Anger made Thorn’s eyes a deeper blue. “I can assure you the battle we fought last night was not to save the Grand Vizier’s woman, Achmed, but rather to save my men and this ship. Your lord has a lot to answer for. He had no right to place this woman on my ship without my permission.”
Achmed blinked his eyes. “But, Captain Stoddard, I have heard that there were no casualties among your crew, and there is only minor damage to your ship, so I do not understand why you are so angry.”
Thorn glared at the big man, while he avoided looking at the shapeless woman who stood silently before him. “My first mate will show you and the woman to your cabins, which I might add, had to be vacated by members of my crew. I have not yet decided what is to be done with you. You will keep this woman away from my crew. Is that understood, Achmed?”
Achmed bowed low, while he backed toward the door, taking Brittany with him. “It will be as you say, Captain Stoddard. We have no desire to socialize with your crew.”
Thorn now glanced at the woman. He could not see her features through the blue veil, but he sensed her uneasiness. “This is the only warning you will have to keep the woman out of my way.”
Brittany was furious with the captain’s high-handed manner. Why did he treat her as if she did not exist? Did he believe her an imbecile with neither understanding nor feelings? She allowed Achmed to lead her out of the cabin, deciding she did not like the captain in the least.
For two days Brittany had occupied a cramped cabin. At home in Simijin’s palace, she had been accustomed to silken bed coverings and rich carpets on the floor, and she was appalled at the roughness of this sparsely furnished cabin.
She was seated in the middle of the small bunk that served as her bed, her anger hanging by a slim thread and barely under control. She had never expected a man to be as stubborn and unfeeling as this Captain Thorn Stoddard. She was not allowed out of the cabin other than for a brief walk on deck at sundown. At all other times, she was forced to endure this small place. She was accustomed to being active, so she was bored with nothing to do. She was young and high-spirited, and did not take well to a life of idleness.
Brittany did not know anything about men, except Simijin—who had always indulged her every whim—and Achmed and the three eunuchs at Simijin’s palace, but they were not like other men, and they had always treated her with the greatest respect. Now she had met a man who ignored and humiliated her.
Of course, she and Achmed had tricked their way on board the ship, but they had paid for their passage. Surely the captain could treat her with the same respect he would give to any other passenger.
She looked at herself in the hand mirror, still unaccustomed to the stranger that stared back at her. Each day, she had to rub her skin with the dark stain which had been made of black walnut oil. She also had to apply the henna rinse to her hair.
While in the cabin, she refused to wear the veils because they were too restricting and the heat was so oppressive. She glanced at the leather satchel, knowing it held some of her own gowns. She was weary of this deception and wished she could throw off this disguise and be herself. But no, she had promised her mother that she would pretend to be a woman of the harem, and she would keep her promise.
When the light knock fell on her door, Brittany scrambled to pull on her veil. She opened the door to find Achmed beaming at her.
“Did you have a nice afternoon sleep, little mistress?” he inquired, with the same concern as a protective mother. “I fear you will suffer from the heat.”
“Yes, it was too hot to sleep.” She looked wistfully out the porthole. “I wish I could go on deck and walk in the cool breeze. I do not like it here.”
“Oh, no, little mistress, you cannot do that. The captain has forbidden it, and I would not advise that you go against his orders.”
“I do not care if he objects or not. I will not stay in here like a prisoner.” She wrapped her blue veil about her face so nothing but her eyes showed. “I am going on deck; you can come or stay, just as you please.”
Achmed smiled at her. “I will come with you, mistress, but do not blame me if the captain throws you in the brig. He is not at all happy that you are on board his ship. He would welcome the chance to be rid of you.”
“I am…not frightened of that man.” Her voice did not sound convincing, and Achmed smiled.
“Very well, mistress, shall we go topside?”
She hesitated at the door, but when Achmed’s laughter rang out, she straightened her spine and moved purposefully down the companionway. With a show of bravado, she stepped out into the sunshine and moved quickly to the railing, fearing she would lose her nerve. She avoided looking up at the helm, lest the captain was there. She was aware of the curious stares the crew members cast in her direction, but she paid them no heed.
The sight that met Brittany’s eyes left her speechless. The waters of the Mediterranean were so shimmering and motionless that the surface looked like a bottomless mirror. The sky was blue and the air was clean. In the distance, she could see high cliffs, which she pointed out to Achmed.
“What country do you suppose that could be?” she asked eagerly.
“I am uncertain, but I shall ask,” he said, moving away before she could stop him.
Brittany breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Achmed approach not the infamous Captain Stoddard, but his first mate. After conversing with Mr. Hamish for a time, they both walked toward Brittany.
Smiling, Cappy Hamish approached the veiled woman. “Tell your mistress…” Cappy began, “that what she is seeing is the southern coast of Spain. Tonight we shall go through the Strait of Gibraltar, and tomorrow we shall reach the Atlantic Ocean.”
Pretending that Brittany did not speak English, Achmed translated for her, although she understood Mr. Hamish very well.
“Ask Mr. Hamish if we are going to put in anywhere, or if we are going to sail straight for America,” she said in the Turkish language.
While Achmed translated, Cappy nodded. “Tell your mistress that we will be putting in at the Canary Islands for some needed repairs.”
Brittany liked the first mate—he was nothing like his overbearing captain. She judged him to be near Simijin’s age. He was stocky and had soft gray eyes and graying hair. He had a ready smile, and he did not try to make her feel like an inferior, as his captain had.
A loud voice called out in anger, and Brittany moved closer to the railing as Captain Stoddard approached. “Achmed, I thought I told you to keep this woman below deck except at the hour I specified.”
“My mistress is unaccustomed to being shut in such a limited space. She needed air.”
Thorn’s eyes settled on the veiled figure. “Tell your mistress she will do as I command. If she finds her quarters too cramped, she might want to consider going ashore at the Canary Islands and finding another ship to take her to her destination. Perhaps she will fare better with a ship that is headed for England. That was her original destination, was it not?”
Achmed smiled. “That was the first destination. Since then, it was decided that she will go to Philadelphia.”
Thorn looked dumbfounded. “What can either of you know about Philadelphia? Have you ever been there?”
Achmed’s eyes suddenly became secretive. “I have not been there myself, but it is my master’s wish that my mistress be taken there.”
Thorn glanced out to sea. “If you obey me, I may consider taking you as far as Charleston, South Carolina, but you will have to find your own transportation to Philadelphia. Until then, keep this woman where she belongs. I am sure she is accustomed to always getting her own way, but I will not tolerate my orders being disobeyed. Tell her that.”
Brittany stared at Thorn Stoddard through her misty veil. Surely the blue of the sea was reflected in this American’s eyes. She found herself wanting to reach out and touch his clean-shaven face. Instead, she turned away, moving across the deck. She felt lost and alone. She had never known unkindness, and she fo
und it unsettling.
The heat intensified as the day progressed. Since she was accustomed to bathing each day, Brittany could no longer tolerate washing herself out of the pail of water that was allotted her. She had sent Achmed to the captain to deliver her demands for a tub and enough water for a bath.
Achmed now stood before the captain, his legs widespread, his arms crossed over his chest, mustering as much dignity as he could summon.
“My mistress has asked if it would be possible for her to have a tub bath. She is unaccustomed to this heat, and has always taken a daily bath.”
Thorn glared at the man. “Is there anything else that she would like?” he asked ironically.
“Yes,” Achmed answered, choosing to ignore the captain’s ill humor. “Since we will be stopping at the islands, I wonder if it would be possible to acquire silk bedding for my mistress. Her skin is so delicate that the rough sheets on her bed make her uncomfortable.”
Thorn looked at the man with little understanding of his devotion to such a spoiled and pampered woman. “Tell your mistress she will have to make do with what she has. As for a tub bath, that will be impossible until we take on fresh water.”
“My mistress will not like that. Cleanliness is important to her.”
“Do you never tire of catering to that woman’s slightest whim?”
“I do not find her unreasonable. She is unaccustomed to rough ways.”
“Need I remind you that I am captain of this ship,” Thorn drawled. “Your mistress should have thought of the discomfort she would encounter before she snuck on board. In the palace of the Grand Vizier, she may have been treated like a princess,” Thorn continued, “but on board my ship, she is just a passenger, and not even a welcome one. Tell your mistress that for me.”
“I shall not tell her that, Captain. She is here through no fault of her own.” Achmed bowed. “I will inform my mistress of your decision.”
After Achmed returned with the captain’s message, Brittany was so angry that she did not stop to consider her actions but stormed out of her cabin and up one deck to the captain’s quarters. She did not wait for an answer to her knock, but pushed the door open to find Thorn Stoddard seated at his desk. When he glanced up at her, there was shock on his face, but it was quickly masked by a look of anger.
Brittany moved quickly over to Thorn and stood with her hands on her hips. “Captain Stoddard, I am told that I cannot have a bath. I have given up much to be on this ship, but I will not give up cleanliness.”
He was not only startled that she spoke English, but that she spoke it with the same clear distinction of the upper class British. Thorn stared at the veil, unable to see the face behind it.
“I do not see that you have any choice, madame. You will find that the rules here on this ship are not so much governed for your comfort as for your safety and the safety of my men.”
“All I ask of you is common courtesy. I would not keep an animal cooped up as you have kept me. I will have my bath if I have to go swimming in the ocean.”
A slight smile tugged at his lips. “It’s a long swim back to Turkey, madame.”
“You are a hateful man, and I do not like you at all well.”
“And you, madame, are spoiled and pampered. In the past, I am sure you always had your own way. That will not be the case on board the Victorious.”
She leaned against the desk, propping the palm of her hands on the smooth surface. “You are arrogant and impossible, Captain Stoddard. I suppose you blame me for the battle with the Turkish Navy.”
The daintiness of her hands drew his attention, and he took notice of how dark her skin was. He realized she was much younger than he had supposed. Although he could not see her expression, he could feel her glaring at him from behind her veil of secrecy.
His eyes narrowed. “You are the reason for the battle, and you know it. I have known women like you, who only consider their own needs and not what consequences their actions might have on other lives. I should think you would appreciate the battle that was fought on your behalf.”
“I do appreciate what you did that night, Captain. But I do not appreciate that even though we are not acquainted, you have formed an opinion about me.”
“I have seen enough of you to know what you are like, madame.”
“Oh—are you such an expert on my kind of women, Captain Stoddard?”
“Yes, I know your kind of woman,” he ground out. Then his gaze suddenly clouded. “I have often met your kind.”
She straightened and moved back a pace, not understanding the anger in his voice. But he was not looking at her—he was looking through her. “Will…you allow me to have a bath?” she dared to ask again.
He stood up towering above her, his eyes closed. “Say please.”
“Never!”
“Is please such a difficult a word to say? Have you never said it before?”
“I will see you in hell before I beg anything of you, Captain.”
His laughter was filled with amusement and his eyes sparkled. “Very likely, madame, very likely. On thinking it over, I have decided to be generous and allow you to have your bath. Go to your cabin and send your slave to me. I will give him all you require.”
She moved to the door and turned back to him. They were both aware that she had not won a victory over this man just because he was allowing her to have her bath. “Achmed is not my slave,” she said in a heated voice.
“Your lap dog then?”
“You are a hateful man, Captain. I do not like you at all.”
“So you have already pointed out to me. But be assured that I will not wither away and die from your lack of regard for me.”
She turned away and rushed through the door, not wanting to be near that man one moment longer than necessary. He was the most arrogant, self-assured, and hateful man she had known. Of course she had not known many men, but she doubted that anyone could be worse than Captain Thorn Stoddard.
On returning to her cabin, Brittany unpacked her satchel and surveyed her meager belongings. There were several robes and veils, and a dancing costume that must have been placed in the satchel by one of the harem women, as well as three of her own gowns and undergarments and three pairs of shoes.
Brittany picked up the wooden chest that had been her mother’s. She opened the lid and fingered the jewels and gold that filled the chest to the brim, knowing her mother had given her the jewels. Suddenly she saw the edge of a paper and discovered the letter at the bottom of the chest. She recognized the handwriting as her mother’s.
“My dearest Daughter,
Please know that my prayers are with you, even as you read this note. I pray that God, in his infinite mercy, will see you land on safe shores. Know that it breaks my heart to send you away from my protective arms, but I can no longer keep you safe. Take care of yourself and rely on Achmed as I have all these years, and as soon as conditions permit, we shall be reunited. God bless and keep you, my dearest.”
For a long moment Brittany held the letter to her breasts, while tears of despair washed down her cheeks. “Oh, Mama. I am so confused and alone. I wish you were here.”
The halls of the Grand Seraglio rang with the sultan’s angry voice. He ranted at the poor, unfortunate Admiral Kainardji who had brought him news of defeat at the hands of the American captain.
“Am I surrounded by addle-brained imbeciles? How can you, Admiral Kainardji, allow one ship to out-maneuver and outfight the best of my navy?”
Admiral Kainardji lowered his eyes. “The weather was against us throughout the battle, and this Captain Stoddard struck at us at night. Like all Americans, this one did not fight by any rules.”
Selim’s eyes became dark pools of rage. “I want this man’s head brought back to me. No—better still, bring him back to me in one piece. I do not care how this is accomplished, just do it!”
Admiral Kainardji’s eyes closed against the fury he saw etched on the sultan’s face; he trembled because that rage
was directed at him.
“But, Majesty, the American, Captain Stoddard, will by now be out of our territorial waters. How can I pursue him in open sea?”
“Fool! Find him wherever he goes, and bring him to me. We will see how strong he is when he is confronted with a real man, like myself.”
“And the daughter of the English Rose?”
“She is not to be harmed—is that understood? Bring her to me, and do it as quickly as possible. But if you have to subdue her, take care that you leave no lasting scars. It will go hard with you if my orders are disobeyed this time.”
Admiral Kainardji bowed low. “Yes, Your Majesty, it will be as you command.”
Chapter Ten
“Sails in the distance, Captain,” the watch called down from his lofty perch. “Looks like it’s a Turkish vessel, and she’s closing on us fast.”
“Damn,” Thorn muttered under his breath. “Look sharp and man all positions,” he called out as he ran across the deck to take the helm. “Get Cappy up here on the double, and have all cannon made ready.”
“Aye, aye,” the watch called out, sliding down the rope and landing with both feet upon the deck.
The afternoon was tense as the Turkish ship matched the course of the Victorious. Thorn kept a wary eye on the distant sails, while his men stood by the cannons, ready for their captain’s command.
By sunset, the enemy had closed the gap between them, and the crew of the Victorious were primed and ready for battle. Just as the enemy vessel came near enough to fire her port cannon, she lowered her sails and turned back to sea.
Thorn called down to his men. “We are within sight of the Canary Islands, so the Turks dare not engage us in warfare. Rest easy men, they are sailing away. Make ready to come into port by sunrise.”
“Looks like we bested those devils again, Captain,” Cappy observed with a grin. “The bastards have turned tail and run. We’ve seen the last of them.”
Thorn turned the wheel against the wind. “Don’t be too sure, Cappy. They wanted the woman bad enough to send their fleet against us; it isn’t likely they will give up without another go at us.”
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