Page 20

T he island Stubb had set course for was a winding stretch of low peaks and shallow, curved bays five miles long and three miles wide.

Most of it was covered with impenetrable green jungle that was home to thousands of colorful birds, snakes, and reptiles.

There were signs that natives in the past had attempted to establish a village in one or more of the shallow bays, the gods only knew how long ago, for the skeletal structures of their huts were rotted and choked in a tangle of vines.

Most of the inlets were without beaches of any kind; they were comprised of sheer rocky cliffs that stood gray and solid against the battering surf.

The few bays that appeared to offer anchorage were littered with boulders and jagged outcroppings that would shred a ship’s hull to splinters if it ventured too close.

Leeward, they found one deep-water cove ringed by a thick curtain of palms and scrub.

“Frenchies should ‘ave sent Napoleon ‘ere instead o’ Elba,” Stubb said. “Would ‘ave gone screamin’ mad afore he could have escaped. “There be mozzies big as buzzards in them trees. Sting a man until he swells up an’ bursts, then carries him off to suck the rest of ‘is blood dry later.”

“An exaggeration, I’m sure,” Rose said.

Stubb glared up at her. “Why do ye suppose all them huts we saw be empty an’ rotted? Only ones who ever tried to live ‘ere were head-shrinkers an’ cannibals, an’ then only on account o’ they was meaner than the mozzies.”

Rose focussed her glass on the top of the rise, scanning for any hint of life. “So you brought us to this charming place because …?”

“Because it be marked with a big red X on most charts an’ because neither the Spanish ner the Frenchies fancy ‘avin’ their heads shrunk or their livers roasted over a fire pit.”

“And you thought we would?”

“Ye wanted a safe place to make repairs? None better outside o’ Pigeon Cay.”

Rose glanced around quickly to see if any of the crew was within earshot.

The location, the very existence of Pigeon Cay was one of the best kept secrets in the Dante-St. Clare family.

Rose herself had never seen it, never been there, though she had heard the many thrilling stories about the fabled lair of her ancestors, the base from which the Pirate Wolf and his pack sailed forth and wreaked havoc on the Spanish Main.

Stubb caught her furtive glance. “Bah. We might be talkin’ about pigeon pie for all any o’ these clod-eared numpkins know.”

“Even so …”

“Even so ye could shout it from the topmast an’ none would pay heed.”

She sighed. “Next you’ll be telling me you’ve been there.”

When Stubb only replied with a chuckle, she looked down at the little man. She knew his daily goal was to tease the nipples off her, and yet …

He sensed her glance and chuckled again as she lightly boxed his ear.

“Reprobate.”

“Better’n bein’ a gullible firkin.” He threw his head back and howled like a wolf before he jumped off the coil of rope and trotted happily away.

Ramsey had called the Cygnet a ship of mismatched fools, with a dwarf at the helm, a giant as quartermaster, and a female gun captain, but Rose could think of no better crew to have on board with her.

A splash of color on the lower deck drew Rose’s attention.

Archibald Penman was watching the three ships maneuver their way into the half-moon bay.

His crisp navy blue shortcoat was without a wrinkle, the deep vee formed by the lapels allowed a view of the blue and yellow flowered silk waistcoat beneath.

His neckcloth was rigid to his chin, the bow tied in precise, neat folds.

Blond hair was smoothed back into queue and bound with a thin black ribbon.

Rose descended from the quarterdeck and joined him by the rail.

He turned and greeted her with a polite smile. “Good day to you, Captain.”

She nodded. “Doctor.”

“I took the liberty of looking in on the cap … on Sebastien and he seems to have spent a quiet night. Did you manage to get any sleep?”

“I did, thank you. In spite of his snoring.”

Penman smiled. “He can be somewhat of a … er …”

“Pain in the arse?”

“I was going to say bull in a glass shop, but yes. He tends to make his presence known even when asleep.” Her gaze was so direct, he cleared his throat and looked over at the island.

“I vow I never tire of seeing the many colors of the ocean; the varying shades of blue from dark and impenetrable indigo, to pale and so clear as to count the grains of sand on the bottom.”

They both peered over the side at a shout from the helm and a rattling of thick chains as the anchor was dropped.

“Will we be going ashore here?”

“Stubb says there is fresh water inland, so while the mast is being replaced, a party will top up the water barrels and forage for fresh fruit.”

“Might I accompany them ashore?”

“Might I ask why?”

“I have discovered in our travels around the Caribbean that each island tends to offer something in the way of medicinal plants or bugs.”

“You want to collect bugs?”

“Crickets, katydids, blister beetles, even cockroaches can be useful. Maggots, of course, for cleaning putrid flesh. And where there is fresh water, there is bound to be leeches.”

“I see. Yes, you may go ashore so long as you do not wander away from the landing party. We will be leaving as soon as the repairs are made.”

He laughed. “I can assure you, Captain, I am not one for wandering off into the jungle on my own.”

“If I may be so bold, Doctor, you strike me as someone who should not even have sought a life at sea.”

“In truth, when the cannons are blasting or when storms are tossing us about like corks, I have thought that myself. At the same time, I have learned more about doctoring in the seven years I have been on board the Black Wind , than I expect I would have learned in twice as many years in a high-born hospital in London treating ague and palpitations.”

“Seven years? Then you know the captain well.”

“As well as any man can know him, I suppose I do.”

It was Rose’s turn to laugh. “Don’t look so ill at ease, Doctor, I am not going to ask you to tell me any of his secrets. In fact, I only have one question for you.”

“Which I shall answer if I can.”

“Setting aside the fact that he is a blackguard and a scoundrel, as well as a bull in a glass shop, can I trust him to keep his word when he gives it?”

His smile turned a little crooked. “That does seem like a great deal to set aside when weighing the worth of a man, but yes. In all the years of our acquaintance, I have never known Sebastien Fonteyne to break his word or renege on a vow or a promise once it has been given. Of course, you would now have to gauge the trustworthiness of my word as I give it, but as different as he and I might be in some regards, we put the same value on our honor. A man’s—or woman’s word once broken means nothing. ”

He paused and looked down at his hands for a moment.

“Having said that, however, he’s a proud bastard, and owing to the fact he is in the unique position of never having suffered defeat on board his own ship, I cannot vouchsafe that it would not be in his nature to make as much of a nuisance of himself as he possibly can. ”

“I cannot fault him for that, Doctor. I would do the same if I found myself in a similar position.”

Billy Burr came up beside them cleaning black grease off her hands with a rag.

She was wearing loose canvas trousers and a ragged, filthy shirt. There was dirt in her hair and the acrid odor of tar clinging to her skin and clothing.

Penman caught himself staring, then stepped quickly to one side and offered up a polite bow. “Miss Burr.”

“My name is Billy. Not Madam, not Miss. Just Billy.”

“Billy. Yes, yes forgive me. A lapse in memory.”

“A lapse in manners as well since you keep staring.” She turned her face and presented him a clear view of the melted skin that formed her scars. “Is this what you want to see?”

Penman’s throat and cheeks turned a mottled red. “I assure you, I … I was not staring for that reason.”

“Then why?”

He cast an appeal at Rose, but was not going to get any help from that quarter.

“If … if I did have a lapse in manners, which of course, I did … it was simply because I don’t believe I have ever seen such an amazingly pure shade of green as your eyes.

They truly are quite remarkable and bring to mind the darkest of emeralds found in Cartagena. ”

Billy stared.

Rose stared.

Through the awkward silence that followed, Penman groped for something else to say, but in the end, his cheeks flamed as red-raw, and he offered up a quick bow. “Captain. Billy. I am certain you both have important matters to discuss, I shall leave you to it.”

“Thank you for the conversation, Doctor. I will send one of the men to fetch you when the crew is ready to go ashore.”

“And I shall gather up my cricket boxes.” He bowed one last time before he turned and walked hastily away.

Billy’s gaze followed him across the deck until he vanished into the void of the hatchway.

Rose’s mouth twitched slightly. “I think you have an admirer.”

“And I think he’s quite mad,” Billy said. But she snuck another glance at the hatchway and Rose could swear she saw the veriest hint of pink warming the gun captain’s cheeks.

Two hours later, with the sounds of shouting, heaving, hammering, and sawing echoing around the bay, a small flotilla of longboats put to shore from all three ships.

They carried empty barrels and large wicker baskets.

Heeding Stubb’s warnings, the crews rubbed a thick layer of mud on any exposed skin to ward off the swarms of stinging bugs that would greet them at the jungle’s edge.

Only one man scoffed at the notion as they cut their way into the vines and tangled brush; he was carried out shortly thereafter, his eyes swollen shut, his skin covered in red blisters.

Forewarned, Penman had changed out of his fine clothing and put on second, possibly third best before joining the shore crew. He covered everything, even the tawny locks of his hair with mud, earning a few hearty claps on the shoulder from the Cygnet’s crewmen.

Duardo led the trek into the jungle, wielding a machete like a scythe to cut a path through the thick jumble of vines.

They found the fresh water pool where Stubb said it was and filled the barrels while other men scoured the surrounding area, filling baskets with ripe mangoes, bananas, pineapples, and limes.

Back at the beach, the bounty was loaded into the longboats and rowed out to the ships, with most of the men swimming behind in order to rinse the mud and sweat off their bodies.

Nets were used to winch the heavy barrels on board, and as soon as the longboats were secured on deck, and the carpenters on board the Black Wind had pounded the last bolt in place, the sails were raised on the new mast and they were on their way.

The wind was strong and remained in their favor through the rest of the afternoon and by the time the sky was showing hues of pink and purple, they were nearing the miles-wide channel known as Pirate Alley.

A myriad of small islands and atolls lay on both sides.

Many a merchant ship had been captured or lost here, as hunters could lurk out of sight and attack without warning.

The night promised to be moonless again and the wind sharp, giving Rose hope they could be well up the Alley before the sun rose the next morning.

Once again, she ordered all lights out and the sails reduced to minimize the silhouette of the three ships.

Like three ghostly galleons they cut through the dark water, their course charted by the great swath of the Milky Way above them.