A Pirate Princess (7 page)

Cori knew that she should always listen to her Aunt Novia. This man was not to be trusted, however, it was hard not to! He seemed like such a charming, intriguing, comforting gentleman. She decided to tell him some of the story, leaving out one important detail, the reason Cori’s father hated her.

“He was a respected Navy captain in France. The story I have heard is that he left France in search of new land to claim. He stopped at Cuba and met my mother. Of course, Cuba was already claimed by my mother’s homeland, Spain. Yellow Fever hit the island on their wedding day and they barely escaped before being infected with the disease. They were sailing to France for my father to retire, sale his belongings, and move to Cuba with my mother and her family.”

Cori paused for a moment to catch her breath. The rest of the story was painful,
“Nonetheless, before they reached France my mother died. By what I have heard, my father went crazy. He drank a lot, paced the ship at all hours of the night, did not sleep, and made a few really, really bad decisions. The crew thought that if they could get him to France then he would recover and be alright.

Then, o
ne of his bad decisions ruined their hope. Out of anger he attacked a peaceful vessel and ordered the sailors killed. He stole what they had aboard the ship and claimed it all as his own. Uncle Guillermo said that he cried all through the night and no one could sleep for hearing his loud wails. By morning he was hard as a rock, cold, heartless, emotionless, just like he is now. He announced to the crew that he was not returning to France. From that point on, he was a pirate.”

“I am sorry, Corisanda. Did she die of Yellow Fever?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well
, I am sorry for your loss,” Burke could tell she did not want to discuss the details of her mother’s death. He was not sure what happened to Cori’s mother but he knew it must be a painful subject so he did not ask any other questions about it.

Cori feigned a small smile, “Thank you, it is alright.”

“I know it is not easy to leave a pirate ship if you have been commanded to stay, but if I hated something as badly as you hate being on this ship I would find some way to leave!” Burke said encouragingly.

“I have tried to leave before,” Cori sighed.

“Yes, last night your father and fiancé were talking about where to put me. Your father mentioned that your room was the only one with a door locking from the outside. He said you would escape if given any opportunity. So what went wrong with your previous escape plans?” Burke asked, refusing to end conversation with his roommate.

“Well, many things have gone wrong. I have tried to escape at least
twenty times in my life. My father had been trading with islands and countries for a very long time. He knows his way around each of them and where all the hiding places are. I do not. Usually, if I escape on land I get lost because I have no idea where I am or where to go. My father finds me effortlessly. Another problem is that I look quite different than most do anywhere I have ever been and I am easily pointed out in a crowd,” Cori explained.

Burke could not help but stare at the beauty before him. She was in a long, white cotton nightgown. It fit her body perfectly and showed her curves. Cori’s long black hair flowed down her back and her clean, tan skin seemed to glow in the candle light. “Y
es, you are quite beautiful. I’m sure everyone notices you.”

“No, I do not mean that I am necessarily beautiful. I am half Spaniard and half French. I am darker than the French and lighter than the Spaniards. I am taller than most women but I am shorter than most men. I am well educated because I had nothing other to do on this ship than to study and read
, yet I have no knowledge of the world. I just do not fit in anywhere and I stand out in a crowd.” She sat down on her bed and faced the handsome man sitting across from her.

Burke shrugged his shoulders, “Have you ever thought that maybe fitting in is not a good thing? Standing
out and being one of a kind is much more attractive, if you ask me!”

“Perhaps, but not if you are trying to hide from someone.”

“I suppose that is true. Maybe escaping onto land is not a good way for you to escape then,” Burke suggested.

Cori looked at Burke like he had lost his mind, “What do you mean?”

“Have you ever considered fleeing by a boat?” He asked. She turned her head sideways, silently urging him to continue his idea. “Does your father ever stop on land where other boats are docked?”

“Rarely, but sometimes when we are visiting South America we do not attack passing ships. We sail by peacefully so we can take the land by a surprise attack. Then
, sometimes when we stop there are other boats coming or going. In Africa we go straight to the port as if we were legal as can be! The pirating cities there are feared and dangerous, illegal traders are a commonality and no one tries to arrest us as they would if we stopped in Europe.” She quickly informed him.

“Okay, so what if you snuck off
The Beloved Loss
and onto another boat that was soon to be leaving. If your father noticed you were missing he would probably check the surrounding land. You could hide in the cargo area of the boat until you were days into the sea or until it stopped at another island where you felt safe and wanted to reside,” he prompted.

“That is excellent! Oh, I have been trying to think of a plan for so long now, one that would not fail! This is perfect! You
will not tell them where I am, will you?” She whispered.

He shook his head from left to right, “No, I plan to leave this blasted boat at my first opportunity also
. If you do not tell on me, I shall not tell on you. Deal?”

“Deal!”
Cori agreed with a smile.

“So when are y
ou going to try the plan out?” He asked as he snuggled into the uncomfortable cranberry chair.

“I sha
ll do it as soon as we get somewhere with other boats coming in or out! I probably will not have my chance until we get to Africa,” she answered with enthusiasm.

“Africa? Is that where we are going
now?” Burke questioned, remembering Laron also mentioning Africa that evening.

“Yes, we have stopped at all
the places along our route in South America and the neighboring islands. Our last stop was Hispaniola and we left there right before meeting you! Now we are on our way to Africa with a loaded ship, ready to trade or sale and reload to head back this way.”

“Interesting,” Burke nodded. “I know my way around there pretty well.
Maybe I could escape by that route too.”

“If Falco
does not have you killed first,” Cori reminded.

The captive c
aptain laughed loudly, “He already hates me so it’s truly possible that he might try.”

Cori smiled in response. The sound of the man’s laughter made her heart race. She knew that this man was not trustable. He was just like any other man, only out to use who
ever he needs to in order to get whatever he wants. The difference between this man and most was that he was so breathtakingly attractive. Cori thought he must be the most handsome man alive, but she knew that she had not seen many men.

She was nearly as tall as most of the men she had met in her life but this handsome pirate towered over her. Cori never denied being attracted to his strong arms and
handsome face. She could outsmart most men, especially Klaas and Zeeman, but Burke seemed different in that way too.

Looking up, she realized he was staring directly at her again. “Do you love Falco?” He asked bluntly.

She answered as honestly as she could, “No. I loathe him.”

By the time she finished her sentence Burke was already inquiring for more information, “Then why are you marrying him? Do you not know how beautiful you are? If you left this ship you could be a bride of royalty. You could marry a Prince, a Duke, or a Count. Men would fight over
you left and right. You know, you are different than most women. Instead of being timid and meek, you are strong and brave. Would you not like to marry someone you love?”

“Of course I would! But it is not that easy, you see. My father promised me to Falco when I was only fourteen. There are a million reasons I want off of this ship, and Falco is one of them. I hope to escape before being forced to marry him but I have already been eighteen for
three months. I am supposed to be planning my wedding as we speak. By the end of the year I will be his wife. Unless, of course, I can get off of this ship,” she retorted.

Burke was not sure what he should say next. His heart throbbed as he stared at the beautiful maiden. He hoped she would not be forced to marry Falco de Vries, for her sake. For some reason that he could not understand, he even hoped s
he would not marry Falco for Burke’s own sake.

Stop getting involved,
he told himself
. I need to be concerned about getting myself away from this ship. Falco already thinks I want his woman; I shall get myself killed trying to help Cori. Besides, I am engaged to Odelia. I like that about as little as Cori likes being engaged to Falco. I have my own problems to worry about.
Still, he could not help but stare at the lovely girl and worry about her future. Deciding to clear his mind with some much needed rest, he looked toward Cori again, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Captain Belcourt. Thank you for the idea,” Cori responded happily.

Burke smiled, “You are welcome. Hey, can I ask you one more question?”

“Sure, I guess. What is it?”

“What should I call you? Cori, or Corisanda?”

She paused for a moment, not sure what to say, “I like the name Corisanda because my mother picked it out. It means
flower of my heart
in her native tongue. Now the only person who calls me Corisanda is Sharlene. Just call me Cori, I guess.”

“Okay Cori, see you in the morning.”

“See you then, Captain Belcourt.”

“You can call me Burke.”

“Okay, Burke.” She closed her eyes but was awake for many hours thinking of her grand escape. Sometimes the handsome man sleeping across the room entered her mind as well.

Burke awoke to the sound of someone bustling around the room. “Cori, what are you doing?” he asked as he pushed his eyes open. “Is it already morning?”

“Almost, you will be expected for work soon but I am required to get an early start. Sorry I woke you,” she quietly apologized.

“No, it’s fine,” he replied.

A light knock rapped on the door and the Hispanic maid rushed in. She glared at Burke, still sitting in his uncomfortable chair. “I was just checking on you,” she whispered to Cori. The woman turned to leave and closed the door behind her.

“Does she dislike me as well?” Burke asked, wondering how he could have offended the cranky maid.

Cori grinned broadly at Novia’s concern, “No, she does not dislike you. She is my Aunt and does not like the idea of any man sleeping in my room. It is not appropriate at all, but we are pirates so why should she expect otherwise? Anyway, she is fine, as long as you do not try to jeopa
rdize me somehow… which you will not do, or I shall kill you myself. Okay?”

“As I have told ev
eryone else on this ship, I will not harm you,” Burke laughed. It seemed that everyone loved the spirited vixen and he was beginning to understand why.

“Any sign of them, Acel?” Quain asked worriedly.

Acel shook his head left to right, “Non
e! They are at least a full day ahead of us, maybe more.”

“We are sailing at full speed,” Karoly yelled to the two men at the helm of
The Heart of Calais
.

“Our ship is faste
r, we are bound to catch up eventually,” Acel encouraged.

Burke’s crew
sailed to Hispaniola as their captain instructed. Once they reached land the sky was very dark and they could not see
The Beloved Loss
from the island. They waited, and waited, and waited but
The Beloved Loss
did not bring their captain to shore. When morning finally came and they could see in the distance that the pirate ship was gone they began loading their ship quickly to search out their captain.

Unfortunately,
the captain and crew of
The Beloved Loss
had a lot of power over the people of Hispaniola. Out of loyalty for Marin, the natives waged war with the crew of
The Heart of Calais
and captured Leala and Miette for bribery. Nothing could stop Karoly. Their flimsy huts proved to be no match when Karoly ran right through one.

He demanded his
wife
and daughter be released immediately. Since no one was able to stop him, he obtained his family back with ease. He regretted his word choice as soon as Leala and Miette were released; because Leala beat her poor savior all the way back to the ship. The crew finally boarded
The Heart of Calais
and raced after Burke, but they were way behind.

Luckily for the crew, an elder from Hispaniola was walking along the shore
when they left. “Where is
The Beloved Loss
going?” Quain yelled as Garner aimed a gun directly at the native to ensure an honest answer.

“Africa! I would not chase them if I were y
ou. You are not getting your captain back.” The man yelled in a broken language barely understandable to the crew. Quain had to tackle Garner to keep the trigger-happy Gunner from shooting the old man anyway.

Now, after one full
night of traveling they were becoming discouraged. “I know the man said
Africa
, surely that is where they are going and we are on the right route!” Quain reasoned.

Acel agreed through clenched teeth, “Yes, we must be. If they
stop their boat at night we can catch up in a day or two.  I hope they are afraid, very afraid. When we do find them, which we will, they shall regret messing with my cousin!”

The day was like any other for Cori. She helped the little girls scrub the floors, assisted Novia with changing the bed sheets and aided Guillermo with meal preparation for the pirate crew. Sharlene arose at her usual time, late in the morning. The woman seemed to wake in a bad mood. “CORISANDA!” She screamed as she entered the below deck quarters.

“I am
here,” Cori answered as she finished changing the sheets on Zeeman’s bed.

“Let me tell you something, you stupid little
coquette! You are going to marry Falco, and you better be worth something when you do. I do not like you sleeping in a room overnight with that man. Your father says you must and so that is where you shall stay but I want you to know that I do not trust you for one moment. I hope you know what must happen to you if you are defiled when Falco marries you! He shall have you fed to the sharks immediately. And do not fool yourself into believing that anyone around here loves you enough to save your life. I do not and neither does your father. You are nothing but worthless trash anyway. Do you understand all of this?”

“Yes, I understand. I will not do anything wrong,” Cori answered as she tried to keep her voice steady.

“Good, now what are you standing here for? Get to work!” Sharlene barked as she stormed out of the room.

Once her step-mother was gone,
Cori lowered herself to Zeeman’s bed and wiped her eyes. Novia heard most of the words from next door in Yvet’s room. “Corisanda, are you alright?” She asked.

Cori took a breath and stood up, “Yes, Aunt Novia. I am fine. I just hope to get to Africa soon.”

Novia scrunched her eyebrows questioningly, “Africa? You hate Africa. Why are you looking forward to arriving?”

“Oh,
never mind. It is nothing, let’s get back to work,” Cori dismissed. Although she loved Novia dearly she did not want anyone to know what her plan was. She hoped that Novia and Guillermo would be able to escape as well so that they could return to Cuba where they yearned to be. However, she knew that at this point she could not make any mistakes or take any risks on her plan going wrong. Cori promised to bring up the subject to her Aunt as soon as they were closer to their destination.

She let her mind go back to Sharlene’s harsh words.
It was hard enough to stay out of trouble before Burke came along, now it is impossible. What am I going to do when Falco kills him and I am to blame?
Cori had already been given a message that Falco needed to speak to her before lunch was served.

She was not sure what he would say but she knew it would be a lecture about Captain Belcourt and more threats as well.
Burke does not realize what trouble he is getting me into with Sharlene and Falco! I shall probably wind up dead because of this, or worse! They might space my wedding date up so that I will share a room with Falco instead of Burke! He probably does not even care that I am getting in trouble because of him. He is just a pirate, nonetheless!
Vowing to herself to no longer allow Burke to get her in trouble, Cori sat back to work with a vengeance trying to plan what she would say to Falco.

As planned, Burke worked with Yvet again.
The Beloved Loss
had enough cannons and equipment to be confident when waging war against enemies. Burke wondered where his own ship was at that moment and what would happen when they found him. Or, if they did not find him, what he would do to escape. It was impossible to stop thinking about Cori and how beautiful she was. He found himself searching the ship with his eyes for the pirate princess.

Although he was beginning to pity her and enjoy her company, he still felt resentment that she had low enough standards to work for the pirates. She was the reason he was in this predicament in the first place. Had she
not been seen, he would have kept control of himself and took down
The Beloved Loss
right on the spot.

Wondering how many men had been killed because of Cori’s trap made him flinch. He glanced up again, seeing Cori for the first time since that morning. She walked a
cross the ship toward Falco. Her chin was held high and she walked proudly, confidently, and with an air of grace. They met eyes for a brief moment and she shot him a horrible glare.

What did I do to her?
He wondered as he frowned back.
I should be angry at her for getting me into this mess. She is a deceitful pirate, why have I been so enamored with her? Not anymore! I shall not worry about her; she surely did not worry about me when I boarded this ship, no doubt about that!

Burke turned back to the cannons, scrubbing angrily and working with aggression. He forced himself to not
think about her for the rest of the morning but by evening it was impossible. Burke knew he would soon be locked in a room with her again and he hated himself for looking forward to it.
It is her fault I am here! She is no better than Odelia, they both used conniving snares to catch me. What has gotten into me lately? I have let two different women outsmart me, but it will not happen again! I shall get out of this mess and no woman will burden me again.

Dinner came and went and the two were locked in Cori’s room once again. They were silent and only glared at each other for conversation.
Cori bustled around her room organizing chests and folding her raggedy gowns. Burke washed his face in her water basin and plopped down in his chair to glower at Cori. “What’s your problem?” He asked.

“My problem?
Oh, so now you care about my problems, ay?” She responded angrily.

Burke cocked his
head to one side, “Well I don’t know why I should care about your problems, since you don’t care about mine! It’s your fault I’m even here.”

“Oh trust me, you’
re paying me back with plenty trouble of my own!” She countered.

“Trust you? Certainly not! I am not a fool.”

“Oh, you want to talk about fools? I could call you worse names than that,
Captain
.” Cori railed, implying his pirate career.

Burke shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, “It would not bother me,
and at least I do not trick anyone into taking their last breath aboard this ship just so your daddy can make a few gold coins!”

Cori spun on her heels and faced him with her hands on her hips, “No! You do
all your dirty work yourself. I try to stay out of trouble on this boat, Captain Belcourt. You are making that difficult!”

“Well, I do apolog
ize that you brought me here!” He sarcastically retorted.

“It’
s not like I wanted to!”

“No, but you did it anyway! You just bow down to your little fiancé and your daddy! When they
tell you to jump, you jump. Is that not right?”

Cori stomped one foot, “If my life depends on it, yes! What do you suggest
that I do, Captain Belcourt?”

“I do no
t know, but if I did not want to be on this ship I would not be here, if I did not want to marry Falco I would not marry him, and if I did not want to bribe innocent men onto this boat then I would not do that either! No matter what the consequences were!” Burke vented.

“Oh yeah?
Well, as far as I know you do not want to be on this ship either but you are. So I am not the only coward in this room.” Cori did not know how hard her statement hit Burke.

When she said that he realized how right she was. He did not want to be on the ship but he was, and he did not want to marry Odelia but he was going to. He did not want to give up his career but that was something else he had agreed to do. Burke was not a person to give up so easily and he determined himself to not let it happen. No one would stop him from sailing
, not even Odelia. If he had to marry her, so be it, but she would never see her husband because Burke refused to give up his career if he ever earned it back.

He calmed his voice, “Why do you work for them? I understand that you have to be on this ship for now, but why do you trap others here as well?”

Cori looked at Burke with sadness in her eyes; she did not want to help the pirates. “Do you not understand that I have no choice? It is what they tell me to do. I do what I am told because they could kill me just as easily as they could anyone else. I am nothing special on this boat.”

“But you are the c
aptain’s daughter and the Quartermaster’s fiancé, you should be treated well,” he reasoned.

“If my father loved me, then perhaps I would be. But he does
not; now leave me alone, please.” She whispered in agony.

“No,” Burke refused, “Why do you say your father dislikes you? Surely you are his world! Does he have no other children with Sharlene?”

“Sharlene has a scar across her stomach from a complicated delivery long before she met my father. She says she had a son who died at birth and that she can no longer have children. He would have been nine or ten years older than me. I am my father’s only child. I am not a son, like he hoped for,” Cori stated dejectedly.

“Surely your father cannot dislike you
only because you are a girl,” Burke argued.

Cori looked Burke in the eyes, “He hates me because I killed my mother, okay?”