There was a knock at my door. "Mary? Your Uncle is here."
I got up and unlocked my door. I walked past Mother in my Sunday dress, not looking at her. I walked downstairs where my Uncle was waiting there for me while some red coated officers were putting my things in a carriage.
"Loyalists?!" I exclaimed and looked at my uncle who gave me a very displeasing look. I turned around to face my mother. "Don't tell me you're marrying a loyalist!"
She shook her head. "I'm not that much of a disappointment to you, Mary." My mother and I both hated loyalists. We cheered on our blue coats with pride. I gave mother a small smile.
"No, but she is to me and our entire family. I see you've turned your daughter against England, Eleanor. What a pleasant surprise." He stated sarcastically. "A little blue coat living in a manor belonging to a captain of the Royal Navy. Lovely."
I gasped.
"Come on then. Say goodbye to your mother, Mary." Uncle commanded.
I glared at Mother. "Goodbye, Mother." I said and walked out the front door with Uncle Thomas following. An officer opened the carriage door and helped me in. I sat down and Uncle sat down across from me. The carriage started to move and I could here the horses hooves click and clack down the road towards the harbor.
"Now Mary," Uncle started, "I expect you to be on your best behavior. You will be bored. You will be very bored on the ship. There are no other children on the ship except for you. You have no clue of the hardships I went through to have you allowed on the ship. To your disdain, the ship is entirely filled with these so-called loyalists you've come to despise. You will not be rude or I will have you thrown off the ship in the middle of the ocean. Is that clear?"
I nodded.
"Good. You will also do as you are told. You will not go down to the steerage of the ship at any cost and you will not disturb me when I am busy. When I tell you to go to your room, you will do so and stay there until I say it's alright for you to leave."
"Yes, Uncle." I said looking out the window at the my home one last time. I'll miss this small town, no matter how much people look down upon me and my mother.
"I feel for you, child. It's not your fault your mother's a disgrace. You were just the product of it. I can assure you that you will have everything you will ever want at my home with me, your aunt, and our humble servants." he assure me, sympathetically.
"Thank you, Uncle."
There were a few minutes of silence in the carriage...A few minutes of the most uncomfortable silence you could ever imagine. Uncle Thomas was never nice to me. I guess it took a lot out of him to do so. The carriage stopped and Uncle got out first and proceeded to help me too. The harbor was busy as usual. Fishermen were bringing back plenty of fish to feed the entire village, officer were loading the ship with goods and themselves.
"Follow close, Mary" Uncle instructed. I did as he told me to and followed him up the ramp to the ship. It was difficult for me to walk up the ramp. It was too steep for me, being little and weak. I was falling behind Uncle greatly and I felt like I would fall of the side into the water if I tried to be quicker. I tried my best but Uncle was already almost to the top. I ran, and just as I suspected, I slipped. I thought I was done for, seeing as I couldn't swim, but I felt someone catch me and lift me into their arms.
"Whoah there." a redcoat said to me...the one who saved me. "What's a little girl like you doing trying to board this ship?" He asked.
"M-my Uncle, sir. I'm traveling to England with him." I said, scared of him.
"No need to be scared of me, miss. Are you sure you're supposed to be on this ship?"
I nodded.
"MARY! Where are you?" Uncle shouted.
"UNCLE!"
Uncle came into view again, now at the top of the ship. "Ah! Officer Smith! Please bring my niece up. Quickly now."
"Yes, Captain" Officer Smith replied back. He started walking up the ramp swiftly, carrying me so I wouldn't fall. "So you're the Captain's niece. Nice to meet you, Mary. I'm Daniel Smith". We got to the top of the ship and Daniel put me down in front of my Uncle. "Captain" Daniel greeted Uncle.
"Thank you, Smith. Keep up, Mary. We don't have time to waste". I waved goodbye to Daniel and followed Uncle down to the deck below. He showed me to my cabin where I'd be staying. It was simple just like my room at home. A wooden bed, wooden walls, a little desk, and a single candle. There was a little circle window looking out into the ocean. "Now, Mary, you are free to wander the ship, except for the deck at the very bottom. You are forbidden from going there. The ship is set to sail any minute now. If you need me, I'll be in the captains quarters, but don't need me. I am a very busy man. I shall see you at dinner." He started to walk out. "And please stay out of trouble" he added.
I sat down on my bed and then decided to wander the ship just like Uncle said I could. I got up and ran out of my room. I ran down the ship and I ended up in the officers' quarters. They had bunks lining the walls...not rooms like I do. I've never seen anything like this. There were men laying in their bunks reading books. Some of them were staring at me, others didn't notice me. One man stepped in front of me. I looked up and saw he was staring down at me with an angry look.
"You're not supposed to be on this ship, little girl." He said and grabbed me arm and started to pull me away.
"John! Let the poor girl go!" I heard someone say. Daniel came running and pulled me away from John's grasp. I hid and clung onto Daniel's leg. "This is the Captain's niece. I advise you to keep your hands off of her or the Captain will have your head".
"The Captain's niece? This ship is no place for little girls. The Captain has no right to bring her on this ship!" John exclaimed. "What are we all supposed to do? Act like gentlemen all the time because of this little girl?!"
"That's exactly what I expect!" I heard Uncle say from behind us. I turned around as Uncle walked towards us. Everyone stiffened up. "I expect my niece to be treated with respect. Officer Smith, I am very grateful for you watching out for little Mary. There should be more men like you" Uncle stated while giving John a displeased stare.
"My pleasure, Captain" Daniel said.
"Smith, would you be so kind as to show Mary around the ship? I think it would do her and everyone some good for her to be escorted the first few days at sea...so she gets used to the ship."
"Yes, Captain"
"Thank you. Why don't you start at the top and work your way down...but not the last deck, Smith." Uncle warned. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Very well then. Off you go."
