A Pirate's Wife For Me by S. M. Revolinski

Author:S. M. Revolinski
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: pirate, kidnap, Anne Bonny, John Rackham, sailing, romance
Publisher: S. M. Revolinski
Published: 2016-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The row boat took Anne and Mr. Smith to the ship whose cannon fire had so effectively destroyed the pirate ship. Along the way, she glanced at the beach. The blackened campfire sites were visible, but the island otherwise appeared deserted.

She turned to observe Mr. Smith. While they were not sitting together, she could see his face. He was seated in the bow facing backward; facing her. He had his head tilted down, but his eyes were studying her. She held his gaze, hoping that he would give her some sign that he understood who she was and what she was doing. But, he did nothing but stare back and occasionally blink.

“Some captives for the Captain to question,” the midshipman announced as they tied alongside the ship. As his hands were still bound behind his back, men hoisted Mr. Smith up to the deck. Anne started to climb the rope ladder, but then hands reached down and grabbed her arms. While she was being hauled to the deck, the midshipman chivalrously bundled her skirt to maintain her privacy.

“Merci,” she said when her sore feet found a secure hold on the deck. The midshipman took Anne to the aftcastle. But, the sergeant took Mr. Smith somewhere forward. Anne was placed in a small cabin with a window that faced out to sea. She could not see either the pirate ship or the island. Exhausted, she collapsed onto the narrow bunk.

Hours passed by. Anne’s thirst became an urgent need. Seeking water, she tried the door, but it was locked. She started to call out, but then decided to remain quiet. The sun drifted to the horizon.

Perhaps they’ve forgotten me.

Her stomach growled. She found a chamber pot and used it.

Then the ship began to move. As it turned, the hulk of the pirate ship came into view. The Spaniards had set it ablaze. Anne watched as the flames found some gun powder. The explosion sent burning fragments of her former home high into the air. The percussion rattled her window. And then there was nothing.

The Spanish ship rounded Inagua Island and tied up alongside the giant warship. Anne’s cabin door opened and two men she had not seen before spoke to her in Spanish. While she didn’t understand their words, she understood their gestures. Anne followed the two men out to the main deck. The hull of the Spanish warship blocked the sky from the deck of the smaller vessel. A platform had been lowered from the big ship’s deck. Anne was escorted along a gangplank to the platform, and then up actual stairs to the warship’s deck.

Anne never imagined such a huge ship could exist. The whole of the Matilda could have sat upon her main deck.

The lieutenant that she had met before approached her and spoke French. “Mademoiselle, pardon me for not having introduced myself earlier. I am Lieutenant Juan Almeda, at your service.” He bowed.

“Anne Mckinnon,” she curtsied. “I am please to make your acquaintance.”

Perhaps I should have invented a French name.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.