A Captain's Destiny (4 page)

“I thought you might need help with these,” he said, and his fingers easily undid the laces. Her dress fell open in back, and Katherine’s hand shot to her chest, preventing the gown from revealing too much.

“Jack!” she screeched, her hands becoming trapped between them as he drew her into an embrace. His arms were like metal bands, but his lips were as soft as goose down as he pressed them to hers. Her first thought was that she wanted him to stop kissing her. She felt trapped and a bit frightened. No man had ever kissed her like this before. No man, other than her husband, should kiss her like this. She knew this, and yet it felt so nice, so tender and sweet, that she couldn’t bring herself to do anything that would end it. Indeed, she was enjoying it so much that she wished the kiss would go on forever. When Jack stepped back, drawing his lips away from hers, she felt bereft.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since I saw you standing there in the jail.”

“Do you always do whatever you want?” she asked, her pride reasserting itself. He had no business touching her, let alone kissing her.

“Quite often, but I don’t always enjoy it as much,” he replied with a devilish smirk. “Good night, Lady Katherine. I hope you’ve enjoyed your evening as much as I have mine,” he said with a low bow, and then he left the cabin.

* * * *

The following morning Katherine’s head hurt as though someone was inside trying to hammer their way out. But after drinking a cup of tea, she ventured up on deck, eager to find out how soon they would be going ashore. Behind them was one huge mass of gray clouds. She hoped that didn’t mean they would try to outrun the storm instead of stopping.

“When are we going ashore?” she asked, standing at Jack’s elbow, as he stood at the wheel.

“We’ll reach the island by mid-afternoon, well ahead of the storm,” he said with obvious relief. The entire western sky had gone gray, and not just dove gray but as dark as a crow’s wings.

At midday they ate a cold repast on deck in companionable silence, and it was some time after the meal, while she was standing at the rail and he was steering the ship, when they heard a euphoric shout from above.

“Land! Land! I spy land, Captain!” the man clinging to the mast cried out, pointing east.

Katherine looked toward the eastern horizon and saw a faint gray shape, but it was too far away for her to tell exactly what that shape was. So she remained at the rail, marveling at the fish jumping and swimming alongside the bow of the ship, while keeping an eye on the mysterious shape as it grew larger and larger.

Gradually, as they got closer, the color of the object changed from gray to the dark green of a tropical island. Between the ship and the land she could see large birds flying about, circling high above the water before diving beneath the surface. There were gulls and other sea birds calling riotously as they reaped the bounty of the sea, before carrying their catch to the land where their young awaited.

Katherine watched, enthralled, but it wasn’t long before the noisy sight was eclipsed by the sound and the sight of waves crashing on the rocky shore. Some of the rocks looked to be the size of wagons. Surely they weren’t going to put down anchor here, where going ashore would be a risky proposition at best? She was about to voice her concerns, when the ship lurched, and she was forced to hang on to the railing to keep from being thrown overboard. Looking back over her shoulder at Jack, she saw that he was turning the great wheel hand-over-hand as quickly as he could. Obviously he had no intention of putting ashore here, and for that she was thankful.

*

Jack had initially pointed the bow of the
Lady Elizabeth
toward the point of land that jutted out on the port side of the ship. He’d known that on the lee side of that promontory there was a bay deep enough to accommodate the ship. They would have been able to lay up there for a day or two, just until the storm passed. The timing couldn’t have been better. In fact, he had felt pretty good about everything. He had gotten away with a small fortune, money which was owed him and his men, and he had saved Katherine from making the worst mistake of her life. She might have tried to run away, but in the end her stepfather would have found her, and by now she’d be married to that French fop. At least he’d been able to prevent Richelieu from getting his hands on her. But now what? Jack supposed that depended on her; he knew what
he
wanted.

He was daydreaming about what their lives could be like if she consented to marry him, when he was suddenly jarred back to reality by another shout from the lookout. “Ship! Ship, ahoy!”

From where he stood, Jack could make out the top of a mast riding above the promontory. Damn! Another ship was sailing into the bay where he planned to drop anchor. And what was worse, she was flying the Union Jack.

“Can you make out her ordnance?” Jack shouted back. He knew there was a good chance the
Lady Elizabeth
had been spotted, and his body became rigid with anticipation as he waited for an answer. If the ship was merely a British merchant ship, he’d sail into the bay too. The flag of British Ceylon, which he was flying, would not cause any concern to those who, like him, sailed the seas delivering cargo. But if the other ship was a naval vessel, it might be searching for him. Better safe than sorry, as his father always said.

The
Lady Elizabeth
, a three-mast clipper ship, was fitted with twenty guns of various sizes, from six pounds to twenty-four. She might be able to defend herself against pirates, but she wasn’t equipped to defeat one of Her Majesty’s warships, if it came to that. It was several tense minutes before the boy posted in the crow’s nest gave out another cry.

“She’s a man-of-war, Captain!” the boy shouted back.

Jack knew they had to get out of there as quickly as possible. The navy ship had firepower enough to blow them out of the water in under five minutes…if she could come about and get her sights fixed on the
Elizabeth
, that is. But she was pointed bow-in, toward the land, and only a miracle could get her turned around in time to catch the much smaller and faster Elizabeth. Just the same, Jack prayed that the navy lookout was asleep in the crow’s nest and hadn’t already spotted them.

The big wheel spun in his hands as Jack worked to turn the ship around, before the land ended and they were exposed. Bringing her around, while keeping out of sight, meant sailing very close to the island, and that meant the possibility of running aground. So Jack assigned one of the crew the task of measuring the depth of the water. Everyone, even the cabin boy, stood still, waiting as the man called out the depth. Either they’d have room to turn the ship, or they’d bottom out. The lives of his crew were in his hands, not to mention the life of Lady Katherine…but Jack tried not to think about that; he had enough on his mind.

“Eighteen fathoms, fifteen fathoms, twelve, ten, twelve, fifteen, sixteen!” The numbers kept coming, and then, after what seemed like an hour had passed, “Twenty fathoms and rising, Captain!”

The bottom was dropping fast, and soon they were heading out to sea in the opposite direction. But now they were headed straight into the storm.

Jack thought fast; if he could make it there in time, they could take refuge on a small island at the far end of the chain. He’d been there once before, when they’d had to lay up and make repairs to the ship’s rudder. This time the island would afford them shelter from the storm, which by Jack’s assessment was the sort that made even the stoutest sailor shake in his boots. A sky that black meant winds that would break a mast and ice that would put a dent in even the sturdiest of decks. Even in the lee of the island, the ship would be lucky to survive, but it was the only chance they had.

When they reached the island ahead of the storm, and Jack saw the pockmarked cliff face he remembered from his previous visit, he knew he had done the right thing. There wouldn’t be a sandy beach or a green meadow for Katherine’s enjoyment, but there would be shelter from the storm…for all of them. He would keep Katherine with him in one cave, while his men could bunk in another. She would be safe from the storm and from his crew. While they were good sailors, and he trusted most of them with his life, they were also red-blooded men, and Katherine’s beauty was enough to tempt even the most loyal among them.

Seated on a blanket inside the cave, as the wind howled outside, Katherine considered what she should do. Escape was her goal, but was this the right time and place? There was only one man guarding her, but the other men had taken refuge in a nearby cave, and except for these pirates, or whatever they were, the island appeared to be uninhabited. Plus there was a storm raging outside. If by some miracle she was able to escape, perhaps she could hide, take her chances with the weather, and hope that a friendly ship would happen by before she starved to death or got eaten by insects. Or she could stay here with Captain Jack. After all, he had been her trusted friend once upon a time. Surely he would not harm her.

He was gone now on some sort of business, or so he’d said, but he had assured her he would return shortly. To ward off the cold of the approaching storm she had been given a blanket, and one of the crew had built a fire. Now that same crewman stood at the entrance to the cave, and although he leaned casually against the wall, she suspected he was not relaxed.

“Where did the captain go?” she asked him, her eyes darting to the gun in his waistband as she spoke. Would he shoot her if she tried to escape? And then there was the storm which, according to Captain Jack, could last for two days or more. Without a roof over her head, or a fire to keep her warm, she would be miserable, and she could catch her death, so staying put was probably the wisest thing to do.

It had already begun to rain, and just then a chilling gust of wind burst into the cave and sent sparks from the fire floating in her direction. She quickly got up and moved to the other side of the fire, taking the blanket with her. Then she sat on one corner of it, while using the rest to cover herself as best she could. The sailor had not answered, so she asked her question again. “I said, where did the captain go?”

“Don’t be worryin’ yerself, yer ladyship; he’ll be back.”

“I’m not worried that he won’t return. I’m just curious as to what sort of business he could possibly have in a place like this,” she stated smartly.

“Tis the captain’s business…not yers nor mine,” the man responded curtly.

She had seen the strong box Captain Jack’s first mate had been carrying when they got into the skiff, and now she tried to imagine what it contained. She was certain that the captain’s business had something to do with the contents of the box, and she wondered if it contained stolen treasure of some sort. After all, Jack and his crew were behaving like pirates, were they not? By abducting her they had broken the law, and as their leader Jack would be hung, or worse, if he was caught. Visions of Jack’s handsome head, stuck on a pike and displayed in the town square for all to see, filled her mind’s eye, and her stomach roiled. Forcing the gruesome image to the back of her mind, she turned instead to wondering where they were taking her. Except for this small rocky island and the one where they’d encountered the navy gunship, she hadn’t seen land in over three weeks.

About an hour passed before the captain returned, and by then the rain was coming down in sheets. Jack came ducking into the cave, his great coat held over his head. Once inside, he flung the coat off and spread it out on the ground near the fire to dry. Then he squatted and held his hands out toward the flames, rubbing them together.

“Looks like I was right; the storm is going to be a bad one,” he commented, and the guard grunted in agreement.

As Katherine looked up at Jack, the first mate entered carrying a small black kettle. He set it in the coals at the edge of the fire before leaving the cave, and when he returned a minute later he had a coffee pot in one hand. After placing the pot where the coffee would stay hot, the man began stirring the contents of the kettle, and a delicious aroma wafted over to her, making her mouth water.

“Go ahead. You need to eat something,” Jack said, indicating the pot with a dip of his head.

She could tell that the men were hanging back, waiting for her to begin. There were bowls, cups, and spoons, and hardtack too, but Katherine didn’t move. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was hungry, and whatever was in the pot smelled wonderful.

Jack shook his head in disgust, and the three men helped themselves to the food, sitting in various locations inside the small cave, Jack the closest to her with his back against the wall.

“If you don’t eat something, you will get sick,” he said, glancing at her as he ate. Suddenly he put his bowl down and spooned some beans into another bowl. Then he handed it to her. “Sorry, I forgot you’re not accustomed to serving yourself,” he said, a sneer on his face.

She took the offered bowl, but gave Jack a mean stare. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she said icily. Then she lowered her eyes and began to eat. The beans contained bits of dried beef, and onions too, and they tasted wonderful. Katherine didn’t stop eating till her bowl was empty.

When they’d finished eating, the two other men left the cave, and since she was still curious about the strong box she’d seen earlier, she decided to ask Jack about it. “What was in the box you brought ashore?”

“Something I wish to hide. Actually, it’s a fortune in gold,” he replied, his eyes sparkling mischievously. Her eyes grew wide with alarm, and he laughed. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions, my lady. The box contains wages me and my men earned legally, but were never paid. The man who hired us claimed we did not deliver his goods. He refused to pay us, so we took what was rightfully ours.”

“I see. But why hide the money here on this remote island?”

“Because, my nosey lass, it will be safe here until I can come back for it. As you are aware, there is a British man-of-war not far from here, and unless I’m mistaken it was sent here to find me and the money.”