Authors: Lynelle Clark
opponent.' This caused the bald man to grin pridefully and
he received a stern look from the imposter. Rosa-Lee just
stopped herself in time when a giggle wanted to erupt and
continued. 'When I was in distress I convinced the men to
bring me here. That captain, Roberto, what a beast!' She
rolled her eyes in disdain, sighed heavily at the mere
thought, and touched her heart 'Not a gentlemen at all. I
could not stay there any longer. His hands were always
groping. Definitely not a way to treat a lady,' she added for
effect, smiling sweetly at the ugly man whose lingering
snakelike gaze was on her ample cleavage. Her hand fell at
her side in mock-surrender.
'Señorita, it is an honour to meet you! You can be
sure that we will take good care of you. That captain did
look like a beast to me,' he agreed, smacking his lips, his
eyes barely meeting her own as he ones again fixed them
on her chest.
Roberto had just come over the railing when he
heard the comment, and blew through his nose in disgust.
'What an insult!' he thought his face in a scowl. He
glanced at Rosa-Lee briefly, convinced that she was safe
and sound. He noticed the men surrounding her. One tried
to touch her and he balled his fists. It was all an act, he
knew, but still.
Did she have to make it look so good?
he thought angrily.
He signed to Pierre that the coast was clear and
turned to keep watch as he and the rest of the men
followed. Each man knew what to do. Stealthily they all
moved and separate.
They both slipped into the castle, where the
captain's cabin would be. The remaining men went down
the stairs to free the crew. Rosa-Lee strolled with the
pirates in the opposite direction, laughing at the joke she
just heard, touching the captain's arm ever so delicately.
Fixated with her, they hardly took note of anything
else around them as she told them a story, fluttering her
eyelashes provocatively.
Rosa-Lee could not believe that she could act so
tartly. The men drooling over her and she doubt they heard
a word she said but she had to keep them occupied until
Roberto rescued the men. Their bodily odours wafting in
her nose and she took deep breaths as she placed her hand
delicately before her nose.
Her heart pounded in her chest and she was sure one
would notice the rapid beat but her cleavage was of greater
concern to them. One tried to touch her but she slapped him
playfully and chuckled when he took his hand away
sheepishly.
Please hurry, Roberto.
Her lips tightened into a
smile even though she felt uncomfortable among them.
Several minutes later, the voice of the real captain
roared over the deck. Scuffles broke out all around them.
Rosa-Lee was pushed aside and against the railings and she
watched as the ten pirates were captured almost
simultaneously. The whole takeover happened swiftly,
without any sound of a drawn sword, and Rosa-Lee had to
admit that Roberto was superb.
She could not help but to admire him as he stood
there, tall dark and proud. His eyes the only muscle that
moved, the rest of his face covered behind the bandana and
his hat pushed low over his face. She wanted to run to him
but knew it would be futile for if the D.E.I.C captain new
who his saviours were they two would be apprehended. The
feeling of relieve and wonder captured in her heart and she
knew once back on the other ship she had to think about
this.
Held in steel grips, the pirates could not fight back.
The leader was in noticeable distress but said nothing as the
real Captain, Peek du Toit, just stared him down. The
impressive figure of the older man was intimidating to the
impostors and allowed no rebuff.
The D.E.I.C crew took control, surrounding the men
with no way of escape. They were taking down below,
where they would be tried and immediately hung.
There was no mercy for pirates.
'I have to thank you, Señorita, that you came back
to help us,' Captain du Toit said after the deck was once
again under his command. Sailors scattered around as they
started to do their daily chorus. 'I remember your voice. It
was so quick that I thought I was dreaming, but here you
are! For eight days I was a captive in that dresser with no
way of escape. Why were you on my ship in the first
place?' The captain asked in all sincerity. Pierre and
Roberto who stood silently in the shadows drew in their
breaths, waiting for her reply.
'There was a huge misunderstanding on my part
about the
Contra O Vento
, and I fled from the ship in a
typical lady-like fit.' She chuckled with delight. 'The
captain set me straight quickly after he rescued me. I must
admit, I was more afraid on board your ship than on the
Contra O Vento.
'
'Señorita, we owe you our gratitude! Is there
anything that we can do for you?'
'If you can deliver this letter to the D.E.I.C, it would
be appreciated.' Roberto had passed her a letter that
morning just before she descended the Jacob ladder and she
gave it to the captain. At the time, she thought it was odd
for a pirate to ask this request, without any explanation.
The look he gave her was one of
Trust me,
and he gave her a rueful smile. Her heart raced but she nodded her head in
acceptance and placed it in her skirt pocket.
More things to add to the already confusing puzzle
in her mind and heart. She was falling for the pirate. In just
a few short days her heart was pulling toward the rogue. No
matter how she tried she could not ignore the feelings he
stirred.
'Can I ask who you are?' the captain requested.
Nervously she looked in the direction of Roberto who was
still covered by the shadows and he nodded, the mask still
covering his identity.
She laughed softly. 'I am so sorry, my good captain,
my manners are unforgivable. If my mama could see me
now…' and she chuckled, the captain grinned sheepishly.
His glance at her bosom irritated Roberto but he
could not fault the man. It was enticing. As he witnessed
the conversation, making sure that he was not too obvious
to the crew of the
Heerengardt,
he could not help but
admire the woman. Pierre touched his arm, which drew his
attention away to a tall soldier walking directly to them. He
knew it was time to leave. While she introduced herself to
the good captain the two dark figures moved over the tackle
work, down the steps and hid in the corner. Footsteps
stopped just above their heads and then followed down the
steps as well. Both men held their breath. When the man
stood still and looked down the passageway they waited.
Pierre's hand was almost touching the soldier's hat. A few
seconds passed that felt like minutes. Then he disappeared
up the steps and they breathed again. Both knew it was time
to get out of there before the man got it in his head to sound
the alarm.
'I am Rosa-Lee Almaida.'
'The daughter of Cisco Almaida?' he asked, meeting
her eyes.
'Yes,' she nodded.
'What an honour! I have heard so much about your
father.' He clapped his hands together in appreciation.
'Thank you Captain.' She smiled sweetly up at him,
keeping the Captain's attention as the two figures emerged
on deck and slipped over the railing in record time.
'Well, we need to be on our way,' Rosa-Lee said.
'Please make sure that you deliver the letter. It is of the
utmost importance.'
'Yes, I will. We will be there in a month's time, and
then I will hand it to them.'
'Thank you, Captain. Good-bye, and a safe journey
to you.'
'You too, Señorita.'
They helped her back into the longboat where
Fausto waited for her, Pierre and Roberto in the water
invisible to the men on the ship. The rest of the
Contra's
crew had already left. Shattered nerves amongst the
soldiers on the
Heerengardt
might have
sparked outrage at every unfamiliar face they set their eyes on. The rescuers
thought it wise to withdraw quickly.
Rosa-Lee smiled as she sat down, her hand in
Fausto's as he helped her to take a seat. Her dress puffed all
around her. Clouded in green taffeta this emphasised the
beauty with in.
Proudly she sat in the long boat, shoulders straight,
as Fausto took the oars and started to row away from the
ship. She smiled and waved at the men on the ship and
thought:
There was no real danger in this adventure.
She
held both the sides of the boat, peering over the waters with
a small smile.
Roberto looked at her with curiosity. From his place
in the water he could not help but to admire her. She
surprised him almost every day, and there was not a scared
bone in her body. She intrigued him more and more.
'Life will definitely not be boring with her around,'
he thought as he smiled, his eyes lingering on her enticing
bosom.
12
After their daring undertaking, they returned safely
from the
Heerengardt
and were back to their normal
routine, on the way to the Falcon with much lost time to
make up.
Roberto reminded Rosa-Lee that if anything of that
sort happened again she would face a severe flogging
without hesitation. She had to confess that she was more
afraid of Roberto now, after he had rescued her. His dark
eyes had menacingly reinforced to her his stern warning.
Even more than remembering those brutes she was among
on the
Heerengardt,
her heart still stopped
w
hen thoughts of the previous day entered her mind. Thoughts that
Roberto was serious when he had fastened her to the railing
threw her heart into turmoil.
She had trembled so much from shock that she did
not even feel ashamed of her exposure in front of the crew.
Her brother's shirt had covered her chest and only her back
had been bared.
To be so close to a flogging would make her think
twice before another attempt. Rosa-Lee realised that
although abducted and prisoner of Roberto she had nothing
to fear from him except if she crossed him.
This man might like her. She had seen the looks of
interest on his face, but he was still a pirate, the son of the
Falcon; a fierce and cruel man.
Respect and discipline were of the utmost
importance.
She had a lot of time for herself and spent most of it
on the upper deck reading or walking. The cabin was too