The Sea Maiden (24 page)

“Alright missy, If you be liken ye mates to live to see another day, you best be cumin wi me. Aside from pretty ladies, the Captain takes no prisoners.”

“What do you want with me?”

“DO YE BE
WANTING YE MATES TO LIVE WENCH? YES OR NO?” The pirate shouted.

She submitted. He pushed her through the door opening and took her to the side of the ship, threw her over his shoulder and called for the men to retreat then he swung over the side with her. From over the man’s shoulder Karina could see the pirates retreat but with the cloud of smoke she could not recognize anyone on
 the 
Sea Maiden
.

Peter suddenly wondered why pirates were leaving a merchant vessel loaded with cargo, most of the men including the Captain were also confused then almost simultaneously Peter and Captain Drake started calling out for Karina. Without any response they feared the worst but then realized she was not on board. They had taken her.

“WE’RE GOING AFTER THEM! SHIP ABOUT!” Eric ordered. “They’re likely headed to New Providence it’s the closest or Tortuga.”

“NEW PROVIDENCE! TORTUGA! YOU’RE TAKING US INTO THE LION’S DEN! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?” James Caleb accused.

“I’M NOT LEAVING HER IN THE HANDS OF PIRATES!”

They docked and Karina was brought on shore blindfolded and taken to a tavern or bordello. She recognized the loud atmosphere; course jesting, cursing, men and women talking and laughing, and the strong smell of rum and spirits. She was taken to an upstairs room and upon entering the room her blindfold was removed and left alone. The room was small with no windows just a bed, a mirror and a changing panel. A young boy approximately 13 came in the room and brought her some fruit, a bowl of chicken soup, bread and tea. Karina was hungry, not having eaten in several hours, and ate.

“Where am I?” Karina asked the boy.

“New Providence.” The boy said and turned to leave.

“Wait! Do you know why I’m here?”

“You have been sold most likely.”

“To who?”

“I don’t know, but you will soon find out because they are coming for you.”

“Who’s coming?”

“The Captain.”

“Captain Drake?”

“No. Captain Tate. I have to go.”

“Wait! Don’t leave! Please help me. I need to get out of here.”

“Sorry miss I cannot help.”

“Why?”

“Because the last boy who helped a lady like you was found cut up in pieces.”

Karina gasped. “Good Lord! Why do you work here?”

“My mother supervises the girls that work here.”

Karina was horrified.

“Do you know where they are taking me?”

“Not sure miss, sometimes its India, Baghdad or Singapore, just depends who paid for you.” The boy shrugged. “If they don’t pay for you then you stay and work here.”

Fearing to ask, “And do what?”

“Be a lady of the night.”

Karina was horrified momentarily thinking she might never see anyone she cared for again.  The boy left then came back a few minutes later with a white lace dress with puffy sleeves and three different pairs of women’s shoes and said,

“They want you to put this on, and here are some shoes to try.”

Karina cringed not wanting to touch them.

“What is your name?”

“Damian.”

The boy left. A few minutes later he came back in a hurry…you have to put that dress on they are coming for you now.” The boy warned and left. A second later a stocky man with a beard came in the room without knocking.

“Well hello Miss I was hoping you be ready but I see that you are not. My name is Captain Harold Tate, you were purchased by a very wealthy client o’mine and it be me job to make sure my customers are pleased when I deliver their purchase and the male clothes you be wearing are not going to do. So it be best you put on the dress like you’re told!” He ordered. Karina hesitated. “Or I be forced to put it on ye me’self.”

Karina grabbed the dress and went behind a small panel beside the mirror and changed into the dress.
  She came out from behind the panel; it was a low cut white lace dress with big puffy sleeves and a floor length skirt layered in ruffles.

“Much better…now you need to fix your hair…Damian!” The boy came in the room.

“Yes sir?”

“Bring her a hair brush!”

The boy nodded. Left the room and came back with a hair brush which he handed to Karina.  Karina took the brush from the boy and undid the messy braid then brushed her hair out.

“My you’re a beauty, I aught keep you for me’ self.” He tried to touch her face, but Karina slapped his hand away. “I was paid handsomely for you wench so I regret to inform you that we will not be getting better acquainted. I’m sure he’ll be very pleased. I’ll be delivering you soon.” He winked at her.

Captain Tate left the room. A little while later another man came in the room and said.

“Time to go!” He told her to cover her head with a scarf.

Karina hesitated then the man pulled her to her feet and shoved her out the door they went down the stairs, men whistled and shouted indecent things to her. The men looked filthy and the women were heavily painted and exposed too much flesh. She walked outside, it was a sunny afternoon and the air was warm. A covered carriage waited for her. Karina planned to escape by jumping out of the carriage. The man picked her up and placed her inside the carriage then locked the door. Her plan to escape was thwarted when she saw that inside the carriage sat another man with a pistol who closed the windows so she could not look out. After 20 minutes the carriage came to a stop. The door was opened the man inside ordered her out and the other man helped her off. He pushed her forward toward a large white house with a beautiful garden. He knocked on the door a dark skinned older woman opened the door. The older woman led her to a room, when Karina walked in she gasped in shock, it was Lord Harmon.

“So it was you! You disgust me, how could you attack your own brother’s ship?”

“Half-brother and to be honest with you there is no love lost between us besides he took some things from me that I wanted back.”

“He didn’t know I stowed away on his ship till he discovered me later and you have the ring! I gave it to your cutthroat friends.”

“How convenient for him, unfortunately the ring had to be used as part of the payment to Captain Tate for his troubles. Have you also forgotten that you made a mockery of me back in England…your story about running off with the Scotsman…You had me scouring the countryside looking for you, and the whole time you were with my dear brother, ring and all.”

“I never intended to keep it! I accidentally put it in my cloth purse and forgot it was there till I was on the ship. I planned to give it back to you when I got back to England I swear because… I have no intentions of ever marrying you.”

“That no longer matters, I paid for you, like it or not you’re mine to do with as I please. I suppose you love Eric now, no doubt you probably been intimate with him. At first the thought of it curdled my blood, so I had planned to keep you here as my mistress at my beck and call but I stand to profit more by marrying you, after all your father will be dead soon. Then I will recover the losses you caused me, as well as my dignity. Unfortunately now you will live your days out here, where I can keep an eye on you. Had you not been so stubborn we might have had a good life together back in England. You would have been the envy of English society, well respected, rich, and powerful….but you made a poor choice for yourself and those you love, and now those options are no longer available to you.”

“I will never marry you!”

“Well I thought you might not agree to that so I had to take some necessary steps.” He walked to the door and yelled to his henchman, “Marcus, bring her in!”

The man who had roughly pushed Karina out of the tavern, walked to the back of the house.
  A few minutes later Karina saw through the window that he had a young woman with him.  She was crying, then Karina gasped in shock, it was Lynnette. When Lynnette saw Karina she was just as shocked, the girls embraced, Karina could feel Lynnette trembling.

“
LYNNETTE! OH MY GOD! Darling what’s wrong?” She turned toward Lord Harmon. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER YOU MONSTER?”

“Nothing…yet. I will leave you two ladies to catch up and then I will be back with my proposition.”

Both girls were extremely happy to see each other, Lynnette began telling Karina that the man who brought her in had held her at gun point back at Pembroke Hall and had made her get into a carriage one evening as she and Gracie were returning from the Market. Then she was blindfolded and put on a ship with some awful men. Karina asked her if they had harmed her. Lynnette was grateful to report that the men on the ship had taunted her and made indecent comments but did not harm her; however she had been living in fear. Then she was brought here and Lord Harmon arrived on another ship a few days later. Lynnette was shocked to learn he was behind it.

“When were you taken?”

“About fifteen days after you left. The man called Marcus was at Harmon Hall. I saw him there, the morning I returned with Clifton he knew who I was. Lord Harmon has ties with pirates you know!” Lynnette told her.

Karina raised her eyebrows. “Yes darling, I think that’s clear now. How was my father when they took you?”

“His health was much better when I left. He was under new treatment by a doctor who has been studying in the orient and recently returned from the Amazon jungle. He is considered a radical in society but the last day I saw your father he was up and walking without pain or labored breathing.”

“That’s wonderful news Lynnette it’s the best news I’ve heard so far. How was he on the way home from Harmon Hall?”

“He questioned me on our way home regarding your disappearance of course; and he didn’t believe the story about the Scotsman. Nate told him how Lord Harmon tried to sedate you and get in our rooms and your father was outraged so we left promptly Sunday morning. Nate had already prepared everything.”

“I am so glad we have Nate he is just wonderful.”

“Yes he is but Lord Harmon was simply awful, he shook me and yelled at me demanding to know where you were. I was so happy to leave.”

Then Lynnette started giggling covering her mouth with her hands to avoid being heard.

“What is so funny?” Karina asked.

“When he asked me where you where, I told him this tall blond Scotsman named    “Angus” had come for you like you told me too, and Nate backed up the story, so he sent men looking for you and Angus all around the countryside. We heard him giving orders about it when we left.”

“Angus?  Where did you get such a name?” Karina chuckled

Karina could not contain her merriment after visualizing Lord Harmon and his henchmen running around the countryside looking for her and a tall blond Scotsman nowhere to be found.

“It’s the butcher’s name at the village market, he told Gracie he was from Scotland once.”

Karina told Lynnette everything that happened since leaving Harmon Hall till right before they saw each other, except for the kissing incidents in Florida. Lynnette gasped several times during Karina’s recollection of events including the roadside robbers, being discovered by Captain Drake and the pirate attack. Lynnette was happy to hear that the Captain had warmed up to Karina but was distressed to hear Peter had endured a lashing. Then she said:

“I knew you and the Captain could fall in love given the opportunity, I must confess I was a little worried, that Peter might fall in love with you after having to spend so much time together.”

“I assure you Lynnette you have nothing to worry about; Peter is very much in love with you and he has been a total gentleman and a good friend.”

Lord Harmon came back in the room and requested that they all take seats. He poured a glass of wine for himself then offered them a glass.

“I wouldn’t want to share anything with you.” Karina answered angrily

“As you wish…” He took a sip of wine, “…I gather you both shared your adventures on the high seas so now I shall fill you in on my plans for each of you. Tomorrow morning we will have a visitor who is to conduct our marriage ceremony and provide us with all the necessary paperwork to document your complete assignment and control to, your husband, of all assets and holdings upon your father’s death…which I might add should be very soon I have made all the arrangement.”

“YOU BASTARD!” Karina jumped up, Lynnette held her back.

“I’m afraid that would be your new lover, Captain Drake.” He said calmly, “Now, like I was saying, here is the part that involves your pretty friend Lynnette here. If you should not be cooperative in any way with tomorrow’s marriage proceedings then Lynnette will be shipped off to be part of a harem in Baghdad. I’m certain to get a good price for her; Captain Tate has received several bids already. Don’t worry your father will remain alive until I make sure you have been properly named as his only heir on his will. The three of us will have to make a special trip back to Pembroke Hall for that. You will tell your father that you have changed your mind about us and have decided to marry me in haste due to your pregnancy. Also that you plan to live on my plantation here in New Providence to supervise it but have come back to see him and ask for his forgiveness for running away and also to make sure all legal matters have been addressed since it shall be difficult for you to travel later. There is one other matter, your father’s late first wife Melissa, came from a very wealthy family and as part of her dowry, her father gave her a gold crucifix encrusted with diamonds, rubies and pearls it’s worth a great deal of money.  Your father’s the only one who knows its whereabouts and it’s your task to get it. He claimed he had sold it shortly after her death but years later your mother Sera wore it at a noble’s wedding I know because I was there, she was pregnant with you and your sister at the time.”