A Pirate's Wife by Lynelle Clark
7
August 22, 1624
Today was exceptionally warm day. The humid air caused our clothes to cling to our sweat-drenched bodies. Manuel was uncomfortable with the heat until Cisco took him to the river and dipped him in. For the first time in days he was happy, laughing as his father dragged him through the water playfully. Rosa-Lee also joined them in the water and I sat safely at the side with my feet in the stream.
It was a glorious summer day and Cisco relaxed with the children. He was extremely busy this time of the year. The responsibilities of a land owner weighed heavily on him. There was trouble with other land owners and they had held meetings the week before. It irritated him greatly since it took him away from his home and family. Also there were problems with the villagers he had to sort out. Tomorrow he must leave for Lisbon to see to the loading of the shipment he is sending to India.
Alfonso arrived a week ago and is helping him. The two friends were happy to see each other again for the first time since we arrived eight months ago.
Alfonso is captain of the new ship Cisco received from the D.E.I.C. in tribute for his bravery during the two years we struggled through the wilderness. If it was not for him we would not have made it and would have perished with the rest of the crew and slaves. Alfonso had no qualms about resigning from his old ship. He took the job Cisco offered since he receives part of the profits as payment.
Alfonso met a young woman in India that he brought with him. It was easy to see the sailor was smitten with her. He is talking about marriage before he leaves in another two weeks.
Akanksha is a raven-haired beauty with big, wide, smouldering eyes in such a youthful face. She loves Alfonso as much as he does her, which we are thankful for.
Previously another woman just wanted his name for her unborn child. He thought it was his until the baby was born. Cisco said that Alfonso was shocked and turned his attentions away from any woman. It was really a pity since he is a fine man.
Now he has met Akanksha after all these years and it seems he finally has his own joy. I wish them all the happiness in the world. Since he would be at sea often, she will stay in India, where he has already purchased a house for her. She is very shy but I did manage to speak to her and help her buy her trousseau with the aid of Alfonso, since she could only speak Portuguese with great difficulty.
We all deserved happiness in our lives, finally putting the last two years out of our minds. Nightmares still woke me during the night. The sounds and smells of people dying were embedded in our minds.
Thank fully Rosa-Lee adjusted well and her nightmares become fewer and fewer.
†††
It was a clear day with brilliant sunlight. They could see the Heerengardt through the binoculars as they kept pace with the larger vessel through the vast deep blue Atlantic. The ocean was calm as small waves broke against the bow and a light breeze in the sails pushing them forward, closer to the Heerengardt.
Roberto was seething as he looked in the direction of the horizon where he knew the ship with Rosa-Lee was. With not much to do but hope that she would not betray them. How could she do this? He thought the last four days had changed things. Fool that he was, he had trusted her. What could she do on the ship, surrounded by ocean?
He never thought she was capable of doing this.
“Never underestimate your enemy or a woman,” Falcon always said. “Sly foxes,” he called them.
Thorns. Roberto gritted his teeth. Thorns.
Pierre tried to talk to him but Roberto was not in a conversational mood. Pierre let him be. They went through the tasks of running the ship in silence.
It seemed that they were headed for the islands of Cape Verde, islands Roberto knew very well. He had raided them a few times himself. His bet was that they would anchor at the island of Santiago, a place he would investigate. But why would a ship from the D.E.I.C stop there? It did not make sense. Normally they just left the islanders to themselves, and, again, a nagging feeling settled in his gut. But for now, all he could do was wait patiently for night-time, when they would be able to get close enough.
By the time lunch was served, clouds had begun to accumulate in the clear sky. The shoreline would not be the safest place to be with such unpromising-looking clouds. Nevertheless, the Heerengardt continued on its course and they were forced to follow.
With dangerously low clouds hanging over the waters, by sunset Roberto knew they had trouble. But he could not take the risk of being discovered, and he had to get Rosa-Lee back. She will pay for this foolishness he thought once again.
“Roberto, don’t you think we must turn away?” Pierre asked during supper. “We are entering dangerous waters. The señorita has had enough time to tell them about us. We need to get away while there is still time.”
Roberto sat and ate his meal, tasting nothing of the delicious food. He listened to every argument his lieutenant had, and they made sense. But he could not leave her, even if she did betray them. He knew their lives were in danger. The D.E.I.C was an organization that had no tolerance for pirates; and then there was the brewing storm.
Would she be okay?
The past four days, while she told him more stories, he knew the sea disaster twenty years ago still lingered in the back of her mind. It did not matter how brave or strong she was, the upcoming storm would devastate her. He knew that much. He had begun to care about her, to be protective of her, fearful for her safety.
Would she be all right among the sailors? He asked himself once again, would they treat her like the lady she is?
If they touched her…he clenched his fists. He did not want to think about it. He knew what he would do but also knew the consequences of such a brutal act. The pain and loss was unbearable at times. He wanted her back on the Contra O Vento, back with him.
These were the thoughts that he struggled with. He was also in a place where he made decisions for them all. His men were his responsibility.
“I hear you Pierre, but we need to get her back. My father will kill me if I lose her.”
“He will understand.”
“No, Pierre, you know he will not. It’s his laws, remember?”
And Pierre sighed, shaking his head. “Are we still getting her from the ship?”
“Yes.”
“And the storm?”
“We better hope it will give us enough time to bring her back safely before it hits.”
“I will go and ready the longboat. Who will go with us?”
“Just us. I don’t want anyone else in danger.” Pierre nodded. No point in arguing. Physically both he and Roberto were capable of doing this. Because of the storm, it would help to have some extra muscle, but he was the captain. Yes, he knew Falcon. He was as bad as they came.
It was after eight, so dark you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. Silently they approached the Heerengardt. Her lanterns gave them enough light to follow and get as close as possible.
They had only this window of opportunity and they had to take it or lose Rosa-Lee forever. Her life and theirs were at stake. Although Roberto was the son of the Falcon, the Falcon would not hesitate to kill him for disobeying a direct order.
With the long boat prepared, ready and on the water, Roberto and Pierre were over the railing in no time. The waves were higher around the boat and rocked it slightly but they were used to it. They began rowing, with one eye on the Heerengardt four miles ahead of them and one eye on the dark foreboding clouds above them. They rowed with gentle strokes, making sure that the oars did not splash in the water as they slowly drew closer
The wind picked up, working with them, but they knew the return part would be harder, and hoped that they would find her in time. He and Pierre had talked about that in detail. They were both familiar with D.E.I.C ships. Their large scale might make it almost impossible. It would not be easy to locate her, for she could be in numerous places.
Roberto said they would have to take their chances and should play every
Finally, after another hour of rowing, they reached the ship. Making sure that the longboat was tied securely by the ropes hanging down, they left their boots in the boat. With strong arms, they pulled themselves up onto the rope they had secured, daggers in their mouths ready for any danger. When Roberto crawled over the railing onto the deck, all was quiet. Two lanterns hung near the boatsman sleeping at the wheel. His soft snores a sure sign of deep sleep.
Eyes darting around on the lighted deck, they saw one other man sitting in the shadows, smoking his cheroot. Grey puffs released into the dark night air, away from the cabins.
They moved forward on the balls of their feet, making no sound on the sleeping ship. Their muscles were tired of the exercise but they forced themselves to move forward. A trained eye could only see the crow master and he was looking far in the distance, hopefully not in the direction of the Contra O Vento. They would have to move swiftly and not draw any attention toward themselves.
“You will wait here, and I will go. I have a good idea where she will be,” Roberto whispered to Pierre. Although it would be quicker if they both searched on a ship this size, it was better to keep a trained eye on the men on the upper deck. Pierre could warn him of any lurking dangers; and once again, Roberto had to speculate about the ship and its crew. The normal military alertness and precision were not evident. There were no guards, and it made him wary.
The night was extremely dark and like a shadow, Roberto sneaked through the shadows to the stairs leading to the lower deck where the crew was sleeping. Except for the ship moving through the relatively calm waters, no other sound filtered through. Men were hanging in their hammocks, snoring. Some men were in a drunken stupor, others slept because of exhaustion.
Once again, not an expected manner of the D.E.I.C and he frowned, squatting on the balls of his feet, to make sure that everything was as it should be. He made sure that his eyes were accustomed to the dark before he moved further.
Silently he moved again and managed to pass all of the sleeping men and down the next stairs taking him deeper in the hull into the farthest point in the lower deck. He searched behind every crate and sack until he recognized her small posture behind a large heavy crate. To a normal eye, she could go for a young boy but his trained eye could recognize her. The small manicured hands were a dead giveaway. She lay in the shadows with her back to the wooden wall and stacks of bags around her.
She had tried to cover herself, but her long hair came out from under her hat and her shirt revealed more than she would’ve liked. For a brief moment he just took in the sight. Hovering over her, he could see she was in a deep sleep and he wondered why she had not revealed herself to the men. She could then have slept in one of the cabins in the castle, not here trying to hide away.
He hoped they hadn’t done anything to her because, if they had, he would kill them. Precaution be damned. He grimaced at the thought.
Something had to have spooked her to make her keep herself hidden. He wondered what it could have been.
When he reached her, he covered her mouth so that she could not make a sound when she awoke. Startled at the hold on her mouth she awoke and recognized him. She moved and released a soft moan but with one swift expert strike, he knocked her unconscious and then flung her over his shoulders. He looked around to make sure the sound did not attract any unwanted guests. Satisfied and without a word, he carried her out. No one had moved.
She was like a feather on his shoulder, so he could easily manoeuvre up the stairs and through the sleeping men without making a sound. Staying on his toes, he quickly walked to the stairs and onto the upper deck where Pierre waited. Giving him a thumb up, he let Pierre know everything was okay.
Again, he furrowed his brows but left it. He could not speak to Pierre at this moment because they would attract attention. Yet it was puzzling.
Another three hours passed as they rowed against the wind. Pierre kept his eyes on the Heerengardt at all times until they reached the Contra O Vento. It was a painfully slow journey.
“Did you also find it very strange?” Roberto whispered when they were a safe distance away.
“Yes,” came the reply.
“An unguarded D.E.I.C ship in the middle of the ocean? It does not add up.”
“Yes, I looked around while you were on the lower deck. No guards present in a ship of that size and I really found it alarming.”
“What could it mean?”
“Not sure, but the señorita here had to know because she was hiding when I found her.” Roberto said deep in thought.
“Really?” and Pierre raised a brow.
“Yes.” They row in silence for a while before Pierre said “Well, this will be interesting to hear”.
“Yes.” Roberto watched the unconscious face, a very beautiful unconscious face sternly. For a moment he allowed himself to grin at her bravery before the stern, blank look was back, not revealing anything of his inner turmoil.
†††
December 24, 1624
It has been a year since our ordeal, and here in Portugal on the estate time has passed quickly. Our second Christmas together as a family is already here. So many blessings to be grateful for.
The children are growing, especially Rosa-Lee who will one day be a beautiful young woman, a very feisty, strong willed woman, perfect in every way.
I pray that the right man will be worthy of her one day, that she will find the joy in marriage as I have found. Marriage is everything if you can share it with the one you love. I will take great care to give her the opportunity to meet such a man.
It will be a special man who will be able to handle her, love her and respect her for who she is.
My brave little Rosa-Lee, who brightens my days.