The dog realized she was showing him off to the other woman and he reached out to sniff at Claire, who held out her hand for him to smell. Once he was finished, she petted his wet head affectionately. “Well, any friend of yours...” she teased Tina.
“Yeah, he is a good ole boy,” she said, well-pleased with having him back on her ship. It had been too long and she loved this dog. It was equally obvious he adored her. When she let him go, he sighed deeply and lay down at her feet.
“Why did you not have him with you for this last voyage?” Claire asked, as she looked at the contented dog.
“Someone was bringing a bitch to breed with him. In fact,” she said musingly. “He should be a daddy dog now.” She was delighted at the prospect.
“Puppies? You have puppies?” Claire asked, charmed at the news.
“Well, they might be about four months or so old and Newfies are pretty big puppies so they might not be what you are thinking of when you say puppies,” she told her as they bumped the dock and sailors caught their lines to tie it. “There’s my grandfather,” she commented as she looked up at the road leading down to the dock.
Claire looked up to see a black-haired man coming down the dock. He looked spry and not at all like the elderly man she had been expecting. Tina had explained that a fall from one of the masts had nearly paralyzed him, so he stayed home, directing his ships that he was trying to turn into a large fleet of trading vessels. But with so many former pirates he veered off that course frequently.
Lowering a gangplank instead of the Jacob’s ladder, the women left the ship together, the dog at their heels. Jacques was surprised to see the blonde on his granddaughter’s arm. The blonde was dressed in a beautiful, blue dress that emphasized her cobalt blue eyes, which he could see when she got close enough. Her skin was tanned from the sun, and he could tell by her features that she was an aristo. His granddaughter, by comparison, looked odd with her hair cut short and clubbed back, dressed in a flowing white shirt and men’s britches. None of his disapproval was apparent as she dropped the woman’s arm to give him a massive bear hug.
“Ah, Cherie, each time you are gone I miss you so!” he told her in a heavily accented voice.
“Grandpapa, you know I am at home on the sea as you were,” she answered, with a delighted smile.
“And who is this?” he asked, after thoroughly examining his granddaughter to see that she was none the worse for wear and looking past her.
“Grandfather,” she said formally. “This is Lady Claire Von Hagen...my wife,” she said, with a smile that showed her pride.
“Your what?” he said, his eyes opening wide in amazement. He was caught frozen in the act of holding out his hand to shake the woman’s proffered one.
“Aye, Grandpapa, we are married. By a priest even,” she said, without a hint of a teasing grin.
His black eyes fastened on the blonde whose hand he ignored as he pulled her in for a hug. “So we are related now. I am sure there is a story behind this, but welcome, welcome. Let us get you off the river so the men can unload.” He drew them both along the dock, an arm wrapped around each woman as he escorted them. “You will have to tell me what you have brought for me, and this story that I am sure will be most fascinating.”
Claire could see the easy affection between Tina and her grandfather. She had shocked him with their announcement, but he had not gotten angry or shown more than surprise. In fact, he was drawing out the contents of what would soon be unloaded into his village as they walked up the drive leading to his house. When Tina had described it as a castle, she had thought she was teasing her, but as they came around a curve in the hill where they could go into the village or up further, she could see the front of the house. It was indeed shaped as a castle would be: with turrets, pinnacles, and even walks. She did not contribute to the animated conversation between grandfather and granddaughter, but listened avidly as Tina explained the goods she had brought her grandfather for his stores to trade.
“So you told them to begin gathering ginseng last year and we have quite a supply now. Will you be gathering it as you head south again?” he asked.
“Aye, I hope to take at least one shipload as well as any goods your people wish to send,” she told him as they began to walk through the courtyard of the castle, which were some really some lovely gardens that Claire was admiring. It was all so green and rich looking. The walls of the castle were a perfect foil from the constant winds on this high promontory, and guarded the gardens from predators and the elements. She watched as Sir Barkley trotted ahead, obviously knowing his way about as he led them to the front doors.
“How about you take a fleet?” he asked, and quickly added when he saw her expression, “You will be the lead ship of course.”
“Would your men follow me though?” she asked, astutely. Her own men were handpicked, and while some had to be replaced, for the most part they were loyal.
“They should,” he laughed. “Most are pirates!”
They shared a laugh, Claire included, as they entered the big double doors of the house-castle.
If Claire had not been told by Tina what to expect, she would have stopped dead. Her own home in England had been elegant, even the governor’s mansion had bespoken class, but this…, this was prestige like she had not ever seen on a grand scale. Not one, but two wooden staircases led up from the foyer that they entered, with full-length windows to light them along the way and an overhead set of not one, but three chandeliers. There were rooms off to the right, to the left, ahead of them, and then additional rooms off of each staircase. And this was just from what she could see at first glance. It was all in dark, polished woods without the white and gilt that the French aristocrats so favored. It gave it an almost warm feel even though it was all immense.
“You like my home eh?” Jacques asked, as he looked down on the blonde.
“It looks very beautiful,” she replied, demurely. She was actually quite overwhelmed.
“You will never see anything like it in the world; I designed it myself!” he bragged as he steered them towards one of the rooms off to the left. It turned out to be a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves, all filled, with rolling ladders and a small deck surrounding the room to accommodate the top shelves which were fifteen feet above them. The warm woods she had observed in the entranceway were continued in here, but a different kind, and she could see it was all highly polished, no dust on any of the shelves that she could see. She had never seen a library this large and could only imagine how it would compare to the ones in London.
“I brought you a box of books I found on one of the ships I met,” Tina told him, as they shared a grin of understanding. Meeting a ship meant she had pirated and looted it. She knew her crew thought books were a waste of time, but she enjoyed them, had them in her own cabin, and knew her grandfather would enjoy adding them to his personal library.
“Ah, you will have to trade some from your ship for some of my new additions,” he enthused as he sat them down on a richly upholstered couch. An efficient servant hurried forward offering them refreshments, and Claire found herself sipping from a crystal glass of the most delicious ruby-colored wine she had ever tasted.
“This is delicious,” she complimented her host.
“It is from my family’s vineyards back in France,” he told her, pleased that she liked it. “Let us have a toast,” he said, as he took his own crystal glass and handed one to his granddaughter. “To long life and many grand adventures eh?” he said, raising his glass and tapping it to his granddaughter’s, who raised hers to his toast. Claire copied them and found both of them tapping their glasses to hers and then everyone took another sip of the fine wine. “The last ship brought me several crates of this most excellent vintage,” he informed his granddaughter.
“When was that?” she asked, as she sat back and exchanged a smile with her wife who was looking a little shocked at her grandfather’s enthusiasm and home.
“Let me think, let m
e think,” he mused as he started petting his goatee to a point. “It must have been after you sailed last. Aye, at least a month after, and I sent him on to Quebec to sell the rest as I do not need to be greedy. We got a fine profit on that shipment!” he crowed and took a reverent gulp of the beverage.
“Does your family know how much you sell of the things they send you?” she asked, with a grin.
“I pay them for the goods they send me!” he protested, with a twinkle in his eye.
“Aye, but since it is almost a bribe to keep you out of France, I do not think they know that you profit from their generosity,” she pointed out.
“True, true, but then, what they do not know will not hurt either of us,” he laughed at their own private joke and Tina joined in on the laughter. “So you are married now. You must tell me how you two met and what transpired to make this state of affairs Bettina, you know how I enjoy a grand adventure.”
Tina winked, glancing at her bride with a twinkle in her green eyes, as she began, “You know I heard of that large bribe being sent south on one of His Majesty’s ships,” she stopped until her grandfather nodded for her to continue. “I was able to make it to the Caribbean and prepare for it before that sluggish ship probably even cleared English waters. We even were able to take a fat merchant before they showed up!” she smiled in remembrance.
Claire was fascinated to hear this part of the tale. Tina did not always tell her as much as she wanted to hear. Hearing her tell her grandfather how they met, and from her viewpoint, was interesting.
“By the time I located her and her prize, I thought I had missed her somehow. I was about to go in search of some other prize,” she told her audience. “But then I was fortunate. Call it kismet or fate or what have you, but there stood the prize I sought,” she glanced at her blonde bride again to tell her without words, that she was the prize, not the bribe that was on the ship. Claire could feel herself blushing a little at this tell-tale sign of Tina’s love. After all, this was Tina’s grandfather and his acceptance of their marriage so readily had surprised her.
“It really was not difficult and it should have been. His Majesty’s troops were so unprepared,” she told her grandfather, meaningfully.
His bushy brows came together in a frown. “They did not fight?” he asked, astutely.
“Hardly,” she answered, taking another sip of the wine.
“Hmmm,” he said, as he sat back putting down his now empty glass and folding his fingers together. “You think they wanted to be rid of this?”
“I do not understand what they thought, but they barely fought us for the capture of their ship or their passengers,” she glanced at Claire again.
Claire was startled. She had thought they had earnestly fought and Tina’s pirates had just been superior swordsman.
“And you met this woman then,” he finished, changing to a smile of welcome. His dark, dark eyes twinkled at the woman.
“I did. I gave her a choice. She chose wisely and...” Tina took Claire’s free hand in her own. “We fell in love.” She smiled at Tina before kissing the back of her hand gallantly.
“Yes, but I thought you fell out of love with me and I hated you for it,” Claire interjected. That had hurt, but Tina had soothed that hurt long ago.
“I had to let you go for a time. The ransom and my honor were at stake,” she explained.
Jacques watched the easy interaction between the women and the obvious love, and was satisfied.
“Sir, dinner is served,” a servant broke into their conversation to announce.
Jacques stood and asked, “Do either of you wish to change for dinner or would you like to freshen up?”
Claire was embarrassed. Her clothes had been left in Baleniesia and although Tina had bought some materials for her to make dresses, she really had a limited wardrobe to change into. She was not sure if they dressed for dinner here and she had nothing for a formal occasion other than her wedding dress.
“We are fine Grandfather unless you are having company?” Tina asked as she stood up, pulling Claire with her.
“Just David. I think he will behave,” he said meaningfully, and satisfied that they did not feel the need to freshen up or change, led the way out of the library.
“Who is David?” Claire asked quietly as they walked along.
“He is my brother,” Tina answered, just as quietly.
“I thought you were an only child?” she asked, with a frown, wondering how she had assumed that.
“I may as well be,” she answered, cryptically, as they walked across the large foyer to a dining room that was so large it could easily have seated fifty people. Again, it had the warm woods and crystal chandeliers. Only one end of the massive table was set, for four people. One was already sitting in his seat, sort of; he was actually bouncing.
“David,” their grandfather warned, and the occupant of the seat stopped bouncing and looked up at his grandfather before looking beyond him to the two women who had just entered the room.
“Bettina!” he squealed and bounded up from his chair, knocking it to the floor before running the length of the room and enveloping her in a hug that staggered her back a couple of feet. She let go of Claire’s hand or she would have been tugged along. “You are back!” he said, unnecessarily.
“Aye, David. I am home for a while. I have brought someone along to meet you too,” she began, and with a warning look at the shocked Claire she introduced her. “David, this is my wife, Claire Von Hagen. Lady Claire to you, David,” she told her brother, and then to Claire she added, “This is my brother David,” and added nothing more.
“You brought me a lady?” he asked, clearly confused. “A wife?” he asked in a childlike voice.
Claire was shocked, to say the least. The man was almost as tall as Tina, perhaps an inch or two shorter. He had bear-like arms as he hugged her, but they were flabby and non-muscular. He had a pouty face like a child would have, but the body of a man. His hair was cut choppy and was nondescript above his ears as though he had cut it himself, but with the same vibrant red of his sister. His voice reinforced the thought that he was a man-boy. She looked at Tina confused.
“No, David,” Tina said, firmly. “Lady Claire is my wife, not yours,” she corrected him.
He grinned showing several misshapen teeth that stuck oddly from his jawline. He cocked his head sideways. It was obvious he did not understand her words. “A lady, your wife?” he repeated for clarification.
“Aye, David. My wife, my lady,” she explained patiently. Claire could see her keeping her jaw taut, as though it was taking effort to explain to him.
“You did not bring me a present, a lady for me?” he asked in a petulant, spoiled-boy voice.
“I brought you a present. That is for later. This is not your present. She is mine,” she emphasized carefully.
“Oh, okay,” he said, mollified by the promise of a present for later.
“Let us eat now, David. Go pick up the chair now,” their grandfather ordered the boy.
Claire was trying to catch Tina’s eye, but she avoided it. And when Claire tried to talk to her she ordered, “Later,” in a no-nonsense voice. Claire tried to be understanding as she could see Tina looked distinctly uncomfortable. She was led to the opposite side of the table from David who had returned to his seat and was indeed hopping on it again, seeming unable to sit still. A reprimand from his grandfather had him sitting still for a moment. Tina sat her between her and her grandfather, across from the odd man-boy.
The servants began to bring in the first course, a fish that apparently was native to the waters in Canada. Claire had never heard of this fish, but it was delicious and Claire found herself hungry. She ate it delicately and saw that Tina was back to being the lady of elegance she had noted from time to time. She was not imitating her ‘betters’ as she once thought it came naturally to her, obviously. She was even using a fork, something that some of the houses in England did not use as yet. The same could not be said of
David, who dripped, dribbled, and drooled on the tablecloth and his lap throughout the meal. The other adults ignored his outbursts and occasionally Jacques would say quietly, “Now, David,” reminding him to behave. Claire tried not to stare, but it was the first time she had ever seen an adult behave this way and she could not help but wonder what was wrong with him.
Over the courses of dinner that were served, Tina and her grandfather caught up on what had happened in the six months they had been separated, and what her plans were. This was the first time that Claire heard that a long voyage was in store for the Black Betty, although it would be sailing under its other name the Red Bettina.
“So we are to become traders?” she asked with a humorous addition to the conversation the two relatives were excluding her from. She did not appreciate that Tina had not warned her about her brother or their future voyage. In fact, now that she thought about it, despite their long talks there was a lot about Tina she did not know.
Jacques must have realized they were talking over and around her and at her comment he smiled. “We have always been traders, just a matter of degrees,” he said jovially, with a twinkle in his eye.
Tina got to the part about how she had infiltrated Claire’s wedding at the governor’s mansion and the complaints of her crew over the outfits they had to wear, and how some had to trim their moustaches, some their beards. She told how she had forced the priest to marry them; Jacques was in tears of laughter. He turned to Claire and asked, “And you wanted to marry my impetuous granddaughter and live with her forever?”
Claire had enjoyed Tina’s version of events, not much different from what Tina had told her, but told humorously. She nodded ‘of course’ and said simply, “I love her.”
Jacques leaned over and patted her hand. “She is very lovable.”
“I love Bettina too!” David said, proving he was listening to the conversations despite his hijinks on his own side of the table. He did not look at any of them directly, but past them up into the air.
Pirated Love Page 14
