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Authors: Brittany Jo James

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BOOK: A Pirate Princess
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For a moment, Cori just stood on the deck staring at the other captain, several yards away on his own ship. Burke could not take his eyes off of the lovely girl. He could tell she was younger than him but she was a full-grown woman. She had a beautiful body and only the bare necessity was hidden from view in her seemingly uncomfortable outfit. As breathtaking as her body seemed to be, her face and hair fascinated Burke just as much. Trying to focus on business, Burke broke the spell they were casting on each other. “Well, may I come aboard?” He asked.

“Oh, right. Father says you may board alone. Your crew can sail to Hispaniola and wait for you, that
is the island right over there. Can you see it?” She questioned in return.

Burke nodded his head in agreement, motioning for Acel to come forward.
“Yes, Mademoiselle. I see it. My men shall not leave me unless they know I am in no harm. This is a peaceful visit, correct?”

Cori replied as honestly as she knew how. “I believe so, sir. This is as peaceful as I have ever seen pirates be in my life.” She located the ship’s long wooden ladder used for crossing during a ship raid. Cori struggled to pick up the large ladder, balancing it in an upright position. Easing the lumber onto the ship’s ledge, she wiggled the piece across until Burke could reach it enough to pull it the rest of the way toward him.

“Ace, you heard her. I have been welcomed peaceably. Take the ship to Hispaniola. They promised to bring me there after we speak. We shall look over the goods there. Understand?” he asked, hoping his cousin understood the purposely misleading plan.

“Yes, Captain. We will wait at Hispaniola,” Acel agreed as he moved toward the Helm to take over the steering of the ship. Burke knew his plan was not going the way it was supposed to but his luck seemed so great that
day that he decided to go with the flow, hoping that things would work out in his favor.

Hearing his words, she realized the man was in the trading business. Cori had only known one type of trader, illegal ones. She knew the difference between the buccaneers her father spoke of and true pirates, but to Cori they were all equally as bad. The thought of this handsome man being a pirate ruined him in her eyes.

She took a deep breath, watching the striking man climb across the lengthy ladder. Cori had not been around many men in her life, only the ones aboard
The Beloved Loss
or the few she encountered on her brief adventures on islands. Pirate or not, she knew that this man was exceptional. Cori hated luring innocent men or even other scandalous pirates onto
The Beloved Loss
. She hated to play a part in anyone’s kidnapping or death and it hurt to see such a handsome and charming man be lost.

Cori took a f
ootstep back as the attractive captain of
The Heart of Calais
reached the older vessel. He climbed into the boat and she noticed for the first time how he towered over her, even with her unusually long legs. As he pulled the wooden ladder back onto
The Beloved Loss
, he motioned for Acel to head for Hispaniola.

Now, standing in front of her, Cori realized what broad shoulders and muscled arms the man had. She raised her dark brown eyes to meet the crystal blue ones staring back at her. “Once again,
my name is Burke Belcourt. It’s a true pleasure to meet you, Mademoiselle. King Louis XIV, of France, sent me in search of your father.”

Blushing
in response, Cori felt the hair on her arms stand up. She knew that feeling well, it meant that Falco de Vries was standing in position, watching her closely. In a barely audible whisper, she said “I’m Corisanda Aleene St. Aubin, and my father, Marin St. Aubin, is the captain of this ship. I’ve been instructed to send you to him.”

Cori turned to face the enclosed helm, where her father stood. Stepping out of his protective box and
into view, the aging captain faced the younger man near his daughter. With a brief nod to Cori, Burke looked toward Marin. It was no doubt that the older man was French. Though he fit the part of a pirate well, there was no mistaking the same look of power and intelligence that most men of French nobility, including Burke, shared. Burke turned to Cori. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“May God keep you safe,
Sir. You’re in the hands of
The Beloved Loss
now and most do not make it out alive,” she replied as she fought back tears. Her words were cold and planned, Cori’s only defense against showing her soft heart. “Goodbye, Burke Belcourt,” she finished as she darted from his presence, straight to her below deck quarter to mourn for the handsome man she barely knew.

With her last sentence, Burke realized he made a dangerous mistake. Trusting pirates was nothing he should
have considered. It dawned on him that it was not
normal
for a beautiful vixen to be standing in lingerie on a ship deck in the middle of the evening. She was nothing but a decoy. He turned to yell at Acel to turn
The Heart of Calais
around for help but they were already out of earshot. Taking a deep breath and holding his head high, he marched toward Captain Marin St. Aubin with the plan of having no plan at all.

THREE

 

“Who are you, who sent you, and why do you request me?” Marin asked the young man directly.

“My name is Burke Belcourt. I am an independent trader from France. I heard you were one of the most notorious pirates around and thought you may be interested in a business deal,” Burke
half-lied.

Marin did not
buy it. This man walked, talked and looked like an upstanding man. He was of noble blood, no doubt. The man was well educated and highly intelligent. Marin knew the first part was true, he heard rumors of Burke Belcourt and his fancy ship being attacked by other pirates and buccaneers and that he took them all down effortlessly. His name provoked fear in many of Marin’s accomplices and enemies.
He is certainly not the type of man to make deals with pirates, so what does he really want with me?
Marin wondered. Trying to get to the truth, he asked “Oh? What kind of business deal?”

Burke collected
his thoughts and tried to sound truthful, “My ship is headed to Hispaniola with a full stock of Arabian rugs and chests of rare jewels. After I leave here we are sailing to the coast of America to collect corn and grain. I plan to speak to the Cubans about sugar. You are well known in this area and I thought if the two of us worked together we could both profit. If you do not want to be a part of my business venture, you should at least look at my merchandise. How would you feel about trading?”

“I want to know the real reason you are here.”

“I just told you I am interested in a business deal.”

“I know who you are
, Captain Belcourt. Your reputation precedes you. You are not tight for money and have no need to make deals with pirates. That leads me to believe you have an alternative motive.”

“Of course not, I am just looking to expand. Check my shi
p! You shall see that it
truly
is loaded down with goods.”

“I have no doubt that it is. But that is not why you are looking for me.”

“Why else would I need to speak with you?”

Marin smiled and leaned against the rail of
The Beloved Loss
. “Captain Belcourt, you are definitely intelligent. That is not in question. Most men would believe your story, but I have a feeling about you. It is a strange one. I can assure you that I will not be returning you to Hispaniola with your ship and crew. You might as well tell me the truth because you are going to be held captive on this ship one way or another.”

Burke tur
ned to run. His plan was simply to dive off of the ship and take his chances swimming to Hispaniola! Marin grabbed Burke by the sleeve of his white, half-way buttoned shirt. “Hey, son. Look around you! You are on my ship now and my crew has you surrounded. There is no escaping.”

Burke knew there were men all around him. They had been hiding behind barrels, sails, and cannons the whole time. He saw them the second he boarded
The Beloved Loss
and knew now they were not there just for protection of the ship as he had hoped.

“Fine.
I have been sent by the King of France, Louis XIV. He wanted me to demand your immediate surrender. Your reputation also precedes you, St. Aubin. It has been rumored that you are French and the King feels that you are hurting our currently passive status. I can assure you that they shall be looking for me with haste. You will not get away with holding me here,” Burke conceded.

“Really?
France wants me to stop, ay? Well, I doubt they can catch me. Your King can’t, just as his father before him couldn’t either. You are supposedly the only man who can outsmart me and I have you here now. I shall take my chances with the French.” Glancing behind his shoulder he yelled, “Falco! Captain Belcourt wants to arrest us. What do you think we should do with him?”

A tall man with blonde hair sauntered out of a shaded area across the boat. He walked with an attitude of arrogance and sneered derisively at Burke. “Well, Captain, I think we should make an example of him. Feed him to the
sharks, or maybe just snap his neck in front of his friends…”

“Those are
good ideas, my boy. But we will hold off for now. Let’s lock him up. Maybe we can make a better example out of him if we keep him alive. Think about it this way, if we sail around showing our hostage off to all the other pirates who fear
him
we shall be forever known as the crew who
defeated
Belcourt, right?” Marin pondered aloud.


Ja
, I suppose, but…” Falco began to object.

“Yes. Yes, I think w
e will do that. We shall be more feared than ever. Laron! Zeeman! Yvet! Lock him up in Cori’s quarters. It is the only one with a bolt on the outside of the door.”

“Where will Cori sleep?” Falco demanded. “Let her sleep with me, we are soon to wed anyway.”

“Then how would I be able to lock her up when we stop places? She will escape in seconds. Our new prisoner needs to be locked in a room where he cannot lock us out. Cori’s room is the only prisoner-safe place on the ship,” Marin reminded.

Falco reasoned angrily, “You ca
nnot trust this man locked overnight sharing a room with my fiancé!”

“Do no
t worry. I would not touch your woman. I have a fiancé of my own and I cannot stand to be near her. The last thing I need now is another woman to deal with,” Burke mumbled confidently. He had no doubt that he would escape easily. He just needed to come up with a plan. Burke knew he was not defeated. All he needed was to buy his time wisely.

“It is settled then. He will no
t touch Cori. Now throw him in, lock him up, and let us celebrate our victory,” Marin laughed.

The thr
ee men who had been summoned grabbed him forcefully by the shoulders. They heaved him up and hauled him hastily down the creaking stairs of
The Beloved Loss
. A door was thrown open and a screech was heard as the men literally threw Burke into the room. He probably would have sailed all the way through the room and landed on the far side of it but something soft that screeched loudly broke his fall. As he and his screaming
pillow
crashed to the floor he heard the door being slammed behind him and locked from the outside.

Sprawled across the floor, Burke laid still for a moment
as he tried to realize what happened. It did not take long to figure it out as two boney fists pounded away at his back between him and the hard wooden floor. He jumped up hastily as he realized his pillow was a woman. It was the maiden in lingerie, now wearing a long flannel night gown but still just as beautiful and breathtaking as before. “What on Earth are you doing in my room, you moron? You could have killed me! You landed right on top of me! What do I look like to you, a bed?” The girl screamed irately with a stomp of her foot.

Burke stared at the
dark haired angel for a few moments before remembering his anger toward the pirate decoy. “Well, if your father and fiancé had not arrested me I would not be here! Thanks for getting me held hostage, you little coquette!”

“Coquette?
Me? Honestly? You are an imbecile, sir!” Cori blurted in defense.

“Oh, really?
Correct me if I am wrong. You dress up in a see-through night gown, dance around on a boat deck, and purposely lure innocent men to your ship so Daddy can attack. Is that right or wrong?”

“You are nothing but a pirate too! How does that make you any more innocent than I am?”

“I am no pirate! I am allowed to trade by the King of France…”

Cori cut him off before he could continue rattling,
“Fine, then you are a buccaneer. It is the same thing! Thieves are thieves, whether Kings let them do it or not! I might be a
coquette pirate
but you are a
thieving buccaneer
. We are
both
worthless, not just me!”

The girl threw herself onto her bed, pulled the covers over her head a
nd turned toward the wall. “Do not even think about sleeping near me! There is a chair over there,” Cori finished with a tear glimmering in her haughty eyes.

Burke was to confused and irri
tated to reply. He did not explain that he was not a buccaneer.
Let her think what she wants, why should I care?
Burke decided as he plopped into the uncomfortable seat. The girl seemed to hate pirates and he had heard Marin say she would escape in seconds if she had a chance.
Why does she work for them then? If she hates pirates so much she shouldn’t help them.

He was curious about th
e fascinating girl but he had more important things to worry about. If he did not make it to Hispaniola by sunrise his men would come looking for him. That was
comforting
but he could tell that
The Beloved Loss
was now flying rapidly in the other direction. Marin did not want
The Heart of Calais
to catch them. That was
discomforting.

He had to think of a good escape.
The ship has to stop sometime and they do not plan to kill me yet. I am sure they shall let me out of this room once we get a fair distance away from land and my crew. Then I can hear when we plan to stop again. I need to find a way to loosen the lock on the door. When they leave the ship to raid an island or make a trade I can break the lock. Next, I can sneak off the boat and find a way to get to Hispaniola. If I know Acel, he will keep watch on that island. I can hide out until he arrives looking for me.

Cuddling deeper into the uncomfortable, cold, cranberry colored chair, Burke took a last glance at the beauty in the bed across the room. He knew she was awake although she deliberately feigned sleep. The girl faced the other direction motionless but he knew she was conscious by the uneven rise and fall of her body as she breathed.

Burke could tell that she was quietly crying. The pirate princess seemed so strong, cold, heartless, and distant that he could not imagine what would make her hurt enough to cry. The gentleman in him wanted to comfort her, tell her she would surely be fine. However, the pirate-captive component would not give him the ability to pity the beautiful enemy

Rolling his eyes in disappointment that the day had turned out as unsuccessful as it had, Burke tried propping his feet up on a flimsy table close by.
What was I thinking?
Burke wondered. He was a man of complete control. He never lost a battle and never looked stupid. Burke was confident because he had proven himself to be capable. He was a leader, strong, fierce, and always the best at everything.

Why then, did I let myself act so foolishly today? I always focus! I
always prepare! I do not let myself become distracted!
But he knew that becoming distracted was exactly what happened. He saw the prettiest woman he had ever seen. She had an image more alluring than any other on Earth. The girl drew him in as if she was an enchanting sea nymph and he was her prey. He never saw it coming. Once he spotted the dark haired beauty he fell into a trance and forgot his entire mission.
Idiot!

The boat was moving swiftly and he could hear th
e soothing sounds of the ocean under him. He almost felt that the ocean belonged to him. As if the water was created only for Burke to sail on. It was his career, his passion, and his life. It would soon be ending along with all the other things he loved to do.
It shall all be over the moment I marry Odelia…
Burke jerked himself to an upright position, throwing his legs to the ground.

That i
s it!
He considered.
I haven’t even thought of Odelia since I have been taken hostage! Maybe she will think I died! Maybe she shall marry someone else before I am found! The longer I stay aboard The Beloved Loss the better the chances of escaping Odelia!
He leaned back into his chair and smiled contentedly,
I shall try to enjoy this little cruise. My men can handle my ship and I will get home eventually… what’s the hurry?

Burke smiled t
o himself, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander where it would. He imagined the ocean,
his
ocean, swaying under him as he sailed through the deep, blue sea for a lifetime. His thoughts were peaceful and placid as he pictured himself walking across the deck of
The Heart of Calais
.

Then, there she was, the dark haired beauty he met only a couple hours before. She was wearing the same tight night gown and smiling seductively. Burke threw his eyes open with a jolt. He stared at the vixen who had finally cried herself to sleep.
No more thinking about her, Burke! Keep your head in the game.
He scolded himself. He closed his eyes again and drifted into a painfully uneasy slumber.

 

Burke awoke to a loud knocking noise pounding in his ears. Throwing himself out of the chair and stumbling unsteadily to his feet he twirled toward the door to look for the invisible, giant man undoubtedly charging into the room. To his surprise, all he found was the brunette beauty stomping one foot, both hands on her hips, staring at the door.

BOOK: A Pirate Princess
7.24Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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