A Pirate Princess (13 page)

He nestled down in the warm spot where Cori had been lying and fell asleep immediately. Corisanda St. Aubin stared at the handsome man sleeping next to her.
If only you were not a pirate,
she silently thought. She watched the sun rise into the sky over the tranquil blue water. By the time half of the sun was visible over the distant water’s edge, Cori noticed a small black dot advancing along the coastline. “Burke, Burke, wake up!”

“Cori, I have only been asleep an hour or two at the most!” He complained wearily.

“I see a ship!” She squealed.

“A ship?”
Burke asked jumping up alertly.

Cori pointed at the distant boat, “Yes, do you see it?”

“Yes, I do. I cannot tell if it’s
The Heart of Calais
or
The Beloved Loss
. It’s too far away,” he stated, scurrying out of the cave for a better look.

“What should we do?” H
is companion asked.

“Well, I suppose we should just stay here until we know who it is. If that’s
The Beloved Loss
we shall just hide until they pass, but if it’s my crew and my ship we need to get onto the beach so they will see us.” Burke answered anxiously.

Minutes passed that seemed like hours and finally the ship was in clear enough view to tell that it certainly was the large, elegant, stylish vessel that Burke designed himself a couple years before. The pair dashed down the rocks and onto the sandy beach below. They waved their arms over their heads until
loud whoops and hollers were heard from the advancing ship. “We’ve been saved,” Cori squealed in excitement.

“You were safe with me
all along, Cori.” Burke chastised as he chased her around the beach.

“Help, help!”
She hollered in playful laughter as she ran from Burke.

The large vessel finally came to a stop and Acel threw a rope ladder down for his cousin to climb up. Cori went up first and Burke followed closely behind, watching her derriere the whole way from the beach to the deck. Acel, Karoly, Quain, Garner, Davet, Leala, and Miette met
them as they boarded and hugged Burke lovingly. They each shook hands curiously with the girl he brought aboard. Acel was jabbering quickly to Burke about the victory with the buccaneer vessel and the small battle with
The Beloved Loss
. Ruining the reunion, a hateful voice cried, “Burke,
my darling
.”

“
Odelia
,” Burke whispered under his breath, realizing he had not even mentioned his fiancé to Cori.

The conniving blonde squeezed herself between Cori and Burke, falling into Burke’s arms dramatically. “I have been worried sick,
dearest
. Where have you been?”

“Really, Ode
lia? I hoped you would not
concern
yourself over me. This is Corisanda St. Aubin,” he introduced placing one arm lovingly around Cori’s shoulders.

Odelia glared at the taller, younger, prettier girl and snidely answered
, “I am
Lady
Odelia Vadeboncour, Burke’s
fiancé
, but I am sure he has told you all about me.”

Cori stared at her in shock, trying not to show her embarrassment, “Actually no, he told me very
little
about himself. Congratulations on your engagement.”

Purposely ignoring Cori, Odelia grabbed Burke’s hand and drug him toward the ornately designed
dining area, “Come, Burke! Let’s catch up on all the time we’ve lost in the past few days.”

Burke, not knowing how to get away from his future wife, shot a glance back toward Cori
as he paused to whisper to his crew quietly enough that Odelia could not hear. “Quain, will you show Cori to her quarters? You may give her mine, it is the most comfortable. I shall be spending most of my time at the helm anyway. Acel, turn us around and get us back to
The Beloved Loss
. I will be back momentarily.”

Burke accompanied Odelia to the large table and pulled a chair out for her to sit down. She sat pol
itely and turned toward him, “How kind of you, Burke. You must have missed me indeed.”

Odelia’s voice made Burke’s stomach turn. He winced at her phony version of flirting. “Is that your impression?” He asked dryly, scooting her chair toward the table for her.

She smirked and turned toward his chair to wait on him to sit. “Well, aren’t you going to…” She began as she turned to see Burke abruptly walking away instead of taking the chair next to hers. “Where on Earth are you going, Burke?”

“I have important matters to attend to right now, Odelia. I have not had a proper bath in days, I have been
wearing these same clothes since I last saw you, and I need to prepare my men for the upcoming battle with Cori’s father. You’ve
missed
me this long; perhaps you won’t mind missing me just a little longer. I know
I
shall have no problem with it. You will excuse me,
right
?” He asked, giving her no time to object.

Odelia glared at him through squinted eyes, “What do you mean by ‘Cori’? I thought the lowly piece-of-garbage pirate was named ‘Corisanda’?”

“ODELIA!” He snapped loudly, marching back to point his finger in her face. “Do not ever let me hear you say another hateful word about her! Do you understand? You might become my wife and I may be stuck with you until death but if you do not watch your tongue when addressing Cori your death shall come much sooner than you expect!”

Odelia watched him storm through
the dining room door as she silently planned her revenge against Burke and the dark haired sea nymph he brought with him.

“That did no
t take long, Captain.” Quain stated as Burke walked down the corridor leading to his spacious quarters.

Burke nodded impatiently, “Did Cori seem satisfied with her room?”

“Yes, she was fine with it. She is such a beautiful girl, is she not? Not to mention, agreeable and so friendly!” He answered.

Burke grunted, realizing that men would be dropping for Cori like flies from that point forward
. “Yeah, she is pretty special, I guess.”

He dismissed Quain and
knocked softly on his own master doorway. “Cori, can I come in?”

Burke heard a few shuffling footsteps then a
hesitant, irritated reply, “It is your room, is it not?”

He pushed the door open slowly and smiled, “How do you like living in a space with a lock on the inside of the room instead of the outside?”

Cori did not bother with small talk or joking, “Why did you not tell me you were engaged?”

“Ah, Cori, it i
s a strained situation,” Burke began, closing the door behind him. “You see, it’s not a very happy union.”

“
She sure seemed happy about it to me!” Cori quarreled.

Burke nodded, “She is. I’
m not.”

“Then why are you marrying her?”

“She is a wealthy French Earl’s daughter and he does not plan to give me any choice in the matter. Odelia claimed a few untruths and I am the one paying the price,” he explained vaguely.

“That does not seem right at all. Why would an Earl want his daughter marrying a sea-faring man who will never be home?” Cori prompted.

“It is a long story and I shall tell you about it soon. I must go help Acel. If we attack
The Beloved Loss
I want you to stay in this room with the door locked, alright? I will take no chances on losing you to them again. Plus, if it gets rough you do not need to see that violence. Farewell,” he whispered, leaving her alone in the large room again.

“What are the plans, boss?” Acel asked Burke, giving his cousin another pat on the back.

Burke chuckled and hugged his best friend tightly, “I think you missed me a little.”

Acel scoffed, and punched Burke playfully in the arm. “I was a little worried. I did not know if I was capable of finding you or not. You know, if it had been me missing, I would have had faith that you would rescue me in no time. I just did not know if I could do the same for you! I’m relieved.”

“Oh, little Ace!
I had faith in you, I had no doubt you would find me. Ask Cori, I kept telling her not to worry about anything. I knew you would handle it. I taught you well,” Burke teased.

Acel grew silent for a moment, “So, what
is the deal with the girl?”

“She nee
ded off that ship, Ace. She is not like them,” he explained in a whisper.

“Yeah, but Burke, is it really safe to feel sorry for a pirate? She tricked us once; this whole thing could be another ploy for the pirates to get to us or something. Who knows?” Ace
l reasoned nervously.

“I know
she is being honest. I just know it in my heart. She needed away from
The Beloved Loss
. I am helping her get to safety somewhere to start her own life. She is a sweet girl with a loving heart.”

Acel believed Burke about Cori, but that made him even more afraid. “Speaking of hearts, is saving hers worth breaking yours?”

“What do you mean by that?” Burke asked in confusion.

“I know you. You’
re my cousin. You are my best friend. You were there for me when no one else was. I know you, and I know that you brought that girl here for more than just pity. I think you’re in love with her,” he said, laying it all out on the table.

“What? Me?
In love? No way! I just want to help her have a normal life, Ace! That’s all. She deserves happiness, freedom, a good man.” Burke grumbled in denial.

“And do you want to be that good man?” Acel argued stubbornly.
Burke was silent for a moment. If it was anyone but Acel Belcourt fighting with him he could have easily lied and gotten away with it. No one had to know about Burke’s strange infatuation, but Acel knew Burke too well for lies or secrets.

He sighed exasperatedly
, there was no way to lie to his cousin and be believed, “Okay, maybe a little bit. However, I know what you are going to say, so spare me! I am marrying Odelia, like it or not. I have no choice! And Cori is a good girl. She would never agree to be my mistress; I have already thought of that and ruled it out. So, all I am going to do is free her from Marin and Falco. They are horrible to her, Ace. I am just going to release her so she can live her own life and be happy. Then, I will marry Odelia as planned. Alright?”

“Well, I do no
t think you should marry Odie without a fight. I think you should keep looking for a way out of the union with her. I just think you should be careful trusting Corisanda, alright?” Acel begged.

“I
’m not stupid, Ace.”

“Just promise you
shall be careful.”

“I promise, happy?”

Acel smiled roguishly, “Yes, Captain, I am happy.”

Burke shook his head dramatically, “Since
all your fears have been confronted, can we make some plans for attacking
The Beloved Loss
?”

“When we searched their ship yesterday evening they hid from us. They disappeared. The Hispaniola inhabitants are loyal to them, so we can trust no one for help. However, we did some damage to their vessel so they should still be making repairs. The only way they could be gone already is if they worked through the night. Even if they did, they should not be far ahead of us,” Acel considered.

Burke stood at the helm and steered his adored ship with ease, “If they are afraid of us Marin shall get them away. He is pretty wise for a pirate. However, I doubt they would give up on Cori that quickly. Falco really wants her.”

“How many men will we have to arrest for King
Louis?” Quain asked as he joined the group.

“Marin, Falco, Sharlene, Klaas, and Zeeman.
There are two Spanish servants, Guillermo and Novia, to be freed in Cuba. There are also two other pirates, Yvet and Laron, who we are pardoning as well. They deserve freedom with a warning that if I ever catch them pirating again I shall turn them in immediately. Those two, along with Cori will be released when we reach France. There are also a slew of children on that boat, Quain. They were all kidnapped from Argentina. Falco was going to sell them on the Barbary Coast of Africa as slaves. We must return them to their families.”

Quain scribbled down Burke’s answer on an aging piece of paper. It was his job, as Second Mate, to work one on one with Garner and the
other French Naval gunmen when they invaded
The Beloved Loss
. “Alright, we are arresting five, freeing five, and rescuing a boat load of traumatized children. We were once fearsome sea voyagers but we have recently become policemen, judges, and babysitters. I better go inform the men,” Quain shrugged as he walked away.

Cori sat in Burke’s spacious quarters trying not to cry.
Why am I so upset?
She wondered.
It is none of my business whether Burke is engaged or not. I have no plans of marrying him, he’s a pirate. So why does it bother me?
Someone knocking lightly on the wide, mahogany door jarred Cori out of her tiresome thoughts. “Come in,” she called.

The two maids she met a few minutes earlier bustled in. The older one, Leala, gave Cori a curious stare while the younger maid, Miette, smiled shyly. “Do you want a warm bath,
Mademoiselle?” Leala questioned courteously.

“Yes, if it is not to
o much trouble. A bath would be wonderful. I can heat my own water though if you will just show me where everything is,” Cori answered politely. She was used to acting as a ship’s maid just as Leala and Miette were.

Leala was confused at the pretty woman’s offer. Odelia would have never offered to
do anything for herself, “No, Mademoiselle. That is our job, we shall be happy to help you.”

“Oh, I really do not feel right letting you help me. I am no privileged Lady, as Burke’s fiancé is. I have been a ship maid since I was five years old,” she informed them.

“Really?” Miette gasped. “Burke said you were a
pirate princess
!”

Leala scowled darkly at Miette
but Cori only giggled, “Oh, did he? Well, that may be his term for me because I’m a pirate captain’s daughter. However, I was a burden to him, not special like most daughters are to their father. My stepmother put me to work as soon as she married my father. I am no princess of any kind.”

This time it was Leala who seemed surprised, “You poor girl! You are no longer a pirate! You are now a guest aboard
The Heart of Calais
and we will treat you as such. Just get comfortable and we shall be right back with warm bath water and scented soaps.”

“Are you sure you do not mind?” Cori asked.

Leala did not answer; she just hurried out of the room on a mission. Miette lingered for a moment with another shy grin. “You are very beautiful, Mademoiselle!”

“Oh
, thank you, Miette. You are too, but you may call me by my name,” she replied.

“Okay
, Corisanda
!” Miette whispered as she rushed from the room to help her mother.

Minutes later, Cori was relaxing in a large bathtub for the first time in her life, soaking in luxurious vanilla scented soap.
Miette washed Cori’s long black hair and combed through it until it was glossy and straight. “This is so much nicer than a little bucket of cold water and a scratchy bar of soap!” Cori sighed, sinking deeper into the warm water and closing her eyes.

“Mother says that Burke looks at you like he never does with any woman,” Miette whispered.

Cori’s eyes popped open, “No, she must be mistaken. Burke does not care about me.”

“Yes, he must! Mother has known Burke since he was a young boy! My father has too! I heard
Daddy tell my mother that Burke was smitten with you and she actually agreed with him! They never agree on anything,” Miette rattled.

Cori felt her heart beat speed up momentarily and a light blush come to her cheeks. “Burke and I are only friends. We helped each other escape and that is all. He is marrying Lady Odelia, right?”

“Right, but he does not want to marry her. He cannot stand Lady Odelia! She’s hateful and mean, no one likes her. Mother is preparing Lady Odelia’s bath right now. She takes two baths a day in lavender oil, eats all of her meals in her quarters, and rarely leaves her bed! She gets seasick,” Miette whispered nervously.

“How is she
going to handle marriage to a captain then? If she ever plans to see Burke she will have to travel with him. Surely she shall not choose to stay home alone,” Cori prompted curiously.

“Well, I heard my father saying that Burke pl
ans to give up his career as a captain to stay home in France with her. He does not want to and seems sick about it! I think he will keep all of his ships and own his company, he shall only handle the business end and let Acel take care of sailing,” Miette explained sadly.

Cori was in complete shock that Burke would give up something he enjoyed so much. “What do you mean by
his company
or the
business end
?” She asked.

Miette tried to remember the explanation her father had given her before about Burke’s career,
“Well, Burke is a trader, you know. He trades goods from Japan to Africa, France to America! The only place we do not deal with often is here, the Caribbean! He says that this is controlled by to many pirates and buccaneers to interfere with. Anyway, people place orders all over the world and Burke collects the merchandise they request, whether it is rugs, spices, or jewels. Then we bring it to them! That takes a lot of work.”

Cori nodded her head in amusement, “I see.”
Burke is not a normal pirate; he is a very good one! How does he trade and make orders like that without being caught or arrested? People actually trust Burke to steal things they request and bring it to them reliably! What strange behavior for a sea-criminal.

The two sat in silence for several minutes until Miette finally spoke up, “Well, Mother probably needs my help. She said we were getting closer to
The Beloved Loss
and that we would be waging war with them. I will have to help with anything they need. Just call when you are ready to get out and I shall help you dry off!”

Cori sat still in the tub until Miette walked out, closing the door behind her. She quickly stood up, wrapped herself in the towel and
dressed in the spare outfit she brought in her bag.
There is no way I could relax when Burke is attacking my father’s ship! Besides, I like to dry myself off.
Cori thought hurriedly.

Cori paced the room,
too afraid to leave but too nervous to sit. She was being bombarded with thoughts and felt unable to sort any of them out.
Are we close to The Beloved Loss? My father could be killed! What if Burke loses? Falco will kill me! Burke’s engaged! We shall no longer even be allowed to speak. If Burke planned to give up pirating for Odelia, would he give it up for someone like me?

Forcing herself to sit and calm down, Cori leaned back in Burke’s bed. It was the only one she had ever laid in besides her own aboard
The Beloved Loss
. Burke’s bed was nearly three times the size of her meager bunk. It was much more comfortable too! His pillows were soft and fluffy instead of hard and flat. His sheets and covers were soft and expensive instead of old and scratchy.
I could get used to this lifestyle,
she considered dreamily.

As
content as she was, even the newfound comfort was not enough to make Cori relax. Bounding off the bed, she made her way to the grand door. Cori paused for a moment, took a deep breath, swung the door open, closed it behind her and bounded down the elegant hallway to the ornate set of stairs that led to the main deck of Burke’s grand ship. She walked cautiously up the stairs and peeked meekly onto the deck.

Burke was at the helm, proudly looking over the bright blue Caribbean Sea. Acel stood smiling at Burke’s side,
animatedly unfolding some lavish story he was telling with the use of his arms, legs and feet. Quain, Burke’s redheaded Second Mate, was discussing battle plans with Garner and Karoly, Miette’s father.

Garner is handsome,
Cori consented to herself.
Although he is not as masculine and breathtaking as Burke, there is something about Garner that seems mysterious, gentle, and easy to be around. He will make some lucky woman a fine husband, but I do not want him to be mine.
She shook her head, wondering why Burke came to mind every time she thought about marriage, love or romance.

Davet, the French cook Cori had been introduced to an hour earlier, was bringing samples of food around from person to person. Cori did not
understand why everyone politely declined a sample of Davet’s snacks but after agreeing to taste one of his appetizers she had a clear understanding of the carefree man’s lack of cooking skills.