The Jezebel's Daughter
Page 28
“One more moment,” Sebastian said, gripping me tightly. “Just one more moment, for pity's sake.” The soldier nodded and turned his back to us, giving us a modicum of privacy.
Sebastian cupped my face in his hands, his eyes lingering on my face for a long moment before he lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was gentle at first, tentative as though we were kissing for the first time. It quickly grew heated and desperate, and I could taste our tears mixing together on our lips. He broke the kiss and took a shuddering breath before lowering his hands from my face to my belly once more. “Name him Andrew, for my father,” he said, his voice thick with tears. “Or if it's a girl, name her Isla, for my mother.”
I nodded, tears streaking down my cheeks. I felt as though I had been hollowed out and left empty. How could I leave this man? How could I let him die? He took the Bible from my hands, kissed me again and pushed me towards the door. “Go to the Carolinas,” he said. “Live, Loreley. Live for me.”
I stepped through and stood stock-still as I watched the soldier lock the door. I surged forward at the last moment and gripped Sebastian's hands through the bars. “I love you,” I said, all the force I could muster in those words.
He smiled, the same smile I'd seen on his face a million times before. “'Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death.'” He swallowed and raised my hand to his lips. “I love you, Loreley Phoebe MacIsaac. I will always love you, in this life and in whatever waits for me on the other side.” He disappeared into the gloom of his cell.
The soldiers had to carry me between them from the gaol down to the shore. The strength had left my body and I could only keen for the loss of the other half of my soul. Ben rushed to my side and helped me into the boat. We returned to the Victory, and Levasseur set sail for the Carolinas immediately.
I didn't watch Nassau slowly disappearing. I didn't look back. I looked forward, to the eastern horizon, towards my new life. I would never forget Sebastian, but he was right. I had beaten death. I owed it to Sebastian, to our unborn child, to live.
Bibliography and
A Word From The Author
Many readers (possibly even you!) have picked up this book, no doubt expecting to find pirates like Captain Jack Sparrow or Captain Hector Barbossa within these pages. And honestly, prior to deciding to tell Loreley and Sebastian's story, I was convinced that Hollywood's pirates were pretty true to historical reality. (I know, I know. How could I be so naïve?)
Then I started doing research into the Golden Age of Piracy, and discovered that Hollywood's misconceptions of pirates in the early part of the eighteenth century are based primarily on Robert Louis Stevenson's book, Treasure Island. Real pirates did not bury their treasure, have parrots perched on their shoulders, force prisoners to walk the plank, sing about rum, or ever say anything remotely like, “Arr! Avast, me hearties!”
But you don't have to take my word for it. There are tons of great books and websites out there that I drew from to write this book. If you're curious and want to read up on real pirates like Charles Vane, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, “Calico” Jack Rackham, and Edward England, here's a great list of resources to start with. I threw in my favorite book on vodou, Perrault's stories, and a wonderful translation of the Arabian Nights as an added bonus.
Brown, Karen McCarthy. Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn. Berkeley: U of California, 2001.
Burton, Richard F., trans. The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. Comp. Bennett A. Cerf. New York: Random House, 1959.
Cordingly, David. Pirate Hunter of the Caribbean: The Adventurous Life of Captain Woodes Rogers. New York: Random House, 2011.
----------------. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates. New York: Random House, 1996.
Exquemelin, A. O. The Buccaneers of America: A Firsthand Account of Life with the Caribbean Pirates Captain Henry Morgan, Francis Lolonois, and Pierra La Grande. St. Petersburg, FL: Red and Black, 2009.
Defoe, Daniel, and Manuel Schonhorn. A General History of the Pyrates. London: Dent, 1972.
Lavery, Brian. The Arming and Fitting of English Ships of War, 1600-1815. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute, 1987.
Leslie, Robert C. Life Aboard a British Privateer in the Time of Queen Anne: Being the Journal of Captain Woodes Rogers, Master Mariner. London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd, 1889.
Manucy, Albert. Artillery through the Ages: A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphazizing Types Used in America. Washington: US Gov. Print. Office, 1962.
Perrault, Charles, A. E. Johnson, Gustave Dore´. Perrault's Fairy Tales. New York: Dover Publications, 1969.
Reinhardt, David. Pirates and Piracy. New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1997.
Stephens, John Richard. Captured by Pirates: Twenty-two Firsthand Accounts of Murder and Mayhem on the High Seas. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006.
About The Author
Juliet MacLeod is a Scottish native currently living in Southern Arizona. She was educated in Edinburgh and New York City, has worked as a web designer and as a magazine staff writer, and is currently employed as chief dog walker and pooper scooper for His Royal Majesty, Cooper the Border Collie.
When not slaving away over a hot keyboard, Juliet enjoys reading, watching movies (her favorites are The Princess Bride and PS-I Love You), and listening to music. She has an unhealthy obsession with Benedict Cumberbatch's cheekbones and Jason Statham's smile.
To find out more, visit her blog at: http://authorjulietmacleod.blogspot.com/