Chapter 13 #3
“Look, I wasn’t even planning on coming here at all,” she told her as Lillian sat back down. “I just thought while I was here collecting Naeem, I might as well.”
“Silly girl.” She shook her head in disappointment.
“Eh,” Rosetta said, shrugging her shoulders once more. She placed her boot against the table and started rocking her chair back and forth on its two back legs. “The first time was because he was pissed off I was letting other men play with me.”
“Why did you do that? You know how men can be. They think women are theirs until they no longer want them.”
“Because I was teaching him a real good lesson, wasn’t I?”
It wasn’t why Rosetta had done it, but she’d rather play it that way than tell Lillian the hurtful truth.
“Why would you–” Her eyes widened, then she gave a laugh Rosetta often associated with evil when it came from Lillian. “You saw him with another woman and made sure he understood you’d do the same thing back! I knew you were wonderful! Such a clever girl. I was just like you when I was younger.”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” Rosetta gestured to the cup she’d just fully emptied. “A bit too well.”
The humour between them died and Lillian turned to her with her motherly eyes.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” The concern and sincerity in her voice made Rosetta’s heart swell with a painful ache. Lillian reached forward to cup her cheek and Rosetta found her hand was rather cold this morning. “Don’t go giving your heart to someone who doesn’t want it.”
“Of course not. I’ve lost faith in men after Theodore.
” Rosetta turned her eyes to the window to stare out of it.
It was a beautiful, early autumn morning, reflecting nothing about the way Rosetta truly felt.
“I really thought I could love him. I wanted to, but then I realised love isn’t real.
It’s just some made-up fantasy mothers tell their daughters to keep them smiling. ”
“It is real,” Lillian responded. Her expression looked filled with sadness for Rosetta. “I love both my children dearly, no matter what they’ve become.”
“Yeah, well, I won’t ever experience that.”
Why did Lillian have to bring something up that could possibly be painful for her?
“I also loved the father of my children,” Lillian muttered, turning her eyes away to stare at the cup in her hands. “It was foolish of me, but I couldn’t help it when he kept coming back to me.”
“You told me he never claimed your daughter. You don’t even know if she’s his.”
“She is his daughter!” Lillian practically shrieked, her face scrunched up in anger Rosetta rarely saw.
Her hands even clenched into frail fists.
“I know she is. Just because her hair is blond like mine doesn’t mean she came from someone else.
I see pieces of his face in hers, in the colour of her eyes.
It hurts to look at my children and see his stupid face. ”
Lillian had a love-hate relationship with this unknown man. She often spoke of him, of her children, of her past. It was obvious she longed to go back to the days she had with them, to experience them again.
“I knew when he was coming to port. He always came around the same time of the year. I knew I was pregnant with her not even a few weeks after he left, and I hadn’t taken another man after him before I knew.
” Her shoulders slumped forward, a heavy emotion weighing her down.
“He always gave me enough money that I didn’t need to.
That’s how I know. He didn’t like hearing I had to still return to work months later.
He thought I was just being greedy when he didn’t understand the money he gave me for our son wasn’t enough. ”
It was Rosetta’s turn to reach across the table to hold her hand. She brushed her thumb over the back of it. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s none of my business.”
“No.” Lillian sighed, shaking her head. “It’s fine.
” She turned her face up to give Rosetta a warm smile.
“Did I tell you Agnes married the blacksmith last year? You should have seen the wedding – she looked beautiful. Unlike me, she got married, and because she was pure, she was allowed to wear a white dress. I’ve never been so proud. ”
“Yeah, you told–”
Rosetta’s words were cut short when she heard a commotion coming from the hallway. They shared a look of worry between them when they heard heavy, stomping footsteps approaching.
“Stop! You can’t go in there. She’s got a client,” came a woman’s panicked voice when the commotion got to the other side of the door.
“I told her if I caught her with another man that I’d fucking kill him.”
They flinched when both the doors to Lillian’s chamber swung open so fast they slammed against the walls with an ear-piercing thud.
Her brows drew together instantly. “Alister?”
His eye visibly widened before it darted between her and Lillian. Did he seriously follow me here?
“You know each other?” Lillian asked them both.
He stayed frozen, seemingly unsure of what he wanted to do. Actually, it looked as though he wanted to slowly back out of the room but couldn’t now that he’d been seen. His hands were frozen in the air from when he’d shoved the doors open.
Her eyes squinted in suspicion, more so when his nose bunched, as though he knew he couldn’t escape.
“As you can see, I’m currently busy.” Lillian gestured to Rosetta. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right with you, Alister.”
He isn’t here because of me? Rosetta’s gaze fell on Lillian.
She had a terrible feeling about this.
There was a long, silent pause between the three of them, so thick with tension it could have been cut with a knife.
“Nay,” he finally said with a shake of his head, brushing his palm against the stubble of his cheek. “It’ll be fine.”
He turned around and closed the doors on the stunned woman’s face before greeting the room once more.
At first, his steps seemed hesitant as he came closer into Lillian’s living quarters. Then he leaned down and kissed the side of Lillian’s face. She reached one of her hands up to cup the side of his before giving his cheek a kiss.
Rosetta’s lips parted, unsure of what to make of this, especially when he strode over to Lillian’s bedside table, grabbed the vase full of fresh, vibrant flowers, turned to the open window, and carelessly dumped them out of it.
As though he knew it would contain water, he grabbed a nearby pitcher and filled the vase once more. When he walked away after placing it back down, the vase now had a bouquet of white flowers in it.
“You never forget, do you?” Lillian turned her face to the flowers with a warm, gentle smile Rosetta had never seen before. Her expression made her appear years younger. “You’ve always remembered they’re my favourite.”
“Aye,” he answered, plopping himself down in one of the chairs at the table. He sat between them, since they had been sitting opposite each other.
“I’ll get you some whiskey,” Lillian said, turning from her chair to play host.
“What are you doing at a brothel?” Alister whispered while she was gone, his eye narrowing while his lips pressed hard together.
“I should be asking you the same thing!” she exclaimed back just as quietly. “I came here to get Naeem.”
His brows drew together, and he opened his mouth to say something. Their hushed conversation was cut short when Lillian returned, leaning over to place a glass of whiskey in front of him.
“Why does he get booze and I have to sip tea?” Rosetta complained when Lillian sat back down.
“Because he’s a man. Women shouldn’t drink until it’s evening.”
Then, as if she couldn’t help it, she gave them a loud, sudden burst of laughter. Her green eyes lit up brightly as they flickered between them, her usual downturned, grim expression turning upright with humour. She even shook her blond hair around.
Alister and Rosetta gave each other a bewildered look.
“What’s so funny?” he bit between clenched teeth.
“I never thought I’d see you two in the same room without trying to cut each other’s throats. I just can’t believe it.” She patted the table in Alister’s direction. “Do you remember I told you how one of the girls who worked here stopped those men from stealing from the safe?”
“Aye.” He chuckled, rubbing his jaw like he was trying to think back. “I asked how a prostitute could stop a bunch of men ransacking a place.”
Rosetta’s eyes widened, and she put her hands up to shake them at Lillian, wishing this conversation would suddenly end. Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“And how she would most likely turn that knife on you if you ever met because she doesn’t like men like you?” Not seeming to understand what Rosetta was trying to say with her hands, Lillian gestured towards her. “This is she.”
Rosetta snuffed the urge to place her head in her hands in embarrassment.
His head snapped to her. “You worked here?”
“Three years ago,” she mumbled, turning her gaze away.
This couldn’t be more embarrassing.
“I’m just surprised you’ve met and don’t hate each other,” Lillian laughed, lifting her tea and trying to stem her giggles, like she truly found it too hilarious to drink. “It’s not what I expected.”
We far from hate each other.
His eye squinted as he placed his arm on top of the backrest of her chair to be closer to Rosetta, hushing his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me you worked for her?”
“Because it’s none of your business.”
He grunted in answer.
“How do you even know each other?” Lillian asked, a frown of confusion crinkling the smile she wore. “From memory, I don’t think you have ever been at Tortaya at the same time.”
Rosetta’s eyes widened. Oh no.
She didn’t get the chance to stop Alister from saying, “She’s been sailing with me for the past few months.”
The smile Lillian wore slowly faded, little by little, as the realisation settled in. A cringe started to blanket Rosetta’s features.
“Him, Rosetta?” Her teacup lowered so she could gently place it on the saucer. “He’s the one you’ve been sailing with?”
“Aye.” He chuckled. “Helped her get that little ship of hers.”
Even though she wanted to bite at him that her ship was bigger than his, she couldn’t stop herself from palming her face because of his response.
That’s it, I’m dead. Lillian obviously knew who Alister Paine was, and she would never approve of a pirate like him.
I’ll never hear the end of this until the day I die.
She’d seen the wanted posters of his face while she’d been walking around, posted to bulletin boards and occasionally in a bar. She now knew just how large that bounty was, and it was impressive, to say the least.
Shame, embarrassment, and chagrin sailed through her.
“You! You!” Lillian started to yell, before she reached over and grabbed Alister by the ear and yanked.
“Ow!” His face morphed into pain. “Watch the earring!”
Rosetta’s lips parted in a gasp as she watched them. She was surprised Alister wasn’t flipping into a fit of rage at what she was doing to him. His head started to lower, as if he was trying to follow her to reduce the damage.
“You’re just like your bloody father!” She yanked even harder.
His head turned to Rosetta, his face twisted into a horrible wince. “What the hell did you say to her?”
Never had Rosetta wanted to disappear more than at this very moment, as realisation dawned.
Her eyes opened wide. She’s... She’s...
“Oi! Ma, stop it!”
Alister was Lillian’s criminal son. Someone kill me, please.