Privateer (The Five Kingdoms #1) Read online

  "I was for a brief moment, but only a very brief moment," she admitted. "I would have liked him to puzzle it out, but I don't believe he was going to."

  "He was too intimidated to think straight." I paused. "Is that why you did it?"

  "Partly. He should have been able to answer. He needs to grow a backbone."

  "I thought you preferred blind obedience, Captain."

  "Have I treated you like I prefer blind obedience, Ms. Karden?"

  "What do you call the words, 'share my bed or I will humiliate you beyond belief. Do my chores -- and I presume that means act as your servant -- or I will humiliate you until you capitulate'? Yes, you have treated me like you prefer blind obedience, and like you enjoy crushing anyone who shows you spirit."

  She looked away, silent for a moment, then turned back to face me. "Because you are sharing my bed," she said, "at least until you are able to make other arrangements, I would prefer you keep my hours. I am going to bed."

  I nodded understanding, and she gestured towards her cabin. I stepped past her and led the way to the cabin.

  Papers

  Captain Sorri Westmere

  She had fire, I had to admit that, her personality matching her wild red hair. She had stood up to me in spite of the power I held over her. She feared the gag, but not to the point she let it paralyze her.

  I knew she would go too far eventually. That both excited me and left me nervous. I wanted to feel her surrender, but I wanted it willingly. Still, I thought if I continued to treat her with kindness and respect, she would begin to respond to me. I thought perhaps she received little of either, and I didn't understand it.

  She was very angry, of course, and I couldn't blame her. I would be in her situation.

  Couldn't anyone see past her tongue and realize what a woman she was? Was it true her little niece was the only one who liked her? I decided I would get to know the niece as well. The niece must be very special to see what no one else seemed to see.

  When we returned to my cabin, Ms. Karden was nervous. I could see it in the set of her shoulders, and in the way she kept her back to me.

  "If it looks like you will be staying with us long," I offered, "we will buy clothing for you in Candora. If you like, you may wear one of my shirts as a nightshirt."

  She turned to me, her eyes flashing at me. I wondered what I had said. I wondered if she was about to bite my head off.

  "You would like that, wouldn't you?" she said hotly. "To see me in your clothes."

  "Frankly," I replied. "Yes, I would. You may wear whatever you feel will leave you most comfortable, Ms. Karden. The offer of a shirt was only that, an offer made from kindness."

  "You singled me out, Captain, for your special attention. And when I protested, you deeply humiliated me for it. Do you expect me to forget so quickly and meekly spread my legs for you?" I watched her take several deep breaths. "Please turn around, Captain," she requested.

  I smiled briefly then turned my back to her, beginning to strip out of my own clothing. I pulled off my boots and stripped down to my own underthings, then unwrapped my chest. I left everything on the bed. When I turned around, she had pulled one of my shirts over her head. Her legs were bare, and she was hanging her clothing in the closet. She turned around and saw me standing facing her, my chest bare. She stared at my chest for a moment before turning hastily away.

  I smiled. One question answered, although it hadn't been intentionally asked. I hadn't even thought about how she might react to my near nudity.

  "I'm sorry," I apologized. "I have a nightshirt, but you are between me and the closet."

  She stepped aside, and I moved past her, collecting my nightshirt and pulling it over my head. I would have been happy to be naked, but many nights I have had to step out onto deck with very short notice, and I had found doing so naked could be a distraction for everyone involved.

  "I am safe to look at," I told her once I was covered.

  She turned around then glanced at the bed where I had left my things.

  "You agreed to any ship's duties I assign you," I told her.

  She stared at the clothes.

  "Do you have need of the head?"

  "No."

  "I do. I expect the cabin shipshape when I return."

  Her eyes flashed at me again, but she nodded silently and was already moving to my clothes by the time I made it out of the cabin. By the time I returned, my clothing had disappeared but she was standing at the side of the bed, my boots in her hands.

  "I did not know where these go," she said. "And I did not think you would prefer that I look."

  "Are they clean?" I asked her.

  She ran a finger over the leather. "They are damp and feel gritty."

  "Dried salt from the sea," I explained. "In the morning, you will polish them."

  "So I guessed correctly; I am to be your servant?"

  "I am assigning you duties I believe you can do. Cleaning supplies are in the storage cabinet in the head."

  We stared at each other, then she nodded. "If I were to tell you I prefer to sit idle and allow you to polish your own boots, what would you say? Does my sister-in-law have duties?"

  "She is managing her three children."

  "They are undoubtedly managing themselves, Captain. Who else has duties such as the ones you are assigning me?"

  "No one," she said. "But I would not polish my boots. The cabin boys would. I honestly believe you would prefer the duties I am offering than to sit idle. Am I mistaken?"

  "I would prefer duties in keeping with my intellect."

  I laughed. "Show me you can do the simpler duties and we'll see about the others."

  "Yes, Captain," she said after the briefest of pauses. "I still do not know what to do with your boots tonight."

  I pulled out a lower drawer. It contained my footwear, what I owned. There were stands for the boots and a cloth. "Take them onto deck and dry them, then return them here for the night. Do you know why I want you to dry them on the deck?"

  I watched her consider the question. "You said they were encrusted with sea salt." I nodded. "If I dry them here, I will dislodge some of the salt. Does that matter?"

  "And then you will carry it on your feet to the bed, and the bed will become gritty sooner than it must."

  She nodded, took the rag from me, and disappeared from the cabin. I sat at my desk for the time she was gone, briefly searching through some of the papers we had taken from her brother's desk. She wasn't gone long, and she said nothing while she placed my boots in the drawer. I glanced over, and she had done it properly.

  "Captain," she said after closing the drawer and straightening. "I do not know if I am to do these duties blindly as instructed or use my brain."

  I turned to face her. "You are to do the duties as you feel is best, but if you do them differently than told, you may be required to explain why."

  "And if you do not approve of my reasons, am I to be punished?"

  "If your reasons are capricious or malevolent, yes. If you make damaging mistakes because you didn't do it correctly, yes. Otherwise, no." I paused. "Would you prefer idleness?"

  "No. You read me well, Captain."

  "I read you like I would myself, Ms. Karden."

  She crossed the small room to me and eyed the contents of my open desk. Then her eyes grew wide. "That satchel is mine!" She pointed to it. "Where did you get it?"

  "From your brother's desk," I replied. "We thought it was his. Can you prove it is yours?"

  "Yes. May I show you?"

  "You may explain your evidence," I countered.

  "Turn it around," I said. "My initials are embroidered onto the clasp."

  I picked up the satchel and turned it to face me, discovering an "RK" in white thread sewn into the leather.

  "May I have it?" she asked.

  "What are the contents?"

  "My personal business correspondence."

  "What else?"

  "Nothing that concerns you."
/>   "Are there any papers in here with your full name?"

  "Yes, many of them."

  "What else?"

  "It is private correspondence. You should not have it."

  "But yet," I told her. "I do. I consider this satchel, which we retrieved from a governor's desk, legitimate spoils of war. Are you able to convince me otherwise?"

  "It's mine!" she yelled. "Give it to me!"

  "You are a petulant child, Ms. Karden," I told her.

  She turned away, and I waited for her. She didn't turn back, but she said very quietly, "Please, Captain, may I have my satchel?"

  "Turn around, Ms. Karden," I ordered.

  She turned to face me, and even in the dim light of the cabin at night, I could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

  "This is not the reaction of someone worried about her business papers, Ms. Karden," I said gently. "I have not opened your satchel. I do not know what is in it that is causing you such distress."

  "Please, Captain. There is a small purse with a few coins. There is nothing else you would find important."

  "No gems?" I hefted the satchel. It was heavy, but paper is heavy. "No jewels?"

  "No. No gems, no jewels. Papers and a paltry amount of money."

  "And yet, I detect you would be very unhappy if I were to open your satchel."

  "So you admit it is mine!"

  "The evidence is in that direction."

  "You know it's mine," she said. "Please, give it back to me."

  I was being a little petty, teasing her, but this was another puzzle, and I never could ignore a puzzle.

  "What is in here you do not want me to see, Ms. Karden?"

  "Papers. A small purse, and papers. That is all."

  "Are there secret plans in here that I may find interesting? Are you actually very wealthy, and there is evidence here I should be asking for a much larger ransom for you?"

  "No!"

  "If I promise to return everything to you when I am done looking through it, even this small purse, will you grant me the right to look through the contents?"

  "No!"

  "I see." I didn't, actually. "So if I were to begin opening this satchel to see what I may find inside, what would you do?"

  She looked to the side. I was learning this was her attempt to control her tongue.

  "Please don't. I am asking you politely. Please may I have my satchel?"

  "What would you do if I started to open it?"

  She looked down before answering, but her eyes met mine when she said, "Try to stop you."

  "That would land you back in the brig."

  She looked back to the floor. "I know."

  "Explain to my why you would risk that, Ms. Karden."

  "There is nothing in there that concerns you, Captain. I swear!"

  "Then it shouldn't bother you if I see it to be sure. And yet it does. It clearly matters to you a great deal. I can only think of three reasons why that may be. You are more wealthy than you have let on."

  "I'm not."

  "Perhaps there is evidence of someone who would ransom you for more than your brother might."

  "There isn't."

  "Then perhaps there are war secrets in here, of which I could be very interested."

  "There aren't."

  "Is the satchel going to explode or destroy its contents if I open it?"

  She sighed. "No."

  "So I may open it?"

  "No!"

  "Why not?"

  "Because the contents are private!"

  "We seem to be going in circles, Ms. Karden," I said. "As I see it, it is highly likely this satchel contains information I will find very, very interesting."

  "Love letters!" she screamed at me. "It has love letters!"

  "Love letters?" I asked slowly. "You are this upset because you're afraid I'll read your love letters? Why would I care about your love letters?" I narrowed my eyes. "You said there was no one who would ransom you. Did you lie to me?"

  "The relationship has been over for two years," she said, and the tears began streaming down her cheeks.

  "Two years, and you're not over him?"

  "Her," she said. "A her, okay? And yes, I'm over her."

  "But you keep her letters and you risk the brig to keep me from reading them?"

  "And letters from my niece," she added. "They are precious to me."

  "Do you fear I would mishandle them? Ms. Karden, I assure you, I will return to you everything in this satchel that you so far have admitted is inside. What else?"

  "The sea air, Captain. I do not want them exposed to the sea air." She was still looking at the floor. "Please don't open the satchel."

  "Ms. Karden," I said gently. "You know I have to. At the very least, you need to show me sufficient papers to prove the satchel is yours. And I still don't believe you. You are severely overreacting."

  She looked up. "I have had exactly one relationship with someone that lasted longer than the first stupid thing that popped out of her mouth, Captain. You can imagine how I respond to stupid things people say."

  I smiled. The question was definitely answered.

  "And I volunteered as a hostage simply so that I would be allowed to comfort Minori in her terror. She is important to me. So perhaps you can understand why those papers have meaning to me."

  "You brought this satchel to a seaside town," I stated. "I suspect it has been opened in a seaside town. Why is this air different than the air in Southgate? It is certainly cleaner."

  "The important letters are wrapped in a waterproof container inside, but when you see it, you'll open it, convinced that they are more than they are."

  I looked into her distraught face. I wanted this resolved, and I wanted it resolved before we climbed into bed. She wouldn't be able to sleep with this hanging over her, and I was tired.

  "Ms. Karden," I said. "Do you vow this satchel is yours?"

  "Yes. It is mine."

  "Do you vow there are no weapons in this satchel or anything dangerous such as poisons? Do you vow it is perfectly safe for me to open, other than your reaction if I were to do so?"

  "Yes. Nothing like that."

  "Do you vow that the only thing I will find is a small purse, a container of private letters, and business papers?"

  "They aren't all business papers," I said. "A small purse, the container of private letters, and other papers arranged by folders."

  "Amongst the papers you can find further evidence the satchel is yours?"

  "Yes."

  "If I promise to leave the waterproofed papers alone, will you allow me to open your satchel, Ms. Karden?"

  "You promise?"

  "For now."

  "For now? What does that mean?"

  "It means I want to be sure you haven't lied so far."

  She huffed. "Fine. I haven't lied."

  I began opening the satchel, watching her more than what I was doing. I didn't want to be taken unawares if she attacked me as she suggested earlier she would. She bit her lip, which I found deeply endearing, and she wrung her hands, but she didn't make any other moves.

  Once open, I spread the satchel wide and peered in. I reached in and removed the pouch of money and set it on my desk. I removed the watertight letters.

  "You promised!" she said immediately, but she didn't make a move towards me.

  "I intend to empty your satchel and assure myself there is nothing sewn into a hidden compartment."

  "There isn't," she said, mollified.

  I set her love letters on my desk then removed a stack of papers, organized neatly into folders. I set all of them on my desk, then I thoroughly inspected the satchel. There were no surprises.

  "See?" she said defensively.

  I set the satchel on my desk and picked up the money pouch. I opened it and emptied the contents into my hand. There wasn't much, living and traveling expenses for a week or two. I knew she assumed I would keep it. I returned the coins to the pouch and set it back on the desk. I picked up the watertight
letters and turned to her.

  "Ms. Karden," I said. "You will state exactly what is in here, and you will be exceedingly complete."

  "Letters from a lover," she said. "Seven in total, plus a few brief notes from her. None dated newer than two years ago. Some of them are on plain paper, but two are on paper that is especially delicate."

  "Go on."

  "Letters from my niece."

  "The one resting tonight on my ship?"

  "Yes."

  "How many?"

  "I don't know."

  I hefted the container.

  "Minori has been writing me letters since she learned to write," Ms. Karden explained. "There are also drawings she has done, some from as young as two years old. I do not know the exact count."

  "You carry these with you?"

  "They are precious to me. Everything that matters to me, beyond my own dignity and the well-being of my nieces and nephew, are in that pouch. If I leave them home, I would worry about them." She paused. "And I like to read them."

  "Do you vow that is all?" I asked her.

  "Yes. That is all. Nothing else."

  I put the pouch back into the satchel and turned to face her.

  "We both know your tongue is going to get you into trouble."

  "I know," she said.

  "I am about to say something you are not going to like. I am not talking about your fast words. I am talking about other behavior. If you do anything on this voyage that is contrary to your parole, the first thing I am going to do is open that pouch of letters. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes."

  "I will allow honest mistakes. I will not allow intentional ones."

  "I understand, Captain. You're not going to open it?"

  "No. I believe you."

  "Really?"

  "Yes. It is dim in here. Can you find papers to prove the satchel is yours?" I gestured towards the remaining pile of folders on my desk.

  She nodded and stepped forward, selecting the top folder from the pile. She glanced at the contents and removed the second page. "This is thanks for a recent assignment performed and confirmation money would be credited to my account." She handed it to me. I leaned over and turned up a lamp enough I could read the letter when angled towards the light. It was clearly addressed to her and was exactly what she said it was. I handed it back to her. "Find another one from that folder," I ordered.