Page 99 of The Pirate Lord
“It’s a shame we destroyed our old Jolly Roger,”Gideon muttered.
After a long pause, Barnaby stammered, “Um . . . we didn’t exactly . . . that is?—”
Gideon stared at his first mate. “I ordered it destroyed at the end of our last voyage.”
“You did. But . . . well . . . I thought you might change your mind, so I kept it. It’s in my cabin.”
Gideon suppressed a smile. “I ought to sentence you to sanding the decks for a week for disobeying orders, Mr. Kent. But I suppose I can overlook the transgression this time.” He returned to observing theDefiantthrough the spyglass. “Tell me, have we ever taken one of Blackmore’s ships?”
Barnaby grinned. “I don’t recall ever hearing that name spoken by any of the crews we’ve . . . er . . . entertained.”
“Then it’s high time we took one, don’t you think?”
“Aye, Captain. Mustn’t let the good earl get too cocky about his prowess at sea.”
“Indeed.” Gideon set down the spyglass with a smile. “This earl definitely needs taking down a peg. And you and I are just the men to do it.”
Sara sat at breakfast in the saloon of theDefiantwith Lord and Lady Dryden and Jordan. She picked absently at her food, tooexcited to eat. They were nearing the Cape Verde Islands, two days sail from Atlantis. She could hardly believe Jordan had finally agreed to transport her to the island. But he’d had little choice once the marquess and his wife had brought pressure to bear on him. If he hadn’t agreed, the marquess would have chartered a ship himself to go to the island, taking Sara with him. And Jordan never liked relinquishing control.
Sara had come to like Lady Dryden a great deal on this trip. And her husband, too. Although the man was obviously several years older than his wife, Lord Dryden had none of the pretensions that men of his rank and age often possessed. Indeed, his regal bearing, aristocratic features, and warm smile reminded Sara very much of her late stepfather.
Now, the other three were conversing on a subject that might interest her if thoughts of Gideon didn’t preoccupy her. He was almost within her grasp. She had so much to tell him.
Her only fear was he wouldn’t give her the chance to speak. Oh, if he refused to see her, to hear her out, she would never be able to bear it.
The door to the saloon swung open, and the first mate rushed in. “My lord, there’s a ship to starboard, gaining on us fast! And she’s flying the Jolly Roger!”
As Jordan let out a curse, Sara leapt up from her chair so quickly she knocked it over. She ran into her cabin. The others came in behind her as she gazed out the porthole, straining to catch a glimpse of the ship that was well on their heels. Then she saw the figurehead. It was theSatyr.There was no mistaking that.
“Gideon,” she breathed, her heart pounding faster.
Lord and Lady Dryden started murmuring behind her as Jordan came to her side. “I thought you said the Pirate Lord had given up piracy.”
“He has.” She faced them all. Lord and Lady Dryden looked concerned and Jordan looked positively livid. She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. “He has,” she repeated more firmly. “Of course he has.”
“Then why is he here,” her brother asked, “chasing after us and flying the Jolly Roger?”
“I don’t know.” She tilted her chin up. “But he must have a good reason.”
“We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?” Jordan strode past Lord and Lady Dryden out of the cabin and into the saloon.
Sara rushed after him as her other companions followed. “What are you going to do, Jordan?”
“I’m going to determine just how ‘honest’ and ‘kind’ your pirate captain really is.”
“What do you mean? What?—”
She broke off as the captain entered the saloon, his face mottled with fury. “It’s the Pirate Lord. They’ve ordered us to ‘heave to.’ With your permission, my lord, I’d like to fight. I think we can win, even though we’ve not as many men as I’d like.”
“No!” cried three voices at once.
When the captain stared at her and her companions in astonishment, Jordan grimaced. “I’m afraid fighting is out of the question, captain. You see, my sister intends to marry the Pirate Lord, and Lord and Lady Dryden are here to make sure it happens. Much as I’d like to order you to blow theSatyrout of the water, I can’t. If I do, one of them might murder me in my sleep, and then you’ll have no one to pay your wages, will you?”
The captain cast his employer an incredulous look. “So you want us to heave to?”
“Yes.” Jordan’s voice held an edge. “But have your men armed and at the ready, hidden from the pirates. If anything goes wrong, we should be prepared.”
With a curt nod, the captain left. Jordan turned to Sara. “I want you to stay here until I’ve spoken with him.”
