A Pirate’s Wife (11 page)

are all dead.'

'Who says she didn't talk already?' The situation

was critical.

'Then the ship would have returned. We are not that

far from the
Heerengardt
that it cannot catch up with us.

We will have to follow and devise a plan to reclaim her

without them noticing it. It is a good thing that the moon is

not shining tonight.'

'Roberto! You are mad to suggest this. We will be

going into the heart of the D.E.I.C and if they catch us, we

would be immediately hanged.'

'I will go alone,' Roberto said. This undertaking was

of the highest risk.

With the order given they turned, following the ship

with speed and in absolute dark silence. All the pirates

were on the lookout for any sudden movement, eyes darting

over the black calm waters, searching for the
Heerengardt.

It took them six hours to intercept the
Heerengardt.

By then the sun was already dawning in rich amber colours

and Roberto realized they could not get closer without

being noticed. They fell back, keeping their distance with

the crow master giving feedback every hour.

†††

June 11, 1624

Kayla came for a short visit. She really looked well

considering she was five months pregnant. Derek was

overwhelmed, keeping a tight hold on her hands.

She in turn could not get enough of little Manuel.

Not that I could blame her. He was growing strong and

healthy. Every day he looked more and more like me with

the exception that he had his mother's dark brooding eyes.

He was big for his two months but it was normal, the

medicine woman assured me.

Today we relived many of the moments we shared

with them in the wilderness of Africa. Kayla remembered

the time that one of the chiefs hunted us and we had to hide.

He wanted Qonchita as his woman and I was not willing to

let her go; under no circumstances. We had to flee late at

night. The rest of the group scattered in a different

direction.

Then when we finally came back to the group, I was

accused of abandoning the group and punished

accordingly. Both Qonchita and Kayla were angry at the

captain. But I took my punishment and made the best of it.

Qonchita forgot all about propriety and rebuked me

because I was so calm about it. I explained to her that the

Captain had rules, and it did look as if I was running away.

For days she did not speak to me and today I can

admit that it brought my heart much happiness. I knew she

loved me but she never showed it openly. That only

revealed her real feelings. Faro of course was angry with

her for openly choosing me over him and he shunned her

for a few days.

Then came the event that changed everything

between Qonchita and Kayla. Two weeks later we were

again facing a stubborn chief who helped as at first but in

the end demanded to have the women for himself. I never

had to think so quickly as on that day. I stripped Qonchita

and Kayla before him and showed their state. Since all four

his women were overweight, I pointed out how skinny

Qonchita and Kayla were. This displeased him greatly.

Two slave woman that still had enough fat on them

said they would stay and this pleased the chief. In Africa

you learn to think on your feet and use the tools you have.

All finesse and veneer is stripped away and all that is left is
survival. You don't think, you just act and hope it was the

best thing. Sometimes all you have left is your instincts to

act on.

That means live or die. For Qonchita and Rosa-Lee

I would do anything as long as it meant they were safe.

7

August 22, 1624

Today was exceptionally warm day. The humid air

caused our clothes to cling to our sweat-drenched bodies.

Manuel was uncomfortable with the heat until Cisco took

him to the river and dipped him in. For the first time in

days he was happy, laughing as his father dragged him

through the water playfully. Rosa-Lee also joined them in

the water and I sat safely at the side with my feet in the

stream.

It was a glorious summer day and Cisco relaxed

with the children. He was extremely busy this time of the

year. The responsibilities of a land owner weighed heavily

on him. There was trouble with other land owners and they

had held meetings the week before. It irritated him greatly

since it took him away from his home and family. Also there

were problems with the villagers he had to sort out.

Tomorrow he must leave for Lisbon to see to the loading of

the shipment he is sending to India.

Alfonso arrived a week ago and is helping him. The

two friends were happy to see each other again for the first

time since we arrived eight months ago.

Alfonso is captain of the new ship Cisco received

from the D.E.I.C. in tribute for his bravery during the two

years we struggled through the wilderness. If it was not for

him we would not made it and would have perished with

the rest of the crew and slaves. Alfonso had no qualms

about resigning from his old ship. He took the job Cisco

offered since he receives part of the profits as payment.

Alfonso met a young woman in India that he

brought with him. It was easy to see the sailor was smitten

with her. He is talking about marriage before he leaves in

another two weeks.

Akanksha is a raven-haired beauty with big, wide,

smouldering eyes in such a youthful face. She loves Alfonse

as much as he does her, which we are thankful for.

Previously another woman just wanted his name for

her unborn child. He thought was his until the baby was

born. Cisco said that Alfonso was shocked and turned his

attentions away from any woman. It was really a pity since

he is a fine man.

Now he has met Akanksha after all these years and

it seems he finally has his own joy. I wish them all the

happiness in the world. Since he would be at sea often, she

will stay in India, where he has already purchased a house

for her. She is very shy but I did manage to speak to her

and help her buy her trousseau with the aid of Alfonso,

since she could only speak Portuguese with great difficulty.

We all deserved happiness in our lives, finally

putting the last two years out of our minds. Nightmares still

woke me during the night. The sounds and smells of people

dying were impressed in our minds.

Thank fully Rosa-Lee adjusted well and her

nightmares become fewer and fewer.

†††

It was a clear day with brilliant sunlight. They could

see the
Heerengardt
through the binoculars as they kept

pace with the larger vessel through the vast deep blue

Atlantic. The ocean was calm as small waves broke against

the bow and a light breeze in the sails pushing them

forward, closer to the
Heerengardt
.

Roberto was seething as he looked in the direction

of the horizon where he knew the ship with Rosa-Lee was.

With not much to do but hope that she would not betray

them.
How could she do this?
He thought the last four days had changed things. Fool that he was, he had trusted her.

What could she do on the ship, surrounded by ocean?

He never thought she was capable of doing this.

'Never underestimate your enemy or a woman,'

Falcon always said. 'Sly foxes,' he called them.

Thorns.
Roberto gritted his teeth.
Thorns.

Pierre tried to talk to him but Roberto was not in a

conversational mood. Pierre let him be. They went through

the tasks of running the ship in silence.

It seemed that they were headed for the islands of

Cape Verde, islands Roberto knew very well. He had

raided them a few times himself. His bet was that they

would anchor at the island of Santiago, a place he would

investigate. But why would a ship from the D.E.I.C stop

there? It did not make sense. Normally they just left the

islanders to themselves, and, again, a nagging feeling

settled in his gut. But for now, all he could do was wait

patiently for night-time, when they would be able to get

close enough.

By the time lunch was served, clouds had begun to

accumulate in the clear sky. The shoreline would not be the

safest place to be with such unpromising-looking clouds.

Nevertheless, the
Heerengardt
continued on its course and they were forced to follow.

With dangerously low clouds hanging over the

waters, by sunset Roberto knew they had trouble. But he

could not take the risk of being discovered, and he had to

get Rosa-Lee back.
She will pay for this foolishness he

thought once again.

'Roberto, don't you think we must turn away?'

Pierre asked during supper. 'We are entering dangerous

waters. The señorita has had enough time to tell them about

us. We need to get away while there is still time.'

Roberto sat and ate his meal, tasting nothing of the

delicious food. He listened to every argument his lieutenant

had, and they made sense. But he could not leave her, even

if she did betray them. He knew their lives were in danger.

The D.E.I.C was an organization that had no tolerance for

pirates; and then there was the brewing storm.

Would she be okay?

The past four days, while she told him more stories,

he knew the sea disaster twenty years ago still lingered in

the back of her mind. It did not matter how brave or strong

she was, the upcoming storm would devastate her. He knew

that much. He had begun to care about her, to be protective

of her, fearful for her safety.

Would she be all right among the sailors? He asked

himself once again, would they treat her like the lady she

is?

If they touched her…he clenched his fists. He did

not want to think about it. He knew what he would do but

also knew the consequences of such a brutal act. The pain

and loss was unbearable at times. He wanted her back on

the
Contra O Vento
, back with him.

These were the thoughts that he struggled with. He

was also in a place where he made decisions for them all.

His men were his responsibility.

'I hear you Pierre, but we need to get her back. My

father will kill me if I lose her.'

'He will understand.'

'No, Pierre, you know he will not. It's his laws,

remember?'

And Pierre sighed, shaking his head. 'Are we still

getting her from the ship?'

'Yes.'

'And the storm?'

'We better hope it will give us enough time to bring

her back safely before it hits.'

'I will go and ready the longboat. Who will go with

us?'

'Just us. I don't want anyone else in danger.' Pierre

nodded. No point in arguing. Physically both he and

Roberto were capable of doing this. Because of the storm, it

would help to have some extra muscle, but he was the