“My lord, Captain Owen arrived with a message from Colonel Fitzwilliam,” the butler said breathless after opening the door to the drawing room.
“Thank God!” cried Lord Matlock. “Oh, yes, yes, Cason. Bring him in.”
Captain Owen was shown into the drawing room, where all were gathered, with the exception of Mr Bennet, who was still in his room.
“Lord Matlock, ladies. I have a letter for you, sir, if you please.”
“Thank you, Owen.” Lord Matlock took the letter. “If you ladies excuse me, I will read it in the library. But first things first. Cason, please prepare a bath and a meal for the captain. I am sure he is in great need of both. ”
After reading his letter, Lord Matlock’s large body sank in the armchair as he sighed. Good news at last: young ladies rescued, criminals arrested, Darcy’s safe arrival, and the involvement of Captain Walker and his crew in pursuit of those damned pirates.
His eyes returned to the part where Richard tells him about his feelings for Miss Bennet, and his audacious request to pass a note to her. Lord Matlock thought about having two of his dear boys falling for the power of the Bennet sisters and smiled. He had always tried to be a good man, fair and just, and could see the same desire in his brave younger son. God knew where they were and whether they would succeed. If he could give his son this small comfort, he would. But was Miss Bennet returning Richard’s feelings in the same way? By the way they were interacting in the last few days, it was quite likely, but yet to be confirmed.
He stood and returned to the drawing room.
Captain Owen was upstairs refreshing himself after briefly informing the ladies about what had occurred. Lord Matlock approached Miss Bennet and asked her to follow him to the library.
Firstly, he confirmed the good news and then added, “Miss Bennet, Richard has made me an unusual request. He asked me to give you a small letter. I hope you do not consider it improper. I also hope you can understand his reasons. If you cannot, I beg you to disregard his request and forgive him, ignoring his letter.”
Jane, who was now crimson, nodded shyly. “I would be happy to receive his letter, if this is acceptable to you, my lord.”
Lord Matlock smiled. His doubts were put to rest. He extended his hand with the letter in it.
Giving him a quick glance, Jane took the letter and thanked him.
“You can stay here, if you wish. You will have more privacy to read your letter.”
Jane thanked him again. As soon as Lord Matlock closed the door behind him, she broke the seal .
My dear Miss Bennet,
I hope the pain of knowing I was not able to rescue your sister was not too overwhelming. I cannot blame you for being disappointed with me, and for that I can only beg your forgiveness. Your feelings now cannot be too different from what mine have been.
However, with the arrival of my cousin and the excellent news that Captain Walker and his warship are engaged in our endeavour, I can tell you my hopes are restored, and I humbly renew my promise to bring your sister back. With Darcy at my side, I have a new incentive. The man is courage and determination itself, and absolutely in love with your sister.
And talking about love, please, allow me a few more words. The token you have given me is hanging close to my heart. If for any reason I cannot return to give it back to you, I would like you to remember me as one who admired you deeply, although this would be just part of the truth.
The whole truth is that, since the first moment I saw you, your beauty surprised me. But after spending some time with you, I found that your caring nature, kindness and gentleness are, in fact, your strongest qualities. The beauty of youth vanishes, but the steadiness of a kind heart is timeless and as precious as a treasure.
Please, never change it.
I do not have much to offer beyond the heart of a man who found someone special to admire, respect, and love. I only pray to God this can be enough.
Your humble servant,
Richard
His written words were a balm for her sore heart. Jane pressed his letter against her chest after reading it again a couple of times, and wept. Lowering her head, she raised a desperate prayer, begging the Lord to bring them all safely back home.
~ ? ~
About seven o’clock that evening, Captain Walker and his guests went to his cabin for their meal, where they started discussing the last details of their endeavour.
“Gentlemen, if my calculations are correct,” Captain Walker began, opening a map on the table, “we should arrive at Saint Anne in about two hours, much sooner than I thought. Fortunately, we will still be covered by darkness. The element of surprise will give us a huge advantage. I am planning to anchor the ship in this hidden part of the island, at the north-east area, here, at Corblet Bay,” he said, pointing at the map. “With small waves and sandy beaches, it is the perfect point to reach land by rowboats. We just need to be aware of possible sentinels. As the island is very small, no more than a mile long, we can cover the distance on foot. As soon as we arrive at the village, we can divide into two groups, one heading towards the back of the village and the other to the port. In this way, we can surround them, and guarantee no one will escape—”
“Excuse me, Captain. What if they have already set sail?” Darcy asked, anxiety dripping from his words.
“We gather as much information as possible and go after them,” Captain Walker replied. “Few ships are faster than the Ulysses , Mr Darcy, and we have enough supplies to last for a whole month without docking. But, if my instincts are correct, the pirate ship will not leave until tomorrow. The whole operation in Portsmouth was conducted with great success. All the men involved in the kidnappings were arrested — at least in that port. No boat or ship has left Portsmouth without a thorough inspection, which means no one has warned them about our arrival. Considering the bad storm we had yesterday, and the twelve ladies the pirates should be still expecting, I believe they will risk waiting a little longer.”
Darcy released a long breath and nodded.
Once the plan was revised and settled, Captain Walker excused himself to pass the final instructions to his men, suggesting Richard and Darcy to get some rest before disembarking.
On his way back to the cabin, Darcy paused on the deck. The wind was strong and fresh, and the night clear and silent. The arch of the Milky Way divided the sky into two halves and made Darcy reflect on what was to come: two groups of men; just one would succeed.
He opened the door to their cabin and stopped. Richard was kneeling by his berth, his sword in hand.
“Richard, is something wrong?”
“I am praying, Darcy, as I always do before going into battle. Commending my soul to our Lord.”
Darcy nodded, and solemnly knelt down beside him.
“Then, allow me to join you. May God have mercy on our souls. May we find justice and be able to rescue Elizabeth and all the other captives unharmed, and return home safely.”
And there they remained for some more minutes, preparing their spirits and bodies for what was to come.
~ ? ~
“Land ho!” someone shouted from the top of the mainmast. After two of the longest hours of his life, Darcy was content that the captain’s prediction was correct; they had finally arrived at Saint Anne Island.
Captain Walker was familiar with the area and their approach to the island was as smooth as they could hope. As previously arranged, around a hundred men with guns, swords and munition in hands, were queuing to fill the rowboats heading towards shore.
As Darcy and Richard went to join them, Captain Walker stepped in their way. “Mr Darcy, I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to disembark. Your present physical condition will not serve us in this mission.”
Darcy had asked Dr Alden to release his arm from the sling and reinforce his bandages. He was prepared to face and fight the devil himself if necessary; he would not be left behind. “With all respect, Captain Walker, you would have to kill me before I could agree with you. I promise not to be in your way and take care of myself.”
The serious expression on the captain’s face slowly changed. Almost imperceptibly, the corners of his mouth turned up when he finally nodded. “I would not expect anything less from you, sir. Dr Alden,” he said, turning to the doctor, “be prepared to receive the wounded, which, I hope, will not be many.” He gave Mr Darcy a final nod before commanding his men to proceed.
Finally, the rowboats started on their way towards shore.
As they arrived, the boats were silently pulled through the sand.
A gunshot broke the oppressive silence, freezing them all.
From above one of the small sand dunes, the body of a man fell down, rolling towards them, as Colonel Fitzwilliam put down his smoking pistol. “You said to be alert against sentinels,” he said sternly.
“Well done, Colonel. Now let us move faster,” said Captain Walker releasing a deep sigh. “The sound of the shot might have announced our presence. Mr Chase, Mr Jones, go. You know what to do.” The remaining crew walked towards the small port area.
About half an hour later, Mr Chase and Mr Jones returned from their scouting and informed the captain that the pirate ship had been identified. They had also found the lady they were looking for and her captor.
“Elizabeth! Have you found her? Where?” Darcy almost shouted.
“Yes, sir. She is here, and well,” Mr Chase replied, trying to appease Darcy, who seemed ready to make something crazy.
Darcy felt his cousin’s hand on his good shoulder. “No, Darcy. We need to abide to our plan. For her own safety.”
Despite his frustration, Darcy nodded.
Mr Chase told them they had spoken to the owner of a small boat. They had arrived late that morning, and that the lady they were transporting had already been escorted to her family by the gentleman who had hired the boat.
Richard and Darcy frowned. “Escorted to her family? What the hell was he talking about? Where is this man? ”
“I would not waste my time with him, sir. My impression is that this poor fellow had no idea about Mr Wickham’s intentions,” Mr Jones said. “He told me that he was appalled by the way the gentleman was treating the young woman. He said Mr Wickham told him that the lady had eloped with a sailor and he, the gentleman, was doing her family a favour by bringing her back. But the curious part is that Mr Wickham had asked them to wait for him but had not returned yet.”
As was to be expected, Darcy was still fighting his mixed feelings. At his side, his tight fists were trembling.
“Darcy, at least she is alive and in our reach. And so is Wickham. Keep that in mind,” Richard whispered.
Darcy turned his eyes to the port. “What else can you tell us?”
“Part of the crew is in the village celebrating their last day before setting sail again,” Mr Chase added. “Their captain preferred to stay behind to enjoy the company of a new lady — beggin’ your pardon, sir — a wild cat, as they said.”
Despite Darcy’s distress, Captain Walker was pleased with this information. They could attack both locations at the same time and arrest the whole crew. “How many men do you estimate?”
“Not many, sir. I would say no more than ten on the ship,” said Mr Chase.
“And about twenty-five in the village,” said Mr Jones. “And Captain, their orders are to come back to the ship by midnight and set sail immediately.”
Captain Walker consulted his pocket watch; nearly ten to eleven. If the wind had not been so favourable, they would need to pursue the pirate ship down the Atlantic instead of having this opportunity now.
“Gentlemen, it seems God is on our side,” he said. “We have enough time and men to capture the crew and the ship. Mr Chase, take the colonel and Mr Darcy, and thirty men with you, and try to invade the ship silently. Keep in mind the possibility of more ladies being locked inside it. I will take the remaining men and head towards the village to arrest the crew and search for any more hostages. I will join you as soon as possible. Good luck.”
Once the first group arrived at the ship, Mr Chase went to check how many had remained behind to guard their cargo, while another scout was instructed to climb the vessel and check inside the captain’s accommodation and lower decks.
Both reports were favourable. The scouts found only five young ladies in one cabin, with no sign of others; thirteen crewmen have stayed behind, including the captain. The captain himself was in his cabin with three of his men and two guests, one of them, Miss Elizabeth.
As they approached, music coming from the captain’s cabin echoed through the air.
They decided that Mr Chase, Richard and Darcy would take another eight men with them to confront the captain and the men in his cabin, while the others would go down to the lower decks of the ship.
An angry “I prefer to die!” broke the silence. And Darcy knew well to whom that female voice belonged.
~ ? ~
As Jose and Elizabeth returned to the cabin, Captain Macedo was telling one of his men to remind the crew to return at midnight when they would set sail. They could not wait any longer.
He moved his devilish eyes to her, and with a malicious sneer, he moved towards her, taking her by the hand and kissing it. “Ah, much better now, is it not?”
She cringed at his touch and pulled out her hand.
“ Bienvenida , Miss Elizabeth,” Captain Macedo said, looking at Wickham and laughing, “or should I say, wild cat ?”
He pulled a chair out for Elizabeth. She obliged him but did not say a word; she was too disgusted to trust herself to speak.
One of the tables was filled with many varieties of meats, fruits and vegetables, and a large decanter of wine. The sight churned her stomach. The picture of the ladies almost starving to death two decks below invaded her mind. Beside the table, a man was playing a violin. And with fresh wounds on his already bruised face, Wickham was also seated, supposedly invited for dinner.
The captain took his place at the head of the table, having Wickham at his right and Elizabeth at his left. He nodded to the man standing beside him, who immediately took a plate and filled it with portions of everything, placing it in front of her.
“Eat,” the captain ordered. His gaze travelled down her neck, lingering on her cleavage. “I prefer my women with curves in the right places.”
“Like the young ladies you are starving to death in this ship?”
The captain sneered. “I can always blame the long journey for their pitiful appearance before selling them in Istanbul. Never had problems in the past. But you, mi querida , I am still considering what to do with you. Now, eat.”
Elizabeth shivered and looked at Wickham, who was now sweating and staring at her.
Grabbing her knife and fork, Elizabeth looked down at her pork as if it was still alive, and cut a piece, slowly bringing it to her mouth. Despite tasting good enough, especially considering she had not had a decent meal for the last four days, she found it difficult to swallow. The small piece of meat seemed to grow in her mouth, and she almost choked trying to swallow it. At last, the offending morsel made its way down her throat, washed away with some wine.
Captain Macedo seemed satisfied and started eating.
After some time, he and his men were laughing and speaking in their language. Wickham answered the questions that were directed to him, but apart from that he seemed to have lost his voice.
Elizabeth, disgusted by everything, tried not to change her expression during the long and distressing meal while she pretended to eat.
As the end of the meal approached, Captain Macedo turned his attentions to her. “Your friend here told me everything about you, Miss Elizabeth. If half of what he says is true, I confess I am very impressed ,” he said, emphasising the last word. “For you have the courage to kill a man. Mi Dios . It is beyond anything I have ever heard about any English lady! A wild cat, indeed,” he said, laughing and bringing his glass of wine to his lips, wiping them with the back of his sleeve, never taking his eyes from her.
“If he has told you everything about me,” Elizabeth said, giving Wickham a murderous gaze, “then he certainly told you that, in fact, we are not friends. I consider him no more than a damned coward.”
A thunderous laugh filled the cabin. “I love her already, Wickham,” Captain Macedo said cheerfully, clapping his hands. “Now that she is tolerably presentable, I can understand what you said. Perhaps in your country she is not a conventional beauty, but in mine she would be considered exotic with those fire tresses and dangerous honey-coloured eyes… but especially by her hot temper. They are enough to bring a man’s blood to boil in madness.”
Captain Macedo paused, rhythmically pulling his long beard. “Yes,” he whispered. “I will not sell you. I will keep you for my own, personal… pleasure.” He lowered his gaze from her narrowed eyes to her décolletage, now much more generous thanks to the gown Consuelo had provided for her. Standing up and slowly moving towards Elizabeth, he extended his hand. “Come. I am going to show you what a real man can—”
Elizabeth jumped to her feet with her table knife in hand, raising it towards him. “I prefer to die!” she cried out.
The captain laughed again and turning to his men, Jose and Gonzales, tilted his head in a silent order. Immediately, the three men surrounded Elizabeth, forcing her into the corner at the end of the cabin.
She looked around. There was no escape. She was trapped.
So, this is the end.
The door of the cabin burst open. Darcy and Richard entered the room, pointing their pistols at its occupants.
And then, they froze. They could not shoot the men; Elizabeth was just behind them .
The fourth man, the one playing the violin, ran towards the door, fighting against Mr Chase and his men before they could enter the room. The pirate grabbed his pistol and shot at a soldier, wounding his arm. The other soldiers retreated, giving the criminal enough chance to push the heavy door. Mr Chase shot back at him, hitting him in the shoulder, but the miscreant had enough strength to close the door, locking the iron bolt before collapsing to the floor.
Startled by the commotion, Wickham ran, hiding behind the smaller table.
Darcy and Richard exchanged quick glances. Realising their vulnerable position, they turned over the large table. It collapsed on the floor with a loud thud; scraps of food, plates, cutlery and cups were strewn across the floor; the smell of wine from the broken decanter filled the air as three gunshots hit the table as Jose and Gonzales were already charging at them, wielding their swords.
Wickham was in a complicated position. If the pirates killed Richard and Darcy, he was as good as dead; it was only a matter of time before the rest of the soldiers forced the door down. If Darcy and Richard ended up killing the pirates, he would probably be arrested… and hanged.
Unless …
Richard and Darcy had good hearts. If he could help them, perhaps he could have his sentence changed to deportation. It was worth trying. He had nothing else to lose.
Captain Macedo turned and grabbed Elizabeth, taking the table knife from her hand, keeping her in a firm grip.
Darcy and Richard, now isolated from Mr Chase and the other men, had only two pistol shots and their swords to defend themselves, while the captain held Elizabeth in a most vulnerable position.
Things were not good for them.
Jose and Gonzales reached behind the table and engaged Darcy and Richard in direct combat, the clink of the swords echoing around the cabin.
“We need to hold until Mr Chase can break the door,” Richard shouted, defending himself against Gonzales’s lunge .
“Yes,” Darcy shouted back, also defending himself against his attacker. He was trying to focus all his attention on his fight, despite his mind stubbornly turning to Elizabeth and fearing for her safety.
From her end of the room, Elizabeth watched in horror as the two cousins fought for their lives, while she kicked and flounced, looking around for anything she could use to free herself from the captain’s claws.
Captain Macedo, who had been simply observing, confident that his participation would not be necessary, realised that his men were no match for the two younger swordsmen. They were fighting as if the devil had possession of their bodies.
He snarled when he saw the man in uniform plunge his sword through Gonzales’s body. Cursing, he took a dagger from his waist and hurled it towards the colonel.
“No!” Elizabeth shouted.
The dagger reached its target, stopping at Richard’s abdomen, who cried out, falling to his knees.
With eyes flashing in fury, Captain Macedo discarded Elizabeth, unsheathed his sword and walked towards Darcy, who was still fighting Jose.
Seeing the wounded colonel falling down, Elizabeth remembered what John William had said about her swordsmanship — that “any man who underestimates your abilities will be sadly surprised ”. She fetched the table knife from the floor and ran after the captain, kicking his leg and sticking the knife in his back as he wobbled.
The man howled, shouting profanities as he collapsed on the floor.
Elizabeth turned and saw Gonzales’s sword beside his body. She grabbed the sword and turned to reach Mr Darcy, but Captain Macedo was already standing before her, blocking her way.
With a guttural cry, he pulled the bloodied piece of metal from his back. “It will give me great pleasure to torture you,” he shouted loud enough to catch Darcy’s attention.
As Darcy and Jose attacked each other and locked their swords together, Darcy looked towards Elizabeth and his heart froze. An enraged man was lunging towards her. Elizabeth was swaying her sabre in a way that reminded him of his fencing days back in Cambridge.
Darcy just had time to look to the other side of the room and see Richard on the floor, bleeding.
“Are you a fighter? So, let us see what you can do,” Captain Macedo mocked, charging against her. “Do you want to kill me?”
With his heart bumping erratically in his chest, Darcy pushed Jose and, with a skilful defence that came to his mind while observing Elizabeth, he allowed the man to pass beside him as Jose lunged at him. The pirate lost his balance and Darcy thrust his sword into his back.
Another mighty snarl came from the other side of the cabin. Elizabeth not only had defended herself against the captain’s first attack, but also erased the sneer from his face, as she cut his hand counterattacking.
Wickham’s eyes, locked on the fight between Captain Macedo and Elizabeth, caught a movement at his side. The fourth pirate, despite his injury, was grabbing another pistol from his boot and pointing it towards Darcy’s back. With the colonel down, and Elizabeth engaged in her fight, he was the only one left to do something.
Without further consideration, Wickham ran towards the man. The pirate startled by his fast approach and shot at him. Wickham winced in pain, tumbling on the floor.
Opening his eyes and groaning, Richard sat up, witnessing Wickham’s shot. Using his own pistol, Richard killed the pirate as the miscreant reached for another pistol. With the dagger still pierced in his side, Richard collapsed on the floor again.
Darcy pulled his sword from Jose’s body and raised his gaze towards Elizabeth. With sword in hand, she looked like a Greek Amazon.
Captain Macedo was livid, spitting obscenities. With three of his men dead, he turned all his ire against Elizabeth. “This ends now,” he roared, lunging at her. The impact threw Elizabeth’s body backwards. “No one, and especially no woman, will ever defeat Captain Pablo Hernandez Macedo, the great pirate.” With these words, he raised his sword and once more lunged at her .
The metallic sound of crashing swords echoed around the room as Darcy crossed his sword with the captain’s.
Surprised by the interference, he thundered, “I am going to kill you both!”
The shout brought Richard’s back to his senses. With drops of sweat trickling down his face, he raised his eyes and gasped. Darcy and Elizabeth were fighting, side by side, against someone who by the fighting skills could not be other than the captain himself. But his heart missed some beats realising that a wounded man and a woman were no match for a man who had not reached his position without merit.
Richard’s attention was turned to the loud bangs against the cabin’s door, as men were shouting behind it.
Mr Chase .
Being the door as thick as a rampart, it would take the men too long to open it if the bolt was not unlocked.
Richard raised the hand pressed against the dagger and saw blood slowly oozing from his wound. The whole cabin started spinning as his heavy eyelids insisted on closing. A pair of green eyes smiled at him. “I will be waiting for you to come back.”
Jane .
Crying out, Richard crawled towards the door leaving a trail of blood behind him. Mustering all his strength, he stood up.
A cry of pain froze him.
He turned back and saw Darcy falling on the floor with his face covered in blood. Captain Macedo had hit him on the nose with the hilt of his sword.
“No!” Elizabeth screamed and turned to help him.
But Captain Macedo was again in her way. With a strong blow, he sent her sword flying into the air, grabbing her by her arm, twisting it backwards. Elizabeth’s cry of pain cut through the air. With a final turn, the captain threw her against the wall. She hit her head and bounced back to the floor, bleeding.
Darcy opened his eyes and saw her red blurred figure collapsing .
His worst nightmare was happening all over again. Once more, his wounded body was failing him, stealing from him the strength he needed to help Elizabeth.
A diabolical laughter reached his ears, and he turned. Breathing became impossible. The distorted image of the man he and Elizabeth were fighting, fetching a small pistol from his boot and aiming it at Elizabeth, drained all the blood from Darcy’s face.
“No!” he yelled.
There was a loud noise; then the sound of the shot.
Smoke filled the air.
Darcy’s world shattered. Blinded by his tears, he let his head hit hard the floor. After all their struggles, after being so close to saving her…
All in vain.
The last thing he saw was Elizabeth’s face covered in blood as darkness engulfed him.
“Forgive me, my love… I have failed you.”