Once Upon a Pirate by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2019-12-24T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 9

WILL REGARDED the unconscious woman in his bed with a gnawing sense of déjà vu. She looked so pale, so small, and so very lost.

Elisabeth Chirac, wife to the mayor of New Orleans, no less. Could it be true?

Paulette had no reason to lie, and he had never known his half-sister to be untruthful. They were not especially close, separated by a twelve-year age difference, distance, not to mention the fact that he had not seen her for five years or more. Still, they had always liked one another well enough, and she had been loyal to him when he needed her help.

He had found himself in the unfortunate situation of being incarcerated in the prison in New Orleans, convicted of piracy and treason, and sentenced to be hanged. Paulette had taken a message to André Hêrbert, Governor of Louisiana in Baton Rouge, an old friend of Will’s father. The governor had exercised his influence and commuted Will’s sentence to imprisonment with hard labour. Will had managed to escape the guards a few months later and had considered it prudent not to return to New Orleans since.

No, Paulette had never done him a disservice in the past, and he at least owed her the courtesy of believing her account of events, as far as it went. There had to be more, though, some explanation of why Ruby—no, Elisabeth—would act in such a manner. He did not believe her capable of deliberate malice or spite, so what might have moved her to such actions?

The name Chirac was a familiar one. The commander of the garrison when he had been imprisoned in New Orleans had been named Chirac—Giles Chirac if Will’s memory did not deceive him. He had been most adamant that Will should dangle from a noose for his crimes, and seriously vexed when his plans were thwarted. Not to be completely outdone, Chirac had made it his business to ensure that Will was assigned the most backbreaking work available, that of quarrying stone to feed the endless appetite for construction in New Orleans. Was it possible that the man had entered politics and somehow managed to get himself installed as the mayor of the city? Chirac was, in Will’s estimation, vindictive, pompous, arrogant, and more than a little dim. He could not imagine a less suitable candidate for mayor, but without doubt, stranger things had happened.

Certainly, there was no love lost between Will Falconer and Giles Chirac, but Will saw no good reason to extend his antipathy to the man’s wife. He would wait for her to regain consciousness and take matters from there.

It had been almost twelve hours since she’d fallen and hit her head, and she had been deeply unconscious since. Will had insisted upon bringing her back to the Falcon, and Old Sawbones had been summoned. The surgeon declared no further bones broken and advised the captain to wait for her to come round.

Raven and Paulette had protested at his decision, but in the end had to settle for Will’s promise that he would summon them as soon as there was any change.

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