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Court picked up a broom and started sweeping the floor around the stove and table.
Cookie continued, “‘Incredible!’ said the young fellow. ‘So how’d you get the patch?’ ‘That was the most grisly of all, boy,’ said the pirate. ‘It was after the battle, later that very same day, while we was pillaging the port. I grabbed me a feisty woman, had a bag of gold over my shoulder, and was headin’ back to me ship when I heard a strange noise overhead. I looked up, and there was a huge seagull flying over.’”
“A seagull?” Serenity asked.
“Aye,” Cookie said with a rare smile. “The old pirate had looked up at it and it capped him right in the eye.”
She frowned. “Capped him?”
“Well, Miss James, it unloaded itself, if you know what I mean.”
By her blush, Morgan could tell she understood.
“So, the young lad looks at the old pirate and says, ‘But that doesn’t explain the patch.’ ‘Aye, matey,’ he said. ‘’Twas me first day with the hook.’”
Morgan bit his lip to stifle his laughter. However, Serenity gave a delightful, hearty laugh that filled his ears with music.
“That’s so terrible!” she gasped with a fake shudder. “Wherever did you hear such?”
Cookie began wiping the table clean. “You hear a lot of jokes from the sailors while they’re eating.” A frown settled down on his brow and it was obvious the matter bothered him for some reason.
Serenity placed a hand on Cookie’s shoulder and in spite of the ridiculousness of it, a stab of jealousy whipped through Morgan. She wasn’t supposed to comfort a man.
Come to think of it, why, she was down here against his orders!
“You should tell the captain how you feel, Mr. Rodale,” she said quietly. “Let him know that you’d like to have more help so you can go topside during the day.”
Cookie scoffed. “What, and turn them surly oafs loose in my galley without me? I shudder to think what they might do. Just my luck, they’d use gunpowder for pepper and then we’d all be in a fine fix.”
Smiling, she rolled her eyes and turned back to check on her pot.
Court stopped his sweeping, his face beaming with a smile. “I’ve got a joke, Miss James!”
Serenity tapped the spoon twice against the pot and added the lid. “All right, Mr. Court, let us hear yours.” She moved aside to allow Cookie to place the biscuits inside the oven.
Court went back to his sweeping. “There was once this brave captain whose ship was in danger of being boarded by pirates. So the good captain looked to his cabin boy and shouted, ‘Bring me my red shirt!’ The cabin boy quickly ran to his cabin and brought back the captain’s red shirt, which the captain put on posthaste. The battle raged on all day, but in the end, they were victorious and the pirates were punished.”
He paused to cuddle the broom in the crook of his arm and scratch his nose before continuing. “Two days later they spotted three ships of pirates and the captain, just as calm as ever, again called for his cabin boy to bring him his red shirt. Again the battle lasted all day and again the captain was victorious. Well, later that night, the crew was recounting their war stories about the pirates when the quartermaster asked the captain why it was he always wanted a red shirt to wear during battle. So the captain, giving the quartermaster one of those looks that only a captain can manage to give, said, ‘I wear me red shirt in case I get wounded in battle. That way no one will know that I am hurt and the rest of you will continue to fight without any worry over me. His crew was much impressed by his words.” Court stopped sweeping and nodded at her. “It’s a brave thing to be wounded and not let it show.”
Serenity nodded in agreement, her face sweet and indulgent like a proud mother’s. “Go on.”
“Well,” Court said, “About a week later, the lookout called down to the captain that there weretenpirate ships headed their way. Every man-jack on board quivered in his boots and they all looked to the captain for guidance. The captain stood just as proud as ever and called calmly to the cabin boy, ‘Boy, bring me…my brown pants.’”
Serenity’s eyes bulged.
Cookie bellowed in rage. “Now, what kind of joke is that to be telling a lady? I raised you better than that, boy!”
And just as Cookie reached for Court, Serenity grabbed his hand. “It’s all right, Mr. Rodale. He meant no harm.”
Court looked like he’d been struck already. “I’m sorry, Pa. I just wanted to make her laugh, too.”
Serenity gave Court a reassuring hug. “It was a fine story to tell other boys, but your father’s right. You shouldn’t tell such jokes in mixed company.”
He hung his head and the broom dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry, Miss James.”
She gave him another squeeze before she retrieved the broom and returned it to his hands. “Nothing to apologize for. You were just trying to make me happy and that is a wonderful thing. Isn’t it, Mr. Rodale?”
Cookie’s eyes narrowed. “Not as fine as me tanning his backside for such.”
