Charlotte & The Pirate Ch. 09

Time passed, and the people on the estate gradually forgot their need for vengeance. Each knew that Andre needed to be dealt with, but life was so good, it was just impossible to be bitter.

Bridget and Pierre were always together. They had quickly given up any pretense that they weren't a couple, and Pierre had simply taken up permanent residence in the guestroom, and Bridget had joined him there. Both of them couldn't believe their good fortune. After so many years, to have found someone so perfect. Many nights, they would make love and share pleasure with each other. While on other evenings, one of the two would use mouth and hands to see how much ecstasy his or her partner could be given.

Charlotte and William were also deeply in love. William had slowly taken over the role of master of the house. While it may have seemed odd for a commoner and former pirate to be running the estate of a count, Bill's good nature, friendliness, and patience had the entire staff completely at ease.

It had been over two years now, and William, his entire crew, Charlotte, Pierre, and Bridget couldn't even imagine how life could be better. Aside from the two couples, several members of the crew had now taken lovers as well. Some had even married. And those who hadn't, were still living very happily. There were many bars, and many beautiful women in the county.

It was around Christmas of 1688 when they had a visitor. The man was a knight from Paris and he had been sent by the king. When he was introduced to Charlotte he became rather flustered. He turned to Lord Duvalier and told him that he didn't want to embarrass him, but that this woman had to be an imposter. The real Charlotte D'Ormond Panvois had died several years ago.

Pierre smiled and told the man that it was all right. He had known this woman since she was a baby, and she was definitely Charlotte D'Ormond.

Now the knight was completely confused. He told Charlotte that he had been sent by the king to take over the county. Lord Andre Panvois had informed the king that his wife Charlotte had been killed in a riding accident. With her father dead, control of the estate had passed to him. Since he had no use for it, Andre had very generously turned it over to the crown. The king had been extremely grateful for the young lord's gift, and had immediately sent him to begin to get the estate back in order.

The young knight, who introduced himself simply as Sir Gerard, had no idea what to do now. Pierre just slapped the man on the back and told him that he would be delighted to ride back to Paris with him and explain the whole thing to the king. In fact, they could leave in the morning. Sir Gerard was ever so appreciative. He had no idea how he would have told this story to the king. With Lord Duvalier along, he wouldn't have to.

The next morning, bright and early, the two men left for Paris. Pierre kissed Bridget goodbye and told her that he'd be back in a week or so. He also promised he'd bring something special from Paris for her. As it turned out he wasn't gone nearly that long.

Four days later, as Charlotte and William were walking the vineyards, Pierre came riding back like a madman. His horse was almost dead, and Pierre was so exhausted that he collapsed as soon as William had helped him off his mount.

William carried his friend back to the house, and Charlotte went on ahead screaming for water. Bridget came out to see what had happened, and saw William carrying her beloved Pierre. She screamed and ran to him. Thank God! He was alive. She grabbed his hand, and Pierre smiled at her and managed to tell her that he was all right.

Pierre was carried into the hall. William helped him to sit, and a servant brought water and wine. After a few drinks of each, and enough time to catch his breath, Lord Duvalier was able to tell his story.

"We got to Paris in two days. It was late, so Gerard and I were to see the king the next day. I have to admit, I hadn't spent the night in the palace before, and it is magnificent."

"The next morning, Gerard and I were summoned. I tried to tell the king what had happened, but he wouldn't have it. He assured me that Lord Andre was a good and honorable man, and that if he said that his wife had died, then she had died. After all, he was giving the estate away, what purpose would it serve him to lie?"

"Once again, I tried to tell his majesty the awful things that Andre had done. Finally, the king simply dismissed us. He told us that he would look into the charges, but that he was certain that Lord Andre Panvois could never be mixed up in such nonsense. Then, as we were leaving, he told me that if he found out I was lying he would have me arrested."

"When were outside, I almost exploded. It was outrageous. What was the king doing? And to accuse me of lying. ME!!! It was an insult to my honor. If it had been anyone but his majesty I would have challenged him to a duel on the spot."

"As I calmed down, however, I tried to think. It just made no sense. The king and Andre didn't even know each other. Why was this so important? I returned to my room and struggled with the problem, but I could come up with no reasonable answer."

"It was two or three hours later, that there was a banging at my door. I opened it, and a frantic, breathless Gerard came in. He told me that he had heard from members of his squad what was going on. He knew he was betraying the king's trust by telling me this, but he considered me his friend and the king was not acting in an honorable manner."

"First, he told me that I had to leave immediately. If I didn't, by sundown I would be arrested. The king would take no chances on my returning home."

"That was because in two days, 50 knights would be sent to take over the county. Charlotte would be branded an imposter, and she and everyone in the estate would be hanged. It had to be done quickly, too. The king was expecting a very important man, very soon. No one knew who this man was, but he was to be given the D'Ormond estate and county as soon as he arrived in Paris."

"As soon as I heard this story, I rode out of the palace. It wasn't hard. Palace guards concentrate on keeping people out, not in. I simply rode out as if I were on routine business and no one stopped me. As soon as I was out of sight of the palace, however, I made the best speed I could. By my reckoning, the king's forces will be here by tomorrow night. If we are all not gone by then, we will all die."

For a few moments, everyone just stared at Pierre. Then Charlotte quietly began to cry. William put his arm around her, and she continued to weep. She had already lost her father, and now she would lose everything that they had had together. Charlotte didn't mean to cry in front of everyone, but it just hurt.

Then, as she stopped crying, a look of steel came into Charlotte's eyes. "Well that bastard in Paris may be able to drive me off my land, but I'll be damned if I leave him anything. We need to get everyone and everything out of here, and then we're going to burn it all."

William just stared at Charlotte, but she just nodded her head and said that yes, she meant every word of it.

Bill sent riders out to find his crew. They were scattered throughout the countryside and it took the rest of the day to find them all. But by nightfall, they were all there. Some of them had brought families, and their wives looked puzzled and frightened.

As soon as there were enough men, William sent them riding for the coast. There was no time to waste. The rest of them would follow tomorrow and the Anvil had to be ready to sail at once.

There was no point in doing anything else that night. William suggested that everyone get some rest, tomorrow would be a very long day. All the men and women tried to find places to sleep. There weren't enough rooms, so people just slept in the halls and the main room.

That next morning, Charlotte, Bridget, William, and Pierre assembled every buggy or carriage they could find. The men could all ride horses, but some of the women wouldn't be able to keep up. Also, there were a few babies, and one of the other wives was very pregnant. William wasn't sure how this would work aboard ship, but that didn't matter. These were the families of his crew, and he owed it to them to protect them.

By noon, everyone but William and Charlotte were headed to the coast. Bridget had been told that she could stay, since there was no threat to the servant staff. But she had politely refused. There was no way she was leaving Pierre. The rest of the servants had been told the story, and they had all left the estate. The big house stood empty. Charlotte cried a bit, as she looked at her home for the last time.

Meanwhile William was spreading oil. He had finished dousing the upstairs and was pouring it in the main hall now. After that, he and Charlotte would pour some over the edges of the vineyard. The weather had been dry for the last few days and it was a bit windy. Once the vineyard was lit, the rest of it would burn quickly. The vines and the wooden trellises holding them would fuel the flames beautifully. It was winter, and the vines lay brown and dry. It would have been spring before the vines were green again.

Bill handed Charlotte a torch. A carriage was waiting for them, and she had already packed in it her most important heirlooms. There was just one last task to complete now. With a final quiet sob, Charlotte threw a torch into the estate. A second later, flames flared up in the main hall. At the same time, William threw one into the vineyard. Almost instantly, the beautiful fields were covered in flames.

Charlotte and Bill just stood arm in arm and watched for a few minutes. But then they heard something. It was the sound of pounding hooves. The king's knights were coming. It was time to go. The two lovers hurried into the carriage and headed off to the coast. William needed to get the Anvil to sea as quickly as possible. Neither the king nor any of his men were going to be very happy when they found the burned out ruin they had been left.

It was a fast ride to the sea. When William arrived, the Anvil was ready to sail. She had been supplied and the crew was ready. The pirate captain came aboard and ordered his ship to sea. When his men asked where they were going, he told them Tortuga.

Tortuga was only the first stop, though. When they landed there, William intended to put the women and children ashore, along with any of his men who didn't want to leave their families. After that he was sailing for St. Dominique. There was someone there he had a score to settle with.