Black Wolf by Lori Ann Robinson

Author:Lori Ann Robinson [Robinson, Lori Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“I demand to know where you’ve taken the child that was with me,” Adrienne hissed at her captors.

She’d come to in a chamber onboard a ship, alone. After beating on the locked door and screaming for someone to let her out, she was surprised when the captain of her father’s ill-fated vessel entered the room.

“The African boy is down in the hold as befitting his station, Miss St. John. We can have him brought up if you require he attend to you, but if he’s not yours, he’ll be sold once we reach the colonies.”

“He is not African,” she seethed. “He’s Bahaman and is my property; given to me as a gift by Nicolas VonPatten.” Adrienne hated that she had to reduce her relationship with the child down to ownership, but such was the way of the world. His kind was seen as an inferior and accorded no rights, even less so than she as a woman had. It galled her that Raul was little more than a possession to be bought and sold.

“Can you provide documentation to prove your claim?” Captain Frank asked.

Dread and fear swamped her. If she couldn’t convince him that Raul was her property the boy would be sold and hope of ever recovering him would be impossible.

“It’s not as if you miserable oafs gave me opportunity to gather my belongings and important papers,” she snapped.

“I do apologize for the inconvenience we might have imposed on you but I’m still required to prove ownership of the boy.”

“Ask him,” she said. “Bring him up here and ask him in front of me who owns his person. He’ll tell you that Nicolai gifted him to me.”

It was a long shot. The boy may be too young and innocent as yet to understand the gravity of their situation and his place in the world but it was the only thing Adrienne could come up with.

Nicolai didn’t consider the people of his household to be possessions. They were his family and he treated them with thus regard. Raul likely had no knowledge because his life within in the safety of Nicolai’s plantation had conditioned him to be seen as an equal.

None of it mattered at the moment, however. Adrienne was willing to say whatever it took to persuade the captain to allow the boy to remain in her presence and safe from the sale platform.

Captain Frank opened the door a fraction and issued a command before closing it once more.

“I’d like to know why you denied your identity to my man, Miss St. John. A woman such as yourself can’t honestly believe she’s capable of living free in a place such as Nassau or anywhere else for that matter, and we know you are not legally VonPatten’s wife. Why would you want your family to believe you were lost at sea?”

Adrienne paced the cabin, her arms crossed over her breasts. “I’ll answer your questions, Captain, when you deem to answer mine,” she returned. “Where are you taking me? Back

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