by Lucy Langton
“Good afternoon, Miss Maria. How are you faring?” Admiral Reed asked as he gestured to a chair. A small table and chairs had been arranged next to a tea cart nearby.
Maria smiled pleasantly as she took a seat and accepted the cup of tea that the admiral offered her. She couldn’t help but smile when she smelled the sweet lavender aroma, one she’d missed dearly. “I am well, thank you, Admiral Reed. But I will say that my reading was interrupted by some dreadful screams,” Maria said after she took a long sip of the tea and set it aside.
Admiral Reed grimaced as he shook his head. “Absolutely dreadful indeed, Miss Maria. I’m sorry to have disturbed you for I hate to cause you any more harm. But perhaps I could reassure you with the knowledge that the pirate Captain is now dead,” the admiral explained. Maria was surprised to learn this and was equally relieved that it wasn’t James who’d been thrown overboard.
“I presume that there was a good reason for this, though I am certainly grateful for the news and the service, Admiral. I will certainly sleep better at night knowing that man will never come for me,” Maria admitted, trying to pacify the admiral after she’d asked her imposing question. She’d become so used to speaking her mind on the pirate ship, that she had to catch herself before saying such things in front of English gentlemen.
The admiral simply smiled at her as he nodded his head. “Indeed, there are many good reasons why that mongrel of a man deserved to die quickly,” the admiral replied.
Maria couldn’t argue with the admiral on that point, but there was a certain thought in her mind that she couldn’t let go of. “Admiral, I was forced to dine with that pirate Captain on one occasion. It was a private affair, and he tried to force himself upon me afterwards,” Maria admitted, wishing she didn’t have to speak of the matter any longer. “During the dinner conversation, he did admit his exploits in London and the men he ruined in the gaming halls.” The admiral’s eyes grew large as he listened to Maria, worried what she’d say next to confirm his fears.
“I want to reassure you that I’ll never speak of what he told me about you, Admiral, not even to my brother or my parents. The man is dead, after all, and won’t be able to disguise himself as a privateer ever again,” Maria said, locking eyes with the admiral as relief flooded his face. “But I will say this. For the rest of my life, I will hate you. It was you who forged those papers for him, giving him access to the ports. It is you who is responsible for the deaths of all those people and for my kidnapping. And I am certain that the weight of that guilt will be punishment enough.”
Admiral Reed covered his mouth as he looked away from Maria, knowing her words to be true. Though he’d been able to rid himself of the man that held so much blackmail over him, his death wouldn’t rid him of the guilt that he was plagued with daily.
“Please forgive me, Miss Maria. But you must understand that I had no other option. It was either do it or be ousted for losing all my fortune to a pirate,” the admiral explained, his eyes pleading as they focused on Maria once more.
“As a lady, I understand how title means everything in our world. But I hope this has all been a lesson enough to convince you to stay away from the gaming halls.” Maria stood then and curtsied to the admiral before leaving the room, not waiting to hear any more excuses from the pathetic man. She felt tears sting her eyes as she made her way back to her room, only allowing the tears to fall once she was safely away from prying eyes.
It was a relief to know that Captain Maidus was dead, and that she’d never have to fear the man coming for her. It was true that she would sleep better at night knowing that there was no possible way he could have survived being thrown overboard. However, she would always carry with her the truth of the matter, that it was one poor choice that had led to the death of so many.
After the sobs had subsided, Maria decided that she needed rest. And laying down upon the bed, she prayed that soon this whole ordeal would be over with, and that somehow she’d be able to discover the truth about whether or not James still lived.
~*~
That evening, Maria requested for a meal to be brought to her room. She didn’t feel well and simply wanted to be alone. For a time, Gregory had kept her company, deciding to take a meal with her instead of at the table with the admiral. Though he wouldn’t condemn the man for the order he gave, he simply didn’t want to dine with him either. Instead, Gregory had focused on making Maria laugh, reminding her of funny stories from their childhood.
“I had completely forgotten about Mrs. Mathews,” Maria said as her mirth subsided. It had been a long time since she’d laughed so. The last time had been with James, and the thought made her calm for a moment. She tried to keep her focus on Gregory, even though her thoughts often wandered.
“How could you have forgotten how horrible your first governess was?” Gregory reasoned as he continued to laugh. He noticed the way that Maria would often look far away, but he tried his best to keep her laughing. A smile returned to her lips as she looked at him again.
“Well, Mother did try to reason that she came with a good reference. Obviously, that reference had been a bit alleged,” Maria said as they laughed about it again.
“Oh, how happy Mother and Father will be to see you again,” Gregory said as he looked fondly at his sister, never tiring of seeing her well.
“Do you really think Father will be happy to see me?” Maria asked, remembering their last conversation.
Gregory reached across the table and took Maria’s hand firmly in his. “Yes, dear sister. Our father has been worried sick since you were kidnapped. On more than one occasion he did comment how he wished that you two hadn’t parted after such harmful words. He truly wishes to make amends,” Gregory explained.
Maria nodded her head since she too wanted to make things better between her and her father. “I’ve felt the guilt of my words for a very long time, Gregory. I’m pleased to hear that Father is no longer angry with me,” Maria said.
“You’ll also be pleased to hear that Father sold his plantations to another gentleman and has decided instead to invest his wealth back into the Willcox estate. He wants to focus on his own lands instead of foreign ones. As soon as we arrive in London, we’ll be traveling home to the country,” Gregory said, watching Maria carefully. He felt relief as a wide smile crossed her face.
She squeezed Gregory’s hand in return, thrilled to hear the news. “Nothing could make me happier, Gregory. I wanted to speak to Father about moving back to the country so I could recover, so hearing that he already plans to do so fills me with joy,” Maria said, one of her hopes for the future coming to fruition. If her other plans failed, she’d want to be as far away from society as possible to recover her broken heart.
“Then I am happy as well,” Gregory said as he stood. “Now, let us retire for the evening. Though we certainly have little to occupy ourselves until our return to England, at least we can look forward to the future with happiness in our hearts.”
Gregory leaned down and kissed Maria on the head before he moved towards the door. Maria simply smiled at him as he left, wishing to reassure him that she felt the same way. But deep in her heart, Maria knew that she wouldn’t feel true happiness again until she discovered whether or not James was still alive.
Maria sat and listened to the sounds around her, waiting for the best opportunity to leave the cabin room. She didn’t want to raise Gregory’s suspicions and so needed to wait and ensure he was asleep before she opened the door. She also wanted to make sure that as few as possible of the officers would still be awake before she began to put her plan into action. And so, Maria sat and read her novel until the late hours of the night came, her heart beating as she thought about what she was about to do.
Chapter 25
A small clock in her cabin room chimed softly to the tune of midnight. It was only then that Maria rose from her chair and donned her shawl, securing it tightly against her head and shoulders. She moved quietly, trying to make as little sound as possi
ble as she left her cabin room and traveled down the hallway to the stairs that led to the main deck.
It was dark, but the moonlight gave enough glow to allow Maria to travel safely along the main deck. She walked slowly, avoiding any of the officers that stood watch over the deck. No one paid her any attention or maybe didn’t see her as she moved to the far side of the ship and opened the hatch that would lead her down into the belly of the ship.
Maria took the lantern that was hanging at the bottom of the stairs and began moving through the ship. Having spent the last two months at sea, she was rather familiar with the construction of a ship and didn’t find it too difficult to locate another set of stairs that would lead her further down. It was easy to guess that at the very bottom would be the area that the prisoners were being kept.
The stench of blood and rot hit her first as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The entire bottom portion of the ship was filled with cells, allowing her to see through to every pirate that had been captured. At the other end of the ship she could see lantern light, and knew that there would be officers assigned to watch over the prisoners. Doing her best to lower the light of the lantern so she wouldn’t be spotted right away, Maria began her search of James.
As Maria shined her light into the cells, the pirates shied away from her, trying to block their faces from the light as though it was harmful. She stepped carefully, trying to avoid the filth on the floors the best she could. It was hard to tell the pirates apart because they all were covered in blood and dirt. Many of these pirates were injured and hadn’t received proper care. A few would die before they returned to England, and even then, their fate was to hang at the gallows for their many crimes. Despite how gruesome the sight before her was, she couldn’t give up until she could confirm whether or not James was amongst them.
As she walked carefully down the row of cells, her name being called pulled her attention down a bit further to a cell with only a single man inside. The man had stood as her lantern light had come near and he’d realised that she wasn’t another guard. He smiled weakly at her as tears filled Maria’s eyes when her lantern light caught his face.
Maria quickly set down her lantern before she plunged her arms through the bars, pulling James to her as he hung onto her the best he could in the cell. He kissed the parts of her face that he could reach, hating to dirty her face and beautiful gown, but not being able to resist a chance to feel her once more.
James felt so thin in her arms that she feared he hadn’t been given any food or water. She didn’t know if she could do anything for him, but right now she wanted to hold him as close to her body as the bars would allow. His smell was strong, but she didn’t mind if it meant that she could be near him again.
“I feared that you might have died in the attack,” James whispered between his kisses.
“I had feared the same,” Maria replied as she kissed him soundly once more before leaning back so she could look into his eyes. Tears filled hers as she saw him this way, behind bars and beaten badly. She wanted to demand that he be freed, but knew that no one would follow her demands.
James lightly traced her face with his thumb, fearing getting her dirty, but wanting to memorize every feature of her before it was too late. “I love you,” he whispered then, knowing he could not deny his feelings any longer. He also knew that his time on this earth would soon be over once the navy ship returned to England.
“I love you, too, James. Oh, so very much,” Maria replied as tears streaked down her face. “Oh James, whatever are we going to do?”
James held her as tightly as he could with the bar between them, wanting to bring her comfort while he had the chance. He feared that this would be the last time they’d see each other. He doubted that Maria had been given permission to see him, and it was likely that soon they would be caught.
“My dear Maria, I love the fierce strength you possess. I saw that fire in you the first moment I laid eyes on you, and I loved seeing it bloom within you as you never gave up, no matter what you faced. When Horus would order you about, you wouldn’t let him beat you down. You never showed signs of weakness no matter what Captain Maidus said to you or made you do. Even when he hit you, you simply looked at him with that gaze of yours that could kill men where they stand,” James said, whispering slowly in her ear.
Maria chuckled into her chest, relishing in his words as he told her everything he loved about her. “And that, Maria,” James said as he leaned back and looked into her eyes, “is something you must never let anyone take away from you. Always be fierce. I know that one day you’ll find the perfect match in life and marry someone that can really make you happy and offer you truly everything you need.”
Maria stared at James, confusion crossing her features as she looked at him. “But James, all I need is you,” she whispered, refusing to give up. James wiped the tears from her ears, never wanting to forget her face, relishing in the way she smelled and felt in his arms.
James bent his head down then, capturing her lips the best he could with the bars in his way. He tasted her tongue with his, gripping onto her as he pulled her as close as he could. He wanted to take her into his bed once more, to feel her bare skin against his, and find that sweet release of pleasure that only she could help him feel.
James put every ounce of his soul into that kiss, knowing that it would be the last one he ever experienced with the woman he loved. Never before had he confessed his love for another, always guarding his heart against the want of companionship or the need to spend the rest of his life with another. But now, knowing that his life would soon be ending, and certain that he’d never see Maria again after this moment, he kissed her with a need unlike anything else. Every amount of passion he had left he gave to Maria in that kiss.
The sounds of heavy boots falling close by caused James to let go of Maria and push her back from him. He stepped several feet away from her, not wanting her to be caught kissing him. She stared at him with wide eyes, pleading with him to never let her go. But as the lantern light of the officers fell upon them, she knew that her time with James was over.
“Miss Maria, what on earth are you doing here?” an officer asked as Maria picked up her lantern and turned towards them.
“I couldn’t sleep and wanted to make sure these filthy mongrels were still behind bars. It will bring me peace to know they can’t hurt me anymore,” Maria said, trying to regain her composure.
The officers pitied her as they led her back down the hallway to the stairs. “Don’t you worry, Miss Maria. We’ll make sure these pirates never see another sunrise, let alone have the opportunity to harm you. Come now, let’s get you back to bed where you belong.”
Maria allowed the men to guide her all the way back to her cabin. She thanked them several times and was always met with kindness. Once she was left alone once again in her cabin room, she crumpled to the floor as sobs overtook her. Her heart broke as she realised that she’d never get to see James again. There was no way she could risk going down to him again without her true intentions being discovered. If Gregory found out that she’d fallen in love with a pirate, she feared losing him if she ever told him the truth.
Maria fought hard against her raging emotions as oceans of pain crashed around her, causing her to gasp for air as she clutched her heart. The thought of never being able to kiss James again haunted her, pulling her deeper into her despair. It was the thought of never being able to see him again that finally caused the pain to overtake her body, pulling her down into the depths of unconsciousness. Even then, as she slept, tears continued to stream from her eyes.
~*~
Sometime in the night, Maria had awoken from her spot on the floor, feeling stiff and sore as she rose and finally made it to bed. She didn’t bother undressing as she simply lay on top of the covers, her eyes looking around the room as sunlight started to rise over the horizon and bring light to the world once more.
With each new morning, the navy ship came closer to arrivi
ng back in England. To those on board, it was a welcoming sign to see a new morning. For her, it was the gut-wrenching reality that soon her true love would be tried and hung for his crimes. If she tried to convince the court that it was only James’ nature and that he didn’t act out of malice or hatred, would they believe her? Could she really testify that James should be released?