vie had managed to push herself against the headboard and cover up with the blanket when a soft knock echoed through the cabin. Her sobbing became louder as the door opened, and she pulled her knees up as close as she could to shrink among the pillows.

 "'ello?" Ronan called as he entered.

 He looked across the room in wonder of what he would find. When his eyes fell upon Evie, he stopped and stared. She was nothing like he had imagined as he gathered his medical supplies. She certainly wasn't a tavern wench or a lowly scullery maid. Women like that had a certain haggard look about them and weren't as clean and polished.

 What kind of person would give a well-kempt, delicate girl like her to a pirate? What had come over their captain to have not only accepted her but to have gone against his principles and taken her by force?

 Her crying woke him from his confusion and he quickly shut the door. She cried louder as he approached the bed.

 "Please, don't hurt me anymore," she sobbed.

 She was certain the captain had invited others to have her, and she was still in pain.

 "No, no, I'm no' 'ere fer tha', lass," Ronan said in a gentle voice.

 She continued to cry as she watched him pull a chair over to the side of the bed. He sat down and set a wooden box on the mattress beside him.

 "The name's Ronan. Everyone calls me Li'le Seal," he said with a smile. "Cap'n Garson sent me t' see t' yer ... well ... t' help wit wha'ever's hurtin'," he stammered to approach the sensitive situation.

 Evie's eyes grew large as she pulled the blanket closer. Did he intend to touch her down there?

 Ronan shook his head at her unspoken concern and removed several objects from the box.

 "I won' be doin' the applyin', lass," he told her as he held out a jar for her to take. "It's fer ye t' put on yerself."

 He watched and waited for her to take it from him. His eyes caught the stain of blood when he glanced down, and he swallowed. It was a lot though not as much as if the others got to her. He started putting together the puzzle of his orders from Captain Garson.

 "I wouldna give ye sumthin' tha' would hurt ye, lass," he said softly. "Take it. It'll soothe the pain 'n heal ye righ' up."

 More tears fell as Evie finally reached for the jar. She opened it and saw a thick white cream. It didn't smell very nice, but she supposed true medicine wasn't supposed to.

 "What do I do?" she asked in almost a whisper as she held it close.

 The flower was still in her hand, crushed and crumbled between her fingers and palm.

 "Ye'll wanna wash yerself first," he explained. "Dry it as carefully as ye can 'n put this on. Use a generous amoun' but don' waste it. Put it on each time ye've relieved yerself.

 Oh, tha' ... um ... I'm sorry but tha'll probly hurt fer a while. I can't tell ye fer how long. Ye're the first woman he's sent me t' tend to."

 He cleared his throat as he looked away from her eyes. They seemed to peer right into his soul, and he was certain they had the same effect on Captain Garson.

 "Does he do this to a lot of women?" she asked, wondering if there were other female prisoners aboard the ship.

 "Oh, I would'na say a lot," he answered as he removed a pouch from the box and closed it. "He mostly lets the others 'ave all the fun." His face fell and his eyes widened at his thoughtless words. "He ... he ... doesna intervene when it gets ou' o' hand the way it seems he did fer you. Ye must be bewitchin' 'im 'r usin' some magic."

 He chuckled lightly to set her at ease, but she didn't find anything about her predicament funny. 

 "He lets them hurt women?" she asked fearfully.

 Ronan sighed and watched her with pity.

 "Lass, this is a pirate ship," Ronan replied patiently. "Mos' o' the crew're criminals hidin' away. Some of 'em 'ave done far worse than take a girl's innocence. I can't say the cap'n isna opposed to it, but he 'as the minority vote. Those that don' wish t' partake in such deviance stay in their cabins or the galley 'n mind their own business. It's what ye do t' survive ou' 'ere. Ye mind yer own business."

 He took a moment before continuing to be sure she had fully comprehended what he said.

 "What's yer name, lass?" he asked her.

 "Evie," she quietly answered.

 She held the jar and the flower and turned them around in her hands. They each represented where her life had been and what her life had suddenly become.

 "Tha's a pretty name," Ronan replied with a smile.

 "Will he ever let me go?" she asked in a small voice, positive she already knew the answer.

 "Ye're 'is now, lass," he answered honestly. "There's only one way ye can leave. Take solace tha' 'is actions, brutal though they were, make it impossible fer anyone 'ere t' harm ye. Should they touch 'is property, they'll be tortured t' death."

 She stared up at him and gulped at his assessment. In order for her to stay safe among the pirates, she would have to succumb to their captain's will. She held the jar tightly to her chest as new tears fell.  

 Ronan cleared his throat over the fear and sorrow in her expression and stood with his medical box.

 "Aye, I'll leave ye to it, then," he told her with a nod and started to walk away.

 "Oh!" He suddenly remembered the pouch in his hand. "This'll help when 'e comes fer ye again," he told her as he placed it on the table. "If ye take a pinch 'r two wit a bit o' rum 'r water 'r whatever ye prefer, it won't be so bad. Ye may even enjoy it. I know that sounds awful, but ye do what ye can t' make it through the night."

 With one last pitiful sigh, he hurried out so she could treat herself.