Treading Dark Waters

Chapter 1

"What is the meaning of this?!" She asked trying to keep her voice from trembling as she spoke. She could feel a knot in her throat trying to force tears out of her.

"Please madam, it's rude of you to speak so informally to hi—" the soldier on her right started to correct her but the gentleman sitting at the table put up one hand to silence him.

"I can imagine from the state of your clothing  you didn't have the most formal upbringing." The man sitting at the table said. He continued to write notes, and to pour hot wax onto brown envelopes, stamping them closed, and not bothering to look up at them as he spoke.

"I apologize for my rudeness my lord but—" He cut her off before she could finish.

"I am no lord, madam. I'm the captain of this ship, Colonel Jack Thomas, in service of His Majesties Royal Navy ". Still not looking up from the stack of papers and letters blanketing his desk. His voice was emotionless and cold. So cold that it gave her chills to hear someone speaking so calmly to her after what had just happened.

"I-I apologize captain, I don't understand what it is I'm doing here. Why, have I been dragged onto your ship? I have committed no crimes." Her heart was racing and she could feel her arm beginning to bruise from the soldiers tight grasp.

"No madam you have not, you have been sold to the royal household as payment for your fathers back taxes." He grabbed a letter from his desk and scribbled something at the bottom of it. "And I have just purchased your contract from the treasury." He reached across and dropped some coins into a leather purse. "For 15 silver coins."

She felt a cold sweat creep over her whole body. None of this made sense to her, it was so sudden. Her family wasn't well-off by any means but to have such debt that they had to sell her off? After the initial moment of shock passed she realized she had just been staring straight at him.
He was still focused on his work in-front of him, scribbling out notes and stamping pages.

"How can I ever thank you for this- sir I—" he interrupted her again.

"I didn't buy out your contract out of the goodness of my heart." He finally looked up and met her eyes then stood up from his desk and walked towards her.

He stood directly in front of her, he was tall, broad shouldered and all together imposing.

"I bought out your contract in order to marry you."

—Earlier That Day—

It was a particularly busy morning in the Thatcher house. Lily woke with the sun streaming in through the shear tan curtains and her sisters were already up, giggling as they laced up each other's dresses.

She was the second youngest child of four sisters and one brother. Her older and only brother had married early and his wife had also moved into the Thatcher home.

Her sister-in-law had already had one son and was heavily pregnant with her next. As the only son to James Thatcher, Henry was set to inherit the familial home when their father passed.

Lily sat up in her bed and looked over at her older sister still curled up in the covers.

"C'mon" she cooed, brushing her sisters tawny colored hair back over her ear. Emma smiled with her eyes still closed, pulling the covers in closer.

"Let's get a move on before we are left behind!"Lily smiled and ripped the covers off the bed and away from Emma. Usually this would have started a fight between the girls but no one could be in a bad mood this morning.