Skull and Dagger

Fourteen hours later, Annabelle sat in her small cabin aboard the ship, still tied firmly to one of her father’s sitting room chairs, narrowed eyes shooting daggers at everyone present except Elizabeth.

She continued to gnaw at the gag her father had resorted to when she’d refused to stop screaming bloody murder in protest to her restraints long past midnight.

Elizabeth eyed the two footmen that guarded Annabelle and gave her an apologetic smile when, once again, she assessed that she wouldn’t be able to overpower them and free her mistress.

Annabelle nodded and her eyes softened, letting Elizabeth know that she didn’t hold her responsible for her current predicament.

“At last!” Henry entered the room with a tall, slim man dressed in priestly clothing. “You set sail in minutes,” she informed Annabelle with a victorious smile, indicating that the two footmen could depart.

The clergyman watched the spectacle of the rather small young woman hog-tied to a chair and guarded by several men in astonished – and somewhat horrified – disbelief.
“Th-That is no proper way to transport a lady,” he began with a hesitant stutter.

“It’s the only way to transport this ‘lady’,” Henry retorted, finally removing the gag from Annabelle's mouth.

“I’ll never do it!” she exclaimed immediately. “Never!”

“Yes, yes.” Henry patted her cheek disinterestedly. Raising her had always been his wife’s job, and after her death Elizabeth's, so he felt no loss in her parting.

In fact, he’d never really bothered to get to know her at all.

“Although I can’t imagine how even you will manage to escape this ship while it’s at sea. And I have Father Sites's assurance that he won’t release you until you’re well at sea…as well as making sure you don’t evade the William's once you arrive in England.”

“Quite right,” Father Site nodded, although he seemed a bit more nervous about his mission now that he had actually seen the situation. He hadn’t really believed that the young lady had been literally tied to a chair.

“You should be grateful,” Henry informed Annabelle. “Without my contacts, you would never have found a man that would wed you. Now, can we not at least have a pleasant good-bye?”

“I will find a way to escape,” Annabelle informed him coldly.

Henry let out a weary sigh. This whole family thing had always been strange to him.
At least now, his terror of a daughter would be another man’s problem. “You will follow my instructions exactly,” he informed Father Sites.

The clergyman nodded. “T-To the very letter,” he agreed.

Henry nodded, satisfied.
“Farewell, Annabelle. It has been an…interesting experience…”
And then he was gone.

Elizabeth and Annabelle exchanged a look and nodded.

Father Sites hadn’t even noticed, having been too busy settling himself down and leafing through his own personal notebook.

Annabelle carefully inched over to where a loose wooden plank rested against the wall. Still, Father Sites didn’t notice.

Slowly, she stepped up behind him, swinging the plank high and…
He fell to the ground unconscious with a thunk.

“Hurry!” Annabelle exclaimed. “Untie me before we set sail!”

Elizabeth produced a very unladylike knife from the folds of her skirt and proceeded to cut the ropes that bound Annabelle. In a matter of seconds, she was freed.

“Let’s go.” She grabbed Elizabeth's hand and together they fled their cabin, racing up the stairs to the deck and seeing…

“God damn it!” Elizabeth exhibited yet another of her unladylike tendencies.

Annabelle's heart sunk as she saw the distant shoreline.

They must’ve set off only seconds after her father departed and had very favorable winds to carry them out this far already.

“I can’t swim that,” she commented with a forlorn sigh.

Elizabeth nodded gravely. “So what do we do now?”

“Make a break for it once we get to England,” Annabelle decided.