by Merry Farmer
“Querida,” he growled, incapable of finding the words to adequately describe his euphoria.
He put his hands on her thighs as she rode him to heaven, their eyes locked together. She cupped her breasts and squeezed her nipples, smiling seductively. Their lovemaking had unleashed a hidden passion she likely wasn’t aware she possessed. When the bounty erupted from his body, he knew he would never tire of this incredible woman.
This Changes Everything
Life fell into a pattern. They scored a mark on the wall of the cave every night before they fell asleep. A month passed quickly.
They gradually got used to the ubiquitous tiny red ants.
They dragged the mattress out into the sun every day and shook off the inevitable sand.
Their diet consisted of the fish Maximiliano had become proficient at catching. He also mastered the skill of spearing ocean fish with his dagger lashed to a long pole. They ate crabs from tidal pools and continued to harvest the plentiful fruits and fallen coconuts. They roasted breadfruit. Heidi expected to lose weight, but it was a forlorn hope, and Maximiliano insisted he loved her curves.
He began an effort to make a raft from odd pieces of wood salvaged from the wreck, but it was difficult without tools and nails, and she often had to use the needle to remove splinters from his hands.
He lashed random planks together with plaited vines and rope from the ship but wasn’t confident such a flimsy craft would hold together in the open sea.
After one particularly violent storm that kept them confined to the cave for an entire day, they discovered the battered wreck of the Juana had completely disappeared, dragged off the rocks by the tidal surge.
They stood hand in hand on the beach, scanning the horizon for any sign of the vessel. For Heidi it was an unsettling event, but she knew the ship’s demise meant much more to Maximiliano. The set of his jaw betrayed his turmoil, and she had no words to console him.
He climbed the mountain once a week, always returning with the same news—nothing as far as the eye could see.
They swam naked in their pool every day. Heidi lost her fear of the water and learned to swim a few strokes. Eventually, Maximiliano coaxed her to hold her breath underwater.
He carried water from the pool for her to wash what little clothing they had.
They made love often, sometimes slowly, languidly, other times frenziedly, with great passion. Maximiliano found ways to carry her to new heights. She became bolder, even taking him into her mouth.
They took to wearing less clothing in the tropical heat. Heidi cut her skirt short and went about topless most of the time. She fashioned a loincloth for Maximiliano from the fabric of her skirt. Bare feet became the norm. The sun darkened his bronzed skin; his beard grew until he finally allowed her to trim it with his dagger.
Her fear they would never leave the island ebbed away. She was happier than she’d ever been, living in paradise with a man she adored.
She sensed contentment in him too. Perhaps, he’d found his haven from the international navies that hunted him.
They shared memories of very different childhoods. She recounted Danish folktales; he told hair-raising stories of narrow escapes from Spanish navy ships and British gunboats.
They piled wood on the beach to serve as a signal fire in the event of a passing ship. In the early days, Maximiliano religiously repaired damage done by wind and waves, but gradually seemed to lose interest in maintaining the beacon.
“Do you get bored here alone with just me for company?” Heidi asked one night as they lay sated in each other’s arms.
Maximiliano had worried he might tire of Heidi; he’d never committed to anyone since his wife’s death, and his vows to Juana had been uttered mechanically. However, he couldn’t imagine life without his Danish castaway. His body reveled in the sexual delights they shared, and he enjoyed her company. Her smile brightened his days, her sense of humor kept him entertained. She was in his blood, and he would never tire of her.
But he decided to tease. “Let me see,” he mused. “Do I miss dealing with members of my family in Puerto Rico who prosper through bribery and corruption, but who looked down on me because I am a pirate?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Do I miss my malodorous crew?”
“Probably,” she conceded.
“They were loyal,” he agreed, nibbling her earlobe. “I hope they managed to start new lives somewhere. But I prefer your company. You smell better.”
“Maybe they are still wondering what became of the Juana.”
“At least they knew where they were. I still have no idea of our location. If I had Gatito’s telescope...”
“Do you care if we are rescued or not?” she whispered, her fingertips tracing the line of hair from his chest to his belly.
It was a question he’d often asked himself, but she was edging close enough to his cock to make him lose his concentration.
By the end of the second month, Heidi was concerned. She hadn’t had her monthly flow since arriving on the island and feared she had fallen ill, especially when the retching began.
Living at close quarters, it was impossible to hide her malady from Maximiliano. One morning, after a week of scurrying off to the rocks, she returned to the beach and sat beside him, still feeling too queasy to eat the guava he’d sliced up to break their fast. “It must be something in our diet that doesn’t agree with me,” she told him. “It will pass by this afternoon.”
He eyed her curiously. “I notice you’re only sick in the morning.”
“Ja.”
“Forgive me for asking,” he said, “but, since we’ve been together, you’ve never begged off for...er...female reasons.”
She was hesitant to tell him she thought she had contracted a terrible tropical disease. “I believe the shock of being marooned has interrupted...” She frowned when he laughed. “Don’t mock me,” she cried. “I think I am dying.”
He put a hand on her belly. “You’re not dying, querida, just pregnant.”
She shook her head vehemently. “It’s impossible. I’m barren. Torsten and I...”
He smiled. “Perhaps he was the problem.”
She blinked away unbidden tears. Was it possible she was carrying a child? For years, she had longed for a family, but she’d assured Maximiliano she was barren and, as a result, they’d taken no precautions. She squealed when he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.
“I have always wanted a son,” he declared, his voice cracking with emotion. “And you will be a wonderful mother. But this changes everything.”
Grief and uncertainty tightened her throat, until he grinned. “No child of mine will be born a bastard. Will you wed with me, Heidi Jakobsen?”
All That I Am
Getting his boots on was more difficult than Maximiliano anticipated. “My feet must have grown,” he complained to Heidi as he lay on the mattress with one foot in the air, pulling on the stubborn leather.
“It’s more likely the boots have shrunk,” she replied, “and we can get married without footwear.”
“Absolutely not,” he insisted. “We are going to do this properly.”
“I look silly with my short skirt and sensible Danish shoes,” she complained.
He winked. “But the button-up blouse is perfect for a bride.”
He stood, walked out of the cave, then back inside. “Not too bad,” he said, reluctant to admit the boots pinched his toes. “Do I look presentable?”
She laughed. “I like you better naked, but I suppose on his wedding day, a man must look his best.”
He cupped her face. “I was married before, but this is the most important day of my life, so, sí, I’d prefer to be clothed.”
Tears welled. “But it’s only for the babe.”
He shook his head. “You cannot believe that. You are my life, Heidi. I suppose I have thought of you as my wife for a long while.”
He took her hand and led her to their pool. He looked into
her eyes as they stood face to face in the warm sunshine.
“I, Maximiliano de Aguero y de Monzón, promise to cherish, protect and honor you as my wife all the days of my life. You have given me hope and joy and made me a better man. Without you, I am nothing. I want to be your husband, lover, friend and confidant. You are my breath, my every heartbeat. I have no ring to give, only my love. Te amo, querida.”
Heidi inhaled deeply. Tears threatened, but she was determined to speak her vows with as much nobility as Maximiliano.
“I, Heidi Jakobsen, promise to love, honor and obey you as my husband. You know me better than anyone else in the world, yet you still love me. I vow to be honest, caring and truthful. All that I have, all that I am, all I will ever be is yours forever. Te amo. Jeg elsker dig.”
“Jeg elsker dig,” he repeated, putting his arms around her waist.
“Godt,” she exclaimed, impressed with his attempt at her language.
“I want to learn more Danish,” he replied.
“I’ll teach you.”
He bent to kiss her belly. “And my babe.”
“Ja,” she whispered, elated he cared passionately about their child, but worried about the babe’s future.
“How do you say honeymoon in Danish?” he asked.
“Bryllupsrejse.”
It took him three attempts to get it almost right.
“Take off your wedding finery,” he said at last. “We are going to spend our bryllupsrejse in our private pool.”
Maximiliano and Heidi clung to each other in the warm water.
He had everything a man could ever want—a beautiful wife he loved, the carefree life he’d longed for, a child on the way. There was no reason they couldn’t eventually construct a more suitable dwelling than the cave—except one.
Their paradise wasn’t the place to raise a child. Given their passion for each other, it was likely they’d sire a sizable brood. His offspring would have no future, no opportunity to see the world, to meet a mate, have families of their own. Life beyond the island could be brutal, but their children had a right to make their own choices.
He stroked Heidi’s hair, reluctant to spoil the happiness of the day. “We have to find a way to leave the island.”
She tensed in his arms. “But you’re safe here.”
He understood her fear. It lay like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. A return to the outside world carried with it the danger of arrest and a trial that would undoubtedly end with his execution. “We’ve survived here so far,” he said softly, “but what can the island offer our son or daughter?”
“I wish I’d never fallen pregnant,” she murmured.
“That’s not true, querida. You were born to be a mother, and you know deep down I am right.”
She sobbed quietly for long minutes, before leaning her forehead against his chest. “I’m afraid.”
“As am I,” he confessed.
Miscalculation
Maximiliano worked tirelessly to fashion a raft.
As Heidi’s belly began to swell, he forbade her participation in the work. Her morning sickness abated, but dread knotted her innards. The babe she carried had changed their idyllic life completely. Their lovemaking now was bittersweet, tinged with a sense of foreboding that soon, soon...
She had vivid nightmares—Maximiliano being hauled to the scaffold, his hands and feet manacled.
He rocked her when she cried. Guilt assailed her. He must be as afraid of the future as she was, yet he never spoke of the consequences of rescue or escape.
Instead, he held her in his arms every night and mused about their babe growing up to be a doctor, or lawyer, or anything but a pirate.
They talked of the countries where they might find refuge if Fate smiled on them. She had little appetite for returning to Denmark, but suggested they converse only in Danish. “Then you can pass for a Dane when we are rescued.”
He laughed. “Do I look like a Dane?”
But he humored her and agreed, nodding thoughtfully when she dug out his sack of loot and found Danish company currency from San Tomás. “See,” she declared triumphantly, clinging to the sliver of hope. “You could be Torsten.”
“Not if we encounter a Danish ship,” he replied.
As the days grew shorter, he climbed the mountain more frequently, returning one day in a state of excitement. “I’m confused,” he said breathlessly. “The marine layer has cleared and I think I see land in the far distance.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” she asked.
“But I expected to see something to the north, not the south. Clearly, we’re not where I thought we were.”
“Find the needle we used,” Maximiliano told Heidi. “I must make sure of our bearings.”
He followed her to the cave, discounting the thousand-and-one navigational theories that had swirled in his mind since they’d been marooned. A large land mass to the south hadn’t factored into his calculations. They were evidently further south than he’d thought. The hotter temperatures and the position of the stars should have been a clue, but he’d always relied on Gatito for navigating.
Heidi handed him the slightly rusty needle. “You seem excited,” she said.
He nodded. “If I did see land to the south, our raft might make it there on a calm day.”
“Is it Puerto Rico, do you think?” she asked.
He shook his head, reluctant to get her hopes up.
He scraped the rust off the needle on a stone just outside the cave. They took it down to the rocks, magnetized it again on Heidi’s hair and sat it in a floating leaf.
“It’s the same as you told me before,” she whispered. “What country do you think is to the south?”
She had a right to know. “I think the large land mass is Venezuela. However, between us and them are the Dutch islands.”
He anticipated her puzzled frown. “Either is better than Puerto Rico,” he explained. “It’s unlikely anyone will recognize me in those places.”
“Could you pass as a Dane?”
“I’ve not been there, so I don’t know, but Venezuela is part of Gran Colombia. Their navy is probably aware of Lázaro the Pirate, though I’ve never taken one of their ships. I speak a little Dutch.”
“Are you certain it’s Venezuela?” Heidi asked for the hundredth time as Maximiliano secured the rope that bound her to the raft. She hated the fear in her voice and hoped he knew she trusted him.
“As certain as I can be,” he replied patiently. “The coastline has become clearer in the week since I first saw it, and the sea is as calm today as it’s ever likely to be.”
They’d pushed the raft into the shallows and lashed her portmanteau to the flimsy craft. The pistols, his boots and meager provisions had been stuffed into her bag.
“The first part will be the roughest,” he told her, “but once we’re past the reef, the outgoing tide will be with us.”
She’d wanted to help him force the raft through the waves breaking on shore, but he’d insisted she be tied to the craft.
He knelt in the sand. “I’m not a religious man,” he said. “But I pray God will protect you and my niño. Never forget I love you.”
She couldn’t stop the tears. “As I love you.”
He rose and pushed the raft into the waves.
She clawed the rope, quickly drenched by the spray as the surf did its utmost to batter the raft back to the island. She could barely see her husband, but prayed his incredible strength and determination would see them through.
Dolphins
Maximiliano gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain of the coral lacerating his feet as he summoned all his strength to conquer the power of the surf. He was on the point of surrendering when the raft suddenly surged forward to bob on calm waves.
“We made it,” Heidi exclaimed as she helped him crawl aboard.
He sat cross-legged and used his dagger to cut loose the makeshift oar he’d fashioned. “I must row,” he panted. “We could sti
ll be pulled back.”
“But your feet,” she cried.
He came to his knees, dipped the oar and pulled. “The salt will stop the bleeding.”
He estimated he’d paddled more than a mile when the fire in his biceps forced him to rest.
They looked back at the island—now a blurred line on the near horizon—then at each other. Neither spoke. No words were needed.
Still gulping air, he set his sights on the dark landmass he hoped was Venezuela. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Not seasick?”
She shook her head, smiling weakly. “Your raft is well made.”
“So far, so good,” he agreed, taking up the oar once more.
Heidi eased the oar from Maximiliano’s grip when he slumped forward on all fours then collapsed onto the raft, completely exhausted.
He’d been paddling for hours, yet the coastline seemed no closer. If she didn’t take a turn, they would start to drift. They’d brought as much food and water as they could safely load onto the raft, but not enough to last for days on end.
Rising to her knees, she plied the oar for a long while until she feared her back might break. She sat, dismayed her attempts were getting them nowhere. When Maximiliano rolled over and blinked, she set aside the oar and offered the canteen. He sat up and sipped slowly.
“Venezuela doesn’t seem any closer,” she rasped, her throat as dry as dust.
He handed her the canteen. “Drink.”
She shook her head. “I can wait.”
“But the babe can’t,” he insisted, cocking his head. “Listen. Do you hear that?”
She shook her head. “What?”
“Dolphins, talking to each other.”
She frowned, unable to hear anything except the wind. Seconds later, they were surrounded by the sleek sea creatures leaping from the water. “It does sound like they’re communicating,” she agreed with a smile. “I’ve never seen dolphins before.”