Pirate By Blood

Chapter 29: Sunrise

“Is this...?”

“The ring?” He finished, “Aye, it is – and it’s yours. I was going to give it to you on the day I left, but forgot to.”

“But...I thought Sarah took it,” Maleen whispered, looking down at the gold band again.

“Aye she did, but whilst waiting for you, I think she must’ve given it to that boy Joe...something or other. He hadn’t it to me a moment.”

“I still don’t understand why it was in a pawnbroker though,” Maleen said.

“Because I left it there,” Leroy explained, side tracked, as he began to wander around the deck a little; looking for something, “A few months ago, I passed by this island and was in need of money. Saw the shop and gave in something I could afford to lose – but wanted to get it back, of course – it was mine – so I did.”

He rummaged around in a nearby crate with his good arm, frowned, and then moved on to another, “I guess you’ll want to keep it then,” Leroy added, “seeing as though you still have that necklace I gave you.”

Maleen glanced down at the chain around her neck that she had successfully managed to fix with a little bit of string and patience. It hadn’t taken long, but she couldn’t have clicked the links back together as a few had been broken when Jozan had sliced at her neck. It made her smile when she saw her initials on the dull surface – the shine now ruined after everything it had been through in the past week or so – and realised that, having something else to remind her of Leroy wouldn’t be that bad at all. She opened it and looked at the small picture inside; the parchment had been ruined and the picture was hard to make out.

“Ah ha!” Maleen heard Leroy say, and she turned to see him lifting a bottle from one of the grates; delight showing clearly on his face, “knew there was some around here somewhere.”

He walked back over to her, removing the cork from the bottle using his teeth, before spitting it out over the side of the ship and taking a long swig. Maleen waited patiently, but couldn’t help but stare at how thirsty he seemed to be.

“So what’s going on between you and that lad, eh?” Leroy finally asked, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

“What lad?”

“You know that Joseph fellow...or Jamey or...Jacob or...something...”

Maleen looked up at him, “Jozan,” She corrected, “and what do you mean by that?”

“He obviously likes you, I was just wondering...”

“Whether I like him?” Maleen stared at him in disbelief, was this what Pedro had been suggesting earlier? She didn’t love Jozan...or, at least, she didn’t believe she did, “He doesn’t love me anyway – not that it matters – we’re just friends.”

And that was when she suddenly realised it. There was no longer hatred when she said his name there was no feeling of betrayal. She’d forgiven him and, yes, she did think of Jozan as someone she could trust – a friend.

But how she had managed to get over the hatred so quickly was another mystery she now wanted to solve; something she would never, truly, get to do.

“He seems like a nice lad, though. Pirate, yes, but a good one at that –”

“I’m not looking for love,” Maleen interjected, not harsh, but just letting Leroy know that she wouldn’t change her mind and that the conversation had taken a turn for the uncomfortable.

“Sometimes that’s the best way to find something; by not looking for it.”

“Depends on what you’re looking for,” Maleen replied, and looked up at him with glint in her eye; hoping he would take the hint.