Forty-four

“Men of the Kestrel,” called Dare, his mind racing. He might have killed Harcourt, but he was still outnumbered. “With the death of Harcourt, I have the right to claim this ship and his crew, but my fight was with him alone. I have no quarrel with you and I am willing to let you all go with the Kestrel.” Dare hoped to avoid yet another fight.

“Harcourt’s dead, so I’m captain now,” said a large man with a bushy, black beard and a gravelly voice. “The way I figure it, we got a hundred and fifty men on this ship, and you ain’t going nowhere.”

The voice was familiar. Dare exchanged a glance with Emma. She recognized it too. It was the broad-shouldered man with the black muffler who had shot Dare and accosted Emma on the road.

“With the black beard, he almost looks the same,” murmured Emma. Dare had to agree.

“What’s to keep us from killing you and taking your ship and your cargo?” continued the new captain.

“Because with Harcourt dead, I am the only one who knows where the gig of the Mercedes lies and the treasure she carried with her.”

“But you said you took the treasure.” The man with the black beard glared at them.

“I lied.”

All were silent as the men considered this new information.

“If you make an accord with me, I will show you where the treasure is and we can all share the prize,” offered Dare.

“We have an accord,” said the captain with an ominous tone. Dare knew the accord would last only until he showed the pirates where the treasure was hidden. Hopefully, whatever Harcourt was looking for would still be there.

Dare collected his sword and, with Emma at his side, climbed stiffly back to the Lady Kate.

“You need to be tended,” whispered Emma.

“It will have to wait,” muttered Dare in return. His men surrounded him with anxious glances at the pirate crew.

“I will have to show them where the gig is,” said Dare in an undertone to his crew. “While we are gone, cut us free from the Kestrel and the ruined mast, and prepare to make sail with the fore and the mizzenmast. Do it without drawing attention to yourselves. Reset the guns and prepare to fire but do not be seen. We’ll have to shoot first.”

“You think they will fight?” asked Everett in a hushed tone.

“I know it,” Dare responded. “As soon as they have the treasure on board, they will attack. Everett, stay with the ship. If there is any trouble, I want you to sail and leave me behind.”

“I won’t let him do that,” said Emma quickly. “So you do what you must, but return to this ship. Return to me.”

“Best do what she says,” advised Everett.

“My new wife is a determined soul.” Dare smiled at Emma. The expression was becoming more natural.

“And she’s still holding Esqueleto’s sword,” observed Tobias.

Dare’s crew regarded Emma with a certain wariness.

“I am going to need some men who can swim,” continued Dare in a low tone, sharing the rest of his plan with the crew. His chance of success was slim, but he knew Emma well enough to know she would not leave without him.

So he would just have to come back to her.

* * *

Emma watched the small boat as it rowed toward rocky caves eroded into the cliff walls of the inhospitable Ilhas Desertas. By mutual agreement, the gig contained Dare and the new captain of the Kestrel, each bringing a few of their men. Fortunately, while the Kestrel’s men outnumbered Dare’s, in the small gig, they were evenly matched and everyone was armed, which hopefully would keep peace until the treasure could be retrieved.

They needed to make the preparations Dare discussed, but both crews were topside, keeping a wary eye on each other. Other than the lapping of the waves against the hull and the creaking of the ships as they gently rose and fell, all was silent.

Emma stood beside Everett, whispering her question. “Can the men work without drawing attention to what they are doing?”

“Not like this,” said Everett in an undertone, never taking his eyes off the gig as it rowed farther toward the cliff-lined shore. “Too quiet.”

“I recall one night there was some music,” said Emma with sudden inspiration. “Could those men play again?”

Everett turned to her with a cautious smile. “They could indeed, my lady.”

Emma took a breath and called out in a loud voice. “Men of the Lady Kate. Men of the Kestrel. Why are you so glum? This is a time for celebrating! Our captains will return with treasure beyond your dreams. You all shall be rich men!”

Everett began the cheer on the side of the Lady Kate and Emma noted a few smiles from the crew of the Kestrel.

“You shall never have to work again!” shouted Emma, which brought huzzahs from the crew of the Lady Kate.

“You shall live like kings!” More cheers erupted, this time from both crews.

“Come, let us celebrate our good fortune. Let us have music. I should dearly love to dance.”

A few musicians assembled on deck, and their band, consisting of a fiddle, a flute, a mouth harp, and a drum, took up a jaunty tune.

“May I have this dance?” asked Everett with a bow.

“I would be delighted,” said Emma, glancing over at the enemy ship and noting with satisfaction that all eyes were now on her. They began a country dance with a few of the sailors, one with a mop on his head as a humorous female costume who took up dancing to the jeers and hollers of the men.

Everett passed her off to another partner and quietly slipped aside to direct the work of the men in preparing for their hasty retreat. Emma gasped for breath at the energetic dancing, doing her best to be as distracting as possible.

The men on the Kestrel began to clap their hands to the music and shouted out comments about her person that made her cheeks burn. Still, if they were focused on her, they would not notice the men cutting the ship free from the main mast and repositioning the cannon belowdecks.

“Hey, what are you doing?” demanded a man on the Kestrel whose voice Emma recognized as one of the brigands who had attacked her on the road. He pointed at Everett, who, axe in hand, was cutting the ships free from each other.

“Cutting us free,” replied Everett, as if it was nothing unusual. “Your ship is scraping our paint.”

“I know what you’re doing,” accused the man who still walked with a limp. “You’re trying to steal our grappling hooks!”

“Not at all, not at all,” reassured Everett. “Come assist me and you can personally take possession of each and every hook.”

Emma took another deep breath as she was twirled around by a strong hand. She looked up, way up, into the face of Mr. Stalk. “It is good to see you on your feet, though you should rest.”

“And you should not put yourself in the line of fire, but I see what you are doing. Good work, my lady,” responded Tobias. He stepped aside for her to be granted another partner, but she demurred for a moment, quite winded.

The gig had disappeared into one of the sea caves, giving the Kestrel crew nothing to focus on except the activity of the Lady Kate crew. Emma needed to hold their attention.

“My, but I am so hot in this climate. I can scarce believe it is January.” She removed her bonnet, along with a few of her hairpins, allowing her hair to fall down her back. She flipped her hair back, gaining the stares of many from the Kestrel.

Below her, the telltale sounds of grinding metal indicated the canon were on the move. She needed to distract them further. She moved to the railing, noting that they were now cut free from the Kestrel and were slowly drifting apart.

She leaned over the railing, gaining the full attention of the crew who gawked at her natural assets. “How will you spend your fortune?” she called over to the Kestrel crew, beginning a lively discussion on the benefits of wealth.

Emma motioned for the musicians to play a lively country reel and began to dance once more, with more than just her hair bouncing in time with the music. She knew she was making a spectacle of herself, but Everett gave her a small nod, indicating her efforts were appreciated and working.

The musicians continued to play and occasionally dance themselves and Emma personally danced with every soul on board the Lady Kate. She hoped Dare would return before she collapsed from exhaustion.

“Emma!” Dare’s voice cut across the water, decidedly displeased.

Emma ran to the side of the ship and waved at her returning husband in the gig. The men strained at the oars, rowing back to the ship as fast as they could. Along with the men, the gig now carried three wooden chests.

“Did you find the treasure?” she asked.

“Aye. We opened one of the chests. Gold coins. And lots of them,” responded Dare.

This brought cheers from the crews on both ships.

“Now get below,” ordered Dare, looking only at Emma.

“Look out!” called Emma, seeing the captain from the Kestrel raise a knife to strike Dare from behind.

Quickly, without even taking time to look back, Dare and his men in the gig dove into the water. Shots rang out from the Kestrel, as sharpshooters suddenly appeared, shooting at Dare and his men in the water, then aiming at the crew of the Lady Kate.

With a sudden jolt, Emma found herself under the large form of Tobias Stalk as he pinned her to the deck, protecting her with his considerable bulk.

“Fire!” shouted Everett and the cannon from the Lady Kate sang out, blasting the Kestrel a fatal shot at the waterline. Men from the Kestrel shouted and swore as their ship began to sink.

“Cast off the mast. All hands make sail!” commanded Everett. The crippled mast had been cut free and was tossed overboard. The sails were raised on the two masts they had remaining, and they began to move away from the Kestrel.

“Wait! Dare!” shouted Emma from underneath her large protector.

“Get off my wife, if you please, Mr. Stalk,” replied a cold voice.

Tobias moved at once, and Emma tried to sit up, but a sopping wet Dare only took Stalk’s place until they were out of range from the Kestrel.

“You came back,” Emma cried, welcoming him with an embrace so firm he winced. “Terribly sorry. Are you all right?”

“I am alive and married to you. I am more than all right.” Dare looked back. When they were a safe distance from the sinking Kestrel, he stood and pulled her up beside him.

“Good work, everyone.” Dare nodded his approval in his understated manner.

“Too bad we had to leave three chests of treasure behind,” sighed Everett.

“Mr. Bean, were you successful?” asked Dare.

“Aye, Captain,” responded a wet Bean, who, along with several members of the crew, was holding on to a rope dangling over the edge. “A little help?” Crewmen assisted and up came one of the chests, which Bean had tied to the end of the rope before he had jumped.

The men gathered around with eager eyes as Dare smashed off the lock with an axe and opened the chest, revealing the glittering contents to the amazement of all. “You all will have a fair share. Mr. Everett, please proceed to count the prize and make note of the portion for each man.”

The men cheered this order.

“Make sail for Madeira. There, we can make repairs and alert the authorities of pirates off their coast,” commanded Dare even as he pulled Emma next to him, his arm remaining around her waist. “I am certain they will be interested in pressing the attack once we inform them of the presence of treasure.”

Emma looked up at him in admiration. Much to her surprise he pulled her closer, pressing his wet body to her and kissed her with abandon, as his men rang out a huzzah.

“I keep forgetting to tell you something,” Dare said with a small smile.

“What is it?” Her eyes were only for him.

“I love you.”

A warm tremor of joy rushed through her. “Truly?”

“Truly.”

“Well then, I should tell you that I love you too!”