An ear-splitting whistling sound blasted by her head and caused the hair escaping her ponytail to whip around madly. The smell
of sulfur and blood, mingled with the hoarse cries of fighting men swept through the pristine air.
Sarah blinked. What a dream. She watched through dazed eyes as men savagely chopped at each other with swords. The brittle
sound of metal grated on her nerves, sending a shiver down her back. No finesse here, just pure brute force.
It finally filtered through her senses that savage looking pirates were attacking men wearing some type of uniforms. The blue
frock coats worn over the white pants and shirts were crisp, and made the pirates look scummy by comparison. A soldier fell
at her feet. The dark red stain spreading across his chest looked like a crimson vest. He stared up at her and she started to
kneel, but then his eyes glazed over. He was dead.
Beside, kneeling wouldn’t have been that easy. She stared down at the beautiful dress she was wearing, fingering the fine
brocade. Early eighteenth century she estimated. The only reason she knew that was she had recently searched period costumes
to rent a gown for a costume ball.
The rich gold color was splattered with red. She didn’t like the way this dream was going. Sarah pinched her arm, yet didn’t
awaken.
A new sound pierced the deafening noises around her -– the tap, tap, tap, of fencing pares’. Glancing around, she spotted
the source of the noise. Two men were thrusting at each other with great skill. By the gold braid and epaulets on his uniform,
she thought one was an officer. His back was to her and she couldn’t see his opponent at this angle, but then they moved sideways.
Sarah gasped. A very handsome pirate fenced with the officer, and with his tricorn hat, she guessed him to be the Captain.
They moved back and forth across the slippery deck, executing a dance of fine swordsmanship.
She watched in breathless wonder. This was better than being front seat at any sporting event. It seemed so real, for the
action about her was horrifying, yet also exciting.
Barely noticing the other players in the fierce battle, she kept her eyes on the two fencing duelists. After several more
minutes, the pirate Captain lunged forward, knocking aside the officer’s guard, and the long, sharp sword pierced the poor
man’s chest. She looked aside for a few seconds. Dream or no dream, that was too realistic.
She glanced back up. The Captain had finished with the officer and was looking around for more prey. She shivered when his
gaze landed on her. He grinned, making him more impossibly handsome, and then he started toward her.
Whipping her head about, she sought an escape route. There was none; this was a ship. Watching him step over dead bodies,
Sarah realized how silly that idea was -–meeting a daring pirate had been her dream for years.
“Well, lass, do you see anything you like?”
The pirate had stopped in front of her, and it took a few seconds for his words to sink in fully. She’d been enthralled by
his sexy, English accent. Yes, she certainly did like what she saw, but wouldn’t be sharing that with him. It struck her as
odd that he had used the word lass.
“I see what sounds like a braggart standing in front of me,” she snapped. Never mind that her words were a mixed up analogy,
she needed to put him in his place.
One hand came up, stroking his short beard. “Spirit. Good, I like my women to have spirit.”
Her mouth fell open. His woman! They’d just met.
Placing his hands on her upper arms, he pushed her backward, until she bumped into something hard. Glancing behind her
shoulder, she saw it was the mast pole.
“Stay there until we finish taking the ship. You should be safe.” With a broad grin and a courtly bow, the Captain turned
quickly, attacking a soldier nearby.
Sarah gulped down the lump in her dry throat. This was the most bizarre dream she’d ever had. Exciting, yes, but some of it
was way too real for her tastes. Part of her wanted it to end immediately, but part wanted to see what happened with the
pirate Captain. Would he treat her as the lady she was dressed as, or rape her?
A feverish excitement gripped her. She wanted him. No force would be needed, unless jumping his bones could be called rape.
How many times had she fantasized about being captured by a handsome pirate? Many.
When the dashing pirate Captain had erupted onto movie screens, she had enjoyed nights of dreaming he was in her bed.
Did you forget the River Goddess her mind screamed? No, she snapped back. She had traveled to the Goddess last month and
asked for her heart’s desire, which was to spend wild, adventure-filled days with a pirate. She idly rubbed her naked wrist.
She’d thrown her expensive watch into the river as a gift.
Sarah didn’t know if she really believed the legend when her friend Angela told her about it, but finally she had decided to
give it a try. Angela had taught her to meditate and concentrate on what she wanted, so the Goddess would hear her plea.
If the legend really worked as reported, Sarah knew she wouldn’t want to be stuck in the past. Doing without modern
conveniences, being treated as a second class citizen, and the unsanitary conditions, were not her thing. But an exciting
time would suffice.
A loud bellow drew Sarah from her thoughts. A pirate and a sailor were exchanging blows within a few feet of her. Abruptly,
the pirate landed a closed fist to the sailor’s jaw, and he fell backward, hitting her body.
Her breath expelled in one breath as he slammed into her. Throwing a quick, “Pardon belle dame” over his shoulder in a heavy
accent, he jumped on the pirate. So, they are French soldiers.
Sarah rubbed the shoulder that had taken the brunt of the fall. It certainly felt real. Maybe this wasn’t a dream ... maybe
it was the Goddess fulfilling her wish. Still unsure, she decided to withhold judgment and see where this adventure led her.
Whether real or a dream, it was a rollicking ride.
Looking around, she realized there were scatterings of bodies on deck -– pirate and soldiers, though more of the latter.
Silence suddenly reigned, and then she heard his voice. The pirate Captain was talking to the three soldiers in front of him.
The men’s shoulders were straight and proud, but defeat was written across their faces. She examined the Captain’s backside.
Nice.
His shoulders were broad, tapering to a trim waist, and a cute butt completed the manly physique. If he had been wearing a
coat, she couldn’t have surmised all that in one glance. Thank goodness for small favors.
His sword waved about as he directed his crew. Several pirates lowered Jolly boats and then the remaining sailors and
officers slid down ropes to the boats. The Captain gave them a jaunty salute and then turned in her direction.
Sarah bit her bottom lip. What was going to happen to her? Feeling traitorous to her own desires, she wished she could be
on one of those boats. Her stomach was in knots and her heart thudded. She was really frightened.
“I forgot to introduce myself earlier. “I’m Captain William Drake, but my friends call me Will.”
His tone was polite, his smile pleasant, so she relaxed a tiny bit. “You were too busy for introductions.” She couldn’t
hold back the sarcasm in her voice. Darn, her fear was turning into her defensive mode.
He laughed. “And you are?”
“Sarah Peterson.” He’d completely ignored her sarcasm, except to laugh. Maybe that was a good sign. Maybe he had a nice
personality. Jeez, a pirate is a marauding bandit of the seas.
As far as his name, she rather liked William, and couldn’t imagine calling such a hunk Will.
His lovely blue eyes examined her face, then slid down her body, coming back to her face. “A plain name for such a beautiful
lady.”
Not waiting for her comment, he asked, “Can I escort you to my cabin?”
He stuck out his elbow and without thinking she placed her hand on his arm. He was so polite, and it seemed so bizarre with
all the death around them.
Her dress tugged at her body and she grabbed one side with the other hand. Sarah gulped as she stepped over a bloody corpse.
Now she understood his help, it would have been difficult to navigate through the slaughter. The old saying “dead men tell no
tells” came to her mind and she swallowed hard, holding back the nausea.
Sarah realized he was picking a path through the bodies, one less strewn with gore and dead men. Maybe he was being a
gentleman as well as practical.
Silly. A gentleman pirate? Why not? The movie pirate Captain was a gentleman of sorts. But this was not the movies, and he
was not that famous character.
They reached the ship’s side, and she saw that another ship abutted it, tied together with grappling hooks and rope. The
Captain jumped up on a large box and then held out his hand. Stepping on the box, she grasped it, pleased by the strength
of his grip. She shivered, wondering what such hard sailor hands would feel like against her soft skin.
Once she reached his side, he encircled her waist with one arm while the other gripped the rope. She gasped as he swung them
overboard. It happened so fast she didn’t have time to protest a perilous swing over the ocean. Sarah clung to his neck.
They landed on a trunk on the pirate ship, which was shoved up against the side. The Captain hopped down, turned, and put his
hands on her waist, while she placed her hands atop his shoulders. She could feel the hard muscles beneath her palms,
sending a thrill through her.
William lifted her with little effort, and let her body slide down his, though it wasn’t a smooth glide with the heavy
clothing. She was in his arms, staring into his wickedly handsome face. What now?
“I’d like to answer the invitation in your eyes lass, but business first,” he grinned.
She should have been insulted by his intuitive statement, but then he had read her correctly.
When he stepped back, and took her arm, she followed without question. Where else could she go in this reality? Besides,
wasn’t it what she’d asked for?
The Captain threw back a door, and she saw tiny, dark steps leading downward. It looked treacherous, but that wasn’t the
only danger she sensed.
Waving a hand to her to follow, he started down. To the lion’s den then. A short hall ended in another door, which he opened,
waving for her to enter.
It must be the Captain’s quarters. An ornate desk with an assortment of exotic items, plus stacks of paper, sat on one side
of the room. The only other major items were a plain trunk shoved up against the foot of a small bed, and a tall, thin
cabinet in one corner. She took a deep breath and turned, feeling William behind her.
“There’s bread, cheese, and wine in that cupboard, if you’re hungry.”
He pointed to the oriental style cabinet, an exquisite piece, its red lacquer surface covered with carved birds. It seemed
totally out of place in a pirate’s abode. She idly wondered if he’d actually traveled to the orient, or perhaps robbed a ship
bound from the Orient.
As he headed for the door, she asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll try to escape?”
“Where to?” he chuckled. “I may be late Sarah. I always celebrate with the men after a good days work.”
She frowned as the door closed. What kind of pirate had she been given? He hadn’t thrown her to the bed and ravaged her.
Why, he hadn’t even stolen a kiss. His behavior was gentlemanly, almost courtly.
Clenching her hands on the back of the chair, Sarah tried to stem the disappointment running through her. She had thought
there was potential danger? Ha! Somehow, she felt cheated.
While she fell in love with the Captain in the movies, as did many women, he was not her ideal of a pirate Captain. Close.
She had asked the Goddess for one just as handsome, but without effeminate behavior, and not a drunk.
Walking over to the heavily padded leather chair by the desk, she sat down, frustrated. William certainly hadn’t acted
dandified, and he had been aware of her interest, pointing it out. But he did not act the lustful pirate she’d been hoping for.
Sarah couldn’t fault his looks though. He had the trim muscular frame of an athlete, at least the way his clothes fit,
hinted at it. His black hair looked clean, hitting the tops of his shoulders with soft waves. The Captain’s face was
classically handsome, with a strong nose and a masculine mouth made for kissing. Thankfully, she’d seen when he grinned,
his teeth were not yellow, and none were missing. One gold tooth shone on one of his canines, but didn’t detract from his
looks.
The beard and mustache gave him a devilish air, adding to the pirate mystique. His most striking feature was his eyes.
They were a blue, so light, they rivaled the sky’s hue. Though he didn’t look exactly like the movie pirate, there were
enough similarities to peak her interest.
Peak. That was a funny word, and hardly expressed the longing that had jarred her body from the moment she’d first seen
William. Would he find her as exciting? She thought so, yet would have to wait and see, because the Captain didn’t seem
in any hurry.
