by Hatch, Donna
“Cut loose the mast! Move the guns to port and tie them as a counter-weight!” Jared leaped in to work alongside his decimated crew.
Despite their efforts, the Sea Mistress continued to list almost horizontal. Barrels, buckets, and anything loose bumped across the deck and over the edge into the churning sea. The dead and dying slid down and disappeared beneath the waves.
Jared made a controlled slide to the mast, inched out to the rigging, and began sawing through the lines. Nimble hands rushed to assist. Freed ropes whipped through the air with whistling sounds, some floating downward to the water.
Abandoning the guns, the crew pushed at the fallen mast in an attempt to shove it overboard. Agonizingly slow, the mast slid into the water with a horrible groan. The Mistress hung on its side for a few heart-pounding seconds before she righted herself.
“Man the guns!” Jared shouted.
Despite their hopeless odds, his men fought with a savage ferocity he’d never seen. Dubois and Anakoni manned the guns along with three tattered remnants of gun crews. Only five of the fourteen starboard guns remained operable. Jared considered moving the guns to the other side, but he lacked the manpower to operate them even if they could spare the time to move them.
Another round from the navy, and the Mistress’s hold filled with water. She listed drunkenly.
The smoke cleared long enough to reveal the second frigate pulling up alongside. British sailors threw grappling hooks and pulled the ships together.
Jared made a quick head count. Seventeen of his men remained standing. Seventeen out of a crew of one hundred and twenty.
The navy sailors boarded the Mistress amid smoke and chaos.
Dubois rushed to Jared’s side, and they stood back to back as the British swarmed on board. Jared fired both guns and pushed impatiently at the liquid running into his eyes. As he wiped at it, the back of his hand came away smeared with blood from a head wound he didn’t remember receiving.
Dubois went down with a gunshot wound to the leg.
A grim-faced lieutenant engaged Jared sword-to-sword but Jared fended him off half-heartedly. He had no quarrel with this navy officer. And what would it matter? He was defeated. How many other officers would he kill before they finally overpowered him?
The pirate inside him snarled he’d take with him as many as possible before they killed him.
The loyal Englishman within reminded him they fought on the same side, even though the navy didn’t know it.
Jared stepped back when he should have driven in. “Lieutenant, I have no desire to kill you.”
The officer blinked, but never missed a beat in his swordplay. “I have no such compulsions about you, pirate scum.”
Jared stepped back and dropped his sword. “I am yours. You may kill me, or take me back to London and have the pleasure of seeing me hang. Your choice.”
Confusion crossed the officer's face, and he lowered his weapon. “I do not kill unarmed men.”
“Ah. A man of honor, just as I had hoped.”
Loathing returned to the officer’s expression. “Do you surrender, pirate?”
“I do. You have the unprecedented honor of effecting Black Jack’s capture.”
CHAPTER 22
Half-blinded by smoke, stinging gunpowder, and her own tears, Elise struggled to climb the ladder. She stumbled in her skirts and her hands trembled so badly she had little success.
O’Brian climbed behind her, keeping her steady, murmuring encouragement. Coughing and sobbing, she missed her footing, but O’Brian caught her before she fell.
Hands reached and drew her upward. Uniformed British officers helped her carefully onto the deck of the naval ship. Those same hands roughly seized O’Brian as he climbed aboard.
“Please!” she cried. “He helped me escape. He was forced onto the ship against his will, as was I. He’s innocent.”
A gray-haired captain wearing gold epaulets pushed through the crowd. His shrewd gaze took in her torn gown, noting the cut and fabric. Earlier, O’Brian had suggested she tear her afternoon gown at the sleeve to further verify her story. With dirt and tears probably streaking her face, and her hair hanging unbound in riotous disarray, she could probably pass as either an uncivilized heathen or a victimized lady. At the moment, she almost didn’t care which they believed. Or what they did with her. Her terror for Jared overshadowed everything else.
Then a single light of reason pierced the haze; she must get home to Colin.
The captain eyed her warily. “I am Captain John Randolf of His Majesty’s Navy.” He spoke in the clipped accent of the British gentry.
“Captain,” she gasped. She took herself in hand and tried to calm herself. “I’m Elise Berkley.”
Her hands shook and her voice quivered. Though her fears lay with Jared, hopefully the navy captain would attribute her distress to her harrowing experience as a prisoner of pirates.
She glanced back at the Mistress. Smoke hung in great clouds over a battered hull barely resembling a ship. Not a single mast remained standing. Sending another prayer heavenward for Jared’s safety, she returned her attention to the captain.
“I escaped the pirate ship during the battle, with this young man’s help.” She indicated O’Brian. “He was pressed into service. He is innocent.”
“Are you now?” the navy captain swung on O’Brian. “And what skills do you possess that would be so desirable to a pirate ship?”
“I’m a carpenter, sir. And they were in need of repairs at the time.”
“So they pointed a gun at your head and told you either die or join them?”
O’Brian’s ears reddened. “Something like that.”
Elise’s heart sank. He wasn’t doing a convincing job of lying. “He feels terrible that he didn’t choose an honorable death, but consider what you might have done at his age, Captain. Please, he aided me and protected me from the others. Can you not show him clemency?”
“That’s for the Admiralty to decide, ma’am.”
She turned to O’Brian apologetically, but he only shrugged. Another round of coughing seized her. A gust of wind blew her skirts and hair, cleansing the smoky air with sweet, salty ocean smells.
The captain eyed her with an assessing stare. “Are you in need of a doctor, Miss Berkley?”
“No, Captain. And it’s Missus. I am widowed.” She turned anxious eyes toward the Mistress again.
The wind blew away the smoke, but she could not spot Jared. The sight of so many bodies made her ill. She knew most of them. Unlike Leandro’s sailors, Jared’s had been decent men, despite their chosen profession.
Misunderstanding her fearful glances, the captain said in a gentler tone, “You are safe here under my protection, ma’am.”
She heaved a shuddering breath, trying to convince herself Jared still lived. “Thank you, Captain.”
The captain assigned her quarters, no doubt moving some of his men around to accommodate her. She lost sight of O’Brian.
She followed a young officer below deck. Alone in a cabin barely large enough to turn around, Elise collapsed upon the bunk and wept. A wish that Jared had abandoned his honor and run away with her warred with her admiration that he’d remained behind and taken a last stand with his men.
If he was still alive, she’d do anything to free him, to protect him from the law, but her chances of negotiating a pardon were woefully small. Could Greymore help? Or would he be horrified to learn his friend was a pirate? Not many friendships could transcend such a dangerous secret.
She pounded the bed with a fist. Why didn’t she tell Jared she loved him? She might never have the chance now. She’d wasted her time with him. She would have done things differently if she’d known their days together were so limited.
She froze. His fate was her fault.
If he hadn’t rescued her from Leandro, Jared would not have been at sea today. The navy would not have captured him. The thought left her cold, and she sobbed anew.
What would s
he tell Colin had befallen his friend?
Long shafts of light from the sinking sun crept through the portal before a knock shook the door. She opened it to find a sailor holding out a white shirt to her.
He kept his eyes averted. “The first mate thought you’d want this, ma’am. It belongs to one of the junior officers; he’s the smallest man aboard. It’s a man’s shirt, but it’s clean and will offer you…ah… covering. And I’ve got fresh water for you to wash.” He indicated a bucket sitting on the deck next to his feet. “The captain invited you to be his guest at dinner tonight. If you’re … ah … in a frame of mind to…” He trailed off, not meeting her eyes.
“May I come up for a bit of fresh air?”
“Not yet, ma’am. Flogging’s a messy business. No place for a lady.”
Elise shivered. She certainly had no desire to witness a flogging. Thanks to Dubois, she knew discipline on a naval ship was cruel and absolute. She hoped to avoid such an example.
“What’s your name, young man?”
He glanced up at her quickly and then looked away. “Murphy, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Mr. Murphy. Tell me, do you know how many pirates were captured?”
He paused, “Only about a dozen, ma’am. The rest fell in battle.”
Elise’s heart seized. “And…the captain…did he perish? Or is he a prisoner?”
“I’m not certain, ma’am. What shall I tell the captain?”
She fought her first inclination to refuse the dinner invitation. She did not wish to spend time in the company of the man responsible for Jared’s imprisonment or—she choked—death, but this might be the best opportunity to learn of Jared’s fate.
Besides, the navy captain was only doing his duty; a duty, under normal circumstances, she’d applaud.
She let out her breath in a small, mirthless laugh at her absurd heart. She resented a naval officer for serving his country. She loved a pirate. When did the world turn on end?
The sailor looked at her as if he thought her mad.
She swallowed. “Thank you, Mr. Murphy. Tell the captain I accept his generous offer.”
Elise washed, combed her hair and donned the clean shirt over her torn and soiled gown. An hour later, young Mr. Murphy knocked again and led her to dinner. When she entered the officer’s dining room, all the men arose, wearing crisp uniforms.
She blinked at the sumptuous surroundings. The walls were painted blue, with bright white trim. Silver, china and crystal filled a gleaming mahogany table in perfect order.
They treated her with cautious respect, but clearly felt awkward by her presence. They asked her polite questions, but spoke quietly to one another more than to her, an arrangement which suited Elise. She found it difficult to converse with Jared’s enemies.
Once dinner had ended, the officers excused themselves and Elise found herself alone with the captain and his first officer.
“Mrs. Berkley, I know you have suffered a terrible ordeal, but it is my duty to ask you a few questions.”
“Of course.”
He sipped his wine. “You seem much calmer now.”
“I apologize for my state of agitation when I came on board. I was overset by my experience at the hands of the pirates.”
“I can imagine.”
“You and your men have made me feel very safe here. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“How did you come to be in the company of pirates? Were you a passenger on board a ship?”
“Actually, no, it is a rather long story.”
He exchanged glances with his first officer. “I have only time on my hands.”
Elise nodded and set down her glass. “I live in Brenniswick, about a two hour ride from a small town called Port Johns.”
“I am acquainted with Port Johns,” he said dismissively.
“The last thing I remember, I was shopping in town. Someone grabbed me from behind. Then I woke up on a ship called the Venture with Captain Leandro in command.”
“Leandro!”
She blinked. “You know him?”
“I know of him. He’s one of the cruelest, most bloodthirsty pirates ever to curse the seas. He takes great delight in mistreating the crew of ships he plunders. Tales of his exploits are as widespread as those of Black Jack.”
“I believe it.” She shivered. “They were vile!”
The captain looked very grave. “If you were his prisoner…”
“They did not harm me, Captain, though I’m not certain of their reasons. Perhaps they planned to hold me for ransom. And only minutes after I awoke, they engaged in battle with the Sea Mistress.”
“From the frying pan into the fire.”
Elise’s first instinct was to rise to Jared’s defense and declare that he and his men never touched her. But she feared the captain would suspect she’d been in league with the pirates. They might hold her for an inquiry, or a trial. She could not allow them to detain her, thus separating her from Colin.
“I am most fortunate you happened along, Captain. They hadn’t harmed me, yet, but I was terrified. I have a seven-year-old son, and I feared I might not ever return to him.”
The captain leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. “I have heard rumors that Black Jack never hurt innocents, or those who cooperate when he boards their ship. I also know that he shows no mercy to those who resist him.” His expression turned thunderous.
“I believe both are true.”
He appraised her searchingly. “Then you are unmolested?”
“Yes. Apparently, there is something in the articles on the Sea Mistress about not harming women. Although, I must confess, I could not be confident they would honor their own rules. I don’t entirely trust the word of a pirate.” She added the last bit in hopes that the captain would be convinced of her innocence.
“The pirates strictly enforce their articles. Offenders are punished ruthlessly. They have their own version of honor, I suppose.”
“Captain, I am most anxious to return home to my son. Will I be detained in London to testify against the pirates? I understand you have some captive.”
“We have eleven in the brig. Most died in battle rather than surrender and face the hangman. The Admiralty will determine whether your testimony will be needed.”
Elise knew asking might sound suspicious, but she had to know if Jared lived. “Is the captain in your possession, or was he among those who perished?”
“He’s in the brig. Wounded, but he’ll live long enough to face trial. And hang.”
Elise’s heart flittered between concern that Jared was hurt, and relief that he lived.
“The blackguard. That’s one hanging I’ll not miss.” The captain’s eyes glittered.
Elise blinked, surprised at the sudden outburst. “I confess, I know little of him. Is he so notorious, then, or is this personal?”
“Both. He’s cut a swath through the Caribbean and all around Africa. He boarded a ship captained by my best friend, who was also married to my sister. He wouldn’t yield to the pirates, so Black Jack and his crew killed him. Left my sister widowed with two children.”
She gasped. “Oh! How terrible!”
She did not doubt he spoke the truth. Jared had admitted he’d killed any who refused to cooperate. Yet meeting a victim of his actions made his actions more immediate, more horrifying. She put a hand to her head. How could she love a man who’d killed so many?
Yet, those truths contradicted the man who shielded her from danger and held her so tenderly in the night.
“Don’t worry; we gave him a proper welcome when he came aboard.”
His venomous expression chilled her. What had they done to Jared? “A proper welcome?” she repeated.
He smiled grimly. “Nothing I should discuss with a lady. I wouldn’t want to offend your delicate nature.”
Her heart dropped to her feet. Was Jared the one they’d flogged?
She shouldn’t care. He was a pirate. The very thing she’d warned Colin against.
Yet, she would do all she could to negotiate a pardon for him. Because she loved him.
Then she’d return home to Colin in her safe little corner of the world and try to forget Jared.
She would fail miserably. And love him all of her life.
CHAPTER 23
“Visitor to see you, pirate scum. Get up!”
The guard’s voice jarred Jared out of his nightmare, and brought him right back into another. Only this nightmare continued.
He lifted his head. The swelling had gone down enough for him to be able to see out of one eye. He ached all over and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. He struggled to rise, but movement sent agony knifing through him.
“Careful, ma’am,” came the voice of the guard. “He’s dangerous.”
“He never harmed me while I was his prisoner. I doubt he’ll offer much of a threat now that he’s injured.”
Jared closed his eyes as Elise’s soothing voice washed over him. Just having her near eased his pain. She let out a tiny gasp and her clothing rustled as she bent over him. She raised her voice and said angrily, “Don’t you give prisoners water?”
“Ah….” came the voice of the guard.
“Bring some at once!”
“And leave you here alone with them?” He sounded horrified.
“They’re chained and injured; hardly a threat. Water. Now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Heavy footsteps moved away.
Her scent filled his nostrils as her silken hair brushed against his cheek. “Jared,” she whispered.
He opened his eyes. She leaned over him so close he could almost kiss her. She did not seem repulsed by the filth in this hole called a brig, only concerned for him.
She guided his head to her lap, despite the dirt and blood crusting his face and body. “It was you they flogged.”
He heard the tears in her voice. A cool hand pressed against his brow and another lay against his cheek.
