Page 28 of The Pirate's Daughter

“Right,” Devin sighed wanting so much to be that lucky piece offruit.

Twenty minutes later he didn’t feel lucky. Mia was again on arampage.

Chapter 12

“Turn about and let them sink,”Mia said again and watched Devin rub his forehead like he had aheadache.

“Mrs. Winthrop, I’ll remind you we’re a Royal Navy vessel and are duty bound to attend this matter,” Lieutenant Coventon said, though he might too agree with her desire. Given how much disdain she’d been seeing as they closed in, the entire ship would agree if she turned out to becorrect.

“Look at it. It’s a damn slaver. Let it sink and to hell with its devil of a crew.” She’d spotted the Dutch flag the second she stepped on deck. She then confiscated Devin’s spyglass and began the constant inspection she’d kept up for the last half hour. “Fire on it. Sinkit.”

“That’s not how it is done, Mrs. Winthrop,” Devin remindedher.

Stupid Navy and its stupidrules.

“If it’s a slaver, how did it get past the patrols at Côte d'Ivoire?” Mr. Brinksasked.

“Some slip through,” Devinanswered.

Brinks sounded like he believed nothing bested the British Navy. Mia would enjoy showing how fallible they were. “By going east first, making it appear she came out of Madagascar,” Mia said, looking through the glass at theship.

“The eastern trade is still strong,” Mr. Asher informed the man. “Most of the west has gotten onboard with the accords to end the trade, but the east still hasallies.”

“Oh, you’ll puff out your chest with the ‘we in the west’ lie,” Mia snapped as she slapped the spyglass shut and turned to face them. “You in the west are as complacent in this barbarism as the rest of theworld.”

“Mrs. Winthrop,” Coventon growled. “The British empire has worked tirelessly to end the trade. The Abolition Act was signed in more than twenty years ago. The crown doesn’t approve ofthis.”

“Is that your official posture sir? Because I assure you I could have a vessel rigged in any number of British held ports and if not in port not far off. And let me tell you more, sir, about your Abolition Act. It only extended to the trade not the institution. Slaves are legally held by a grand number of British subjects. The British and any number of those accorded nations will tax my sugar, cotton, and rum higher because I don’t employ slaves on any of my holding. Might as well throw chum in the water and call in the sharks. They make money keeping people as chattel with the British taxing done these days.” She turned again and looked at the ship. They couldn’t be that ignorant, couldthey?

“If it’s a slaver Mrs. Winthrop, we can confiscate it. The captain and owner will be fined. A hundred pounds per slave found aboard,” Brinkssaid.

“Oh aye, confiscate the ship, only to sell it back to another slaver. And sell it back using British credit in the yards. A fine whirlpool you have there.” The way it was rigged up made her head spin. And even while the crown put patrols around the Ivory Coast, it did nothing to protect the Irish or those convicted of crimes from being sold into slavery far fromhome.

It had been twenty years since the law was enacted, and seven since the last nation, Spain, agreed to suppress the trade and people were taken from their homelands and forced to labor with nocompensation.

“Why do you continue to watch, Mrs. Winthrop?” Brinks asked, “If you’re sure it’s a slaver, what are you lookingfor?”

“It’s not uncommon, Mr. Brinks,” Devin stepped up and took the glass from Mia, “for a slaver to dump cargo if they’re about to be set upon by someone with the power to punish them. In order to find them guilty, we must find the people on board. It isn’t enough to find only the fitting and equipment.” He handed the glass back to Mia. “Perhaps it isn’t a slaver after all. They must see us coming, but they haven’t lost theircargo.”

“It’s not cargo,” Mia hissed. “Its people. And again, a fine whirlpool. Why have chains and such if not to holdslaves?”

Devin only inclined hishead.

* * *

Devin sighed againas he looked back at his wife and then down at the people working to salvage the ship. Indeed, the ship was disabled with a gash in the stern barely above the waterline, a smashed rudder, and a cracked stock. The captain, a dubious man by the name of Gillmore, was vague and inconsistent about the damage done to the ship. Mia was quick to accuse him of hitting rocks when he came up through the notoriously rough waters around the island of Madagascar. Going east to avoid the ships that did nothing else along the Ivory Coast but capture slave ships in the act made sense. And given the nervous looks that passed between the men who’d come aboard theIron Rose, Devin conceded Mia was right again in her assessment. That the ship made it this far was afeat.

“Tie an anchor to his neck. See how he likes to be cargo tossed to the waves,” Miasaid.

“Mrs. Winthrop,” Mr. Quiggly said, standing beside her. “Let the captain work. We’ve recourse, but first we must save thesouls.”

“I appreciate your aid Captain Winthrop,” Captain Gillmore said, again to bait Mia, as he’d been doing from the moment she made her posture clear. “My ship and cargo are much valued by the people I workfor.”

“We’ll see you to port in St. Eustatius, Captain, but I’ll have your papers confirmed by the magistrate before I return either your ship or those people,” Devin said gripping his wrists behind his back to refrain from punching the smug man in the mouth. As soon as the hold was opened, Devin knew he was looking at a slaver. But damn if the man didn’t hold papers saying he only transported current slaves from one plantation to another, a completely legalact.

“You confirm my papers,” the man said and then laughed. “Then we’ll be on our way. Governor Ravoix is a goodman.”

“He is corrupt as hell is what he is,” Mia said again, stepping towardsGillmore.

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