Chapter 13: Carmen's story

3 August, 1686 Evening

Claire and Carmen made their way up the Maidens Revenge's rope ladder then stepped on-board. They had just returned from town after having ordered a fresh supply of water, lemon's, lime's and salt which would all be delivered the following day. As an after thought they had purchased and brought with them a complete hot meal of sufficient quantity for four, consisting of Sirloin of Beef roast, French beans, biscuits, sweets, fruits, and three bottles of the best French wine available on Tortuga.

Constance and Isabel were delighted when the other two women surprised them
with the platters of freshly cooked cuisine. Clearing off the chart table for use as a dinning table, all four women quickly took a seat around it then without any farther hesitation proceeded to eat with savor.

"This is a meal I will remember for a long time," Isabel said filling her mouth with French beans.

"Indeed," Constance agreed taking a bite off her biscuit, "thank you both for thinking of it."

""Gyum weelcom," Claire mumbled around a mouthful of beef and biscuit."

They all laughed spitting out small bits of chewed up food everywhere, which only caused the women to laugh all the harder.

After they had eaten they sat at the table sipping wine and reminiscing of their past lives and talking candidly of personal sentiments when Isabel asked Carmen how she had learned to sail and then happened to end up in Blanchart's hands.

"Well, Carmen explained after taking a sip of wine, "Since the 1100's my father's family, all one hundred percent Irish mind you, had been known as sailors. Both my father and my uncle are... were accomplished sailors, as was their father before them, and they made their living by the sea, but they were not allowed to trade in the nearest port, the English-controlled Galway, so they voyaged to Scotland, France, and even England's arch-enemy Spain in their fleet of caravels, and galleys."

"Well anyway, before I was born my uncle discovered my future mother during one of his trading missions to Spain; she was the caste daughter of a Spanish woman who had been raped by a Turkish pirate. My uncle instantly fell in love with her and brought her back to Ireland with him, but once there, it was my uncle's brother, my father to be, that she only had eyes for, and he was of like mind concerning her. My uncle gave in to their wishes allowing them to wed but he cut off all ties with them for the next seven years. When I turned six something changed, I know not what, and my uncle once again partnered with my father in the trading company."

"Even as a young child I acquired a passionate love of the ocean and yearned to join my father on the sea, but my mother resisted, saying the life of a sailor was not for young ladies. Then after I turned nine my father finally gave in and allowed me to travel with him to Spain. After that, the stitch was set and my mother had little say in the matter and over the next nine years I made many voyages on either my father's or my uncle's ships. Now don't think me shameless or anything, but on one such voyage, at the age of sixteen I lost my virginity to a very handsome young sailor who wooed me right out of my virgin knickers."

The other three women chuckled amusingly.

"Did you fall dreadfully in love with him?" asked Claire.

"I loved him very much."

"Where is he now?"