Page 56 of His Pirate Wife

“Captain Winthrop, your wife is a pirate,” Admiral Dunham said but if it was a question or statement Devin didn’tknow.

“She is not,” Devin said as casually as he could. Now if they asked if his father-in-law was… but they didn’t seem to have evidence of that. Being he’d yet to see the papers they read and didn’t know what evidence they might hold against her, he could answer only to what he knew as facts and hope to avoid facts that might sink thefamily.

Mallory scoffed at him, “Your own words accuseher.”

“If I may,” he stepped forward, held out his hands for the evidence and almost laughed. “These are from my shipslogs—”

“And your own hand claims her to be a pirate,” Mallorypushed.

Devin gave him a hard look and handed the papers back to the members of the board who still looked at them and him with a more critical eye. “If you’d let me finish. These are not from my ships logs, but from mypersonallogs. And aye, I’m sure these are but the fewest of such entries where I wrote my wife was a pirate,” Devin admitted with a shrug. “Those earliest ones are perhaps the ones I hope most she doesn’t see as there is at least one insult she’s distressedby.”

“Perhaps Captain, it would be prudent for you to explain, and perhaps we should have Mrs. Winthrop here to give her own account,” the vice admiralsaid.

“I should rather you leave my wife be, she’s been—” Devinstarted.

“I’ve already sent officials to have her arrested,” Mallory announced, and Devin was on him before he could take anotherbreath.

“You son of a bitch! You dare drag her into your petty little feud with me.” Devin said shaking him like a rat. “Your pathetic jealousy and lust for Mia is sick and adisgrace.”

“Captain Winthrop,” the vice admiral yelled before several others moved to pull Devin off the man who was almost taken to the floor by Devin’s attack. Devin shook off the other men who he did know and who were also friends with Mia. “You’ll maintain your decorum while inuniform.”

“Captain Winthrop,” Admiral Dunham called, then called again until Devin turned to look at him. “You have some explanation for your words here in thesedocuments.”

“Not, sir, that I should need any being those are mypersonallogs, not the official ship’s accountings, but aye. I do,” Devin said straightening his clothes and pulling his shoulders back. “You perhaps aren’t familiar with how Mia came to be mywife?”

“I understand that you… compromised her in some manner,” the admiral at the other end of the table stateddisapprovingly.

Devin sighed, “I didn’t, but I should guess you’re not familiar with the entire circumstance of what transpired,” Devin grumbled and promised to himself that he’d punch the commodore in the head for leaving him open to such opinions of his character. He waited until he saw all the men shaking their heads. “You are, however, familiar with the… rescue of Governor Lowe and the younger child of the Duke of Pembroke?” To this they all nodded affirmatively. “What most don’t know is Mia Cadley was also… taken by that group. Right off her ship. She was held separately.” Devin recounted the much-practiced tale that became the one which began his marriage to Mia. “When I managed to free those men, I’d little choice but to keep Miss Cadley with me. You might only imagine when her papa learned his young andinnocentdaughter spent more than a single night unchaperoned in the company of an unattachedmale…”

“Yes, his insistence that you wed was written into the records that came with the accounting,” An admiral at the other end of the table recalled. “He threatened to rally a full boycott of all shipping and all English ports if it wasn’tdone.”

“Aye, he wasn’t willing to believe I… rescued her and nothing else, so I wed her, but I’ll tell you my opinion of her was less… flattering than it is now. She was…” Devin laughed a bit and shook his head. “What am I saying?” He chuckled again. “Sheisa mutinous female. Too used to being captain in her own right, we didn’t find smooth waters for several weeks after our… wedding. I called her pirate then, and I admit with great shame worse things trying to put her in her place. Pirate, however, she refused to allow to prick her.” He shrugged and looked to see if the men were buying his line. “If anything, I think she took it as a challenge. I won’t say the things she did were acts of piracy in any legal or common understanding. It’s no act of piracy to jump ship.” Again, he shrugged as the men nodded in agreement “I think she tried her very best those first days to make me go back on my oath and my vows and set herashore.”

Devin stopped and everyone looked to the back of the room when the doors opened and Mia was marched in, shackled and held between four armed men. She looked tired and furious and Devin again bit his tongue to stop the warning that rose to hislips.

“Captain Winthrop, explain yourself,” Mia screeched. “I’m pulled out of bed and thrown on the floor and…” She raised her arms to show him the irons. “If this is some new bed sport you’ve in mind I care not at all forit.”

“Mrs. Winthrop,” Devin snapped, feeling the heat rise up his neck. “Please madam, have some decorum.” If he had any hope those rumors from the night in the coach were done, he no longer hadit.

“Decorum?” Mia screeched and stepped towards him like she meant to do murder. One of the men guarding her stopped her. “I’m but half dressed, I’ve been dragged from my home and…” Again she lifted her arms this time rattling the chain between the cuffs that held her prisoner. But when she dropped them she swayed on herfeet.

“Mia,” Devin called stepping towards her only to be stopped by one of those who’d pulled him offMallory.

“Perhaps the irons are not necessary,” Admiral Dunham said. “Lieutenant.” Devin turned to give the man a grateful look but the darkening skies beyond the windows made the hairs on the back of his neck standup.

The young man handed off his rifle and reached in his pocket, drawing out the key. Before anyone could contemplate it, Mia snatched the key away from him snarled something only the guards could hear that made them all step back. Then she turned and stomped up to the table. She slapped the key on the polished wood before the vice admiral then held out herwrists.

Her glare was enough to make even this man hesitate, but he lifted the key and carefully, as if ready to draw back at the slightest indication Mia would do him harm, unlocked the cuffs. They fell away and Mia rubbed at her skin before turning that heated stare onDevin.

“Mrs. Winthrop,” Admiral Dunhamstarted.

“Give me that,” Mia snapped and indicated she wanted Devin’s jacket. It was then that he noticed Mia was in fact only partially dressed. “If you want decorum, sir, I suggest you don’t drag women from their beds and not allow them a moment todress.”

“It wasn’t me,” Devin said as he quickly unbuttoned the coat and shrugged out ofit.

“I’m utterly done, with the royal navy, nobles and the whole damn kingdom of England. You can all go to Davey Jones,” she yelled and rather than let him help her put the coat on she snatched it from him, but the action again made her sway on her feet. Catching herself on the table edge she took a few deep breaths and moved more slowly as she put her arms in the warm thick wool of the captain’s coat. “Why am Ihere?”

“Mrs. Winthrop—” Dunhambegan.

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