The Princess's Bride (11 page)

Judie opened her mouth to complain, but before she could get one word out, Dread had placed the pistol into her mouth and cocked the trigger. She raised an eyebrow and held up both her hands and quickly sat down. Jimmy sat there, sobbing and babbling under his breath.

"Mister Martin, please pick up the lady and ride ahead to the ship. I will finish here."

Martin nodded and carefully picked up Daisy. "You are certain you can handle these two?"

Dread pulled out her sabre and pointed it at the siblings. Their eyes went wide, and the Judie chewed on a thumbnail.

"If you are not on the ship in two hours, I'm coming back here," Martin promised.

Dread patted him on the shoulder and went to pull the sack off the woman, but stopped at the last moment. "Make sure to take this burlap off her head so she can breathe easily as you ride. You can put her in my cabin and check her over for any other bruises or abuse she may have suffered at the hands of these nincompoops."

"Hey now! We ain't touched one hair on her head. Right, Jimmy?" Judie poked her brother and he nodded.

"Right she is, Captain! We…" Jimmy's eyes rolled backward and his head dropped over his chest. A moment later his snores filled the room.

Martin gave Judie a hard look as he walked out the room. He pulled the sack off the young lady's head and dropped it in the doorway. He walked out, glancing down at the delicate and petite woman in his arms. She had gone through so much already, but she still had much more to endure.

Dread picked up the jeweled necklace, giving it hard look.

"Hey! That’s mine!" Judie complained loudly.

"Judie. Shut the fuck up." Dread rubbed one of the diamonds and frowned. She picked up the ring and bit down on it. "We both have been fooled. These are nothing but cheap glass."

"Wot?" Judie's mouth made an 'O,' and she reached over to grab the faux gems from Dread.

Dread stepped out of her reach and put them in the satchel. She walked over to the pallet and picked up the rope, pulling it taunt. She walked behind Judie and whispered into her ear.

"Now that we have that bit of business out of the way, you must be punished. Did you forget what I said I would do if I ever saw you again? I can see you're shaking. Afraid of what I'm going to do you?"

Judie turned her head and stuck out her tongue. "Do your worst, Dread. Ravish and plunder me for all I care!"

Dread walked away, pacing the room as she played with the rope. When she stopped again and turned, she was stunned to see that Judie had lifted her legs up on the table and spread them out, with her skirt tucked up to her stomach. She wasn't wearing any undergarments and the smell of her arousal was pungent and bitter.

Dread wiggled her nose and frowned. She still couldn't believe she had once enjoyed this woman's body and tasted the slippery folds that were now on crude display.

"Whatcha gonna do, Captain?" Judie licked her lips and dipped her hands in between her legs, releasing a loud moan.

"God give me strength." Dread muttered and lifted up her sabre again, cutting Judie's bodice open from her neck to her navel. "Strip and lay down on the bed," she ordered and gave her a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

With the full moon shining brightly in the sky, Dread galloped to
The Lady Desire
in under the two hour deadline Martin had given her. With her head hanging low over her horse's neck, she flew down the coastline to where her ship was anchored behind the jagged cliffs.

She spotted
The Lady Desire
and waved a white handkerchief in the air. Three members of her crew stood up from the row boat lying near the shore and waved back at her. She jumped off her horse and walked over to the small craft.

Dread climbed into the small boat, and when all three of her men were ready, they pulled out onto the water and rowed toward her ship. Dread stood at the front of the helm with her arms crossed, gazing upon her home on the water with great pride. The huge fifty-foot-long sloop was one of the fastest ships on the sea. With her crew of sixty, she could swiftly outrun and attack enemies. In spite of
The Lady Desire
weighing close to one-hundred tons, it could maneuver very well in shallow water. It was the only vessel of its kind that had a specialty made cast iron hull, per her directions, four cannons on each side and seven sailing masts. The ship was both admired and feared.

The Lady Desire
had been willed to her five years ago, when her uncle had been murdered in his bed in retaliation from escaping Humphrey after a fierce sea battle. Her brow puckered at the thought of Humphrey, and she wished she could see his face once he found out his precious bride-to-be had been kidnapped by his worst enemy.

The sea was pretty tame, with barely a ripple on the surface. The dinghy reached the side of
The Lady Desire
in no time and a rope ladder was thrown over the side. Dread climbed up with ease. Martin grabbed hold of her arm to pull her aboard.

She clapped Martin on the back and took stock of her crew, who were busy readying the ship to sail.

"How long until we're off?" Dread asked as she pulled off her leather gloves and walked down the stairs, into the belly of the ship.

"Less than twenty minutes, Captain."

"Excellent. I take it you had no obstacles on your ride here?"

Martin walked alongside her. "None at all. The lass is still unconscious. She has a knot on the back of her head and a nasty bruise on her cheek, as well as some slight scratches on her neck and arms, but other than that she is no worse for wear. I don't think she has been harmed in any other way… if you catch my meaning."

"She better not be. It's one thing to hold a hostage against their will, but another thing entirely to abuse them," Dread snarled, not pleased by the idea that her lady prisoner could have been mistreated in such a way. She reached her cabin. "She is an innocent in all of this and already has been through a great deal from those two bumbling asses."

"Speakin' of jackasses. What did you do to the James' siblings?"

Dread opened her door and leaned back against the wall. "I left the brother there to bleed and made Judie strip and tied her to the bed. She actually expected me to 'have my wicked way with her and to teach her a lesson'. I taught her a lesson, all right. I grabbed all her clothes and the satchel and left her there hurling curses at me. I threw everything into the ocean. They can both rot, for all I care."

Martin let out a few booming laughs and rubbed a finger across his mustache. "I would’ve loved to have seen that. Oh, and what about the precious Humphrey jewelry?"

"You won't believe this. Humphrey must be worst off than we first thought. The necklace and ring are fakes, just pretty glass and nothing more. I threw them into the ocean as well."

Martin scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want to be in your cabin when the lady awakes and finds out that her neck and finger are bare. Are you going to tell her that her engagement gifts were worthless?"

"Perhaps she will be too busy to notice or even care." Dread wiggled her eyebrows and winked.

"I'm not even going to ask how you intend to spend the next few hours." Martin yawned deeply. "Other than that small hiccup, I take it there shouldn't be any more problems?"

Dread raised an eyebrow. "For now. Next step is getting the ransom money from Humphrey and making certain he doesn't find us before we can get to him first."

"You know we are playing a dangerous game here, C.W. Humphrey is going to come after us with everything he has."

"I can't hardly wait." Dread grinned and patted Martin on the cheek. "Go get some rest. I will handle the lady when she awakens."

"I trust you can. But keep in mind she is a wee little thing and will probably be scared out of her mind."

"Will do." Dread nodded and saluted. She walked into her cabin, closed her door and left her gloves on the desk. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Two lamps were lit near her king-sized bed that lay under a large porthole, giving her a wonderful view of the ocean.

Dread looked over at the prone figure lying in the center of her bed. She unfastened the top buttons of her shirt and untied her black eye mask. She cracked her neck from side to side and poked the sides of her temples with her fingers, releasing the tension there. When she stood at the bottom of her bed, she looked down at the petite young woman wearing a smudged, wrinkled ball gown. Her hostage's face was covered by wavy blonde locks that reached down to her waist.

She felt a pang near her heart and rubbed her chest. For some reason this woman seemed familiar to her…

Dread walked over and sat down on the side of the bed. Her hand shook as she pushed away the woman's soft hair that smelled of fresh cut flowers. Once the light from the moon hit her unconscious face, Dread let out a gasp.

"Daisy!" Dread practically shouted in astonishment.

Daisy moaned, turning her face away, and let out a deep breath.

Dread covered her mouth with both hands and sat there, stunned. She reached out again and cupped Daisy's head, turning her face back to get a better look. Dread licked her lips and touched her own scarred cheek. The same scar Daisy's father had given her almost eight years ago when he’d found them together in the dilapidated barn.

"Oh Daisy… how can it be you?" Captain Dread, known also as C.W., and Chelsey to her most intimate friends, gazed down at the girl she had once loved and had never forgotten.

Disbelief filled her very soul as she stared at the shockingly attractive woman who was planning to marry her worst enemy.

****

The rocking of the ship and the sounds of seagulls calling to one another woke Daisy from her slumber. She blinked her eyes and turned to her side as her stomach churned in such a way that made her gag. She took deep breaths to stop from vomiting all over herself and the comfortable bed she was laying on… satin sheets so soft against her face…

Daisy sat up and the room spun. She dropped her head into her palms and swallowed as her stomach rebelled once again. Her cheek throbbed and her head felt as if it was going to burst open. She moaned and gingerly touched the back of her head. There was a small lump, about size of an egg that stung when she poked it.

"Where am I?" Daisy whispered, lifting her head again. She blinked a few more times to bring the room into focus, and when she could see clearly again, she looked around in wide-eyed fear. This was not her bedroom.

Her mouth was dry and her lips chapped. No amount of licking them would give her the relief she needed. She was saddened by the sight of her beautiful ball gown all torn and encrusted with grime and other unrecognizable stains. Her hands were also smudged with dirt and a few of her nails were broken.

Daisy let out a gasp when she noticed her diamond engagement ring and necklace were missing. She searched the bed in a wild manner, praying that her jewelry had fallen off and was hiding under the sheets. After a few minutes, her search became a fruitless one. All she found for her troubles was a few pieces of lint and long, dark hairs.

She groaned loudly, tunneling her fingers through her hair, and scrunched her nose as the scent of horseflesh rose up from her dress. Before she could stop herself, a yawn escaped. As she opened her mouth wide, the right side of her face burned, including a stinging lip.

Daisy pressed a finger to her mouth and it came away with blood. She sat there, stunned.

She crawled slowly across the large bed that was covered with many mutli-colored pillows and coverlets. She had just set her foot on the floor when she heard the sounds of a door being rattled.

Violent shivers flowed up and down her arms and legs as the door opened. She backed away and landed on the bed and up against the iron headboard as she waited to see who would walk in.

Daisy pulled her knees into her chest as a tall person dressed in all black came in holding a tray filled with fruit and bread. Daisy didn't say a word as she watched closely. She covered her mouth to hold back a squeak when the person turned around, placed the tray down on an empty space on the desk and looked at her.

"Ah, I see you have finally awakened." The masked woman smiled, taking a step toward the bed.

Daisy held up a hand and lifted her face bravely, speaking the first thing that came into her mind. "You… you have stolen my precious jewels!"

The woman shrugged with indifference. "Perhaps I have. So what?"

Daisy's mouth dropped in dismay. "Do you realize how expensive-oh, what is wrong with me! Of course you don't care one bit what I think. You enjoy pillaging priceless jewelry and other trinkets for you own selfish gains. I am just one of your many victims."

The masked woman with the smirk took another step forward.

"S-stop right there, you scoundrel!" Daisy screeched.

"And what if I don't?"

Daisy's finger shook as she pointed. "I will scream."

Daisy flinched as the woman let out a husky laugh. "Go ahead, princess. We are miles out at sea, as you can tell. It's only me and my boys here. And they are used to hearing a woman's screaming coming from my cabin."

Daisy pressed a palm against her chest and frowned. "You apparently know me."

She gave Daisy a wide smile. "Oh yes, Princess Daisy. I know you
very,
very well."

"But how…" Daisy's eyes roamed over the woman standing only a few feet away from her, taking in her dark boots, the tight fit of her breeches and the jagged scar and black mask covering her eyes and head.

And suddenly Daisy knew who stood before her.

"You're her… the nasty lady pirate Dread all the papers talk about." Daisy sat up on her knees and looked at Dread in both awe and trepidation.

"Nasty?" Dread asked, unconcerned. "You could say that. What else do the gossip rags say about me?" Dread took another step closer.

"How you destroy other ships and terrorize innocent people, including my fi-fiancé Lord Humphrey."