Illness

Illness is a threat that cannot be fought with guns with weapons. This makes it of particular threat to pirates. Cecelia is highly capable with guns, swords, knives, and parasols, but she cannot go to fisticuffs with measles or bronchitis. It is one of the few things that Cecelia, and other pirates, cannot fight with brute force. The threat of illness requires caution. It also leads to Miss Darlington, and her continuous stream of worries for Cecelia’s health. This makes sense because, though Cilla died from a stab wound, the loss of her mother makes Cecelia’s life seem especially precarious.

Miss Darlington uses illness as a way to shelter Cecelia. Oftentimes, Miss Darlington frets over Cecelia’s health, making it a constant theme in the book. Isabelle Armitage recognizes this phenomenon of sheltering with special clarity. When Cecelia tries to chide Isabelle for following...