A Pirate Princess (3 page)

Her eyes narrowed maliciously, “Burke! How dare you let him speak to your fiancé in such a manner?”

Burke could not answer her through his laughter. He chuckled so loud that the rest of the crew wondered what on Earth was so humorous. “Sorry, Odelia. Acel, how dare you speak to my straight-laced, prudish, proper, angelic fiancé that way?

“OH!” she shrieked as she stormed away from the cackling cousins.

“There we go, Captain. She shall never leave her quarters again, to be sure!” Acel saw with a wink, patting his idol on the back.

Trying to calm his laughter, Burke replied to the younger man. “Thank you, Ace. Back to work! Let us make sure everything is in tip-top shape and ready to be unloaded. We need to work as quickly as possible so that we can begin our search for
The Beloved Loss
.”

Acel nodded in agreement and rushed away to carry out Burke’s command. At the age of twenty four, Acel
Belcourt admired Burke like an older brother. The two men were much alike in every way. The handsome cousins even looked like brothers. One of the only differences was Acel’s absolute excitement to find a loving woman to marry.

Acel and Burke’s fathers were born into the title of Dukes. Burke’s father was The Duke of Bordeaux, and Acel’s was the Duke of Tulle. The Duke of Bordeaux, Reule Belcourt married a Lady of nobility, the oldest daughter of the Marquis of Auxerre. Unlike Burke’s mother, Lady Damica Belcourt, Acel’s father married a common woman who was
not
from a titled family.

Ruskin Belcourt loved his wife, Elita, despite the dreadful treatment they received from many of the other noble families. Caring little about unnecessary judgments, Reule and Ruskin Belcourt remained best friends and
inseparable brothers. With a simple decree from the King, all needless opinions were blocked. Ruskin was noble, making his wife and children noble as well. The Duke and Duchess of Tulle and their son were just as noble as the older Belcourt brother and his own family. No matter what any of the other nobles in France argued!

That worked well, until an unfortunate event brought the gossipers back into action. Ruskin Belcourt became ill at an early age, dying much younger than anyone expected. The other noble families shunned Elita and her child, Acel, insisting that they were nothing but commoners again.

No matter what Reule and Damica did to prevent such harsh treatment of their sister-in-law and nephew, nothing seemed to help. Acel was still noble, by law. He was the Earl of Lille and no one but the King could take it away from him. However, Acel’s carefree attitude stopped him from ever reminding anyone, like Odelia, that he was indeed noble.

Acel Belcourt had a grand chateau,
although it was much smaller than Burke’s, and a whole staff of servants. If he ever married, his wife and children could live privileged lives as a noble family. However, he highly doubted that they would be accepted by society since he, noble as could be, was still being denied. Something like that would have infuriated Burke. The older cousin would have demanded respect for himself, just as he continuously insisted respect for his Uncle Ruskin’s only son.

When Ruskin died, Elita and Acel came to live with Reule, Damica, and Burke. At ages ten and four, Burke and Acel became the best of friends. Nothing could separate the two boys and they had vowed that nothing ever would. Acel hoped for Burke’s sake that Odelia would find some other prey. No one deserved such harsh punishment as
being forced into marriage with Odelia Vadeboncour, especially not a fantastic gentleman like his cousin, Burke.

Hours later, they were close enough to land that they could see the sandy beach. “What island is it?” Quain asked.

“If I am not mistaken, I believe it is Hispaniola!” Burke answered with a wide smile.

“Have you been to Hispaniola before?” Karoly questioned in excitement.

Burke shook his head, “No. Never! But if we are right on course, that is where we should be! And I cannot see it clearly enough yet, but there is a large ship sitting right off the beach! Would it not be great if it was
The Beloved Loss
? Then we could just cruise around for awhile, not worrying about work!”

Karoly looked at Burke with a doubtful expression. “Why would a pirate ship be sitting right in the open like that though, Captain? Would they not be hiding somewhere instead?”

“Well, apparently that is what makes their captain such an intimidating one! He is not scared of a thing, and though he probably hides everywhere else he goes, he would not need to be sneaky at Hispaniola. They say he has many who work for him on that island, no one would try to take him down there. He has claimed control, so to speak, without the authority of owning it.”

“I see. So that is why you wanted to go to Hispaniola first? You wanted to get information on
The Beloved Loss
!” Quain answered himself as understanding washed over the crew.

Burke replied casually, staring through his binoculars at the distant ship. “Of course, but who knows if
this is actually Hispaniola! You know I get mixed up sometimes…”

The crew
talked with their easy going captain until Burke was ready to claim their attention. “Okay, we do not know what we are going to find here. We are accustomed to trading with Africa, Asia and other European countries where they welcome us, but this is different. We have never been here before and they do not expect our visit. They may be hostile or angry that we came.”

The handsome c
aptain took a breath and continued, knowing what to expect from his crewmembers. “I plan to go directly to
The Beloved Loss
, if that is it we see. If they seem peaceful enough to talk to me, I want you to take the ship and discuss trade with the islanders while I am gone, Acel. And Karoly, I need you to stay aboard
The Heart of Calais
to help me when I get ready. Be prepared for a hasty departure though, in case we are not warmly greeted.”

“Burke! You know we will not be welcomed if you march across
The Beloved Loss
and tell them you are arresting them!” Acel exclaimed in bewilderment.

Burke smiled at his worried crew, “No, no! I am not that ignorant! I plan to board
The Beloved Loss
to discuss
trade
with them. I will ask their captain to come aboard
The Heart of Calais
to look over our goods. When I get him on our ship, alone, I shall take him prisoner. I will then call the rest of his men aboard, a few at a time. Karoly and I together can tie and gag each until their ship is empty!”

He paused to make sure everyone was in understanding with him. “In the mean
time, Acel, you and the rest of the crew must be discussing a real trade with the locals. We will hide the pirate crew below deck while we empty our ship and reload. By the time we finish it will be nightfall and we can take
The Beloved Loss
with
The Heart of Calais
and leave without anyone even knowing what happened. Understand?”

“Ay-ay, Captain!” the men shouted in unison, trusting their leader with no doubts.

Less than an hour later, Burke was rounding up his crew once again. “My good luck might be back, boys!” he bragged with a mischievous grin on his handsome face.

“Is it
The Beloved Loss,
Sir?” Quain asked hopefully.

“Sure enough!
Says so right there along the side,
The Beloved Loss!
She is a pretty ship, is she not?” The captain nervously posed.

Acel, becoming tense and edgy, started rambling. Burke, knowing his cousin well, expected his descriptive answer. “Yes Sir, but she is an older ship.
The Beloved Loss
is not nearly as elegant or expensive as
The Heart of Calais
. Our ship is built with perfect taste. It is quick, easy to hide and maneuver, and top of the line in beauty and glamour. It’s even spacious enough to have comfortable living quarters below deck. Plus, with the help of Karoly it’s safe and solid.”

A
lmost within firing range, the captain noticed the pirate ship crew raising a flag to warn Burke to keep their distance, or that they were waging war, it was too soon to tell! “Alright men, get to your stations. Garner, keep a strong command over your naval battalion. If
The Beloved Loss
starts firing or if I give you any signal of alarm, return their attack, understand? Quain, prepare bandages, medicine, and anything else you think we may need in case of injuries.” As each man received their orders they nodded in acceptance and ran to their positions.

Burke continued after watching Garner and Quain rush to their duties. “Davet, boil water in case Quain needs anything sterilized. Mix up soup or whatever you can find that might soothe the weak, just in case. Leala and Miette,
you two need to run back and forth between Quain, Karoly and Davet, assisting as needed. Take care of Lady Odelia. Ignore her if you want to, lock her in her cabin if necessary, but above all else, please, please, please keep her below deck and out of my way! Karoly, you are on carpenter duty! If
The Heart of Calais
is damaged I need you to fix it immediately. Steal Leala or Miette if you have to. Just make sure we stay afloat!”

All the men were dashing to their designated spot, leaving only one waiting for a command. “And Ace, my boy, you know your job is to keep everyone else in line and help me with whatever catastrophe I get us into.
Alright?”

Acel nodded, whooping in excitement as he ran to check each man for the ready signal. With one thumb up and a big smile toward Burke, the First Mate approved that everything was ready for battle, trade, or fun, whichever came first.

The Beloved Loss
was moving too. Still a distance from land, the pirate ship and
The Heart of Calais
were closing in on each other. Burke stood at the Helm of his ship, preparing for war with the other boat. He had his plan ready but the speed of which the enemy ship was moving clearly demonstrated that it was in no mood for peace and pleasure.

Then, to his extreme alarm, he noticed a pair of shapely arms waving him closer to
The Beloved Loss.
Burke could not believe his eyes. “Is that a woman?” He questioned out loud as he raised his binoculars.

Sure enough, it was a woman.
It was an absolutely beautiful, breathtakingly stunning woman. She was a tan skinned goddess with dark hair flowing all the way down her back. The young woman was wearing a gown that left little to the imagination and motioned him forward, waving a white flag of surrender for peace.

“H
old fire, Garner. Stay on standby!” Burke yelled to his Ex-Navy Gunner.

Burke pulled the ship closer and closer until the two ships were side by side. “Permission to board, lovely lady?” he questioned to the enchantress of
The Beloved Loss
.

“Are you the c
aptain of that ship?” she questioned.

Burke, mesmerized by her voice and entranced by her beauty had to think before answering her question. “Oh, yes, I am. My name is Burke Belcourt, and I am seek
ing the captain of
The Beloved Loss
. May I come aboard so I can speak with him in private, Mademoiselle?”

“Let me ask my Father,” she whispered in fear, wondering what was going on. This script had been replayed hundreds of times through the past several years of Cori’s life. Never had
The Beloved Loss
waited this long to attack!
Why are we not firing?
Cori wondered.
What has happened? Why is Yvet not blowing this ship to pieces by now? Oh Lord, surely my father has not taken my advice and grown a heart…

Barely dismis
sing herself from the handsome captain of the other ship, Cori ran from the main deck where she had been standing to the enclosed helm where she knew her father would be intensely watching. “What is it, girl? What did he say?”

“Father, he says he has
traveled here to speak with you. Why did we not attack him, Sir?” Cori asked anxiously.

“That is a French ship. It is also a very new vessel, expensive and elaborate. We could use that ship. If they are pirates then they must be quite successful. Or maybe France has started sending buccaneers, like England. Regardless, I need to know. So I told the men to hold fire. Did he say where he came from, or why he has requested
me?” Marin asked his daughter, being unusually calm and patient with her.

“No sir, should I tell him he can board peaceably?” Cori asked.

Marin was quiet for a moment, contemplating his decision. “Yes. But he must come alone. If he is alone he shall be no threat to us. I will return him peaceably to Hispaniola to meet his crew when I have learned his reasons for locating me. Okay?”

“Yes, Father.” Cori whispered as she turned on her heels and ran back to the enemy ship. She heard her father’s words and his lack of hostility. However, she had been disappointed time and time again. Rarely did her father or Falco show mercy on anyone and she assumed this man would see the same fate.