Sinsperationally Yours

by Prince, Nikki

  From the slant of the sun coming into the window, I had uncharacteristically overslept for it had to be mid-afternoon. I pulled on my nightdress and went down the stairs noting that he had re-kindled the fire. I decided to boil water for a bath as it was now Shamhna and I was expected in Caherciveen in the early evening to meet friends so we could travel to a harvest festival.

  I pulled the tub down from the wall and placed it in front of the fire. I grabbed a large pot and went outside to the rain barrel. As I filled the pot, I looked out to the sea, which appeared to be an ominous red due to the clouds now obscuring the sun. I shook off a shiver as I returned indoors.

  I placed the pot on the fire and went to select an appropriate dress for the day. Once the pot boiled, I poured the water into the tub and returned once more to the rain barrel to refill the pot. The sky and sea still appeared menacing so I returned quickly indoors. Perhaps seeing him again had set my nerves on edge.

  After the second pot boiled, I poured it into the tub, grabbed a cake of lavender soap I had obtained in France, slipped off my nightdress, and stepped into the tub.

  The water sat just below my breasts so the water lapped at my nipples as I covered my arms and neck in lavender suds. I massaged the suds onto my breasts – lingering a bit longer than necessary – for my breasts felt sensitive and heavy wanting to be touched. I silently cursed him for leaving so soon. I massaged the suds onto my abdomen and then lower to stroke suds into the hair there and then even lower to the sweet spot between my legs. I now cursed him aloud. I stroked myself deliberately teasing myself while remembering him licking me there just a few hours before. But the water was getting cold and I had friends expecting me so I could not linger. It was then I felt the scabs on my inner thigh. I had not imagined it. He had bit me.

  Confused, I reluctantly stood in the tub allowing the water to trickle down my body before reaching down to pick up water in my hands to wash away the remnants of soap. I looked down at my thigh and saw there the tell-tale signs of being bit. Very odd but I had no time to figure it out. I stepped out of the tub and quickly pulled on my nightdress. I could empty the tub later as I needed to dress and be on my way.

  Within an hour, I was dressed in teal satin and walking towards town to meet Wally and Eddie. Wally was a widower who played the Irish harp and wanted to introduce me to respectable people, as he was not aware of my past. Eddie played the bodhran and was a former helmsman on my ship. He retired five years ago to have a life as a family man. Wally and Eddie made a modest living entertaining the English.

  I made good time and as I stepped up to Wally’s cottage, the door swung open before I could knock and Eddie stepped out and gave me a tight embrace.

  “Good to see you, Captain. My you have a glow about you today. It must be all this Irish air. All the men will want to dance with you at the festival.”

  “Good afternoon, Eddie. There will be no dancing tonight. I believe I danced with every fisherman and farmer on this island last night.”

  Eddie laughed loudly as Wally stepped out of the cottage and embraced me as well. As Eddie’s laughter faded, he said, “With how you look, I bet even the English gentry will want to dance with you. Do you not agree, Wally?”

  “Right he be, lass. If I were a few years younger, I would be chasing you meself. I have never seen you look so fetching.”

  Uncomfortable with the attention, I asked, “Shall we be on our way?”

  Eddie went inside the cottage and returned with the instruments as Wally escorted me to a cart pulled by a jenny.

  “We are taking my cart today, lass. I get taxed up my arse for owning this blasted animal so might as well use her,” Wally said as he helped me up into the seat.

  Eddie soon joined us and we were on our journey north. We traveled for about an hour before Wally turned the cart into a lane. I was impressed with the look of the stone manor at the end of the lane and overall it was a fine estate.

  Wally directed the cart toward a side road leading to a barn as he said, “Eddie has not yet met the new lord but I made his acquaintance about two weeks ago when he took over the estate. The last lord was a bugger but this one has been treating the local farmers with respect. His name is Declan Sinclair. His mother was Irish but the English have not held that against him and have allowed him to claim his ancestral lands.”

  Once the cart stopped, Eddie jumped down and assisted me onto the ground. Women soon surrounded me to introduce themselves and I lost sight of my friends as I was swept into the barn. For a time, I assisted the women with setting out various types of food, silently bemused, as these women truly did not know what I was and seemed to accept me as one of them.

  After a time, Eddie appeared looking visibly shaken as he said, “Captain, I do not know how to tell you this?”

  “What is it?” I asked as Eddie directed me outside of the barn away from the crowd.

  “I have seen the new lord and well…. he appears to be that American blackguard who stole your ship in Havana. What the devil he could be doing pretending to be English I do not know.”

  “Are you sure of this, Eddie? It has been many years since you have seen him. I must see him for myself.”

  “Please, Captain. You should just leave in Wally’s cart. If it is the man, he will bring you trouble just as he did before.”

  “Take me to where he is, Eddie.” My voice was steady but my knees felt weak.

  “I sailed with you for ten years, Captain, but now I have a family to consider. I cannot involve myself in whatever mischief this man is up to.”

  “I have not asked you to, Eddie. I merely want you to point out where he is. If it is the man, then I will go and you and Wally can play your music as planned.”

  “There he is.” Eddie pointed to a group of well-dressed English standing under an oak tree. I moved closer and heard him speaking in a clipped London accent used by the ton. His clothes were all black and very well-tailored to show off his fine form. We had never revealed our true names – smugglers never did – and I had called him “Sin” as I was called “Cat”. Could he be Declan Sinclair?

  “You are right, Eddie. It is the man.”

  Just as we were about to turn away, he caught me looking at him. His expression revealed nothing as he excused himself from his companions’ company and walked toward us.

  “What do we do, Captain?”

  “Best you join Wally. I will stand and greet him.”

  “This is madness, Captain. Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Eddie, go.” Eddie shook his head as he walked away.

  Then he stood before me and bowed.

  “Good evening, miss. Welcome to my home”, he said in his clipped English.

  “Good evening, my lord. I regret that I must make my leave.” I started to walk away but he fell into step beside me. He leaned toward me and said in his natural voice, “Do not go, Cat. I can explain – just not now.”

  “I must go before your English friends notice an American amongst them – one who is unable to keep her eyes from you. Our countries are at war and let us just say that I have a less than stellar reputation amongst the English.”

  “I know you arrived with the musicians. Let me offer you the use of my carriage at least.”

  “I can walk.”

  “It will take you hours. Do not be stubborn.”

  “Very well, I accept the carriage.”

  He led me to the stables and left me for a moment to talk with the stablemaster. Within minutes, an expensive carriage appeared.

  “Really, this is too much – a pony cart or a donkey will do.”

  “No arguing, Cat. Get in.”

  He helped me step into the carriage and then surprisingly joined me inside.

  “What are you doing? You cannot go with me. You are hosting a party.”

  “I need to talk to you, Cat. And I need to do this….” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me as the carriage pulled away. I placed my legs on either side of him, rubbing myself up agai
nst his leg as the kiss deepened. When the kiss ended, with one hand holding me at the waist, he unlaced the bodice of my dress, releasing my breasts from the chemise.

  “I thought you wanted to talk”, I said breathlessly as he licked at a nipple while his hand held the other breast brushing the nipple with his thumb. He stopped licking long enough to say a hoarse, “Later.”

  I reached down to his breeches and started stroking him through the fine material. His hand released my breast and slid down to my thigh exposed by my hiked up skirt. He reached under the skirt and began to finger me gently. I could feel myself readying for him, getting wetter with every stroke, opening for him. I began unbuttoning his beeches and once his cock was released, he guided me on top of him. I lowered myself onto him taking every sweet inch of him inside me.

  The carriage rocked on the uneven road as my hands gripped his shoulders and as my hips rotated against him. I could feel my body contracting and moved my hips even faster, up and down, round and round so I could bring him to pleasure with me. I cried out as my back arched low taking every bit of pleasure from him until I seemed to be unable to breathe and nearly tumbled off of him. But he held me as he came within me.

  I remained seated on his lap with my face at his neck. Neither of us said a word until we reached Ballycarbery Castle and the carriage came to a halt. He re-laced my bodice but not before kissing each breast once more. Then, I took his face in my hands and kissed him as I finally, reluctantly left his lap. He buttoned his breeches, opened the door, and stepped down from the carriage and lifted me to the ground.

  “I told my driver to come here to keep the location of your cottage a secret. You were right though. I cannot stay from my own party. I will come to explain everything soon and I hope you will forgive me the wrong I did you all those years ago.”

  He kissed me once more and then left in the carriage before I could think of anything to say. As I walked down the path back to my cottage, I wished he could have come with me for the insatiable ache of want of him was still with me.

  Eddie arrived early the next morning just as I had anticipated. As soon I opened the door at the sound of his knock, he entered the cottage and began ranting, “Captain, I saw you leaving with that bloody bastard. I realize it is none of my business but what in the blazes is going on?” Eddie began pacing back and forth.

  “I am not entirely sure at the moment, Eddie.”

  “Captain, this man showing up is no good, no good at all.”

  “Was everything alright for you at the party once I left?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “Did anything happen at all to make you feel uneasy?”

  Eddie stopped pacing. “Well, no. But just seeing that man strut around in his expensive clothes talking through his nose was enough.”

  “I do understand, Eddie, but we are still safe. I do not want you to worry about you or your family. I will continue to ensure that you are protected just as I have since you gave up your seafaring ways.”

  “I appreciate that, Captain, but it is you I am most concerned about. The man seems to have a power over you and he cannot be trusted.”

  “I am long past being victim to youthful lust. I risked my ship and the lives of my men because of it and it was a lesson hard learned. But it was a mistake I never again repeated.”

  “It was not your fault alone, Captain. We believed him when he said you were abed ill in your quarters. We did not wish to intrude upon your privacy. It was not until we neared New Orleans that his behavior seemed suspicious. And then the bastard jumped ship before we could question him. I had hoped he had drowned or gotten eaten by a shark but now he shows up parading like some fancy lord. I cannot make heads or tails of it, Captain.”

  “It is a puzzle, Eddie. But none of you should have blamed yourselves. It was my error in trusting him.”

  “But we all trusted him. Then that damn storm hit and we were grounded for days until we could return to Havana to find you and we were all sick with worry. If not for my family, I would have killed the man last night. He is a silver-tongued devil.”

  “That may be so, Eddie, but we cannot change the past or allow it to affect our present or future. Whatever game he is playing now does not involve us so let him make fools of the English – better them than us.”

  “I suppose you are right, Captain.”

  “Yes, Eddie. Now go on home. The sky looks like it may kick up a storm.”

  “Right, Captain. I am sorry to have intruded into your home this morning.”

  “A friend’s concern is never an intrusion. Now go on.” I opened the door and when he left, I closed it with a sigh.

  The weather was poor for nearly a week – endless wind and rain keeping me indoors. I became restless. My body was hungry with need. I found myself touching the places I wanted him to touch but it was ultimately a poor substitute.

  As soon as the weather cleared, I walked to Caherciveen to get supplies. When I passed by the pub, Wally stepped out to invite me inside. I went in with him and we sat at a table near the fire and discussed the recent weather until the barkeep brought us our pints.

  Once the barkeep stepped away, Wally spoke, “You will not believe the news, lass. The new lord has been arrested.”

  My heart nearly stopped but somehow I kept my voice steady. “Arrested? When and what for?”

  “Well it was about two days ago. Arrested him for treason. Said he was spying for the Americans. They are going to transport him to Dublin for trial as soon as the roads dry out a bit. The trial is just for show though. Poor fellow will hang.”

  Hang! I could not let him hang. I wanted to scream but I tried to keep the calm to my voice. “This is a surprising turn of events. Where are they holding him?”

  “Oh, you know the English. A bit of Irish weather and they go hiding indoors. He is being held under guard at his own house. The local farmers are in an uproar because they all liked the man. Now we will get another lord and he will likely be a bastard. It is Irish luck.”

  I started to stand and said, “I should get to the market, Wally.”

  Wally stood also and said, “But you have not finished your pint….”

  I threw a few coins on the table as I said, “You may finish it and have another, Wally. Good day.”

  “Have a good day, lass.” Wally waved as I stepped out the door.

  It was madness to consider rescuing him but I had to risk it. I quickly ran all possible options through my mind before heading to the docks. I hired a fisherman to take me to Portmagee for there was but one man who could assist me. I hated to risk another’s life to save him but there was no other choice.

  When I arrived in Portmagee, many burly sailors greeted me. I had earned their respect but I had to remain alert for respect would not keep me safe. I headed straight to the gunsmith shop, relieved to see Ian there. He smiled widely when he saw me.

  “Captain, this is an unexpected pleasure. What can I do for you?”

  “Good day, Ian. I have need of a weapon – something quite special.”

  “How special, Captain?”

  “Special enough to rob a coach.”

  Ian laughed heartily. “Ah, Captain, are you considering challenging me for my territory?”

  “Just once. There is a coach leaving shortly that will be carrying something I want and I would like you to help me stop it. I should tell you that the coach will have extra guards.”

  “Oh, I see. A prisoner of the English?" I nodded and he said, "It is a lucky man who would have you take on the English for him.”

  Ian looked at me questioningly but I did not wish to discuss Sin with Ian or anyone else. “I will pay you handsomely. Will you help?”

  “I am intrigued to discover the identity of this man who would make you risk so much. I will help.”

  “Good. There is much planning for us to do.”

  Just a day later, I met Ian outside of Caherciveen near a shepherd’s hut. He had brought a black horse for me. I was dressed l
ike a man – all in black.

  “The servants at the manor assured me that they are transporting the prisoner tonight, Captain. The English are worried about trouble with locals and hope to sneak away to Dublin.”

  “Let us be on our way then.” I mounted my horse and we rode in silence. I had come prepared. In addition to three pistols, one with a small retractable bayonet, I carried a half dozen daggers hidden in various pockets of my clothing.

  Eddie had told me earlier in the day that my old ship, the Crimson Witch, had returned from Scotland and was willing to provide transport to France – not knowing the identity of my companion. I was sure their reaction would be the same as Eddie who ranted on for half an hour trying to tell me to leave the man to his fate rather than risk imprisonment or my life for him.

  Ian and I soon reached the forest near Market Road and went to lie in wait for the coach. I had to allow Ian to take the lead for this forest and road were his domain. I had to take out the guards, which was no easy task for although the moon was full, there were many passing clouds often obscuring the light. However, I was accustomed to fighting in the dark from my years at sea.

  When the coach finally approached, I saw a coachman and two guards at the front and two guards on horseback at the rear. As Ian called, “Stand and deliver” in a French accent, I threw a dagger into the backs of each of the guards on horseback. Both slumped and fell from their horses to the ground. The coachman drew the coach to a halt as the guards at the front of the coach raised their weapons at Ian. I fired a shot at one as Ian shot at the other. As the guards reloaded, I shot them both with my extra pistols. The coachman raised his hands in defeat. Ian and I dismounted our horses and approached the coach with caution.

  The coach door flew open and two shots rang out, one nicking my upper arm. I flinched but stayed focused on the task at hand. Ian pulled the guard from the coach and tackled him to the ground as I glimpsed that Sin was slumped in the coach seat. I quickly went to side of the coach, as I feared that he was dead. I ran my hands over him and could feel his chest breathing. The clouds parted the moonlight shown on him and I noted that there was blood on his white shirt.