She dropped his arm and moved away from him to lean against the wall of the barn, her hands to her face. He moved across to her and put his arm round her shoulders, feeling her racked with silent sobs. She moved fiercely to throw off his arm.
“Do not touch me, you traitor!”
He laughed softly. “Gerard is the traitor, not I.”
“You are traitor to me and all you have sworn about your love for me. Oh, Randolph, for my sake, will you not give it up? Can you find a way of clearing Gerard of complicity? If we told him of his danger, and you said you could not obtain further proof, and he stopped whatever he is doing? Would that not serve?”
He shook his head then realized she could not see him, and began to speak slowly.
“I cannot do as you ask, Sibylla. Wait, I have an idea.”
“What is it? Will it save Gerard?”
“Sibylla, I have not been false when I said I loved you. Throw in your lot with me, come away with me now, and I will find a way of saving Gerard. You love me, and you love him, and wish to save him. This way, we could both be happy, and Gerard escape.”
“Are you trying to bargain with me?” she asked indignantly.
“For your brother’s life, I am asking you to do something you wish to do in any event.”
“If you loved me as you say, you would do it for me without making conditions. No, Randolph, I wanted to believe you were not betraying Gerard, but I had little hope you would have another explanation for what I overheard. I will not run away with you because you have destroyed my love for you, and I could not bear to live with you now. Moreover, I would not trust you to help Gerard. You would not keep your side of the bargain.”
She turned to leave the barn, her head bowed and shaken by sobs, but he caught roughly at her arm and dragged her back.
“You little fool,” he said, his voice ugly. “It’s your only chance, now that you know too much, to take what I offer you. Do you imagine I am going to sit calmly and allow you to walk back into the house and rouse everyone, warn your fine brother and his friends of what I intend, and have them hunting me? Do you?”
“I care not what becomes of you,” she stormed at him, her tears dried by the anger now possessing her. “Let me go, you villain! I hate you! How did I ever think I loved you? You are mean and despicable! Gerard was your friend once, and for a purse of gold you would condemn him to imprisonment and probably death. Judas! Villain! Let me go, you are hurting me!”
Her voice rose on a wail of pain as he twisted her arms behind her back. She began to scream, but almost immediately he clamped one hand over her mouth and nose. Soon she was struggling for breath. Suddenly he released her, but while she was trying to fill her lungs, before she could cry out, he had pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and stuffed it into her mouth. He held it there with one hand and released hers, but she was not strong enough to pull his hand away from her mouth before he succeeded in tying the gag securely in place with cord that bit cruelly into her cheeks. Then, laughing softly, he captured her arms again, and tied them tightly behind her with more cord.
He was much too strong for her, but he was panting from his exertions by the time she was secured. He threw her none too gently on to the hay that had been the scene of many of his attempts to make passionate love to her, and stood over her.
“You really are a little fool, Sibylla, but none the less a charming one. Now, I fear I shall have to leave you for a while, but do not despair, I will return shortly. We will not be separated for long, my dear.”
* * * *
She listened helplessly as his footsteps died away and began to consider her plight. She tried to raise herself to her knees and eventually, with great difficulty, succeeded in balancing on them, but he had tied her ankles, and she could move no further. She could neither shuffle nor hop forward, so tightly had he tied her. She tried rolling over, but found it so difficult to control her direction she fell painfully against the wheel of a cart that was stored in the barn.
Eventually she lay still, and began to worry what Randolph was doing and what he intended for her. She cursed herself for a fool to have come out here to him, without either warning Gerard, or hinting to someone what was afoot. She admitted to herself she had hoped for some explanation, or reform from him, and also admitted she had been blind to hope for it.
It was a long time before Randolph returned. Once Sibylla heard the sound of a horse, and prayed desperately for rescue knowing how improbable it was that anyone should ride up to the house at this time. It was even less likely they would enter the barn, or even if they did, see her in the darkness. Then she wondered whether it was Randolph riding away and leaving her.
At this thought her heart leapt with hope. She knew she would be discovered in the morning, either by farm workers going about their normal business, or a search party once she was missed. This thought cheered her the more time that elapsed. Of course it was Randolph’s horse. He always tethered it some distance from the house to lessen the chances of being heard when he visited Sibylla, and there was little likelihood of anyone else being around.
This hope died a long time later, for again she heard the sound of hooves, this time approaching the barn, but cautiously, as though the rider was making use of the softest patches of ground to deaden the noise. Outside the barn the rider dismounted, and Sibylla saw Randolph’s silhouette in the doorway.
“Still waiting patiently for me, my love? What have I done to deserve such devotion?” he asked ironically. Sibylla could only fume inwardly.
He felt his way across to her and stumbled over her unexpectedly, since in her struggles she had managed to move nearer to the door. He cursed violently as he picked himself up then heaved her to her feet.
“We are going on a little journey together,” he informed her. “I regret the necessity of keeping you bound like this, but somehow I do not trust you to keep silent, or to be content to stay in my company. As I do not wish for more trouble, you will have to suffer the discomfort for a little while longer, until I have you where you cannot escape me.”
Sibylla shuddered at these words and his gloating tone. He picked her up and carried her out of the barn to where his horse waited. She saw he had bulging saddle bags strapped on, and as Randolph threw her over the pommel and mounted behind her, had a brief moment to wonder whether he meant to carry her in such a fashion all the way to London.
* * * *
Instead he turned westwards, and guiding the laden horse carefully past the house, came out on the road to the nearby fishing village. She remembered his plan to travel to Jersey, and guessed he was making for the boat he had arranged for the journey. She began to hope the crew would be some of the villagers who knew her, and would refuse to carry her away with him, but when they came alongside the little quay, she saw in the light of the lanterns that the men were all strangers to her, and villainous looking ones at that.
However, her aches and pains from having been tied up for several hours and being carried most uncomfortably on a jolting horse, gave her little leisure for other thought. When she was carried down into a small cabin and deposited on a bunk, her first feeling was one of relief that part of the pain had been alleviated. Left alone and able to think more clearly of her position, the fear which had been thrust into the background by the pain threatened to overwhelm her.
From around her in the boat she heard the sounds of departure, and very soon they were under way. It was only ten minutes or so later that Randolph entered the little cabin, and smiling, sat down beside her on the bunk. He turned her over, and with a small knife cut the cords and took the gag out of her mouth. She winced and cried out with pain as the feeling came back into her numbed limbs. He ordered her to rub her wrists as he proceeded to free her ankles.
As soon as the agony subsided she looked accusingly at him.
“I do regret I had to
hurt you, my dear Sibylla,” he said, the first words, apart from orders to massage herself, he had addressed to her since they had left the barn.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, though she suspected the answer.
“Why, where but Jersey, there to do what I planned, since you would not agree to my bargain.”
“What do you intend for me, after you have destroyed Gerard?”
“After?” He laughed softly. “Oh, Sibylla, do not pretend to such innocence. I want you, as I have wanted you for many weeks, and I regret you will not come to me willingly. Mayhap when you see the uselessness of resistance, you will submit. It will be more pleasurable for you that way, I assure you, but I do not intend to wait overlong for your decision.”
“So, failing to seduce me, you would ravish me, is that it?” she asked bitterly. “How could I have loved you? I hate you more than anyone else, more than I ever thought I could hate anyone!”
“Frustrated pride my dear, nought else. I am not unreasonable, though, I might yet be able to do something for that brother of yours if you do as I wish. See?” He thrust his hand into his pocket and brought out some papers. “I obtained these tonight, letters and lists of the people involved, the people your brother is plotting with.”
“Where? How did you obtain them?”
“It was easy to enter the house by the door you left open. Gerard is a careless conspirator, or mayhap he did not expect enemies within his father’s house. Also he is a heavy sleeper, unusual, but convenient for me. It was a simple matter to find these.”
“That is the proof you spoke of to your paymaster?” she said contemptuously.
“Aye; but I do not have to use it, or say from where I obtained it. Think on that, my dear. Now you will be brought food and left to your own thoughts. Do not think to escape me. There is no way out and we are already far from shore.”
With a smile he rose and left her. Almost immediately a curious young lad brought her bread, cheese and ale.
Sibylla was tempted to ask his help, for he looked more sympathetic than the older men she had seen on the quay, but she realized he could do nought to aid her. She merely thanked him for the food which, however, she scarcely touched.
* * * *
Despite her anxiety and fears, she was exhausted, for she had slept little the previous night, and it was already almost dawn. Many nights she had crept out of the house for her meetings with Randolph and she had not been able to make up for her loss of sleep. So she fell into a heavy sleep and did not stir when Randolph looked in on her some hours later. He smiled and left her, and it was late afternoon before she awoke, still stiff and sore from her experiences, but refreshed and hungry.
She did not have to wait long before someone came bringing more bread and cheese, with a greasy stew in a cracked wooden bowl, but she disregarded its unpleasantness in her hunger and soon demolished it.
As she sat back with a sigh, Randolph appeared at the door.
“Ah, my dear, I am delighted to see you are yourself again. Would you care to sit on deck for awhile?”
The cabin was stuffy and Sibylla thankfully agreed. He helped her climb the small ladder on to the deck, and she looked around with interest. It was fairly large for a fishing boat, and the smell proclaimed its business, but it carried no fish on this trip. He led her over to a coil of ropes and she sank onto them, breathing in the fresh sea air thankfully. Randolph perched on a barrel beside her and they sat for a while without speaking.
Eventually she looked up at him, to find him smiling down at her enigmatically, and despite herself she found her heart leaping in response to his good looks and charm. He reached out his hand to stroke her hair. She stiffened, and after a single caress, he withdrew his hand, sighing deeply.
“Have I completely ruined myself as far as you are concerned?” he asked in a low voice. “Sibylla, I love you so very deeply, it will break my heart if you reject me.”
“I do not believe you. How can I, when you have done such things to people I love?”
“Do you not understand my point of view?”
“I do not like spies, whatever their cause!”
“Oh, my love, I do not wish to argue politics with you. Our families have been on opposite sides for twenty years, but the cause of the Royalists is lost, there is no hope for them.”
“Then why do you persecute those who support a lost cause? You must be afraid.”
“Not afraid, but anxious to abolish plotting against the government, for that is wasteful and disruptive.”
“Why must you become involved in such a despicable trade?”
“Some people do not regard it as despicable, but essential, and it is a way of earning money. I am not a rich man, Sibylla, but mayhap in this way I can gain influence with those who have patronage to offer and obtain a position you would not despise. Will you not give me that chance?”
“Gerard ...” she began.
“Yes, I know. Here, I will destroy these papers and order this boat to turn back if you will promise to come to London with me.”
“Of what use will that be? What you have already said will destroy Gerard. Besides, I cannot trust you again. I do not love you any more.”
“Then what is to become of you? I carried you off in the expectation that you would return my love again once you had overcome your shock at your discoveries.”
“Aye, and to save your own skin! But my family will soon hear what has happened.”
“How? None of these men will tell them, and no one else saw you.”
“You cannot be certain of that!”
“Besides, even if you were able to return home, with or without Gerard, your reputation would be ruined. No one would believe such a fantastic story and already I imagine people will assume you have eloped with me. In fact, when I left you in the barn, I went home to collect my bags, and left a note to that effect.”
She stared at him, hatred in her eyes. “You devil!”
“No, merely forethought, Sibylla. It’s what everyone will think. Why not accept it, and I will do what I can to save or at least warn Gerard.”
“No! I do not believe you! I loathe you! I will not be used so, especially if it is of no avail!”
His cajoling manner left him and his expression turned vicious. “So be it! I will not make the offer again. I will have you, whether you wish it or no. Now go back to your cabin and for your sake I hope you decide to submit. We could still deal well together.”
Frightened, but furiously angry with him, Sibylla held her head high as she walked across the deck. He made no offer to help her negotiate the steep ladder. She shook with anger, the last shreds of her love for him having disappeared as she faced the truth of what he was, and his cruel deception of her. To her intense relief he did not follow her into the cabin, but locked the door. She was left alone to reflections far from happy.
Chapter Four
That night Sibylla slept fitfully, expecting to hear her door open and Randolph appear, but as dawn lit up the sky she relaxed, confident the threats he had made were not to be put into effect that night, and fell into a doze.
About an hour later she woke to shouts and the sound of running feet above her head. She felt the boat lurch and heard the creaking of the mast and rigging as the boat tacked and realized their speed had increased with more sails hoisted. She got off the bunk and went to look out of the tiny porthole, but could see nothing apart from a calm glistening sea and a pale blue sky streaked with feathery clouds. As she watched and listened, she could distinguish orders from the captain, and wondered why they should be cramming on even more sail.
Suddenly she was startled by a dull boom, and at the same moment saw a spray of water rise from the sea a little way from the boat. She watched, her eyes wide with amazement, and heard frantic cries and bellowed orders from a
bove. The boat began to lurch so that she had to cling to the surrounds of the porthole to maintain her balance. As the boat swung round, she saw looming up a short distance away a sleek, fast-looking boat. As she watched, fascinated by the beautiful lines and elegance such as she had never before seen around the Devon coast, a spurt of flame came from the side of the boat and the booming sound again.
Now Sibylla understood. As the boat tacked again, she almost lost her balance. She wondered what manner of pirates were attacking them, and what chances they had of escaping. Very little, she thought grimly, as she compared the fast, smooth lines of the pirates’ boat and the lumbering fishing vessel, built for work and cargo rather than speed.
She waited by the porthole, catching occasional glimpses of the other boat as they tacked, and hearing several more cannon shots. As the pirate boat drew nearer and capture seemed inevitable, she began to fear for herself, a captive in the hands of desperate and dangerous men. Then the idea struck her that they would also take Randolph captive, and in such a situation he would not be able to denounce Gerard.
Her heart lightened as she considered this and came to the conclusion she would prefer the uncertain fate for herself amongst the pirates rather than the certain ruin and disaster that would come to her whole family if she remained in Randolph’s power. When she heard shouts to surrender from the pirate ship and the sounds of fighting above her head, she felt calmer than any would have expected.
* * * *
On deck, the captain of the fishing boat saw the sails of the other boat soon after dawn and suspicious, had set his course away from them. They steadily drew nearer, and then signaled to him to heave to. He decided to take the risk of disobeying, aided by Randolph’s urgings and promise of double payment if they could elude the pirate, which showed no flag.
Sibylla and the Privateer Page 4