Taken by Pirates

I wanted Maggie to stay forever. Not just as a member of the crew, but as my lady-love.

And someday soon, my wife.

~ Cha pter 17 ~ Maggie ~

* Tears on Deck *

I couldn’t believe my ears. After the galley was spotless, and the other men had gathered for a round of rum and cards, I wanted to ask the Captain whether he would like to join them, or prefer to do something else.

Perhaps it was forward of me, but I couldn’t help wondering whether he would want to come to bed early. After the way he had touched me so intimately on the Devil’s Blue Sea , I thought he might want to continue in the comfort of his own bed.

I knew that couples usually weren’t completely free with each other until they were married, but out here on the sea, all of the rules seemed different.

Or should I say, there weren’t any rules. Nobody cared if they were proper. There was a level of freedom here that made my mind race with possibilities.

The Captain had clearly enjoyed himself every time we touched. I knew that it was time for me to explore him a lot more.

Just a month ago, that thought would have chilled me to the bone, and crowded my mind with a hundred questions. Now, I wanted to let our bodies speak without words. For the Captain to show me what pleased him.

I wanted to give him the same pleasure he’d given me in that cupboard.

Then I accidentally overheard the Captain and Willy talking about dropping me off at aunt Clementine’s house, to earn my keep as a maid.

Ice ran through my veins as I rushed away, nearly tripping on a coiled rope.

How could the Captain be so familiar with me if he didn’t plan on staying with me? I had been so sure that his eyes were full of love. That he would want me around.

Had he been pretending to care for me just to keep me silent on the Devil’s Blue Sea ? Was it like the first time he kissed my cheek – just for the benefit of the job at hand?

Once again, the world proved that men didn’t make a lick of sense. Or perhaps I was simply a naïve little girl who had no hope of ever distinguishing their tangled thoughts.

The feeling that I was being used turned my stomach.

Picking my way carefully along the deck, I curled up in a ball near the stern, tears spilling down my face.

I had thought that ending up on the Midnight Treasure had been a wonderful accident. Perhaps not. I had been taken away from my life, my entire world, by a pirate crew. And now it was too late to go back, even if I wan

ted to.

They were kind men most of the time, and I was learning to love them all like brothers. But if the Captain had been leading me on this entire time, and not been honest about his intentions…

Maybe I had been misreading every signal, and misinterpreting every kiss, every touch.

Maybe I was a stupid girl who didn’t belong out in the world.

Or maybe Levi wasn’t truly an honorable man.

~ Cha pter 18 ~ The Captain ~

* Tumbling Mind *

As we sometimes did, Willy and I lost ourselves in the charts for a spell, planning out the next few trips. To some degree, we liked to go wherever the fastest winds took us, but when we had specific deliveries to make, we needed to plan in advance.

That allowed us to ensure we were picking up the right sort of cargo, and could offer to make extra fast runs for other ships.

Keeping things light and quick had served us well over the past few years, with no need to be scrubbing blood off the deck. No need to put the men in terrible danger as frequently.

Sure, we still did our fair share of thieving, but we were far more selective about it. Cautious. Instead of brute force, we used our wits.