Pirates and Prejudice

by Louise, Kara

  “I see it!” Bellows said. “’Tis a large ship; may’ap a merchant ship. Don’t seem to be movin’. I wonder if the vessel hit some rocks.”

  “We need to take care, then, so we don’t do the same.” Darcy was silent for a moment, but his mind assaulted him with questions. What should he tell his men? And an even greater concern was Bellows! What did Bellows expect Darcy to do as Lockerly, and if he did not do what Bellows expected, would he turn the men against him and lead the crew in a mutiny? He shuddered when he thought of what they might want to do upon reaching that ship.

  “I ken see it better now. Me thinks they be in distress,” Bellows said softly. “The ship is listin’ on its port side.”

  Darcy blew out a puff of air, and his hand patted his sheathed sword as his mind whirled with thoughts.

  “Are ye thinkin’ of assistin’ ’em… Darcy?”

  Darcy turned sharply to Bellows, his jaw dropping. “You know who I am?”

  Bellows slowly nodded. “I ’ave known all along. Foster hired me to be part of this whole scheme to get you an’ the ship out to sea an’ to the Isles of Scilly.”

  Darcy closed his eyes as his anger now burned for another reason. “That man and his schemes! I have been so angry at you, and now I find out he is behind this! And Evans and Lindel?”

  “Yep! They was, too.”

  Darcy balled his hands into tight fists, and his jaw tightened so fiercely he felt his face shake.

  “You have me apologies, Darcy.”

  “But why did they have to resort to such a thing? They had Lockerly’s ship; I did not need to continue on with this charade!”

  “Aye, but therein lies the problem. Ye ’ad such a good rapport wi’ the crew; they seemed to respect ye. Neither Evans nor Lindel felt they could secure the trust of the men like ye ’ave.” He waved his hand over the ship. “The men’ll do whatever ye say, even if it’s not piratin’.”

  Darcy turned back to the ship. “We cannot be certain of that, but we shall have to see. Can we get very close to the ship? They hit rocks; might we not also?”

  Bellows shrugged. “’Tis always possible, but that ship is larger and her keel extends deeper. We should ’ave no problem as long as we ken see where we’re going. If only the fog…”

  Bellows stopped and his eyes widened as the fog lifted briefly. “I don’t believe it! ’Tis the merchant ship I used to sail on!”

  “The ship whose captain you disliked?”

  Bellows winced. “Not exactly. That were jest me enhancin’ the story. We actually got along decent.”

  Darcy closed his eyes and shook his head. “Did you men ever consider that what you were doing could put us in grave danger?”

  “I regret we didn’t.”

  “I thought not.”

  “Me thinks ye need to decide what we’re goin’ to do an’ what ye is goin’ to tell them.” Bellows nodded his head towards the crew.

  “I know exactly what we are going to do, and what I am going to tell them!” He turned to walk away, but stopped. “I am going to tell them I am not Lockerly, I am not a pirate, and that we are going to see how we can be of assistance to this ship!” Darcy let out a huff and yanked off his tri-corn hat. He raked his fingers through his hair. “An’ I am goin’ to tell ’em that my name is… Smith!”

  “Smith?”

  Darcy turned to look at Bellows. “Yes… Smith! I do not want anyone to know my real identity, so pray, do not call me Darcy.”

  “An’ does Cap’n Smith speak the way of a gentleman or a commoner?”

  Darcy groaned as he considered this. “No, I’ll still be speakin’ the way of the common man. As much as disguise of any sort is my abhorrence, I ken think of no good purpose lettin’ them know I am of the finest circles of society!”

  Bellows grinned. “Go to it, Cap’n Smith! After ye ’ave talked to the men, we’ll unfurl some of the sails so we ken catch the wind an’ sail towards ’em.”

  Darcy gathered his crew together. Those who had been up on the masts climbed down, and those who were below deck were brought up. The men gathered, their faces filled with a mixture of excitement and fear, having seen the ship wafting in and out of the fog.

  Darcy eyed them carefully so he could watch for any sign of mutiny as he told them what they were about to do. At least he knew he had Bellows on his side.

  The men listened in surprise and just a little confusion as they were told their captain was not Lockerly, he was not a pirate and neither were they, and they were actually going to be of assistance rather than plunder and pillage the ship that was in distress.

  When Darcy finished, he said to them, “I know ye joined me under the misapprehension that I would be leadin’ ye all on a variety of piratin’ adventures. I am sorry, truly, but this was never my intent. The goal was to lure the real Lockerly to us so he could be captured. But if ye trust me an’ do as I ask, ye shall all be receivin’ the highest commendations to be hired on other sailin’ vessels when we return to London. All of ye ’ave proven yourselves excellent workers.”

  The men received the news reasonably well. While there was some disappointment, two of the younger men, Michael Jenkins and Edward Webber, confessed that they had secretly hoped they wouldn’t have to kill anyone, although obtaining some treasure might have been appealing.

  When Darcy returned to the foredeck, Bellows said to him, “Foster knew t’would be this way. The men trust ye completely an’ will follow yer orders to the letter.”

  “’Tis one thing to say you’ll do somethin’ an’ another to do it.” Darcy said, folding his arms across his chest. “We shall ’ave to wait an’ see.”

  Bellows pointed to the ship in distress. “As we draw close, I will need to signal ’em so they know we ain’t pirates in case they recognize the Devil’s Seamaiden. Once they know I’m on board, they’ll know all is safe.”

  “How will you signal them?”

  “Signal flags that ye arrange in ways that form messages. Cap’n Meeker will know their meaning.”

  Darcy leaned against the quarterdeck railing and looked up. With a sly smile he said, “I am very grateful you did not hoist the Jolly Roger that Lockerly had stowed away. I truly thought you might do that.”

  “Ye thought that ’bout me? Sorry. I suppose I did pass meself off as a real scallywag!”

  “Ye certainly did!”

  “Cap’n, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to raisin’ the signal flags before they begin firin’ warnin’ shots at us.”

  “Thank you, Bellows.”

  Bellows left, and Darcy stood at the helm gripping the wheel. He kept an eye on the listing ship, still drifting in and out of the fog. He could see cannons positioned on the side of the deck and would have been concerned, but for the fact that due to the tilt of the ship, the cannons most likely would not be able to hit them.

  Bellows worked with a few of the crew to hoist the signal flags, being very particular in the order they went up. When he finished, he instructed the same men to unfurl the topsail, top gallant, and outer jib sails. He watched as the men climbed out on the rigging and released the sails. They dropped with a thud and immediately caught the wind and billowed out. The ship began moving slowly.

  Bellows returned to the helm, but allowed Darcy to continue steering. He picked up the spyglass and looked out. “I think we ken get fairly close to the ship. It’ll take some careful manoeuvrin’ aroun’ some of these rocks, but I think we ken do it. We need to approach close enough to throw the grapplin’ hook over to pull us in close.”

  “Would ye mind takin’ the helm, Bellows?” Darcy asked, and then suddenly tilted his head and raised a brow. “Is that your real name?”

  Bellows laughed. “Aye, Cap’n. I ’ad no reason to change it as I was not wi’ the River Thames Police, or any police, for that matter.”

  Darcy watched as Bellows steered the ship and gave orders to the men. The ship drew slowly and cautiously towards the disabled ship, now in full view. As they drew c
loser, Darcy noticed men coming to the rail armed with muskets and drawn swords.

  “Ahoy!” Darcy yelled. “Are ye in need of assistance?”

  “We are armed!” yelled one of the men. “We have no valuables on board this ship, if you be pirates!”

  “We are not pirates!” Darcy answered back. “I’m Cap’n Smith, an’ at the helm is George Bellows, a former crewman on yer ship.” Darcy waved for Bellows to come over.

  “Lower the anchor an’ furl the sails!” Bellows hollered as he took the steps down and walked to the rail. “Good mornin’, Cap’n Meeker! I thought ye knew better than to get yerself into this kind of predicament!”

  “Couldn’t do much in the storm! What’re ye doin’ on that ship? If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that is a pirate ship an’ ye had become a pirate! I wasn’t trustin’ those signal flags you hoisted. Anyone can claim to be anyone these days!”

  “’Tis a long story, but tell us, what ken we do?”

  “I ken barely hear ye. Can ye get closer?”

  Bellows looked down into the sea, noticing the shadow of rock just beneath the surface.

  “I don’t think so. But gimme a few minutes!”

  Bellows gathered about five men who effortlessly climbed the rigging and stepped out onto one of the masts. He pulled down a rope, releasing the winch that held it taut. Before Darcy could even blink, Bellows jumped. He swung down on the rope, out across the water, and landed on the deck of the other ship. The others followed.

  Bellows and the captain spoke fervently while the others went below deck to help with the damage. Bellows then climbed the rigging of the other ship and returned in the same manner. He rushed over to Darcy as the remaining crew huddled close.

  “They ’ave a gash in their hull, but that is not the worst of their worries. Apparently they rowed four ladies to a small island just to the north in case the ship capsized. They’re there wi’ the husband of one of them an’ a crewman. They tried to send the rest of the passengers across, but the dinghy just returned to the ship with all of ’em still aboard. There were pirates who fired on the boat as it tried to approach! They ’ave taken the ladies prisoner, an’ they are now in greater danger than if they ’ad remained on the ship!”

  Darcy removed his tri-corn hat and raked his fingers through his long hair. This was grave, indeed, but he could not turn his back on those in danger. He looked back to the ship and noticed an older man at the rail. He was not dressed as a crewman, and Darcy thought he looked somewhat familiar. He brought the spyglass to his eye and focused on the man.

  “You must rescue my daughter!” the man called out. “I cannot bear to think of anything happening to her!”

  Darcy’s heart stopped. It had been well over six months since he had last seen him, but the gentleman on that ship was most certainly Mr. Bennet! He froze, fear coursing through him. Which of his daughters was in the hands of pirates? Whoever it was, he would do everything in his power to rescue her. As he determined what he could do, Mr. Bennet called out again.

  “Please! You must rescue my Lizzy!”

  Darcy almost dropped the spyglass and gripped the rail tightly with his other hand. His knuckles turned white, and he felt his chest constrict, finding it difficult to even take a breath. Forcing himself to think, he rubbed his temple. He looked around him at the sea, the rocks, and out towards the lonely island.

  He turned to Bellows. “We must make every attempt to rescue these ladies. Can we manoeuvre the ship directly away from the merchant ship so the pirates do not see us and then move stealthily through the fog around the island? Perhaps we can come in and have surprise in our favour… if they have not already seen us.”

  “I doubt they ’ave. The merchant ship is bigger an’ we ’ave been on the other side of it from the island the whole time. With the fog, I doubt they could make us out.”

  “Well, let us away, quickly!”

  Bellows turned to go and then stopped, looking back at Darcy. “It looks like we’ll be ’aving a pirate’s adventure after all, Cap’n!” He returned to the helm and gave the order to unfurl more sails.

  Darcy stood at the rail, staring out into the fog. He could not formulate one thought except that he must save Elizabeth and would make every attempt to do so. Looking up into the heavens, he softly muttered, “Lord, keep her safe! I will do anything, even give her up in my heart, if that is what is needed to ensure no harm comes to her!”

  Chapter 10

  It had been two hours since the pirates had appeared and taken the party captive. The ladies huddled together in the back of the cave, shivering more from fear than cold. They were sheltered from the mist enshrouding the island but were too far from the small fire at the end of the cave to benefit from its heat. Timmons and Mr. Joyner had been ordered to sit back to back, and their hands were bound together.

  About an hour earlier they had heard shots fired. The prisoners had silently looked at each other with anxious glances. They had hoped that the men who were coming over to join them had been the ones doing the shooting, while at the same time feared that they were the ones being shot at. They had waited with great dread while one of the pirates, who was called Torch, was sent out to discover what had happened. When he had returned, the news he brought was disheartening to the captives. Apparently there were two pirates on the beach, Bloody Clem and Scarface Jack, who had indeed shot at a dinghy bringing men over. Torch had assured the other pirates that the dinghy returned to the merchant ship. Fear had consumed the ladies that now no one would come to rescue them.

  In the hour since they had heard the gunshots, the pirates had become a little less attentive, save for the one who stood at the entrance to the cave.

  Two pirates were lazily sprawled with their backs against the wall of the cave, their muskets and swords at their side. They would occasionally take a drink from a flask or take a bite of some food they had stowed. The one named Torch stood near the ladies, pacing back and forth. Elizabeth could not determine whether he was nervous or trying to act as though he was guarding them against an escape.

  The fourth man had remained just inside the cave, looking out. His gaze swept back and forth as if waiting and watching for something. Every once in a while he would look at the ladies, glaring at them with a wicked smile. Elizabeth felt a sick tightening in her stomach at his bold perusal, which more often than not landed on her.

  Elizabeth had determined he must be the leader. He was tall, with long, dark curly hair that brushed his shoulders. His beard was full, dark, and wiry. To Elizabeth’s discerning eye, he also seemed to be the most capable of inflicting injury. The other men were rather thin and almost appeared unsure of themselves and what was expected of them. They seemed to obey more out of fear than out of bravery.

  “Oh, I know we are all to die!” Mrs. Joyner cried out in a hushed tone.

  Elizabeth patted her hand. “These men have been drinking too heavily to do us much harm. They can barely walk upright.”

  “Yes!” agreed Mrs. Dillard. “We must have faith that we shall all come through this unharmed!”

  Elizabeth hoped these words would alleviate Mrs. Joyner’s fears. For herself, she remembered Reverend Hoover saying that the good Lord was as close as a prayer and to call out to Him when in need. She closed her eyes and without thinking squeezed Mrs. Joyner’s hand. All she could murmur was, “Lord, keep us all safe from these pirates!”

  She opened her eyes and looked at Mrs. Dillard, who seemed to be praying, as well.

  Elizabeth was uncertain how many pirates might be on the island, but from the conversation between the four men in the cave, she knew there were at least two more out on the beach, and possibly more. She felt her heart beat wildly as she considered the safety of her father, cousin, and the rest of the men as they had attempted to come ashore. She hoped they had been able to return to the merchant ship unharmed.

  The rain had stopped, and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. As irrational as it seemed, Eliz
abeth thought to herself that if the sun succeeded in shining down on them, they would be safe. Or at least they would be warm. She dreaded what might happen once the sun set.

  Elizabeth watched as Torch sat down by the other two men, picked up the flask, and began to drink.

  “Put that down, Torch! You ’ave ’ad enough to drink and we need to stay alert!” He looked at the other two men in the cave. “That goes fer you, too!”

  Torch meekly put down the flask. “Yes, Cap’n Lockerly.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed. Lockerly! I have heard that name before!

  As she tried to recollect why the name sounded familiar, Mrs. Keller suddenly whispered, “Lockerly is a pirate who recently was captured by the authorities but somehow escaped!”

  “You are right!” Elizabeth replied softly. “I remember reading about it.” Elizabeth blew out a long puff of air and looked over at him. “His entire crew was hung. These men must be ones he has recently engaged to join him.”

  “Oh!” Mrs. Joyner trembled. “This is grave, indeed!”

  “Perhaps not,” Elizabeth reassured her. “If these men are not experienced pirates, we can hope that we might somehow free ourselves. They do not appear to me to be very clever men or competent combatants. And they are all quite jug-bitten.”

  “Shall we pray that they continue drinking?” Mrs. Dillard asked, attempting to inject some levity into the situation.

  Elizabeth suddenly stood up, and Mrs. Joyner gasped, trying to pull her back down. “If you please, sir, the ladies need a little privacy... to take care of some personal business. If you would be so kind as to allow us a few moments to ourselves outside the cave.”

  Lockerly grunted. “And ’ave you run off? Me thinks not.”

  Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. “And where do you think we are going to run off to?”