Pirates and Prejudice (14 page)

“’Tis exactly my
thought,” the captain concurred in a low, coarse voice.

Elizabeth
narrowed her brows and looked down. “There is one thing I fear I do not
understand, Captain. Why were you impersonating Lockerly, and why do you have
his ship?” She tilted her head as she looked up at him. “I do confess that I
see the resemblance between the two of you, but why?”

The captain
crossed his arms in front of him and leaned against the wall of the cave. “I was
mistaken for Lockerly an’ thrown into a cell. Spent a night in that foul place.
Fortunately, someone saw me the followin’ day an’ realized I wasn’t him.”

“You truly were
mistaken for him?” asked Elizabeth, astonished.

The captain
nodded. He then began to tell her more of the story, omitting certain details
that would reveal his identity.

“Oh, my!” she
said when he finished. “So you had not intended to go to sea at all?”

The captain
shook his head.

“Heavens!”
Elizabeth exclaimed. “If you had not gone to sea, we may all have been killed
by Lockerly and his men!”

The captain
nodded slowly, tightening his hands into a fist. “Or been taken onto their ship
and suffered unimaginable atrocities at their hands!”

Elizabeth
shuddered. “We are so very much in your debt, Captain. I shall never forget
this!”

“Neither shall
I…” he returned, his voice trailing off into a soft whisper.

By now everyone
had awakened, and the three ladies stepped up to the captain and asked for some
privacy outside the cave. He nodded his assent, and Elizabeth stood next to him
as the ladies departed. They listened to the ladies moan and groan as they
trudged their way through the mud.

Elizabeth heard
the captain chuckle.

“Do you find
their struggle walking in the mud humorous?”

“I’m merely considerin’
what these ladies will say when they discover how we propose to get them aboard
the
Devil’s Seamaiden
.” The captain shook his head and chuckled again.
“If they don’t like walkin’ in the mud, I ken’t imagine them bein’ happy wi’
how they’ll be boardin’ our ship from the merchant ship, if it come to that!”

The captain
started to walk back into the cave, and Elizabeth turned with arms upturned.
“How?” she asked.

“I’d rather not
tell ye now,” he said with a sly grin. “That way, when the ladies ask if ye
knows how we’re goin’ to do it, ye ken honestly say ye don’t know!”

“Is it truly
that bad?” Elizabeth asked.

Captain Smith
continued. “I will need ye to trust me implicitly, Miss Bennet. There is but
one way to do it, and I beg o’ ye when the time comes, you will shew the ladies
there is no peril.”

“If you say
there is no danger, Captain, of course, I shall trust you.”

Chapter 14

Later that morning after everyone had finished eating
what food remained, they gathered up their belongings and walked down to the
beach to await the dinghy that would take them out to the merchant ship.

When they
arrived, they spied it a short distance from shore. Excitement rose among the
small group as they watched it come towards them, finally being propelled the
final distance by the small waves breaking onto the shore.

Darcy stood
back, watching Elizabeth as she laughed with the ladies. He leaned against a
rock, folding his arms in front of him. He had taken too many liberties with
her this morning and had almost blurted out his recollection of her having
walked in the mud to Netherfield, early in their acquaintance.

His frustration
the night before when the ladies had laughed as Elizabeth spoke of his foolish
proposal had been short lived. When he had seen her sit up this morning and
walk towards him, all resolve to put her out of his mind evaporated. When she
had lifted her face towards his, he fought off the temptation with his every
ounce of resolve to lean down and kiss her.

He shook his
head to clear his thoughts and joined the other men as they rushed out to pull
the dinghy up to the beach. They were told that the merchant ship had been
pulled off the one rock during the storm the previous night, but had come down
on another, breaking through the hull in another place. It was a smaller gash,
but one that would require more repairs.

It was decided
that the four ladies, Mr. Joyner, and Darcy would ride back with the two
crewmen. Timmons and the remaining crew would wait for the dinghy to return for
them. Darcy wanted to discuss his plans with Captain Meeker on how he proposed
moving the ladies from the merchant ship to his. It was not going to be easy.

The sea was
calm, and the dinghy travelled smoothly over the crystal blue water as the men
rowed. Mrs. Joyner held tightly onto Mr. Joyner’s hand. The other three ladies
searched the faces of those watching from the ship for the first sign of their
loved ones. When they came up alongside the ship, the ropes were lowered and
secured to the small boat. The crewmen attached the small boat to some cables,
and then they, along with Darcy, climbed up the rope and wood planked ladder
that hung over the side of the ship.

Hands were again
grasped tightly as the boat was slowly lifted out of the water.

“Be still, now,”
Captain Meeker called out. “Ye don’t want to rock the boat!”

It took a little
more time to raise it than it had to lower them into the water the day before,
but once high and above the railing of the ship, they swung it over and brought
it down onto the deck. With sighs of relief, the women climbed out.

Mr. Dillard and
Mr. Keller rushed over to greet their wives. Darcy watched as Mr. Bennet and a
young man with a bandaged arm rushed up to Elizabeth.

Mr. Bennet drew Elizabeth
into his arms. Tears ran down the older man’s face. Seeing the love and care he
had for Elizabeth and his relief at being reunited with his daughter, moved
Darcy. He realized then how much her father loved her.

Darcy then
watched with narrowed brows as the young man grasped Elizabeth’s hands in his
good hand and brought them to his lips. He stepped closer to hear what he was
saying.

“Cousin
Elizabeth! We were so worried about you! It has been the most helpless feeling
not to be able to do anything to ensure your safety!”

“Thank you,
David, but what happened to your arm? Did you injure it?”

The young man
looked down and nodded. “I took a tumble in the storm last night when the ship
lurched from the rock’s grip. The man who calls himself the doctor on board
does not think it is broken, but he wrapped it, and I will need to go to a
doctor in London once we arrive.”

“I am so sorry!”
Elizabeth said.

Darcy turned his
attention away, rubbing his bearded chin with his hand. He certainly did not
like the way Elizabeth and her cousin looked at each other. He walked to the
back of the ship, where the
Devil’s Seamaiden
was slowly approaching. As
it drew close, he watched some of the ship’s sails being furled to slow her
down.

One of his crew
held a grappling hook and called out, “Ahoy!” With all his might he threw it
across the distance of the sea separating the two ships. It came over the side
of the merchant ship, landing with a thud. As it was pulled back, the hook
gouged into the side railing. The
Devil’s Seamaiden
was slowly pulled as
close as it could get without hitting the rocky outcroppings lurking just below
the sea’s surface. Then they stopped and dropped anchor.

As Darcy
supervised this manoeuvre, Elizabeth came over with her father and cousin.

“Captain Smith,
may I introduce my father, Mr. Bennet, and my cousin, David Adams? This is
Captain Smith, who is a great deal responsible for our safety.” She bit her lip
and then added with a wry smile, “Please do not ask him how he received the
bruise above his eye. It will not speak well of my behaviour when we met.”

Darcy bowed. “If
I recollect, Miss Bennet, ’twas before we met, and as I ’ave said many times
already, ye were doin’ what ye thought ye must.” He looked at the two men.
“’Tis a pleasure to meet ye.”

Elizabeth walked
to the ship’s railing and looked out at the
Devil’s Seamaiden
. “Can your
ship be brought any closer? I cannot imagine how we shall get over to it,
especially with all the rocks below.”

“An’ that is
where I need ye to trust me… all o’ ye need to trust me.” He gave a slight bow
and said, “If ye will excuse me, I must speak with Captain Meeker.”

*~*~*

Elizabeth
watched as Captains Smith and Meeker seemed to be engaged in a lively
discussion. They pointed up to the masts and over to the
Devil’s Seamaiden
.
After much back and forth conversing, pointing, and alternately nodding or
shaking their heads, they finally seemed to agree on something. Elizabeth was
quite certain it pertained to getting the passengers off the crippled merchant
ship and onto Captain’s Smith ship.

David spoke in a
hushed whisper. “Do they truly expect us to travel on that? It looks to me like
a sinister pirate ship!”

“Oh, that it
is!” Elizabeth said with a smile. “In fact, it used to belong to one of the
pirates that captured us!”

“How can you
laugh about this? You could have been killed!” David said.

“True. When we
were in the midst of it, we were very much afraid. But we are exceedingly
grateful that Captain Smith and his men were very brave, freed us from our
captors, and made us all feel very safe.”

Mr. Bennet
turned to Elizabeth. “So, my dear Lizzy, you had your pirate adventure after
all. What shall your mother say? She will blame me for it, of that I am
certain.” His eyes rolled up to the heavens, and he gave his daughter a weary
smile.

Elizabeth raised
her brow and said in a conspiratorial tone, “Unless she chooses to divert us
with stories about how
she
once knew a most dashing pirate and how
forlorn she was when he left her for the sea.”

Mr. Bennet let
out a hearty laugh. “Oh, be assured of it, she will have
some
story to
tell, if only to impress upon us how she always
longed
for a dashing
pirate to carry her away!”

At length,
Captain Meeker called the nine passengers over. Captain Smith stood next to
him.

“We regret that
this voyage ’as proven to be so calamitous for ye all. Unfortunately, storms
arise with little warning, but wi’ major implications. Addin’ in the presence
of pirates in this area an’ we know not what we will encounter. We cannot
guarantee yer safety if ye remain on this ship while we continue to repair it.
We ’ave no other choice but to move you to the
Devil’s Seamaiden
. Please
go to your cabins an’ pack up yer belongings. Our crew will bring ’em up ’ere
fer ye as ye transfer to the other ship.” He bowed and turned back to Captain
Smith.

“But shall you
be safe if the pirates return?” asked Mrs. Joyner.

“We’re ’bout
finished repairin’ the ship an’ most likely will be able to set sail on the
morrow. We ’ave cannons that ought to hold ’em off without any problem if the
pirates do show up. We all agreed that it would be best if the passengers were
on a ship that could get them back to St. Mary’s directly.”

With that, the
ladies and gentlemen rushed to their rooms. The ladies were grateful for the
opportunity to freshen up and change into clean clothing. They quickly gathered
their belongings and packed them up. When they stepped out of their rooms,
there were some crewmen waiting to carry the luggage up for the ladies.

Elizabeth joined
her father and cousin, who had already come up on deck. The three looked up at
the men who were climbing the rigging of the ship and untying some ropes. A
large wooden plank was brought over and propped up to one of the lower
yardarms. Despite being a narrow round beam, the crew travelled across it with
seemingly little concern.

As they watched,
a sudden movement caught their eye. They turned to see someone fly across the
bow of the ship on a rope attached to a yardarm on the
Devil’s Seamaiden
.
He landed with a thud on the ship’s deck.

Elizabeth looked
back up at the men and the plank and the ropes. “Oh, my!” she exclaimed. “Is
that how we are to get across? Now I can see why Captain Smith told us to trust
him!”

Captain Smith
approached the passengers and addressed the four men who had not been with them
on the island. “For those o’ ye who ’ave not met ’im, may I introduce ye to me
first mate, Bellows. If ye noticed how ’e came over, this is how we’ll be
gettin’ all of ye over to our ship.”

Mrs. Joyner let
out a cry of protest.

“’Tis only two
ways of getting’ over to the ship, either that way or goin’ across in the
dinghy. To go in the dinghy, you’ll ’ave to be climbin’ up the rope ladder on
the
Devil’s Seamaiden
. If ye aren’t used to climbin’ up a ladder that is
swayin’ up an’ down an’ back an’ forth, I suggest you allow us to help ye over
this way, as fright’nin’ as it may seem. But I assure ye, ye’ll be safe.”

Elizabeth
glanced over at Mrs. Joyner, who had placed one hand over her heart and grabbed
her husband’s hand with the other. “Oh, dear! I cannot do either, I fear!”

Elizabeth
quickly strode over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I am
sure they will take good care of us.”

Mrs. Joyner bit her
lips and looked warily at her. “But you are so brave and can do anything. I
know I will not be able to hold on to the rope!”

Elizabeth patted
her shoulder. “I know the crew will help.”

“Please, ladies,
’ave no fear,” Bellows said. “Ye shall be perfectly safe as ye shall be tied to
a gentleman for safety.”

As Elizabeth
walked back to her father and cousin, she saw that they were engaged in a
fervent conversation with Captain Smith.

She stepped up
to them, and Mr. Bennet smiled down at his daughter. “It seems as though you
are to be first, Lizzy. Since I cannot be counted on to hold you, and David has
an injured arm, it appears as though you shall have to go across with Captain
Smith.”

Elizabeth raised
her brows at this. “Go over with Captain Smith?”

“I asked ye to
trust me,” he replied softly. “Miss Bennet, would ye be so kind as to join me
as we take the plank up to the yardarm?”

Elizabeth
laughed nervously. “As long as you are not ordering me to walk the plank out
into the depths of the sea.”

“Indeed, no.”
The captain turned to walk to the mast.

Elizabeth turned
to her father and cousin. “So I am to go first to prove to the ladies that all
will be well?”

“Elizabeth, I
know how dreadful this will be for you, and I would do it if only I were able…”
David paused. “It should be no more than a few seconds that you shall have to
endure it.”

Elizabeth
reached out for David’s good hand and grasped it. “Thank you, David. I
appreciate it.”

Elizabeth joined
the captain, who now stood at the base of the wooden plank. She cast a sly
glance up at him. “Pray, tell me how is it that I am not going to fall?”

Captain Smith
swallowed and looked intently at her. He answered slowly and softly, “I’ll be
holdin’ ye.”

Elizabeth felt
her cheeks warm, and her mouth went dry. “You will be…” Her voice trailed off.
She was at a loss to explain the myriad of feelings that surged through her,
the strongest of which was something she had never felt before. At least not
before encountering Captain Smith.

As she looked up
into his face, he slowly nodded. His dark eyes sparkled, while at the same time
exuding a beguiling intensity. She unwittingly trembled.

“No need to
fear, Miss Bennet. Do ye think ye ken prove to the ladies that there is nothin’
to worry ’bout?”

Despite the
tremor that passed through her, Elizabeth nodded and said, “Yes, Captain Smith.
I believe I can!”