Pirates and Prejudice (10 page)

Darcy eyed them
carefully so he could watch for any sign of mutiny as he told them what they were
about to do. At least he knew he had Bellows on his side.

The men listened
in surprise and just a little confusion as they were told their captain was not
Lockerly, he was not a pirate and neither were they, and they were actually
going to be of assistance rather than plunder and pillage the ship that was in
distress.

When Darcy
finished, he said to them, “I know ye joined me under the misapprehension that
I would be leadin’ ye all on a variety of piratin’ adventures. I am sorry,
truly, but this was never my intent. The goal was to lure the real Lockerly to
us so he could be captured. But if ye trust me an’ do as I ask, ye shall all be
receivin’ the highest commendations to be hired on other sailin’ vessels when
we return to London. All of ye ’ave proven yourselves excellent workers.”

The men received
the news reasonably well. While there was some disappointment, two of the
younger men, Michael Jenkins and Edward Webber, confessed that they had
secretly hoped they wouldn’t have to kill anyone, although obtaining some
treasure might have been appealing.

When Darcy
returned to the foredeck, Bellows said to him, “Foster knew t’would be this
way. The men trust ye completely an’ will follow yer orders to the letter.”

“’Tis one thing
to say you’ll do somethin’ an’ another to do it.” Darcy said, folding his arms
across his chest. “We shall ’ave to wait an’ see.”

Bellows pointed
to the ship in distress. “As we draw close, I will need to signal ’em so they
know we ain’t pirates in case they recognize the
Devil’s Seamaiden
. Once
they know I’m on board, they’ll know all is safe.”

“How will you
signal them?”

“Signal flags
that ye arrange in ways that form messages. Cap’n Meeker will know their
meaning.”

Darcy leaned
against the quarterdeck railing and looked up. With a sly smile he said, “I am
very grateful you did not hoist the Jolly Roger that Lockerly had stowed away.
I truly thought you might do that.”

“Ye thought that
’bout me? Sorry. I suppose I did pass meself off as a real scallywag!”

“Ye certainly
did!”

“Cap’n, if
you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to raisin’ the signal flags before they begin firin’
warnin’ shots at us.”

“Thank you,
Bellows.”

Bellows left,
and Darcy stood at the helm gripping the wheel. He kept an eye on the listing
ship, still drifting in and out of the fog. He could see cannons positioned on
the side of the deck and would have been concerned, but for the fact that due
to the tilt of the ship, the cannons most likely would not be able to hit them.

Bellows worked
with a few of the crew to hoist the signal flags, being very particular in the
order they went up. When he finished, he instructed the same men to unfurl the
topsail, top gallant, and outer jib sails. He watched as the men climbed out on
the rigging and released the sails. They dropped with a thud and immediately
caught the wind and billowed out. The ship began moving slowly.

Bellows returned
to the helm, but allowed Darcy to continue steering. He picked up the spyglass
and looked out. “I think we ken get fairly close to the ship. It’ll take some
careful manoeuvrin’ aroun’ some of these rocks, but I think we ken do it. We
need to approach close enough to throw the grapplin’ hook over to pull us in
close.”

“Would ye mind
takin’ the helm, Bellows?” Darcy asked, and then suddenly tilted his head and
raised a brow. “Is that
your
real name?”

Bellows laughed.
“Aye, Cap’n. I ’ad no reason to change it as I was not wi’ the River Thames
Police, or any police, for that matter.”

Darcy watched as
Bellows steered the ship and gave orders to the men. The ship drew slowly and
cautiously towards the disabled ship, now in full view. As they drew closer,
Darcy noticed men coming to the rail armed with muskets and drawn swords.

“Ahoy!” Darcy
yelled. “Are ye in need of assistance?”

“We are armed!” yelled
one of the men. “We have no valuables on board this ship, if you be pirates!”

“We are not
pirates!” Darcy answered back. “I’m Cap’n Smith, an’ at the helm is George
Bellows, a former crewman on yer ship.” Darcy waved for Bellows to come over.

“Lower the
anchor an’ furl the sails!” Bellows hollered as he took the steps down and
walked to the rail. “Good mornin’, Cap’n Meeker! I thought ye knew better than
to get yerself into this kind of predicament!”

“Couldn’t do
much in the storm! What’re ye doin’ on that ship? If I didn’t know any better,
I’d swear that is a pirate ship an’ ye had become a pirate! I wasn’t trustin’
those signal flags you hoisted. Anyone can claim to be anyone these days!”

“’Tis a long
story, but tell us, what ken we do?”

“I ken barely
hear ye. Can ye get closer?”

Bellows looked
down into the sea, noticing the shadow of rock just beneath the surface.

“I don’t think
so. But gimme a few minutes!”

Bellows gathered
about five men who effortlessly climbed the rigging and stepped out onto one of
the masts. He pulled down a rope, releasing the winch that held it taut. Before
Darcy could even blink, Bellows jumped. He swung down on the rope, out across
the water, and landed on the deck of the other ship. The others followed.

Bellows and the
captain spoke fervently while the others went below deck to help with the
damage. Bellows then climbed the rigging of the other ship and returned in the
same manner. He rushed over to Darcy as the remaining crew huddled close.

“They ’ave a
gash in their hull, but that is not the worst of their worries. Apparently they
rowed four ladies to a small island just to the north in case the ship
capsized. They’re there wi’ the husband of one of them an’ a crewman. They
tried to send the rest of the passengers across, but the dinghy just returned
to the ship with all of ’em still aboard. There were pirates who fired on the
boat as it tried to approach! They ’ave taken the ladies prisoner, an’ they are
now in greater danger than if they ’ad remained on the ship!”

Darcy removed
his tri-corn hat and raked his fingers through his long hair. This was grave,
indeed, but he could not turn his back on those in danger. He looked back to
the ship and noticed an older man at the rail. He was not dressed as a crewman,
and Darcy thought he looked somewhat familiar. He brought the spyglass to his
eye and focused on the man.

“You must rescue
my daughter!” the man called out. “I cannot bear to think of anything happening
to her!”

Darcy’s heart
stopped. It had been well over six months since he had last seen him, but the
gentleman on that ship was most certainly Mr. Bennet! He froze, fear coursing
through him. Which of his daughters was in the hands of pirates? Whoever it
was, he would do everything in his power to rescue her. As he determined what
he could do, Mr. Bennet called out again.

“Please! You
must rescue my Lizzy!”

Darcy almost
dropped the spyglass and gripped the rail tightly with his other hand. His
knuckles turned white, and he felt his chest constrict, finding it difficult to
even take a breath. Forcing himself to think, he rubbed his temple. He looked
around him at the sea, the rocks, and out towards the lonely island.

He turned to
Bellows. “We must make every attempt to rescue these ladies. Can we manoeuvre
the ship directly away from the merchant ship so the pirates do not see us and
then move stealthily through the fog around the island? Perhaps we can come in
and have surprise in our favour… if they have not already seen us.”

“I doubt they
’ave. The merchant ship is bigger an’ we ’ave been on the other side of it from
the island the whole time. With the fog, I doubt they could make us out.”

“Well, let us
away, quickly!”

Bellows turned
to go and then stopped, looking back at Darcy. “It looks like we’ll be ’aving a
pirate’s adventure after all, Cap’n!” He returned to the helm and gave the
order to unfurl more sails.

Darcy stood at
the rail, staring out into the fog. He could not formulate one thought except
that he must save Elizabeth and would make every attempt to do so. Looking up
into the heavens, he softly muttered, “Lord, keep her safe! I will do anything,
even give her up in my heart, if that is what is needed to ensure no harm comes
to her!”

Chapter 10

It had been two hours since the pirates had appeared
and taken the party captive. The ladies huddled together in the back of the
cave, shivering more from fear than cold. They were sheltered from the mist
enshrouding the island but were too far from the small fire at the end of the
cave to benefit from its heat. Timmons and Mr. Joyner had been ordered to sit
back to back, and their hands were bound together.

About an hour
earlier they had heard shots fired. The prisoners had silently looked at each
other with anxious glances. They had hoped that the men who were coming over to
join them had been the ones doing the shooting, while at the same time feared
that they were the ones being shot at. They had waited with great dread while
one of the pirates, who was called Torch, was sent out to discover what had
happened. When he had returned, the news he brought was disheartening to the
captives. Apparently there were two pirates on the beach, Bloody Clem and
Scarface Jack, who had indeed shot at a dinghy bringing men over.  Torch
had assured the other pirates that the dinghy returned to the merchant ship.
Fear had consumed the ladies that now no one would come to rescue them.

In the hour
since they had heard the gunshots, the pirates had become a little less
attentive, save for the one who stood at the entrance to the cave. 

Two pirates were
lazily sprawled with their backs against the wall of the cave, their muskets
and swords at their side. They would occasionally take a drink from a flask or
take a bite of some food they had stowed. The one named Torch stood near the
ladies, pacing back and forth. Elizabeth could not determine whether he was
nervous or trying to act as though he was guarding them against an escape.

The fourth man
had remained just inside the cave, looking out. His gaze swept back and forth
as if waiting and watching for something. Every once in a while he would look
at the ladies, glaring at them with a wicked smile. Elizabeth felt a sick
tightening in her stomach at his bold perusal, which more often than not landed
on her.

Elizabeth had
determined he must be the leader. He was tall, with long, dark curly hair that
brushed his shoulders. His beard was full, dark, and wiry. To Elizabeth’s
discerning eye, he also seemed to be the most capable of inflicting injury. The
other men were rather thin and almost appeared unsure of themselves and what
was expected of them. They seemed to obey more out of fear than out of bravery.

“Oh, I know we
are all to die!” Mrs. Joyner cried out in a hushed tone.

Elizabeth patted
her hand. “These men have been drinking too heavily to do us much harm. They
can barely walk upright.”

“Yes!” agreed
Mrs. Dillard. “We must have faith that we shall all come through this
unharmed!”

Elizabeth hoped
these words would alleviate Mrs. Joyner’s fears. For herself, she remembered
Reverend Hoover saying that the good Lord was as close as a prayer and to call
out to Him when in need. She closed her eyes and without thinking squeezed Mrs.
Joyner’s hand. All she could murmur was, “Lord, keep us all safe from these
pirates!”

She opened her
eyes and looked at Mrs. Dillard, who seemed to be praying, as well.

Elizabeth was
uncertain how many pirates might be on the island, but from the conversation
between the four men in the cave, she knew there were at least two more out on
the beach, and possibly more. She felt her heart beat wildly as she considered
the safety of her father, cousin, and the rest of the men as they had attempted
to come ashore. She hoped they had been able to return to the merchant ship
unharmed.

The rain had
stopped, and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. As irrational as it
seemed, Elizabeth thought to herself that if the sun succeeded in shining down
on them, they would be safe. Or at least they would be warm. She dreaded what
might happen once the sun set.

Elizabeth
watched as Torch sat down by the other two men, picked up the flask, and began
to drink.

“Put that down,
Torch! You ’ave ’ad enough to drink and we need to stay alert!” He looked at the
other two men in the cave. “That goes fer you, too!”

Torch meekly put
down the flask. “Yes, Cap’n Lockerly.”

Elizabeth’s eyes
narrowed.
Lockerly
!
I have heard that name before!

As she tried to recollect
why the name sounded familiar, Mrs. Keller suddenly whispered, “Lockerly is a
pirate who recently was captured by the authorities but somehow escaped!”

“You are right!”
Elizabeth replied softly. “I remember reading about it.” Elizabeth blew out a
long puff of air and looked over at him. “His entire crew was hung. These men
must be ones he has recently engaged to join him.”

“Oh!” Mrs.
Joyner trembled. “This is grave, indeed!”

“Perhaps not,”
Elizabeth reassured her. “If these men are not experienced pirates, we can hope
that we might somehow free ourselves. They do not appear to me to be very
clever men or competent combatants. And they are all quite jug-bitten.”

“Shall we pray
that they continue drinking?” Mrs. Dillard asked, attempting to inject some
levity into the situation.

Elizabeth
suddenly stood up, and Mrs. Joyner gasped, trying to pull her back down. “If
you please, sir, the ladies need a little privacy... to take care of some
personal business. If you would be so kind as to allow us a few moments to
ourselves outside the cave.”

Lockerly
grunted. “And ’ave you run off? Me thinks not.”

Elizabeth put
her hands on her hips. “And where do you think we are going to run off to?”

“She ’as a
point,” Torch said with a laugh.

Lockerly glared
at Torch and then turned back to the ladies. “Aye, then, but only two at a
time.” He raised his sword and pointed it at Timmons and Mr. Joyner. “An’ if ye
don’t return quickly, ye’ll regret it. We’ll come afta ya
an’
kill one
of the men!”

Mrs. Joyner
began to sway, and Elizabeth turned to grab her. She told Mrs. Keller and Mrs.
Dillard to go first, while she attempted to calm Mrs. Joyner. This might give
her time to compose a plan.

When the two
ladies returned, Elizabeth pulled Mrs. Joyner to her feet. “Come with me,” she
whispered. “The air will help you.”

The ladies
walked away from the cave. Mrs. Joyner held tightly to Elizabeth’s hand and
leaned as close to her as she could as they walked past Lockerly. They set out
for some dense shrubbery where they could discreetly take care of their needs.
As they walked back, Elizabeth began to pick up large rocks and then slipped
them into the pockets of her gown.

“What are you
doing?” asked Mrs. Joyner in an alarmed whisper. Fear was etched in her
features, and her voice shook.

“I am merely
arming myself. Here, you take some.”

“Oh, I could do
no such thing!’ exclaimed Mrs. Joyner.

A noise brought
the conversation and walk to a halt. Elizabeth brought a finger to her lips in
the hopes that Mrs. Joyner would remain calm and silent. She could hear the
distinctive sound of someone walking hurriedly through the brush. Her heart
thundered at the prospect that whoever was coming might be here to either
rescue them or ravage them.

Elizabeth
forcefully brought Mrs. Joyner down behind some rocks and bushes as the person
drew near. If she could only see who it was! It might not help, but it could
not hurt. She knew it could not be anyone from the cave, and she did not think
it could be the men who were on the shore. The person was walking from the
other direction.

Elizabeth peered
through the dense foliage and watched with eyes like a hawk, waiting for the
person to appear. She gripped one of the larger rocks in her pocket, fingering
it tightly. Suddenly a man came out from around a bend. He was alone! But to
her dismay, he looked much like Lockerly, with his long, unkempt hair and
beard. He was wearing a tri-corn hat, billowy white shirt, and red sash. He
walked stealthily, patting his sword, which was sheathed in a leather baldric.
She quickly deduced that he, too, must be a pirate!

Just as he
passed, Elizabeth took aim, bit her lip, and struck him in the head with all
her strength!

*~*~*

The
Devil’s
Seamaiden
had been able to pull fairly close to the small island around to
the south. The fog shrouded them as they drew near. As the sea on that side was
relatively free of rocky outcroppings, there was no fear of striking one. Darcy
and Bellows hand-picked four men from the crew – those they deemed most
reliable and loyal – to accompany them onto the small island. The remaining
crew were left to man the ship.

The six men
rowed across in the small dinghy, making it quickly it to shore. Darcy’s plan
was to have two men search along the beach in the direction of the pirates who
staved off the merchant’s ship boat with gunfire and have the other two walk
along the shore in the opposite direction to see what they would find. He asked
Bellows to give the men a course of action should they encounter any pirates
and then to follow him.

As Bellows spoke
with the men, Darcy quickly looked about him, alert to any sign that the
pirates might be close by. When he was convinced they had not been seen, he
hurriedly began walking inland in hopes of finding the prisoners, particularly,
Elizabeth.

The rapid
beating of his heart propelled his pace and lengthened his stride. A great fear
gripped him that any delay could mean disaster for Elizabeth.

He lowered his
head to pass through some shrubs. As he brushed aside some branches and came
through, he saw a flash of movement to the side and instinctively raised his
hand as something came towards him. He felt a searing pain above his right eye,
which stunned him momentarily, taking him to the ground.

Darcy lay dazed
for a moment, hearing voices.

Another voice – Bellows
– sounded from a distance. “Cap’n Smith, are you hurt?”

“Oh, Lord!” a
woman cried. “Here comes another pirate! We shall all die now, I am sure of
it!”

“Ladies, fear
not, we are here to rescue you!”

Suddenly Bellows
was beside him, gently shaking him. “Captain Smith, do you hear me?”

Darcy groaned
and brought his hand up to his forehead. “What happened?” He could feel the
warm trickle of blood and tried to open his eyes as he heard Bellows again.

“Ladies, my name
is Bellows. This is Cap’n Smith. I used to serve with Cap’n Meeker, of the
merchant ship ye were sailing on. He told us about ye being held by pirates. Ye
’ave Timmons with ye, correct?”

He spoke so
rapidly that Darcy could barely make sense of his words.

Suddenly another
woman spoke. “You know Timmons? You are not pirates?”

That voice! It
was Elizabeth!

“No, we aren’t,
despite ’ow we may look,” Bellows reassured her.

“Oh, I am so
sorry! Shall he be all right, do you think?”

“I doubt it is a
mortal wound. He’ll recover.”

Darcy felt
Elizabeth kneel down next to him. She dabbed his forehead with a soft cloth,
perhaps a handkerchief. He revelled in her gentle touch. But he had to see her!
Despite the pain, he slowly opened his eyes.

He was not quite
ready for the shock of actually seeing Elizabeth Bennet so close after so long.
Soft, caring eyes looked down upon him instead of the sharp, accusing ones he
had last seen at Rosings. Something inside of him reacted with great force, and
he found himself unwittingly reaching out and grasping her hand.

“Oh!” Elizabeth
exclaimed, trying to pull her hand free. “I am so sorry, sir… Captain… I
thought you were a pirate! If I had but known! Pray, forgive me! Truly, you
must believe me. I did not mean to harm you!”

Darcy loosened his
grip slightly, but he did not release her hand.

“No, no,” he
said. “I am… I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to frighten ye.” He tried to sit up,
but a wave of dizziness forced him back down. “I… am a trifle dizzy.”

“We must get
back,” the other woman said, tugging at Elizabeth’s free hand. “They threatened
to come after us and kill one of the men if we did not return directly!”

Elizabeth looked
with an expression of worry at Darcy. He could not take his eyes off of her and
was still in possession of her hand. He did not wish to release it, as he felt
that as long as he held it, she would be safe.

Elizabeth
touched the handkerchief to his forehead again. “I fear it is still bleeding,
Captain. I am so sorry!”

 “You had
every reason in the world to think ill of me. You… ye thought I was another
pirate. How many pirates are there?” he asked, gently giving her hand a
squeeze.

Elizabeth
furrowed her brow and bit her lip, a look of confusion passing over her
features. “There are four in the cave, and I believe two are on the beach. They
shot at the men who tried to come over after us! My father and cousin were on
the boat!”

“They are all
safe,” Darcy said. “We stopped to give assistance to the ship when we saw it
had struck rock. The men had just returned. No one was hit.”