The Pirate's Willing Captive

‘She was English and died when I was small. I know my uncle’s name but I do not know if they would take me in.’

Justin cupped her chin in his hand, looking down into her face. ‘If you will trust me, I shall try to find where your mother’s family live—and if any are still alive I will make sure you get safely to them.’

‘You would do that for me?’ Maribel’s eyes widened, her mouth parting slightly. Before she knew what was happening, she swayed towards him and he caught her against him, kissing her softly on the lips. For a moment she tensed, then allowed herself to melt into his body, giving herself up to the unexpected pleasure that flooded through her. For a few moments she floated away in a cloud of sheer ecstasy ‘Oh…that was nice…’ she said as he let her go.

Justin chuckled deep in his throat. ‘Sweet lady, you tempt me to sweep you up and run off to a place where no one will ever find us, but I have given my word. I shall make every effort to find your English family and return you to them.’

‘But how will you discover them? I can only tell you my uncle’s name.’

‘And that is?’

‘Fildene…I think that is right. Juanita mentioned my uncle once—Sir Henry Fildene.’ She saw his eyes gleam. ‘What? Do you know him?’

‘I have not met the gentleman personally, but I believe I may know where to find him—and, since my father purchased wine from him, I believe he must be honest.’ He smiled at her in a way that made her feel safe and protected. ‘There should be no difficulty finding your family, Maribel.’

‘I do not have words to thank you.’ She lifted her eyes to his. ‘Where shall we go next? To Cyprus as you planned?’

‘We shall go to our island so that the spoils of previous journeys may be divided between us. I shall ignore your father’s request to return his property and forget the truce.’

‘Supposing my father sends his ships to attack you?’

‘I do not fear Don Sabatini or any other man.’

‘But…I do not wish to cause trouble for you.’

Justin touched her mouth with his fingertips. ‘Your father and I were born to be enemies, for he is all that I despise. Whatever may happen in the future it will not be your fault, Madonna.’

He smiled down at her, making her heart beat like a drum. When he smiled like that she felt that nothing could ever harm her again.

Maribel stood on deck watching as the ship sailed away from the island of Mallorca. She had come on board willingly this time, though she was still apprehensive about her future.

She turned her head to smile as Captain Sylvester came to stand by her at the rails.

‘You look pensive. Are you thinking of your home—or your husband?’

‘My husband was kind to me. We were childhood friends. Pablo always told me that he would marry me one day. For a short time we were happy in our way. I think we were still children and thought like children, but we could not have stayed that way for ever.’

‘I am not sure I understand you?’ Justin lifted his brows.

‘Pablo was killed riding in the hills soon after our marriage—I was told by bandits, but I wonder now if my father had something to do with his death. Pablo was young to inherit such rich estates and he would never suspect my father of playing him false.’

‘You think your father coveted his wealth even then?’

‘Yes, perhaps. I did not suspect it then and when he asked me to return home after my husband died I was lonely and wanted the comfort of being with my stepmother. Juanita loved me. My father was much kinder to me while she lived.’

‘He controlled your fortune. Perhaps he had no reason to be unkind.’

‘My father is not a poor man. I do not understand, why would he seek to steal what belonged to Pablo?’

‘Wealth is power and some men will do anything for power. There are men driven by sheer greed; he may be one of those men.’

‘Supposing he tries to take me back by force?’

‘He did not demand your return. There was something he wanted more.’

‘Something he wants more than his own daughter?’ Maribel was intrigued.

‘I suspect that I have the only copy of the map leading to his silver mines in the New World.’ Justin’s eyes were on her face. ‘It was the map he demanded in return for a ransom.’

‘A map that reveals the location of rich silver mines?’ Maribel was stunned. ‘How did you come by such a thing?’

‘It was in a small chest I took from the captain of the Juanita. No one but me knows of its existence. If my men learned of such a map, they might wish to exploit it, for there is a fortune to be made from these mines.’

‘You could be rich beyond your wildest dreams.’ She saw his smile and bit her lip. ‘Is that why you refused his truce?’

‘You must know it was not my main reason for refusing?’ Justin laughed softly as her eyes widened. ‘Wealth is not my driving ambition. I am not sure what should happen to the map, but I was not willing to send you back to him once I understood what he intended for you.’

‘Oh…’ Her breath came faster as she gazed into his eyes. Was he telling her that she was more important than the treasure map? ‘Will you keep the map?’

‘Perhaps…’ Justin’s eyes were on her face. ‘What do you think I should do with such a map? It must be worth a great deal for your father to offer a large sum of gold for its return but some would say the mine is stained with the blood of those that died there.’

‘I…do not know what you should do,’ she said and shivered at the thought of what had happened at the mine. ‘But if my father wants that map, he may try to get it back. He may send ships and men to look for you.’

‘He might try. I have refused his offer. I shall not return the map, at least until I have considered more. Captain Hendry was brave enough to say that he would take the message.’ Justin suddenly grinned at her. ‘I told you once before, I do not fear Don Sabatini.’

‘Is there anything you fear—anything that causes you pain?’

His eyes clouded, his manner becoming reserved. ‘If there were, I should not tell you, Maribel. Such things are best unspoken.’

She felt a withdrawal in him and was sorry. Did he have a dark secret that he kept hidden?

Justin frowned as he watched her go below. He thought that she had begun to trust him a little, but he was not certain how he felt about the beautiful Spanish woman. It was true that he found her desirable. From the first moment he saw her standing so defiantly in her cabin he had wanted to make love to her. Being close to her was enough to make him burn with the need to kiss and hold her, the need to feel her heart beating next to his, to have her in his bed—but there were so many barriers between them. She thought of him as a pirate and a rogue, and although she had accepted that he was her only hope of reaching England and freedom, he was not certain that she would ever like him.

He had told her about the map to gauge her reaction, but she had no interest in it, and he was sure she thought it should be destroyed—that the blood of the murdered slaves tainted the mine. At first he had looked for something of her father in her, for a sign that she would betray him if she had the chance, but the more he spoke with her the more certain he became that she was innocent. She was certainly proud and wilful, but now that she had stopped fighting him, he found her too attractive for his peace of mind. Something inside him wanted to take away the look of anxiety from her eyes, to hold her and comfort her, and assure her that nothing would ever harm her again.

A rueful smile touched his mouth. Justin had loved once with all his heart, but the girl he would have made his wife had died suddenly of a fever a few days before their wedding. He had vowed that he would never allow himself to feel that kind of love again, to feel the deep dark despair and the pain that had almost torn him apart.

It was because of Angeline’s death that he had become involved with the wild friends that had talked of deposing Queen Mary and setting Princess Elizabeth in her place. His despair had led him to drink too much and become careless—and that was what had brought him to his present situation.

Justin could never ask a woman to marry him, because he was a pirate and he had nothing to offer a decent woman…a woman like Maribel Sanchez.

He should put all thought of her from his mind and make arrangements to restore her to her family as soon as he could. In the meantime it would be better to avoid her company. Being close to her made him think of what might have been—what might be in the future if things were different.

Hearing the knock at her cabin door, Maribel looked up in surprise as the captain walked in. For a moment her heart pounded, but in an instant, she saw that he had not come with seduction on his mind.

‘I thought you might like this, to help you pass the time,’ Justin said, and handed Maribel a small book. It was bound in leather and looked as if it had been much used. ‘It is written in English, but I think you understand the language well enough to enjoy it.’

‘That is kind of you,’ she said. ‘Sometimes the days are long on board ship.’ Opening the pages, she saw it was a book of poetry and exclaimed with pleasure. ‘Oh, how lovely. I shall truly enjoy reading this, Captain Sylvester.’