Maribel looked at him doubtfully. ‘Do you not know what could happen to you if the ship is taken? You might be hung as a pirate.’
‘I’d as soon hang as starve on the streets of London, lady—and the life at sea is hard for every man jack of us. I could die of the typhoid or the pox any day.’
Was life so harsh for a young lad? Reared to the privileges of birth and wealth, she had not realised what others suffered. She felt humbled and a little ashamed.
‘What is your name?’
‘I’m called Tom, lady.’ Tis as good a name as any for I know not my own. I was born in prison. Me ma died and I was brought up by the parish until I ran away to sea.’
‘Why did you run away?’
‘Because they made me work for nothing and gave me scraps to eat. I was better off at sea, and if I’d stayed with my last berth I shouldn’t have left the captain—but this one is a monster.’
Maribel reached out to touch his hand, her heart moved to pity by his plight. She had not realised there was so much suffering, for as unhappy as she had been after her stepmother’s death, she had never known what it was like to go hungry or go in fear of a cruel master.
‘If I am ransomed, I shall ask to take you with me. As my servant you would be fed and paid a wage—and I should not beat you.’
‘I thank you, lady,’ Tom said and lifted his head with a touch of pride. ‘Here on this ship all men are equal. We sail by the laws of the brethren and share in the spoils. I reckon I’ll be a servant to no man or woman in future—though if I were I could not want a better mistress.’
Maribel inclined her head, uncertain whether she had been rebuffed. Did servants dislike working for their masters? She had never considered it before. For the first time, Maribel was aware of the sheltered life she had led, protected, kept apart—but not loved, at least by her father.
The older man with the scar on his face was ushering her below deck. She obeyed, moving towards the hatch, but lingered for a moment looking about her. Tom seemed to think he had made a change for the better and somehow her fear had evaporated.
Of course their captain was a wicked, arrogant rogue and she disliked him, even though she had felt something very odd when he kissed her. She would do her best to avoid his company, but it would appear that for the moment she had little to fear from the pirates. They were not as wild as she had feared, and, as she looked back and saw that the captain was coming aboard, she understood that he was in complete command of his ship. The men jumped to obey his orders as he indicated they should disengage with the other ship, but they did so willingly. She had seen no sign of fear or resentment in their faces.
Her gaze went beyond him to the deck of the Mistress Susanna. She saw that Samuel Hynes was tied to a mast and that his men were beginning to cut the ropes that bound him…but they were taking their time. She had seen both fear and resentment on board that ship—as she had seen it in some of the men who served her father. Why was it different here?
‘You should not linger on deck, lady.’
Maribel jumped guiltily as she heard the pirate captain’s voice.
‘I see that you have allowed Captain Hynes to live.’
‘Against the will of some of my men.’ Justin’s gaze narrowed. ‘Have you some affection for this man?’
‘None, sir. I merely regret any bloodshed.’
‘It is necessary at times, but we are not monsters. We kill only when we must.’
‘Then why are you pirates? Could you not find an honest trade?’
‘You ask too many questions, Donna Maribel.’
‘You know my name—may I not at least know yours, sir?’
‘Captain Sylvester, at your service.’
‘Do not mock me. If you were at my service, you would not have kidnapped me.’
‘I saw no force used, lady. You walked aboard my ship willingly.’
‘Because I was given no choice! What would you have done had I refused?’
‘Ah…’ His eyes gleamed with mockery. ‘I should then have had to carry you on board myself, for I would have no other lay their hands on you. As Captain I have first choice of the spoils—and you are my share, lady.’
‘You promised to ransom me…’ Maribel’s heart raced as she looked into his eyes. They were so blue that she thought of a summer sky and for a moment she was drawn to him, but there was ice at their centre and she shivered, sensing his anger.
‘Perhaps I shall…’ Justin did not smile. ‘Yet there is something about you that I think might be worth more than mere gold. So perhaps you should not tarry; I have work to do and you will be safe in your cabin.’
What did he mean? Her heart jerked with fright and yet her body tingled, making her feel more alive than she had for a long, long time. He might be a pirate and a rogue, but there was something compelling about Captain Sylvester—something that made her heart beat faster.
She turned and hastened towards the open hatch. Her pulses were racing as she climbed down the ladder taking her to the cabins below. She squashed the feeling that she might like him if she allowed herself to judge him fairly. No, she would not give in to weakness. The pirate captain was a devil! An arrogant, wicked, mocking devil and she hated him! Yet at the back of her mind a little voice was telling her that he had saved her from a fate that might have been far worse than her present situation.
Maribel stared out of the porthole at the calm sea. They had been at sea for two days and she had not left her cabin. She turned her head as her maid entered. Anna brought her food and wine each day and already knew her way about the ship.
‘The captain says you may come on deck for some air, my lady—but that you should keep your head covered for the sun is hot and he would not have you take harm.’
‘You may tell Captain Sylvester that I have no wish to come on deck or to mix with rogues.’
Anna looked at her oddly. ‘Do you think it wise to send such a message, my lady?’
‘How would you have me address him—as a friend?’ Maribel knew that her maid’s counsel was wise, but something inside her would not allow her to give in so easily.
‘We have not been treated ill…’
‘Indeed?’ Maribel’s dark eyes flashed. ‘If you do not think it ill to be abducted and forced aboard a pirate ship, I do. Sylvester had no right to take us captive.’
‘He had the right—’ tis the law of the sea. He might have sunk the vessel and all with it, but only those that resisted were harmed, and I think none killed. It is not always the case with pirates. Had we been taken by corsairs we should be dead or on our way to a slave market, where we should be sold to the highest bidder.’
Maribel wrinkled her brow. She knew that her maid spoke the truth; they could have fared worse. However, she had no
