by Lisa Olech
James could picture the scene. Dinner in the grand dining room at the estate in Weatherington. His mother, looking radiant as always, dressed as his father often requested, in a gown of gold. Alicia would rush in, pink cheeked from some late afternoon social engagement. His father, still a picture of health and vitality in his evening attire, tugging at his neckline while complaining about the need for formal wear simply to eat his meal.
Would James break the news to them all during the sherry? “Oh, by the way, you’ll never guess who I hanged last week.” Or, “Father, I found your ship, killed the crew, but they had nothing but good things to say about you.”
Perhaps they could play a guessing game after cigars and brandy. “You’re allowed to ask twenty questions. If you can name the woman whose life I’ve ended, you win a prize.”
A quick knock to the door brought Ducky Dunbar into James’s quarters.
“I have the report concerning the capture of the Scarlet Night. Quite the fine feather in your cap, old boy.” He read from the pages in his hands. “A score plus six dead. Eight, ours, eighteen theirs. Another two dozen wounded. Four ours, twenty theirs. Seven critically. All theirs. The rest have been moved into the main brig with minor incidence. Captain Quinn was just locked in the cell across from her crew.”
“Captain Quinn…”
Ducky shook his head. “Can you believe the cheek of the woman? Not to mention the sight of trouser-clad legs in those impossibly tall boots? Pistols smoking. Blades flashing. I bet in her younger days she could have convinced even you to fly under the black flag. Pity all she has to look forward to now is a short drop followed by a quick stop.” He mimicked the pull of the noose on his neck.
“Shut up, Ducky.” James splashed a bit more brandy in his glass.
“You’re in a fine mood. I would have thought you’d be happy capturing one of the top five wanted ships and crews. You’re set, old man. A brilliant future. The career of your choosing. You’ll make admiral for this.”
James emptied his glass before dropping into his chair and pushing the glass away. Frowning, he rubbed a finger across his upper lip and rested his head in his hand. “Oh, yes, I’m bloody ecstatic.”
“What is it?” Ducky lifted James’s glass and sniffed. “I’m guessing this isn’t a celebratory drink. What’s got you so…so…uncorked?”
James lowered his hand and raised his gaze. “Captain Tupper Quinn is Alice.”
“Alice?” Ducky frowned. “Alice who? You’ve lost me.”
James was on his feet and pacing once more. “What I’m to tell you is in the strictest confidence. It can’t leave this room.”
“Of course, but—”
“I told you the story about the woman who fought a duke? Saved the day? Aunt Alice?”
“I remember something, yes, along with some fairy tale about heroic acts and bravery.”
“Yes. Alice.” James stretched out her name, and gave Ducky an expectant look.
It took Ducky a moment to connect all the pieces. “Oh, blimey….” He covered his mouth with a hand.
“Please.” James threw up exasperated hands. “If ever there were a time to swear like a sailor, now would be it.”
“Hold on.” Ducky frowned. “How can you be so sure? The woman is a pirate. She lies and plunders for a living. You’re mistaken. It’s been years.”
“Do you remember the ring my mother wears? We just spoke of it.”
“Gold oval with an ‘A.’”
James touched the tip of his nose and pointed to Ducky. “Well done.” He paced back toward him. “Mother’s ring has a twin. Captain Quinn is wearing it.”
“She stole it, surely.”
“That’s what I thought,” said James excitedly. He lifted his glass once more and found it empty. “Didn’t I pour more brandy?”
Ducky snatched the bottle out of his reach. “Concentrate, James, the ring?”
“Yes, the ring. I asked her where she got it and she said…what were her exact words? ‘It was given to me by the finest woman I’ve ever known. I believe she’s your mother.’ My mother. Her best friend is a pirate captain. And not just any captain, mind you. Tupper Bloody Quinn! It wasn’t bad enough I had to seize my father’s ship. No, no. I’m to be the bastard responsible for hanging the woman who saved my parents’ lives. Do you realize without that breeches-wearing, pistol-smoking pirate, I wouldn’t exist?”
“This is unbelievable.” Ducky narrowed his eyes and pointed the bottle at James. “You’re not thinking about releasing her?”
James looked at his friend as if he’d sworn the sky was green and the sun set in the north. “I’m sorry. Have we been introduced? I can’t defy a direct order.”
Ducky set the bottle aside and swept his forehead in relief. “Just checking. You were scaring me for a minute there.”
James stopped pacing and rubbed at the back of his neck. It had turned into an oak plank. “This is a nightmare. Plus—”
“Good Lord, there’s more?”
“I’ve given the woman my word I won’t reveal her identity to my mother. I’m to let her go on believing Alice Tupper died during her crossing to the colonies.”
Relief spread over Ducky’s face. “Well then, your problem is solved. What are you worrying about? Deliver your prisoner as ordered, collect your well-earned promotion, go home, marry the incredibly wealthy Lady Lillian, and live a long happy life. No one ever need know about this.”
“I will know.”
Ducky threw up his hands. “So what do you propose? You can’t unscramble an egg, James. What’s done is done.”
“Remember when you played devil’s advocate? If my father’s name was on the wanted list? Yours? Would I bring you to justice?”
“Yes, I remember. You said you would move heaven and earth to gain my release. What exactly do you think you could possibly do to gain that woman’s release?” He pointed a sharp finger toward the door. “She has been a pirate most of her life. Signed a Letter of Marque and Reprisal, and has ignored a direct missive from the king to surrender. If anyone should hang for piracy and treason, it would be her. Don’t be daft, man. When news reaches London that she’s been captured…. a woman pirate, her trial will be sensationalized like none before. Obtaining a release for Captain Tupper Quinn will be just a bit harder than stealing the king’s tiny cock.”
“You’re in uniform, man, you can’t talk about the king’s cock,” James reprimanded.
“There you are, thinking like the James I know. Seriously, you must realize this is a ridiculous notion. There can be no pardon. Not for her.” Ducky put an arm around James’s shoulder. “There are times when doing the right thing and following orders takes more than most men are willing to give. This is why you are the commander of this ship and not me. You swore an oath to King and country. You’ll do your duty, and the family will understand you did what you had to do.”
“They will never understand this.” James massaged the ache between his eyebrows. “There has to be a way.”
Ducky shook his head and patted his back. “I can’t see one, James, but who knows, miracles sometimes happen. I mean, look here.” he stepped away from James and held his arms wide. “Who’d have ever thought I’d be the sober, rational one in the room?”
A quick knock on the door brought news his surgeon, Oliver Taylor, known to all as ‘Stitch,’ urgently needed him below.
Entering the surgery, the tang of blood was sharp. The sights of war’s indiscretion never lost its stark horror. Bodies torn apart by guns and blades being pieced back together. Naval seaman and pirate alike. An ocean of hurt and pain. Dead lined the walls, awaiting their final slip into the sea.
Over the moans and cries of the wounded, he heard Stitch call him over to a litter. A young lad lay pale under a sheet. One of the Scarlet crew. Hard to determine his age. His face was turned toward the wall.
Stitch wiped at the blood staining him to his elbows. “Captain, we
have a situation with this one.”
“Is he dead?” The lad hadn’t moved. His skin was so pale it almost appeared blue.
“No.” Stitch moved the boy’s hair aside to show him an angry purple knot on the base of the patient’s skull. “Unconscious. Took a serious slash to the hip. Forty sutures. Lost a good deal of blood, but unless infection sets into the wound, stands a fair chance.”
“I’m not seeing the problem. It seems cruel to save him only to bring him to trial, but—”
Stitch leaned closer and lowered his voice. “What I need to tell you, is this lad is missing some necessary equipment.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have time—”
“Look for yourself.” Stitch gave a quick scan of those around them before lifting the sheet of the boy. The large, angry wound on the lad’s hip still weeped bright blood. “If my medical training is correct, a lad should also come equipped with a cock and a pair of bollocks.”
James’s eyes darted to the normal location for such things. He shot Stitch a questioning glare. “What the hell?”
Stitch lowered the sheet and scratched at his jaw. “Her chest was bound tight, I’m surprised she could breath.” He kept his voice low. “Something else.”
“I don’t know if I can handle anything else.” James closed his eyes and shook his head. “Proceed. Tell me.”
Stitch lifted the sheet and tipped the body slightly. “See here,” He pointed to an area where the girl’s skin was slightly discolored. “And here. Old bruising. Whoever this is, she took quite a beating not too long ago. I examined her, and other than her present wounds, she was in sound health, but there’s no question, someone used more than their fists on this woman.”
“Son of a bitch.” Disgust flooded him, followed close by anger. James was almost grateful for the slap of reality this poor woman’s injuries provided. It reminded him that Tupper Quinn and her vile crew were lowly, vicious pirates. Nothing more. Alice Tupper may wear his mother’s ring, but that was where any resemblance to the woman who showed such bravery all those years ago ended.
“I swear to you I’ll get to the bottom of this and hang the man…or woman responsible, myself. I’ll start in the brig.”
As James turned to leave, Stitch stopped him. “What do you want me to do with her?” He jerked his head toward the patient. “I can’t put her in with the rest. She won’t survive the brig. Bad enough we’ve got one female on this ship…if the men find out there’s two…”
James wanted answers about this girl now, and Tupper was going to be the one to answer them. He didn’t have time to debate sleeping arrangements and blurted out the first thing to come to mind. “Move her into my cabin. I’ll bunk with the officers and put a guard on her until I decide what to do.”
“A wounded criminal in the captain’s bed? Isn’t that going to be a little hard to explain?”
“Do you have another suggestion?” James snapped.
A moan from the litter had both men shifting their attention. The woman in question turned toward them, grimaced, and tried to move before going still once more.
“She’s coming around. That’s a good sign. We can find out who the hell she be. May still be gone for a few hours yet. I won’t give her any laudanum for her pain ‘til she wakes.”
James heard Stitch’s voice as if it came from under water. The blood rushed in his ears. What did the man say? All James could do was nod. He could be agreeing to anything, but nothing else mattered. Stunned, he wasn’t sure if he still breathed. He pulled a deliberate breath into his lungs.
Good God! It was her. But how? “We don’t need to wait. Her name is Samantha.”
Chapter 13
“What kind of game are you playing?” James demanded. His fists curled around the bars of Tupper Quinn’s cell door. She sat on the straw-strewn floor against the back wall.
Tupper raised the brim of her hat and frowned at him before rising to her feet. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’ll make it simple. Samantha Christian,” he snapped. Rage coursed through him. He slammed the heel of his palm against the bar.
Tupper glanced over to her men. “Could we discuss this in your quarters?”
“No. We’ll discuss this here. Now.”
“She’s alive then?” Tupper lowered her voice, sending another nervous look toward the other cell.
James followed her gaze. The men paid them no attention. “Yes, she’s alive, no thanks to you.”
“Hey.” Tupper held her hands out to her sides. “I sent her below. Forbid her from joining the fray. Told her it wasn’t her fight. It was her mule-headed self who wandered into a battle with a blasted empty gun.”
“Empty gun?”
“Yes. Fool never checked.” Tupper leaned closer. “Misdirected loyalty to me was all it was. I told her she should hide until your people found her. Claim she was a prisoner of the Scarlet Night and plead her innocence.”
“Was she a prisoner?”
Tupper shook her head. “No, of course not. She was my cabin boy.”
James’s knuckles whitened as his fists curled around the bars once more. “You’re in the habit of beating your cabin boys?”
Tupper jerked back as if struck. “What? I never touched her. Cut her hair, yes, but—”
“Then which one of your men is responsible?” He looked back over his shoulder.
“If I wasn’t so fond of your mother, I’d be insulted.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Perhaps you should talk to Samantha before you start throwing around accusations.”
“I will if she regains consciousness. Until then you’ll be the one to answer me.”
“Your father was just as demanding and stubborn at your age.” She suddenly stopped the damning comparison, narrowed her gaze, and tipped her head. “Wait a minute… If she’s unconscious, how do you know her name?”
She kissed me one night on a veranda… “It doesn’t matter. I want to know how she got here and who used her as a whipping post.”
Tupper sighed. “Fine. A short time ago, I was contacted by an acquaintance in Virginia asking for my help. Samantha was a friend. Secured a position as governess at a plantation nearby. However, her employer had a nasty habit of raping and beating her whenever he fancied. I freed her from the situation. At no small expense to me, I might add. But fearing my crew would be less than welcoming, I cut her hair, bound her chest, and disguised her as a lad before bringing her aboard. Only my first mate knows the truth, and I’d appreciate it if we could keep it that way.”
She shrugged. “We were on course to England, where I was planning to drop her at our first landing. Like I said, when we saw the Lion bearing down on us, I sent her below. Told her to play the part of hostage, after which you and your crew could see her safely back to her family.”
James recalled the fury in Damian Wessler’s eyes the night of the ball. He did a quick accounting in his head. Samantha’s bruises could definitely have been delivered that night. Why would she have provoked him knowing what he’d do? Forgive me.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“We were a little busy discussing other things, and the rum was sweet…” She shrugged again. “I saw her fall. For all I knew she was dead.”
“I’m beginning to wish I were.” James rubbed a weary hand over his eyes. “Tell me, was she or was she not a member of your crew?”
“As a ruse, yes.”
A feeling of dread curled around his throat. “Did she put her mark to the Ship’s Articles?”
Tupper sighed again, shaking her head. By the look on her face, she knew the gravity of her answer. “Yes.”
He closed his eyes. His stomach twisted, but he straightened his shoulders. “If she signed the Articles, she is an official member of your crew. As such, she is under arrest and charged along with the rest. When she wakes, she will be processed accordingly. Her wounds have been tended an
d private accommodations are being made for her during her recovery. As soon as she is able, she will join you in this cell.”
“Sam is guiltless in all this, James.”
“She is a signed member of your crew. In battle she raised a pistol against a member of the British Navy.”
“An empty pistol. Her scribbled signature doesn’t make her a pirate. She’s no traitor. I’m telling you, Samantha’s harmless. You saw her bruises. If she hadn’t come with me aboard the Scarlet Night, she would have died by that bastard’s fists. You can’t condemn her from one death to another.”
“I must turn her over to the magistrate. Once they listen to her story, if it is as you’ve told me, she’ll be released.”
Tupper rolled her eyes and barked a short laugh. “You don’t know any such thing.”
“I have to follow the proper procedure.”
“Right, proper procedure. Do what’s proper. I’ll tell her not to worry. Innocent people never hang do they?” she mocked.
Bile rose in James’s throat. It was bad enough he’d carry the death of Alice on his head for the rest of his days. If they killed Samantha, he wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. “I’ll do my best to protect her.”
“I would hope so, and I would do what you can to keep her identity a secret.” She dipped her head and whispered. “My crew does not know I’ve deceived them. They wouldn’t care why I did it. Your bars wouldn’t be able to contain their anger. Neither the girl nor I would be safe from them.” She lifted a hand toward him. “And you’ve a crew of hundreds. Do you truly want them to know there’s a tempting young woman aboard? She could be in serious jeopardy if you exposed her to them.”
“My men know they’d be shot if they did what you’re suggesting.”
Tupper snorted. “And we’ve both been around long enough to know death is hardly a deterrent to some.”
“Pirates, perhaps. Not members of the British Navy.” He held his hand up to stop her denial. “My first duty is to see Samantha survives her injuries. I won’t hide who she is. I can handle my crew. You decide how you’ll tell yours the truth.” He glanced over his shoulder at the men in question. The remaining crew of the Scarlet Night sat along the walls of the cell or lay out on the floor. Less than twenty in number, they were broken, defeated. “Not much of a threat now, are they?”
