Rayne

Chapter 1

Rayne stood with his feet firmly planted on the deck of his ship the Eclipse. God, how he loved the feel of the ship as it cut through the water and the deck rolled beneath his feet. It was an almost sensual feeling, not unlike that of a mistress as she moved beneath you. Rayne walked over and leaned on the railing and studied the ink-black sky with the sparkling stars that formed the constellations and provided a guide for the helmsman to follow. It had been a long time since he had returned home. No, not home, for he no longer considered the land of his birth as home. Home was where he had spent his free time for the past several years. The tropical paradise in the South Pacific Seas, Tahiti, that was where he called home. Where Navia was always waiting with open arms for him when he returned from long voyages at sea. Where the nights were warm and filled with music and food and pleasure. He could still see Navia's face, pale and drawn in worry, as he had boarded the Eclipse. She knew this voyage was different because he returned to "the other life", as she referred to his life before their time together.

Rayne had first came to Tahiti after the untimely death of his beloved parents as a young man of twenty-one. His parents had died when he was eighteen years old and he had been forced to live with his grandfather until he had reached his majority three years later. His grandfather was none other that the esteemed Duke of Quinhurst. He was respected and feared in equal measure by the ton of London and with good reason. Lionel could make or break a person with the mere whisper of a few words, so great was his power in the highest circles of England. But Rayne had learned first hand what a hard and cynical man his grandfather was and realized why his mother had never spoken of her father with great love. Lionel taught Rayne the lessons of life, in the most diabolical ways. He had earned Raynes trust and love, only to turn it against him and humiliate him in order to teach him to trust no one. But the one thing that Rayne could never learn to live with or forgive his grandfather for was the way in which he manipulated people's lives. His grandfather truly believed that the end justified the means, in all things.

Rayne had learned early on in the relationship with his grandfather that he could count on him for nothing. So, he had become an excellent gambler and made the rounds of the clubs in London on a regular basis, a habit that had caused many a nobleman's purse to be considerably lighter. He had gained enough blunt to invest in various ventures, enabling him to amass a small fortune. He always knew that sooner or later Lionel would demand something of him that he would not be able to abide. Such had been the case when he had calmly and matter-of-factly informed Rayne that he would marry the Heiress Besedjnek. While Rayne had nothing personally against the woman, especially since he had never met her, he refused to honor Lionel's request. It had been a particular ugly confrontation, as were most of Raynes battles with Lionel, ending in Lionel issuing an ultimatum of obedience or disinheritance. Rayne had laughed in his face and walked out. That was the last time he had seen his grandfather. He had kept apprised of Lionel and his schemes through his agent in London who sent him regular reports on everything of importance. Thus it was that he learned of Lionels death. Rayne had felt no emotion at the news of his grandfathers death. In fact he had ceased to think of Lionel as his grandfather and simply thought of him only as Lionel. A grandfather represented someone kind and loving, neither term which he could relate to Lionel. He felt sadness at his lack of feelings, but it was what Lionel had taught him.

Now, he was returning to England to claim all that was his, but it brought him no pleasure. Instead he would much rather be sailing the high seas releasing Spanish galleons of their burdens of gold coin. Now, that was something he thoroughly enjoyed! Recently a new face had cut into his enjoyment on the high seas. One he had as yet to have the privilege to glimpse. This new pirate was of the feminine variety and boldly called herself La Gata. Few men had gotten a close look at her and lived to tell about it. It would seem she was of Spanish ancestry yet she harbored a strong hatred for Spain. That in and of itself was enough to raise Raynes curiosity about her. It was rumored that she was tall for a woman, dark of complexion and eyes so dark one couldn't be sure exactly what color they were.

Rayne lost in his musings didn't hear his friend Javonnie approach. Javonnie was the resident doctor on board and he managed to keep the crew and sometimes-even Rayne in good repair. "A penny for your thoughts" Javonnie said softly.

Rayne turned his head and grinned, "Hardly worth your money, I assure you."

"Worried about the return of the prodigal son?"

"Not hardly, just annoyed that Lionel had to die at such an inconvenient time."

Javonnie retorted somewhat dryly, "I'm sure Lionel took that into consideration when he died."

"Knowing Lionel, it was planned down to the very last detail. If I found a way to stay apprised of his activities, you know he knew every move I was making. If I learned one thing about grandfather dearest, it was to never underestimate him."

Javonnie knew from experience that this was one argument he would never win with Rayne and thus moved on to more pleasant topics. "Poor Navia, she looked quite lost standing on the dock as you sailed out of the harbor. I do believe she fears you won't be returning to her this time."

"Nonsense, why would I prefer to remain in England in the cold and damp climate that permeates everything it touches when I can live in a tropical paradise? She is just being silly."

"Silly? I wonder. Do you love her Rayne?"

"Love, what's love got to do with it. We're suited to each other and our arrangement is of mutual benefit. She lives in a glorious hacienda where her word is law. She wants for nothing, clothes, jewels, perfumes, nor comforts. I enjoy indulging her and she meets my needs. What more could she ask for?"

"Has it never occurred to you, that she might desire a more permanent relationship with you?"

Rayne scowled at Javonnie and turned to gaze out over the water before answering, "You know how I feel about marriage. Lionel would have shackled me to the Heiress for mere money and monetary gain alone. Mothers scurry about with their daughters in an effort to secure the wealthiest man available with no regard to the girls' feelings. I think it's absolutely disgraceful and I won't be a part of it."

"Yet, were your parents married and deeply in love, if memory serves me correct." Javonnie knew this was a dirty trick, but one did what one must sometimes to make Rayne see reason. Rayne was a hard man to convince and even harder to reason with when he chose to be so, as he obviously was now.

Rayne swung a searing gaze on Javonnie for long moments before answering tightly, "My parents, and their relationship, were entirely different to mine and Navia's relationship. You know that. My mother defied Lionel and married my father because she truly loved him. It cost her a great deal, more than even I can imagine. She never revealed just how much it cost her, because she said the joy my father and I brought her was worth any price. Thus do I feel the same about the sanctity of marriage. Should I ever chance to meet the woman that can bring joy into my world merely by entering it and cause me to feel that a day without her is not worth the living of it, you can be sure, then and only then, will I consider marriage."

Javonnie chuckled and retorted, "Be careful what you ask for old friend, you may find what you seek when you least expect it!"

"Ah, but one has to seek something to find it Javonnie, and you forget that I seek not a wench so comely that she can tread upon my heart till it bleeds" Rayne responded while his lips twitched with mirth. Javonnie, a believer of the unexpected, wondered what Rayne would do if such a woman should walk unbidden into his life. It would truly be interesting to observe.

"Tell me Javonnie, any word of our most recent competition?"

"As a matter of fact, I spoke with Jake and Tobias from the Raven who said they had seen her not three weeks prior attack another Spanish galleon. Freeing the slaves the Spanish are so fond of using, relieving them of their precious cargo and sinking the ship, leaving the Spaniards for shark bait."

"But, did they get a look at her?"

" Only from a distance, it seems she's quite an accomplished swordsman, or perhaps I should say swordswoman? They claimed she was in the thick of the fighting and dispatched not a few of the Spaniards to the gates of hell."

"A woman, fighting with a sword? Preposterous! Why, how could she maneuver in skirts and heels?"

"Oh, our little firebrand doesn't wear skirts and heels. Tobias said she was dressed in black leather breeches and boots. She wore a scarlet silk shirt and a gold sash about her waist."

"It would seem Tobias saw quite a lot, to have seem her from a distance" Rayne remarked, sounding somewhat doubtful of the truthfulness of the account.

"Well, he did have the spy glass, but perhaps he did embellish a might. I guess we won't know for sure until we are fortunate or unfortunate, as the case may be, to meet her ourselves. It grows late, and I believe my bunk is calling. Unless you have need of me, I believe I will call it a night."

"No, go ahead, I know about the card game that is scheduled below in the men's quarters, just make sure you don't take all of their cash, or there will be hell to pay when we make port." Javonnie feigned a look of injured pride before laughing heartily and heading down to the crews quarters.

Rayne continued to stay by the railing, this was his favorite time of the evening, when all of the ships chores for the day were finished, and the sailors were gathered in small groups dicing or gambling, or carving as did Red. Red was famous among the crew for his mermaid carvings and was continuously pestering Rayne to let him carve a masthead for the Phantom of a bare-breasted mermaid like the ones on the Vikings ships from days long past. So far Rayne had managed to keep the request at bay. Although it would definitely be a sight to behold a larger than life mermaid with bared breasts. He might have to give in to Reds request yet! He could hear the sad sound of a tune being played on Tuff's harmonica. He had a good crew and he knew that there wasn't a one among them that wasn't willing to risk their life to save his. They also knew the same to be true of the man they served. All of the crew knew of his circumstances and had stood beside him through many a battle. But he dealt with them fairly and treated them as the men they were thus forming this bond of loyalty and respect.

He wondered what did await him in England. He had left few friends behind preferring his solitude and privacy to the whirl of social events that had drawn Lionel like a moth to a flame. However, as the new Duke of Quinhurst his obligations would preclude his own private wishes, at least to a certain extent. Yet, he vowed it would not control his life and he would not stay overly long in England. This decided, he turned from the deck and approached the helmsman and relieved him of his duty. He felt the need to control something, since he could not control the events taking place in his life at the present this release would have to suffice. He stayed at the helm until the wee hours of the morning when the second watch took over and he made his way to his cabin where he pulled off his boots, stripped off his breeches and sprawled naked across the large bed. He was weary from the physical exertion of guiding the ship, but it was a good tired and he slept deeply.

Sun streamed through the window of the cabin to find Rayne already up and dressed and breaking his fast. The cook, an ageless old man whom Rayne believed was at least a hundred years old, was an excellent cook. He had sort of inherited the old man when he had saved him from a beating at a dock-side tavern several years before. The old man had chosen to pledge his life to Rayne in thanks. There was a brief knock on the door of his cabin and at Raynes call to enter Javonnie strode into the room with a smile on his face.

"Well friend, you look like the cat that swallowed the canary. Did you leave them enough cash for drinking and wenching when we reach port?" Rayne inquired between bites of ham and biscuit.

"Not very much. But, you know I'll contrive to let them win it all back long before we reach England, I always do." Rayne knew it was true, Javonnie gambled with the crew just for the sport, not to line his pockets. The crew knew it as well, which could account for the lack of animosity toward Javonnie when he won all of their money. Javonnie poured himself a cup of steaming black coffee before seating himself across from Rayne. "What's on your agenda for the day Rayne?"

"Oh, I don't know, I've been going over some of the papers from the solicitor and trying to grasp just what all I own now and what I'm going to keep and which holdings I'm going to liquidate. Once we reach London, I believe we will make use of the townhouse Lionel kept there, as it's smaller than that mausoleum in the country. I never liked the country estate, but as it's been in the family for centuries, I feel a certain obligation to hold on to it."

"You do know that there will be a ton of invitations waiting on you when you make port. After all it's been neigh on to ten years since you were last there, and every mother and unattached female within marriageable age will be clambering for a look at the "Duke of Darkness" as you were labeled so long ago!" Javonnie reminded him. "With Lionel's death the ton will know it's a certainty that you will be returning."

Damnation, he had all but forgotten the whole "Duke of Darkness" episode, but leave it to Javonnie to place it in the forefront of his mind once again. During the months and years following his parents death when he was living with Lionel, he had become such a brooding young man. He scowled frequently and smiled only rarely. He chose to dress in total black, broken only by the white of his shirts. With Raynes raven black hair, dark complexion, and chosen somber wardrobe, in conjunction with his cold and brooding demeanor, the only thing that wasn't somber about him were those vibrant blue eyes of his, a thwarted would-be mistress had dubbed him the "Duke of Darkness". It had been said in a jokingly manner, but, unfortunately the title stuck. Well, if anything he was even darker now, burned a dark bronze by long days on the deck of the Phantom stripped bare to the waist. He wondered what England would think of him now. The ton would whisper about how he made his fortune and call him a savage behind his back. But he also knew it wouldn't matter one fig to the money hungry mothers trying desperately to marry off their spinster daughters to a man of substance. "Let's just say the "Duke of Darkness" has returned and perhaps that damnable title will be enough to keep at least the faint-hearted at bay! I might as well get some use out of the name."

Javonnie silently agreed with his friend as he finished up his coffee and left Rayne still pouring over the vast stack of papers he had received prior to sailing from his solicitor. The day and night passed uneventfully, with the ship making good time on it's way to England. But on the following day, the wind slacked off and the sails had to be trimmed in order to catch the slight breeze, and by the night the ship was barely moving. This lull lasted for four days and nights, causing the crew to become nervous and easily irritated. There wasn't a sailor alive that didn't dread the lull in wind that could cause a ship to list for days and sometimes-even weeks. Late over in the evening of the fourth day a fog rolled in, enveloping the ship in the thick murky mess but at least the wind had picked up. Scotty, the first mate, was taking the late watch. Rayne was sitting in his cabin with Javonnie enjoying a glass of Cognac and playing cards when there was a knock on the door. Rayne bade them enter and Red walked through the door. "Scotty said to let you know he spotted a ship off the port bow about 15 minutes ago. Figured you'd want to come take a look."

"Thanks Red, I'll be right up to take a look." Rayne drained his glass and smiled at Javonnie with an impish grin.

"Now Rayne, you're not supposed to be a pirate right now, you're supposed to be a Duke on his way home. Which does require that you behave yourself!" Javonnie reminded him.

"Now, why would you jump to the conclusion that I'm not going to behave?"

"I wonder. Do you suppose it could be because you're like a bully just spoiling for a fight? Or that I know you better than anyone else and I know what that grin usually means?"

"I'm just going to have a look, and we will probably just pass on by them without them ever even knowing we were there."

Muttering under his breath Javonnie remarked, "it's that probably that's got me worried" to himself and the four walls, since Rayne was already out the door and halfway to the deck.

When he reached Scotty's side he handed Rayne the spyglass as he informed him, "Cap'n, there's a ship shadowing the first one. I didn't even see it at first, the damn thing is painted black as the night, right down to the sails. Damnedest thing I ever did see."

Rayne turned the spy glass in the direction Scotty had indicated, and at first he saw nothing, then there was a slight lift in the fog and sure enough there she was, riding proudly on the water looking for all the world like a black ghost ship.

"Well, the lead ship is definitely a Spanish galleon, and by the way she's riding so low in the water, I would be welling to bet she's loaded with gold dablooms, fine Spanish lace and silk as well as spices. I see no reason why this ghost ship should grab all the booty, now do you Scotty?"

Scotty chuckled, "No sir Cap'n as a matter of fact I took the liberty of telling the boys to be ready. You know, just in case you decided we needed a little diversion."

"You're a good man Scotty" Rayne slapped him on the back as he raced to grab his sword. The Eclipse turned silently toward the Spanish ship El Mercado and was closing the distance fast when the black ship made a run towards the doomed vessel. Rayne saw what the other captain was trying and laughed. His crew was the best crew on the waters, and he had beaten worse odds than these to come out the victor. This was but a game to Rayne, and he fully intended to share the booty, but what would it hurt to keep the other captain guessing for a while yet. He was looking forward to seeing the look on the other captains' face when he and his crew swooped down, plucking the treasure right from beneath his nose. He bet the man would be furious.

The helmsman maneuvered the Eclipse in between the two ships and the grappling hooks hit the side of the vessel before the Spaniards even suspected they were under attack. Within in moments Rayne and his crew were swarming over the decks subduing the feeble attempts of the Spanish crew. Suddenly the crew from the mysterious black ship joined in the fray and as Rayne battled against a particularly aggressive soldier he caught a glimpse of a slim man with extremely long hair. A second look proved him totally wrong. That was no man, it was a woman in black leather breeches that molded to her every curve, outlining the contours of her lower half in infinite detail. She wore thigh-high black leather boots with a red silk shirt that was open to the waist and tucked tightly into her pants with a royal blue silk sash tied at her waist. So, this was La Gata. She was battling, not one but two swordsmen, who were displaying more than an adequate skill. But she had no problem dispatching them both to their maker in short order. Her hair was a riot of black curls in wild disarray that fell to well below her hips. She whirled to face Rayne as she felt his gaze upon her. As Raynes eyes traveled the entire length of her body coming to rest on her face he was startled out of his appreciative glance by the fiery gaze he met starring at him from the emerald green of her eyes.