The Pirate's Willing Captive by Anne Herries

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    ‘It is not what I expected.’
    ‘The accommodation here is not what you are used to, Maribel. I have a friend whose house is further inland. I shall take you there. Peg will look after you while we stay here.’
    ‘Who is he? I do not know the name? Is Peg an English name?’
    ‘It is a nickname, a woman’s name. I dare say she was once called Margaret.’ Justin frowned. ‘Peg was sentenced to hang for murder. She killed a man who tried to rape her. Someone rescued her from the noose; then she found a lover and went to sea with him, dressed as a man. She served before the mast for some months and was involved in a mutiny. Eventually, the crew landed here. She and her man ran the largest tavern on the waterfront. He died of a fever last winter, but she carries on. Everyone respects Peg and they know she would as soon stick a knife in a man as allow him to take liberties. If she takes you under her wing, you will be safe.’
    ‘Thank you.’ Maribel hesitated, then, ‘Where will you stay?’
    ‘I shall lodge at one of the taverns. I am building a house. I commissioned it when we were last here with what gold I had, not stolen but my own, which I had hidden about me when I was shanghaied aboard my first ship. It is expensive to bring in stone, though we have an abundance of timber, which is why so many buildings are made of it. Once the house is finished, I shall stay there when we visit the island.’
    ‘You were shanghaied—does that mean you were taken on board against your will?’
    ‘Yes. Why do you ask?’
    ‘I know so little of you, where you come from—and how you became a pirate. I do not think that you were always the man you are now?’
    ‘No, I was not always a pirate,’ Justin agreed. ‘It was never my intention to become one, but sometimes we have little choice in life. Had I not become a pirate, I and others might have died.’
    ‘You are a powerful man. Others obey you. Could you now not go where you wish?’
    ‘Perhaps this is what I wish for.’
    Maribel turned to look at him, her eyes wide and intent. ‘Is this what you intend for the rest of your life? To roam the seas in search of prey and then come back to this place?’
    Justin’s expression hardened. ‘I know that it must seem a wretched place after your homeland. The cities in Spain are beautiful and your home was no doubt solid and well built, the house of a wealthy man, but you were not happy there. Even a palace may be a prison if it is not a place of freedom. This island has been a refuge for men such as I for a relatively short time. In years to come it will grow larger. As more settlers arrive the town will begin to look more prosperous.’
    ‘It will always be a haven for pirates,’ Maribel said and then realised that her words sounded harsh—harsher than she intended.
    ‘Yes, I dare say it will—until someone decides to blow us all from the face of the earth.’ Justin’s face was expressionless, his thoughts hidden. ‘Yet not all the men and women here are scum. Some like Peg were forced to the life by the unjust laws that would have hung her for defending herself against an evil man. Would you condemn her too? Your own father has donemany evil things. He is wealthy, but more to blame than some here for they never had a choice.’
    Maribel’s eyes fell before his anger. ‘Yes, I know. I did not mean to insult Peg—or you. I understand that something terrible must have driven you to this life. I suspect that you were once a gentleman.…’
    ‘You suspect that I was once a gentleman…’ A gleam of humour showed in his face for a moment, then it faded. He made her a mocking bow. ‘Thank you, my lady. What makes a gentleman in your eyes—fine clothes and wealth or a large house?’
    ‘No, of course I did not mean…’ Maribel’s cheeks were on fire. ‘I beg you will not mock me, sir. I did not intend to insult you. I believe you would not describe your present position as that of a