Shy... (2 page)

“Uh… the Steward.”
She lied, hoping that fat man would not come to hear of it.

“That fat old
bastard has no sense…” Hinds said grimly, slicing the cheese further with his
dagger. “You won’t last a month out here.”

“I have made
friends with Bran…” She said carefully. “…he teaches me well.”

“Bran?” The tall
man looked a bit confused for a moment. “Ah, the Steward’s assistant… another
one not fit for the sea.”

“But I…” She eyed
him cautiously as he ate the cheese and swigged the Rum.

“You be wary out
here, boy.” Hinds looked right at her, his eyes cold and hard. “The sea makes
men do strange things, especially when they are lonely.”

“What possible harm
will they do to me?” She pretended indifference.

“You look soft and
delicate, almost like a woman… and I’m willing to bet my last piece of eight
that you’d feel as soft as one too… but I’m not a man of such persuasion.”
Hinds remarked, his eyes slowly roaming all over her manly clothing. “I can’t
speak for the others though.”

“I thank you, Mr.
Mate.” She said, almost blushing under his stare. He was unlike any man she had
seen before, leave alone talked to. “For your caution.”

“Do you know how to
use a blade?” He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, no…” Bella
replied nervously.

“Have you ever held
one?” His brow clouded over.

“No.”

“Damn, boy… do you
know how to fight?” He leaned forward, his large hands pressing down on the
wooden table.

“I’ve had no reason
to.” Her shrug was forced.

“Where were you
before this… in a monastery?” He gritted his teeth, lifting the tankard to his
lips. “Being out here is all the reason you need to get into a fight.”

“Fight for what?”

“Are you that
naïve, or just a fool?” He stood up, pushing the table back. “Or maybe both.
This is a merchant ship, laden with wealth… and we are prone to attack from
pirates and privateers alike. Every man on board is expected to fight and
defend her.”

“I was not aware…”

“Are you a runaway,
lad?” He eyed her closely. “Did you stow away on this ship? Have you any
papers?”

“I… yes.” She
looked away, shuffling her feet.

“Yes to what?” He
demanded.

“I… I do have the
papers.” She lied, hoping Bran would have prepared something like that for her.

“I must see them.”
Hinds loomed over her like a great bear.

“I have them in
safekeeping with my friend.” Bella kept her voice firm.

“Who is that?” She
could feel his fetid, rum soaked breath on her face.

“Bran.”

“Bran?” He moved
away, scratching his thick dark hair. “Oh, yes… the steward’s lackey.”

“Yes.” She replied,
a sense of relief in her tone.

“But why him?”

“He’s my friend.”
She replied with caution.

“Have him bring me
your papers in the morning, boy… along with you.” Hinds stepped toward the
narrow door.

“Where…” She peered
at him warily.

“He should know
where my cabin is.” The large man remarked as he stepped out onto the stairway
leading up. “And if you are a stowaway, boy… the two of you will be flogged.”

“I… I understand.”
She lowered her head. “Mr. Mate.”

“And stay below
until then, you won’t find me walking the deck all night to look after you… and
there’s a storm brewing.”

“Yes, Mr. Mate.”
She looked up at him curiously.  “But I must ask why this concern for my
wellbeing?”

“I don’t know,
boy.” He replied, his grin making her heart race. “Perhaps I like you.”

She sighed deeply
as his heavy footfalls faded away. She didn’t know why she felt that way. Hinds
was certainly a handsome man but she had met many handsome men before. There
was something else about him that left her breathless, a reckless and wild
quality that called out to her. She wanted to get closer to him, to feel his
touch. Sensations stirred in her young body like never before and yet she knew
she could not afford to let herself be discovered for who she was.

0-0-0

“Who are you?”

“I… I am Bel… Belen,
the new scrubbing boy.” The brunette pressed herself against the walls of the
cellar as the fat man stared at her.

“I hired no
scrubbing boy.” The Steward growled. “Get out of my wine cellar.”

“Master Steward
Gillard.” A familiar voice rang out behind the fat man. “The Cap’n wants you
above deck, sir.”

“Bran, how did this
one get in here?” Gillard the Master Steward rounded on Bran.

“He’s my cousin,
Belen, sir.” Bran grinned at the look of relief on Bella’s face. “I told you
about him last week, when we were drinking in that tavern ashore. You agreed to
hire him.”

“I did? I plumb
don’t remember…” Gillard stared at the stocky sailor. “We’ll talk about this
once I see what the Cap’n wants. Stay here.”

“Where were you,
Bran?” Bella whispered as soon as the Steward was out of sight. “What are we
going to do when he comes back?”

“That’s the least
of our worries now.” Bran nodded as he frantically gathered up some of the
largest butchering knives in the kitchen.

“What do you mean?”
She grabbed at his arm. “What’s happening, Bran?”

“The storm last
night blew us many miles off course… into dangerous waters.”

“What?”

“Aye, a pirate ship
has been sighted.”  Bran exhaled deeply. “It’s all hands on deck.”

“What am I going to
do?” Bella stared at him in disbelief.

“Best lock yourself
in the wine cellar.” He nodded at the little room full of aging bottles behind
her.

“And you?” She
reached out to touch his arm.

“I have to get up
there and fight.” He jerked his head upward.

“You might get
killed.” She stared at him in fear.

“Yes, Milady… that
is a possibility.” He shrugged, tearing his eyes away from her.

“But…” She
protested.

“This is the life,
Bella… the life out in the big bad world that you want to live.” He looked at
her once more, with sad eyes. “Hide here, be safe… pirates can be very ruthless
to women.”

“What?” She shook
her head vigorously. “B-but I can’t just…”

Bran didn’t say
anything further; he just gave her a solemn nod and ran up the stairs onto the
deck. A horn echoed down from the deck, three sharp blasts followed by a longer
one. She didn’t know what it meant but she could guess its intent. This was the
first time in her life she was in danger of any kind. She had fallen off her
pony once, and landed on the soft grass of the meadow in her father’s estate.
Her mind raced. Now she realized why Hinds had asked her if she knew how to
fight. The pirates, she had heard many tales of them, were merciless killers,
looting and plundering out on the high seas. It was exciting to hear such
things in the stories, but to actually live through one was a different matter
entirely. Her hands shook as she reached for the cellar door. Caught in two
minds whether to lock herself in or run up on deck and join the battle, she
struggled with her conscience.

Bran, who had
risked everything for her was ready to fight to the death. A man she had never
met before she ran away from home. And First Mate Ronan Hinds, rough and
uncaring though he may seem, showed some concern for her, when he shouldn’t
have bothered at all.  He was there on deck too, risking his life as well. They
were doing this for a ship full of wealth, a small fraction of the fortune she
had been born into and had taken for granted all these years. She made up her
mind, curling her slender fingers around the thick haft of a skewer and
grasping a pot cover in the other hand, the young brunette steadily made her
way up the stairway leading to the deck.

The thundering
report of something heavy crashing against the ship made her lose her footing
as she clambered up onto the deck. Everywhere men were running around, yelling
and screaming, their swords and blades held high and pistols going off.

“The pirates have
boarded.” Someone yelled from above.

Bella had never
seen such a state of confusion before. Her head was spinning, she couldn’t tell
a sailor from a pirate. A large man bore down on her; he looked even more
disgusting than the three sailors who were bullying her the day before. He had
to be a pirate she concluded, hurriedly stepping backward. The man chased her
down, his broad blade swinging in an arc for her head. She closed her eyes and
held up the skewer and the pot cover, fearing for the worst. Instead of pain,
she felt a splash of something warm and sticky on her shirt and arm, and a
coppery scent wafted to her nostrils.

She opened her eyes
to the grisly sight of her attacker lying in a pool of rich, red blood, some of
it staining her shirt and arm. She fell faint and staggered backward.

“Look alive, young
fool.” A familiar deep voice roared above her.

She looked up to
catch a glimpse of First Mate Hinds swinging himself up on a rope, bloody sword
in hand. He had saved her yet again. Nausea overcame her and her knees began to
knock against one another. She had to get below decks and back onto the wine
cellar. Bran was right; this was no place for the likes of her. All around her
the sound of swords clashing, cannons and pistols booming and the screams of
men dying and wounded filled her beating heart with dread.

Bella turned
swiftly, the motion making her lose her footing. A large hand grabbed her by
the shirt collar and effortlessly lifted her up. She felt a deep chill run down
her spine as the most menacing pair of eyes she had ever seen glared into hers.
Her hat had fallen off, revealing her cascading raven black hair. Her green
eyes were moist with tears and she bit her full red lip. The soot on her face
did nothing to hide her beauty from this beast.

“What’s a fine
thing like you doing in a place like this?” The man growled, spitting into her
face.

She couldn’t
suppress a whimper. He drew her closer, taking a whiff of her hair.

“Aye, tremble,
wench.” The huge man said in a low rumble. “They all do in the presence of Captain
Brushbeard, the king of pirates.”

“And did Brushbeard
gain his notoriety beating up defenseless scrubbing boys, old man?” Hinds
dropped down suddenly before them, waving his sword in the air.

“This is no boy,
fool.” The pirate captain snarled softly. “And like this ship, she is mine.”

“You have no claim
on this ship and on any of its men.” Hinds circled the brooding pirate. “Not
even on any of our pretty little scrubbing boys.”

“Away with you,
sailor.” Brushbeard waved his massive arm disdainfully, “Your ship is as good
as taken.”

“As is yours,
fool.” Hinds snarled, pointing at the pirate ship as its sails went up in
flames.

“What?” The pirate
captain roared. “Not my Opal.”

“And now it’s your
turn.” The First Mate drew out his dagger and ran the keen edge against his own
sword, making sparks fly.

Bella felt her
heart beating faster than it had ever before. The pounding in her temples made
it hard to focus on the two huge men fighting before her. She couldn’t discern
one from the other in the chaos all around. Her knees and elbows trembled and
she picked up a fallen pistol, but she dared not to use it, lest she hit the
wrong man.

The loud clangor of
their swords rose above the din all around. Both men were almost equal, but
Hinds had youth on his side. The pirate captain was wheezing heavily and his
movements were getting more sluggish. Bella pressed herself against the wall;
no one else was there in that part of the deck. The fighting was going on
closer to the leeward side where the pirate ship had come crashing side by
side.

A loud groan from
Brushbeard made her look back at the fight. Hinds had his sword up to the hilt
into the man’s belly and slashed his dagger across the pirate captain’s throat.
The huge outlaw slumped down, clutching at his slayer as he died. The First
Mate kicked the dying man away and slumped back on the deck rail. A loud pistol
shot made him jerk up. A pirate came crashing down from the rigging above him, hitting
the deck very dead.

Bella stood stock
still, her eyes wide open and her knuckles white. The pistol in her hands was
smoking and she shook like a leaf. Her knees gave in and she dropped the
pistol.

“You saved my life,
lad… or is it lass.” Hinds panted, staring at her intensely.

“As you did mine.”
She almost whispered.

“Let’s get you
below deck, little one.” The First Mate looked around the chaos on deck. “This
is no place for a woman, let alone one like you.”

She didn’t say
anything, letting him place his hand on her back and guide her down toward the
captain’s quarters. The fighting above deck grew fainter as they stumbled along
the dark corridor to the captain’s cabin.