Page 3 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“I am sure we can tidy it up, they are not all damaged, oh my,” she said, shaking her head sadly.
But it was all too much for Samantha, and she wept, sobbing into her handkerchief, as Catherine attempted to comfort her.
“There, there, you are not at fault, you are treated abominably by that woman, for it is surely she who has done this,” Catherine said, and Samantha nodded.
There could be no one else save Regina, who possessed such vitriol toward her. Samantha hated her, but what power did she have over her? Regina had her father in her pocket, and the Duke would never side with Samantha against the woman carrying his son and heir – or so they presumed. In that moment, Samantha wondered if marriage was the best way out of her miserable situation, for, in submitting to another man, she would at least be escaping the clutches of the woman who had stolen her father’s heart.
“Who else could it be? Regina is nothing but a harlot, I hate her,” Samantha replied, looking around the room at her precious books, shaking her head sadly.
“Then you have no choice but to leave,” Catherine replied, and Samantha looked up at her curiously.
“But where can I go?” she asked, and Catherine smiled.
“I think I might have an idea, one which will show your father just how serious you are. What do you know of your father’s shipping business?” she asked, and closing the door, she proceeded to explain her plan–
Chapter Two
The merchant ship was floundering, its hull torn through by canon ball, taking on water fast. A fire had broken out at one end, engulfing the sails, and Captain Norman Black, known to his friends as “Nox,” had just ordered his own shipThe Rosa Mysticato draw alongside.
“Planks down, Men, and we’ll board her,” he called out, as the stricken merchant ship came close.
Nox could see her captain on the deck, surrounded by nervous-looking crewmen. These vessels were easy pickings, coming from London laden with goods for trade. He and his men had boarded a hundred similar ships, lying in wait for them in a secluded cove off the island, before sighting them and sailing at full wind to intercept.
There was rarely ever any resistance from those on board, and Nox and his men would take them prisoners, impound their cargo, and put them off on one of the outlying islands of the archipelago. It was a simple business, but a profitable one, for the reach of the Royal Navy had not yet found its authority in these remote islands.
“We are unarmed,” the captain called out, as Nox’s men lowered their boarding planks across to the deck.
“Then you will not put up a fight and no one shall be hurt,” Nox replied, laughing, as he drew his sword and crossed the plank to the merchant ship.
A dozen of his men followed him, all with their swords drawn, and the crew of the merchant ship was soon subdued. A few of them lashed out, demanding their rights as citizens of the British Empire. But such pleas fell on deaf ears, for Norman Black held no allegiance to any empire. He was a child of the sea, raised by pirates, at least that was as far back as his memory went.
He had spent more time at sea than on dry land, andThe Rosa Mysticahad been his home since he was a boy, the crew the only family he knew. She was a fine ship, once a Spanish galleon, captured off the north coast of South America. Her sails were tall and proud, a black flag with clenched fist and cutlass stitched in white fluttering from her crow’s nest. She was painted black and red, her deck well-scrubbed, and her canon always mounted. Nox was proud of his ship, and now she had served him well once more, the merchant ship laden with treasure.
“This is theft, you are pirates. The Regent himself will hear of this,” the captain declared, squaring up to Nox, who pushed him aside and laughed.
“And will his majesty personally come to hunt us down? By the time you get back to London, we shall be long gone,” Nox said, pointing his men to the crates which lined the deck.
“I suppose you will kill us,” the captain said, and Nox shook his head.
“What kind of man do you take me for? You already told me you were unarmed. I would not strike a man dead when he cannot defend himself. No, Sir, you shall be put off on this island here. It contains all you need to live by, and I am sure a passing ship will pick you up… one day,” he said, slapping the captain heartily on the back, as his men roared with laughter.
“These crates are heavy, Captain Nox, what is in them?” one of the men called out, as the pirates heaved the crates across the deck.
“Open one and see, gold doubloons, perhaps, trading for sugar in the plantations,” Nox replied, and a crate was forced open, revealing just what Nox had expected.
The gold coins gushed out of it, spilling across the deck, and catching the sunlight in a burst of reflective light. Shouts of delight came from the pirates, and the remaining crates were hauled across the planks and onto the deck ofThe Rosa Mystica.
“Common pirates, you shall pay for your crimes with the gibbet. I hope I am there on the day you hang,” the captain said, but Nox only laughed.
“Would you deprive these men of their livelihoods? It is a mere matter of business. You possess a commodity, and we take that commodity. Simple business, Sir, for we have not harmed you or your men, have we?” he asked, and the captain scowled.
“You interfere with the business of the British Empire,” he began, but Nox spun round and grabbed the man by the lapels, pulling him angrily toward him.
“And that would be the same British Empire that keeps the poor people of these islands enslaved upon their plantations, would it now? What say we hand over this gold to them and set them free?” he said, tossing the man aside and shaking his head.
“Are we to set them in a longboat, Captain Nox?” one of his men asked, and Nox nodded.
“Yes, put them overboard, let them row to the island over there. Sink their ship and we shall be gone,” he said, scowling at the captain who was still muttering his threats.
