Remember Your Place

She never said a word as she watched the smile disappear from his face, as he issued a series of instructions.

"I want this deck cleared and that means you to Talulah.

I want the Captain's Table set within two hours, with seats for you and me, the Bean Counter, the Captain, my new Cabin Boy and a couple of spares, other than that the room will be empty with Conan guarding the door.

Oh, the lad will also need a decent set of fresh clothing, suitable for the table, so please ensure they're delivered in time for him to change into before we come to the meal."

She could take almost any humiliation in her stride, but not the insult of a cabin boy being elevated above his station, a new one at that, not much more than ten minutes ago he was nothing more than a bilge rat.

Sensing her reaction brought a crooked smile to his face and with a steely glare, he added.

"Don't hesitate and remember your place".

The words slipped from his lips with a hint of malice, just enough to make her think twice and she keeps her mouth shut.

But she was old school and quickly regained her composure, turning away with eyelashes fluttering and pretentious enthusiasm, ushered the confused entourage from the deck, whilst simultaneously giving out orders to satisfy his demands.

As they scuttled away, the commanding figure of Barton Denver inserted the golden key in the door, unlocking it with the slightest pressure and using his boot he nudged it open and waved the lad in.

The lad's mouth dropped like a drawbridge, he was aghast with the splendour he saw, whispering he said.

"There was nowhere else on the boat like this, that's for sure."

"Right lad the first thing I need is for you to tug off these boots and give them a good clean, I want to see my face in them, by the time you've finished.

When that's done you can step into what's left of my bath, after which we can have a good chat."

The lad couldn't believe his luck, however, in truth, Denver was shrewd, he knew instinctively that the lad would have the nose of a bilge rat, the eyes a cat and the ears of a bat, honed to keep himself safe from harm at the hands of the bullies and the perverts below decks.

By the time they were ready to go to the Captain's table, he'd gathered valuable knowledge about all the scams, both little and large that were running on the boat.

As far as he could tell, there was very little going on that he didn't suspect, apart from some particularly scurrilous dealings with the Comancheros, a practice that was going to be stopped and its wrongs put right.