Pirates and Prejudice (18 page)

Perhaps she had
read too many gothic novels about women kidnapped by ruthless villains who were
then rescued by a handsome, gallant hero. He had certainly come to her rescue.
Had she merely seen him as her gallant hero? She bit into her bottom lip as she
reflected that she had always considered him handsome, just too disagreeably
arrogant for her to value it.

She bunched up
her pillow and turned her head. She could see beneath the door and watched with
curiosity as Mr. Darcy walked back and forth in his cabin. He seemed restless. Perhaps
now that she knew who he really was, he wanted nothing more than for this
ordeal to be over with!

He finally
stopped pacing, and Elizabeth surmised he had probably sat down. Again she
tried to close her eyes and put every thought out of her mind, but she suddenly
felt something odd. The ship began to rise steadily and at once came down hard.
The ship moaned ominously as if it might rip apart! Something on the deck above
crashed down in a deafening thud, prompting her to cover her head, thinking something
– or someone – might come through the ceiling!

Elizabeth
immediately jumped up, her heart pounding. Were they encountering another
storm? Was the sea churning up again? Was it something worse?

She swung the
door open and rushed into the partially darkened companionway, colliding with
something… or someone.

“Ooh!” Elizabeth
cried out, as she stumbled sideways from the collision. Hands quickly reached
out to steady her and keep her from falling to the floor.

Her hands
flailed about her as she was pulled upright, and they came to rest on a solid,
bare chest. She was helpless to do anything about it, as the ship still
jostled. In the dim light of the hallway, Elizabeth looked up into the face of
Mr. Darcy. A look of shock was emblazoned on his face. She surmised hers must
have looked the same when she realized the state he was in.

Darcy kept his
hands on her shoulders, but stepped back slightly as she quickly drew her hands
away.  “Pray, forgive me, Miss Bennet.”

“I… um… the
ship… we seemed to fall!”

“Yes, I was…”
Darcy let go of her shoulders, and he quickly began to button his shirt, albeit
in the wrong holes. As he fumbled with that task, he tried to gather his
thoughts. “I was in my cabin and… I am…” Darcy took in a deep breath and shook
his head. “Pray forgive my appearance. You must think me devoid of every trace
of decorum!”

“No, no,” she
said, grateful for the dim light in the companionway. She was too disconcerted
to meet his gaze, but instead found her eyes riveted to his chest, and
curiously, to the hairs that peeked out through the now crooked opening at the
top of his shirt. She had the oddest desire to reach up and button his shirt
correctly.

“Please, excuse
me, Miss Bennet. I… I must see what that was!” His eyes met hers when she shyly
looked up, and he paused a moment before setting off.

“Yes, of
course!” she replied, hastily stepping aside. She put her hand over her heart,
as he rushed past, trying futilely to quell its insistent pounding. Whether it
was from the ship’s movement or the encounter with Mr. Darcy, she could not
determine.

Elizabeth
followed Mr. Darcy as he rushed towards the stairs, struggling to finish
buttoning his shirt. He took the stairs briskly, two at a time, overtaking the
passengers that had come out of the dining room to find out what had happened.

As everyone came
up on deck, it was dark. Several crewmen were relighting the lanterns whose
flames had been extinguished either in the ship’s abrupt descent or by the
water that had washed over the ship at its forceful encounter with the sea
again.

“Bellows, what
happened?” Darcy shouted, taking care not to slip on the watery deck. “What
caused the ship to do that? And what fell? Are the crew safe?”

Bellows looked
at the captain and then to the group of passengers standing behind him. “It
were jest a barrel that fell.” He then looked out to the sea. “An’ it were a
rogue wave that caused the ship to rise an’ fall like it did.”

“A rogue wave?”
Darcy asked. He gave his head a quick shake, and then said, “Ah, so I thought!
Tell the passengers, ’ere, what a rogue wave is.”

Bellows’ brow
twitched, and a slight curl formed on his lips as he turned to the passengers.

“’Tis a large
wave that has come from a far-off storm or…” Bellows paused and leaned in to
his listeners. With a low voice he added, “’tis a warnin’ to a ship that
somethin’ bad is a comin’ its way.”

Darcy heard the
gasps and looked across at the fearful faces of the passengers and some of the
crew who were standing nearby.

“Bellows knows
that is jest an ol’ seafarer’s tale an’ there’s no truth in it!” He shot a
warning look at his first mate. “Tell ’em, Bellows, that there’s no grounds to
such a tale!”

Bellows shook
his head. “Well, I’ve only once ’eard of it happenin’ to a sailor I knows, and
within a few hours of it, most of the whole ship had come down wi’ the plague.”

“Thank you,
Bellows. That is enough!” Darcy turned to address those standing there, whose
number had grown. “’Tis nothin’ but far-fetched believin’ and superstition. It
was likely jest from the storm we encountered the other night. I’ll put me
trust in the Sovereign Lord an’ His ways much more’n a silly wave. Now,
everyone ken get back to what ye were doing.” Darcy turned to go and then
stopped. “Jest be careful in case we encounter another one!”

Darcy marched
away, angry at Bellows for upsetting both the passengers
and
the crew.
He obviously had no common sense concerning what he should say and should not
say.

As the crew
dispersed, and the passengers returned to the dining room, conversations flew
back and forth concerning what had happened and what they had just heard. Most
took the words of the captain and reiterated their soundness. Mrs. Joyner,
however, was certain that the wave signalled the likelihood of a gravely
ominous occurrence.

As the evening
wore on, there were no more rogue waves, no ominous incidents, and at length,
everyone said goodnight for the evening. The ladies repaired to their cabin and
settled in for a much hoped for good night’s sleep. For Elizabeth, however, a
new memory of Mr. Darcy was added to all the others, and with it more
confusion, more mortification, and much to her distress, more awakened longing.

Chapter 18

Elizabeth opened her eyes, surprised that she had
finally fallen asleep the night before. She knew not how long she had lain
awake, for in addition to the turmoil of her feelings, she had heard Mr.
Darcy’s continued pacing in the adjacent room. She looked at the small window
and could see the faintest early morning light coming through. Elizabeth
quietly readied herself wh
i
le the other ladies continued to sleep
soundly. Rather than remain in the cabin, she decided to go out and see if she
could find someone to prepare her some tea.

When she came
into the dining hall, crewman Michael Jenkins was in there.

“Good mornin’,
Miss Bennet. Ye’re awake early.”

She smiled at
him, remembering Mr. Darcy’s –
Captain Smith’s
– similar comment at the
cave. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Yes, Miss. ’Tis
almost six o’clock. All hands will be called to breakfast at six bells.”

“Have you been
up on deck yet this morning?”

“Aye. ’Tis foggy
out there.” In a soft voice he slowly added, “Hangin’ over us like a ghostly
veil.”

“Ah,” she
replied, smiling softly at his sombre expression. She wondered if he was
worried about what Bellows said last night. “Are you just coming off your
watch?”

“Oh, no, I ’ave
first watch this morn. Git to swab the decks.” Jenkins seemed to suddenly
remember his manners. “Would ye care for somethin’ to eat an’ drink?”

“I should like that
very much. Is it possible to get some tea?”

Jenkins nodded.
“I’ll git it fer ye right away.”

Elizabeth walked
over to the window and looked out. She could see nothing outside but a blanket
of grey. When Jenkins returned, she walked back to the table and sat down. He
placed tea and a biscuit in front of her, and she thanked him.

She picked up
the warm cup of tea and held it in her hands. “We certainly enjoyed your flute
playing last night, Mr. Jenkins. It gave everyone such pleasure – the
passengers
and
the crew.”

A blush covered
the young man’s face. “Thank ye, Miss. I enjoy playin’ it.”

Elizabeth
pinched her brows together in thought. “Tell me, Mr. Jenkins, how has sailing
been under Mr… Captain Smith? What kind of a captain is he?”

“Oh, he treats
us all good an’ decent. All the men ’ave a great deal of respect fer ’im. Me
thinks each one of us would always want ’im… or someone like ’im… to always be
over us.” The young man looked down and shuffled his feet. “It ’asn’t even been
ten days since I first met ’im, but I almost consider ’im to be like me dad, if
ye knows what I mean. Even when we thought ’e was a pirate, we was amazed at
’ow good ’e was to us. Now that we know ’e is
not
a pirate, we can
understand better why he weren’t cruel and ruthless. Some of the men ’ave
talked about other captains they have served under that were tyrants. Not
Captain Smith.”

Elizabeth
brought her cup of tea up to her lips and smiled behind it as she listened to
the young man’s effusions.

The sound of
bells suddenly rang out. At the sixth bell, men began to dash to and fro.

“Thank you for
your time, Mr. Jenkins. It has been a pleasure to speak with you.”

Jenkins nodded
his head. “A greater pleasure fer me, Miss.” He gave a short bow and walked
away.

Elizabeth bit
her lip as she pondered the young man’s words. The dining hall was soon busy
with men coming down from the main deck and others coming up from below. As she
sipped the tea, she noticed her father come in.

“Good morning,
Papa!” she said. “Did you sleep well?”

Mr. Bennet waved
his hand through the air. “Our elite sleeping accommodations aboard the
Devil’s
Seamaiden
consisted of a hammock in a room full of a dozen other smelly and
snoring men.”

Elizabeth
smiled. “The thought of getting back to Longbourn and sleeping in my own bed
sounds better and better each passing moment.”

“Ah, but you,
Lizzy, have such splendid accommodations. Did you not sleep well?”

Elizabeth let
out a long sigh. “No, not particularly well.” A soft laugh escaped. “I slept on
the floor.”

Mr. Bennet
placed his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “I knew you would allow the older
ladies to sleep in the bed.”

“It was the
least I could do.”

“So was Mrs.
Joyner able to sleep last night after hearing about some ominous occurrence
happening because of the rogue wave? I suppose she fretted about it all night.”

Elizabeth shook
her head. “I know it was of grave concern to her, but I think she was able to
fall asleep despite it. At least I did not hear anything from her after we
extinguished the candles.”

“Good.” Mr.
Bennet turned to the door. “Look, it is David!” He waved his hand. “Here we
are, young man!”

David cheerfully
walked over to them, rubbing his injured arm. “Good morning!” He sat down next
to Elizabeth. “When I woke up, I had to pinch myself to make sure I had not
dreamt all that happened in the past two days!”

“It has been an
adventure,” Elizabeth said softly. “How is your arm this morning?”

“Sore. But not
enough to be a nuisance.”

Elizabeth smiled
warmly. “I am glad. Perhaps you should have a doctor look at it when we are
back in St. Mary’s, now that it will be a couple more days before we get to
London.”

David placed his
good hand over one of hers. “I shall, but it is nothing compared to what you
went through. I am so grateful nothing happened to you.” He gave her hand a
gentle squeeze.

Mr. Darcy
stepped into the dining hall and looked about. His eyes settled on the three of
them, and he nodded, but instead of coming over, he poured himself some coffee
and quickly exited the room.

Mr. Bennet shook
his head. “I still find it inconceivable that Mr. Darcy, who would not look
upon anyone in our neighbourhood without disdain, would have agreed to do
something so completely beneath him.” 

Elizabeth slowly
nodded. “It is odd.”

“So our pirate adventure
has had danger, intrigue, and a masquerading hero! This will certainly divert
Mrs. Bennet and the girls for quite some time, eh?” Mr. Bennet said with a
laugh.

Elizabeth forced
a smiled. “And yourself, I would imagine,” she said, feeling somewhat
disappointed that Mr. Darcy had not come over to speak with them.

“Ah, you know
me, Lizzy! Always looking for something… or someone… of whom to make sport!”

At length, the
remaining passengers came to the dining hall and enjoyed a filling meal.
Excitement was high as everyone anticipated coming back into port at St. Mary’s
and then boarding another ship for London.

The only thing
that would hamper their journey was the fog. As the passengers came up on deck,
they saw that the ship was encased in a thick, enveloping shroud which barely
allowed them to see the bow from the stern of the ship. The very top of the
masts were completely hidden from those on deck.

The ship was
moving slowly, not so much because of the light wind, but because about half of
the sails remained furled. They did not wish to sail at a swift pace since they
could not see what might be ahead of them hidden in the mist.

Darcy stood at
the helm with Bellows, looking in all directions through the spyglass. The
passengers walked to the rail of the ship and looked out, hoping for some sort
of break in the heavy grey curtain surrounding them.

After a bit of
discussion amongst the passengers debating whether they would arrive at St.
Mary’s that morning or afternoon, David extended his arm to Elizabeth. “Come,
Elizabeth,” he said. “Let us take a turn about the deck. I know the view is not
much, but I could use the diversion.”

Elizabeth
slipped her arm through his, and they began walking down the length of the
ship, stepping over and around ropes, capstans, cleats, and crewmen. They came
to the bow of the ship and stopped, looking out into a vast nothingness.

David turned to
Elizabeth, resting his elbow on the railing and cradling her hand in his.

“Elizabeth, you
must know how grieved I am that all this has taken place. If I could, I would
blink my eyes and drop us back into London this very moment!” He let out a long
sigh. “In all the years my family sailed to St. Mary’s, nothing like this ever
happened! I would do anything to erase the past few days!”

Elizabeth
smiled. “I know you would, and I appreciate it.” She glanced down at their
joined hands and pinched her brows together.

“I can see that
you are sad, Elizabeth. This has taken a great toll on you!” His eyes searched
her face. “Pray tell me, what can I do to help you forget this? I long to see
your vibrant smile again.”

As his one hand
gripped hers firmly, the fingers of his other hand gently stroked the back of
her hand. Very slowly, he brought her hand up and pressed his lips against it.
David’s eyes were shining as he gazed down at her, and his smile widened. “I
hope you know you have become very dear to me.”

Elizabeth opened
her mouth to reply, but a movement caught her eye. She turned to see Mr. Darcy
walking around from the quarterdeck. He came to a halt and seemed almost ready
to turn around when David called him over.

“Captain Smith!
Do you know how much longer before we arrive at St. Mary’s?”

Darcy pulled off
his tri-corn hat and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes remained
focused on David as he shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. We cannot sail at
the speed we would like because the fog prevents us from seeing too far ahead.
We hope it shall burn off as the day warms.”

“I understand
perfectly.” David said. “I want to thank you again for everything you did. I
know you risked your life to save Elizabeth and the other ladies.”

“I was glad to
do it and am grateful for the outcome.” He stole a glance at Elizabeth and then
made a quick bow. “If you will excuse me.”

David extended
his arm to Elizabeth, and they began to walk back towards the stern. Elizabeth
shivered in the cool of the morning.

“Are you cold?
Perhaps we ought to go inside.”

Elizabeth shook
her head. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed out into the foggy mist. She paused,
looking out past David.

“What is it?”
David asked.

“I am not
certain. I thought I saw something.”

David looked
out, searching the fog for any sign of what Elizabeth may have seen.

“I only see fog.
Fog and more fog!” He chuckled. “I doubt anything is out there.”

“I suppose,” she
said. She was not as certain as David was, however, and her heart pounded. She
was certain she had seen something, if only a fleeting glance that disappeared
as quickly as it had appeared.

They stopped
just opposite the helm, where they saw that Mr. Darcy had returned. They looked
out towards the sea, which merged with the sky in a muted vapour of grey.

“There it is
again!” Elizabeth said excitedly, pointing off to the distance. “I think it is another
ship!” She grasped David’s hand. “It appears to be coming directly towards us!”

As passengers
and crew came to the port side of the ship where David and Elizabeth stood,
Darcy grabbed the spyglass and looked out.

“I think I saw
it!” said Mrs. Joyner. “Oh, I hope they are not going to hit us! Do you think
they saw us?”

A brown image
slowly appeared from the haze, but only enough for them to see that it was a
ship, and it appeared to be turning. Once again, it vanished.

Mrs. Joyner
clasped her hands together. “Oh, good! They have seen us! They are turning the
boat away from us!”

To the
passengers and crew on the ship, it seemed a novelty, and they watched with
curiosity for it to appear again. Fingers pointed when they thought they saw it
again, and others searched intently into the fog, but could see nothing.

“Nonsense!” said
Mr. Bennet. “I do not see a ship or anything like it!”

Elizabeth
glanced up at the helm and saw Mr. Darcy and Bellows in a tense conversation.
They seemed much more concerned than anyone else. Darcy raised the spyglass, as
if determined to see what was out there as soon as it showed itself again.

The curtain of
fog lifted slightly, and at once everyone could see a good part of the ship. It
now was sailing almost parallel to the
Devil’s Seamaiden
.

“Well, look at
that, Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet said. “We
do
have fellow travellers. I wonder
if they have had the adventure that we have had!”

Bellows called
out to the crew to unfurl the main sail and gallant sail. In an instant those
sails unfurled in a snap and billowed out as they caught the wind. Elizabeth
watched as Darcy turned the wheel, causing the ship to slowly veer away from
the other ship. With more sails unfurled, the ship picked up speed.

“Why do you
suppose they did that?” David asked. “I thought they did not want to sail at a
brisk pace because of not being able to see ahead of them.”