Love's Vengeance (26 page)

“I understand Red. Please don’t worry about it.” She said gently. She could well understand his point. She would have to simply wait it out and hope her relatives and Bridgett would be able to cope with the situation. She was, after all, a hostage and could not insist upon such things.

“I will let ye in on me plans though me dear. As soon as I feel we would not be putting ye back in harm’s way, I will be reuniting ye with yer family. I have told me men to keep their eyes peeled and ears to the ground, and we will be searching out the culprit that means ye harm, as we go along. We are in port at the colonies often enough and we have a good string of informants that might help us to solve this for ye.”

“I am speechless Red, Thank you.”

“Think nothin of it Lass. Shall we retire to the other room for a libation?”

“
Oui
.” Desiree agreed, accepting his assistance out of her chair.

They entered the comfort of the front room and Desiree took a seat upon a sofa while Red went to the sideboard, pouring each of them a glass of wine and then joined her.

Desiree could not suppress her questions about him and his life here. He was the most colorful character she had ever encountered.

“Captain,” she began but he pointed a finger at her as she unintentionally slipped into a formal address, “Red—how did you come to be a pirate? You really do not quite fit my imaginings.”

“Lass I had no burning desire to become a pirate. It were but a twist of fate.” He chuckled, with a shrug.

“I would be most interested if you would care to tell me.” Desiree pressed.

“I would much rather hear of how ye came to yer current status Lass. What happened to bring ye to this circumstance? Ye must admit it odd to have a price on yer head without a crime.” He redirected the conversation, avoiding the subject of himself.

Desiree glanced about the room and noticed a table, graced with a chess set. Her eyes twinkled, “Red you must tell me of you and your life, then I shall tell you of mine but at the same time, might we have a match of chess? I learned on my journey from France and have not played for quite awhile.”

“A woman instructed in chess, now there be a rarity. Aye—let’s have us a match.” He slapped his thighs, rising and following Desiree to the table, he held a chair for her.

“Now as to our histories—I believe you owe first oration Captain Red Legs.” She said formally with teasing in her voice, as she made her first move of the match.

Red studied the board briefly as he began, “When I were—twenty or so, I had fallen on hard times. Even before that actually, before I were even born, me parents had been sold into slavery and banished from Scotland to Barbados for crimes against the English Crown and in fact me brother and meself were both born into slavery. But in spite of our state we had a passable life, our family all together and with a just master and living among other Scots in a tight knit community,
Red Legs
we be called, hence me nickname,” he paused with a wink, “But alas our kind master died and me parents followed him shortly after. Me brother and meself were sold off to an evil bloke and I’ll not go into all the gruesome details Lass but let’s just say I bear many a stripe on me back—scars from punishment dealt out unfairly. I fared better than many owned by the scum, who didn’t live to see manhood—me own brother being one of such. After his death, I began looking for an escape.”

“We worked the docks mostly, loading ships but at times I were pressed into service as a swab and out to sea for months. After returning from sea and again at the landing in Barbados it just came upon me all at once one day and I made a break for it. I managed to sneak away, hiding first along the docks, in the midst of stacks of cargo. Then I waited, full expecting to be caught at any moment but I sneaked and scooted around until nightfall and eventually found meself in the water and after dark, swam for it. I came out after crossing the bay and found a hiding place aboard a vessel leaving on the morning tide. But when I finally came from the cargo hold, days later and well out to sea, I found I had unknowingly boarded a pirate ship. Captain Hawkins gave me one of two choices—to spend the remainder of me time on earth at the end of a length of coil riding the keel or to serve him. O’ course I chose the latter but it weren’t long after though that Hawkins and me ended up at odds and in a duel of blades. He expected to kill me I be sure, as I were very thin and sickly from his abuse; but in the duel I were the victor and awarded the ship by his crew. So, I became a pirate captain. Most of the same crew be with me to this day. Macintosh—O’Malley, Boots and others. Your move me sweet.” he finished with a chuckle.

Desiree had forgotten the board completely, enthralled with his story and now came from her trance. She observed the board briefly, before moving to capture his bishop.

“How awful. Red tell me of O’Malley. How did he come by his stripes?”

Red frowned, “Lass it not something ye be wantin’ to hear.” He shook his head, taking a sip of his drink and then looking to the board, making his move.

“He is so very tender-hearted and kind. I just cannot imagine what he might have done to earn them.” She felt as if she had overstepped her bounds and wanted to explain her reasons.

“He earned them as I did, without a crime. In truth it were O’Malley, the captain’s cabin boy, what were the last straw ye might say. We all tried to protect him and when he disappeared, locked below in the aft hold as punishment—for what crime—none could name and Hawkins refused us access to him to assure he be well—it was all I could stand, the last of a long line of poor souls I had seen mistreated, tortured and murdered on the bloody ship of Captain Hawkins. See Lass, after the duel and I were given the ship, the men had a heyday disposing of their captain, his first mate and cronies. Hated the man and his close circle of cretins with a passion and were treated with unmerciful cruelty by the scum. Anyway then it was Mac what went below and brought O’Malley up on deck and the wee lad were just barely alive he were; his back a bloody pulp from a flogging dealt him. We nursed him back to health and Mac took him under his wing—a brother to him ye might say, as O’Malley were not quite ten years at the time. O’Malley is kind and has a tenderness about him, though he had little enough to bring that out in him, ‘til he came to be with us.”

“I should have guessed. I knew he was too kind a soul to have done any crime.” Desiree said with a sad smile, “But Red—after all you went through at the hands of evil men and the pirate captain himself, how could you turn to a similar career?”

“Na me pet. I treat all me men with courtesy and respect and I get the same in return. I have never committed an act of piracy against any person weaker than meself, only the thievin’ Spaniards and the occasional merchant vessel and have never mistreated a man nor a woman who has fallen to me care. I have very high ideals and hope ye have found me to be kind where ye are concerned.” He said solemnly, “I abhor indecency and will not abide it in anyone associated with me.”

“Forgive me Red. I did not mean to sound as though I find any fault with you. I feel very much at ease and safe in your company.” Desiree made a comical face, “You may find me a bit too at ease before you know it and then be on your guard, for I have been accused of being a chatter box.” She giggled, “Check!”

The pirate, lost in his reminiscing had made a fatal error in strategy and found himself without another move, “And mate Lass, I surrender.” He said with a deep laugh, “Well done! And I’ll welcome yer chatter as ye call it. Rena chatters constantly but I can’t understand a bloody word—mostly I think ‘tis a blessing though. Now Lass, I shall pour us another of this very fine port I came across and what say ye tell me of yer life.” He requested as he rose to refill their glasses.

The two moved to the veranda, where the sun was beginning to set, turning the white sand beach to pink tinged and the water, to sparkling diamonds, with its waning rays.

***

Much later in the evening, Desiree retired to her suite and moved to the balcony to enjoy a bit more of the cool night air. A giggle escaped her as she thought of the captain’s expression when he had learned she was heir to a small merchant fleet plying the waters.

“I suppose we must make an effort to avoid pilfering’ yer ships in the future. I could hardly steal from a friend.” he had joked.

“As of yet I have never heard of our vessels being attacked by pirates of any sort but if ever we are, I will know at least one band of pirates, innocent of the crime.” She had assured.

Desiree leaned back in the chair, resting her head, looking to the night sky and the thousands of twinkling stars. Her mind strayed to thoughts of Bridgett and the terror she must be feeling. If she could somehow get a simple message to her, she thought desperately but she knew now that this would not be possible. She could understand Red’s reasons well enough though and she did appreciate all he was trying to do on her behalf by keeping her hidden away here. Clearing away the disturbing problem from her mind, she stretched her hands above her head, arching her back and with a yawn, retired for the evening.

She entered the luxurious bedroom and slipped off her dress, hanging it in the armoire. Wearing a short shift she sank into the comfort of the bed, pulling the mosquito netting closed around and relished the feel of the thick feather ticking and the satin sheets, which were cool against her skin. Within minutes, her breathing slowed and sleep enveloped her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Davison perched upon the taffrail, looking off the stern. The shavings from his whittling fell to the ocean below, to be carried away in the slight current. Stephen sat against the wall behind the helm, in the heat of the day, with the sun beating down upon his shoulders. Below on the main deck, crew members milled about, a few hauling up buckets of sea water and scrubbing the deck with coarse brushes, for lack of a better pastime.

It had been nearly two weeks, Stephen thought dejectedly; two entire weeks that they had sat stranded in the midst of the ocean. Never had he seen a calm extend to this length but he had heard talk of such. And now, with the extended time at sea, they would be delayed even further with a stop at the Dominican or San Juan to take on provisions, if they ever got the wind. By the charts, they were parallel to the southern most coast of upper America, mere days from the Main.

Stephen pulled his legs up, resting his arms across his knees and sighed wearily. They were all coming to the brink of their endurance with the calm. They could take on any storm with determination, had weathered many and
this
was getting the best of them. At least in a storm a man was at odds with the sea, a show of strengths and skill but this was not fightable, completely hopeless, with no options.

Suddenly a slight hum sounded above and Davison stood from the taffrail. Stephen came to his feet and all eyes went to the sky where the topgallants were the first to flutter, causing the vibration of the backstays. Then the remainder of the fore, main and mizzens, flapped lightly, then filled with the wind.

“Thank you Lord!” Davison shouted with a long whoop and slapped Stephen heartily upon the back. Water flew into the air as the men emptied their buckets upon one another, with shouts and laughter. They were back in the trades and the men hurried with enthusiasm, shimming up the rigging to adjust the forward sheets to catch the full force. At the helm, Stephen smiled as the cool wind caressed his back; they would arrive at the Main in just days.

“Thank God.” He sighed aloud.

***

Mac reclined against a gnarled stump of a once mammoth palm, with his hands clasped across his girth and legs stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles, watching the young lass who was frolicking on the beach before him.

A dozen children shrieked with pleasure, falling in waves of giggles and offering her advice, as Desiree attempted to pick up a small crab, which stood with claws before it, ready to fight. As the crab moved in a silly sideways pattern to her flank, she too would move the same and again crouch before the creature.

Her flowing hair was pulled back in a long piece of satin ribbon; her dress pulled up between her legs and tucked in at the waist, forming pantaloons of sorts. She looked like a child herself as she pranced about the crab, trying to find a hold on it, without losing a finger in the attempt.

She moved as if a snake striking and then leapt back, her body aquiver as she held the crab carefully between thumb and finger, far out in front of her. She rushed to the wooden bucket and her catch joined a host of others of his kind which, this night would become dinner and then she held her arms over her head in triumph. The children applauded her accomplishment and she curtsied grandly. She declined attempting another and with a rush of giggles and with hugs and tousling of little heads, she ran toward him, flopping beside him upon the sand.

“Well Mac, did you see that?” she giggled with an affected smug expression, removing a slipper to dump sand out and replacing it upon her foot.

“Aye Lass, ye be courageous, tanglin’ with such a brute.” He teased.

“Brute to be sure. He would have liked to have taken my finger away. Vicious little beast!” She held up her hand in evidence before him, where a slight claw had left its mark.

“Lassie ye be a breath of fresh air to this old pirate. Ye have brought me and me Cap much happiness. I hope ye know that.” He confessed.

“Odd isn’t it Mac? For me to be kidnapped by you; spirited away to this wonderful paradise and begin to feel as if you and the rest are my family. You must think me terribly foolish.”

She leaned back against the stump and pulled one tan leg up. Draping her arms over her knee and laying her cheek against her arms, she gazed at him, awaiting his response.

“Na Lassie, ye be like one of us, and of that be ye assured, but fear not, we think ye be the most charmin’ wee nymph we ever come across and we want ye to be at ease. Ye be safe and sheltered from harm and we intend on keepin’ ye that way.” He winked.