AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He’s already a wanted man in France, Captain Winthrop,” Captain Ellis of theBritonsaid.
“I told you he cleared out ahead of my arrival. I had six ships coming in off the North Sea, no chance a French Brig could get by all of them unnoticed,” Gregor Dekker said. “He went west. He’s heading to Egypt or Istanbul. Either way he’s going for theMed.”
Devin shoved away from the table and paced the small ready room of this three-masted, triple-decked, one-hundred-twenty-four-gun, man-o-war frigate. What he wouldn’t give to have his light weight, fast little brig to use to chase down Mia’s captors. But with potential battle brewing in perhaps sovereign waters, the big ship slow as it was at nine knots was the more logical choice. And if Dekker was correct, the ship that carried Mia was as large and as slow. And given the winds hadn’t let up or once changed their due west heading, when the ship they chased turned south to find the Mediterranean, they’d have to fight the winds giving theBritonand Devin the chance they needed to catchup.
“Captain,” Mr. Asher called with a knock and a look of pain as hemoved.
“You’ll have to be more specific, man,” Captain Ellis said even as he waved Asherin.
“Pardon, Captain Winthrop,” Asher clarified then yelled out in pain as the choppy waters of the English Channel tossed him into the wall. A few deep breaths and he straightened and faced the captains. “Mr. Smithe and Mr. Quiggly thought you should know we are coming up to the mouth of the channel. Only a few ships in the waters, and none of them a galleon.” Again, the man’s expression turned to one of utter pain as the shiprolled.
“Would you sit your ass down, Mr. Asher,” Devin yelled. “God save me, you are as bad at commands as Mia. Mutinous the whole lot of you,” he grumbled as he helped the man find a seat on the bench under the aftwidows.
“I’m sorry Captain,” Asher said and grabbed Devin’s arm that he might give him that lookagain.
“We’ll find her, Asher. We will,” Devin said though he was only hoping for the outcome they all wanted. If not for this man, Devin wouldn’t even know Mia was taken or by whom. And it well might have been she’d gotten herself killed rather than taken, again if not forAsher.
Mia—all of them—the commodore, Mr. Hong, Grim and Devin all had this man to thank for that much. He’d dragged himself to a doorway where someone was at least willing to send for the authorities then for a doctor to dig the bullet out of his shoulder. And every time he roused to consciousness all he could say was Mia was taken by Jones. It took hours and Devin’s own collision course in his search for her to bring everyone together to figure out whathappened.
Commodore Dekker came into port that very morning Mia was being reported missing. His evidence of the activities of a man by the name of Michelinne handed over to the admirals just as Devin came in saying he wanted a ship because his wife was taken. The frantic hours wasted readying a ship and gathering a crew, more like thinning one out because every man from theIron Rose, all of the crew of the ships of the Wind and Pearl as well as many who knew Mia from the school, were fighting to join in thechase.
“How far west might Michelinne go before he turns south, Commodore?” Ellis went on. “Is it possible we can cut across and interceptthem?”
“He’s a seaman himself. He’ll cut in as far as he can, but not so much he’ll be noticed by others on the water. He knows he’s been made, that’s why he ran,” Dekker said and traced his finger along the map. “It might be possible we can come along leeward, but he has a two day run on usand—”
“Two days,” Devin snapped. “Two days because you didn’t bother to mention you were hunting a pirate when you handed Mia to me and sent us back here where she was in reach of his graspinghands.”
“I told you to take the wind from her sails. That you let her do whatever she pleased is not my fault,” Dekker yelled back. “I never expected the man to try and personally claim his holdings in England. He never should have come toport.”
“It is completely your fault. You’re the one who taught her to be a mutinous pirate whenever the feeling struck her. You should have been acting the father not the pirate. If you’d bothered to controlher—”
“I controlled her fine. And what happened to ‘the whip speaks loudly’?” You should have kept a better eye on her. She never behaved like a pirate when she was withme.”
“Like anyone would ever believe that. Every bit of what she is she learned from watching you. What made you even think it was a good idea to let her see what you were doing? What were you doing anyways? Not parenting Mia. No, you and your need for revenge turned you into exactly what she is now, a damnpirate.”
“I told you the navy knew what I was doing. They allowed me to hunt those bastards as I pleased soyoudidn’t have to. I was never anything pirate-like in front of my daughter. If you didn’t wet yourself so much in front of the admirals you had a floodedbilge—”
“I did no such thing. And you were the only one who might have taught her early on that she couldn’t sail an entire ship alone. That she needed a crew. No, you made her think she could be captain, crew and guns all on her own,” Devin yelled, never cursing Mia’s complete independence as much as he wasnow.
“You were supposed to be man enough to handle a real woman,” Dekker yelled back and then cast a nasty look at Asher who played at least some role in Devin being the man selected to take Mia as hiswife.
“Gentlemen,” Captain Ellis bellowed and stepped between them. “As we have had this argument out ad nauseum,” he looked between the two men, “perhaps it’s time you both concede the young lady is not simply a ship for some man to hold the helm, but the very sea herself, and will sink anyone who tried to ride against the current.” Captain Ellis looked between them and Devin knew he was correct. “And from everything I’ve heard, she isn’t going to become weak and useless in the face of suchtroubles.”
“She won’t,” both Devin and Dekker said atonce.
“That’s right,” Devin said as it occurred to him that Mia wasn’t going to simply sit and be kidnapped. “God save us, would she jumpship?”
“Not unless she knew she could stay afloat and make shore or there was another vessel in sight. But,” Dekker said pushing the maps away and lifting the artist rendering of theBlack Tide, the ship Mia was taken on, “but she might try and cripple it, even scuttleit.”
“Samuel,” Captain Ellis called to his aid. “Go topside, tell the crew to search the waters for wreckage. Anything large orsmall.”
“Aye, Captain.” Devin watched the man scurry off. Ellis’s crew was more formal than his own ever was but that was how it went with ships and captains. Each their own enclosed tight-knit family. He turned to look atAsher.
It was well known now that the man was part of Dekker’s crew as much as he was part of Devin’s. Dekker having approached him five years ago when he was placed on theIron Roseand asked him to report about the captain, how he ran his ship, the kind of man he was. By that time Devin was one of the few left in the running to be Mia’shusband.
That it turned out Devin won the prize was coincidence. That Asher continued to send reports about how well the couple was getting on irritated but didn’t really surprise Devin. He should have suspected something was a foul when Mr. Smithe found him in the middle of the ocean after the incident with the slave ship and again when Dekker knew to come looking for Mia when she fellill.
Only someone on board would be able to keep everyone apprised and as the man wasn’t giving out secrets about navy activity only telling a father that his daughter was mutinying against her husband Devin wasn’t going to press the man nor charge him. None of it mattered now and the man had risked his life for Mia. Devin wouldn’t be able to repay that. And he rather thought because Asher stayed in touch with the commodore to know how to help find the man responsible for all the pirate activity the man might be able to claim hero status and Devin’s acts could fade intohistory.
