“Some wench finally tied ye down, eh, Clover?” Charles O’Malley, known for his carrot-red hair and beard as well as being the representative for Ireland, said, upon noticing the close proximity between Johnny and Izzy.
“I am not some wench,” Izzy said, completely affronted at the derogatory term and glanced over at the man who was smiling jovially.
Johnny smirked, wrapping his arm around Izzy’s waist, pausing only for a moment. “I keep proposing, but she’s keen on turning me down,” he explained, and grinned charmingly down at the woman in his arms.
This statement caught the ear of the surrounding pirates. So this woman actually meant something to Johnny? It was obviously not any sort of family relation, and by the way she walked and spoke, they assumed she wasn’t of the prostitute persuasion. So just who was this woman and how could she have possibly affected Johnny to the point where he would continuously propose marriage? Was he daft? Many believed so. Was he under some sort of a spell? Maybe.
“That’s a firs’!” the Irishmen exclaimed, causing the pirates within earshot to start chortling with laughter.
“I intend to wear her down, though,” Johnny said, though nobody could hear him except for said woman.
“Maybe if you asked me for the right reasons, I might be more willing to consider it,” Izzy snapped before wiggling herself free from his grasp. Luckily, another pirate, this one from Spain, distracted Johnny, leaving Izzy alone with her thoughts.
That was a close one….
You know what I don’t get? Why would a pirate, so intent on maintaining his freedom, who doesn’t believe in love, won’t even consider going steady with someone… Why would he continue to ask Izzy to marry him?
Even I can’t say. Maybe he really does have… But no. Let’s not get our hopes up. The best advice I could say upon the matter is to be careful, be wary, and not succumb to temptation no matter how desirous it might be. The reasons he continues to propose can’t be honorable, unless his feelings really are true but have yet to be admitted.
In all likelihood, it is doubtful, and thus, our defenses should be raised.
34
“Gentlemen!” Johnny called, hoping that his voice was strong enough to catch the attention of the men currently occupying the room. Izzy glanced up sharply at Johnny, giving him a pointed look. Just because the room was primarily filled with men did not mean that he could completely dismiss a whole other gender. Johnny caught Izzy’s look and smiled sheepishly before correcting the matter. “And ladies, of course.” Izzy smiled, pleased that he amended for his mistake, and took a couple of steps back so she could watch him.
“Yes,” he continued, trying to find the words to say that would be taken seriously among these groups of men and women. “Well, I’m sure you are all aware why I am here.”
“Surprised is more like it,” a voice called. Though Johnny craned his neck in the direction of the voice, he couldn’t make out who said it, although many of the surrounding pirates murmured in agreement.
“I…,” he began, thinking of some excuse to use, but after a long moment, ultimately decided against it. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right.” This seemed to throw the pirates off, but Izzy smiled proudly, her eyes lighting up as she watched him. When Johnny was honest in his manner of speaking, nobody could match him. “Even I am surprised to be standing here in front of you.”
“Where were you these past couple o’ months?” another one questioned. “Y’know the war was to ’ave started sooner than now.”
“Yes, yes I know,” Johnny agreed, nodding a couple of times, his index finger caressing the tip of his chin. “I couldn’t exactly tell you where I was because you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. But, what’s important is that I’m here now. I’m here to do this.”
“Yeah, well not many are happy abou’ tha’,” another pirate said, though this time, he stepped forward. Izzy saw that he was big, a couple of inches taller than Johnny. And if need be, she was sure he could be quite intimidating. “How do we know ye aren’t goin’ to just leave us again?”
“Trust is a tricky issue with me,” Johnny admitted, staring the man in the eyes. “To be honest, I was perfectly content not trusting anybody and having them not trust me. I cannot win you with words, I know, so I’m not going to try. But I do hope that my presence here is helping the matter, however slight it might be.” He was silent for a moment, his dark eyes scanning the faces of his audience. “I can guarantee you, however, that I am willing to lead us into battle against the Navy. I cannot promise you success, but I can promise you that we can damn well try. The sea is ours, and I’ll be damned if some Royal Navy man is going to take it away from me.” He stopped here, and Izzy noticed how his eyes were nearly black with seriousness. She had never seen Johnny like this before, and was certain that if no one knew Johnny, they would probably be afraid. She, however, found it oddly arousing. “I know that some may not support me, and if this is so, please leave and leave now. We are all going to battle, and some of us—most of us—may not come out alive. However, if you choose to stay, then I would be honored to lead you. Those of you who are representatives, please come aboard my ship. The rest of you can enjoy your stay here.”
With that, Johnny spun on his heel and started to walk out of the fortress. Izzy wasn’t sure whether or not she should follow, so she stayed put. When Johnny realized Izzy wasn’t with him, he glanced over his shoulder and nodded, indicating that he was waiting for her. Once she caught up, the two walked out together.
* * *
“So,” Izzy said, tilting her head so she could catch Johnny’s profile with her eyes. They had just boarded the deserted ship. “What, exactly, are you going to do now?” Her voice wasn’t judgmental or accusatory. Merely, she was curious, if anything, and wanted to know (without yet asking) if there was anything she could do to help.
“Well, that depends if the representatives decide to follow me or not,” Johnny said, and though he didn’t look stressed, Izzy could detect an edge to his usual laidback voice. He glanced over at her and realized she probably had no idea what he was talking about. “Representatives, darling, are those who are in charge of their region, country, and the like. They make the decisions for their particular area.”
“How does one become a representative?” Izzy asked, realizing Johnny was leading her to the galleys.
“One inherits the position,” Johnny told her, “though lineage isn’t necessary. The previous representative can choose his—or her—replacement before…retiring, I suppose you would say.”
So it much resembled At World’s End then. Or was it the other way around?
“Well,” Izzy said once they had entered the large room. “I’m sure they will follow you. You’re supposed to be their leader, right? Did you inherit the position?”
Johnny shook his head and took a seat at the head of the table. “No,” he said, and as he continued to speak, Izzy detected slight bitterness in his tone. “No, I wasn’t born into my position, love. I was chosen, as you might say. Though, ironically enough, I had no choice in the matter.”
“Well, surely you were chosen for a reason Johnny,” Izzy said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You know that, don’t you? Everything happens for a reason. And I’m sure that the reason that you were chosen out of everybody else was because nobody could do what you’re capable of doing. You know, for someone who has a hard time with trusting others, it surprises me you have trouble trusting yourself.”
“I don’t discriminate,” Johnny said with a tired smile, though he felt his insides elated by her encouraging words.
“If it makes a difference,” Izzy said, looking at the table as she finally took a seat next to him, “I trust in you.”
Johnny’s lips twitched up, this time of their own accord, and he reached over and placed his hand over hers. “It makes all the difference,” he murmured.
Before the two could talk anymore on the subject, the galley doo
r opened and thirteen, fourteen, about seventeen pirates—all men—came in. Some seemed wary about trusting the elusive pirate Clover, others were determined to go to battle no matter who was leading, while others were simply curious. They all took their places at the long table and looked at Johnny, waiting for him to begin. It seemed as though they didn’t even notice Izzy’s presence, or if they did, they ignored it. All that was on their minds was battle, pure and simple. And if Johnny could lead them into it, then they would certainly hear what he had to say.
“Well, Clover?” an Englishmen barked, narrowing his dark blue eyes in Johnny’s direction. “What say you? What be your plan?”
“Well gentlemen,” Johnny said, throwing an easy smile onto his face. “I must be honest; I am quite surprised that you showed up. That all of you showed up, I should say.”
“Yes, well so are we,” the representative from Japan said before snapping a piece of the gum he was chewing.
“Enough chitchat,” the pirate in charge of Africa demanded, slamming his fist on the table, startling Izzy slightly. “What is your plan, Clover? You were already late showin’ up here which means the Navy is close by. We only have little time before sailing for battle, and this is our first time convening.”
“I see your point,” Johnny said, keeping his voice calm and his cool eyes focused on the man who addressed him. “But I do have an ace up my sleeve, as it were.” He shifted his eyes so they were now focused on the group before him as a whole. “As is customary for pirates, I say we call a parley and have an old chat with Lord Shield and a couple of his men. See if we can’t work things out with words.”
“Can’t work things out wit’ words!” the Irishman exclaimed as though Johnny was dense for even suggesting something as pointless as that.
“Yes, well we should try,” Johnny said firmly, “unless you are willing to lead your men into a battle—to their deaths—a battle that may have been worked through with words, we parley and discuss terms and agreements.”
“And if agreement is impossible?” the representative of America asked, meeting Johnny’s cool eyes with his own.
Johnny sighed through his nose, as though he knew that fighting would be necessary, despite any attempts otherwise. “If an agreement cannot be reached,” Johnny said slowly, taking care to articulate each and every word, “then we have no choice but to go war. And that’s my final decision.”
35
“I want to go with you,” Izzy stated firmly, placing her hands on a jutted hip.
Johnny looked at her with a decidedly determined frown, his eyes trailing over her face. How he had gotten used to such a face in these past few months. Take, for instance, those brown eyes that were pointedly narrowed in his direction. Beautiful eyes, of course, but they appeared as sharpened spears as they looked at him. And her brow was furrowed so low that it nearly rested over those beautiful eyes, with a vertical wrinkle indenting just above her nose. And that mouth—those lips—that he adored kissing and wanted nothing more than to claim them once again as his own were pressed into a prominently thin line.
“That is absolutely out of the question,” he told her flatly, looking at her with a dark, lazy gaze. If it was possible, her brow got even lower upon hearing his answer. “You cannot threaten to become a whore now, and you cannot run away.”
“I’m creative,” Izzy mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked away, not even bothering to stop the pout from touching her features. “I’ll think of something.”
“I’m sure you will,” Johnny agreed, nodding a couple of times as he placed his palm on the surface of his desk. They were currently in his quarters once the meeting had dispersed, Izzy claiming she had wanted to talk to him before the parley. “But my answer’s still going to be no.”
“You are so closed-minded, you know that?” Izzy asked, dropping her hands down to her sides. “Don’t you realize that if I wore a certain type of clothing that fit quite nicely and revealed my assets, I may actually distract the Royal Navy lord and you can get him to agree to whatever you want?”
“David Shield is not that daft,” Johnny said, his eyes narrowing a fraction at her suggestion. “And that is exactly the reason I do not want you coming with me. David Shield is a man who, when he sees something he wants, has every desire to get it, no matter the cost. And when he spots you, he will most certainly want you. And I’ll be damned if I let him take you.”
If Izzy wasn’t arguing about something she saw as important, she would allow the flattery she felt at Johnny’s words to sink into her psyche. But she was arguing for something important, and suddenly, she got an idea. “How about this, then?” she began as she felt her posture straighten with this new surge of confidence. “If you let me accompany you to this parley, then I absolutely promise that I won’t fight.”
Johnny chuckled lowly. “Even if you wanted to fight, you couldn’t,” he told her. “I wouldn’t allow it.”
“Of course you’d say something like that,” Izzy murmured, but she didn’t seem thrown. In fact, she was almost pleased he had said something along those lines. “However, you won’t be around to watch me, will you? You’ll be fighting, as will everyone else. I could sneak out if I wanted to and you’d have no way of knowing.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Johnny warned, feeling his body start to seethe.
Izzy arched a brow up, almost as though to say “Wouldn’t I?” “If you let me accompany you, I won’t leave your room,” she told him.
Before Johnny could answer, somebody knocked halfheartedly on the door before barging in. It was Pimms, his dark gray eyes wide with worry. “It’s Shield, captain!” the man exclaimed, his tenor piercing the air sharper than Izzy imagined it could. “He’s docked by the bank and ready for the parley.”
Johnny nodded gravely at Pimms. “Get O’Malley,” he told the scrawny pirate. “I want him to be my second-in-command.” Pimms nodded and closed the door before Johnny threw eyes over at Izzy. He stared at her for what seemed like a long portion of time before Johnny finally relented. “Fine,” he said, his voice low. “But you’re not allowed to wear anything too revealing or call attention to yourself in any way. In fact, you’re not allowed to speak, all right?”
Izzy didn’t exactly agree, but she nodded a couple of times before deciding to change. She left Johnny’s room and went into the one next door, where most of her clothing was stored. She grabbed a simple blue tunic and black breeches, before slipping on her boots. Instead of pulling her hair up, she decided to leave it long. If Johnny wouldn’t allow her to speak, then she could at least reveal her gender in another way. Once she had finished, she was ready.
* * *
It was almost like being in a movie. It reminded Izzy of the old Wild West movies her grandfather would watch with her when she was younger. Johnny was in the center, the Irish Representative O’Malley was on his right, and Izzy was on his left. Ahead of the pirates on the sandbank were three men, coming towards them. From the way he walked, Izzy assumed that the man in the middle was Lord David Shield, head of the Royal Navy. He had jet black hair and piercing sapphire eyes that reminded Izzy of ice cubes. The corners of his thin lips were curled into an arrogant smirk, but unlike Johnny’s usual grin, Shield’s had no charm to make it attractive. However, the man was well-built, with more muscle than Johnny. Despite this, Izzy was certain Johnny was smarter and faster, so while it seemed as though Shield had the advantage, Johnny really had an ace up his sleeve.
“Well,” a crisp, cool voice said once the two groups stopped a few feet away from each other. “Here we are, albeit a few weeks late.” He threw his icy gaze at Johnny, but Johnny didn’t seem disturbed by the intensity of the man’s stare. “Now, what is the reason for this parley?”
“We wish to convey our desire to once again ask that we not fight this battle,” Johnny said smoothly. He had been thinking a lot about what he was to say, wishing to sound more confident than he felt at present.
“You do not
have to fight, but that does not mean we will withdraw,” Shield said, the smirk slipping onto his face once again. “Pirates die either way, Johnny Clover, and I really was hoping to actually have some fun with the challenge you think you present us. But a dead man is still a dead man; it does not matter how he dies. So if you and your men would like to form rows, we can practice our shooting.”
Johnny forced a charismatic smile onto his face, though it clearly did not reach his eyes. “I am so sorry to disappoint you, David Shield, but my men are willing to give their lives for what they believe in,” he told the man. “Are yours?”
“If it means wiping pirate scum like you off of the face of the planet, then yes, they are all willing to die for the greater good,” Shield replied, and then added in a tart tone, “And it’s Lord David Shield.”
“Of course,” Johnny amended. “And it’s Captain Johnny Clover. So,” he began, changing the subject and cocking his head slightly to the side. “Since battle is imminent, we need to sort out the ground rules so we play fair.”
“All’s fair in war,” Shield said with that smirk of his. Izzy realized she furrowed her brow every time it decorated his face, not pleased with its presence whatsoever. “But since you pirates are all but barbarians, it is probably wise to have some sort of structure over this, hmm?” He narrowed his eyes suddenly at Johnny, his whole careless demeanor disappearing completely. “We fight to the death, Captain Clover. There is no such thing as surrendering. And whichever side is still alive by the time it’s all over are the winners.” He paused here, and looked at Johnny levelly. “You know that this does not mean piracy will suddenly be legal if, on the off chance, you cheat and happen to win.”
To Believe A Buccaneer: Book 2 in The Scandalous Adventures at Sea Series Page 17
