It would be best to return home before it was too late. Face whatever the future held on the plantation instead of the uncertainty of living on a pirate ship.
I had no desire to go back to sleep or lie in bed and feel miserable about Marcus, so I rose as quietly as possible and got dressed.
The sky was starting to lighten as I stepped out of Marcus’s cabin to use the head. There was a watch on duty in the crow’s nest, but they wouldn’t think anything of me going about my business, no matter the hour. I made my way to the stern, behind the captain’s cabin, thankful for a bit of privacy.
But before I entered the head, I heard a soft, painful moan, followed by a whimper.
A very feminine whimper.
Whoever was in the head was suffering.
The only people who used the private toilet in this part of the ship were the captain, Marcus, Hawk, Ned, and me. I frowned, trying to make sense of what I was hearing, and then Timothy’s conversation filtered through my mind.
Ned.
Another whimper met my ears, and I knew I needed to offer my help, even if it was unwanted. If nothing else, I could summon Dr. Hartville.
I tapped lightly on the door, and the whimpering stopped.
“Ned?” I asked as I slowly opened the door.
“Don’t come in here!”
“Are you ill? Do you need help?”
“Stay awa—” But the words were cut off by a cry of pain.
I opened the door all the way and wasn’t prepared for what I saw.
Ned was sitting on the floor, in front of the toilet, a pool of blood on the ground. He was in a nightshirt, clutching his abdomen—but it was clear he wasn’t a man, after all. Ned was a woman, in the middle of losing a pregnancy.
My mouth parted in surprise as I rushed into the small space and knelt on the ground beside her.
Her face was pinched in pain and sorrow. “You weren’t supposed to know.” Tears streamed down her face. “No one was supposed to know.”
“I’ll get Dr. Hartville—”
“No.” She grabbed my arm.
“But you’re clearly in trouble. All this blood, it can’t be good.”
“I’m losing the baby,” she said as more tears trailed down her cheek. “I didn’t want it—was so angry I was pregnant. I waited two months to tell him. He was forcing me to go back to my family in Charleston.” She let out a moan as she dropped her chin to her chest, breathing hard. “But I won’t need to go home now.”
My heart was heavy as I asked, “Captain Zale?”
She sobbed and nodded. “He’ll kill you if he learns that you know the truth.”
“I won’t tell him,” I promised.
“He’ll know. He knows everything.”
“Are you sure I can’t summon Dr. Hartville?”
She shook her head. “Edward made me promise that if I stayed on the ship with him, I wouldn’t tell anyone I was a woman. They’re all superstitious. I’ve heard them whispering about me. They’ll overthrow Edward if they know he allowed me on the ship, and then they’ll cast me into the ocean.” She wiped her running nose with the back of her arm. “He warned me that this wasn’t a good place for me, but I didn’t want to live without him. And it’s no place for a child, either. He was right. I don’t belong here. No one does.”
“I’ll help you, Ned.” I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
Her glossy, miserable eyes met mine. “My name isn’t Ned. It’s Nadine.”
