The arrangement had been simple and straight forward, in the beginning. In return for transport to the British colony where she was to teach school, Miss Caitlin Manning agreed to work for her passage in the galley. On any other ship, she might have been forced to endure other more lascivious tasks but Lady Rum allowed no such behavior from her crew. Her cooking was pleasant enough, if a little bland compared to the previous cook but that all came to a crashing halt one day when Miss Manning came across the mishmash of machinery that the crew had been using for a still.

She turned it into a steam engine. And put up curtains. And practically moved into the engine room.

The crew never knew what hit them.


Coke/Caitlin Manning © CSHayden 2011