The Sea Hawk (12 page)

Several uncomfortable minutes later Joaquin rejoined them. "Napoleon is brushed and fed,
mon Faucon
."

Simone smiled down at the boy and wrapped an arm around his slender shoulders. "Then perhaps we should return to the house and get some rest."

When they entered the main house it was quiet. Joaquin looked around the downstairs rooms quickly. "Everyone has retired," he reported.

"It has been a long day," Simone said. "A good night's sleep would do us all good. We will ride in the morning. I have business to attend to midday."

Simone and Julia followed Joaquin to his room at the top of the stairs and kissed him good-night.

"I shall have clothing made available for your ride tomorrow," she said.

"Thank you, Captain," Julia nodded. "I shall look forward to it."

Unexpectedly, Simone took Julia's hand, turned it over, and brought the palm to her lips in a soft kiss. "Sleep well,
Mademoiselle
," she said.

"You as well," Julia said with a smile. Her eyes caught movement at the far end of the hallway. She saw a shadow pass by the partially opened doorway of the room she was certain belonged to Simone.
Esperanza.
She quickly backed into her own room and closed the door as Simone proceeded down the hallway.

BEFORE RETIRING, JULIA was able to finally take a proper bath and wash her hair. A cool breeze flowing through her bedroom window lulled her to sleep immediately. When she awoke the following morning she found appropriate riding clothes lying on a chair inside her room. She dressed quickly, surprised the clothing seemed to fit fairly well and wondered if the clothing belonged to Simone. She left the main house and turned toward the stable, but was stopped in her tracks when she saw Kitty and Anton exchanging a breathtaking kiss in the side garden. She knew Kitty was attracted to the handsome young man. It appeared he was equally attracted to the outspoken Irish red-head.

Maybe this is Never-Never Land, Julia thought, and all their wishes would come true. She almost laughed out loud as she approached the stable. She decided to enjoy whatever time warp she was now living in and waved when she saw Joaquin at the far end of the paddock. As she walked along the outside of the stables and neared the entrance to the stall area, loud voices stopped her.

"Do you think I do not see the way you look at her, Simone?"

"How do you think I am looking at her, Esperanza?" Simone's voice asked. "She is my prisoner for the moment and nothing more."

"Your eyes tell me something different. You desire her."

"Would you fault me for noticing a beautiful woman? I have not been unfaithful to you, but you do not own me. You do not have the right to presume to tell me what I should or should not do!"

"I owe you a great debt, Simone, but will not be cast aside due to your lust for this English woman."

"I have never demanded your favor, Esperanza, and I never will. You came to me of your own free will."

"And you were more than glad to take what I offered."

"You, too, are a beautiful woman. Would you have been less offended if I rejected you? The English woman will be gone soon. Until then you will treat her with the same respect you would any of my guests."

"Don't turn away from me, Simone," Esperanza said.

"I promised Joaquin we would take the horses out before I leave today."

"And this third horse? Is it for the new object of your desire?"

Julia flinched when she heard the sharp sound of a slap. She turned to walk away, but hadn't gotten more than a few steps when Joaquin called out to her. As she glanced back toward him, her eyes met the dark amber of Simone's eyes and she saw the angry red mark on her cheek. Simone held the reins of a beautiful chestnut out to her and Julia retraced her steps and took them with a nod. Simone didn't speak as she pulled herself into the saddle and waited for Julia. Adjusting herself in the saddle, she caught a glimpse of Esperanza in the shadows of the stable entrance.

THE REMAINDER OF the time spent at
Le Repos
was relatively peaceful. Once or twice Julia spotted Simone and Esperanza involved in a heated discussion and wondered if they were still arguing over her. Whenever possible Julia avoided the two women, spending the majority of her time with Joaquin. She was uncomfortable with the way Simone looked at her, but anticipated those times with a guilty pleasure nonetheless. On the other hand, the way Esperanza looked at her made her wish she were wearing a Kevlar vest to protect her from the daggers the woman's eyes threw her way. Despite her attraction to Simone, she was not a home wrecker and refused to become one now, even if it was another century, and quite probably nothing more than a dream.

Simone insisted Joaquin study every day and Julia was more than glad to serve as his temporary instructor, always careful not to bring anything from the future into their discussions. They collected shells along the island's beaches and Julia identified each species for him, explaining that she grew up on the Virginia coast and received her knowledge from her father. In truth, Talbot Blanchard hated the ocean and never understood his youngest child's career choices, let alone her sexual ones.

Chapter Eight

LOW HANGING CLOUDS of fog rose from the floor of the thick tropical forest surrounding
Le Repos
as Simone made her way into the stable area. Her time away from the sea was passing much too quickly. She had already announced to the captains of her ships that they would be leaving Martinique and sailing westward within a few days. As she reached Napoleon's stall she looked into the animal's large, gentle brown eyes and stroked his neck. Riding Napoleon always calmed her and she needed the time to think. Or perhaps just an hour or so not to think at all. Just enjoy time alone without distractions.

Simone should have enjoyed the time spent at her home on Martinique, but her time there was marred by too many external events. She knew she was partially to blame for the discontent. If she hadn't arrogantly felt the need to kiss Julia Blanchard the day she seized the
Viper
and then compounded her blunder by taking the woman as her prisoner, she could have avoided Esperanza's jealousy. A smile made its way across her lips as she threw a saddle over Napoleon's broad back. The English woman was attractive. But Simone did not foresee either the feelings the brief kiss created within her or the subtle acceptance she felt from Julia. Unwilling to admit her actions were deliberate, Simone knew they had needlessly, and perhaps recklessly, forced her in close proximity to her captive on more than one occasion.

During the week
Le Faucon de Mer
was anchored off shore on Martinique, two additional ships joined her, one a newly captured British sloop, the
Northumberland
. Simone met with the men appointed as captains of her ships twice before she announced they would be leaving Martinique and sailing westward. Her time on Martinique would soon come to an end and she hadn't yet named one of her crew to captain the
Northumberland
. As she mounted Napoleon and settled comfortably on the saddle, she knew she should choose Henri Archambault, but something was keeping her from it. There was only one person she believed she could trust with the new ship. Archambault would be upset, but he wouldn't argue with her decision. He would get the next ship as soon as they took one. She ducked her head as she lightly tapped Napoleon's sides and moved toward an enclosure near the paddock area.

JULIA STEPPED ONTO the porch of
Le Repos
and breathed the warm, moist air deeply into her lungs. She had slept well and lazed in the comfortable bed for nearly an hour before finally getting dressed. The sun was barely at the top of the trees and the early morning dew which accumulated on the greenery and gardens surrounding the house still clung to the vegetation, awaiting the sun to evaporate it. As she left the porch and strolled through the gardens, inhaling the scent of the blossoms around her, she caught sight of a horse and rider leaving the stables. She watched Simone, sitting astride her favorite horse, adjusting the stirrups while the horse ambled slowly away. Julia walked partway down the brick path leading from the main house to the stables to a rough-hewn bench. She took a seat, admired how elegant Simone looked as she patted the horse's neck. She would have sworn Simone was talking to the animal when they moved toward an enclosed ring. Simone leaned down from the saddle, opened the gate to the enclosure and guided the horse inside. She sat erect in the saddle for a moment in the center of the ring, then nudged Napoleon forward. A gentle trot changed into a skipping step, replaced moments later by a side step. The horse's hooves kicked up small puffs of dirt as he moved effortlessly around the paddock. Simone seemed to be motionless and simply along for the ride.

While she watched, Julia tried to reconcile the woman she was seeing now with the woman who was the captain of a ship whose purpose was to attack and plunder other vessels. She was a soft-spoken woman, vibrantly sensual, yet a woman who didn't hesitate to kill. In reality, the elegant lifestyle Simone led was funded by her success as a thief. She had murdered a man to attain her position, if what Joaquin said was the truth. It all seemed incongruous with the woman Julia now observed. Simone was polite and courteous, unsettlingly charming, but certainly did not appear to be a vicious killer. Yet Julia had seen her murder two men before her very eyes without a second thought. She ran a hand through her hair and stared at Simone. She couldn't deny her growing attraction. There was something inherently dangerous about the captain, yet she was inexplicably drawn to her.

AS SOON AS she stepped on board
Le Faucon
, Simone felt at home. She wanted to check the ship's stores and ammunition before they set sail again. The journey to Isla de Margarita was no more than three or four days, even with less than favorable winds. Most of her crew had already returned and were busily making preparations to set sail on her order. They were all sound seamen and most had been with her since she took control of the ship. Satisfied that everything was progressing adequately, she entered her cabin and began going over charts of the area they would be sailing into. A knock at her cabin door distracted her for a moment.

"
Entrez
," she said. Henri stepped into the cabin and she smiled when she saw him. "We will be departing in two days," she said.

"Everything will be ready," Henri said.

"Please tell Carlos he will be sailing on the
Northumberland
as her navigator," she instructed.

"He is a good choice."

Simone leaned back in her chair and looked at her first mate. "Anton will be her captain," she stated.

"Anton!" Henri said before he could stop himself. "He doesn't yet have the experience to captain a ship such as the
Northumberland
."

Simone stood and moved to stand in front of Henri and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are disappointed Henri, but he needs this experience. The trip to Margarita will be his test. In all likelihood it will be an uneventful journey and give the crew an opportunity to know him better. He has been on board the sloop all week making preparations."

"But..."

"The next ship will be yours, Archambault. You have my word. I need you to remain here on
Le Faucon
with me for now." The look on her face told Archambault further argument would be futile.

"As you wish,
mon Capitaine
," he snarled. "But you are making a mistake."

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "But the decision is mine to make and my responsibility if something goes wrong." She took her seat at the desk again, adding, "Continue the preparations for leaving."

LATE THE FOLLOWING afternoon, Simone took one last ride and bid her beloved Napoleon farewell. She went over the financial matters for
Le Repos
with her cousin and caretaker. By evening she was satisfied all of her affairs were in order. She stepped into the garden behind the main house, stopping for a moment to light a small cigar Joaquin gave her a few days earlier. He claimed to have won it in a contest with some other boys on the island, but Simone suspected he stole it. Considering how she paid for her own way in life, she didn't press him to be more truthful. By mid-morning the next day
Le Faucon
and her other three stolen vessels would be leaving their home once again. During her years at sea she had done everything she set out to do without the satisfaction she once felt. It didn't, and wouldn't, bring her mother and father back to her. It wouldn't allow her to reclaim the property on Montserrat stolen from her family which eventually turned her into a criminal. And now she found herself inexplicably drawn to an exasperating English woman whose eyes and lips seemed to promise much while her behavior remained annoyingly ambiguous.

Sitting on a bench in the garden, she leaned against a tree and pulled a leg up onto the bench. Thinking it might be her last peaceful evening for a long time, she closed her eyes and tried to memorize the smell of the flowers and air around her. In the stillness she heard the sound of laughter and let her eyelids slip open far enough to look around. The laughter came from the stable behind her. Joaquin. But his was not the only laughter she heard. Pushing her body up from the bench, she puffed on the small cigar. A few minutes later she saw Joaquin dash from the stable, looking behind him at a taller figure running after him, holding her dress up to keep it from dragging the ground. Simone smiled as Julia caught Joaquin and tortured him with tickles. She hadn't heard him giggle that way since he was much younger. Julia was good with Joaquin, spending hours with him during the layover on Martinique, while seeming to avoid more contact with Simone than necessary.

When Julia finally showed mercy on the boy, he took her hand as they walked toward the main house. They were nearly past Simone when Joaquin stopped and sniffed the air.

"
Faucon
?" he said as he looked around him. As she drew on the cigar, he released Julia's hand and scampered to Simone who hugged him to her waist.