The Sea Hawk (14 page)

Patting Anton on the arm as she passed by him, Julia smiled. "You are a fortunate man,
mon Capitaine
."

SIMONE SAT AT her desk, writing the day's entry in her journal. The days had been long and she was restless, walking along the deck of
Le Faucon
and needlessly rechecking the ship's supplies. The only distraction was her explanation to Joaquin about the importance of even the smallest details involved in commanding a ship such as
Le Faucon
. She and the boy spent their evenings playing their instruments and laughing at their mistakes. Often they were joined by Esperanza, who sat patiently and listened to their concerts. Simone was finding it more and more difficult to engage in intimate moments with her companion. She was comfortable with Esperanza, but knew she was not in love with her, no matter how much she wished she could force herself to be.

She hadn't said anything to anyone except Anton, but was determined that once her business with Laffite was completed, she would leave her life at sea behind. The ship she promised to Archambault would be
Le Faucon
, her flagship. He had more than earned the honor. Even though he questioned her decisions periodically, she trusted his loyalty as much as that of any crew member. She glanced up from her writing when the door to her private cabin opened.

Esperanza closed the door and walked to where Simone was seated. Running slender hands across Simone's shoulders she leaned down and kissed her.

"To what do I owe the honor?" Simone asked, her face still close to Esperanza's smiling lips.

"You work much too hard,
mon amour
," Esperanza said in a low, inviting voice as she drifted her hand down Simone's chest.

Stopping the hand before it stroked her breasts, Simone replied, "There is much to do." She knew Esperanza could arouse her body easily, but taking her to her bed would not alleviate her passions.

"Are you punishing me by withholding your favor, Simone?"

"Of course not. I am anxious about the meeting with Laffite. Nothing more."

Esperanza breathed deeply as she stood and rested her hand along Simone's shoulder. "Even when placing her on another ship away from you, you cannot remove the English woman from your thoughts."

"She has nothing to do with this, Esperanza," Simone said sharply as she stood. As close as her body was to the caramel-skinned woman, Simone would have taken her as a matter of course under normal circumstances.

"If you desire her, then take her and be done with it, Simone." Esperanza's eyes burned with anger. "Once you have satisfied yourself, you will return to my bed and I will forgive your temporary weakness."

Grabbing the woman's wrists, Simone jerked her closer. "Perhaps I will rid myself of the both of you and find someone more willing and less jealous for no reason."

Speaking softly, Esperanza said, "I see it in your eyes. The falcon has seen her prey and will strike when the time is right, filling the hunger in her belly."

The door to the cabin burst open. Simone pulled Esperanza behind her as she withdrew her musket from her waistband. Joaquin stopped immediately in his tracks and stared at the weapon pointed at him, eyes wide.

Lowering the musket quickly, Simone let out the breath she had been holding. "What is it, Joaquin?" she asked as calmly as she could manage as she returned the weapon to her waist.

"Land,
mon Faucon
! We arrive at Isla de Margarita within the hour," Joaquin answered.

"The other ships?"

"The signal has been sent."

"Excellent," Simone smiled as she crossed the room. "Tell Archambault we will stay aboard tonight and go ashore in the morning, will you?"

"Of course,
Faucon
," Joaquin said and left.

When she was sure Joaquin was gone, Simone returned her attention to Esperanza. "I do not wish to speak of these matters again. Do you understand me, Esperanza?" There was no anger in Simone's voice as she spoke. "A difficult time may await us when we leave here and I cannot have this distraction for the safety of my ship and my crew. That will always include you and Joaquin. The English woman will be gone soon, so please retract your claws." The tone in Simone's voice was one of resignation.

Esperanza nodded and walked past Simone to leave the cabin.

A DOZEN CREWMEN from the four ships scoured the island for any sign of intrusion before they sent word the others could come safely ashore. Laffite and his ships had not yet arrived and Simone ordered shelters constructed while they waited. She would allow Laffite three days to appear. She looked at her charts carefully. If Laffite did not arrive she would sail back toward Martinique and leave Julia at a port in the Grenadines. She could have dropped her there on the way to Isla de Margarita. Perhaps she should have and been done with it. But she couldn't bring herself to remove the woman from her life just yet.

By mid-afternoon, with the exception of a standby crew left aboard each ship, all crew members and passengers were on the island, the ships anchored just off its western shore. Simone spent the next two days in her personal tent. Food was brought to her and she rarely left except late in the evening, when she walked the white sandy shoreline and scanned the horizon, deep in thought.

She was awakened the morning of the third day when Esperanza slipped into her tent. Ships were seen approaching the island. Within minutes, Simone observed the movement of five ships that appeared to be turning in the general direction of Margarita. Alerting her crews to remain vigilant, Simone took her telescope and climbed to the top of the rise behind their encampment. She smiled when the ships were close enough for her to identify Laffite's flag ship. As the first vessel entered the cove, it dropped its top sails and began to pilot into a position away from her ships.

An hour later Simone crossed the beach and greeted a dapper looking man with a long nose and shoulder-length, wavy black hair. Removing his plumed cavalier hat he bowed slightly and took her hand, kissing it. Simone smiled at the gesture, but knew Laffite was a gentleman of the old school, if nothing else. He was a tall, slender man dressed in black. Gold buttons and trim broke his monochromatic clothing. As the other ships joined the first of Laffite's flotilla and launched long boats, Simone and Laffite strode up the small rise overlooking the beach toward her tent.

"IT IS GOOD to see you again, Simone," Laffite said as he followed her into the privacy of her tent.

"If you had been one day longer, I would not have been here to greet you," Simone said, sitting leisurely on a chair and propping her feet up.

"The wind was not as cooperative as I had hoped," Laffite said, taking a seat nearby. "And of course, there was the British problem."

"How many British ships did you see?"

"Only a few and naturally our ships are much swifter than those albatrosses they claim as sea vessels," Laffite grinned. "I see you have added one to your little group."

"Yes, the
Northumberland
. Raul was able to persuade her captain to relinquish her not long ago. Drink?"

"Please. Your recent exploits have preceded you. In fact, I have heard that a certain Captain Bentham would like to renew his acquaintance with
Le Faucon
."

"That is not likely," Simone laughed, remembering the arrogance of the British captain, which was nearly as great as her own. "So," she said as she handed him a glass of wine and leaned back, "why did you send DuChamp to request this meeting, Jean?"

"He told you of Barataria?"

"
Oui."

"A month before the destruction of my headquarters, a British naval officer visited Barataria and proposed an alliance against the Americans. The British are planning to launch an attack and seize

New Orleans."

"And what was your response?"

"That I would consider it, of course. I actually have no intention of assisting those pompous asses in taking my city. I sent a message to the Louisiana governor apprising him of the proposal and offering my services against the British."

"And their response was to launch an attack against you and destroy your home? Perhaps you should reconsider the British offer," Simone chuckled.

"Never!" Laffite said as he rose and began pacing the small area in front of Simone. He abruptly stopped his pacing and gazed down at her, his expression serious. "Our days are numbered, Simone. You know that as well as I do. I have come to ask you to bring your ships to New Orleans and help repel the British attack."

Laughing loudly, Simone set her glass down and stood to face Laffite. "Why would I consider such a ridiculous invitation, Jean? I say stand off and see who the victor will be. We risk nothing."

"I am preparing to relocate farther to the west. By allying with the Americans we would be granted amnesty for anything we have done in the past and be allowed to continue privateering against the British, all with the blessing of the Americans. That, along with the Letters of Marque issued by the Republic of Cartagena would make Spanish ships an easy prey as well."

"You, more than anyone, should know the Americans can be trusted no more than the British. God, man! Look what they did to you."

Waving his hand dismissively at her, he continued. "They burned Barataria, yes, but they were not able to seize a single iota of my supplies. I have sent a courier to the leader of the American troops, General Jackson. His soldiers and volunteers will need the flints and powder I can offer. In return, all we have to do is use our ships to prevent the British from landing more troops near New Orleans."

"I still see no advantage in this endeavor."

Laffite rubbed his face and looked at Simone. "Despite the attack on my headquarters and the idiocy of Governor Claiborne, I believe in the ideals of liberty and equality the Americans stand for. If New Orleans falls, then all of French Louisiana will be under the control of the British."

"Do not speak to me of liberty and equality, Laffite. You, a man who has profited from the sale of slaves hundreds of times. One of your lackeys attempted to beat Esperanza into submission and sell her and her son to another pathetic excuse for a man."

"But you killed him, doing me a favor in the long run." Laffite shrugged. Reaching out, he held her by the upper arm. "Join me, Simone, and send ships packed with British troops to the bottom of the Gulf."

"I will call my other captains together and you may speak to them, if you wish. If you can sell this load of manure to them I will not stop them. You are asking a great deal for nothing more than a piece of paper."

"I am offering the chance to sail without the fear of being stopped and arrested."

"We will see, Jean. We will see. When do you set sail again?"

"I will give my men two days to rest from their long voyage."

"You shall have my final decision by then."

"Thank you, Simone."

THE SUN WAS rapidly falling below the horizon, sending red and orange and yellow rays into the sky. Simone sat outside her tent and watched the celebration beginning on the beach below. Laffite would present a strong argument for her ships to join with his to repel the British, but she doubted her crew would agree to fight for some abstract idea rather than more concrete riches. The best they could hope for was the acquisition of more ships and the paper gratitude of the Americans. If the Americans lost, they would have risked their lives for absolutely no reward.

"
Faucon
!" Joaquin's voice called out. A moment later she smiled as Joaquin ran over the rise leading to her tent. He was panting when he stopped in front of her. "Are you coming to the celebration? The food is wonderful!"

"I will be there shortly,
mon petit
." The sound of music drifted up toward her and she smiled. It had been a long time since she and her men had had cause for festivities. "Bring the instruments!" Joaquin called out as he left. "There are concertinas, ocarinas, and other instruments. You promised to teach me to dance!"

She remembered her promise, but there had never been an opportunity to honor the request. Carrying the mandolin and dulcimer, her eyes lit up when she saw the men twirling around a large fire on the beach. It was a good night for laughing, drinking and dancing.

JULIA WATCHED THE Nineteenth Century version of a beach party from a distance. Although there was an absence of bikinis and a volleyball net, the scene didn't appear to be all that different. She stopped to remove her shoes when she reached the edge of the beach. She wiggled her toes, enjoying the feel of the sand that still held the warmth of the sun between them. Her eyes scanned the revelers until she found Kitty seated next to Anton several feet back from the heat of the bonfire.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked, wondering if Kitty would rather have some time alone with Anton.

Kitty grabbed Julia's hand and pulled her down beside her. "Isn't this wonderful!" she exclaimed.

The two women pointed to different members of the crews and laughed at their antics. Rum was dispensed freely and certainly lowered the inhibitions of the men as they reveled in the music and dancing. Julia was dragged into a dance more than once. She had never been much of a dancer. It wasn't that she didn't like the music or feel its beat inside. She thought she looked ridiculous when she danced. Right at that moment it didn't matter since the consumption of rum made it impossible for anyone to be critical. It seemed that falling down in the middle of a fast dance was an expected event.

Across the fire ring, she watched as Simone joined the celebration and was happy to see her again. It seemed to Julia that the captain had been avoiding her while they waited for Laffite's arrival. She smiled when Simone and Joaquin took out their instruments and joined in the music. Simone looked more relaxed than usual and the sound of her laughter was sweeter to Julia's ears than the music around her. Julia suspected Simone would be quite an enjoyable woman to know if taken away from her life on the sea and placed in a safe and comfortable setting. Especially if the intimidating Esperanza wasn't continually hanging on her.