was too tired to notice the way people looked at them. She was thirsty and anxious now to be at home so that she could help prepare the food for Justin and Higgins when they had time to eat.
It was an hour or so later that Justin and his first mate came back to the house. Maribel had washed her face and hands, changing into one of her simple gowns before helping Anna to prepare food. The men were grim-faced and silent as they came in, both of them drinking water before seating themselves at the table.
‘How bad is it?’ Maribel asked. ‘I know several were hurt—were many killed?’
‘Three men and two women,’ Justin replied. ‘Two ships were lost, another damaged but not beyond repair. It might have been worse.’
‘Was one of the ships lost yours?’
‘Yes. Pike’s was damaged, but it will sail again.’
‘So you have only the Defiance?’
‘I am fortunate to have that.’ A nerve flicked in his cheek. ‘It seems that my ships were what they were after. Pike’s vessel and another caught the flames, but the fires were meant for us.’
‘Meant for us?’ Maribel’s eyes widened. For a moment she did not understand, then the colour drained from her face. ‘Are you saying…no, how could it be?’
‘The ships that attacked us were Spanish. Pike saw the attack. He says that the pennant belonged to Sabatini…your father…’
‘No! How could my father know where to find you?’
‘Word of this place may have spread. I do not know that they came looking for us, but it was not mere chance that made them attack my ship.’
Her throat tightened. ‘You think…you blame my father…and me?’
‘No, I do not blame you,’ he said, his voice hoarse. ‘But I fear others will, Maribel. They will blame you—and me for bringing you here.’ He frowned. ‘It may be that I am to blame…’
‘Why? I do not know what you mean.’
‘If it was your father’s ships, then I may have brought them here.’
‘Surely not? My father could not have known you would come here—he could not!’
‘You forget Mr Hendry. He had knowledge of our plans. It may be that he passed on his knowledge.’
‘You think he betrayed the location of the island?’ Her eyes widened. ‘He sailed away before the attack. You think that he brought them here? Why would he do that? He took your message to my father and you gave him the ship, as you promised. Why would he betray you—all of you?’
‘He may not have had a choice. Your father may have hoped to trap me. When I did not walk into the trap or send back the map, he decided to take another kind of revenge. I was told that he had doubled his offer, but that may have been just to lull me into a sense of security. Hendry may have agreed to show them the way here to save his own life…and a cowardly attack is something your father might try. He knows that our ships will beat his when we meet at sea, but with the ships anchored and a skeleton crew aboard…’
‘What happened to those men?’
‘Some managed to swim for the shore, some died.’ Justin’s mouth settled into a hard line. ‘I care little for the ships. We began with one and we can rebuild our fleet, but…’ His eyes were flinty. ‘Tom was one of the crew on watch. He did not make it to the shore.’
‘Tom is dead?’ Tears welled in her eyes. ‘No! Oh, no, I cannot bear it. He was so happy to be a part of all this and he was so young.’
‘He knew the risks when he threw in his lot with us.’
‘How can you say that?’ Maribel was too distressed to think clearly or to notice that he was strained and tense. ‘Tom was little more than a child.’
She ran from the room, feeling close to tears. In her own bedchamber she sat on the bed, covering her face with her hands. The tears she had held back as she helped with the wounded fell thick and fast. She had known that the pirates led precarious lives, but the cabin boy’s death was shocking and painful. She looked up as her door opened and saw Justin standing on the threshold.
‘You should not weep for him,’ he said. ‘We all run the risk of a violent death. It could have happened at sea. Ours is a precarious trade and death is common amongst us.’
‘You speak so lightly of death.’ Maribel’s face was white as she stood up. ‘I cannot help but weep for Tom. He was like a young brother to me.’
‘Weep then, but accept it.’ Justin moved towards her, looking down at her face. She believed she saw something like regret in his eyes. ‘I thought perhaps we might have something, you and I—but this is no life for you, Maribel. You do not belong here. The life is too harsh for a woman of your breeding and you would sicken and die of a broken heart. The sooner I get you to England the better for all concerned.’
‘I thought…’ She choked back the words. Earlier that day he had held her in his arms and kissed her until she melted for love, but that was a different man, a man she could love and respect, the man he had been before he became a pirate perhaps. This man with the cold eyes looked at her as if he despised her, thought her weak and useless. ‘Yes, you are right. Yet even if I do not belong, I can do something to help. Anna and I tended the wounded and we shall return to see what more we can do in the morning.’
‘No! You are not to go down to the waterfront. I forbid it.’
‘You forbid it? I do not understand. I am capable of helping to nurse the wounded.’
‘Now that the fires are out there will be plenty to help the wounded. You are not needed—and Anna would do well to stay away too. These people can look after their own.’
His words struck her like the lash of a whip. ‘You are cruel, sir. I wished only to help.’
‘You will do more harm than good. People are blaming you for this attack—and me. They do not want your help. Even I must watch my back when I walk there—you would be too vulnerable.’
Maribel was silenced. He was so harsh and his words were like a knife in her heart. He spoke of others blaming her—but he blamed her too. The ships that had wreaked so much damage on the island and its inhabitants were part of her father’s fleet. She had tried to change, to become like Anna and the others, but she had never belonged here—and now she was hated.
‘I would not have had this happen…’ Her eyes were wide, filled with tears. ‘You know I would not…’
‘What I know is nothing to the point. For your own safety stay away from the waterfront. The Defiance should return in a few days. As soon as it has unloaded its cargo and provisioned we shall leave the island.’
Maribel inclined her head. ‘Very well, I shall be ready. As you said, the sooner I am on my way to England the better.’
Maribel slept little that night. She had wept until there were no more tears, but then she tossed restlessly, going over and over all the events of the past weeks in her mind. What could she
