The Lady and the Pirate
Bernadette Rowley
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Lady and the Pirate, The
Bernadette Rowley
Copyright 2017 Bernadette Rowley
Smashwords edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite ebook retailer.
Cover design by Katrina Joyner, www.ebookcovers4u.wordpress.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Appendix 1- Elven words and their meanings
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Connect with Me
Princess Avenger Chapter 1
Princess Avenger Chapter 2
Dedicated to the memory of my mother-in-law, Esther Rowley.
Chapter 1
“Captain, you’re needed above.”
Esta shook off the nightmare and sat up in her bunk, trying to shake the dread that clung to her. “What’s the problem?”
“We have a visitor.” Stino, her first mate, turned and left her cabin, closing the door behind him.
Esta drew a deep and heavy sigh, her heart kicking up a notch as she contemplated who the visitor might be. On a ship miles out to sea at night, there were few possibilities and none of them good.
She tossed back the blankets and stood. After straightening her black breeches and blue satin shirt, she donned the heavy blue cloak and made sure her wig, bandanna and mask were in place. When she opened her door, Stino was waiting in the corridor.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Captain. Just said you were to come quick like. He has dark elves with him.”
Esta’s stomach clenched and a tide of bile rose to her throat. That could only mean one thing and she had dreaded it for as long as she had been beating up and down the coast in her ship. She followed Stino along the corridor and up the ladder. He stepped to the side and stood at attention as she emerged onto the main deck.
The vibrant green eyes of their visitor froze Esta in place. He was a big man, taller than average, well-muscled and with short brown hair and a scruffy beard. Her breath caught in her throat but she quickly took herself in hand. Her crew was spread out over the deck and all were armed. There was no reason to feel intimidated despite the six dark-skinned elves who accompanied him. They were a tall, lithe people with characteristic pointed ears and oval pupils. Her gaze flicked out to starboard. The fog had lifted and a larger ship lay at anchor.
She looked back at the man. “The Singing Pirate, I presume?”
“My reputation precedes me, madam.” He smiled but his eyes narrowed. “A pity it is that I cannot say the same.”
Stino growled. “You’re in the presence of Lady Moonlight, sir, and I would caution you to show more respect or the lads and I might teach you some.”
Esta touched Stino’s arm to calm him and looked at their guest. “What is it you want, pirate?”
“Whatever you carry that is of value, lady. Make it quick and I may spare your lives.” He stood with arms folded, feet apart, his tan breeches molding the muscles of powerful thighs. A niggle began at the back of Esta’s consciousness; he looked familiar.
“Have we met before?” she asked.
The pirate stepped toward her and Stino growled again but the larger man ignored her crewman. He reached for her chin and turned it this way and that, then ran his fingers down her cheek beside the mask.
Esta shivered.
“I don’t think so, I would have remembered,” he said, the gravelly timbre of his voice playing with her nerves. ‘What do you carry?”
Esta swallowed once, twice, three times before she could be certain her voice would work. Even then it came out too breathy. “We have wool and skins.”
He frowned. “Too bulky, what else?”
Esta steeled herself not to show the nerves that tightened her belly, and deliberately relaxed her shoulders. “Fine wine from the northern mountains.”
“Still no good. I want high value, low bulk. I’ll not leave here empty-handed.”
“A pity you came then, pirate,” Esta said.
As he eyed her up and down, anger flared bright and sharp in her chest. She clenched her fists. Oh, to teach this arrogant wretch a lesson he’d never forget.
Where is Katrine when I need her?
“I never leave a ship without bounty,” he said. “If you have none, then you will have to do.” He stepped closer and seized her arm. The sound of twenty cutlasses being drawn sliced through her.
The elves had nocked arrows trained on the closest of her men.
“Call your men off, Lady Moonlight or they’ll be slaughtered.”
Stino placed the tip of his cutlass at the pirate’s neck and was repaid by an arrow through his chest. He dropped to the deck.
“Stino!” Esta tried to wrench her arm from the pirate’s grip but the man had a hand of steel.
“You’re mine now,” he growled. “All loyalties must be put aside including that you feel for your unfortunate crewman.”
Esta met his steely gaze with one of her own. “I will never be yours. Leave this ship now.”
A fireball blazed down from above and hit the deck at their feet. Heat flashed up and she lurched backward, suddenly free.
At last she decides to help!
More fireballs landed near them, one striking an elf and setting his clothes afire. He dived over the side of the ship, closely followed by his five comrades. The fire died.
The Singing Pirate glared at her, his teeth bared. “I see you have black magic at your disposal!”
“Leave now and never return.” Esta drew herself up. “This ship is defended and you would do well to remember that.”
The pirate stalked to the starboard rail and turned back to her. “You’ve not seen the last of me, madam.” He climbed over the side, clutched a grappling hook that no doubt secured a line down to his rowboat, and vanished.
Esta dropped to her knees beside Stino and grasped his hand. His chest barely moved and the light in his eyes had dimmed. “I’m sorry. I will see that your wife and son are taken care of.”
“I know you will, my lady.” His head sagged to the side and Esta felt for a pulse though she knew in her heart that he had passed. .
Shiny black boots appeared beside her and she looked up. Katrine, her younger sister, stood there. She was a beauty with long dark hair, intelligent blue eyes and more than enough attitude. She was also a witch.
“How is he?” Katrine asked.
Esta closed Stino’s eyes. She couldn’t help the tear that escaped to trickle down her cheek. “Dead.”
“And the pirate?”
“Over the side.” Esta stood and walked to the rail, spying a vague splash that must have been the pirate’s rowboat. “The Lenweri went first and then their master. What do you make of it?”
“He’s a traitor to the kingdom, associating with the elves like that,” Katrine said. “Even pirates should know better.”
“You took your sweet time, sister,” Esta said, eyeing Katrine. “I was mere moments from being seized as that man’s plunder.” Esta shivered at the thought of his hands on her.
“I would never have let him take you and was merely waiting to see what would happen. I thought perhaps your men could handle a few elves,” Katrine snapped. “What shall we do with Stino?”
Esta sighed. “As we are on the home run, we shall bind his body and convey it to his widow.”
Katrine’s eyes softened. “I’ll take care of that if you like.”
Esta squared her shoulders and met her sister’s gaze. “No, I’ll face his widow.”
Katrine stiffened. “I’m quite capable, you know.”
“It’s my duty.” Esta returned to Stino’s body and crossed his hands over his chest. He appeared almost peaceful now. Her heart bled at the thought of what she must do but if she allowed Katrine to complete this distasteful task the widow would think her a coward and Esta had never been that.
Samael Delacost lay on the deck of his ship, Silver Lady, gasping and struggling to understand what the hell had just happened to him.
Black magic, that’s what!
Ten years a pirate and still this life had the ability to surprise him. But the woman—she was the biggest surprise. He had wanted to bring her with him and that could never be allowed to happen. Women only complicated life aboard ship, although his Lenweri were immune to human females.
Nande, the dark elf who was his second-in-command, appeared before him as Sam dragged himself to his feet.
“I have heard what transpired, Captain, and I wish to apologize for my Lenweri.” Nande’s unblinking gaze showed no emotion. “The five remaining from the mission will be punished.”
“Don’t be too hard on them, Nande. There was a witch on board that ship.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Who did we lose?”
“Lile has gone to his reward, Captain,” Nande said. “He never reached the Silver Lady.”
Sam nodded, the ache in his heart unexpected. “We’ll head home so you can convey the news to his family.”
Nande shook his head and the elves with him looked indifferent. “His kin disowned him when he took to the sea. They will not care that he is dead.”
Sam nodded again. It had been Lile’s choice to follow him and to volunteer to be part of the boarding party. The young elf had known the risks. Still, the Lenweri were Sam’s family, apart from his parents, and it hurt to lose one. Perhaps it was time to visit his mother and father so they knew their son was alive.
“Then let us hoist sail for home and on the way we’ll drink to our friend Lile who left us this night.”
The elves all nodded and quietly went about their tasks while Sam sat staring at the faint lights on the retreating ship. He looked forward to his next encounter with her ladyship.
Chapter 2
Esta sat at her desk in the library, working with ink and quill on the estate figures. No matter how she tallied them, the numbers told her next month would be difficult. A certain devilish man kept intruding into her thoughts, the memory of his compelling eyes sending shivers down her spine. She had tallied the column before her three times and come to as many different answers.
A bell tinkled from within the house.
“Damn bell,” she muttered. “One day I swear I’ll throw that thing off a cliff.” She pushed up from her desk and left the room in search of her mother.
“What is it, Mother?” Esta asked when she had reached the sunny chamber her mother occupied.
“It’s time to get the fire laid and bring me my dinner, girl, and while you’re at it, these bed socks have a hole.”
Esta sighed, pushing strands of hair away from her eyes. “Where is your maid?”
“I sent her home, poor thing. She has the sniffles. Besides, only you can darn my socks the way I like.”
Anger started a slow burn in Esta’s gut. She loved her mother but sometimes…
“Mother, I would appreciate it if you could get your maid to do as much as possible. I have the estate to run and the bills won’t pay themselves.”
“Too busy for your own mother now, are you? When I think of all the years I slaved to raise you and your sister…”
The sharp pang of guilt hit where it always did—right on target. Esta was the oldest daughter. She owed her mother a comfortable life. It was just some days…Her thoughts drifted back to the Singing Pirate and the enticing way his shoulders had filled his tunic. He had said they would meet again. She shivered.
“I told you it was time to set the fire,” he mother said, rousing her from her reverie.
Esta sighed and began stacking the logs from the wood box into the fireplace.
Sam tethered his skiff to the jetty and headed into town—the town of Costa. It had been his home for thirty-two years, if anywhere but his ship could be called thus. He entered his favorite dockside tavern as a worker was lighting the street lanterns. The glow gave the docks a welcoming feel. Sam took a deep breath of air filled with brine, dead fish and stale ale. Not the fresh smell of the ocean but a damned sight better than the putrid stench of the alleys further into town.
He pulled his cap down over his eyes and pushed through the door, heading straight for a corner seat. Sam always liked to sit with his back to a wall. He ordered ale and a plate of eggs and sat back, eyes closed. You could pick up a lot if you closed your eyes, tuned into the sounds around you. Sometimes juicy titbits of information led to a bounty on its way up or down the coast. Other times, Sam had been alerted to naval patrols that might otherwise have netted the Singing Pirate.
Tonight there was only town gossip: a new babe for the barman’s daughter, a census being called for by the mayor and a string of robberies since he had last docked. There was little to attract Sam’s interest until he heard a mention of his parents
“Wretched thing yearning for a child,” an older man near the fire said. “I remember our neighbors Harah and Claus. They were a devoted young couple but so sad. Until the day a girl showed up with a newborn. They took the babe on and he grew up with loving parents. Went a bit wild. Haven’t seen him for years.”
Sam’s chest tightened, his breath frozen in his lungs. His parents with another woman’s child? What had become of that child, that son? It could not be him, could it?
A great yawning chasm opened within Sam and he pushed up from the table. Throwing coins down, he stumbled toward the door, knocking over chairs and pushing past patrons at the bar. He gained the door and gulped huge breaths of cold air, curses drifting to him from the men he had disturbed. He stood there until his head cleared and the spinning stopped then headed up the hill.
Sam had barely brushed his knuckles across the door before it opened and he was drawn into his parents’ welcoming but modest parlor.
“Samael, son,” Claus Delacost said, shaking Sam’s hand before closing and bolting the door behind him. “It’s been so long, I had started to wonder…Never mind, it’s good to see you.”
Sam swallowed twice before he had his voice under control. These people were his family. The only family he had. It couldn’t be true. “Here I am, large as life and I’ve brought you something to make life easier.” He drew out three gold coins from his pocket and his father’s eyes widened.
“I won’t take them if they’re stolen, Samael, you know how I feel about that.” Claus shoved his hands into his pockets, staring at the coins in Sam’s outstretched hand.
“For Mother, then,” Sam said. “We nearly lost her last year when you ran out of coin for firewood and she took a chill. Put it away for times of need.”
Claus took the offered coin
and crossed to the fireplace where he removed a block, tucked the coins into an alcove and replaced the stone. He turned back to Sam. “Thank you.”
“Sammy, oh dear Goddess you’re alive.” Harah Delacost threw herself into Sam’s arms and her tears soaked his shoulder. How could he begin the conversation he needed to when he received a welcome like this? These people loved him and yet he could destroy them if he asked the questions that burned within him. He hugged his mother tight until the storm of weeping settled and her trembling eased.
Should he bury his doubts and act as if nothing had happened? It couldn’t be true and if it was, did he really want to confront something that could shatter the very basis of his life until this point? No, he didn’t. He would enjoy a night with his parents and not say anything to pull apart the small family he treasured. But even as he reached that decision, something inside pushed at him to discover the truth, not to let sleeping dogs lie. He drew both his parents closer to the fire. “Sit, please.”
His parents looked at each other and slowly took their seats. Why did they appear so fearful? Was it true? Had they harbored this secret for thirty-two years? Sam shook his head, gritting his teeth to suppress the words that fought their way to his lips, still unsure he should say anything. The rumors were probably lies. If so, there was nothing to fear. “I have a matter I wish to discuss.”
“That sounds serious, son,” Claus said.
Sam stood before them, head down, searching the rushes on the floor for the words he needed. The seconds dragged into minutes while he discarded first one question and then another.
“Spit it out, Samael,” Claus snapped. “Whatever it is we will deal with it.”
Sam hoped that was true because he could be about to erase everything he had thought of as truth in the most critical relationship in his life.
He looked at his mother. “Did you birth me?”
Harah’s eyes grew wide and she drew a sharp breath. “Why do you ask?”
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