My Bonny Heart (Pirate's Progeny Book 1) (28 page)

A dark brow raised waiting for the answer.

His hips were positioned once again for the delectable thrust of his body.

“Yes, please.”

And, he complied with her answer . . .

Epilogue

July, 1722

Blackhurst Shipping & Co., somewhere in the warehouse . . .

A trail of clothing led to a long pile of sacks full of Carolina golden rice. Sun poured through the high windows of the warehouse, sparkling dust motes danced in the air.

Anne watched with drooping eyelids as her husband strutted, stark naked, giving her a delicious view of wide, bulky shoulders, muscles rippling in a back that tapered into a set of perfectly formed, tight male buttocks.

She smiled as he bent to retrieve an article of clothing from the trail they’d left in the wake of the spontaneous lovemaking the servants had come to label as ‘taking the master to task.’

She’d overheard one of the kitchen maids hollering to one of the new stable hands while outside of the stable, “There they go again, Jibs, taking the master to task in the stable.”

“That’s quite a path we left, my love.” The sack of rice she lay on was surprisingly soft, along with the other twelve that made a perfect bed for their impromptu passion. She stretched as she heard his chuckle.

Addison retrieved his breeches several feet away from his hose, and several more feet further, he found his shirt. “I lay the blame of this mess on you, my love.” No heat entered his voice as he began to pull his breeches up.

Anne felt in no hurry to move from her makeshift bed, her body sated and languid, merely shifting to her side and resting her head in her palm to stare at her husband’s manly physique. There would never come a day she would be tired of his demanding lovemaking, devilish smiles, or the way he enjoyed sparking her temper. Her heart still thundered upon hearing his voice, seeing him appear in a doorway; and especially when her son would run to his ‘papa’ and they would walk hand-in-hand. Addison even joined in her feedings of the twins, rocking them, and singing English lullabies to them as he did so.

Yes, her heart was quite full.

He scraped up the few items of clothing she’d worn this day. No corset, no under garments, only the deep green gown, boots, stockings, and garters when a wife intends to seduce her husband.

The sight of him performing such personal tasks such as picking up a woman’s clothing made her heart leap. She tapped her fingers upon the sack before her stomach. “I might have taken full credit if the blame were entirely on me. But, you were the one who undressed me, sir.”

Addison turned and she felt a stir in her belly and much lower. Her nipples hardened instantly, and she caught her breath.

“No man can resist a beautiful woman teasing him with her breasts nearly bursting from her gown, practically inviting him to take her on the spot. I was lucky to move us from the office in full view of anyone who entered.” His eyes darkened to the color of molten steel, the color of desire.

She smiled and caressed her hip. “You hadn’t minded a few weeks ago.” Granted it was late in the evening, but the desk in his office had proved a sensual experience all in itself; sitting at a precise height to insight quite a frenzy from them both. She bit her bottom lip, moisture condensing between her legs. She knew her lips drove her husband crazy.

“Seven hells, Anne.” He raked a tanned hand through his tousled hair. “I swear you tempt me on purpose.”

She swallowed the rampant lust that flowed as she saw the tent his hardness made in the front of his breeches. “Perhaps,” she flicked one pebbled nipple, “you are trying to blame your lustful appetites on me.”

His nostrils flared, and he was standing directly before her in a moment, grasping her by the wrist. “This appetite needs fed again. I’m starving.”

Hauling her up, he smashed her against his chest as his lips forced hers open. How she loved the wildness in him. Her English lord may be pompous and arrogant on occasion, but she knew precisely how to bring out the pirate in him.

She unlaced the strings of his breeches, pushed them down, and wrapped her hand around the hard silkiness of him, stroking him into a frenzy. He forced her on her hands and knees and glided into her swiftly from behind. With one hand on her breast, and the other wrapped around to rub the secret nub that made her writhe, they made quick, crazed work of it.

Several mad thrusts, loud moans, a couple of window-shaking screams, and one ruined sack of rice later, they lay sprawled on their bed of rice.

Addison’s dark hair was tousled and he had an elbow slung over his face, panting. The love she felt for him strengthened every moment. And, she knew he felt the same for her. Life, at this moment, could be no sweeter.

She had even become quite good friends with the Royal Governor, which had to have her pirate friends rolling over in their graves. But, Francis was a good sort, and she’d vowed to put that part of her life behind her. Her father made an effort to mend their strained relationship by visiting on occasion and playing with the children.

The news she had initially intended to impart to her husband upon her visit to his office earlier weighed on her still. She’d not had time to get to it for obvious reasons.

She turned on her side, twirling the little black hairs that peeked at her from Addison’s open shirt; the buttons sacrificed on their first round of lovemaking.

“Addison, I made the special trip today to give you some news.” She bit her lip again, not to tease him, but unsure of his reaction.

“Oh God, my love, not another pirate mate showing up unexpectedly? I knew that damn tavern keep would not keep his mouth shut.”

She chuckled at the memory, and the sigh her husband could not contain. Apparently, Mr. Boskins,
The Hound and the Hare
’s tavern keep realized that Anne was somewhat famous among the more savvy captains that made a visit. He made it his business to inform any of them that knew Anne in the past knew that she—of course his chest was puffed out as he said this—was a frequent patron of the tavern. It was all quite true. She and Addison made monthly visits to have their famous biscuits, and at least one time had revisited the storeroom.

“No, love. Besides, that was only
one
instance. Thomas Anstis merely came to give us the sad news of Bartholomew’s death.” She and Addison both mourned the loss of their friend. Piracy had not ended well for many of Anne’s friends.

“Then, I suppose there is nothing you could say that would annoy me at the moment.” She could see his face lift as he smiled beneath his arm.

She had to agree, lovemaking made even the most stressful day fade for a time.

“I’m growing large.”

He removed his arm, turned to search her eyes, frowning. “Large?” Silver eyes moved down to peruse the parts of her he could see from his laid-back position. “If that is fat, madam, I love all of it.”

Addison maneuvered so he was on his side, facing her. His cheek rested upon his open palm.

Anne gave him a pointed look. “As in, my gowns will need a seamstress . . . with the little babe I have growing inside me.” There was a moment while she held her breath before he broke into a wide grin.

Strong hands pulled her forward, his lips finding hers. “You have made me happier than I thought I could possibly be at this moment, my love.” He pulled her into his chest, hugging her tight. She could feel his heart pounding. A kiss landed in her hair. “Another little pirate roaming Cranford Hall. Wonderful.”

“Let’s hope they choose a different profession.”

A raspy laugh escaped him as he released her to adjust his breeches. “Aye, that may be a good idea.”

It took a few moments to step into the gown as he assisted, deftly tying up the back of it for her. He placed several kisses upon her shoulders and neck along the way to keep the shivers going.

The only mess they left behind was a torn sack, rice spilling onto the floor. Addison assured her he’d come back to clean it before leaving for the day.

Once back in the main office, Addison sat behind his desk and reached for a large packet. “Eliza asked me to give this to you the other day. I had completely forgotten.”

Their resident nanny and English teacher had gone to visit relatives in England for a holiday. Anne raised a brow and took the packet from his hand. “She’s given me something?”

The letter she pulled from the folds, written in bold, sweeping letters, was short.

Dear Anne,

Before my son passed, he entrusted several items into my care. Given your adventures and illustrious past, I suspect my son had someone with your nature strictly in mind when he handed over the items you will find enclosed.

While I have no idea what the articles mean or where they lead, I trust you will know exactly what to do with them.

Best regards,

Eliza

Anne’s interest peaked. The packet was larger than normal, but light. The contents were several sheets of parchment.

Her husband chuckled. “Well? Are you going to stare at it, or open it? Bloody hell.”

“Yes, yes. It’s just so strange she would give me something her son entrusted to her.” The first parchment was filled with bold, scrawling handwriting. It was a long list of items—quite valuable items in fact; lists of jewels, statues, chests, all manner of valuables. Before reading through the entire front and back of the parchment, Anne reached in for the remainder of the sheets.

“You’re frowning.” Addison rounded the desk to peer over her shoulder. “Is that a list?”

She nodded, perusing the following sheets. “Are those coordinates?” He pointed to a boxed section on the bottom of the second sheet. “I know that building. That is in Southampton. Anne, what are these things? There are so many pages of drawings and coordinates. Can you make sense of any of it?”

Anne pressed the pieces of parchment to her chest, a giggle escaping. “Yes, my love, these make perfect sense.” Just to be sure, she looked at the signature on the back of the first list. She turned to face her husband, a wry smile lifting her lips. “It appears our nanny has a pirate secret of her own.”

A dark brow arched. “Eliza?”

“Eliza
Teach
to be exact. Blackbeard’s mother.”

“You can’t be serious.
Our
Eliza? Are you saying—?”

“Maps, love. To quite a great amount of pirate treasure. He left all of his secrets to his mother.”

“I suppose there is nothing wrong with checking them out.” A mischievous glint turned his eyes a deep gray.

“Aye, it’s a good thing you’ve purchased another ship. I suspect any
pirate
tendencies we see in this babe are going to come from his father.”

A tender kiss cut off the laughter they shared just then. A kiss full of love . . . and adventure.

Afterword: Female Pirates

The idea that a woman could raise a pirate flag is hard for some to fathom, but there were, indeed, many pirates of the female variety.  Two such lady pirates were Mary Read and Anne Bonny.

Mary and Anne became fast friends when, upon the same ship, they discovered they both were women disguised as men. Both donned the clothing and attitudes necessary to survive in the dangerous life they had chosen. Unfortunately, they were eventually captured.

Jack Rackham—Anne's real-life, one-time, love interest—met his death at the end of a noose. Mary and Anne “plead their bellies” so they would be spared. Mary died in prison, so her story did end fatefully. However, there is a mystery surrounding Anne Bonny and the continuance of her life story.

While I have taken liberty with her story after her capture in 1720, there are varying claims to the life she led after her time in jail. Some claim she was, indeed, hanged later, or even died in prison. But, there are strong genealogical ties to support her returning to South Carolina, marrying, having more children, and dying peacefully in Virginia in the 1780s.

In no way do I claim to know her true ending, and the names of her husband and children in this book are purely fictional. Whatever the truth may be, I’d like to think Anne Bonny did obtain her happily ever.