Together she and Sterling were able to put Black Bart on the defensive. He was skilled, very skilled, warding off each of their thrusts.
“What of Crimson Kelly?” Black Bart asked as they continued to parry.
“He’s in the brig,” Sterling responded as though talking with an old friend.
“So this ship is a pirate hunter?”
“Its captain is, yes. Rather bad planning on your part to attack her. The only thing of value aboard her is her rum.”
“I don’t drink the devil’s brew.”
“So I’ve heard, which gives you no reason to stay.”
“On the contrary, I love a good fight.”
He gave them a grin so wide that Annalisa thought his jaw would come unhinged. When he stepped back, two other pirates stepped in front of him. And it was no longer she and Sterling working together to fight one man, but each of them desperately fighting their own opponent.
Annalisa knew it probably wasn’t fair, but then Sterling had taught her that pirates didn’t fight fair. With her left hand, she drew out a pistol and fired. The man dropped to the deck, groaning.
She pulled out her other pistol and took down the pirate fighting James. They both swung around, searching for Roberts. He was nowhere to be found.
“Pity you didn’t use the pistols when Roberts was around,” Sterling said.
“I forgot about them,” she said honestly. She’d been so terrified it was a wonder she could think at all. “What are you doing here?”
“We were following behind you, in the fog. Didn’t I warn you about Roberts?”
“You were behind us?”
“Aye.” He nodded. “We pulled up alongside you to offer assistance.”
It was only then she noticed that her ship was wedged between the two mighty pirate ships.
“Why? Why do you care? I know the treasure’s aboard your ship. I know you knew it. Why —”
Before she could complete another of a thousand questions, someone charged him. Sterling met the combatant, swords flashing. He quickly dispensed with the fellow.
The ship suddenly listed to the side. Annalisa was saved from slipping when Sterling caught her arm.
“Your ship is badly damaged. It took cannon fire to the hull.”
She heard a noise that sounded as though a tree had been felled in a forest.
“You must get aboard the Phantom Mist before it’s too late,” Sterling warned.
“Not without my crew.”
“You are sorely testing my patience,” he said.
“I didn’t ask you to come to my rescue.”
An expression she couldn’t read crossed his face.
“Give the order to abandon ship,” he said.
She shook her head. “It can’t be that badly —”
The ship shuddered violently. This time she did lose her footing and slammed to the deck. It was going down.
“Abandon ship!” she yelled, scrambling to her feet.
James grabbed a passing seaman. “Spread the word. Get aboard the Phantom Mist as quickly as possible.”
James turned back to her and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
“No, I’m the captain. I don’t leave the ship until every crewman is safely off.”
“This isn’t the bloody British navy! There’s no one to hold you accountable.”
“There’s me,” she said quietly. “But a pirate wouldn’t understand that.”
Before he could respond, she turned, searching for her men, ordering them to abandon ship. It seemed Roberts was giving the same order from the safety of his own ship because the fighting had ceased and men were scrambling to get aboard the two ships bumping against The Dangerous Lady.
Annalisa hurried over the deck, helping the wounded get to the railing so they could scramble over to the Phantom Mist, moored to the side of her ship. She saw Sterling doing the same thing.
She swung around. The crew of the Royal Fortune had cut their moorings. The ship was drifing away. She had managed to survive an encounter with Black Bart.
She jerked around. “Sterling! Crimson Kelly is in the brig.”
“I’ll get him.” He disappeared into the hold.
She was surprised by how swiftly the men were able to get off the ship. Soon she was the only one standing on the deck. Waiting. Waiting for Sterling. He wasn’t a member of her crew. She supposed she had no obligation to wait for him.
The ship groaned with fierceness and sounded as though it was being split asunder.
“Cut the moorings!” someone yelled from the other ship.
“Anna, get over here!” It was Nathaniel, aboard the Phantom Mist, yelling for her.
But she couldn’t leave, not yet, not without Sterling. She watched in horror as the other ship began to float away. Her own ship moaned.
Sterling appeared out of the hatch. “Crimson’s gone.”
“Was there anyone else?”
“No one else alive.”
The ship listed to the side. She grabbed the railing. They could jump in the water and be fished out, but she remembered the captain’s words when the Horizon sank. A ship’s sinking could very well carry them to the depths of the sea.
“Climb up on the railing, Anna!” Sterling shouted.
Holding on to the rigging, she did as he ordered. He hacked at a rope attached to the top of the mast. When it was loose, he raced across the deck, leaped onto the railing, and snaked an arm around her as the ship dropped beneath them …
With a gasp, Annalisa clung to Sterling as they swung out over the water, across the chasm separating the ships.
He released his hold on the rigging, turning his body so when they hit the deck she landed on top of him, cushioned slightly.
Safe, they were safe.
Scrambling to her feet, she rushed to the railing in time to see the deck of The Dangerous Lady swallowed by the sea. Only its mast remained visible, and she knew it, too, would soon be gone.
Looking past it, she could see the Royal Fortune. Standing among the men on its deck were Black Bart Roberts and Crimson Kelly, side by side as though they were old friends.
“James Sterling!” Crimson Kelly called out. “We’ll meet again, matey, I promise ye!”
“I look forward to it, Crimson!”
Crimson’s deep laughter could be heard echoing between the ships.
“Unfurl the sails, men!” Sterling yelled. “We need to put sea between us and the Royal Fortune. Set the heading for north by nor’east.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” someone said.
Annalisa turned. It was only then that she noticed her men were in the center of the deck, on their knees, not a single weapon among them. She spun back around. “What’s the meaning of this, Sterling?”
“My ship, my rules.”
She watched as he walked toward the men, stopping in front of Nathaniel.
“On your feet, Northrup.”
Nathaniel stood, defiance in his eyes.
Sterling smiled. “They say fifty lashes will kill a man. So I’ll spare you the last one.”
“Don’t bother with such kindness. I can take fifty easily.”
“In truth, I doubt you can take five. Mr. Lewis!”
“Aye, Cap’n.” A huge chunk of a man stepped forward.
“Escort Mr. Northrup to the brig.”
“Aye, Cap’n.” He put his beefy hand on Nathaniel’s arm. “Let’s go, matey.”
“If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll see you hanged,” Nathaniel vowed.
Sterling turned his back on him, and Lewis led Nathaniel away. Annalisa had thought he’d protest, but he no doubt realized he was at a disadvantage aboard a pirate ship. His struggles would be fruitless, his efforts wasted.
“Mr. Ferret!” Sterling called out.
“Aye, Cap’n.” The little weasel stepped forward.
“You have our articles?”
“Aye, Cap’n.” From inside his shirt, he pulled out a rolled parchment.
&nb
sp; “Gentlemen,” Sterling said. He turned and bowed toward Annalisa. “And lady. You are aboard a pirate ship. We have articles that we follow here. You are obliged to either sign them or spend the remainder of this voyage in the brig alongside Mr. Northrup where you’ll no doubt perish from listening to his long-winded rants about the evils of piracy.”
A few of the men chuckled.
“Mr. Ferret, read the articles.”
“Aye, Cap’n.” Another man took the scroll and unfurled it so Ferret could read it.
“’Number one. If any man defraud the company of a single bit of loot, marooning will be his punishment.
“’Number two. Men are obliged to keep their pistols and cutlasses clean and fit for service.
“’Number three. To desert the ship or quarters in battle will be punished by death or marooning.
“’Number four. No striking of a fellow mate onboard ship. All quarrels are to take place on shore.
“’Number five. Each man will receive an equal share of the prize’.” He nodded. “There ye have it, gents.”
There was mumbling among her men.
“For those of you who are squeamish about pirating, rest assured we have no plans to seize any vessels before we reach our destination,” Sterling said. “Once there, you may disembark and go on your merry way. Until then, you are either with us or in the brig.”
Annalisa watched as, one by one, her men came forward and signed the articles, effectively identifying themselves as pirates.
“What will it be, Anna?” Sterling said quietly beside her. She’d not heard him approach.
“You’re asking me to be a pirate.”
“I’m asking you to honor the rules of this ship.”
“And if I don’t sign, you’ll put me in the brig.”
“Not if you give me your word that you won’t mutiny.”
She jerked her head around and stared at him. “You trust my word?”
“I do.”
She nodded. “Then you have it. I’ll not invoke a mutiny.”
“Then the captain’s cabin will be readied for you.”
He turned and she grabbed his arm. “Please, don’t take a cat to Nathaniel.”
“Do you love him?”
“He’s my friend and he’s been a good quartermaster. Please, don’t bloody his back.”
“What do you take me for? A barbarian?” He touched her cheek. “I never had any intention of taking a lash to him, but neither do I want him sleeping soundly.”
“I doubt any of us will sleep soundly until we’re off this ship. Which port are you taking us to?”
“New Providence.”
Annalisa felt her heart hammer against her ribs. “They’ll hang you there.”
“Probably, but we have an ivory chest filled with gold coins to deliver.”
She gasped as warmth flooded her. “You were bringing the treasure back to me.”
“Don’t say that as though I’m a hero. It simply wasn’t as much as I’d remembered. It’s hardly worth the bother.”
And yet he had bothered.
“Thank you.”
“Words are hardly a fair trade. I want tonight, Anna, and every moment that remains before we reach New Providence.”
“You shall have it.”
Most of the crew were belowdecks, orders of their captain. The only ones about were the lookout in the crow’s nest and the helmsmen steering the ship.
In the captain’s cabin, Annalisa had found a blue dress. Silk. From the orient. She didn’t know how it had come to be on the ship. She was certain it was plunder. But she was grateful that for tonight she’d not have to wear the breeches.
She’d also taken a bath. As had James. She could tell because his hair was still damp at the ends when he came to her cabin and escorted her to the quarterdeck.
He’d placed a barrel of rum there and covered it with surplus sailcloth. A lantern in its center provided light. He’d brought chairs from his quarters so that they might dine by starlight.
The cook had prepared some sort of pheasant. Where he’d gotten it, she hadn’t a clue. Maybe on Crimson’s island. But it was delicious. Now she and James were sharing a slice of cake that tasted a good deal like rum.
“Do pirates put rum in everything?” she asked.
“Whenever possible.”
“I’ve never eaten dinner outside,” she said. In the distance, she heard the whale’s song.
“If I had my druthers,” James said, “I’d never go belowdecks.”
She placed her elbow on the barrel and plopped her chin onto her palm. “Why?”
“I like being in the open. I think that’s the reason I like the sea so much. There’s nothing to confine you. Nothing to hold you in.”
“I like being held,” Annalisa said.
“There’s a difference between being held and being confined.”
“Being in the brig must have been torture for you.”
“You left me a lantern. That was a kindness I’d not expected.” Leaning forward, he took her hand. “I’ve since learned that you’re always kind.”
“A few of the pirates we met today might disagree. Especially the two who felt the bite of my bullet.”
He laughed. She couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed the sound of his laughter.
Reaching out, she trailed her finger along the scar on his cheek. “It’s a moonless night, so tell me the details, pirate.”
“Shall I call up the lads out of the hold?”
Slowly she shook her head. “No.”
Tonight was for them and them alone.
“Very well, then. We were sailing where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic when we saw a merchant ship, flying French colors. So we took her.” He rubbed his cheek. “I was twelve, and it was the first time I boarded an enemy vessel.”
“Wait a moment. If you were twelve and you’re twenty-one now …” She did the calculation. “It was during Queen Anne’s War. Along with Crimson, you were a privateer. You served the queen.” She was stunned. How had she not managed to put it together sooner? “Little wonder you find no fault with him being a pirate.”
“I never said I didn’t find fault with it. I merely stated that I understood it. Now, do you want to hear the remainder of the story or not?”
“Go on,” she urged.
“It was a moonless night when we attacked. We lowered two boats into the water. Because of my age, I was small, thin, fast. Like your powder monkeys. The men tossed up grappling hooks. I was the first one they sent up the rope. All I could hear was the water lapping at the boat and the ferocious pounding of my heart. I made my way up and climbed over the railing. I saw no one. I signaled the all clear. The ship creaked and moaned. It was eerie.
“I crept across the deck, and that’s when the first crewman came out of hiding and attacked.” He rubbed his cheek again.
“Is that how you got the scar?”
His hand stilled and he looked surprised, as though he’d not realized what he was doing. He shook his head. “That came later. Afterward, really. We thought we’d captured everyone. We were walking around the ship, another lad and I, kicking men to see if they were alive or dead. I kicked a man I was certain was dead. He grabbed my knife, the other lad screeched, the man turned to him, and I leaped between them. The knife slashed across my face.”
“You saved the other boy,” she said.
He shrugged. “Impossible to know. The man might not have tried to harm him, but he had bloodlust in his eyes. The next thing I knew he had a sword poking through the middle of his chest. Crimson never did take well to the dead coming back to life.”
She trailed her finger along his cheek again. “You say the other lad screeched. Like a weasel?”
He grinned. “Like a ferret.”
“You’ve known him that long?” she asked.
“Aye. Crimson took us both on about the same time. Ferret was younger, always smaller.”
“You were his protector, yet he betrayed you
.”
James shrugged. “Odd thing is, I know if I asked, he’d die for me.”
She studied him for a moment. “But you’d never ask.”
“Nay. I never would.”
“You’re a complicated man, James Sterling,” she said softly.
“Not so complicated.” He stood and drew her to her feet.
She didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his neck and to rise up on her toes. And then he was kissing her and she realized, no, he wasn’t complicated at all.
* * *
With his back against the cabin wall on the quarterdeck, James held Anna in his arms, her back to his chest. He’d set a mound of blankets on the quarterdeck. She’d not objected when he’d led her to them.
“I just want to watch the night with you,” he’d said quietly. “And the dawn.”
So now he held her, inhaling her scent, knowing what she did not fully realize.
The moments they shared before they reached New Providence were all they’d ever have. While their arrival at the port city with the treasure would herald the vindication and release of her father, for him it would result in a death sentence.
“Four ninety-six, four ninety-seven, four ninety-eight” — Governor Rogers dropped the last coin into the chest — “four ninety-nine.”
He glanced up at Annalisa, James, and Nathaniel. The Phantom Mist was so distinctive, so well known, that they’d barely spotted New Providence before two British men-of-war had descended upon them and escorted them into the harbor.
Annalisa, James, and Nathaniel had been apprehended and taken to the governor’s office, despite their protests. They stood in front of his desk, having arrived that morning. Annalisa had begun to explain about her quest, but it seemed the governor already knew a good deal about it, thanks in part to the legitimate letter of marque he’d presented to Nathaniel.
Rogers, with his powdered wig sitting perfectly atop his head, looked at each of them now. “According to the king’s letter, there are five hundred pieces of gold. Search the pirate,” he said drolly.
One of the red-uniformed guards standing just behind them stepped forward and began to pat James’s clothing.
“The king’s treasurer must have miscounted,” Annalisa began.