by Anne Herries
‘You will have to ask my husband, lady. Perhaps if Captain Sylvester stood surety for you…’
Maribel hesitated. It seemed these people trusted her captor, but not her. She might have to make her journey on foot—and she could not be sure of a welcome. She had hoped that Juanita might have a sister or female cousin, but when she thought it over, her stepmother had never talked of her family.
It was a risk, but one she must take. She could not go with the pirates to Cyprus and she would not return to her father to be sent to England like a package he had sold.
One thing the pirate captain had done for her was to make her question her father’s motives. It seemed that there might be more behind his determination to marry her to an English lord than met the eye—but surely Juanita’s cousin would help her? She would pay him once she had control of the fortune left to her by her husband.
Surely someone somewhere would be willing to help her?
* * *
The crew had been drinking and singing for a long time. They were obviously enjoying their time on shore, but at last they had quietened. She believed that most were asleep now.
Maribel sat up and looked about her. She could see no sign of movement. It seemed that the pirates felt secure enough not to set a guard. She reached out and shook Anna’s shoulder. The woman snorted and grunted, but would not wake.
‘Anna!’ Maribel whispered, bending close to her ear. ‘It is time for us to leave!’
Anna snored on, giving no sign that she had heard. Maribel hesitated. If she shouted at the girl, someone else might wake. Perhaps it was best to leave her and go alone. Beneath Maribel’s gown was concealed a pouch containing all the gold and jewellery she possessed; her clothes and other valuables remained on board the pirate ship, but she must leave them behind if she wanted to escape. She could only pray that Juanita’s cousin would be prepared to take her in and help her recover her fortune. If he would not…
Maribel was not certain what she would do then. She only knew that she did not want to remain as the pirate’s captive, nor did she wish to return home.
Anna could stay where she was; it seemed she was happy enough under the pirate’s rule. Maribel stood up, taking her blanket with her. It was cooler now, though during the day it would be hot. The blanket would keep her warm and if she had to spend more than one day in the open she would have something to lie on at night.
She deliberately put the farmer’s wife’s warning from her mind. Juanita’s cousin would surely help her. Why should he not?
Creeping from the campsite, Maribel slipped away into the trees that fringed the beach. She had only a vague idea of where to find Juanita’s family, but she could ask someone. The people at the hacienda had been friendly and she had money to ease her way.
She had been walking for only a few minutes when she heard a twig snap behind her. Her heart beating wildly, she turned but could not see anything.
‘Who is it?’
No answer came. Maribel took a deep breath and walked on. She began to climb the ridge that led away from the beach. She could hear rustling sounds behind her and her pulses raced. It must be some kind of animal. Perhaps a pig turned loose in the woods to forage…
Suddenly, the noise came from a different direction. Spinning round, she saw a man’s figure through the trees and caught her breath.
‘I thought it was you. Where do you think you are going?’
Maribel hesitated. He had followed her! She might have known that escape would not be as easy as it seemed!
‘I needed to relieve myself.’
‘So far from the camp? Why did you bring a blanket with you? Are you sure you were not trying to escape?’
‘Why should I? Where could I go?’
‘To the house of Don Vittorio Mendoza, perhaps?’
‘She told you…’ The farmer’s wife had betrayed her!
‘Señora Gonzales told her husband and he told me. He warned me that I should not let you go there for Mendoza is not a good man—he is bitter and lives alone since his family died of a fever.’
‘He is the only one I can turn to. He will help me because of Juanita.’ Tears stung her eyes. ‘You must let me go. You must…’
His manner was stern. ‘I have given my word that you will not be harmed, but I cannot let you go there.’
‘Why? My father will probably refuse to pay the ransom. Why should he pay for my return if he wants my fortune?’
‘I think he will pay, for his pride’s sake, and because if you married your estates would belong to your husband. Under the law, he could not keep them from you then. Unless your future husband agreed to give them up…’
‘Do you think Lord Roberts agreed to give them up? Why…?’ Her gaze narrowed. ‘Why would he agree to such a bargain?’
‘Perhaps because he has little chance of finding a young and beautiful bride of good birth in England. Besides, once you were his wife, he could have reneged on the deal had he wished.’
‘Then my father knew what kind of a man he was sending me to.’ Maribel felt sickened. ‘I will not marry him. I shall never marry, for who could I trust if even my own father would use me thus?’
‘You may not have a choice.’ Justin’s eyes were on her. ‘Would you rather go to England with Captain Hynes or take your chance with me? I promise that I will help you find freedom. I shall not let your father sell you to that man or anyone else.’
He was asking her to trust him. It was a huge step, but she was not sure she had a choice, and there was something about him that reassured her…something that made her insides melt and she longed to feel safe and secure within his arms. Her father would call him a rogue and hang him if he had the chance, but her father had sold her to a man she must despise and fear. This man seemed honest and something was telling her to give him her trust for all he was a pirate. Once again she experienced a desire to be held in his arms, to give up the struggle to be free and let him dictate her life.
‘Do you swear it?’
‘I swear on all I hold sacred.’
‘Then I shall believe you.’ She felt close to swooning; if he had taken her into his arms then, she would not have resisted.
‘Come back to the camp—and give me your word that you will not try to run away again?’
Maribel stared at him for a moment, then inclined her head. ‘Very well. I give you my word.’ Her eyes sparkled with tears. ‘I do not know why I have resisted you. You have been kinder to me than my own father.’
‘Maribel…’ Justin moved towards her, gazing down at her face in the dawning light. Her heart pounded in her breast and she found it difficult to breathe as she caught the fresh masculine scent of him. She swayed towards him, her will to fight almost gone. ‘Will you give yourself into my care? I promise I shall not force you to do anything against your will.’
‘I believe you. I think that I…’ Maribel hesitated, looking into his eyes. Even as she would have spoken, they heard a booming sound from out at sea. Looking down at the beach, she saw the pirates were awake and yelling something as they dashed down to the water’s edge. ‘What is happening? Are we being attacked?’
‘No, the ship is mine—one that I took captive some weeks ago. It is bringing a message from your father.’
‘But you told me you were to meet on Cyprus…’ Her eyes widened and she drew away from him, feeling hurt. ‘You lied to me. You were planning to sell me to my father all the time!’
‘At first, yes, I thought of a ransom.’ Justin frowned. ‘When I spoke to you of Cyprus I planned to leave a message here for my other ship, but it has arrived sooner than I expected.’
‘How can I believe you?’ Maribel felt betrayed. ‘You are the same as my father—you care only for the money I may bring you.’
She turned from him and began to run back down the hill to the beach below, the tears stinging her eyes. He had looked at her in such a way that she had begun to trust him, to believe that he would treat her fairly—but he would
use her for his own purpose like every man she had ever met, except her Pablo.
Chapter Three
Maribel sensed that someone was watching her. She turned her head in the direction of Captain Sylvester and the man who had brought the second pirate ship into the cove. He was older, dark of hair and pale complexioned; his eyes had a strange piercing quality.
‘Who is that man with the captain?’ she asked of Tom as he came up to her. ‘There is something about him…’ She shook her head, not knowing why the man’s gaze made her uncomfortable.
‘Higgins told me he is the acting captain of the Maria. The ship was taken a few weeks back and is a Portuguese merchantman. His name is Mr Hendry—or Captain Hendry, I suppose. Higgins doesn’t like him; he thinks he is sly and not to be trusted, but Captain Sylvester put him in charge of their sister ship, because of his experience. He will sail with us to Cyprus.’
‘Are we still to sail for Cyprus?’
‘I have heard the men say that we may sail for the pirates’ island instead. There are many islands in the region that are uninhabited, some used by the brethren. We need a safe haven so that we can divide the spoils of the past months. I am to receive a share though I took no part in capturing them.’
‘What is the name of this island?’ Maribel looked apprehensive. ‘I suppose it is a sinful place where pirates congregate to get drunk and frequent the tavern whores.’
‘I cannot tell you the name—its location is a secret—but I believe it is much the same in any port, lady,’ Tom told her. ‘Men will drink and indulge themselves after a long sea voyage. It is natural for men who live as we do to spend their gold in such fashion. At least until the time comes to settle down.’
Maribel was silent. In her heart she knew she had no reason to condemn the pirates or their captain. It was true they had taken her captive, but she had been treated fairly since then. She wanted to believe in their captain, if only she could let go of her preconceived prejudices and accept his word.
She walked towards Captain Sylvester and Mr Hendry, wanting to know what was being decided between them. As he saw her approach, the captain left his companion and came to meet her.
‘Your father has sent word that he wants a truce between us,’ Justin told her, but there was an odd expression in his eyes. ‘He asks that I meet him face to face. He will pay a ransom for your safe return and for safe conduct through these waters. It would mean an end to what has become a feud between us.’
‘Do you wish for an end to it?’ She held her breath as she waited for his answer.
‘If Don Sabatini agrees to pay us for safe passage, we shall leave his ships in peace. There are plenty more vessels we might take and the Portuguese merchantmen are usually the most profitable.’
‘So you will sell me to him?’ Maribel’s face was white and she felt the sickness rise in her throat.
‘I thought it was what you wanted?’ Justin’s gaze narrowed. ‘When I took you captive you assured me your father would pay to have you back—and it seems you were right.’
‘I did not know then what manner of man he was.’ Maribel was close to tears. ‘I hate you…Why did you pretend to care what happened to me?’
She turned and fled down the beach, because the tears were close and she did not wish to shame herself before him.
Justin stared after her. He had not told her the whole truth, because he was uncertain what to believe. The Don’s message was a little strange. It seemed that there was something he wanted even more than the return of his daughter.
Touching the package inside his jerkin, Justin frowned. Could the map of the silver mines, which he had captured from Don Sabatini’s flagship, be the only one in existence? If the Don wanted the map more than his own daughter, it must be that he could not return to the mines without it. Justin had taken some chests of silver from the Don’s ships, but the map to the mines might be worth vast sums—if a man were willing to risk all that it entailed.
Had Maribel been sent to sea as bait? Had he walked into some kind of a honeyed trap—and did she know about it? If she did not and her father truly desired the map above her, he must indeed be as evil as rumour would have him. If he were so evil, it would be wrong to send her back for she would be given to a man whose very touch would corrupt her. This was a problem that required some attention and could not be solved in an instant.
Justin was thoughtful as he stared out to sea. He knew that the Don was a brutal man who had murdered slaves—could he ever be justified in returning the map to such a cruel devil? Giving his daughter back was out of the question.
* * *
Maribel walked for some time and then found a rock to sit on. She stared out at the sea. Within hours she might be back with her father—and how long would it be before she was once more on her way to England?
She did not want to marry the English lord her father had found for her! Even if she discarded what Captain Sylvester had told her, she would not wish to marry a man she did not know. If the story of his wickedness were true…she could not bear that her father would send her to such a man. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She dashed them away and began to walk slowly back towards the pirate camp. When she saw Captain Sylvester coming towards her, she hesitated, wanting to run away again but knowing she could not avoid him for long.
‘I am sorry if I made you cry,’ he apologised as he came up to her. ‘Forgive me, Madonna. I shall send word that you are not to be ransomed and there will be no truce. The men would be against it—some of the crew have served aboard his ships and they hate him.’ His hand reached out to her, wiping her face with his fingertips. ‘Will you forgive me?’
‘I do not know what to do.’ Maribel faltered, her heart pounding as he moved closer. He was so strong and handsome and powerful, his mouth sensuous and strangely compelling. She felt the pull of his magnetism, but still struggled against it. ‘If what you told me is true, I can never return to my home. My father controls my fortune. I have nothing but the things I took with me when I left for England.’
‘Have you no friends or relatives who would help you?’
‘There is only Don Mendoza…and you say he cannot be trusted.’
‘What of your own mother’s family?’
‘She was English and died when I was small. I know my uncle’s name but I do not know if they would take me in.’
Justin cupped her chin in his hand, looking down into her face. ‘If you will trust me, I shall try to find where your mother’s family live—and if any are still alive I will make sure you get safely to them.’
‘You would do that for me?’ Maribel’s eyes widened, her mouth parting slightly. Before she knew what was happening, she swayed towards him and he caught her against him, kissing her softly on the lips. For a moment she tensed, then allowed herself to melt into his body, giving herself up to the unexpected pleasure that flooded through her. For a few moments she floated away in a cloud of sheer ecstasy ‘Oh…that was nice…’ she said as he let her go.
Justin chuckled deep in his throat. ‘Sweet lady, you tempt me to sweep you up and run off to a place where no one will ever find us, but I have given my word. I shall make every effort to find your English family and return you to them.’
‘But how will you discover them? I can only tell you my uncle’s name.’
‘And that is?’
‘Fildene…I think that is right. Juanita mentioned my uncle once—Sir Henry Fildene.’ She saw his eyes gleam. ‘What? Do you know him?’
‘I have not met the gentleman personally, but I believe I may know where to find him—and, since my father purchased wine from him, I believe he must be honest.’ He smiled at her in a way that made her feel safe and protected. ‘There should be no difficulty finding your family, Maribel.’
‘I do not have words to thank you.’ She lifted her eyes to his. ‘Where shall we go next? To Cyprus as you planned?’
‘We shall go to our island so that the spoils of previous journeys may be divided b
etween us. I shall ignore your father’s request to return his property and forget the truce.’
‘Supposing my father sends his ships to attack you?’
‘I do not fear Don Sabatini or any other man.’
‘But…I do not wish to cause trouble for you.’
Justin touched her mouth with his fingertips. ‘Your father and I were born to be enemies, for he is all that I despise. Whatever may happen in the future it will not be your fault, Madonna.’
He smiled down at her, making her heart beat like a drum. When he smiled like that she felt that nothing could ever harm her again.
* * *
Maribel stood on deck watching as the ship sailed away from the island of Mallorca. She had come on board willingly this time, though she was still apprehensive about her future.
She turned her head to smile as Captain Sylvester came to stand by her at the rails.
‘You look pensive. Are you thinking of your home—or your husband?’
‘My husband was kind to me. We were childhood friends. Pablo always told me that he would marry me one day. For a short time we were happy in our way. I think we were still children and thought like children, but we could not have stayed that way for ever.’
‘I am not sure I understand you?’ Justin lifted his brows.
‘Pablo was killed riding in the hills soon after our marriage—I was told by bandits, but I wonder now if my father had something to do with his death. Pablo was young to inherit such rich estates and he would never suspect my father of playing him false.’
‘You think your father coveted his wealth even then?’
‘Yes, perhaps. I did not suspect it then and when he asked me to return home after my husband died I was lonely and wanted the comfort of being with my stepmother. Juanita loved me. My father was much kinder to me while she lived.’
‘He controlled your fortune. Perhaps he had no reason to be unkind.’
‘My father is not a poor man. I do not understand, why would he seek to steal what belonged to Pablo?’
‘Wealth is power and some men will do anything for power. There are men driven by sheer greed; he may be one of those men.’
