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Chapter 8: The Different Faces of Jesse Castello
Waves rocked the ship, and I struggled to stay standing. Christian had gone up with the crew since had gone up with the crew since he had been a sailor. Jen, Anna, and I were in our cabin, but we were determined to make it on deck, even if we were in the middle of a storm. Upon making it up, I made my way to the rail in an attempt to stay out of the crew’s way. I held on tightly to the coarse wood. Waves washed over me and I was terrified. I looked around frantically for land when I realized that we were sinking. We were sinking slowly, but we were sinking.
There! Land! Not thinking, I flung myself into the sea, intending to swim to safety. But the water was rough, and my dress (I had worn my light blue dress from Mrs. Hadely) pulled me under. I tried to fight the waves, but I didn’t have the strength. I’m drowning. I can’t breathe. I’m sinking. I’m drowning...And before I lost all sense of everything, I felt a hand pull at my waist.
I was on a beach, a very small one that had only a few palm trees. Eight, I counted. Not much shade. And only the sea surrounded me. I found nothing else until I stood up and saw my friends on the other side of the island, sitting in the shade. I walked over to them.
“Sandie! You’re alright!” cried Anna as she jumped up to hug me. After they were all convinced that I would live after all, I asked, “How did we get here?”
“Jen and I got one of the boats down, with some difficulty,” Anna answered. “But it sprang a leak and so we had to walk the rest of the way to the island. Fortunately, we were in the shallow part of the water anyways.”
“And Christian jumped in to save you,” added Jen.
“I’m sorry about taking off your dress,” Christian said, slightly embarrassed, “but it was too heavy.”
Only then did I realize that I was simply wearing a shift and corset. I had to agree with that statement, though. I nearly drowned because of those stupid clothes.
We were then forced to wait for a ship to come and rescue us. Anna and I sat on one side of the island, while Jen and Christian took the other side. We were looking for sails on the horizon, but we didn’t see anything but the vast sea. Even though we talked, we were extremely bored, and the soft sand and gentle sound of waves soon lulled us to sleep.
When I had fully regained my senses (except sight, of course), I could feel that my hands were bound with rope. I could feel the map still hidden in my corset and I thought, I’m glad that I put it there. I don’t think my captors will find it.
Just as I was about to try to call out to Anna, who had fallen asleep next to me, I felt myself being picked up and carried over the sand. I didn’t try to fight when I couldn’t see where I was. Besides, where would I run? I was placed on a wooden board, sitting up, and I had to guess that it was in a boat. As I heard someone begin rowing, I distantly recognized the sounds of Jen shouting curses and Christian yelling at someone to “leave her alone!” I heard nothing of Anna for awhile, and I began to get worried, when I heard her voice ask, “Who are you?” The answer was “pirates.”
Fear gripped me and my whole body grew tense. I recalled Anna’s words. “What all pirates do to young women...rape.” I didn’t however, have much time to dwell on the horrible things pirates did (I had completely forgotten Edmund’s and Castello’s beliefs that not all pirates were bad) because we had apparently reached the ship. I was hauled over the shoulder of a pirate and carried up the ladder. What a picture it must have been! A pirate was carrying a half-dressed maid up a rope ladder. I almost laughed at the thought, but I didn’t because I was, after all, a captive of a pirate ship.
I was set down on deck, and I could soon feel the presence of Anna, who was followed by Jen and Christian (who had been in a different boat). A moment later, our blindfolds were removed, but our hands were still tied behind our backs. No one spoke. The crew did their duties without uttering a word. They went about their business, and though they spared us an occasional glance, we were, for the most part, ignored. We stood by the back of the ship in front of the captain’s cabin. We dared not break the silence, but we gave each other questioning glances.
Once the ship had set sail, a man, who I suspected was either the captain or the first mate, came up to us.
“What be yer reason fer bein all alone on that little island?”
Christian stepped forward. “We were passengers on a merchant ship when a storm overtook us. We took a boat and headed for the island. Then you found us and took us aboard your ship.”
The man looked us over, seeing that we were honest and decent people (for the most part; I still only had on a shift and corset), he said, “I be Thomas Carter. Ye may call me Tom. I be the first mate aboard the Poseidon.”
Hearing this, I started. “Did you say this ship is the Poseidon?”
“Aye, miss.”
“Where is your captain?”
“He’s in his cabin. Why do ye ask?”
“I have something for him.”
“May I know what it is?”
“I don’t think so.” Admiral Morland had never said whether I could show it, but I added, “It’s from his father.”
Tom seemed to know something about the matter, as he nodded, untied our hands, and disappeared through the door behind us, which led to the captain’s quarters. We waited in silence, and I couldn’t help but notice that the rest of the crew was now intently watching to see what would happen next. Even the second mate at the helm looked down every once in a while.
And then the doors behind us opened. We all turned around to face Tom and the captain. So, this, then, is James Morland Jr.
He wasn’t dressed richly (in fact he was wearing exactly what the girls described), but he had a commanding presence. I had to agree with both Becky and Louise when they said he was handsome. No, not handsome, as Becky had said, but rather as Louise had informed us. He was gorgeous and (stealing Louise’s words) “no other man could compare.” His curly dark brown hair reached the nape of his neck at its longest. He had a perfect face, with a straight nose and a chiselled chin. He was tanned and looked built for hard work, as if he helped the crew at their tasks when necessary. He was tall and held himself powerfully, but not too proudly. His eyes, however, were familiar. The stormy blue depths reminded me of the sea. And then I remembered when I had compared eyes to the sea before. Jesse Castello.
It all fit together now, as if the puzzle pieces simply slid into place in my head. Captain Jesse Castello was James Morland Jr. That’s why he was educated. That’s why his mother’s eyes looked so familiar. I remembered Louise telling us about the charm. “It was silver with blue stones in it.” I gave him that jewel. It was from my hairpin. I could even see the silver chain peeking out of his shirt. And his tattoo! It was the mark of Poseidon because he was the captain of the Poseidon. And I had given him the hairpin with the same design without knowing that it was the symbol of his ship. And then I recalled perhaps the greatest proof of all. Admiral Morland said his son knew me. Everyone knew his son was a pirate, and the only pirate I had ever met was Jesse. And even before that, James Morland took me up to the guest bedroom. He performed that kindness for me because I had given him the means to escape. I should’ve paid more attention to Anna’s story. It all made sense now. James took a banana for the monkey. And he had laughed at all of the maids. That was so like Jesse! Bits and pieces of what Becky and Louise said about him came back. “He was slightly pale...for being a pirate.” That was from being in prison for two years. “He was tall...he had brown hair...” I should have put the pieces together a long time ago. I should’ve known who Jesse Castello really was.
I looked to see my friends' reactions. Jen and Christian had never seen either James of Jesse, but they were slightly shocked at the captain (probably because he was so young – only twenty-one). Anna, on the other hand, was looking between me and him, apparently of the opinion that there was something else there than what I said. She seemed to have figured out the whole Jesse/James puzzle.
I turned to look at Jesse Castello and found him staring at me. I crossed my arms in front of me defiantly (mainly because I was acutely aware that I had on only a shift and corset). I glared at him as he looked me over, and I felt, for once in my life, very shy. He seemed kind of in shock, however, at seeing me there on his ship, so he apparently didn’t notice what he was doing. As he stared very indiscreetly at my half-dressed self, I grew angry. And when he didn’t stop, my quick temper caused me to walk forward enough to touch him, and I slapped him as hard as I could.
Gasps followed this action, and even I was shocked by my display. I realized too late that slapping the captain of the ship was probably not a good idea, especially since I was his captive and at his mercy. I immediately wanted to apologize, but my stupid pride wouldn’t let me show any regret. Why did I feel different? Why did I feel less secure around Jesse now compared to before, when we first met? Maybe it was because the first time, Jesse was behind bars, but now he was free to do whatever he wanted. And if he chose to let me rot in a cell forever, then I was powerless to stop him. If he chose to rape me and then maroon me on an island with only an unborn child for company, then I couldn’t fight his decision. But I couldn’t help feeling smug for putting Jesse into his place. He got what he deserved in my opinion.
When I had overcome my own shock, I saw that Jesse’s face was still turned to the side from the force of my slap. Tom offered then to have me put in irons (I glared at him for that), but Jesse didn’t answer. He slowly turned his head to face me again, this time looking at me with a mixture of surprise, embarrassment, and admiration.
“Miss Easton, Tom here tells me that you have something for me. As you are my captives, I will have your friends put in the brig while we discuss your position in my cabin.” Pirates walked up to Anna, Jen, and Christian to grab a hold of them and take them below. They didn’t protest, knowing that I had business with the captain, and when I was done, they would be set free. Jesse motioned to the open door of his cabin, indicating that I should enter first. I did and, showing confidence and comfort in these circumstances that I did not feel, I plopped myself on Jesse’s bed, laying myself flat and enjoying the comfort of a real bed.
The door closed and Jesse observed, “You seem to like sleeping in a bed more than sleeping on stairs or a beach.”
“Most people do prefer beds,” was my reply. We were silent for a while, and I was glad that he did not reprimand me for slapping him.
“You have something from my father,” he started. “What is it?”
“This.” I pulled the map from my bodice. Jesse remembered not to stare, but I noticed that he was concentrating a little too hard on following the map with his eyes. “It’s a map.” I threw it to him and he caught it with ease. I continued, “Your father said it leads to the-”
“-greatest treasure in the world. I know because I gave it to my father.” I had forgotten. “Well, thank you for the map. You’re free to go.”
“And my friends?” I didn’t expect to get paid for bringing the map; I already did get paid by his father, but I was hoping, expecting even, to free my friends.
“You have paid for your freedom. They must pay for theirs.”
“You won’t let them go?” I demanded.
“No,” he replied, sitting on his desk chair and lifting his feet up on the table. My anger flared at how casual he was.
“What happened to the Jesse I knew? Where is the man that believed in freedom? The man who was kind to me? The man that carried me to his parents’ guest room when I fell asleep on the stairs? I believed that you deserved freedom, so I gave you that hairpin.” There he clutched his necklace. “I didn’t give it to you to pick that lock; I gave it to you so you would remember me. That you would always know that there was someone out there in the world who wasn’t prejudiced against you just because you were a pirate. That’s why I gave you that hairpin. I have explained my actions. Now you have to explain yours.”
I was angry, and anger was the only emotion I couldn’t control. Anger often led me to hurtful words and violence. But mostly, anger led me to tears. And I cried now, not sobbing, but tears streamed down my face as I yelled at Jesse.
I guess he thought he had hurt me in some way because he dropped his feet from the desk and rushed over to the bed to sit next to me. He was slightly hesitant to actually put his arms around me to comfort me and he didn’t, but I was softened towards him anyway. This was the Jesse I knew, the one who took care of me when I slept on the stairs and the one who looked at me as his equal.
“I’m sorry, Sandie,” he tried. My rage had subsided and I no longer shed any tears. That’s how I was; my temper would flare up very fast and then die out just as quickly. I was incapable of holding a grudge, but my temper was just as bad, if not worse.
“But, Jesse, how could you even think of doing it? Subjecting others to the same fate you once had? I thought that you had enough humanity to be against imprisoning others in such a cruel way as you yourself experienced. You, who talk of freedom. How could you take someone else’s away from them now that you know what it feels like?”
“I’m not usually like either of the people you’ve seen. I’m not usually as kind as when you first saw me. I wouldn’t usually carry a sleeping maid to a warm bed. I did it for you because, well, you saved my life. You didn’t give me that hairpin to pick the lock, but that’s what I used it for. I’m not like that, but neither am I cold as I was to you and your friends today. You’re right; you don’t deserve this. I owe you too much. You saved me from death and now you’ve brought me this map. I apologize, Sandie, for my conduct.” He left me sitting against the headboard of his bed, and only five minutes later, he returned, accompanied by Anna, Jen, and Christian. He didn’t look at me once, and addressed his next words to Christian. “You’re free to go at the next port or you can join my crew. The choice is yours. I will leave you so you can talk.” He bowed slightly and closed the door behind him.