Read Online Ill Wind and Dead Reckoning: Caribbean Pirate Adventure (Valkyrie) by Karen Perkins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Perkins
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wooden stairs without alerting anyone in that room of my movements.
‘Hurry up wife, our guests are waiting!’ Erik tapped my back in impatience with his cane and I glared at him, then swept past him towards the main staircase. He caught up with me at the top and grabbed my arm, linking it with his own. I knew it wasn’t for my benefit, but for that of the crowd of people gathered in the hall and cheering.
I stretched my lips in a smile and stared at all the faces. I’d wished for a large party for my wedding day, and here it was. I knew nobody. Not one person was there for me. My eyes continued to sweep the room as we descended the stairs, and my smile became genuine when I recognized someone – Mr Sharpe, standing with the Gaudies, Hornigold and Cheval. There was only one friendly face in this crowd of people, and he was a pirate. My smile faded.
Chapter 17
Erik led me around the room on his arm as he greeted our guests and introduced me. At least, I think that’s what he was doing – he spoke only in Dutch, but when he said my name, he and the others looked at me and bowed. I gave a smile and small curtsey back. If he told me their names, I was unable to pick them out from the stream of Dutch.
I couldn’t understand anyone here, so I watched them instead, trying to spot clues to the conversation in the way they held their bodies, crossed their arms or touched my husband. Also in the way they spoke – I couldn’t understand the words, but I could still hear the fear, the dislike, the flattery, and I found it fascinating. I realized I’d been doing exactly this since I’d arrived to try and understand the van Eckens when they didn’t have the manners to speak English in front of me.
There were few women here, and all those present were on the arm of a husband – we seemed as much a rarity in the Caribbees as the Massachusetts Bay Colony – and I smiled at every woman I met, hoping to find a friend. The only smiles I received back were of pity or embarrassment, and I began to despair. Was anybody here happy for us or wishing us well for the future?
I looked around me for Klara – at least she’d have a genuine smile for me, but she was surrounded by the sailors.
Eventually we, or rather Erik, had greeted everyone in the room and we re-joined Jan. Both van Eckens ignored me and, aware of everyone in the room staring at me and their lack of manners, I was grateful when Mr Sharpe approached.
‘You look beautiful, Mrs van Ecken,’ he said, and his eyes dropped to admire my dress.
‘Thank you, Mr Sharpe,’ I replied and stared hard. His eyes had not yet risen from my cleavage.
‘Mr Sharpe?’ I said, and his eyes darted up to mine. His suddenly pale face flushed.
‘Oh, I do beg your pardon, Mrs van Ecken.’ His gaze dropped then rose again. ‘Forgive me, but your amethyst – it’s such a beautiful stone.’ His hand moved towards it and I grabbed the pendant myself, cupping the stone in my hand to protect it from the pirate. His hand dropped.
‘Where did you get it?’
I frowned at his rudeness, but decided to answer – up to now, he’d behaved well towards me and – after Klara – was the closest thing I had to a friend in the Caribbees.
‘My mother gave it to me when I left Massachusetts to get married – it had been given to her by my true father.’
‘Your true father?’
Yes. Some English earl who persuaded her he loved her, then put her aboard a ship to the New World rather than face the consequences of his courtship. He gave her the stone as a keepsake.’ I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
‘You don’t think well of him.’
‘Of course not! At best he’s a coward, at worst a devil. He lied to her, made her love him, used her, then shipped her off.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘A man on the ship took pity on her and married her. But he turned out to be another devil – just of a different ilk.’ I looked at him, my eyes narrowed. He was asking a lot of
‘Hurry up wife, our guests are waiting!’ Erik tapped my back in impatience with his cane and I glared at him, then swept past him towards the main staircase. He caught up with me at the top and grabbed my arm, linking it with his own. I knew it wasn’t for my benefit, but for that of the crowd of people gathered in the hall and cheering.
I stretched my lips in a smile and stared at all the faces. I’d wished for a large party for my wedding day, and here it was. I knew nobody. Not one person was there for me. My eyes continued to sweep the room as we descended the stairs, and my smile became genuine when I recognized someone – Mr Sharpe, standing with the Gaudies, Hornigold and Cheval. There was only one friendly face in this crowd of people, and he was a pirate. My smile faded.
Chapter 17
Erik led me around the room on his arm as he greeted our guests and introduced me. At least, I think that’s what he was doing – he spoke only in Dutch, but when he said my name, he and the others looked at me and bowed. I gave a smile and small curtsey back. If he told me their names, I was unable to pick them out from the stream of Dutch.
I couldn’t understand anyone here, so I watched them instead, trying to spot clues to the conversation in the way they held their bodies, crossed their arms or touched my husband. Also in the way they spoke – I couldn’t understand the words, but I could still hear the fear, the dislike, the flattery, and I found it fascinating. I realized I’d been doing exactly this since I’d arrived to try and understand the van Eckens when they didn’t have the manners to speak English in front of me.
There were few women here, and all those present were on the arm of a husband – we seemed as much a rarity in the Caribbees as the Massachusetts Bay Colony – and I smiled at every woman I met, hoping to find a friend. The only smiles I received back were of pity or embarrassment, and I began to despair. Was anybody here happy for us or wishing us well for the future?
I looked around me for Klara – at least she’d have a genuine smile for me, but she was surrounded by the sailors.
Eventually we, or rather Erik, had greeted everyone in the room and we re-joined Jan. Both van Eckens ignored me and, aware of everyone in the room staring at me and their lack of manners, I was grateful when Mr Sharpe approached.
‘You look beautiful, Mrs van Ecken,’ he said, and his eyes dropped to admire my dress.
‘Thank you, Mr Sharpe,’ I replied and stared hard. His eyes had not yet risen from my cleavage.
‘Mr Sharpe?’ I said, and his eyes darted up to mine. His suddenly pale face flushed.
‘Oh, I do beg your pardon, Mrs van Ecken.’ His gaze dropped then rose again. ‘Forgive me, but your amethyst – it’s such a beautiful stone.’ His hand moved towards it and I grabbed the pendant myself, cupping the stone in my hand to protect it from the pirate. His hand dropped.
‘Where did you get it?’
I frowned at his rudeness, but decided to answer – up to now, he’d behaved well towards me and – after Klara – was the closest thing I had to a friend in the Caribbees.
‘My mother gave it to me when I left Massachusetts to get married – it had been given to her by my true father.’
‘Your true father?’
Yes. Some English earl who persuaded her he loved her, then put her aboard a ship to the New World rather than face the consequences of his courtship. He gave her the stone as a keepsake.’ I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
‘You don’t think well of him.’
‘Of course not! At best he’s a coward, at worst a devil. He lied to her, made her love him, used her, then shipped her off.’
‘What happened to her?’
‘A man on the ship took pity on her and married her. But he turned out to be another devil – just of a different ilk.’ I looked at him, my eyes narrowed. He was asking a lot of
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