“Wigs, Miranda?”
“Aye, wigs. Forgot about those, but that may narrow it down at least, right?”
“I can’t just sit here and eat this slop while Ivory is out there suffering God knows what kind of torture or pain. Who knows what agony she may be facing at this very moment, while we sit here discussing hair color and inhaling cheap pipe smoke and filthy pirate stench.”
“I’ll get back to work on ol’ Sandy over there, and you and Willy can figure out how you’re going to find your own answers.” Miranda winked and slid from her seat to join Sandy as he waved playfully at her from the bar. “Wish me luck, you two.”
Sandy grabbed the drunken man from the stool, spun him onto the floor, and dragged him off to the side of the room as Miranda watched with raised eyebrows, and a bit of pride. “Yer seat, Madame,” Sandy said, waving her to the stool.
“Always the gentleman, John. You don’t mind if I call you John, do you?” Miranda asked with a sweet smile and her usual chin tickle.
“Call me bloody dog shit, as long as ye sit here and tickle me chin.”
“Well, I doubt I’d call you that, but how about we have a drink, aye?” Miranda looked across the room at Cassandra and Willy, still appearing to mull things over, when she decided that drastic measures were in order. She couldn’t bear the thought of Ivory suffering at the hands of anyone after everything they’d been through, including the many times she’d sorted out vile and violent men hell-bent on rape and murder.
Miranda turned back to Sandy and lifted her glass from the bar, “How about a toast?”
“Aye, a toast to yer beauty and charms,” he grinned, winking at her cleavage.
“Well, I was thinking a toast to new friends and to…getting to know one another better,” Miranda smiled a crooked smile and swallowed hard.
“I’ll drink ta’ that!”
The minutes ticked by as Miranda sipped on her rum and watched as Sandy poured his down. An hour in, she excused herself for a moment to check in with Cass and Willy, only to learn they’d made inquiries with a few intoxicated men who’d laughed in their faces and said they didn’t ever see mermaids unless they’d eaten bad food or hit the doldrums.
“Well, keep askin’ will you?” Miranda begged.
“What about Sandy there? He has to know something.”
“I’m waiting for him to get drunk, but the son of a bitch has a hollow leg or something.”
“Look ladies, I’ll try some other tactics. Just leave me to it a bit,” Willy said, glancing about the room and laying eyes on an older, and a bit worn, lady of the evening. However, Willy surmised that these women often saw and heard more than just the grunts and groans of these fortune hunters, and for a few dollars more may be inclined to share.
“Alright, I better get back. Ol’ Sandy is giving me the eye,” Miranda said, gathering her skirt and flitting off back to the bar.
“Good luck, Willy,” Cass said as he made his way through the crowd to the whore with the jet black hair and painted cheeks resting on a stool at the end of the bar.
“You’re still here, I see?” said a very deep voice over Cass’s right shoulder. She spun in her seat and was staring straight at the crotch of Blacksnake’s very large quartermaster. Cass’s eyes walked up the man until they reached his face. She was mesmerized in the dim lighting of the bar, as she watched the candle flicker in his light green eyes. The man took Willy’s chair and spun it to where he sat facing her. He wrapped his legs around the back of the chair and rested his thick forearms on it as he sat.
“Master Green,” Cass said and turned back to her drink.
“Madame Randall, you are wasting your time in this place. You will not find your cousin here,” Green stated as he waved to the bartender for a drink. They were briefly interrupted when a freckled, plump young woman with bright red hair leaned over and whispered in his ear, giggling while bringing him his usual full bottle. However, he quickly brushed her away.
“How can you be so sure that neither you nor Captain Carbonale has seen her?”
“I make it my business to know everything that happens here.”
“Then I suppose you would be lying to me. As I stated earlier, it was reported to us that she was, in fact, picked up in these waters by one of Blacksnake’s ships.”
“Madame, you do not want to tempt the wrath of such a man as Captain Carbonale. He may appear a refined and diplomatic gentleman…”
“Well, that’s a matter of opinion. May I?” Cass interrupted, pouring herself another glass of rum from Green’s bottle.
“May I ask you a question?”
Cass turned and looked into those sparkling green eyes peering out at her through his dark, glistening skin, and struggled against being hypnotized at such a unique and unbalanced sight. Without considering what the question may be, she simply said, “Yes.”
“I have been wondering… why would four women of obvious intelligence and resources have stayed here to live a lifestyle which is so unbefitting of ladies—other than those ladies you see here?”
“That’s a difficult and complex question to answer, Master Green, and one that I truly do not have time to address right now. I intend to find Ivory, and when I succeed, I will do whatever it takes to get her back. I’d even kill you, Master Green if necessary…green eyes and all.”
Green laughed in a strangely delightful baritone purr and pulled his glass to his lips. “I must give you this; you have all been surviving until now, so I will take that statement under advisement. However, please know, regardless or your beauty and grace, underneath it all you are still just a pirate and a woman, of which I fear neither.”
Cass reached over and took Green’s huge paw in her hand and pulled it down beneath the table, sliding it from her knee to her upper thigh. “Do you feel that, Alphonse?”
He smiled and nodded. “My hand knows the way.”
“I’m not happy to see you again. That’s a loaded pistol, and as you well know, I’m a dead shot. I’d hate to see such a lovely man as yourself die without all your God-given parts. Oh, and in case you’ve any ideas, its sister resides on my right hip, and I’m equally skilled with either hand.”
“Let’s not continue to play at this, Cassandra. We have known each other far too long for such childish games. Besides, I have no plans to die today, and nor should you, which is why you should save your cousin over there from Sandy and go home. Or better yet,” he paused, “allow me to show you how happy I truly am to see you, and remind you why you’d regret that dead shot.” Green smiled and slid his hand further up her leg.
“I’m no longer that wide-eyed, naive girl from years ago, and I have no use for that tonight, Alphonse. Our time has come and gone,” Cass smiled, giving him a firm squeeze on the crotch. “You don’t scare me, sir, with either a gun or with this, and you never have.” He withdrew his hand quickly.
“I have no intention of scaring you, Madame. I only wanted to warn you to be very careful of Captain Carbonale. He may not kill you with his own hands, but his reach is far and his tentacles will find you and squeeze you to death,” Green said, reaching back across under the table and gripping Cass’s thigh. “I would hate to see such a fine woman die, simply because she was still too stubborn to accept good advice.”
“You cannot blame me for wanting to protect Ivory. I would kill, or die, for any of my cousins. You have no idea what she’s been through. As I sit here now, I imagine all sorts of horrible things that may be done to her if she’s been kidnapped and has no weapons or means of defending herself.”
Green began to laugh again and rose from the table, putting the chair back in its place.
“And now what’s so goddamned funny?”
“Just let me say that your worries are for nothing. You believe Ivory a brave and capable captain, and woman, no?”
“Of course I do. You know she is, as well. Stop this façade, Alphonse.”
“Well, then I have a feeling that she isn’t doing anythin
g she does not wish to do at this very moment. For all we know, she’s doing exactly what she wants to do. Until we meet again, Madame Cassandra. I do hope it will be under more amiable circumstances, and believe me when I tell you,” he said, running his fingers and his eyes down her bare arm, “I’m not carrying a pistol, only a torch. So, when we next meet, I can assure you I will be, as always, happy to see you.”
“Don’t flatter yourself so. I believe we settled all of our business long ago,” Cass said, looking up at him and then quickly turning away.
“And you should not fool yourself so, either. Goodnight, Madame.” Master Green turned and smiled back at her, then continued on his way to retrieve Sandy.
Chapter Nine
Ivory awoke before dawn and turned beneath the sheets to stretch, but she felt something impeding her hands from lowering. She tugged, trying to figure out in her half-asleep stupor what was keeping her from moving, when she finally realized she was bound by the wrists to the bed.
“Maddox?” she shouted, when she realized she was alone. “Maddox!” she screamed again, this time pulling and shaking the bed, causing it to slam loudly against the wall.
“Ivory, please calm yourself. I’m sorry, darling, but I could not allow you to wake and possibly escape… or worse, kill me in my sleep,” Carbonale said, entering the room in the pre-dawn glow from the balcony. He was already fully dressed, although not in his usual style. He was dressed to sail.
“Untie me this instant!”
“Why? So that you will be free to escape?”
“Escape? You can’t be serious. Untie me now and stop this. Who do you think you are?” she ranted.
“That’s an excellent question, but perhaps I may ask you the same. Obviously what happened here was nothing out of your ordinary realm of behavior. You said so yourself…”
“What I said last night…” Ivory interrupted, remembering the words she spoke and realizing she may have gone too far.
“Yes…last night,” he sighed. “Despite the unique and rather impassioned connection we shared, you do not expect me to believe it was anything more than a ploy on your part to deter me from my course, now do you? No expectations, remember?” he asked as he moved next to the bed and straightened his belt in the mirror, not once looking upon her.
“I suppose someone like you would think that, but if you believed it no more than a ploy, you certainly gave me no indication as such,” Ivory replied, relaxing against the bed. She waited for a sign of his now concealed mutual affection, but it never came. His arrogance revealed him wounded, and the blood flowed from his words.
“Zara will be in soon to release and ready you for the journey to Nassau. I’m needed aboard ship. And don’t worry yourself—we most likely will not be sharing any further, shall we say, unnaturally intimate moments. My apologies, Madame, as I would be remiss if I did not congratulate you on a most inspired effort.” Carbonale removed his tricorn hat and bowed, before he turned to exit.
“Maddox, please wait…”
He stopped in the doorway and held his back to her as she spoke.
“You’re wrong, you know. I truly believed there was a chance you were different, and that you were wrong about your heart. If there’s any satisfaction to come of this for me, it would be knowing never to let my guard down again—no matter how beautiful the man, or how genuine the kiss may feel. You’ve schooled me, sir, and I thank you for that.”
“I’ve had quite the education as well. I suppose we’re never too old, or too wise, for a lesson,” he said, as he placed his hat back upon his head and continued toward his awaiting ship in the harbor.
* * * *
“Madame, you have my apology for this,” Zara said, untying the ropes which held Ivory to the bed.
“Why? You didn’t do it.”
“Well, I apologize on behalf of the Captain. He can be so…mistrusting, even when he’s obviously been as close to someone as he was to you last night.” Zara released the second tie and Ivory sat up, rubbing her wrists and arms.
“I blame myself. I have a habit of pushing people away when they get too close. He appears to treat you rather well though, Zara,” Ivory stated, taking the robe draped over Zara’s arms and slipping it on.
“Roman is waiting to take us to your room,” Zara said with her head down, holding open the bedroom door. Ivory followed her and barely made eye contact with Roman when she nodded at him in the dimly lit corridor, and then turned into her room.
“He loved my mother…once,” Zara whispered in the dark as she closed the door and walked to light the lone candle on the dresser.
“I’m sorry? What did you say?” Ivory asked, turning around and looking back at Zara.
“Please, sit. I must fix your hair. You’ve made a mess of it.”
“Zara, answer me, please. What did you mean by that?” Ivory asked turning and taking the comb from Zara’s hand as she sat.
With Carbonale safely away aboard the ship, Zara’s thoughts flowed freely from her lips, of her childhood when she and her mother arrived back in Kingston after being cast out from Paris by her father’s wife. “My mother was very young when I was born—only a year older than I am now. She was but twenty seven when we returned. We had only my grandmother to depend on, but she lived with a wealthy family here in Kingston as a maid and cook. We lived in an abandoned shack near the mangroves, and my grandmother would sneak us food.”
“Sadly, that is something I understand completely.”
“The Captain was doing very well as a privateer and was well acquainted with the family my grandmother worked for. He had just built this house. He was looking for someone to take care of things for him, and as my grandmother was trusted and respected in the home, she recommended my mother, who joyfully accepted the position.”
“Maddox fell for his house maid?”
“The Captain was not always…the man he is today. If you knew of his past, you may possibly understand him better.”
“Oh, Zara, for a fleeting moment I allowed myself to wonder. But now, I have no desire to understand him, and…”
“Wait, please. My mother told him she had a child and he agreed for her to bring me here, if only to assist her and live with her in her quarters. He took pity on me and allowed my mother to teach me all of her French cooking, as well as everything else she knew. However, even then he was not a trusting person. I cannot say that I blame him.”
“None of us in this place are trusting, Zara. This is simply the world we live in, and none of us have the power to change that.”
“He trusted my mother. Within less than a year, she slept in his bed every night, and they would spend many hours together when he was ashore. They, of course, kept their secret, as did I, but he showered us in gifts. He hated what my father’s wife had done to us, as he had been treated much the same by his own family.”
“What do you mean by that?” Ivory asked, turning in her chair to see Zara’s eyes.
“Madame, just know that he is capable of great love, and he had it only briefly before it was taken violently from him. His fear of love is not only fear of rejection, or being made a fool. It is a very real fear of your blood on his hands.”
“You do realize you are speaking of a man who’s taken hundreds of ships over the past ten years, not to mention the number of lives he’s claimed in the process?”
“Yes, and I understand that we are all complicated creatures, and the Captain is no exception. I only know him in this home and with my mother…and now you.”
“I believe it was him who took down my ship for the sole purpose of collecting me and turning me over to the authorities for the bounty on my head.”
“You are correct. He dispatched those sloops to sink your ship and capture you. He ordered every life possible to be spared, especially yours. Obviously, he had no idea what would happen once he brought you here and met you, and…became acquainted with you.”
Ivory gave Zara a look of surprise when she realized the girl
was more than privy to where, and how, she and Carbonale had spent their evening the night before. She quickly changed her tone to that of indifference. “He has plenty of ladies to keep him occupied, Zara. I’m sure I’m just another conquest for him to add to his ego,” Ivory said, turning back to the mirror and picking the pins from her hair.
“You are wrong,” Zara said, turning Ivory at the shoulders to face her. “There have been no other women here, and certainly not in his bed. None… since my mother. That is a façade created by him after my mother was killed. He and ladies might dinner away, either at their homes or a restaurant, but never, ever has he brought a woman here, and he certainly never frequents the whorehouses.”
“What happened to him?”
“He comes from a very wealthy family in England. When he was a young man, it came to light that he was not the child of his father, but the child of a lover his mother had taken—an officer in the Royal Army who was a life-long friend of her husband. The officer stayed with them for several months when he was stationed nearby.”
“Gee…what a great friend he was.”
“Maddox was dark haired and thick and strong, while his two younger brothers were fair-haired and meek like his father… or rather, whom he thought was his father. Fortunately, this man worshipped his wife and forgave her, but he never forgave Maddox. Every time he looked on him he saw only his wife’s lover, and as soon as Maddox was of the proper age, his father accepted the King’s shilling and shipped him off to the Royal Navy.”
“You certainly open up when he isn’t around.”
“I do not wish to betray him, but only to help him find happiness again. Despite what you see, the Captain is a very sad and lonely man.”
“You’re right; I’d have never guessed that in a thousand years,” Ivory remarked and rolled her eyes up at Zara in the mirror.
“Please…Madame Ivory, do not give up on him. He is like a father to me, and I wish him nothing but happiness. I believe together, you can make a wonderful life.”
The Blue Diamond (The Razor's Edge Book 1) Page 7
