The Pearl Maiden

William looked up and smiled.

"Christina, I have no intention of killing this dog. Killing would put an end to the suffering he is about to endure. I shall tell Captain Baldero how Delmar has amassed his fortune. The Spanish do not suffer being robbed and lied to and Delmar will pay a dear price for doing so. Now, gather your things. My crew will soon be finished plundering the ship and we must set sail for Port Royal. I promised Gabriela I would try to bring you back to her and I intend to waste no time in doing so."

William tied Delmar hand and foot while Christina packed her few belongings into a small case and then walked to a chest at the foot of the bed and retrieved a large canvas bag that appeared to be heavy. Finally, she went to where Delmar lay and reached into his vest pocket for another small leather bag.

"Since you will not need money, Father, I will relieve you of your wealth. I will also take your dagger with me. I shall keep this dagger to remember not a man who was my father, but of a man who would sell me to the highest bidder much as he would have done with a keg of sugar. Now, Captain Blackburn, please take me back to Gabriela."

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When William and Christina left the cabin, William told the gunner to watch Christina while he spoke to Captain Baldero. When William opened the door to the cabin and walked inside, Captain Balero looked up and reached for the pistol on his table. William drew his pistol before Captain Baldero could reach his, and then smiled.

"Captain Baldero, do not so much as touch that pistol or I will put a ball through your heart. Were I of a mind to kill you, I would have done so when you first came on deck. Instead, I have a proposal for you that will benefit both you and I.

"The man who you know as Delmar Cordero now lies tied hand and foot in his cabin. I am taking the daughter and leaving him to you. What you should know is that Delmar and I have a long history together. He buys the goods I take from Spanish ships, sells them back to the Spanish, and then gives me information about what ship those goods are loaded on and when she will sail. I follow that ship and rob her of the same goods only to sell them to Delmar again. It was by this method I learned of your cargo and departure date.

"I am certain your superiors will be greatly angered at the loss of the gold and silver you carry. Perhaps presenting the man who gave me that information would lessen any punishment you might suffer.

"Now, as a Captain of my own ship, I bid you farewell and good sailing to whatever port you can make. My guard will leave when we are done relieving you of what we want."

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The crew was still transferring chests from The Encarnación to The Pearl Maiden when William and Christina walked onto the main deck. William asked Mister Johnson why there had been a delay. Mister Johnson smiled.

"Captain, there has been no delay. The treasure was much more than we thought. We still have a dozen chests of gold and silver to load on The Pearl Maiden and after that, many kegs of sugar and tobacco. I would expect we can be underway in about an hour, two if we take the sugar and tobacco that will fit in our hold."

William shook his head.

"Load the gold and silver. Leave everything else. I want to be underway on a course to Port Royal as soon as possible."

William turned to Christina.

"Miss Cordera, I am afraid the trip from this ship to mine will be a bit uncomfortable, but you will be safe in the hands of my crew. Once we are on my deck, I will escort you to your cabin. The cabins on The Pearl Maiden are not so lavishly appointed as those on The Encarnación, but will have to suffice. As soon as we are underway, I will ask the cook to prepare a noon meal for us and we will dine in my cabin.

"Until then, you are free to do as you will except you must remain in your cabin or walking the gallery at the stern to use the seat of ease there. Common sailors are a suspicious lot and will consider it bad luck to have a woman on board. If you walk about the deck, they will find all manner of things that appear to be going wrong and they will blame your presence. I am captain of The Pearl Maiden, but only because the crew allow me to be. Should the crew decide to throw you overboard, I would be your sole protector."

Upon showing Christina to her cabin, William went back on the deck to oversee the transfer of treasure to The Pearl Maiden. A little over an hour later, Mister Johnson used the tackle to go from the deck of The Encarnación to The Pearl Maiden.

"Captain, the last chest is aboard. I have told the gunner at the captain's cabin to leave his post as soon as the rest of the crew are back on board. I have two men removing the tackle and enough men aloft to set our sails once we are free of the Spanish ship. The rest are at our rail with their muskets at the ready should the other crew attempt to regain the treasure. Once the gunner sets foot on board, we will free our boarding hooks and begin setting sail. What course should I tell the helmsman to steer?"

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Ten minutes later, The Pearl Maiden was sailing away from The Encarnación under just her foresail main and the spanker on the main mast. As soon as she was a few yards from The Encarnación, Mister Johnson ordered all sails set and told the helmsman to set a course twenty degrees south of west. That course would take The Pearl Maiden into the Caribbean far enough to avoid any Spanish ships that might be looking for pirates.

A short time after that, William tapped on the door of Christina's cabin. When she opened it, he asked her to join him for a noon meal in his cabin.

Once they were inside his cabin, William offered a chair to Christina.

"The cook is roasting a chicken for us, so our meal will be about an hour in coming. In the mean time, there is a subject we must discuss."

Christina's eyes flashed.

"If that subject is that you will force me to warm your bed tonight, you should know that I have my father's dagger and would not hesitate to use it in order to defend my honor. Before you could touch me, I would bury my dagger in your breast."

William chuckled. He appreciated her spunk almost as much as he appreciated her beauty. He knew many women, but few could have matched the lines of Christina's face, the thick waves of dark brown hair that framed that face, and the slender curves under her dress. While little of her fair skin was exposed to his view, William's imagination painted a picture of Christina unclothed, her breasts full and firm, her waist small, and a belly flat as the deck of his ship. From her small waist would flare her feminine hips, and those soft curves would blend into slender thighs that nestled the portal given to women by which to conceive and birth children, the same portal through which most men craved the release of tensions.

William shook that vision from his mind and then addressed Christina's concern.

"Christina, if I may address you by name, I assure you I have no intention of threatening your honor. Were I to wish that, a mere dagger would not stop me anyway. I have fought men better armed and stronger than you and have always won out. What we must discuss is indeed about your honor, though.

"The obvious grief Gabriela experienced at your loss was the primary reason I took you off the Spanish ship, but there is also another. I believe you know a lieutenant in the Royal Navy with the name of Cornelious Charles? He fancies marrying you, and from what I understand from him, you are of like mind.

"I wondered then how he came to that opinion since though I have had numerous dealings with Delmar, up until this morning I had only heard that Delmar had a daughter but I had never seen you. He never spoke of a daughter and I found it odd that Delmar would keep you hidden from all except this lieutenant. Also, Gabriela said if I brought you back to her, Lieutenant Charles might be able to convince you to marry him. To me, that sounds as if you know nothing of his plan. What I must know from you is if marrying Lieutenant Charles is a course you have set or if such a marriage is something he intends to force you to accept."

Christina listened up until William told her Lieutenant Charles wanted to marry her. Then her mouth fell open and it was some moments before she could speak because that statement had enraged her.

"I do not know this Lieutenant Charles nor have we ever met. How could I possibly wish to marry him?"

William shrugged.

"That was merely the information I was given, information I believed to be suspect. You have just confirmed those suspicions. What we must now discuss are your plans for the future.

"I shall deliver you to Gabriela as I promised for I believe her feelings for you are that of a mother to her daughter even though you did not enter this world from her womb. Lieutenant Charles is a different matter entirely now. I did not trust the man before, and now after hearing from you that you do not harbor feelings toward him when he assured me you did, I trust him even less.

"I am a fair judge of a man's character, and in Lieutenant Charles I see a man who thinks only of his own desires. Once he knows of your arrival in Port Royal, he will do everything in his power to force you into a marriage. He oversees the careening wharf and store house in Port Royal. In my judgement, the man is not qualified for such a position, let alone to become captain of his own ship as he stated was the case. It is my opinion that he must have gained his position through acquaintances in the Jamaican government. As such, his power to compel you to do as he wishes will be strong.

"I am not in the habit of delivering women to men who desire them only for their own pleasure and I believe that to be Lieutenant Charles' intent for you. You are a handsome woman he would enjoy having on his arm in public. I am sure he would find your charms just as enjoyable were you sharing his bed. Giving you to him would be no different than presenting him with a fine horse. He would boast about the look of the horse and enjoy the ride, but would otherwise have no interest in its wellbeing.

"It would be my recommendation that you and Gabriela leave Port Royal for another place as soon as I can collect her and her belongings. I will remain anchored in Port Royal for a day before sailing to Bermuda. I will make some excuse to Lieutenant Charles to explain why you are not in Port Royal, and once we sail, you will be rid of him forever."

Christina frowned.

"You would take me and Gabriela away from Port Royal? Why would you do such a thing? Surely you take a great risk if this Lieutenant Charles is as powerful as you say."

William smiled.

"Until Lieutenant Charles has a ship to sail, he is bound to Port Royal. I will be far away before he can even think of catching me. Besides, he will not know you are with me as I will have you remain on The Pearl Maiden while I find Gabriela and bring her on board.

"As for why I would volunteer my services, let us just say that your Gabriela impressed me as did you when you stood against your father. I could not leave you two to suffer what I believe would be your inevitable fate."

There was a knock on his door then. William rose and smiled.

"Our meal has arrived. My cook has a way with a hen that will surprise even you. Let us talk of something else while we dine."

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As they dined, they talked about their past lives, and it was not long before William found himself talking mostly about his past life while Christina listened. That was a strange thing to discover because it had never happened to him before. The people he had met in life had been interested in what he could do for them and not how he was raised or his personal beliefs.

It began with Christina asking how he became a pirate.

"You seem to be an educated man and yet you make your living not as a manager of a farm or as a shop keeper but by robbing others? It would interest me to know why."

William swallowed his mouthful of chicken and then smiled.

"'Twas never my intent to become a pirate. The occupation was a long time in the making and was the result of my upbringing.

"I am told I was born in Rotherhithe, a section of London, to a woman and man I am told worked the Surrey Docks. Unfortunately I do not remember either my mother or father. My mother died bringing me into this world and my father gave me to his sister to raise. He died of cholera a year after my birth, as did his sister and her husband.

"Somehow, I was not afflicted by the disease and was placed by the church with a woman who raised me to the age of nine. She was a good women from what I remember of her. She also died of some disease. I remember her death but not the cause.

"Once again, I was returned to the church but this time instead of being placed with another family, I was apprenticed as a cabin boy to a Captain Richardson, the captain of a merchantman plying the trade between the Americas and England. He was an older man and very strict as to my conduct, but also very kind in other ways.

"It is him I have to thank for the education you believe me to have. In actuality, I have no education other than his teaching me to read. All that I have learned save the operation of a ship I have reaped from the pages of various texts the man had in his cabin.

"I continued as his cabin boy for two years, and then he told me I would become an apprentice seaman. At the age of eleven I began learning from other sailors the ways of the sea and ships. By the time I was sixteen, I could work with the best of them, and my captain recognized I was a smart lad and had a flair for the sea."

William paused for another bit of chicken, then chuckled around the piece in his mouth.

"If I remember correctly, he said if I were cut, salt water would flow from the wound."

William swallowed, and then continued.

"He began teaching me the mathematics and methods of navigation. By the time I was nineteen, I was promoted to master and in charge of plotting the course of the ship.

"That was my last voyage with Captain Richardson. He died of a failure of his heart during his last voyage. The First Mate took his place for the remainder of the voyage, and by the time we docked in Surrey I knew I could no longer work for the man. He thought of himself as a king and was cruel to his sailors and at the end of the voyage refused to pay us what we were due. I signed on aboard a Royal Navy frigate bound for the Caribbean as First Mate.

"At that time, England, Spain, France, and Portugal were all at war with each other. The wars had gone on so long the treasuries of the countries had been depleated so that while technically at war, fighting had come to an end or was near so. The only exception, I was to find, was in Jamaica and the other English held islands in the Caribbean.

"Spain still held most of the territory in Mexico and South America as well as many islands in the Caribbean, territory which was filling the coffers of Spain with the gold and silver she required to replenish her treasury. She also wished to prevent the English colonies from sending sugar and tobacco to England.

"There were groups of men, most, natives of the Caribbean and led by men of Spanish or Portugese descent, prowling the Caribbean and raiding the towns. As Spain could no longer afford to maintain a large navy in the area, Spain issued Letters of Marque to the captains of those ships. Those captains agreed to cease attacking Spanish settlements and ships and to only attack English settlements and ships. Perhaps you have heard of them. They were called 'buccaneers". Those buccaneers all but eliminated English trade between the English Caribbean colonies and England.

"In order to rebuild her economy, England was forced to reduce expenses, and with the ending of most fighting in Europe, the Royal Navy was greatly reduced in size. I was ousted from my position as First Mate on the frigate and found myself on shore in Port Royal with no means of earning an income.

"With most of the Royal Navy gone, the Governor of Jamaica worried that the Spanish would attempt to again gain control of Jamaica. With little Royal Navy presence, he issued Letters of Marque to ship captains formerly with the Royal Navy. I was able to sign on with one of those ships, the Pearl Maiden that now carries us back to Port Royal. After her captain was killed during a raid on a Spanish town in Hispaniola, the crew elected me to be the captain. I have held that position since.

"I have not attempted to raid any Spanish towns because while Spain also removed most of her navy from the Caribbean, she fortified the defenses of every town under Spanish control. It is difficult to overcome those defenses and attempting to do so would require many more men than The Pearl Maiden could hold. Instead, I raid Spanish shipping. The merchant ships are slow and poorly armed, and their captains understand that fighting will only result in the sinking of the ship and loss of life. They will surrender easily if surprised, just as did Captain Baldero this morning. He lost his cargo, but his ship and what remains of his crew will continue to sail once he makes a Spanish port to have her re-fitted.

"It is not a life I would have chosen, but it is a life that has served me well as far as accumulating some wealth. I am but thirty years old and could retire to an estate in Jamaica should I so desire, but I have not the knowledge to engage in farming or other occupation on shore. What I know is the sea and the ships that sail the waters, so it is the sea that will be my occupation in one way or another until I die."

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That night, while Christina lay on her bed trying to calm herself from the events of the day that she might sleep, she wondered at Captain Blackburn. He was not at all like the pirates Gabriela had described. Gabriela had said all pirates, no matter if Spanish or English or Portugese, were savage men who lived for killing men and raping women.

She told Christina that if these men were not killing other sailors and raping any female passengers on the ships they raided, they were drinking rum and ale and bedding with the many whores on Port Royal until they were unconscious. Upon waking from their stupors, they would once again commence the debauchery until their money was exhausted. At that point, they would return to their ships and begin the cycle over again, that being raiding a ship, killing and raping, and then returning to Port Royal to celebrate their crimes.

Captain Blackburn did not seem to be such a man. Instead, he appeared to be a man with an eye for the future and a man who respected others including women. She had expected him to kill everyone on The Encarnación, including her after first raping her and probably then sharing her with his crew.

He had not, and in fact, once the captain of The Encarnación had surrendered, he had ordered his men to only hold them in a small compartment of the ship so they could not attempt to fight. He had even wished the captain of The Encarnación a safe voyage to a harbor where his ship could be repaired.

Because she had not been allowed to leave her home at any time, Christina knew little of the ways of men. Her only experience with men was with her father and by listening to Gabriela. Gabriela had told her that men were interested only in their own pleasures and in relieving their desires with women. Her father had proven that, so Christina grew up believing all men were the same.

Her father had often laughed when telling her and Gabriela about his business dealings. He had delighted in the fact that the Spanish were so stupid they did not realize they had purchased the same goods multiple times.

"They are children still sucking on the teat. They care not if the teat is black, white, or brown, only that it fills their bellies."