Ill Wind and Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure (Valkyrie) (26 page)

I looked ahead at Leo and the others marooned on their sinking prize and smiled. I definitely preferred coming to the rescue to needing rescue, and I loved the fact I’d soon be out of debt to Leo. One good turn for another. Klara seemed more relaxed now that she saw Obi wasn’t aboard the stricken ship and was presumably safe.

‘Watch your course, lass,’ Mr Gaunt warned, and my eyes snapped to the luffing sail. I pulled the tiller toward me a little and it filled properly again.

‘That’s it,’ he said, smiling. ‘You’ll make a sailor yet.’

‘What’s that?’ I exclaimed, sheltering my eyes from the bright sun reflected on the water. ‘There’s a man in the water!’

‘Leave him, he’s not one of ours.’

‘Leave him?
No
, I won’t leave a man to drown.’ I was horrified and stared at Mr Gaunt. ‘Pull the sail in, Mr Gaunt, we’re going to pick him up.’

‘Gabby, no, you don’t know who he is!’

I stared at them both in turn and adjusted course. Mr Gaunt must have seen the disgust in my face, but said, ‘It’s too big a risk, lass. The Cap won’t thank you, or me.’ Klara just glared at me.

‘I will not leave that man to drown,’ I repeated. ‘I thought the colour of
Freedom’s
flag was black not red. I will not become a devil.’

He looked at me, then nodded and hauled on the mainsheet despite his obvious doubts.

It didn’t take us long to reach the swimmer, and he grabbed hold of the gunwale and hauled himself in. I tried to help, but only succeeded in sprawling in the bottom of the boat with my legs trapped under the man’s bulk. I yelped, and he looked at me in surprise.

‘Get off her,’ Mr Gaunt growled, his blade drawn. ‘Get in the bows and don’t give us any trouble. Klara, catch.’ He threw a knife to her, handle first.

The man laughed. ‘Women and an old man,’ he said. ‘Perfect. Drop your blade, old man, unless you want your lady friends as scarred as you are.’

I looked down. He had a dagger in his hand, an inch from my belly. I looked at Mr Gaunt, and he threw his blade into the bilge in disgust, then looked at me the same way. I held his gaze and heard Klara’s knife clatter against wood.

‘Well then.’ The sailor had pulled himself up and sat next to me, his blade ensuring none of us would give him any trouble. ‘Take me to your captain. He took my ship. I think I’ll have his. Tell me, how far would he go to keep you safe, mistress? Are you worth his ship?’

I glared at him. I had no idea, although part of me wanted to find out.
Or maybe not.
I settled myself back at the helm, took hold of the tiller and got us going again. I couldn’t look at Klara.
So much for coming to Leo’s rescue.

‘Where are you going? I want
your
ship, mine’s nearly sunk!’

‘You asked for my captain, he’s still aboard your ship.’

‘Is he now? Well, that might just work in my favour. The mother ship won’t fire on a boat carrying both their captain and women will they? Very well, mistress, carry on.’

I glared at him again. I should have left him to drown. He didn’t seem to care that he owed me his life.

‘And you stay just where you are, Jack – one move and I’ll give this pretty lady another smile,’ he continued as Mr Gaunt shifted on the thwart. He seemed to have discounted Klara.

I glanced up at my new friend in confusion, and he wiped his forefinger across his throat. I shuddered, and concentrated on the tiller.

‘Just keep her steady, lass, thee’s doing fine,’ Mr Gaunt encouraged me, but I didn’t acknowledge him. The man I’d saved ignored me as he kept an eye on what he seemed to think was the only threat aboard the small boat, and I felt rage knot my stomach.
How dare he dismiss me and Klara? Assume we were of no consequence and that a threat was enough to subdue us?
I’d lived enough of my life like that and I determined I wasn’t going to let it happen again, but what could I do?

I sat in the sternsheets and seethed, my fury growing until it matched my fear, but I didn’t know how to save us, and I was running out of time.

*

We approached the sinking ship and I refused to look at Leo. I had to fix my mistake and quickly.

‘Don’t try anything,’ the man warned Mr Gaunt. He stood, legs braced amongst the casks in the bottom of the boat. ‘My blade’ll get to her before you can do anything.’ He looked up. ‘Ahoy there!’ he called to Leo and the others.

I caught Mr Gaunt’s eye and noticed his hand resting on the boom. He nodded at the tiller, tapped the wooden spar and winked. My heart leapt as I understood, and I knew at once what to do. I pushed the tiller hard over, and Mr Gaunt pulled on the sail. The heavy boom swung across the boat and crashed into the man. I launched myself at him, arms outstretched to help him overboard, and Mr Gaunt dived into the bottom of the boat to avoid being knocked into the sea himself.

‘Get the tiller, lass!’ he shouted. ‘Get us moving again!’ He straightened up, holding one of the oars that had been stored under the thwarts. He held it like a spear and jabbed at the cursing man in the water.

‘Aim for the Cap, lass – get them aboard, I’ll take care of this rat.’

‘Watch your head, Mr Gaunt,’ I called and pulled the tiller towards me. He grabbed hold of the boom and hauled on it to help us turn, then ducked as it swung over and the sail filled with wind.

‘Harden up, lass, quick!’

He was too late, and the boat collided with the rail of the ship with a solid thunk. Mr Gaunt staggered with the impact and Klara screamed, but suddenly Leo was there, pulling the tiller out of my hands, and we soon left both man and ship behind.

I followed Gabriella’s climb up
Freedom’s
hull and wondered at such a change in such a short period of time. The first time she’d come aboard, she’d been timid and frightened – lashing out at an innocent touch. Now she behaved as a sailor and a pirate.
Freedom
was working her magic on her; whether she sat on the bowsprit or just stood at the windward rail, it had become her habit to raise her face to the wind rather than shelter from it. With eyes closed and a gentle smile, her cares were brushed away from her – for a moment at least. In time, maybe they too would be left in our wake for good, along with the man who’d tried to commandeer her pinnace, and I wondered whether she realized she’d taken her first life when she threw that man back to the sea.

I wanted to hug her and hold her. I wanted to scold her recklessness and praise her courage. I wanted to put her somewhere safe and keep her there, and I wanted her by my side, even sailing into battle. I had no idea what to say to her.

She and Klara had chattered the whole passage back to
Freedom,
and Gaunt, Thomas and Gibson had joined in their excitement. She’d either missed my silence entirely or just thought the tiller had my full attention. Every time our eyes met, she pulled hers away immediately, and I was very aware of the other men in the boat.

When I joined her on
Freedom
’s deck, she was lost in a crowd of sailors – everyone wanted to hear what had happened. I caught hold of Gaunt’s arm when he tried to walk past.

‘What were you thinking? You were supposed to keep her
out
of harm’s way, not sail into the thick of it!’

‘My apologies, Cap, that had been me intention but—’

‘But what? Why did you give her the helm?’ I demanded.

‘I was
teaching
her the helm, Cap, not
giving
it to her. When that lass gets a thought in her head, it ain’t easy to get it out again. She saw a man drowning and refused to leave him. How could I have stopped her?’

‘I trusted you, Gaunt. I trusted you to keep her safe.’

‘Look at her, Cap, she is safe. She’s probably safer now than she’s ever been.’

He had a point; Gabriella was enjoying telling our crewmates about her adventure. She was full of smiles and laughter, and her eyes sparkled to match the sea in her excitement. She looked up at me and smiled even wider.

Gaunt smiled too, although not quite so radiantly. ‘Thee should have seen her face when that man pulled his dagger. She were terrified, but there were a strength in her I don’t think she knew she had – that’s down to thee I reckon. She kept her head and knew exactly when her opportunity presented
and
what to do, despite it being her first time.’ He fell silent, lost in thought.

‘What is it, Robert?’ I asked, concern replacing my anger.

‘Ahh, nowt . . . nowt really, it’s just . . . out in that pinnace I kept thinking ‘bout Lizzie – me daughter.’

I raised my eyebrows. I knew Gaunt had gone to sea as a young man to earn a living to support his wife and baby after his efforts ashore had failed. He’d been away a long time, and when he returned, his family were gone. He’d never found them. He didn’t talk about them often, but it was obvious when he was in his cups that he missed them desperately, and tortured himself with thoughts over his daughter, knowing he could have met her anytime over the years without recognizing her.

‘I’d be a proud man if my Lizzie were as fine a lass as her.’

I followed his gaze to Gabriella.

‘She’s a credit to thee, Cap, and she’ll be good for the ship if the men accept her, but she won’t make thy life any easier – I’d swear on that. Now, can I get on with looking over
Freedom
, see what her damage is?

I nodded, a little stunned by his short speech and newly brusque manner. The Robert Gaunt I knew was dour, gloomy and kept himself to himself. Gabriella seemed to have wrought quite a change in the old Yorkshire man and found herself a champion. I walked towards the huddle on the maindeck.

‘The ungrateful wretch, I was trying to save his life! I couldn’t believe it when he pulled that blade out! Well, the devil’s welcome to him, I’ll tell you that!’

‘That’s enough, muchachos
,
we’ve work to do – the yarning’ll keep.

‘Carlos, Obi, Gibson, get the courses and tops’ls set. Thomas, make a course south. I want to be well away from here in case that captain has any friends in these waters. Get us to La Isla Magdalena, I reckon it’s five leagues off, then we’ll sort the loot.

‘Gabriella, I owe you my gratitude. If not for you, Thomas, Gibson and myself would have had a very long swim.’ I offered her my arm and walked her aft, enjoying the sound of her laugh.

‘I thought you were angry with me, you didn’t speak a word in the boat, except to take the tiller,’ she said, her eyes serious.

‘I was. I know you thought you were doing right, but you shouldn’t have taken that risk. You and Gaunt were told to stand off, out of the way of danger.’

‘I’ve had enough of doing what I’m told by my husband – I won’t submit to anyone again.’

‘I’m well aware of that. But at sea, I’m responsible for the life of every member of the crew, and they all do the bidding of their captain. To ignore my words is to mutiny, and I won’t have that on my ship. From anybody.’

‘What, you’d like me in a gown and a cabin, waiting to serve on you your every whim?’ She was getting angry.

‘No, that’s not what I mean and I’ve told you so often enough! You’ve stirred this crew up. You changed the way this ship works on your first night aboard and you’ve shaken things up even more today. I cannot have you leading the rest of my crew astray. All our lives depend on each and every one of our shipmates. If one man hasn’t completed his task, or moves from where he was put, people get hurt or killed. That’s why the captain’s word is law and that’s why you’ll do as you’re told, do you understand?’ I heard my voice rising and knew I was handling this badly. I didn’t understand why I was berating her, and was only just beginning to realize how scared I’d been when I saw that man hold a blade to her.

‘Have you finished?’ Her face was expressionless, and I couldn’t hear any emotion in her voice. I nodded. What else could I do after that? She marched forward, and I watched her go and sighed. What had I been thinking bringing women aboard ship, especially
her
?

We’d been
sailing in a general southerly direction and were making good time with a fresh northwesterly. We’d spotted the first of the cays and another hour should see us at La Isla Magdalena. I’d used the island often since I first sailed as a pirate. It was hidden in the middle of coral reefs and cays small enough not to appear on any chart but my own. The waters seemed far too shallow for a ship of
Freedom’s
size, and most stayed well away, but there was a channel if you knew where to sail and kept your wits about you, even in the dark, and I always made sure no ships were in sight before taking
Freedom
in. Finding wood, water and food here had once saved my life, and we had a safe harbour within reach of Dutch, French, English and Danish ports and, most importantly, the rich shipping between them.

Gabriella hadn’t spoken to me again, but had stayed on the foredeck with Klara, listening to tall tales while she helped to spin ropeyarn, and I wouldn’t approach her there. I joined Frazer on the tiller.

‘She’s settling in,’ he said, examining the compass.

‘Sí, the crew’s taken to her, better than I thought, or hoped.’

‘Ah huh.’

‘Maybe too quickly.’

‘Ah huh,’ Frazer repeated.

‘She did well today,’ I carried on.

Frazer tapped the steering compass but said nothing.

‘I was too hard on her,’ I told him.

Frazer looked at me but stayed silent.

‘Yes, you’re right; I’ll go and talk to her.’

‘Ah huh.’

‘Gracias, Frazer, you always give good advice.’ I was certain I saw the beginnings of a smile touch his eyes, but it was hard to tell in the lantern light.

‘Ah huh.’

*

The two women had left the men yarning and moved to the pile of weapons we’d taken from the Dutch ship. Gabriella was admiring a rapier with a blade about the same length as her arm – wholly impractical aboard ship and I recognized it as the one I’d taken off the captain of the last prize.

‘You’d find a smaller blade more to your liking. That’s heavy and will be difficult to wield amongst rigging or below decks. It cost its last owner his ship.’

‘Is that an order?’

I stiffened but managed to catch my anger before it escaped my mouth. ‘No, of course not, just well-meant advice.’

She nodded and pulled a falchion with a red grip out of the pile. Its foot-long blade was etched with Moorish symbols and was a beautiful weapon. As she hefted it in her hand, I realized this was it. She wasn’t going to sit in the background – or in a pinnace at a safe distance from any danger. I saw that if I insisted on that I would lose her, and I couldn’t lose her. I’d do whatever I needed to do to keep her with me, and if that meant she joined the fight, then I’d have to teach her how to fight.

‘Can I make a suggestion?’

‘A suggestion?’ she asked, warily.

‘A suggestion,’ I confirmed. ‘I’ll save the orders for the ship.’ That hardly raised a smile so I quickly carried on. ‘You need strength in your shoulders to fight with a blade, and any sailor will beat both you and Klara on that score.’

She looked thoughtful,
bien
, she was listening.

‘By all means, have the blades of your choosing but concentrate on guns. If a man’s close enough that you need a sword, he’s too close to you. Learn to shoot, and you won’t need to rely on a blade for your life.’

She looked up at me, her smile was back. ‘You’ll let us fight?’

‘I’ll let you fight with me.’

She hugged me in her excitement, and I was acutely aware of her body pressed against mine. Klara didn’t look quite so pleased.

‘On one condition.’

‘Let me guess, I do as you tell me.’

‘Well, that would be nice, but it’s not my condition.’ I paused, wondering how she was going to react.

‘Well?’

‘You let me teach you how to use your arms and don’t join the fight until I agree your aim is true enough.’

‘So you’ll teach us, but
not
let us fight.’

‘No, that’s not what I said. Your lives are not the only ones that concern me. If I put you in the middle of an attack, I need to be sure you won’t shoot one of this crew by mistake. They need to be sure of that too.’

Silence. Then she nodded. ‘I’ll take you at your word. Why the change of heart? You were furious with me for coming in to rescue you and the others from a sinking ship, and that was after the battle had been won!’

I wanted to tell her how I’d felt when that man threatened her, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

‘You seem to have joined my crew. I was annoyed at the risk you took. I’d have reacted in the same way had it been anyone else in that boat.’

She looked at me and smiled. ‘No, you wouldn’t.’

I couldn’t think of a quick reply and watched her walk back to the foredeck carrying both the rapier and the smaller falchion.