Page 64 of Until My Last Breath
Captain Walker consulted his pocket watch; nearly ten to eleven. If the wind had not been so favourable, they would need to pursue the pirate ship down the Atlantic instead of having this opportunity now.
“Gentlemen, it seems God is on our side,” he said. “We have enough time and men to capture the crew and the ship. Mr Chase, take the colonel and Mr Darcy, and thirty men with you, and try to invade the ship silently. Keep in mind the possibility of more ladies being locked inside it. I will take the remaining men and head towards the village to arrest the crew and search for any more hostages. I will join you as soon as possible. Goodluck.”
Once the first group arrived at the ship, Mr Chase went to check how many had remained behind to guard their cargo, while another scout was instructed to climb the vessel and check inside the captain’s accommodation and lower decks.
Both reports were favourable. The scouts found only five young ladies in one cabin, with no sign of others; thirteen crewmen have stayed behind, including the captain. The captain himself was in his cabin with three of his men and two guests, one of them, Miss Elizabeth.
As they approached, music coming from the captain’s cabin echoed through the air.
They decided that Mr Chase, Richard and Darcy would take another eight men with them to confront the captain and the men in his cabin, while the others would go down to the lower decks of the ship.
An angry “I prefer to die!” broke the silence. And Darcy knew well to whom that female voice belonged.
~ ♥ ~
As Jose and Elizabeth returned to the cabin, Captain Macedo was telling one of his men to remind the crew to return at midnight when they would set sail. They could not wait any longer.
He moved his devilish eyes to her, and with a malicious sneer, he moved towards her, taking her by the hand and kissing it. “Ah, much better now, is it not?”
She cringed at his touch and pulled out her hand.
“Bienvenida, Miss Elizabeth,” Captain Macedo said, looking at Wickham and laughing, “or should I say,wild cat?”
He pulled a chair out for Elizabeth. She obliged him but did not say a word; she was too disgusted to trust herself to speak.
One of the tables was filled with many varieties of meats, fruits and vegetables, and a large decanter of wine. The sight churned her stomach.The picture of the ladies almost starving to death two decks below invaded her mind. Beside the table, a man was playing a violin. And with fresh wounds on his already bruised face, Wickham was also seated, supposedly invited for dinner.
The captain took his place at the head of the table, having Wickham at his right and Elizabeth at his left. He nodded to the man standing beside him, who immediately took a plate and filled it with portions of everything, placing it in front of her.
“Eat,” the captain ordered. His gaze travelled down her neck, lingering on her cleavage. “I prefer my women with curves in the right places.”
“Like the young ladies you are starving to death in this ship?”
The captain sneered. “I can always blame the long journey for their pitiful appearance before selling them in Istanbul. Never had problems in the past. But you,mi querida, I am still considering what to do with you. Now, eat.”
Elizabeth shivered and looked at Wickham, who was now sweating and staring at her.
Grabbing her knife and fork, Elizabeth looked down at her pork as if it was still alive, and cut a piece, slowly bringing it to her mouth. Despite tasting good enough, especially considering she had not had a decent meal for the last four days, she found it difficult to swallow. The small piece of meat seemed to grow in her mouth, and she almost choked trying to swallow it. At last, the offending morsel made its way down her throat, washed away with some wine.
Captain Macedo seemed satisfied and started eating.
After some time, he and his men were laughing and speaking in their language. Wickham answered the questions that were directed to him, but apart from that he seemed to have lost his voice.
Elizabeth, disgusted by everything, tried not to change her expression during the long and distressing meal while she pretended to eat.
As the end of the meal approached, Captain Macedo turned his attentions to her. “Your friend here told me everything about you, MissElizabeth. If half of what he says is true, I confess I am veryimpressed,” he said, emphasising the last word. “For you have the courage to kill a man.Mi Dios. It is beyond anything I have ever heard about any English lady! A wild cat, indeed,” he said, laughing and bringing his glass of wine to his lips, wiping them with the back of his sleeve, never taking his eyes from her.
“If he has told you everything about me,” Elizabeth said, giving Wickham a murderous gaze, “then he certainly told you that, in fact, we are not friends. I consider him no more than a damned coward.”
A thunderous laugh filled the cabin. “I love her already, Wickham,” Captain Macedo said cheerfully, clapping his hands. “Now that she is tolerably presentable, I can understand what you said. Perhaps in your country she is not a conventional beauty, but in mine she would be considered exotic with those fire tresses and dangerous honey-coloured eyes… but especially by her hot temper. They are enough to bring a man’s blood to boil in madness.”
Captain Macedo paused, rhythmically pulling his long beard. “Yes,” he whispered. “I will not sell you. I will keep you for my own, personal… pleasure.” He lowered his gaze from her narrowed eyes to her décolletage, now much more generous thanks to the gown Consuelo had provided for her. Standing up and slowly moving towards Elizabeth, he extended his hand. “Come. I am going to show you what a real man can—”
Elizabeth jumped to her feet with her table knife in hand, raising it towards him. “I prefer to die!” she cried out.
The captain laughed again and turning to his men, Jose and Gonzales, tilted his head in a silent order. Immediately, the three men surrounded Elizabeth, forcing her into the corner at the end of the cabin.
She looked around. There was no escape. She was trapped.
