Page 4 of Pirate's Intent
“I would not miss it.” He downed his rum then got another. “Let us go see Blackbeard’s latest treasure.”
They made their way through a thickening crowd of rambunctious pirates stirred up by what was coming. Better yet,whowas coming.
“We hang back,” he murmured out of the corner of his mouth to Luke and Charles. “Lest she spy us.”
As it were, he and his brother were taller than most and tended to stand out in a crowd. More so, tended to draw a woman’s eye. So they stopped at the fringes and leaned against the overhang of a building that shielded them from the dais.
Moments later, a woman was dragged onto it and held on display.
“Rose,” he nearly whispered, stunned by the sight of her.
If possible, she was even more beautiful now than she was at sixteen. She wore a pale blue linen dress, and light petticoat, her petite figure as trim as it ever was. With long hair the color of spun gold, and big violet soulful eyes, she was exceptional.
As he often did, he recalled their many walks together. Their interesting discussions. She had a sharp mind. A contemplative soul. He had valued their conversations and understood that unlike her sister, she needed time alone to read. Her books were an important part of her life. Who she was. Some called her mousy, but he’d always loved her genteel, reserved nature. But then she’d often honored him with the lively, interesting mind she more often than not kept to herself.
Now there she was, at the mercy of monsters who only meant her harm.
They would crush her spirit in little time. Ruin the beauty of her lovely soul. He clenched his fists and nearly started her way, but thankfully, his brother put a staying hand on his arm to remind him why they were there.
“She’s a beauty all right,” Charles exclaimed, hollering his approval along with everyone else.
“Yes, she is,” Thomas murmured, trying to figure out how to handle this. He had hoped to simply purchase her, but the bidding was already higher than what he had on hand.
“Where’s the other one?” Though he was supposed to be playing a role, Luke scanned the windows of the brothel with far too much relish. “Has Blackbeard let anyone at ‘er yet?”
“Not yet, don’t think.” Charles licked his lips. “Rumor has it she’s tied up and waitin’ for her first customer.”
Luke’s brow crept up, his grin far too devious. “Is that right?”
Thomas shot his brother a warning look reminding him that they had a mission. He better not get distracted when the time came. He had to get her out of there.
If he faltered, it would cost them both their lives.
They had talked at length about this with the crew members they could trust. Everyone knew what was on the line, and all understood the various things that could go wrong. Luke getting hung up on finally having Hannah at his disposal on a bed could put a serious kink in their plan in more ways than one.
The brothers had spent six formative years in Yorktown, Virginia during which they came to know the sisters quite well. While Thomas had enjoyed one sort of relationship with Rose, Luke and Hannah had gone down another road altogether. From what he could tell, their connection was more often a battle of wills than anything else. Somewhat of a love, hate relationship really.
Which made him wonder, should Luke be the one to save Hannah?
Or would she be safer in Thomas’s hands?
While logic told him one thing, his heart told him another when he looked at Rose. He would not trust her safety to anyone but himself.
Men called out various prices, overbidding each other until one grumbled loudly, “’Tis a high price for a wench who cannot speak or even see straight.”
“Who needs her to talk?” another called out. “Just her pretty little mouth around my cock is worth the price!”
“And no need to see straight,” another whooped. “I’ll steer her along just fine.” He thrust his hips and grabbed his crotch. “Right onto my main mast!”
Many chuckled, others outright laughed, but all kept their eyes on Rose, their filthy gazes just imagining the possibilities. Meanwhile, Rose remained aloof, an almost daft expression on her face. What was she up to? For surely she was playing at something. She must be.
“Sometimes I wish I could be one of the characters from my books,” he recalled her saying softly one quiet evening. They sat beneath an old oak behind her uncle’s tobacco plantation, watching the vibrant sunset. “If only for a bit of adventure...and escape.”
Well aware of the sort of man her uncle was, he kept with what might make her smile.
“What sort of adventure?” He had wanted to hold her hand. To finally tell her how he felt about her. “And what sort of character would you be?”
“Oh, something exciting!” Her eyes lit up. “A great warrior destined to save his kingdom.” Her gaze grew sly. “Or maybe a pirate set to plunder a ship!”
