Teague frowned in confusion as Roxanne strode furiously past him, her head high and body tense with anger, making her naturally perfect posture seem stiff and forced.

"Roxanne!" he called after her.

She didn't slow, didn't give any sign that she'd heard him. If anything, her pace quickened.

"Bollocks," Teague muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Fucks her problem?" Soracha asked, frowning slightly at Roxanne's back.

"Probably mum bein' an arse," he replied.
"Though I didn't think she'd said anythin' to upset her that badly."

He shook his head, watching Roxanne for a moment.
"She's headin' back to the Lady and I wasn't for going back for a couple of nights. I wanted to sleep in a bed."

"I'm going to get Sahara. I'll send Roxanne back to ye too. Ye go ahead home."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry about what Mum said about-"

Soracha waved a hand, cutting off his apology. "It's alright. Go on home. I'll get your lass an' your dog and deliver them to you."

He smiled and nudged her shoulder affectionately before quickening his step, heading towards two cottages that stood down the road from Teague manor.

Soracha headed the other way, to the harbour where the Lady was docked, stepping aboard.

"Dead woman walking. We have a dead woman walking here, men."
The upper-class Dublin accent was lightened by teasing as Cormac, the Lady's First mate, crossed to meet Soracha.

"You'll be a dead man not walking unless you shut up," she said in response, a playful smile on her lips.

Cormac's large, strong hands landed on Soracha's shoulders and he held her at arms length as his pale green gaze looked her over.
"I think I can safely say you're not dead," he declared after a moment, smiling slightly.

The smile was made mildly unsettling by the scar that split his top lip at the left side, but Soracha grinned back.

"Definitely not dead. D'you know where Roxanne went?"

"Captain's cabin. I'm guessing Edward's at home then?"

"Aye," Soracha said with a nod.
"Why are you still here? Don't you have to go and get laid as many times as possible before the ship sails again?"

Cormac laughed. "Never you mind how many times I have to get laid. And I was on my way off when I saw this mop of yours."
He ruffled her hair playfully, the same way he'd done when they were children.

"Fuck off." Soracha chuckled and ducked away from him, shaking her head to settle her dishevelled hair. "You go get laid and I'll go find Roxanne. Who's staying tonight?"

"Ciarán, Diarmuid, Alastair, Randall, Séamus and Ben, as well as some of the new ones whose names I haven't learned yet. Enough to keep things in order."

"Aye, that's enough. See ye Cormac."
Soracha smiled, raising a hand in farewell to him before going to the surgery to gather her things, then heading to the captain's cabin.

She let herself in, letting Regan out past her as she drew back the curtain to find Roxanne sitting on the berth with her back against the wall, knees drawn against her chest.
"Edward wants ye off the ship," she said, sitting on the end of the berth.

"Why?" Roxanne asked quietly.

"Because he wants to spend time with you away from the crew."

"Oh, so first he wanted to leave me at Teague manor and now he wants to spend time with me?"
Roxanne scoffed and shook her head.

Soracha rolled her eyes slightly.
"He wasn't goin' to leave ye there. He was teasing. If you're going to stay in a long-term relationship with Edward, you're going to have to get better at knowing when he's teasing ye."

Roxanne frowned a little.

A slight smile played on Soracha's lips as she watched her.
"Get your arse off the ship. He's far too impatient for you to keep him waiting. I'm goin' with you anyway, have to take Regan over."

Roxanne stood up slowly, slipping on her boots as she picked up her coat and sword.

Glancing around to check there was nothing else she needed, her gaze fell on a book on the floor by the shelves, the title familiar.

She lifted it, tucking it inside her coat under her arm.
"I'm ready."

Soracha nodded, whistling to the dog and they left the cabin, locking the door behind them.

"Are you alright?" Roxanne asked as they walked off the ship.

Soracha slipped her shirt up to reveal a scar above her hip. "The witch fixed me."

The scar was tinged slightly purple, the skin around it resembling a fresh bruise but otherwise it looked completely healed.

"That's good."

Soracha hummed in agreement, shifting the bag of her belongings on her shoulder.

"Are you taking me back to Teague manor?"

"No," said Soracha. "I'm takin' you to Edward's. He doesn't live with his mother, he moved out over a year ago and now lives in a little cottage next to the one I share with Sahara."

"Oh good," Roxanne said, relieved that she wouldn't have to see Eabha Teague again.

Soracha put a hand on her arm.
"Don't pay too much attention to what Eabha says. She's a bitch to most people, including her children and me."

"Why doesn't she like you?"

"Partly because she's scared of me, as she should be, and partly because I don't give a shite about her so-called "authority" as head of her household and refuse to let her exercise any kind of power over me."

Roxanne thought of what Eabha had asked Soracha.
"What did she mean by "Where's your brat?" when we came in?"

"That is also private."
There was a slight note of warning in Soracha's tone now and Roxanne understood that further questioning on the subject would be unwise.

She changed the topic instead.
"How did you end up on the Lady?"

The Irishwoman was quiet for several moments, making Roxanne wonder if she was going to answer.

Finally, she sat down on the damp grass and gestured for Roxanne to join her.

Once they were both seated, Soracha began.
"I grew up in the cottage I'm still living in, which is just down the road. So the Teague's were my closest neighbours growing up, meanin' I met Edward when I was very young and grew up with him as a best friend. I spent most of my time at Teague Manor, especially after my brother died when I was twelve. I lived on the streets after his death and until my parents died, as I then inherited the cottage for my own but was always welcome to stay in Teague manor."

Soracha picked a clover and pulled the head off it before continuing, shredding the stalk while she spoke.

"I met Torryn McCartney, an unemployed fisherman from Cork, in a tavern just before moving back into my cottage when I was seventeen. I fell head over heels in love an' invited him to move in with me."

She gazed at the sea, crashing against the rocky shore and throwing up great fountains of white spray.
Overhead, gulls circled, their cries mingling with the waves. A breeze made the grass and wildflowers sway gently, while the sun peaked through a gap in the clouds.

"Edward took an instant dislike to Torryn and warned me against living with him but I, unable to see any of his faults, let him live in the cottage with me. We'd been living together for two months when he hit me for the first time. I spent the night in Teague manor, listened to Edward's lecturing but went straight back to Torryn in the morning, convincing myself he'd hit me because he'd been drunk."

Roxanne stayed quiet, listening to her story. Soracha sighed softly and continued, her voice now quiet and sad, her accent thicker and a smokey roughness coating her words.

"Torryn got worse as time went on, drinking heavily and becoming very violent and controlling. I was physically and verbally abused for over a year."

She was now facing slightly away from Roxanne, so her expression couldn't be seen, fingers tapping restlessly on her left wrist.

"I discovered I was pregnant and when I told Torryn, he broke three of my ribs. I walked out for good, joining the Lady's crew at Edward's invitation as his doctor, as I'd taught myself quite a bit of healing in my time with Torryn. I've been learning through experience and experimentation since."

Roxanne listened in silence, then Soracha continued.

"I hate Eabha because on the night I left Torryn, I went to Teague manor, looking to stay the night, to get out of the rain and gather myself up to face the streets in the morning. She, knowing I was with child and injured, turned me away. I haven't seen her since, which was why she asked about my child."
Soracha shook her head slightly.
"I've just answered all your questions, even though I didn't intend to."

Roxanne smiled very slightly, though she was shocked and horrified by everything Soracha had been through, as well as impressed by the strength of the woman's resilience.

One question now remained in her mind. Where was the child Soracha had been expecting?

There had definitely been no children on the Lady.

She opened her mouth, but Soracha standing with a curse prevented her from asking.
"The bloody dog's just disappeared. I'm just hopin' he went to Edward's. I better check, and deliver you."

Roxanne nodded, making a mental note to ask Edward about Soracha's child as she got up to follow her.