The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
Pirates & Faith – Book One
Molly Evangeline
The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
Copyright 2010 by Molly Evangeline
www.mollyevangeline.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author. The only exception is brief quotations in written reviews.
All Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Dedication
To Jesus, my Lord and my Savior, thank you for gifting me with the love and enjoyment I have for writing and thank you for guiding me in every step I’ve gone through while creating this book.
Mom – Without you, my book would never have made it to this point. I am so thankful to you for teaching me how to write and helping me improve over the years. Thank you.
Sam and Jake – As my younger brothers you’ve each been a pain at times, but you have always been the first ones I go to with my new story ideas. I’ve loved fun nights we’ve stayed up late and read and, Sam, thank you so much for showing me how much you enjoy what I write by always asking if I have more.
Jordyn, Jordan, Dana, and Brandy – You four have been so wonderful in showing your interest and love for my writing. The hours I’ve spent with each one of you are some of my best memories.
Isaac, Levi, and Jesse – You have shown that my stories can be enjoyed by everyone, not just girls. Your enjoyment of them has thrilled me beyond words. I couldn’t ask for cooler cousins.
To the rest of my family, friends, and all of the people who have shown your interest and support in my dream, thank you. It means everything to me.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Books by Molly Evangeline
Book 2 Preview
The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; and those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. - Psalms 9:9-10
Prologue
Jamaica
Summer 1702
Daniel McHenry wrapped his calloused hands around the rusted window bars. He could see it through the bars—the gallows. The sinking sun cast the structure’s long shadow across the courtyard of the British fort. Two empty nooses swayed in the breeze, waiting. Involuntarily, he touched his throat. He supposed he deserved it after the years spent as a pirate. Yet, that was so long ago. He had been but a boy then. And the thieving he’d done in the last two years had not come at the expense of the innocent. No, he’d robbed pirates in order to return the stolen goods. But that was not enough to erase his past.
Daniel sighed and turned away from the window. Sinking down on the rickety cot in his prison cell, his eyes sought and held those of his first mate in the opposite cell. Caleb was the only one of his crew for which he had not been able to secure an acquittal in regard to the piracy charges. They had been together from the beginning.
A red-coated guard passed between the cells on his routine patrol. He was young, hardly all of twenty. He caught Daniel’s gaze but would not hold it. His pale eyes were troubled, Daniel noticed, and his expression unhappy, but he did not say a word.
In time the guard’s footsteps died away, and the sound of ocean waves drifted into the cell causing Daniel's heart to yearn for the sea. For all his life it had pulled at him. So many of the events that had shaped his life had taken place at sea.
In these final hours, Daniel had found himself focusing on the significant events of his life—his childhood in a dingy English orphanage, running away, his futile search for his younger brother, and then his arrival in Liverpool where he’d secured his first position on a ship.
It was that event, as a fourteen year old boy, that had put him here now awaiting hanging. It didn't matter that he had redeemed himself in the end. Nor that he was unaware then that he’d signed onto a pirate crew, until it had been too late. Once out at sea, there was no turning back.
He had quickly embraced the adventure of it, though not the bloodthirsty ways of his captain. That was where he and Caleb, another young member of the pirate crew, had found they were alike. It had been their secret dream to leave the infamous Captain Kelley, to find their own ship and become pirate hunters instead of pirates.
Daniel rubbed his forehead with fingers that trembled just a little and reached then into his coat pocket. His fingers closed around two objects there and pulled them out. Tenderly he handled the little leather Bible, worn from many years of use, and the silver-framed portrait that had faded some with time. He couldn’t imagine one without the other.
The lovely, young, dark haired woman in the portrait brought a wistful smile to his face. His dear wife, Grace, taken away by sickness at such a young age. But that was one consolation as he neared the end. He would soon see her again, and it was because of her that he had that assurance.
Daniel lifted his head at the clanking echo of the prison door. In a moment there came the sound of heavy footsteps accompanied by the soft padding of smaller feet. He went immediately to the cell door, heart pounding as he waited to lay his eyes on the one and only thing left that made him want to fight his coming fate.
Two guards appeared walking on either side of a child. Long locks of dark hair framed her small face, just like the woman in his portrait. She was seven years old, and her deep blue eyes were the same shade as his, the color of the ocean on a clear day. His heart ached when he saw the fear in those blue depths of his daughter's eyes.
They stopped at his cell and unlocked the door. As soon as it opened, she rushed into the room, and Daniel caught her up in his arms.
“Skylar.” Daniel’s voice came out raw with emotion.
He hugged her tightly, noting the soft hair against his cheek and her small arms clinging to his neck. He never wanted to let her go.
Daniel took a seat again on his cot and set his daughter on his knee.
“Are you all right, Skye?” he asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.
The little girl nodded, but did not speak. Her wide eyes darted around the dank cell and finally fell on Daniel’s face seeking reassurance. Daniel offered her a smile and glanced at the guards who stood stoically beside the closed cell door. He knew this would be the last time he would see Skye before his execution at dawn. This would have to be goodbye, and he didn’t know how long the guards would allow his daughter to stay.
“I have some things for you,” he said, pulling a thick gold ring set with a marbled red stone from his little finger. From the time she was a toddler, Skye had been fascinated with the ring. “I want you to keep this to always remember me, all right?”
He tucked it into the pocket of the waistcoat she wore. Then he placed Grace’
s portrait into her hands.
“Mama,” Skye murmured, her eyes glued to the likeness.
“Yes, you’ll be able to remember both of us. And here is your mother’s Bible. Now listen carefully, Skye.”
She turned intent eyes back to his face.
“I want you to try to read the Bible every day, just like I taught you, all right?”
Skye nodded dutifully.
“And always remember what Jesus did for you.”
Again Skye nodded and sat silent for a long moment. Daniel noticed tears filling her eyes. Her voice trembling, his daughter whispered, “I don’t want you to leave me.”
Daniel hugged her close and kissed the top of her head, his throat squeezing together. “You’re going to have to be brave, Skye, like your mother. Remember the stories I’ve told you about how brave she was when she was kidnapped by pirates.”
“Tell me the story,” Skye pleaded.
Daniel glanced at the guards again. They were starting to fidget.
“When your mother was a young woman, she was kidnapped by Captain Kelley. He wanted your grandfather to pay him lots of money to get her back, but when your grandfather did pay him, Kelley wouldn’t let her go. He was an evil man and decided to kill her instead. Your mother was very brave. She trusted God and didn’t let Kelley scare her. I had never seen anyone so brave," he told her, his voice low and full of wonder. "I fell in love with her while she was Kelley’s prisoner and couldn’t let him kill her. I helped her out of her cell, and we escaped the ship together.
“When we got to shore, your mother told me all about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. I believed and was saved.”
“Just like me,” Skye said.
Daniel smiled. “Yes, just like you. And after I brought your mother back home, God made it so that no one knew I was a pirate. Your mother and I got married and soon after that, God gave us a wonderful gift. You.”
A little smile came to Skye’s face, warming Daniel’s heart. How deeply he wished the story wasn’t marked by so much tragedy. Skye had only known her mother for five short years. Then Daniel’s past had come to light, forcing him to escape to the sea again, bringing Skye along with him. In his heart he had known it would eventually come to this, and that he’d be caught and held accountable for his crimes. He only wished his daughter would have had a chance to grow older before losing her remaining parent.
“Remember, Skye, I’m your father here on earth, but God is your heavenly Father. He won’t ever have to leave you.”
One of the guards interrupted. “It’s time to finish up.”
Daniel stood Skye in front of him and cupped his hands around her small shoulders. He lowered his voice. “Listen carefully, Skye. You remember where we hid our treasure, don’t you?”
The treasure he and Caleb had amassed and hidden over the last two years—rewards for the return of pirated goods—was more than enough to make sure Skye would be very well taken care of as an adult.
“Yes, Father.”
“You must keep it a secret, all right? Don’t tell anyone where it is unless you love them and trust them completely. Will you do that for me?”
Skye looked at him very seriously. “Yes, Father. I promise.”
“Good girl.” Daniel pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I love you so much, Skye.”
She squeezed her arms tighter around his neck. “I love you.”
It was like tearing out his heart for Daniel to set her down. “It’s time for you to go. You need to say goodbye to Caleb.”
The tears in her eyes spilled over onto her cheeks. "I don't want to say goodbye," she cried, eyes flashing with panic. "I don't want to go."
Daniel struggled to keep his own emotions in check, swallowing hard. “I know, sweetheart. But you have to.”
He guided her over to the cell door where the guards let her out. Crying softly, she walked over to Caleb’s cell. The man knelt at the bars and reached through to put his hand on her shoulder.
“You’re a brave girl, Skye, just like your mother,” Caleb told her. “Remember everything your father told you. Goodbye, little one.”
“Bye,” she choked. She then turned and hurried back to her father’s cell, bursting into fresh tears.
One of the guards tried to coax her along. “Come on, lass, time to go.”
“No!” Skye cried. She grabbed her father’s hands. “Please, Father, I don’t want to go. Do something.”
Daniel’s voice broke, his very heart ripping to shreds. “I can’t, Skye.”
The guards tried to pull her away, but she wouldn’t let go. Finally, one of them simply picked her up, and they walked off.
Skye struggled against him frantically, sobbing. “No! Let me go!”
Daniel could hardly bear it. “You won’t ever be alone, Skye,” he called after them, face pressed between the bars. “God will always be with you. I love you.”
They disappeared around the corner, but the sound of his daughter's agonized cries echoed hauntingly until the prison door slammed. When all that was left was silence, Daniel turned away, dragging in a ragged breath. He lifted his face to God, eyes full of pain, as tears rolled down his face.
It had been his mistake to choose the path of a pirate, but God had to have some plan in allowing the secret of his past to come to light, some reason his daughter would face the world without him. Yet, knowing she would suffer because of his actions was almost more than he could stand.
“Oh, Lord, please take care of her.”
Chapter One
Kingston, Jamaica
Summer 1713
Fumbling in the darkness, Skye tried to pin the front of her dress. Her need for haste and the threadbare material made the task difficult. The worn fabric no longer held the pins securely, reminding her again of the need for a new dress. However, buying material would take so much away from the meager wages she had saved. If only she had even a fraction of the fortune her father had left her. But there might as well be no fortune since she had no one she trusted with the means to take her too it.
“Finally,” she whispered when she had the last pin secure. She brushed her hands down her petticoats in an attempt to smooth the wrinkles though many remained.
Although the sun had not yet risen, Skye stepped in front of the mirror hanging on the wall near her bed and hurried to brush her waist-length, nearly black hair. She had to bend just a little to see her dim reflection, making the inheritance of her father’s height evident.
After securely pinning up her hair, Skye turned from the mirror, taking a brief moment to look wistfully out the small window above her bed. Out across the stretches of the city and the slowly-lifting fog, she could just make out the sea, gray and vast. Staring at it, she longed for the life she’d lived with her father.
Before going about her business for the day, her gaze fell, landing on her bed where her mother’s Bible lay. She grabbed it and knelt down to return it to its hiding place beneath one of the boards under the bed where the young children could not find it and damage it. Rising, she stepped quietly out from behind the patched curtain that separated her from the rest of the huge room. In the dim light, she heard the gentle rise and fall of sleeping children breathing as she walked between two long rows of little beds perpendicular from the walls.
Skye could barely remember what it was like to have her own place to sleep. She had slept in this room with all of the other children for most of her childhood, and after she was old enough to have a job at the orphanage, she had been forced to sleep in the corner to care for any who might wake during the night.
Skye tiptoed out of the room and hurried downstairs. She prayed silently along the way that she would not find herself lectured again for rising too late by Mr. Phillips, the head of the orphanage. With frequent errands to be done in the morning, he expected her to be up early to see to them.
Down in the kitchen, Mr. Phillips was indeed waiting, just as she’d expected. She
was spared a lecture, but his pinched face and cold eyes told her she’d only just escaped.
“We need bread for breakfast,” he said in a hard voice that Skye had never known to soften. He handed her a large basket and some money, just enough to buy the barest amount and still feed all the children.
“Yes, sir,” she said, taking the basket.
Skye left the kitchen smiling a little to herself. Of all her chores, going out to the bakery was one she actually enjoyed. It would take her right past the tailor’s shop where her closest friend in the world worked. If she hurried, she would have just enough time to stop there before the shop opened and before he would be busy working for strict Mr. Cunnings all day.
Skye opened the orphanage door and stepped out into the cool, early summer air, causing momentary chills to run through her body. She breathed in deeply of the freshness and looked around the city that had been her birthplace. It was quiet in the early morning, but it would soon become a busy place once the shops opened for business.
Skye walked out into the street, quickening her pace as she headed directly for the tailor’s shop. She passed a variety of wood and plaster buildings along the way. The dirt road beneath her soon gave way to cobblestone and many of the buildings turned into more elaborate brick dwellings.
After traveling a couple blocks, she came to the tailor’s shop, a two-story white plaster building. At the door, she knocked hopefully, but prepared herself to be greeted by Mr. Cunnings’ stern face. In a short moment, the door-knob turned and the door swung open revealing instead a handsome young man, with tied-back dark hair and brown eyes that always shone with care and joy whenever he saw her.