Page 7 of A Captain For Clarissa
“You will not make a single sound,” he vowed.
Immediately wondering if rescue might somehow be at hand, Clarissa promptly opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs.
A powerful backhand across the face made her dizzy for a moment, and then a thick lump of cloth was being shoved into her mouth, the gag secured behind her head, and she was tossed over the corsair’s brawny shoulder and carried out. She kicked and screamed, flailing madly; felt her nightgown catch against a splinter of wood and rip as she struggled, but the corsair did not stop. She was carried through the ship, tossed unceremoniously down and her hands and feet tied together, and then stuffed into a trunk, the lid slammed shut.
She could barely move, and barely breathe through the gag. It was utterly dark inside the trunk, and she wasn’t sure if the blackspots swimming in front of her eyes were in her imagination, or due to a lack of air.
A loud boom close by made her eyes widen. A cannon? Were they under fire?Please, don’t let me die tied up in a trunk!
Silence.
The rocking of the ship eased, and she sensed they had slowed, perhaps come to a stop. Distant shouts sounded, then a brief volley of gunfire, then booted feet on timber.
Rescue? She tried to shout through the gag, but the effort made her feel dizzy.
Wait, she thought.They’ll search in here. Wait until you hear them.
Boots clattered nearby, and she tried to scream. Tried to get any sound out at all, but could only manage the faintest of moans. She tried to kick against the side of the chest, but couldn’t move more than a few inches in its cramped confines; her bare feet made no sound against the heavy wood.
The booted feet tramped away again and Clarissa couldn’t help herself; she began to cry. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the boots of her potential rescuers faded away. She tried to gulp in air, but the blackness closed in around her.
Rafael looked around the cabin with a frown. There was nowhere here large enough to conceal a woman, unless… his gaze fell on the heavy sea-chest beside the bed, half-draped with blankets. Stooping, he flipped open the lid, and gaped down at the beauty within.
Sun-streaked hair tumbled around a pale, tear-stained face and a slender form that was barely half-covered by a torn nightgown trimmed with expensive white lace. Young, beautiful, blonde and well-born from the look of her, no wonder Khadra had kept this prize locked up and tried to conceal her. She would be a worth a fortune in the slave markets of Algiers.
“Where the hell did he find you?” Rafael murmured, leaning down to lift the girl out of the chest. She didn’t seem to be conscious, and Rafael swore as he pulled the too-tight gag from her mouth and leaned in to check that she was still breathing. It would be just like Khadra to smother the girl by accident while trying to conceal her. He cut the bonds securing her ankles and wrists together, cursing the corsair under his breath.
The girl’s chest rose and fell as she took a deeper breath, and Rafael tore his gaze away from her form, grabbing at one of the blankets to cover her more properly before backing away. Waking up to find a strange man looming over her was likely to terrify her half to death after what she’d doubtless already been through. “Captain?” he turned to find the bosun at the door.
“I found the woman.” Rafael gestured to the girl on the bed.
The bosun took one glance and whistled, long and low. “No wonder Khadra tried to hide her!”
“Precisely. I don’t want to frighten her any more. I’ll stay here and guard her; secure all the corsair crew and get both ships under way for Valletta.” They should make Malta before morning, and the Maltese government was one of the signatories to the anti-corsair agreement under which Rafael was operating. They’d take custody of the corsairs and their ship, and arrange for the return of the Greek youngsters to their homes.
What was to be done with the beautiful young woman remained to be seen.
Chapter Four
The world seemed tosway gently as Clarissa slowly regained consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing the unfamiliar surroundings of the corsair captain’s cabin. She blinked, attempting to clear the fog that clouded her mind and dazed her senses. The cabin was dimly lit by a single flickering lantern which cast wavering shadows upon the wooden walls adorned with sea charts and navigational instruments.
The scent of salt and aged timber permeated the air, mingling with the faint aroma of tobacco. Clarissa felt the coarse texture of a blanket beneath her fingertips, wrapped snugly around her shoulders to ward off the chill brought by the ocean air. As her vision sharpened, she noticed a figure standing nearby, his features gradually coming into focus. Not the corsair captain, but a stranger—a tall, hawkishly dark man wearing what looked like a naval uniform, though the cut and colour weren’t familiarto her. She huddled the blanket closer around her and peered at him. He was tall and ruggedly handsome, with dark hair framing a strong, sun-kissed face. His eyes were particularly striking: a captivating sea-green that seemed to hold within them the depths of the ocean itself.
The navy officer spoke, apparent concern etched on his brow. Clarissa’s brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle out his words. Not Italian, a language in which she was reasonably fluent after more than a year in the country, nor Greek, nor French. She could almost grasp some of the words…
“I’m sorry,” she said in English. “I don’t understand.”
“Rest easy, my lady,” he replied in astonishingly unaccented, perfect English, his voice deep and soothing. “You are safe now.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, struggling to comprehend the situation fully. The memory of her swoon came flooding back, an overwhelming wave that left her feeling vulnerable and exposed.
“Who are you? What happened?”
His steady gaze seemed to offer a lifeline in the tempestuous sea of her emotions. “I am Captain Rafael de Silva, of the Portuguese shipSanta Dorotéa,“ he said calmly. “We conduct anti-corsair patrols in these waters, and have seized this ship. We will be putting in at the port of Valletta in Malta within a few hours.”
“Oh.” Struggling to comprehend the sudden change in circumstance, Clarissa lay very still.
“Where did Khadra take you from, and when?” Rafael prompted gently.
