Captain Merric

by Rebecca Cohen

  Edward raced off to talk to Brillack, leaving Daniel spluttering insults to himself unheeded.

  The Opal picked up speed, the sails full of a fortunate wind, driving her towards a smaller ship which sat heavy in the water. The crew were excited, the men calling out to go faster, climbing up the rigging and the side of the ship to get a better view of their target.

  “Her belly’s full, Captain,” said Carlos, delighted. “I wonder where she’s been.”

  Edward slapped Carlos on the back, their disagreement forgotten. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

  Watching Carlos and Edward, Daniel thought that if he hadn’t witnessed Edward’s actions below deck minutes before, there would be no way of knowing that the two men had almost come to blows. They grinned, a look too intimate to be something shared by normal crewmates, and Daniel couldn’t help the anger that burned inside him at Edward’s seemingly fickle behaviour. The jealousy resurfaced. Was Carlos also one of Edward’s lovers? Were they used to sharing the more willing of Edward’s conquests? They were comfortable together, and his traitorous imagination was able to conjure up the two of them entwined in the most intimate of positions.

  The Opal was devouring the distance between herself and the Mirabelle, closing on her prey with ease. They were almost upon her. He could see the Mirabelle’s crew begin to load their weapons.

  Edward jumped up on the side of the ship, grabbing a rope to steady himself. Daniel had to admit he looked every inch the dashing pirate who made women’s bosoms heave at the mere mention of his name. He had a beauty about him that came from his strength, and a small part of Daniel wondered if he was making a mistake not allowing himself the pleasure of lying with Edward again. But he knew that was a ridiculous thing to even think. He needed to get back to Port Royal, not get caught up in the world of Captain Merric. There was no way he could survive leaving after having a taste of what could be. The other reality was that Edward could have his pick of any man or woman—it would only be a matter of time before he became bored of the broken shell that was all that was left of Daniel.

  At least twenty men followed Edward’s lead, jumping up and hanging over the edge. Several others took their place on the upper deck, one line of men with loaded muskets and another behind them busy loading the next set of weapons. The noise was a cacophony of howls and jeers, the pirates working themselves into a fury as they got closer and closer to the doomed Mirabelle.

  A scraping of wood heralded the cannon ports opening, and Edward let out the cry: “Fire at will!”

  The Opal rolled at the discharge of her guns, and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled Daniel’s nostrils. As they swung out on ropes to board the Mirabelle, the pirates yelled curses and shrill war cries, landing with swords held high and the musket fire overhead giving them cover from the crew of the Mirabelle.

  Edward discharged both his pistols into the foray and drew his sword, battling his way through the spirited defence with Brillack and Carlos at his back until he reached the quarterdeck. His men were making short work of the Mirabelle’s crew, many of whom were throwing their weapons aside and kneeling in surrender rather than continuing to fight. Captain Merric and his men’s reputation doing as much to secure a successful boarding as the cannons and the muskets.

  Edward had cornered the Mirabelle’s captain, sword to his throat, and Daniel had to remind himself that he should not be willing a pirate intent on robbing a trading ship to survive in one piece. But he couldn’t help but be relieved when Edward had disarmed the other captain.

  The Mirabelle surrendered; her crew were rounded up and forced to kneel on the deck. It was almost anticlimactic after the noise and chaos of the fight. There were only a few causalities, but not as many as Daniel would have expected, and Edward was ordering his men to search the hold.

  Within minutes, gangplanks were in place, the hold raided, and Mirabelle’s cargo was being transferred to the Opal. Case after case passed along a line of men. Daniel couldn’t tell what was in them, but many were heavy, judging by the grimaces some of the pirates wore. Along with the cases were numerous urns and bulging sacks. Edward stood proudly over the defeated captain, directing his men with a smile so blinding it almost hurt Daniel to look at him. The smile reminded him of his younger days, the time spent exploring low taverns in Portsmouth in the evening and each other’s bodies in the middle of the night.

  The raid a success and the crew of the Mirabelle subdued, Edward ordered his men back aboard the Opal. Everyone was jubilant, breaking out bottles of pilfered rum and wine and raising toasts to their captain. Edward laughed and joked with Carlos and Brillack as they set sail, leaving the Mirabelle adrift, the whole crew upbeat and boisterous.

  “Now, gentlemen,” said Edward, taking a swig from a bottle of wine, “time to celebrate. To Plesmaya.”

  Chapter Six

  Edward wasn’t drunk, just mellow enough from the rum to enjoy the successful raid. His men were celebrating. The Mirabelle was a target they’d been chasing for weeks, and she was a profitable catch, meaning they were all in for a healthy share of the haul. Finding the Mirabelle added to an already successful time at sea, the hold full, his men happy, and no injuries to report.

  He scanned the deck. Carlos, Harris, and Brillack were playing dice, with other men gathered around placing bets, and smaller groups were swapping tales and drinking. Daniel, however, was nowhere to be seen. Edward pushed himself off the barrel he had been leaning against. The crew were a feisty lot, and Daniel a tasty treat, although in the state most of them were in, Daniel could have fought them off with one hand behind his back. Still, it didn’t hurt to check.

  He sauntered across the deck, basking in the praise from his men.

  Carlos grinned as he passed. “About to claim your English prize?”

  “We will see. Perhaps we will instead discuss naval battle strategy; it may be useful to know how the Royal Navy thinks if we wish to avoid their ships.”

  Carlos’s filthy chuckle didn’t need further explanation, and Edward headed below deck. He stopped at his own cabin to collect a bottle of a spicy port that he thought Daniel would enjoy and made his way to Daniel’s cabin. The door was locked, and for once he cursed that Daniel had listened to his orders. He knocked, and it seemed to take an age before Daniel answered through the closed door.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s me. Let me in.”

  His pride had expected the door to be thrown open in welcome. “Go and celebrate with your men, Edward.”

  “I wish to raise a toast with you. Open the door.”

  For a moment he thought Daniel might disobey him, but after a few seconds the door opened, and Daniel stood to one side to let him in.

  “Since you did not wish to stay and drink with the crew, I thought I should be sociable and bring the drink to you.” He held out the bottle.

  Daniel took it, prising out the cork with his teeth before taking a swig. “There. I have drunk to your great victory, you can leave me to sleep.”

  “Oh, Daniel, why must you be so dismissive? Take another drink, let us sit awhile. We have not seen each other for fifteen years, we were the closest of friends once. If nothing else, we should learn what passed for living for each of us.”

  Without waiting for Daniel to answer, Edward collected several cushions and placed them on floor, dropping down to sit. “Make yourself comfortable—the crew already think you lounge your day away on a mound of silk pillows, so you might as well enjoy them.”

  “They only think that because you had the pillows sent in here. I am more than happy with my hammock and chair.” But despite his words, Daniel sat next to him and took another swig of port. “You could have at least brought glasses with you, heathen.”

  “I will remember for next time, along with the gold cutlery and fine china.”

  “I bet you have them too. Swiped from some unsuspecting vessel—do you use them to entertain your favourite prisoners?”

  “Such things would not last
long aboard ship like this. They’d sell for a pretty price, and no sailor needs to eat off fancy plates.” He avoided the dig about other prisoners. “It’s not like the Royal Navy, where all you officers sit down for tea.”

  “Maybe at the Admiralty, but aboard ship we both know there is little time for pleasantries, not when you’re chasing down the enemy.” Daniel turned his head to face him. He looked tired but more than just from the lack of sleep. The last few days could not have been easy for him. “Tell me, how did one of the fairest men I have ever known end up as Captain Merric?”

  Edward rested his head against the wall. “With a run of good fortune for me and bad luck for others.”

  “I think that would sum up the journey of most men’s lives. But to go from earl’s son to one of the most prolific pirates in these waters takes more than that. And to have built a reputation where your own prisoners would rather be held in contempt than provide further information is galling to those of us who must uphold the law.”

  Edward hadn’t set out to be a pirate, but then neither had most of the pirates he’d met. “The ship I was travelling on when I first left England was wrecked by a reef a day’s sailing from where we were meant to disembark, not unlike the one your knowledge saved us from the other day. Many of those on board were lost, but I and two others managed to scramble aboard a large piece of wood. My fortune was meeting those men, as they were not merchants from Bristol as they had proclaimed but part of Captain Leer’s crew, from the Mirage.”

  “I remember tales of him. He was bloodthirsty when it came to the navy, would set a ship on fire rather than see it limp to shore. But to the merchant ships, if they weren’t stupid enough to put up a fight, he was almost lenient.”

  “That’s him.” Edward remembered meeting Leer for the first time, shaking in his boots as Leer’s black stare bore into him, waiting for Leer to run him through. “Anyway, they knew the waters well, and after a day or so we made shore at Plesmaya. I’d struck up a sort of friendship with them—they too had difficult fathers and saw me as something of a kindred spirit, wanting to be away from the shadow of my family for whom I could never be good enough. It was their suggestion to meet their captain. I guess I already had an inkling of the path I was taking but thought that with enough gold in my pockets I could send word to you and you could join me.”

  “You have always been somewhat foolish. Why do you think I would have given up my naval career for you?” Daniel sounded defiant, but there was an edge of sadness.

  “If you had received my letter, would you have come?” He had to ask, even though he knew how much they had loved each other back then.

  “You know the answer to that—I loved you more than life itself.” Daniel sighed. “The only question would have been what was the fastest route to get to you. Do not torture either of us with the life that may have been if the stars had aligned in our favour.”

  The words hurt, but at the same time they lessened an older agony. For years he had believed that Daniel had changed his mind about them. At the time, he’d been part of Leer’s crew for a few months and had proven himself a useful man to have aboard. A fair share of the takings meant he was building his fortune, so he’d dealt with Daniel’s supposed rebuttal in the way any good pirate would. Rum, mindless rutting, and fighting.

  “From then on I did not look back. A few years after joining Leer, he took a musket shot to chest having underestimated the capability of a navy ship, thinking it was more damaged than it was. We limped away, avoiding capture, but the crew was in disarray, divided into different camps on who would take charge. When a man who I had no respect for looked to be the likely candidate, I left along with several others. I had been frugal with my spoils and I bought the Opal.”

  “Were you already going by the name of Merric by then?”

  Edward took another long drink of port. “Yes, I decided when I joined Leer that going by Merriston would be too dangerous. The name well-known enough for it to be linked to my family at some point. I had not planned to stay dead, but after receiving what I thought was your letter and another from my father, basically saying that I was better as far from England as possible due to my shortcomings as a son, I decided I had been right to stop being Edward Merriston, and Merric stuck.”

  Daniel shifted to make himself more comfortable, lying on his side, head cradled in his hand and leaning on an elbow. “I first heard about Merric when I was aboard the Christchurch. My first position in the Caribbean but not as an officer. I’d been told I had the aptitude to make captain but not the experience, and serving under Captain March would come to give me that in spades as it turned out. But the stories told of pirates talked of men who were vicious and unrepentant, apart from you. Oh, you were still a scourge, but not like Leer, and they wanted you caught, but you left in your wake a stream of men and women enraptured by you. Tell me, what did happen with Ambassador Swin’s son?”

  Now that had been a marvellous week, and Edward couldn’t stop the smile that crept across his lips. “Alexander was a beautiful young man. He wanted some excitement before he settled down into the position that was expected of him: wife, children, respectability. He spent a week with me on Plesmaya and when he left he was more than satisfied.”

  Daniel moved so he was lying on his back, and Edward realized he had shifted slightly away from him. That was hardly fair, he’d been the one to ask. “I see. You have earned your reputation, then.”

  “Would you have me lie to you?”

  “No. But sometimes the truth is as unwelcome.”

  His words failed him, and instead he drank again. He couldn’t help but feel Daniel was being unreasonable—yes, he knew he was hurting, but he was not the only wronged party here. “One would think you would prefer to think of me as still dead.”

  “That pain I have endured already. It is a different thing to have been so completely replaced. I do not blame you for what happened, but it is not as simple as rejoicing that you are alive, because you knew I was not dead.”

  Edward moved closer. “You were not replaced. I found comfort with others, but that is not the same.”

  Daniel sat up but only to take the bottle and drink deeply. “We should not discuss what we cannot change, we are where we are. You probably know there is a considerable bounty on your head.”

  Daniel had always been good at deflection. “It has been so for some time.”

  “It is quite substantial, but as we have already said, few seem to wish to claim it.”

  “Now you have the chance when you return.” The words were as bitter as they sounded.

  “Yet, you know I won’t. I will return but it is not your neck I wish to see stretched, but the bastards who set me adrift.”

  Edward was as intrigued about Daniel’s life as Daniel had been about his. “I must admit I am curious how you ended up in such a state. You were a respected captain as far as we knew.”

  “I can’t say I had planned on going to sea. My father had taken steps to get me a position at the Admiralty that would have involved me never setting on board a ship again if I had wished it so. I was to be a mapmaker, using drawings others brought back to update the official charts.”

  Edward had known that had been Daniel’s father’s idea even before he had left, and had wished his own father had shown as much concern for him. They had planned their own future around it—Edward was to return to England after doing his father’s bidding. The thought to send for Daniel had developed when he’d seen first-hand that most pirates didn’t care if a man laid with women or other men, a freedom not available back home.

  “That went to plan.”

  “After word of your death, I decided that I did not wish to be stuck behind a desk and requested to join the fleet. My father was not amused, but since I had permission to do so, he could not argue even if he did not understand my reasonings.”

  Edward huffed. “I can’t imagine Baron Horton took that well.”

  “He came around eventually, and is
as proud as any father to have a captain for a son. I earned my rank, it was not bought with favours, unlike some in the Royal Navy.”

  “I sense you have a story to tell there too.” Edward wanted to know everything.

  “Indeed I do. It was not Captain March’s prowess that taught me how to be a good commander, but rather his incapability. By the time I had finished my tour of duty on the Christchurch, I was already captain in all but name. March was drunk most days before midday, and his second-in-command no better. On my return, I reported my findings, and both were retired from seafaring. Their connections too important for them to be outright fired, but I was rewarded with Expedience, which was all fine until about eight months ago when I had a crew rotation and ended up with Gilman and Neechals replacing my previous senior officers who had been needed elsewhere.”

  Edward didn’t like where this was going. “A couple of bad apples can spoil a whole barrel.”

  “Neechals in particular is a maggot-infested weasel, whose neck I would slip a rope around myself. He had subtly undermined me several times and was suspected of stealing from dead men. I had evidence to have him charged on our return, but he killed my witness and cast me adrift.”

  “He would make a better pirate than a member of His Majesty’s navy.” Edward saw Daniel’s hands ball into fists.

  “I will see him hang if I have to use every last breath in my body.”

  “And this is why you are so insistent that you return?”

  Daniel smiled sadly. “Yes, that and they told me that they would make it look as if I had deserted, so I expect to have to also clear my name.”

  “I understand your need for vengeance. I don’t like it, but I understand.”

  Daniel snorted. “You don’t have to like it.”

  Edward would not push at this point. There were better ways to make Daniel change his mind. “There is still something I don’t know. Why did you choose to go to sea? You said yourself that you could have remained on land.”