Page 51 of The Pirate Takes A Bride

“I do. Follow me.” And the girl started through the jungle without even looking to see if Ashley followed.

“Where are we going?” Ashley finally asked after she’d been scratched on the arm and the cheek by tree limbs. Rissa, being short, had an easier time avoiding the tree branches and spiky leaves. Ashley just knew the monkeys were watching them and waiting for an opportunity to throw rotten food or something worse.

“To the cave where we hid. It’s just up here.”

Ashley had a sense of the island’s layout now, a rough map of it in her mind. She knew the cave where the women and children had hidden was just past the village, up high, so it overlooked the beach below. It was hidden from view by dense shrubbery. One of the pirates had pointed it out to her, and she had stared at the spot for a long time before she had been able to see the opening to a cave. She realized Rissa must have taken the long way around to avoid the village. They would have reached the cave much more quickly if they’d gone through the village.

The sailors on the beach, including Nick, might have also seen them had they taken the village route. The advantage of this path was that they came upon the cave from the back of the hill and could enter unobserved.

Once inside, Ashley paused. She’d never been in a cave before, and the sudden darkness and silence surprised her. She wanted light. “We don’t have a torch.”

“I know the way,” Rissa said, her high voice echoing. “There’s an opening in the rock here, and you can see. Come on.”

I am not afraid, Ashley told herself as she moved inward, bending over to avoid hitting her head, but she was glad when she spotted a shaft of light ahead and could make out Rissa’s little form moving toward it. Ashley stood under the shaft of light and looked up. Above was the blue sky of the island. Earlier in the day, the sun might have been directly overhead. Looking down, she could see evidence of inhabitation. There were signs of a cooking fire and rocks and old logs had been brought in as seating. A tattered piece of canvas had been left, forgotten.

“Is this where you hid?”

The little girl nodded and looked down. “They couldn’t find us here.”

Ashley could see the tears in the little girl’s eyes. The poor child had lost her mother, countless friends, everything she had known. What did one say to soothe a pain like that? What did one say to comfort a child? Ashley didn’t know the words, so she pulled the little girl into an awkward embrace. “You are safe now.”

“I don’t want to stay here,” the little girl said against her shoulder. Her small arms were wrapped around Ashley’s neck, and the child’s embrace was not quite as terrifying as Ashley had imagined. She could feel the little girl’s fear in her rigid form and the way she trembled. How could Ashley ease her fear? Yussef could come back. The little girl had a right to be afraid.

“You won’t stay here. We’ll find a way to get on board,” she finally said.

“Look at this!” The little girl moved out of Ashley’s arms and pulled at the old piece of canvas. Beneath it, she revealed a chest like the ones Ashley had seen in the great cabin on board the Robin Hood. The little girl struggled to open the chest, and Ashley caught the latch and helped her lift the heavy lid. Inside was a blue coat. Ashley pulled it out, recognizing it as the sort naval officers wore. On the sleeve were two gold stripes, and one had a loop. She did not know much about rank in the navy. Two of her older brothers had joined the Hussars, but none of the five seemed interested in a position in the navy. They could talk about horses until her ears bled, but ships and shipboard officers were a less common topic of conversation.

She pulled out several other articles of clothing, and beneath them, she found a sheaf of papers tied with a thin cord. She lifted it and spotted several medals below. Why would medals such as those be left in an old trunk in a forgotten cave? She scanned the documents she held, feeling her jaw drop open.

“Can you read?” the little girl asked.

“Yes.” Yes, she could read very well. She turned to another paper, and her eyes widened further. “I don’t believe it.” She turned to another paper. “No!”

“What’s wrong?” the little girl asked.

Ashley allowed the papers to drop into her lap. “Your father was a commissioned officer in the royal navy. He was a lieutenant.” She had known he’d been part of the navy but not his rank. She lifted one of the medals. “And he was decorated for bravery.”

“That’s very bad!”

Ashley smiled at the little girl. “No. It’s not bad at all. It’s very good, but it surprised me.”

The little girl took one of the medals and held it to her hair as though it were some sort of ribbon or hair ornament. Ashley laughed. “Did you know this was your father’s?”

“Yes. He doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“I imagine he doesn’t.”

“I can hide in it.” The little girl scrambled inside the trunk. There was plenty of room for her. “And you can take it on the ship.”

Ashley nodded. It was a crude plan, but it might work. She could tell one of the men Nick had asked her to see the trunk delivered to his great cabin personally. He’d say his farewells tonight and sleep on board in order to be ready to depart on the tide. The men would assume Nick wanted her as his companion for the night. Once on board, she could hide, and Rissa would be taken to the great cabin in the trunk, which would probably be overlooked during the preparations. If they both managed to stay hidden until the ship was well away from the island, Nick would have to take both of them with him.

While Rissa practiced getting in and out of the trunk—and in and out again—Ashley perused the documents in her hand. The medal for bravery had apparently been in a battle against Yussef. Nick’s ship had suffered heavy losses against the pirate and his small fleet of ships, but Nick had fought bravely.

Was that when his hatred of Yussef began? Was he angry Yussef had escaped? A letter fell free, and Ashley opened it.

Dear Lord Nicholas,

Thank you for our kind letter of condolence. We are bearing the news of Ralph as well as can be expected. You need not apologize for not saving him. You were a good friend to him. He wrote of you often...

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