by Lucy Langton
“Forgive me, my dear. Never in my years would I have imagined an English lady dressed like a lady of the sea,” he said, approaching her. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Captain Maidus of the Emerald.” The man bowed and Maria curtsied out of habit. “Ah, I see you are of fine breading.”
The man then took her hand and tucked it in his arm as he led her to the front of the table, pulling out a chair for her, and as she sat, he even tucked it in like a true gentleman would. As the Captain took his seat at the head of the table Maria heard several inappropriate jokes being said about her, that perhaps they’d rather keep her as their personal slave, but she refused to lose her composure, instead remaining calm and refusing to look at them even though her heart pounded against her chest.
“Now, my dear. Now that I’ve introduced myself, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself,” Captain Maidus asked, gesturing to the pirates that sat at the table. But Maria didn’t take her eyes off the Captain as she spoke.
“My name is Miss Maria Livingston. My father is Lord Willcox, Earl of Wiltshire. My family and I live in Portsmouth since my father’s business deals with trades and ships,” Maria explained, never wavering or crumbling to emotions even though she felt terrified under these pirates’ ever watching eyes. Murmuring broke out around her, but still she didn’t look away from the Captain’s dark blue eyes.
“Well, well. That does change things a bit. I’m sure a debutante such as yourself would take some time to learn how a ship runs,” Captain Maidus said as he sat back in his chair and began to think. There was the possibility of earning more by ransoming this young lady back to her father than he’d make with all the cargo below deck. However, he wasn’t known to hold hostages, or ever let them leave the ship alive. No, Captain Maidus knew the best course of action for this socialite. All the while, Maria sat quietly, waiting for this Captain’s verdict.
“I’ll make you a deal, Miss Maria,” Captain Maidus said as he leaned forward and looked at the young lady, his plan coming to mind as he spoke. “If you work hard, just like my good men here, then I’ll treat you like one of the crew. You’ll have as equal treatment as anyone of this ship. You’ll have plenty to eat and drink, and I’m sure I could put together some creature comforts for you during your stay upon the Emerald.” Captain Maidus gestured to the fine things that he kept in his cabin. “Perhaps you see something here that you’d like.”
Maria was shocked by the offer, having expected to be told that she was going to be sold, or perhaps even killed. Never would she have imagined that the captain of the ship would offer her a working position or would be willing to treat her with such kindness.
Maria sat quietly for a few minutes, gazing at the fine things from all over the world that the Captain kept. But the plush bedding was what caught her eyes. Captain Maidus followed her eyes and stood to approach the plush pillow and thick blanket.
“Ah, I see you have spotted a fine piece indeed. Especially for those who are sailing,” Captain Maidus said as he picked up the pillow and blanket and handed them to Maria. “I give these to you as a sign of trust and mutual understanding.”
“Thank you, Captain Maidus,” Maria said as she held the items to her chest, thinking that perhaps she could actually get a decent night of sleep with a real pillow and blanket. They felt silky in her hands and smelled of rich spices. Maria felt that she had gone without such luxuries that she was used to for so long that she’d almost forgotten what a silk pillow felt like.
“My pleasure, my dear. But I must warn you. If you try to escape or misbehave, there will be punishment, just like there is punishment for any of my men who don’t obey my orders or who try to abandon ship,” Captain Maidus said with a serious tone, though he kept a pleasant smile on his face.
“Understandable,” was all Maria replied with. With a flick of his hand, Captain Maidus dismissed those at his table. Maria watched as they left without a word, and she watched the one who’d captured her, now knowing that his name was James.
“Now, my dear. Let me show you to your private quarters. I can’t very well have you sleeping with the other men,” Captain Maidus said with a wink as he stood and gestured for Maria to follow him. Maria obeyed, holding the pillow and blanket to her chest.
As the Captain opened the door and led Maria outside, they were greeted by the fresh wind of the sea. Maria took a deep breath, feeling as though it had been ages since she had fresh air to breathe. The Captain led her around the wheelhouse and up a flight of stairs towards the ship’s wheel deck and then opened a narrow door, revealing another small room inside.
“Now, I know it’s not much,” Captain Maidus said as he held the door open for Maria as she stepped into the small space. Though it was fairly clean and smelled of fresh air, and included a small porthole, it was terribly small. “But it’s the safest room on the ship. You’ll be above my quarters and near the helm of the ship. If any of my men were to try something with you, I’d hear it,” Captain Maidus explained, giving her another wink.
Maria smiled at the Captain even though she felt terror inside her chest. How could she be expected to work on a pirate ship when she’d never worked a day in her life? Besides scrubbing the room clean that she’d been held in last, she’d never scrubbed a single thing before. Could she really live like a pirate and do what they did every day on a ship? Regardless of whether or not Maria thought she could do the work, she knew that she must if she wanted to survive and find a way off this ship in the future.
“I appreciate your consideration, Captain Maidus. You’ve really thought of everything,” Maria said, trying to still appear innocent and trustworthy.
“I always do, my dear, I always do,” the Captain said before shutting the door. This time, Maria didn’t hear a lock being turned and wondered if she could really be safe in this room. At least, she thought, as she set out the blanket and pillow, she wasn’t stuck below deck anymore and had gained a bit of freedom. Even the porthole above allowed the last bits of sunlight to come into the area, but she knew soon that it would be completely dark.
As she lay on top of the blanket and rested her head on the plush pillow, she sighed, at least relieved to be sleeping on something a little more comfortable. She closed her eyes and listened to the waves around her, a sound she would have normally enjoyed listening to. Now it was a sign that she was completely surrounded by water with no way to escape.
For a while she thought about Captain Maidus; that with a shorter hairstyle and the latest clothes in men’s ware, he would fit in perfectly amongst the Bon Ton of London. The more she thought about his words, the more she wondered if he’d ever spent time in London because he sure understood her upbringing and even a few customs such as greetings and such. But when she thought about looking into his dark, blue eyes, a feeling stole over her, making her think that there was something about the man that she couldn’t trust.
Though Captain Maidus had given her partial freedom, to work on the pirate ship and be treated like an equal, she also knew that there were no other women upon the ship and that a lady such as herself surely couldn’t last very long doing the work of a pirate. Maybe in time she could learn how the ship was maintained properly. She could learn to work, gain the strength needed for such a task, and be able to follow orders. But could she really steal from people? Could she join the other pirates in raids, in stealing goods from ports, and killing anyone who got in her way? Would she end up like Louis one day, broken from a skirmish at sea?
As Maria drifted off, the swaying of the ship lolling her to sleep, Maria knew that she would have to keep surviving every day until an opportunity arose that would allow her to escape these pirates once and for all.
Chapter 10
The morning came with a startle for Maria as banging sounded on her shanty door. “Wake up, ye scallywag! The morning waits for no man, or woman aboard the Emerald,” came a booming voice that caused Maria to jump back in surprise. Her mind was foggy as she quickly looked around the
small space, the sounds of the ocean mixed with the grunts of men filling her ears. A second later it came into her mind the deal she’d made with Captain Maidus the night before.
Standing to her feet, Maria pulled open the door and was faced with a tall lengthy man with a hawk-like nose. His arms were folded over his chest as he peered down at Maria, his dark eyes narrowing at her. “The name’s Horus, and I’m the Captain’s second in command. I’m the one who dishes out the orders on behalf of the Captain, so ye better listen up,” the man said, gesturing for her to follow him.
“Now, I don’t have time to be following a green thumb around all day, so I’m assigning you to Leonardo. If any man on this ship has patience to deal with an inexperienced woman, it’s him,” Horus continued as Maria followed him quickly down the stairs of the wheelhouse and onto the ship’s main deck. The man walked quickly as Maria did her best to keep up with barely a spare moment to rub the sleep from her eyes.
She tried to keep her composure, show that she wasn’t afraid, but it didn’t help that the other pirates often stared at her. Finally feeling awake, Maria raised her chin and walked proudly, taking in deep breaths of the sea and even casting glances at the rising sun as it sent rays of light over the water’s surface. Maria had never been on a ship before that was out to sea and could find small pleasures in it.
Maria followed Horus across the main deck and down a narrow set of stairs near the stern of the ship. The humidity was far worse in this section of the ship, and she was quick to discover why. At the end of the stairs, it opened up into a small make-shift kitchen with strange smells emitting from the space. Maria crinkled her nose at such a smell, but soon spotted Leonardo coming from the kitchen, carrying varies bundles. He stopped dead in his tracks once he spotted Horus and Maria.
“Oh no, ye don’t, Horus. You can’t possible think the lady would be suited with me,” Leonardo said as he examined Maria. She was clearly disheveled from being woken suddenly, her hair a bit of a mess, but no less beautiful.
“You did a fine job teaching fresh skin all these years. I’m sure you can handle a woman,” Horus said with a sneer before turning on his heels and leaving the way he came, leaving Maria with Leonardo.
The older pirate looked at Maria a moment and released a loud sigh. He shook his head and handed his bundles to Maria, the weight of them almost causing her legs to buckle. But she’d vowed to herself that she wouldn’t allow these men to see weakness in her.
“Take those to the main deck and I’ll be right up the stairs with another load. You can help me dish out the morning rations and so forth,” Leonardo said as he turned and ducked back into the kitchen. Maria didn’t wait for Leonardo to come back out and simply turned back towards the stairs, her muscles straining as she carried the two large bundles up the stairs and onto the deck, the smell within making her stomach feel sour.
With a quickness that Maria couldn’t believe, Leonardo appeared at her side with two bundles of equal weight, and he moved with the same speed as he stopped every pirate he crossed paths with, giving them a piece of the salted meat. Maria did her best to hold the bundles for Leonardo, thankful that she wasn’t the one passing the meat out, because most of the pirates glared at her or chewed their food in a disgusting matter that forced Maria to look away. They were obviously enjoying teasing her.
But there were a few pirates who didn’t act like this. When Leonardo and Maria came by with their morning ration, they not only quickly ate their small meal, but thanked Leonardo and Maria for it, some even casting Maria a small smile as they moved on. Men like Jenkins would give her a lusty sneer, while Geoffrey and Louis parted with a kinder smile.
When they came upon James, Maria focused her eyes upon the man. He was leaning against the gunwale, pulling buckets of water from the sea for another waiting pirate. Maria enjoyed watching the way the muscles in his arms moved with each pull of the rope, causing Maria to lose focus for a moment. It wasn’t until Leonardo spoke up that she realised she was staring.
“Morning, James. Sustenance for ye,” Leonardo said as he handed out the last bites of salted meat to the pirates. Once James had pulled the last buckets back onto the ship, he took the meat from Leonardo and quickly ate it, smearing his hands on his trousers before he resumed his work, his mouth still chewing. He didn’t say a word in response as he focused on the task at hand.
Maria felt a little deflated that he hadn’t said anything to her, but as Leonardo started to walk away, carrying the empty bundles in his arms, and Maria quickly followed after. As they made their way back towards the ship’s kitchen, Maria stole a glance over her shoulder and was surprised to see James looking at her for a moment before throwing two buckets back into the sea and pulling on their ropes the moment they filled with water. Maria felt like she could watch James work all day, but instead turned her eyes back on Leonardo, wondering what tasks he’d have for her next.
~*~
The sun was setting when Gregory and Fitz made it to London. They’d ridden their steeds at a fast pace, not even stopping at the stagecoach stops along the way to rest or eat a bite of food. They both had the pressing need to reach Lord Cardinal in order to speak to him about the matter.
As they journeyed, Gregory had tried to picture Maria in his mind, praying that she was at least safe no matter where she was. He prayed continuously for his sister, sometimes thinking about his mother and her frail health, but mostly hoping that Fitz’s uncle would be willing to offer them aid.
“It’s not much further now,” Fitz said as they entered the main streets of London, the congestion of the road causing them to slow their horses and make their way between all the coaches and people walking the streets. Gregory was thankful that the sun was already setting because he knew that his appearance must be worse for wear. In London, he always felt like society’s eyes were on him constantly as the next heir to the Willcox title. So, for just this once, he wanted to blend into everyone around him and only focus on finding a way to rescue Maria.
“His house is here on Wimpole Street, Gregory. I doubt my letter this morning has reached him because we were sure to have traveled faster than any post. But I’m sure he’ll welcome us warmly,” Fitz said as they turned onto a street that was largely deserted. More than likely the prestigious families that lived on this street were attending their dinners and evening gatherings.
As they approached the house, Fitz quickly dismounted from his horse, with Gregory right behind them as they quickly tied the reins of their horses to the front post and walked up the small path to the front door. A few moments after Fitz had pulled the doorbell, a footman opened the door, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Fitz.
“Lord Crawford. What a surprise. I don’t believe Lord Cardinal was expecting you,” the man said as he opened the door all the way for the gentlemen to enter.
“My apologies, Mr. Stevens, but I’ve come to talk to my uncle about an important matter concerning my best friend, Lord Willcox’s son,” Fitz explained as they stepped into the foyer while the footman closed the door behind them.
“Please, come into the parlor. You look exhausted from your travels,” Mr. Stevens offered, taking their riding hats and coats. “I’ll have Mrs. Nettle tell Cook to make room at the dinner table for two more.”
“We don’t mean to be an inconvenience,” Gregory spoke up, not wanting to trouble Lord Cardinal.
“Nonsense, Mr. Livingston. Lord Cardinal will surely be happy to have company this evening,” Mr. Stevens reassured them as he showed the way to the parlor.
Once they were left alone, Gregory sat heavily into a wing backed chair, resting his heads on the sides as he took several deep breaths. The sound of glass moving caused him to open his eyes and see that Fitz was filling two glasses of brandy from a side table near the fireplace.
“I think we’ve deserved these before dinner,” Fitz said as he handed Gregory a glass. Though he didn’t want to impose upon Lord Cardinal, he was hoping Fitz’s uncle would forgive
him for not waiting for the man to offer him a glass.
Gregory quickly drained the contents and handed it back to Fitz, the liquid seeming to relax his sore muscles for a moment. By the time Fitz had returned the glasses to the table and taken to a seat across from him, the parlor door was being opened as Lord Cardinal strolled quickly into the room.