Pirates and Peonies

8. Lunch for two

© 2013, Chenille Whitehead. Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1956 no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher

8. Lunch for two

Cecily found herself in one of the most unusual, yet most spectacular rooms she had ever been in.

All around her were a collection of remarkable artefacts from all over the globe. In one corner of the room, there was a golden flute and an assortment of leather drums, their sides painted with brightly coloured shapes and lines that she did not understand. There was a globe, a telescope, but also stuffed and pinned animals, including: butterflies, lizards, turtles and even a dodo, which stared at Cecily with cold, dead eyes as she gazed around the room. As well as these unusual items, there were chests of all shapes and sizes, placed either against a wall or in glass cabinets along with intricate pieces of jewellery: silver, gold and ivory.

An array of maps and fine paintings were hung, in a neat collage, upon the walls. Her eyes drifted across them, marvelling at the sandy deserts, rainforests and all the other strange landscapes. It was like she was seeing the paintings of her dreams. She had never seen such places; she had only ever read about them in books.

Facing her, filling up the entire back wall, were three stunning, arched windows. The top half of the windows were open, so that they not only let wondrous amounts of light enter the room, but also copious amounts of fresh air. Their crimson curtains, although tied back by delicate golden ropes, fluttered in the breeze. They were not made of the thick velvet material that was popular at that time, but of light satin that shimmered in the afternoon sun.

Cecily thought this was a truly magnificent room. Not the kind of room that she could find ashore in England, with its low ceilings and bizarre contents, but it was a marvellous room, none-the-less.

"You're late."

Cecily's attention was snapped back to the situation at hand.

In the centre of the room, in the middle of the ensemble of foreign artefacts, was Captain Montgomery. He was sat at a large oval table, peering down at a map. His eyes were locked in concentration; his body rigid. The only part of him that Cecily could see moving was his left hand, as he traced a magnifying glass over the parchment in front of him, searching...searching for something that Cecily knew nothing about.

"Sorry, Captain!" Cook apologised. He bowed quickly before lugging the pot of broth towards the table.

"Hmmm...," the captain dismissed, not taking his eyes from the map. His chiselled jaw was clenched, as if he were trying to figure something out.

"Unfortunately..." Cook trembled, fidgeting with his apron. "I didn't have time to prepare the ham roast for you, sir... I made you some broth instead."

"That's alright, Cook." The captain sighed. "Broth will do just as well today. I am too busy to enjoy my food, at the moment."

"Oh...thank you, sir!" Cook exclaimed, seemingly surprised at being let off the hook. "I'll be sure to prepare an extra tasty meal for you this evening!"

"Very well, Cook."

Cook began to back away towards the door, and Cecily followed quietly behind him. She was fairly sure that the captain hadn't even realised that she was there. Strangely, she felt disappointed by this. It felt almost anticlimactic. She didn't know exactly how she had expected him to react to her presence but she felt like she'd allowed herself to get anxious over this for nothing.