The Beloved Loss was moving too. Still a distance from land, the pirate ship and The Heart of Calais were closing in on each other. Burke stood at the Helm of his ship, preparing for war with the other boat. He had his plan ready but the speed of which the enemy ship was moving clearly demonstrated that it was in no mood for peace and pleasure.
Then, to his extreme alarm, he noticed a pair of shapely arms waving him closer to The Beloved Loss. Burke could not believe his eyes. “Is that a woman?” He questioned out loud as he raised his binoculars.
Sure enough, it was a woman. It was an absolutely beautiful, breathtakingly stunning woman. She was a tan skinned goddess with dark hair flowing all the way down her back. The young woman was wearing a gown that left little to the imagination and motioned him forward, waving a white flag of surrender for peace.
“Hold fire, Garner. Stay on standby!” Burke yelled to his Ex-Navy Gunner.
Burke pulled the ship closer and closer until the two ships were side by side. “Permission to board, lovely lady?” he questioned to the enchantress of The Beloved Loss.
“Are you the captain of that ship?” she questioned.
Burke, mesmerized by her voice and entranced by her beauty had to think before answering her question. “Oh, yes, I am. My name is Burke Belcourt, and I am seeking the captain of The Beloved Loss. May I come aboard so I can speak with him in private, Mademoiselle?”
“Let me ask my Father,” she whispered in fear, wondering what was going on. This script had been replayed hundreds of times through the past several years of Cori’s life. Never had The Beloved Loss waited this long to attack! Why are we not firing? Cori wondered. What has happened? Why is Yvet not blowing this ship to pieces by now? Oh Lord, surely my father has not taken my advice and grown a heart…
Barely dismissing herself from the handsome captain of the other ship, Cori ran from the main deck where she had been standing to the enclosed helm where she knew her father would be intensely watching. “What is it, girl? What did he say?”
“Father, he says he has traveled here to speak with you. Why did we not attack him, Sir?” Cori asked anxiously.
“That is a French ship. It is also a very new vessel, expensive and elaborate. We could use that ship. If they are pirates then they must be quite successful. Or maybe France has started sending buccaneers, like England. Regardless, I need to know. So I told the men to hold fire. Did he say where he came from, or why he has requested me?” Marin asked his daughter, being unusually calm and patient with her.
“No sir, should I tell him he can board peaceably?” Cori asked.
Marin was quiet for a moment, contemplating his decision. “Yes. But he must come alone. If he is alone he shall be no threat to us. I will return him peaceably to Hispaniola to meet his crew when I have learned his reasons for locating me. Okay?”
“Yes, Father.” Cori whispered as she turned on her heels and ran back to the enemy ship. She heard her father’s words and his lack of hostility. However, she had been disappointed time and time again. Rarely did her father or Falco show mercy on anyone and she assumed this man would see the same fate.
For a moment, Cori just stood on the deck staring at the other captain, several yards away on his own ship. Burke could not take his eyes off of the lovely girl. He could tell she was younger than him but she was a full-grown woman. She had a beautiful body and only the bare necessity was hidden from view in her seemingly uncomfortable outfit. As breathtaking as her body seemed to be, her face and hair fascinated Burke just as much. Trying to focus on business, Burke broke the spell they were casting on each other. “Well, may I come aboard?” He asked.
“Oh, right. Father says you may board alone. Your crew can sail to Hispaniola and wait for you, that is the island right over there. Can you see it?” She questioned in return.
Burke nodded his head in agreement, motioning for Acel to come forward. “Yes, Mademoiselle. I see it. My men shall not leave me unless they know I am in no harm. This is a peaceful visit, correct?”
Cori replied as honestly as she knew how. “I believe so, sir. This is as peaceful as I have ever seen pirates be in my life.” She located the ship’s long wooden ladder used for crossing during a ship raid. Cori struggled to pick up the large ladder, balancing it in an upright position. Easing the lumber onto the ship’s ledge, she wiggled the piece across until Burke could reach it enough to pull it the rest of the way toward him.
“Ace, you heard her. I have been welcomed peaceably. Take the ship to Hispaniola. They promised to bring me there after we speak. We shall look over the goods there. Understand?” he asked, hoping his cousin understood the purposely misleading plan.
“Yes, Captain. We will wait at Hispaniola,” Acel agreed as he moved toward the Helm to take over the steering of the ship. Burke knew his plan was not going the way it was supposed to but his luck seemed so great that day that he decided to go with the flow, hoping that things would work out in his favor.
Hearing his words, she realized the man was in the trading business. Cori had only known one type of trader, illegal ones. She knew the difference between the buccaneers her father spoke of and true pirates, but to Cori they were all equally as bad. The thought of this handsome man being a pirate ruined him in her eyes.
She took a deep breath, watching the striking man climb across the lengthy ladder. Cori had not been around many men in her life, only the ones aboard The Beloved Loss or the few she encountered on her brief adventures on islands. Pirate or not, she knew that this man was exceptional. Cori hated luring innocent men or even other scandalous pirates onto The Beloved Loss. She hated to play a part in anyone’s kidnapping or death and it hurt to see such a handsome and charming man be lost.
Cori took a footstep back as the attractive captain of The Heart of Calais reached the older vessel. He climbed into the boat and she noticed for the first time how he towered over her, even with her unusually long legs. As he pulled the wooden ladder back onto The Beloved Loss, he motioned for Acel to head for Hispaniola.
Now, standing in front of her, Cori realized what broad shoulders and muscled arms the man had. She raised her dark brown eyes to meet the crystal blue ones staring back at her. “Once again, my name is Burke Belcourt. It’s a true pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle. King Louis XIV, of France, sent me in search of your father.”
Blushing in response, Cori felt the hair on her arms stand up. She knew that feeling well, it meant that Falco de Vries was standing in position, watching her closely. In a barely audible whisper, she said “I’m Corisanda Aleene St. Aubin, and my father, Marin St. Aubin, is the captain of this ship. I’ve been instructed to send you to him.”
Cori turned to face the enclosed helm, where her father stood. Stepping out of his protective box and into view, the aging captain faced the younger man near his daughter. With a brief nod to Cori, Burke looked toward Marin. It was no doubt that the older man was French. Though he fit the part of a pirate well, there was no mistaking the same look of power and intelligence that most men of French nobility, including Burke, shared. Burke turned to Cori. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“May God keep you safe, Sir. You’re in the hands of The Beloved Loss now and most do not make it out alive,” she replied as she fought back tears. Her words were cold and planned, Cori’s only defense against showing her soft heart. “Goodbye, Burke Belcourt,” she finished as she darted from his presence, straight to her below deck quarter to mourn for the handsome man she barely knew.
With her last sentence, Burke realized he made a dangerous mistake. Trusting pirates was nothing he should have considered. It dawned on him that it was not normal for a beautiful vixen to be standing in lingerie on a ship deck in the middle of the evening. She was nothing but a decoy. He turned to yell at Acel to turn The Heart of Calais around for help but they were already out of earshot. Taking a deep breath and holding his head high, he marched toward Captain Marin St. Aubin with the plan of having no plan at all.
TH
REE
“Who are you, who sent you, and why do you request me?” Marin asked the young man directly.
“My name is Burke Belcourt. I am an independent trader from France. I heard you were one of the most notorious pirates around and thought you may be interested in a business deal,” Burke half-lied.
Marin did not buy it. This man walked, talked and looked like an upstanding man. He was of noble blood, no doubt. The man was well educated and highly intelligent. Marin knew the first part was true, he heard rumors of Burke Belcourt and his fancy ship being attacked by other pirates and buccaneers and that he took them all down effortlessly. His name provoked fear in many of Marin’s accomplices and enemies. He is certainly not the type of man to make deals with pirates, so what does he really want with me? Marin wondered. Trying to get to the truth, he asked “Oh? What kind of business deal?”
Burke collected his thoughts and tried to sound truthful, “My ship is headed to Hispaniola with a full stock of Arabian rugs and chests of rare jewels. After I leave here we are sailing to the coast of America to collect corn and grain. I plan to speak to the Cubans about sugar. You are well known in this area and I thought if the two of us worked together we could both profit. If you do not want to be a part of my business venture, you should at least look at my merchandise. How would you feel about trading?”
“I want to know the real reason you are here.”
“I just told you I am interested in a business deal.”
“I know who you are, Captain Belcourt. Your reputation precedes you. You are not tight for money and have no need to make deals with pirates. That leads me to believe you have an alternative motive.”
“Of course not, I am just looking to expand. Check my ship! You shall see that it truly is loaded down with goods.”
“I have no doubt that it is. But that is not why you are looking for me.”
“Why else would I need to speak with you?”
Marin smiled and leaned against the rail of The Beloved Loss. “Captain Belcourt, you are definitely intelligent. That is not in question. Most men would believe your story, but I have a feeling about you. It is a strange one. I can assure you that I will not be returning you to Hispaniola with your ship and crew. You might as well tell me the truth because you are going to be held captive on this ship one way or another.”
Burke turned to run. His plan was simply to dive off of the ship and take his chances swimming to Hispaniola! Marin grabbed Burke by the sleeve of his white, half-way buttoned shirt. “Hey, son. Look around you! You are on my ship now and my crew has you surrounded. There is no escaping.”
Burke knew there were men all around him. They had been hiding behind barrels, sails, and cannons the whole time. He saw them the second he boarded The Beloved Loss and knew now they were not there just for protection of the ship as he had hoped.
“Fine. I have been sent by the King of France, Louis XIV. He wanted me to demand your immediate surrender. Your reputation also precedes you, St. Aubin. It has been rumored that you are French and the King feels that you are hurting our currently passive status. I can assure you that they shall be looking for me with haste. You will not get away with holding me here,” Burke conceded.
“Really? France wants me to stop, ay? Well, I doubt they can catch me. Your King can’t, just as his father before him couldn’t either. You are supposedly the only man who can outsmart me and I have you here now. I shall take my chances with the French.” Glancing behind his shoulder he yelled, “Falco! Captain Belcourt wants to arrest us. What do you think we should do with him?”
A tall man with blonde hair sauntered out of a shaded area across the boat. He walked with an attitude of arrogance and sneered derisively at Burke. “Well, Captain, I think we should make an example of him. Feed him to the sharks, or maybe just snap his neck in front of his friends…”
“Those are good ideas, my boy. But we will hold off for now. Let’s lock him up. Maybe we can make a better example out of him if we keep him alive. Think about it this way, if we sail around showing our hostage off to all the other pirates who fear him we shall be forever known as the crew who defeated Belcourt, right?” Marin pondered aloud.
“Ja, I suppose, but…” Falco began to object.
“Yes. Yes, I think we will do that. We shall be more feared than ever. Laron! Zeeman! Yvet! Lock him up in Cori’s quarters. It is the only one with a bolt on the outside of the door.”
“Where will Cori sleep?” Falco demanded. “Let her sleep with me, we are soon to wed anyway.”
“Then how would I be able to lock her up when we stop places? She will escape in seconds. Our new prisoner needs to be locked in a room where he cannot lock us out. Cori’s room is the only prisoner-safe place on the ship,” Marin reminded.
Falco reasoned angrily, “You cannot trust this man locked overnight sharing a room with my fiancé!”
“Do not worry. I would not touch your woman. I have a fiancé of my own and I cannot stand to be near her. The last thing I need now is another woman to deal with,” Burke mumbled confidently. He had no doubt that he would escape easily. He just needed to come up with a plan. Burke knew he was not defeated. All he needed was to buy his time wisely.
“It is settled then. He will not touch Cori. Now throw him in, lock him up, and let us celebrate our victory,” Marin laughed.
The three men who had been summoned grabbed him forcefully by the shoulders. They heaved him up and hauled him hastily down the creaking stairs of The Beloved Loss. A door was thrown open and a screech was heard as the men literally threw Burke into the room. He probably would have sailed all the way through the room and landed on the far side of it but something soft that screeched loudly broke his fall. As he and his screaming pillow crashed to the floor he heard the door being slammed behind him and locked from the outside.
Sprawled across the floor, Burke laid still for a moment as he tried to realize what happened. It did not take long to figure it out as two boney fists pounded away at his back between him and the hard wooden floor. He jumped up hastily as he realized his pillow was a woman. It was the maiden in lingerie, now wearing a long flannel night gown but still just as beautiful and breathtaking as before. “What on Earth are you doing in my room, you moron? You could have killed me! You landed right on top of me! What do I look like to you, a bed?” The girl screamed irately with a stomp of her foot.
Burke stared at the dark haired angel for a few moments before remembering his anger toward the pirate decoy. “Well, if your father and fiancé had not arrested me I would not be here! Thanks for getting me held hostage, you little coquette!”
“Coquette? Me? Honestly? You are an imbecile, sir!” Cori blurted in defense.
“Oh, really? Correct me if I am wrong. You dress up in a see-through night gown, dance around on a boat deck, and purposely lure innocent men to your ship so Daddy can attack. Is that right or wrong?”
“You are nothing but a pirate too! How does that make you any more innocent than I am?”
“I am no pirate! I am allowed to trade by the King of France…”
Cori cut him off before he could continue rattling, “Fine, then you are a buccaneer. It is the same thing! Thieves are thieves, whether Kings let them do it or not! I might be a coquette pirate but you are a thieving buccaneer. We are both worthless, not just me!”
The girl threw herself onto her bed, pulled the covers over her head and turned toward the wall. “Do not even think about sleeping near me! There is a chair over there,” Cori finished with a tear glimmering in her haughty eyes.
Burke was to confused and irritated to reply. He did not explain that he was not a buccaneer. Let her think what she wants, why should I care? Burke decided as he plopped into the uncomfortable seat. The girl seemed to hate pirates and he had heard Marin say she would escape in seconds if she had a chance. Why does she work for them then? If she hates pirates so much she shouldn’t help them.
He was curious about the fascinating girl but he ha
d more important things to worry about. If he did not make it to Hispaniola by sunrise his men would come looking for him. That was comforting but he could tell that The Beloved Loss was now flying rapidly in the other direction. Marin did not want The Heart of Calais to catch them. That was discomforting.
He had to think of a good escape. The ship has to stop sometime and they do not plan to kill me yet. I am sure they shall let me out of this room once we get a fair distance away from land and my crew. Then I can hear when we plan to stop again. I need to find a way to loosen the lock on the door. When they leave the ship to raid an island or make a trade I can break the lock. Next, I can sneak off the boat and find a way to get to Hispaniola. If I know Acel, he will keep watch on that island. I can hide out until he arrives looking for me.
Cuddling deeper into the uncomfortable, cold, cranberry colored chair, Burke took a last glance at the beauty in the bed across the room. He knew she was awake although she deliberately feigned sleep. The girl faced the other direction motionless but he knew she was conscious by the uneven rise and fall of her body as she breathed.
Burke could tell that she was quietly crying. The pirate princess seemed so strong, cold, heartless, and distant that he could not imagine what would make her hurt enough to cry. The gentleman in him wanted to comfort her, tell her she would surely be fine. However, the pirate-captive component would not give him the ability to pity the beautiful enemy
Rolling his eyes in disappointment that the day had turned out as unsuccessful as it had, Burke tried propping his feet up on a flimsy table close by. What was I thinking? Burke wondered. He was a man of complete control. He never lost a battle and never looked stupid. Burke was confident because he had proven himself to be capable. He was a leader, strong, fierce, and always the best at everything.
A Pirate Princess Page 4