The Shattered Silk

[Casey July]

It was all in an honest days work, or so I kept telling myself. I mean, women were not usually allowed on ships of any kind so I had to do something.

How was I going to get to that cargo if I could not even get on the ship?

Then it hit me that there are two socially acceptable professions for a single woman in the Victorian Era. A prostitute and a seamstresses. So I went with the easiest money I could make...a seamstresses.

I would go to the First Mate, I would ask to be allowed to come on ship while they were docked and I would fix their clothing, their sails, their canvas, the whole time scouting out what they had. 

I will tell you, they dock, and then they go drink! They leave a few guys on board to "watch the ship". But a little bit of flirting and a lot of rum and they are sleeping like a baby. Which leaves me with as much time as I need to be all over the ship, checking out the cargo and figuring out my game plan. And, I also finish the sewing if I can. 

The funny part about that is that sometimes, I steal things right then. They never know what hit them. Most of the time they don't notice anything is gone till long after they have left port. I make them pay me up front and when they come to from the night on the town the sails are finished and they think they got the better end of the deal. 

The only problem now, is that I have a reputation. A good reputation...if they only knew..