Bloody Mary

Chapter Five~The Wedding

Chapter Five~The Wedding

The three months prior to the actual wedding were excruciating, and they sped by in the blink of an eye. Before Marianna could even register the happenings around her, she was being strapped into an elaborate white lace wedding gown.

Everybody was well aware that there was a full seven days before the event, but everything had to be perfect. It had to be, it was for the Governor's daughter, less than perfect would just be disappointing.

Of course, Marianna really could not care less. She had pre-wedding jitters of course, but it was all for a different reason. Over the course of the past few months, she had been plotting a scheme. It was something that could not be spoken of, she hardly even dared think of it when others were present. That was how severe it was, not to mention the severity of punishment she would face should she fail.

But she wouldn't, she had never been so determined in her life.

She endured the prepping, the cake sighting, trying on every gown in Kingston, and even contributed. It was to be the only time she would come relatively close to a wedding. The least she could do was try to enjoy it while it lasted.

Benedict though, he hardly had time to enjoy it. Even the time he shared with Marianna was subdued to a minimum. With the pirates growing fiercer and fiercer every passing day, the two lovers hardly had time to be together. Most of the time though, they fought. They would quarrel for ridiculous reasons. Maybe Marianna was moody due to walking all day in shoes that gave her feet blisters, or Benedict was enduring critical judgment from his superiors. This would mean seeing less and less of each other, which was what Marianna wanted. She couldn't lie to herself about her affections for the man, so she had to try and fool herself into thinking they weren't legitimate. Also, if Benedict grew to dislike her long enough, then maybe he wouldn't try to find her after.

Now though, now all that was left was to patiently wait until the night before the actual wedding, when everyone was asleep. She had her ticket out, a way to rid herself of the land lover’s life, and instead set sail for adventure.

Marianna would miss her family, but another moment in this hellish existence would be the end of her.

 

She sat before her mirror, studying her reflection with careful eyes. A bundle of her chestnut waves laid loosely between her grasp, while in the other was a firmly held dagger. The last time Benedict invited her to his home to dine with him, she had swiped it from his bedside table. With it in her hand, she slid the fine blade against her hair. With a few saw-like movements against the bundle of hair, the dagger separated the two pieces. Her sheared hair now rested just below her chin. It was enough to form it into a bun and tuck it into a bandana and hat. That done, she disposed of the length of hair in her hand, shoving it into one of the drawers in her cupboard. Marianna couldn’t care less if they found it. Perhaps it would give them the idea that she left willingly, and that it would be useless trying to find her.

She only hoped.

Once Marianna had slipped her trousers and shirt over her body, after tightly binding her chest to obscure the size of her breasts, she began tying her nightgowns once again. This time though, after she had climbed into the street, she gave a hard tug. It caused the makeshift rope to pull from the windowsill, and land in a heap before her. She gathered the material in her arms and began making her way to the harbor at a light jog. When she neared the water, she dumped the nightgowns into the sea.

Once at the harbor, her eyes scanned the moonlit area. The sounds of chopping waves beat heavily in her ears, and the scent of salt caused her nose to clear hastily. After barely a moment, her eyes landed on Black Tooth Bill and his crew, waiting at the harbor by the Schooner.