Page 34 of The Black Lion
“Aye, Cap’n.”
Before turning to stride back across the deck, he took the captain ofThe Jupiterby the shoulders and slammed his knee into the soft flesh just beneath the man’s chin. His head snapped back, and blood splattered the deck, two teeth skittering over the boards.
“Where are ye goin’, Cap’n?” someone called out to his retreating back.
“It’s my wedding day,” Drew called over his shoulder. “I’m going to my wife.”
Chapter Eleven
During the battle between the two ships, it occurred to Arabella thatThe Sea Lionwould soon be the temporary home of several people who needed of food, solace, and care. She had spent so much of her life feeling helpless and impotent, and could no longer abide it. She might not be able to take up arms and fight their enemies, but there was much shecoulddo.
So, she rifled about Drew’s cabin and set about improvising attire she would feel comfortable working in. Upon returning to their cabin covered in blood, gunpowder, and sweat, Drew raised his eyebrows at the sight of her, prompting a giggle from Arabella. She had donned one of his shirts and the sole petticoat of her bridal ensemble he hadn’t destroyed with his dagger. A leather belt cinched her waist, and a ribbon tied her braided hair back from her face. Arabella’s relief at seeing him alive and unharmed made it easier to adhere to her plan. Her husband had dedicated his life to freeing the enslaved, and as his wife she would stand by his side as he did it. She would do it without flinching away from the realities her father had tried to shield her from.
“And just what are you about, my lioness?” he asked while stripping off his bandolier and attacking the buttons of his soiled shirt.
“I understand thatThe Sea Lionhas a surgeon, but I imagine quite a few people will need tending. I intend to help him. If another hand is needed in the galley, perhaps I might assist in getting everyone fed, as well.”
He paused in the middle of splashing his face with water, giving her a heartwarming look of surprise and naked devotion. “Have you ever seen sick and starved slaves fresh from one of these ships? It’s unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed, Bella. The reek of the hold, the look in their eyes, the evidence of their abuse … it’s horrifying. I wouldn’t blame you for not having the stomach for it.”
Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin defiantly. “Do you think me so weak that I would shrink away from helping those poor people?”
With a sigh, he wiped his face and hands clean and then came to her. The mingled scent of soap, blood, and acrid smoke clung to him, but she didn’t pull away when he cupped her face and placed a tender kiss on her brow.
“I think you’re stronger than many people have given you credit for. Forgive me if my words caused you to believe otherwise. Protecting you is my first priority.”
Resting her hands against his waist, she smoothed them over bare skin riddled with puckered scars. She had spent the past weeks exploring them, learning the altered expanse of a body forged and chiseled by labor and pain.
“If there is one thing I don’t need protection from, it’s this. Please don’t ask me to turn my back on their suffering. I could just as easily have been one of them. Besides, the women might be intimidated by the presence of so many rough pirate men. Perhaps a female face will put them at ease.”
“You’re right, about all of it. And I’m certain Mr. Butler would be glad to have your help in the surgery. I only ask that you not overtax yourself. Rest, eat, and drink when you need to.”
“Of course,” she agreed.
He then asked her to wait for him to don clean clothes before making her way onto the deck. Drew also sent for a pair of boots, as the shoes she’d been taken in were hardly made for such practical work. As it turned out, Little Jack’s feet were nearly the size of Arabella’s, and his spare jackboots fit her perfectly.
They emerged from the cabin together, just in time to watch a bedraggled, pitiful lot of former slaves being led across a gangway from one ship to the other. Tears stung Arabella’s eyes at the sight of them—most either naked or wearing next to nothing. Yellow stains discolored the whites of many eyes, and open, festering wounds showed on arms and legs and backs.
Padre helped two other sailors provide what clothing could be spared from within a crate—shirts, trousers, stockings. Big Jack and his son offered ladles of fresh drinking water from a barrel, and Arabella’s chest squeezed tight around her heart as one woman wept as if the water were the most precious gift she’d ever received.
Giving her shoulder an encouraging squeeze, Drew led Arabella over to Mr. Butler, the ship’s surgeon. The slender, wiry man had set himself up on the forecastle deck, clean rows of instruments and bundles of catgut sutures arranged on a cloth draped over a cluster of barrels. Introductions were made, and the man had been happy to have her assistance. While Drew and the rest of his men set about strippingThe Jupiterof all its supplies and valuables, Arabella placed the waiting men and women according to their conditions, ensuring the most grievous of them were treated first.
Sweat soaked through her shirt, and her back began to ache—but before the night was over she had cleaned wounds and assisted Butler with the necessary tools for suturing them closed. She administered potions for a number of ailments, and joined the ship’s cook in handing out rations of dried fish, oranges, and water to those who had either been seen to or awaited treatment.
With the moon hanging overhead in a clear sky, the last of the crew returned toThe Sea Lion, with Drew crossing the gangway last. He tossed a torch over his shoulder as he went, quickly setting the kerosene-soaked deck ablaze.
Arabella stood with Drew’s arm slung over her shoulders, the entire crew going eerily silent as they pulled away from the burning ship. The night came aglow with red and orange light, the near-black sheet of the ocean taking on the colors of flames. Only then did Arabella allow the tears she’d held back all day to fall, as she remembered Drew’s accounting of lives lost. Of the three hundred slaves who had been chained together and forced into the stifling, confined space of the hold, half had been dead or dying. Several hadn’t even lasted the day. Big Jack had spoken with a man who could only communicate in a broken French-patois, who informed him that dozens more had been tossed overboard days ago. That revelation filled Arabella with a fury that fueled her through the long hours of that first day. It had persisted in the following four weeks, as they sailed closer and closer to the haven of Pirate Island.
With their marriage cemented and the problems of her father and William behind them, her days with Drew fell into a comfortable routine, though Arabella was never bored or short on things to do. She woke each morning to find Drew already gone from their cabin, tending to the myriad of duties awaiting him as the captain. She learned that he was a stern but fair leader, never asking a member of his crew to do something he would not. He took his turns on watch, shared the duties of piloting the ship, and made certain that every corner ofThe Sea Lionremained in tiptop shape.
While he did that, Arabella assisted in the kitchen and helped serve meals to the crew as well as their passengers. Between meals, she entered the ship’s surgery to lend her aid to Mr. Butler, who treated sick and wounded patients. A pair of Little Jack’s breeches had replaced her soiled petticoat as part of her daily ensemble, much to Drew’s irritation. The long drape of his shirt was the only thing hiding the way the tight fit of the breeches flaunted the curves of her hips and buttocks, but fear of his wrath proved enough to keep any eyes from wandering south of her face.
She had come to know many of their rescued passengers, though most either didn’t speak English, or knew only enough to have been able to communicate with their previous masters. However, even among those who could not talk to her, Arabella noticed the furtive smiles and relief in their eyes. Many had been on their guard in those first days, giving Arabella and the crew suspicious glances. And who could blame them? Drew had told her that there were some pirate crews who would plunder slave ships, only to take the prisoners as their own cargo, selling them off to turn themselves a tidy profit. These people had no reason to trust even those among the crew who looked like them and spoke their languages.
Over time, however, most seemed to understand that they were to be treated well, and allowed themselves to enjoy their newfound freedom. The quarter and midship decks came alive each night, with music and dancing and grog passed from hand to hand. Their meals became sparser and less lavish as their stores were depleted, though the bounty taken fromThe Jupiterhad helped supplement their food and fresh water.
On the day that land finally appeared on the horizon, Arabella stood at the bow with excitement churning in her belly. The comforting monotony of their days at sea would soon to come to an end, and the next phase of what was sure to be an adventurous life would begin. Never had she imagined that her future would lay before her in such a wide expanse of such possibility. The quiet girl who bowed to the whims of her father had been peeled away layer by layer, and a new woman stood in her place—one who was ready for whatever may come next.
The scent of Drew fused with soap and leather invaded her senses right before his body pressed into her from behind, his hands gripping the rail to cage her in.
