it. It was a hungry, open mouthed kiss
, animal-like, in nature. He was marking her as his and his alone… This was passion. She was thoroughly enjoying this new experience and did not want it to end.

Continuing to hold her to his mouth by tugging gently at her full bottom lip, he dropped both hands down to her waist and stood her out of the water.

Maura leaned into his rock hard chest and soaked his shirt with the warm wetness of her gown. Before she knew what was happening, he had every clasp of her gown undone in the back down to her waist and was lowering the bodice below her breast line. Her chemise was little protection from his eyes, as the gossamer fabric was now wet and transparent.

He cupped one breast, through her chemise, never breaking their kiss.

Maura felt intoxicated again, as with the brandy earlier.

Daniel could feel she was
unquestionably willing, but at the same time awkward and scared of what was to come from this warm and extended kiss. He could tell she'd never been with a man before for she had no clue what to do in response or even where to place her hands, during a heated embrace. But he vowed he would remedy that issue, before nights end. 

Daniel removed his hand from her breast and took hold of her wrist and wrapped one arm around his waist and she instinctively followed, in suit, with her other arm.

He broke the kiss, but not the spell. Her lids opened half way as he stepped back. Keeping her stare and not speaking a word he reached for the tiny satin ribbons on her chemise and began untying them, one by one, until her breasts were beginning to become exposed.

He
leaned in again and roughly reclaimed her mouth, sucking in gently on her full succulent bottom lip. Maura drew in several short anxious breaths with this sensual display. Daniel then let go of her bottom lip and slipped his tongue inside her mouth and just as quickly, slipped it back out, as if to tease her. He reached inside her chemise and felt the warmth of her firm young breast in his hand and felt his knees buckle just a bit.

Maura let out a soft whimpering sound, way in the back of her throat, while still trying to catch her breath from the excitement of this wonderful new experience she was being introduced to.
She thought only for a fleeting second this could be wrong, and then completely dismissed her thoughts.

With her inexperienced fingers fumbling she began to undo the ties on Daniel's shirt.
To ease her frustration he helped her to finish and she undressed one shoulder, and then the other. Maura moved in closer to him and when her breasts finally touched his bare chest it was such an incredibly intense feeling. It was as though powder kegs were exploding, all at once, for both of them.

Daniel let out a low, guttural groan in response and tore the chemise off her shoulders, so it rest in a
raveled heap about her waist. She was completely bare to his gaze for the first time. He wanted to take in the whole of her and did not want this moment to be lost in his hast. Her eyes were a smoky dark emerald. A much different look than when she was happy or angry. This was the look of a lustful woman. He knew it…she felt it.