Pirates and Prejudice (11 page)

“Oh, I am so
relieved! The women will be, as well. But please, you must be careful. One of
the pirates is named Lockerly, and he seems…”

“Lockerly!” both
men said at once, looking at each other.

“This Lockerly,
has he harmed you… any of the ladies?” Darcy asked, his hand squeezing hers
again in dread.

Elizabeth shook
her head. “No, fortunately he has not.”

“We ’ave to send
the ladies back to the cave,” Bellows said. He turned to Elizabeth. “If
Lockerly ’as threatened the lives of the others, ye probably should go. We
shall gather the rest of our men an’ devise a plan to git ye all away from
’em.”

“There are more
of you? Oh, thank heavens! You may have a fighting chance against them as they
are a little unsteady from too much drink.”

“’Tis good to know,”
Bellows replied. “Ken you point out exactly where the cave is?”

Elizabeth
pointed in the direction of the cave and then said, “We truly must go. Thank
you, and again, I am truly sorry.” She looked at the captain, and with a gentle
smile said, “Excuse me, Captain Smith, but may I please have my hand back?”

Darcy released
it immediately. “Sorry, so sorry! Please be careful!”

“We will. You,
as well. And pray, keep my handkerchief. It is the least I can do after what I
have done.” Elizabeth looked back to Bellows. “Lockerly stands guard at the
entrance.”

Bellows fingered
his jaw. “If ye ken think of any way to distract ’im, that might help.”

Elizabeth
nodded. “I shall certainly try!”

Darcy watched
the two ladies walk away. He felt a mixture of relief that she was safe but
still had a great deal of concern for her welfare.

Bellows stooped
down. “Are ye quite well, Cap’n? Ye seemed a bit odd jest now.”

Darcy looked up
at him. “I did? In what way?”

“Well, in the
first place, graspin’ the lady’s ’and like ye did an’ ’oldin’ it fer so long. I
thought ye’d never let go!”

“Oh, that. I
suppose it was a little reckless of me.”

“Ahh, but a
perfect display of unrefined behaviour! Good move on yer part. But I regret to
tell ye that yer speech were not always that of a commoner. No matter ’ow perty
they may be, ye ken’t be speakin’ to the ladies one way an’ yer crew another.”

Darcy rubbed his
head. “I was a bit taken aback.” He looked up at Bellows. “My head… me head, ye
know. I need a moment.”

That was the
truth. He needed to clear his thoughts and determine what they should do.

Darcy took in a
deep breath. “Ken ye go find the others? See what they’ve found? Bring ’em back
’ere. We ken’t wait too long, though, to go in and take care o’ the pirates.”

“I’ll go see if
I ken find them. Ye wait here an’ gather your wits. I’ll be right back!”

Darcy was left
to his thoughts… and to gather his wits. He still felt dizzy, but he did not
know if it was due to his head injury or to being in such close proximity to
Elizabeth. He had not been able to formulate one thought with her so near, let
alone speak to her in the unrefined manner he had practiced so extensively. He
sat up slowly, leaned against a nearby rock, and examined the situation.

If the men were
indeed as drunk as Elizabeth thought they were, the advantage would be in his
and his crew’s favour. He and his men also had the benefit of surprise, but he
and Lockerly were equally matched in the number of men each had. Unfortunately,
Lockerly and his men might have their greatest advantage in possessing better
fighting skills.

As he waited for
Bellows to return, he thought about Elizabeth. Looking down at her blood-soaked
handkerchief, he let out a sigh. He had to admit he enjoyed her close presence,
the lavender scent that permeated the lace and linen fabric, the few loose
strands of her hair that framed her face, and the look of care and concern with
which she looked at him. If he told her who he really was, would she pull away,
allowing all her resentment and anger towards him to resurface?

He looked down
at his clothes and fingered his full beard. No, he would not tell her who he
was. He would not want her to see him in such a state. Perhaps someday, but not
now. He only hoped she would not recognize him… or had not already. And he
would have to make every effort to speak as the common sea captain she thought
he most likely was.

“No, Miss
Elizabeth,” he said softly, wiping some sand and dirt off his sleeves. “I won’t
be puttin’ ye in an awkward situation by announcin’ to ye that I’m the man ye
despise most in all the world. But…” he added with a sigh, “I’ll do everythin’
I ken to keep ye safe. That, I will do!”

“Talkin’ to
yerself?” Bellows said with a soft chuckle, suddenly appearing with Webber and
Jenkins.

“No…no. Did ye
find out anythin’?”

“We saw a small
ship to the east,” offered Jenkins.” Prob’ly holds a crew of only ’bout eight
to twelve men.”

“The ladies
believed there were only six men on the island. There might be more still on
the ship. And ’ave you seen any of our other men?” Darcy asked.

“No, they hadn’t
returned,” Bellows said. “We thought we should git back an’ do what we ken to
git the ladies away from these marauders first.”

“I agree.” Darcy
looked from one man to another, noticing their willing, but somewhat troubled,
faces.

As Darcy
cautiously stood up, he said, “Jest keep yer ’ead, grip yer cutlass tightly, be
aware of what’s goin’ on around ye, an’ watch out fer one another.” Darcy
touched his brow with the handkerchief. The soft, silky fabric reminded him of
the feel of Elizabeth’s skin and seemed to give him strength. The only pain he
felt now was the one in his stomach that had been there ever since hearing Miss
Elizabeth Bennet had been captured by pirates.

“Are ye ready, men?
Let’s go an’ capture those ruthless pirates!”

Chapter 11

As the two ladies hurried back to the cave, Elizabeth
cautioned Mrs. Joyner not to mention a word about the two men they had seen. The
poor woman was so distraught Elizabeth was not certain what she might do.

“How do we know
we can trust them?” Mrs. Joyner asked. Her eyes were wide, and her face had
drained of all colour. “For all we know, those two men could be the two pirates
at the beach, Bloody Clem and Scarface Jack!”

Elizabeth leaned
towards Mrs. Joyner and spoke in a fervent whisper, hoping to reassure her. “I
do not believe they were.” She took Mrs. Joyner’s hand and said with a
light-hearted chuckle, “I am certain someone called Scarface Jack would have a
scar on his face. I did not see a noticeable scar on either of their faces,
although poor Captain Smith will likely have one after what I did to him!”

“But they may
have been pirates who are just as ruthless and looking to fight Lockerly.” Mrs.
Joyner patted her heart. “You saw how they looked at each other when you told
them Lockerly was here.”

Elizabeth bit
her lip and took in a deep breath. “I did notice it, but for some reason… I am
not certain why… I believe we
can
trust these men.”

“Ye took a long
time!” barked Lockerly as they approached. “We was about ready to go after ya!”

“We apologize.
We took a wrong turn and had to find our way back.” Elizabeth was grateful when
they seemed to accept her story.

Lockerly stood
fixed at the opening to the cave, looking out. If he remained there, the men
would not be able to take him by surprise. Elizabeth had to do something to
distract him. But how would she know when the men were close by?

Torch was adding
wood to the fire with a wide grin. He seemed to be rather enjoying his
employment.

A few minutes
later, Elizabeth heard the whistling of a bird. Lockerly seemed to notice it as
well, turning his head curiously in its direction. It did not sound like any
bird Elizabeth had ever heard before, although she knew a myriad of different
birds inhabited these islands.

She heard it
again, and her heart began to beat thunderously as she realized it was probably
the men. Lockerly began to walk towards the sound, seemingly intent to find out
what it was. She had to do something directly!

Elizabeth stood
up and began to walk over towards the edge of the cave. “May I stand by the
fire? I am quite chilled.”

Lockerly spun
around. “What are you doin’? Where do ye think ye are goin’?”

“I merely wanted
to warm myself by the fire.”

“Git back where
ye were!” Lockerly ordered.

Elizabeth turned
around to walk back to the ladies, but as she did, she fell to the ground. “Oh!
My ankle! I think I may have twisted it!”

Lockerly stormed
towards her, anger etched in his features. “Ye should’ve stayed where ye was!”

As he looked
down at her in disgust, a commotion drew every eye to the cave entrance, where
four men stood with their swords drawn.

Lockerly deftly
spun around, lifting his sword to the ready. His three fellow pirates, however,
struggled to get up and arm themselves.

Captain Smith
and his men stepped into the shelter of the cave, their eyes all fixed on
Lockerly.

Lockerly
appeared more amused by their appearance than troubled. He unexpectedly
laughed. “Ha!” he said with an evil grin, pointing his sword at the captain. “I
take it
ye
are the one who ’as been impersonatin’ me! What a poor excuse
fer a pirate!”

“I order ye to
give yerself up an’ release yer prisoners,” the captain said. “If ye do as we
say, we may jest spare yer lives!”

“I ’ave never
been known to give up, even when faced with a
formidable
foe!” he
replied with a sneer. “By the looks of yer feeble crew, it won’t be much of an
effort to ’ang ye all up by yer thumbs!” He sent a leering glance at the
ladies, his eyes as black as his hair. “An’ then we’ll enjoy the ladies right
’ere in front of the lot of ya!”

Elizabeth
noticed the captain glance in her direction, his face filled with rage. Their
eyes met for a brief second before his turned back to Lockerly. “You had… ye
’ad best not lay a single ’and on any of these ladies!” he demanded. 

Bellows
intervened. “By the look of
yer
crew, I doubt they will be of much use
to you! They’re all swimmin’ in the drink!”

“Bellows!”
Timmons suddenly cried out when he recognized his friend’s voice. “Thank
heavens you’re here!”

This drew
Lockerly’s attention, and Elizabeth watched as Captain Smith took advantage of
the opportunity to come at him with his sword drawn. Mrs. Joyner screamed as the
clang of metal resounded in the cave. The two men danced around each other, the
tips of their swords slicing through the air with precision.

Elizabeth
shuddered as Lockerly threatened his opponent. “I so look forward to piercin’
you through wi’ my sword. No one…
no one
… impersonates me an’ gits away
with it!” She wondered why the captain had been impersonating the pirate, but
had to admit they had great similarities in their appearance.

Lockerly’s men
fumbled about as they attempted to pull their pistols and swords out of their
belts. When they found themselves surrounded by Bellows and the other two men,
one of Lockerly’s men grabbed his pistol.  The air suddenly exploded with
a loud crack as it was fired. Whether he was aiming at someone, Elizabeth could
not determine, for his aim was neither accurate nor did his countenance reflect
someone who truly wished to kill another person. He almost appeared more
frightened than threatening.

Shooting his
pistol did give him a little advantage, as Bellows and his men drew back. He
shot it once more, a little more confidently, and he and the other man who had
been sitting next to him were able to manoeuvre past the group of men and
escape out of the cave. Bellows sent Jenkins and Webber after them and then
turned to Torch, raising his cutlass as Torch raised his.

Captain Smith
sidestepped Lockerly’s swinging blade, spinning around and thrusting his sword
towards him. Lockerly quickly brought his sword up, meeting the captain’s with
a loud clank, preventing it from piercing him through. The pirate’s face
reddened with even more anger as he deftly swung back and forth.

Reacting with
lightning speed, the captain met each thrust with one of his own. Elizabeth
could see that the two men were fairly equal in their parries, but realized
that Bellows was concerned for the captain by the way he frequently glanced
over at him as he duelled with Torch. They fought with shorter cutlasses, and
Torch, while not as proficient at wielding it, seemed better skilled at the
footwork required to avoid being hit.

When their two
blades clashed in the air between them, Bellows gave a twisting swing and
brought his opponent down next to the fire. He stood over Torch, pointing his
cutlass at him. “I’d surrender now, if I was ye!”

Torch looked at
him as if he were weighing his options. But with a cunning laugh, he suddenly
grabbed a burning log from the fire and hurled it at his unsuspecting
adversary. As flames began licking Bellows’ shirt, Torch scrambled to his feet
and ran out of the cave. Bellows brushed down the small area where his shirt
had begun burning and took off after the man.

The ladies
looked at each other with wide eyes, knowing that the captain had to be
victorious, as he was the only one left in the cave to protect them. Elizabeth
wished she could just get over to Timmons and Mr. Joyner and untie them, but in
all truth, she was not certain either one could stand up against the likes of
Lockerly.

Elizabeth reached
into her pockets and felt for the rocks. She found a rather large one and
gripped it tightly in her hand. She dared not throw it; she would likely miss.
She watched as the captain and Lockerly seemed intent on battling to the death!
Mrs. Joyner was crying with heaving sobs, Mrs. Keller was standing as rigid as
stone, save for the shaking of her hands, and Mrs. Dillard seemed to be
praying, again.

Lockerly
unexpectedly swung wide, and the captain’s sword flew out of his hand.
Elizabeth gasped as she watched the pirate inch his way towards him, extending
the blade of his sword towards the captain’s heart.

“So now ye leave
me with no choice but to display to these ladies my superior strength an’
ability. Me thinks no one will challenge me now!”

Elizabeth
gripped the rock tightly. Very quietly, she came up behind Lockerly and swung
with all her strength, hitting him on the back of his head.

Lockerly’s hand
went to the back of his head, and he spun around, his face twisted with fury.
He came at Elizabeth, clear in his intention to make her pay dearly for her
action. The captain took full advantage of Lockerly’s distraction and reclaimed
his sword, swinging it through the air. The blade sliced across Lockerly’s
right arm, sending a gush of blood that spread across his shirt, then dripped
to the ground.

Lockerly seemed
almost undaunted by his injury, and with rough, coarse hands grabbed Elizabeth,
positioning her between him and the captain. Backing up out of the cave with
Elizabeth in a tight grip, he threatened anyone who might come after him.

“If you harm
her, I shall find you,” the captain declared in clear, precise speech. “I shall
hunt you down for all eternity! You shall pay for it!”

Lockerly pulled
Elizabeth outside the cave, and she winced at the foul odour of his breath and
his abrasive hands. Rather than fear, however, she had a rather odd thought.
Despite their similar appearance, the captain’s hands, unlike Lockerly’s, had
been soft and smooth.

Lockerly turned,
as if to run off with Elizabeth in his grasp, but instead, he pushed her down
to the ground and dashed away. Elizabeth braced herself as she went down by
putting out her hands, scraping them on some rocks.

The captain
rushed over to her. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“Only some minor
scratches, thank you.”

“I am… I’m goin’
after him. Will ye see if ye ken release the men?” He pulled out a dagger and
handed it to her. “Do ye think ye ken cut through the rope that binds them?”

Elizabeth
nodded. “I can certainly try. Now go! But please, be careful!”

The captain
nodded, but did not immediately leave. He stood staring at her. “I… I…” Rather
than finish his sentence, his shook his head. “Use the dagger on any of those
vile men if they return!”

Elizabeth tilted
her head slightly. “Do you not think my supply of rocks sufficient?”

She pulled out a
few rocks to show him, prompting a smile.

“Ye do quite
well with those.”

“Too well,
perchance. Your wound is bleeding again.”

“I’ll worry
’bout that when I return.”

“Please do,”
Elizabeth looked at him pleadingly.

“Do what?” the
captain asked.

“Return,” she
said softly.

He nodded,
turned, and was gone.

Mrs. Joyner
joined Elizabeth at her husband’s side as she worked to cut through their restraints.
The two other ladies hurried to stand by the fire, eager to warm themselves.

Once the two men
were free, they jumped up, zealous to join the men as they pursued those wicked
pirates.

Mrs. Joyner held
tightly on to her husband. “Pray, do not go! You will be killed!”

Timmons put up a
hand. “You stay here, Mr. Joyner. The ladies will need ye if one of ’em comes
back!”

Elizabeth was
not certain that Mr. Joyner would be of any assistance, but at least that
seemed to appease Mrs. Joyner.

It seemed an
eternity before any of the men returned. The women sat quietly huddled together
around the fire as Mr. Joyner stood alert at the cave’s entrance. With each
passing minute, Elizabeth could see the concern deepen on everyone’s faces as
they could only imagine what may have happened to the men.

At length, they
heard the sound of men’s voices approaching. They sat frozen; all eyes set to
see who it was. Mr. Joyner raised the dagger, ready for whatever might be
expected of him.

A collective
sigh of relief could be heard as the captain and Bellows appeared. The captain,
however, was leaning on Bellows’ arm.

“What happened?”
Elizabeth asked. “Has he been hurt?”

The captain gave
her a weak smile. At least Elizabeth thought he smiled. She did not have a
clear view of his expression with the fullness of his beard and the mud smeared
across his features.

“Tis muddy out
there. I merely fell.”

“Come, sit by
the fire,” Elizabeth suggested. “I cannot help but think this is partly my
fault. I know you were dizzy after I hit you with the rock, and you likely
overexerted yourself fighting Lockerly and going after him.”

Bellows helped
him over to the fire where he sat down with the others.

Elizabeth sat
down alongside the captain. He removed his hat, and his hair, dark and wavy,
had stains of blood along the length of it. She looked closely at the wound,
which in addition to bleeding was now a bluish colour. She lightly touched it
with her fingers and could feel a prominent lump. She looked over to where
Lockerly’s two pirates had been sitting. “Mr. Bellows, would you be so kind as
to hand me that flask?”