I found my way below and realized I’d picked a good time to go exploring. Everyone was above me doing things to the sails, and I followed the smell of wood smoke forward until I found a massive brick hearth, recently doused but still smoking and dimly lit by swinging lamps, right in the middle of the huge gundeck. A great copper pot of steaming water sat above the heat. I had a look around and found beakers and kye. I remembered Belinda making hot chocolate from the solid block of cocoa, and, guilty, I wondered what had become of her after our escape. I forced myself to stop worrying—there was nothing I could do for her—and I thought instead about my own situation. I was sure a hot drink would be appreciated by the men above, and I busied myself making a great pail of it, guessing at how much kye to use, and then threw some honey and peppers in for good measure. I also took some cold pork. It looked horrible and greasy, but I didn’t care; I needed food. I helped myself to some fruit too—enough for both myself and Klara, then used a length of rope to tie the handles of a dozen beakers together—not enough, but all I could carry—and struggled back up to the deck. I sat down in front of the cabins where there was a little shelter from the worst of the weather, and wondered what to do next.
“Now what are you doing? I thought I told you to stay out of the way in your cabin.”
“I thought you and your men would appreciate a hot drink. I’d rather be of use than hide away.”
“Even in this weather?”
“Even in this weather. Besides, I owe each of them my gratitude, I thought a hot drink would be welcome.”
He looked at me a moment. “It seems as if you’ve discarded more than just your gowns.”
I grew uncomfortable under his gaze. He seemed to make his mind up and continued, pointing at the other cabin, “You stay in there, the chartroom, and let the men come to you. I don’t want you stumbling about the decks, if you go overboard we’ll never find you again.”
“Yes.”
He looked doubtful.
“I promise I’ll stay put.”
I wasn’t sure he believed me, but he needn’t have worried, wild horses wouldn’t have been able to drag me along that maelstrom of wood and water again tonight.
Chapter 31
GABRIELLA
11th April 1686
I lay on the cot and listened, aware Leo slept just the other side of the thin wooden bulkhead. The shrieks, howls and crashes of last night’s storm had been replaced by the relatively gentle creaking of wood along with the constant clanging of the bell, which I realized marked the half-hours in batches of eight. Sunlight streamed through the stern windows and the odd gap in the planking between me and the outside world. Everything was different; last night seemed a dream. My new clothing and the burning of the skin on my face and hands disagreed. I licked my lips and found them cracked and sore. I touched my cheeks carefully, then snatched my hand away. Salt and wind had ruined my complexion in one night—and I could not decide whether or not I minded.
Groaning at yet another ringing of the bell, each time with an added peal, I swung my feet over the edge of the cot and sat up. My whole body hurt—and all I’d done was prepare some hot chocolate! My legs were the worst: walking on deck had its price, and the insides of my thighs felt as though they were made of iron as heavy as the cannon invading my sleeping space. I had no idea how I was going to stand and walk, and would have preferred not to, but some things just had to be done.
There was no chamber pot in the room—I supposed they were an unfortunate and avoidable hazard on a ship in heavy weather and not to be recommended. I shuddered, remembering the state of the shittenpot aboard that slaver, then shuffled painfully to the stern windows, opened the end one and eased myself carefully onto the swaying ledge on the other side. I stopped in delight at the view and felt a big smile stretch my face. The first time I could remember smiling for a very long time.
The sea had lost all its violence of the previous night. The bright sun sparkled on the water and, as I watched, I saw a dark shadow race over the surface. The ship picked up a little more speed in the gust. We were completely alone; there wasn’t another ship, and hardly even a cloud to be seen. I really had left my life behind, along with our wake, but I had to leave something else behind now. I hadn’t been brave enough to do this in the dark, and was desperate. Desperate enough to squat on a few inches of wet wood and hang onto a decorative railing, all of which was moving in various directions at once. Thank goodness I wasn’t still wearing a gown! It took some getting used to, but at least I had some privacy and didn’t have to share the seat of easement with the men, which was hung over the bows.
I looked at Klara, still asleep, the food I’d brought for her untouched, and decided not to wake her. She was exhausted after being sick all night, and I couldn’t forget that she’d lost her lover and her son through our escape. I’d leave her to her dreams for now, but for me it was time to go out on deck and face the pirates. Moving a little bit easier now that I had been up and about a while, I took a deep breath and walked out of the door onto the quarterdeck, using my new stride in spite of the pain. Erik had taught me well that it would take a lot more than that to stop me.
Leo stood right in front of me, directing the man on the tiller as to the course he should be steering. I caught my breath and paused for a moment to look at him. He’d shaved and washed, and was dressed in a clean, though damp, linen shirt and breeches to match my own. He had an indigo sash wrapped around him today, and a cutlass hung at his waist, although somehow he didn’t project as much menace as Erik had with his frockcoat and cane. I caught a faint “about bloody time” telling me that Leo had been waiting for me, and I glared at the helmsman in response to his comment. I smiled and offered a “Good morning, Captain” to Leo, through a surprisingly dry mouth.
“Buenos días, Gabriella. Good morning. I trust you slept well?”
I hadn’t been expecting manners, and wasn’t really surprised when he carried on, laughing.
“How are your legs? Ready to try climbing up there?” He nodded up to the highest sails glistening in the sunlight at an impossible height.
“Let me find and keep my feet on deck first, then I’ll tackle the masts,” I said with a grin.
“You know, that wouldn’t surprise me at all—the men are already laying bets on how long it’ll take you, rosada. Just remember to climb up the windward side, the wind’ll hold you in place, not blow you off.”
“Rosada?”
“Your rosy cheeks. Don’t worry, it’s just a bit of windburn, once you spend a few hours in the sun, on top of the salt, you won’t recognize yourself!”
“That may not be a bad thing,” I muttered, thinking of my husband and not joining in with Leo’s laughter. Anything that would make it harder for Erik to find me suited me well, no matter what it meant for my skin—even if that was more freckles.
He offered me his arm, and I jumped at his gesture then took it. “Would you like to meet the Sound of Freedom? I don’t think you’ve been formally introduced.”
“You want to introduce me to your ship?” I asked, thinking I must have misunderstood.
“She’s the most important of all. If the ship doesn’t take a liking to you, you’re best off swimming ashore—sharks, sea serpents and all. But don’t worry, I have a feeling she’ll love you.”
I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or nod seriously. “Lead on,” I instructed, and we walked the length of her decks to her bows. I was uncomfortably aware of every man stopping what he was doing to stare, but nobody said anything and Leo didn’t seem to notice.
“We’ve been together just over a year,” he said. “She was a merchant vessel when I found her, but she’s taken to the piratical life as if she were born to it.”
“As if she were born to it? You talk as if the ship is alive.”
“She is, in her own way. She’s a living being who needs constant attention. She breathes the wind in her sails and drinks the water at her bows. She can be temperamental, mixes goo
d behavior with bad just as thoroughly as any other sailor, and makes it very clear if she’s not happy. Once you know how to listen, you’ll hear she talks constantly. She tells me when she needs more sail or less, whether our course suits her and when she needs some loving care. Her punishment is swift and brutal if she’s mistreated. Make no mistake, Gabriella, if you want to stay at sea, you have to make her acquaintance, earn her trust and learn how to live with her as your mistress.”
“If I want to stay at sea?” I asked, not sure if I was pleased or insulted at his assumption, yet excited by the invitation.
“Yes.” He looked at me in surprise. “Isn’t that what last night was about? In my experience, passengers don’t tend to leave their warm, dry and safe cabin on their first night at sea, especially to make hot chocolate for a pirate crew they don’t know and have good reason to fear—in a blow.”
“Do I have good reason to fear?”
“Of course you do. Look around you.”
We were on the foredeck now, the sea giving way before us with only a fine mist of spray in retaliation, and I turned to look at the ship behind me. Her well-scrubbed wooden decks were almost white in the bright sun and the men on them went about their work much more sedately than they had last night. Not such a good thing; they had plenty of time to leer, and whilst there were some smiles, there was not one I enjoyed receiving. I hung onto Leo’s arm a little tighter and understood the only thing keeping me safe from these men was his word. I took a deep breath, and noticed they all turned back to their work when they realized Leo’s eyes were on them.
A line of three or four men hauled together on the same rope, and I looked up to see where it led. There were more men on the highest horizontal wooden branch—yard—on the mainmast and, as I watched, the sail rolled down and reflected the sun into my eyes. I realized the rope was attached to one of the bottom corners and I watched the flogging sail come under control, making a perfect bellied square. I felt the ship beneath my feet surge forward. “She’s telling you she’s pleased with more sail isn’t she?”
Leo nodded in approval. “You’re learning her language already. That will help you with the men.”
I looked at him again, remembering his warning over my safety.
“Just be careful and stay close to me. As I said when you came aboard, you are women aboard a ship of free men. Whilst I have made it clear you are not to be harmed, that you are my woman, they are still—”
“That I’m your woman?” I interrupted, full of outrage and, if I was honest, a small fluttering in my stomach. There was no doubt I was intrigued and yes, even fascinated by this man who’d come into my life in such dramatic fashion. But I was a married woman, however reluctantly. All I knew of being a man’s woman was pain, fragility and fear. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk that again, despite the way my body betrayed me in his presence.
“Calm down.” He laughed at the heat in my cheeks. “I told you before, the only fare to pay aboard this ship is a sailor’s: to hand, reef and steer. Nothing else will be asked or expected of you.” He laughed again at my confusion. “Don’t look so worried, querida. The only way I can ensure your safety is if the men believe you’re mine. If they harm you, they’d be challenging me in mutiny, which I can punish by marooning or death. Stay close to me, heed my words and you’ll be fine. I won’t ask anything of you that you don’t want to give. Are my terms acceptable?”
“And what about Klara?”
“She’s also under my protection.”
I nodded. Who knew a pirate would be honorable? I relaxed a little, wondering what the social etiquette was for this situation. He’d been a perfect gentleman so far and had treated both myself and Klara with courtesy and respect—except for shouting at me in the storm last night. What manner of man is he? I watched the men set another sail and remembered what I’d seen the night before.
“How do they know which rope to pull in the dark?” I wanted to change the subject whilst I took in everything that had happened in the last couple of days.
“A lifetime of long practice and close attention. Every line has a purpose, and every man knows this ship inside and out, day and night. Any of us could board any ship and know exactly how to sail her. This is what we do. This is the world we are masters of.”
I relaxed further, my attention fixed on his voice with the slight Spanish accent. He talked of his ship and men with pride, almost like a father talking about his children, and I was beginning to understand that life at sea was as much about living by your heart as it was about the skills and risks involved. I looked around me at the faces of men who had chosen this life with new insight, and realized I had a chance to be part of a family. I was seventeen years old and didn’t know what that was like. I had a real chance at a real life here. It might be a short one, and it might be strange one, but that may just be outweighed by the way it was lived. I looked at my new home with hope and possibility, then grinned up at Leo.
“Hand, reef and steer, I think you said, what’s first?”
Chapter 32
“First” turned out to be Jimmy, the one-legged cook. I’d spotted him on my first night aboard, somehow managing to stay upright on that heaving deck with a pegleg. He was not friendly.
“So, you’re after my place are you, lovey?” he snarled after Leo had made the introductions and left us to it. “Don’t think I don’t know what you were trying to do the other night. Making everyone hot chocolate.” He spat on the deck. “Are you trying to get me marooned or just thrown overboard? Set your sights on this ship, haven’t you lovey? Aye, and the captain, I bet. Well, I ain’t shifting for no one, especially not a slip of a lass like you.”
“I’m not trying to steal your position,” I gabbled, staring after Leo. How can he leave me with this man? “Only help where I can.”
“Aye, well. You haven’t the strength to do my job, lovey, I can tell you that right enough, but I reckon I can find some use for you.” He laughed and my heart sank further as he directed me along deck.
I was glad to leave the scorching galley, although concerned about where we were going. Above decks, it was hot, below was hotter, but Jimmy’s domain by the galley fire was hell. Or so I thought until we clambered down the ladder to the orlop deck, down in the bowels of the ship, and I found out where our meat lived.
There was no light down here bar the lantern that Jimmy carried with us, and as soon as we walked into the animal hold, the flame dimmed and burned blue. Now I understood hell. I had thought the galley scorching, but this rivaled it and the stench was unbelievable. My nose and eyes ran with the stink of excrement and brimstone, and my stomach soon followed. I ran out of there gasping for air, and clawed my way up the ladders and on up to the open deck. Jimmy’s laughter followed me all the way.
“Gabriella!” Leo ran over to where I hung over the rail, still retching, although my stomach was empty. “What’s wrong? What happened? Jimmy!”
I winced at his roar, but held my hand up to stay him. “Nothing, he didn’t do anything, just took me to help him with the animals.”
“That wasn’t the idea. Jimmy, what were you thinking? She was supposed to help you with the cooking—and hopefully improve it! What did you take her down there for?”
“Well Cap’n, I’ve got a bit behind on clearing them out. When you said she was to help . . .”
“It’s fine, Leo, if he needs help with the animals, I’ll help.” Now that I’d got over the initial shock of their living conditions, I couldn’t stand to think of those beasts spending all their time like that, at the mercy of Jimmy’s inattention. It was a wonder they lived long enough to be butchered.
“No, Gabriella, I’ll not have you working down in that hold.”
I could see Jimmy smirking behind Leo and knew I couldn’t let Leo cosset me, not if I wanted to earn a place on this crew. My dismay turned to determination. I would do this. I would earn the respect of these men and I’d make life a bit more bearable for our meat while I was at it.<
br />
“Are there any spare scarves?” I asked, noticing the silk squares about the sailors’ heads and necks. “And any way of getting some air down there?”
“Gabriella . . .” Leo started, then paused, assessing my new purpose. “Well, if you’re sure, we’ll get a windsail rigged. Jimmy, see to that will you.” It wasn’t a question. “Come with me,” he added, and took my arm.
In the main cabin he rummaged in his seachest and pulled out a square of red silk which I tied around my hair. He looked at me a moment, then passed me another.
“You might like to tie it around your mouth and nose,” he said.
Embarrassed, I took it and said nothing.
*
Back on deck, all the hatches stood open and canvas billowed around them, directing what little breeze there was below. I looked at Jimmy, still smirking, and tied the red silk around my face. I stared at him a moment, then went below. I would do this. Jimmy stamped along behind me and passed me a shovel.
“Buckets are over there, lovey.” His smirk disappeared and we got to work.
Chapter 33
GABRIELLA
17th April 1686
Klara and I finished mucking the goats out the next day. I was getting worried about her—I’d never known her be so quiet. I realized she was taking Wilbert and Jan’s deaths very hard. I didn’t know what to do for her but give her time, keep her busy, and try to involve her in this new life as much as possible.
We’d delayed seeing to the sow and tried to ignore the rustling of the rats that always stayed out of sight in the dim light, but couldn’t put it off any longer. I straightened up, pulled the scarf from my mouth and suggested a break and some fresh air before we took on the pigpen, when I heard laughter behind us. Expecting Jimmy, I was surprised to see three men blocking our exit. I recognized them as two of the topmen, Newton and Smith, and one of the men from the slaver—Ime—who had come aboard with us. They were not friendly. I was immediately wary.
The Valkyrie Series: The First Fleet - (Books 1-3) Look Sharpe!, Ill Wind & Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure Page 31