by Anne Herries
Getting to her feet, Maribel gazed out of the window. She could see a dark haze on the horizon and knew that it must be the island they had sailed so far to find. Her heart pounded and she could scarcely breathe. She had been lulled into a sense of peace on the long journey for she had been treated with respect, both the pirate captain and his men seeming to keep a distance between them and her.
It was not so for Anna, who spent most of her time talking with Higgins or Tom on deck. She still did her work, but there was a new attitude in her manner. Now she was less deferential and treated Maribel more as a friend than a mistress.
Maribel was not certain how she felt about the new order. Anna had moved on while she was in limbo, neither a part of the close community that made up the crew or a prisoner. The men looked at her uncertainly, but few of them spoke to her.
‘At first they thought you were Sylvester’s woman,’ Anna had told her once. ‘Now they are not sure what you are to him. They keep you at a distance because he has said that any man who lays a finger on you will be hung.’
‘That was harsh.’ Maribel frowned. ‘Surely such words were not necessary?’
‘Some of them would respect you as a lady, others would rape you given the chance.’ Anna was brutally frank. ‘Some of the men are honest enough, but Higgins said that many are scum and not to be trusted. It will be worse when we get to the island and mix with the other crews.’
‘I see…’ Maribel shivered. Yet Anna had told her nothing she had not sensed from the beginning. She was safe only because she was under Captain Sylvester’s protection. ‘Perhaps it would be best if I did not go ashore.’
‘We shall all go ashore,’ Anna told her. ‘The ship must be cleaned and refitted. You could not stay on board while that was happening.’
‘I see.’ Maribel bowed to her superior knowledge. Higgins must have told her what would happen when they reached the island. Anna was one of them. Maribel was still an outsider. ‘Then I must wait until Captain Sylvester tells me what I must do.’
Chapter Four
‘We shall drop anchor in the bay this evening,’ Justin commented as he came to stand by Maribel that afternoon. She nodded, but did not turn her head to look at him.
Her gaze was intent on the island, a feeling of doubt mixed with anticipation in her heart. It had been just a dark smudge for some time, but now she could see the crowded waterfront with its untidy huddle of buildings. Few of them were substantial, most built of wood, and to her eyes of poor quality. Further back there were houses and taverns of a better standard, larger and more what she might have expected in a port anywhere, but it was clear that the community was small.
‘It is not what I expected.’
‘The accommodation here is not what you are used to, Maribel. I have a friend whose house is further inland. I shall take you there. Peg will look after you while we stay here.’
‘Who is he? I do not know the name? Is Peg an English name?’
‘It is a nickname, a woman’s name. I dare say she was once called Margaret.’ Justin frowned. ‘Peg was sentenced to hang for murder. She killed a man who tried to rape her. Someone rescued her from the noose; then she found a lover and went to sea with him, dressed as a man. She served before the mast for some months and was involved in a mutiny. Eventually, the crew landed here. She and her man ran the largest tavern on the waterfront. He died of a fever last winter, but she carries on. Everyone respects Peg and they know she would as soon stick a knife in a man as allow him to take liberties. If she takes you under her wing, you will be safe.’
‘Thank you.’ Maribel hesitated, then, ‘Where will you stay?’
‘I shall lodge at one of the taverns. I am building a house. I commissioned it when we were last here with what gold I had, not stolen but my own, which I had hidden about me when I was shanghaied aboard my first ship. It is expensive to bring in stone, though we have an abundance of timber, which is why so many buildings are made of it. Once the house is finished, I shall stay there when we visit the island.’
‘You were shanghaied—does that mean you were taken on board against your will?’
‘Yes. Why do you ask?’
‘I know so little of you, where you come from—and how you became a pirate. I do not think that you were always the man you are now?’
‘No, I was not always a pirate,’ Justin agreed. ‘It was never my intention to become one, but sometimes we have little choice in life. Had I not become a pirate, I and others might have died.’
‘You are a powerful man. Others obey you. Could you now not go where you wish?’
‘Perhaps this is what I wish for.’
Maribel turned to look at him, her eyes wide and intent. ‘Is this what you intend for the rest of your life? To roam the seas in search of prey and then come back to this place?’
Justin’s expression hardened. ‘I know that it must seem a wretched place after your homeland. The cities in Spain are beautiful and your home was no doubt solid and well built, the house of a wealthy man, but you were not happy there. Even a palace may be a prison if it is not a place of freedom. This island has been a refuge for men such as I for a relatively short time. In years to come it will grow larger. As more settlers arrive the town will begin to look more prosperous.’
‘It will always be a haven for pirates,’ Maribel said and then realised that her words sounded harsh—harsher than she intended.
‘Yes, I dare say it will—until someone decides to blow us all from the face of the earth.’ Justin’s face was expressionless, his thoughts hidden. ‘Yet not all the men and women here are scum. Some like Peg were forced to the life by the unjust laws that would have hung her for defending herself against an evil man. Would you condemn her too? Your own father has done many evil things. He is wealthy, but more to blame than some here for they never had a choice.’
Maribel’s eyes fell before his anger. ‘Yes, I know. I did not mean to insult Peg—or you. I understand that something terrible must have driven you to this life. I suspect that you were once a gentleman.…’
‘You suspect that I was once a gentleman…’ A gleam of humour showed in his face for a moment, then it faded. He made her a mocking bow. ‘Thank you, my lady. What makes a gentleman in your eyes—fine clothes and wealth or a large house?’
‘No, of course I did not mean…’ Maribel’s cheeks were on fire. ‘I beg you will not mock me, sir. I did not intend to insult you. I believe you would not describe your present position as that of a gentleman?’
‘Oh, no, believe me, I should not,’ Justin said, his mouth grim. ‘I am well aware that I forfeited all right to call myself by that title long ago. Yet still I have some honour. My word is my bond and you may rely on it.’
‘I know and I do trust your word.’ She lay a hand on his arm, feeling the hardness and strength of muscle and bone through the thin shirt he wore. He was a powerful man, and could, if he wished, break her with his hands. Yet she sensed that somewhere deep inside there was a different man, a man who knew how to be gentle and generous. It was that man she longed to see, that man she caught glimpses of now and then. ‘Forgive me if I have offended you, sir. It was an idle question and not my business.’
‘No, it was not your business—yet I shall tell you. I led a mutiny against a man of such brutality that he drove his crew beyond all limits. After that, there was nothing for us but to make a living from piracy. For myself, I intend to pursue the career only until I can make a new life elsewhere.’
‘Shall you return to England and your home one day?’
‘I think not.’ Justin’s eyes were shadowed, giving no indication of his feelings. ‘Enough questions, lady.’ Tis time to go ashore. Higgins will look after you and Anna. He will find transport and take you to Peg’s, where you will stay until I come. Under no circumstances are you to venture on to the waterfront unless I am with you. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Maribel was silenced. Why did he think it necessary to give
her orders? Was he punishing her for what she had said? It was not necessary, she was not a child nor would she dream of straying to the port alone. ‘I shall obey you, for I have no wish to mix with pirates or their whores!’
Justin gave her a searing look. ‘Have a care, lady! Such language will earn you no friends on shore. Pride is all very well, but for the moment you are a guest in company that you may despise but should fear. I can command my own crew, but there are men on shore who would rape and hurt you if they found you wandering alone. You have been warned, so take care! I cannot always be there to protect you.’
‘Then why have you brought me to such a place?’ Maribel demanded, provoked by his attitude into retaliation.
Justin looked at her, seeing the pride but underneath the vulnerability. She was trying to hold on to her dignity but she was out of her depth and afraid of things she did not understand. She might no longer have her hair dressed in ringlets and she had left off her heavy panniers, but the pride of a high-born Spanish lady remained. ‘You are asking a question I have asked myself a thousand times on the journey, lady. I should have sent most of the crew here and taken the Defiance to England—you are a burden we could do without and the sooner we are rid of you the better!’
Maribel felt the cut of his words like the lash of a whip. He was angry with her and it was her own fault. Captain Sylvester had proved himself a man of his word and yet she had done nothing but provoke him—and she did not know why.
Tears stung behind her eyes as she was assisted into the boat taking her and Anna ashore. What a fool she was to quarrel with the only man who could help her. She knew that he had been forced to keep his promise to his crew and sail them here. She was stupid to make so much fuss about being brought to this place. Captain Sylvester had done his best for her and she must endure whatever discomfort there was until he took her to England. She could only hope that she had not pushed him too far, for she shuddered to think what life would be like for her here if he abandoned her.
* * *
‘So Sylvester sent you to me, did he?’ Peg stood with her hands on her hips and looked Maribel over. ‘Yer a lady, ain’t yer? What are yer doin’ in a place like this?’
‘It is a long story. Captain Sylvester has agreed to take me to my family in England when we leave here.’
‘Well, if he gave yer his word he will.’ Peg laughed. She was a buxom woman, but still attractive though past her best years. ‘He is a good man. I owe me life to him, but that is another story—and one yer won’t hear from me. Yer can stay here if yer like. It may not be ter yer ladyship’s liking, but it is sanctuary on this island. All the scum of the earth frequents that waterfront, believe me. There are a few honest men forced to the trade what retain a sense of fair play, but most would slit yer throat for a handful of silver.’
Maribel shivered. ‘I have heard that the waterfront can be a terrible place.’
‘Aye, it is that and more—but the brethren live by a code and most won’t break it. They know what will happen if they do—either a trial and a hanging or cast off on one of the tiny deserted islands in these seas. We’ve trees, water and food enough here, but some of the islands are little more than bare rock. There’s many a sailor been left to die on an island without a drop of water save the sea. It drives’ em mad in the end. Given the choice, most would rather hang than die that way.’
‘I suppose it is a kind of justice?’
‘’Tis the only law we have. If there were none there would be no living at all—and ’tis as fair as many of the laws in England, and Spain, I dare say. I wouldn’t like to be a prisoner of the Inquisition.’
‘No, nor should I,’ Maribel agreed and smiled. She had begun to like Peg even though the woman was coarse spoken and had killed a man in self-defence. ‘Shall I be a trouble to you?’
‘Lord’ ave mercy!’ Peg shouted with laughter. ‘Not the least, though yer’ll have to give a’ and now and then. Share the chores we all do, for there are no servants here. Yer woman is free to come and go as she pleases. If it suits her to help yer she may, but she can’t be forced to it. We are all equal here—though some of them think they can lord it over the rest of us…’ Peg scowled. ‘I don’t mean you, dearie. That black-hearted scum Captain Pike is in port. He is a murdering devil and would split a man in two as soon as spit. My advice is to stay out of his way. If he sees your pretty face, he’ll want yer. You may be under the protection of Captain Sylvester, but Pike is no respecter of property. If he wants yer, he’ll come for yer and take the consequences after. He has fought and won more duels than any other man I know.’
Maribel felt sick. She shivered despite the heat of the day. It had been bad enough knowing she must marry against her will to an evil man who laid claim to the name of gentleman—but a ruthless pirate who cared for no man would be far worse! If he had taken her captive she would no doubt already be dead, for she would have taken her own life rather than let a man like that touch her.
Peg’s words made her reflect on the treatment she had received from Captain Sylvester. He had given her his protection and shown her respect and what had she offered him in return? She regretted her quarrel with him more than ever. Supposing he decided to leave her to her fate? She would be a prisoner in Peg’s house, for she would not dare to go anywhere alone while Captain Pike was in port.
* * *
Justin frowned. He knew that he had provoked Maribel to a sharp retort, but he had been annoyed with himself for bringing her to this place. He should have known that it was too rough and ready for a woman like her. She could never live happily on the island. He must see to his business here and leave for England as quickly as possible.
‘So you’re Sylvester…’ The bulky pirate placed himself square in Justin’s path, his narrow set eyes glinting with malice. Some of his teeth were black and rotten, and his breath foul. He wore a red scarf beneath a battered black hat and an overcoat with several pockets over his shirt; his breeches were salt-stained, his boots had never been polished and his hair hung on his shoulders in greasy rattails. ‘I’ve heard you took a few prizes this trip—bagged yerself a mighty fortune, by all accounts.’
‘We have done well enough,’ Justin replied, keeping his tone civil though he disliked the man instantly. They had never met, but Pike’s reputation had gone before him and Higgins had pointed him out earlier. ‘My men are happy with the fruits of their labour. I trust you had similar fortune?’
‘Trust, do you?’ Pike spat on the ground, snarling in disgust. ‘We took nothing but a poxy merchantman with a cargo of wheat and barley. It will fetch a few guineas here for flour is always needed, but we had no rich pickings. Seems that you had all the luck, Sylvester. Tell me, what be your secret?’
‘We have no secret, just good fortune,’ Justin said. ‘Next time we may not fare as well.’
‘I heard tell you took at least two of that devil Don Sabatini’s ships?’
‘We may have done. Excuse me, sir. I have business.’
The pirate made no attempt to move. His hand rested suggestively on his sword hilt. ‘I took one of his ships last year…’
‘I dare say you will again.’ Justin’s eyes glittered. His hand moved to the hilt of his sword. ‘I believe there are plenty of merchant ships to go round. Perhaps you should try hunting in a different place—in the West Indies, mayhap?’
For a moment Captain Pike’s hand hovered above his sword hilt, a snarl on his lips, and then, as Higgins and one or two others came to stand at Justin’s back, it dropped to his side.
‘As you say, there is plenty for all. It would be better if we do not tread on each other’s toes in future, Sylvester.’
‘I wish you luck wherever you choose to go.’ Justin bared his white teeth in a smile. The other man glared at him, then pushed by and walked off.
‘Take care with him,’ Higgins warned in a low voice. ‘He has a foul temper and picks a quarrel too often. More men have died duelling with him than we lost in a year at
sea!’
‘Captain Pike does not bother me.’ Justin did not smile. ‘He may not lay claim to the seas—they are for everyone to roam as they see fit.’
‘I agree with you there and, if we meet at sea, we are more than a match for him. He has but the one ship while we have two…’
‘Three—I intend to purchase another ship. We shall be strong enough to stand against anything Sabatini or any other man sends against us when we sail again.’
‘The men expect to share the spoils of the last voyage. I am not sure they wish to purchase another ship.’
‘They will have their share. I have enough put by from other prizes to buy her. My house takes little of what I earn and I need nothing more. The new ship will earn its price many times.’
‘I thought you meant to gather what you could and start a new life elsewhere?’
‘In time, perhaps.’
Justin dismissed the question. Once he had thought to make a quick profit and start elsewhere, but he could see no real future for himself. He had forfeited his right to the life of a gentleman. His father would rightly disown him if he returned with the profits gained as a pirate in his pocket—and he was not sure that his cousins would welcome him in France.
Maribel’s scorn for his trade was proof if he had needed it that no decent woman would want him as her husband. He had made his choice when he threw in his lot with the mutineers and assumed command of the Defiance. There was no point in trying to be something that he could no longer claim to be.
His mouth twisted wryly as he recalled her scathing words when she was first taken captive. Even recently she had told him that she suspected that he had once been a gentleman. Well, she was right. He had been once, the son of a respected landowner and cousin to men who stood well at court. Those days were over. He was a pirate and must live and die as one—though he would not compare himself to the scum he had come in conflict with a moment earlier.