Read Online A Pirate’s Wife by Lynelle Clark - Free Book Online Page A

by feet
    giving trouble once again. I expected his help but he was
    too busy to attend to me and ignored me, I was furious. But
    a week later Cisco convinced me of his love again. In my
    frail and weak state I easily saw things differently than
    what they were. Now we can laugh about it but then it was
    serious. It cost a spider to bring me to my senses.
    †††
    When Rosa-Lee finally stood up to leave the cabin
    Roberto also stood up and asked, 'Would you care to go up
    and walk with me on the deck?'
    Hazelnut eyes met ochre ones and for a few seconds
    they just locked before she answered, her eyes revealing
    her shock at the invitation.
    'Yes, I would like that.' It was still early and she was
    not in the mood to confine herself in her cabin. After three
    days of self-imposed lock-up, she wanted to feel the wind
    in her hair and the sea spray on her face. The fact that he
    asked her to walk with him shocked her the most.
    Be alert Rosa-Lee. He cannot be trusted!
    Darkness filled the starry night sky. The quarter
    moon made it even darker. Lit lanterns on the upper deck
    added a romantic feeling, she thought, not a scene she was
    comfortable sharing with the pirate.
    You could barely see anything out on the sea as
    they walked along the taffrail on the deck. Only the sound
    of the ship breaking through the waters interrupted the
    silence. The few men that were on duty were quiet, nodding
    when they passed. If she did not know better, she would
    have thought that they were alone.
    'Your brother has told me a lot of stories about what
    you endured during your adventures into Africa. Don't you
    want to tell me a story?'
    She glanced at him but could not see his face
    clearly, covered in darkness, his hands clasped behind his
    back. He sounded sincere in his request and his presence
    calmed her, especially his mentioning her brother. She
    asked hesitantly, 'You know my brother?'
    'Yes. I have spoken with him a few times.' There
    was no secret in that information.
    'Was he still fine when you left?'
    'Yes, he was,' came the honest reply. 'Please, tell me
    a story,' he repeated, looking at her.
    What do I tell him? Rosa-Lee stared out over the
    dark sea. Deep in thought, she began to relate a story very
    familiar to her.
    'A horrific storm came up near the northeastern
    coast of Africa. The waves were higher than the ship and
    they towered over us terrifyingly, with a fierce and
    menacing anger, promising to crush us with every
    pounding.' He could see she was reliving it, closing her
    eyes.
    'The wind was cold and it felt like it wanted to tear
    the skin from our faces. I was never as terrified as I was
    that night, clutching to my mother's body. People cried out
    that we were going to die.
    'Someone yelled that they must drink the liquor so
    that at least they would be drunk enough to dull the
    moment they drowned. People were stampeding all over
    the ship as if they were possessed, clambering to the barrels
    on the lower deck. Everyone was forced to drink; even the
    slaves that were shackled to the ship's hull. With their
    heads forced into the liquid, many drowned under the
    pressure when they tried to resist. Blood mixed with the
    liquor but people still drank it. I will never forget the
    madness of that night. The fear that gripped us was so real
    that I cried tears mingled with the salty water.
    'Finally, when land was visible, my father shouted
    that a rowboat had to go to the shore with a rope. A few
    still able to think with clarity reacted immediately. Once
    the rope was secured, those ashore sent a signal. Father
    strapped me to his back and my mother to his chest and
    jump into the angry, cold waves.
    'I held on to him with everything that I had. My
    mother never made a sound from in front of him. A few
    times, we went under into the cold depths, and just barely
    in time, emerged again. Father saved us that day without
    wavering. Back then he was only a sailor who owed us
    nothing but his care for us. He was