I felt the rock dislodge and fall away.
“Very well then,” I said, settling back against her.
She chuckled and kissed my temple. “Are you ready to retire, Annie?”
“No, not yet,” I replied softly. “I’m not ready at all.”
“Would you like a drink?”
“No. I want to remember every moment.”
I tilted my head to breathe into the crook of her neck and ran my fingers gently over her chest. She smelled of the sea. Of comfort, adventure. Of infinite promise.
I kissed the underside of her chin and felt her shudder. She blew out a shaky breath.
“You make me lose all thought, all control,” she whispered. “This could be dangerous for us.”
“How can it be dangerous when it feels as natural as breathing?”
She shifted on the deck to face me and took my hands in hers. I intertwined our fingers tightly.
“You are a very rare creature, Anne Bonny. I am so lucky to have found you.”
I hesitated before asking, “As rare as a queen conch?”
“Oh yes. You are more rare and much more beautiful than a queen conch. And infinitely more precious than its pearl.”
I was amazed and fascinated by this revelation.
“You seem to behold me rather differently than other folk,” I scoffed quietly.
“You don’t show yourself to them,” she said simply.
“No. Only you.”
“Only me?”
“Yes. Only you.”
We talked through the night; imparting our histories, making plans and sharing dreams, until sunlight bled through the line where the sky met the sea. Together, we watched the sun rise on a new day, both knowing everything had changed for us. Neither admitting how difficult it might turn out to be.
8
I led Mary back towards quarters, feeling light and free despite the stiffness in my body from hours of sitting on the hard deck.
“Come to bed with me, Mary.”
She looked at me, surprised.
“Annie. Jack will be awake soon enough and then, sure enough, he will be up these stairs to return to you. Another night.”
I knew she was right. With a sigh of resignation, I kissed her.
“Very well. Goodnight, Mary.”
“Good morning, Annie. It was a good night. Get some rest.”
She ran her fingertips along my jaw one last time and tiptoed down the stairwell to the crew’s quarters. As quietly as I could, so as not to wake Jack and the crew below, I opened the door to captain’s quarters. The welcome sight of the empty bed made me realise how exhausted I was.
I had just begun to undress when I felt a heavy thump to the back of my head, and everything went black.
***
When I awoke, I could not see nor move. My head was pounding as if it had been split in two. I quickly took stock: both my hands and feet were tied tightly. A rough gunny sack covered my head. I heard distant gulls and felt a familiar pitch and roll and knew instinctively that I was inside a moving vessel at sea, but it was not the William. I managed to wriggle myself up into a sitting position.
“She’s awake,” a voice said.
Two sets of footsteps approached.
“Take the sack off.”
Light filled my vision. My eyes took a moment to adjust.
Before me, in a small cabin filled with barrels and wineskins, stood my estranged husband, James Bonny, and Alasdair – the smart gentleman who had boarded the William with Pierre’s party yesterday. Or was it more than one day ago? I had no idea.
“You filthy mudsuckers!” I rasped, my throat dry and painful. I struggled fiercely against my trussed hands and feet, to no avail.
James fetched a pitcher of water and sloshed some into my mouth. It spilled over my cheeks and dripped down my chest. I sucked in as much as I could.
“Do be calm, Anne. You’re safe now.”
“Be calm? Be calm! You kidnapped me, James, you cowardly pig!”
“Nonsense. You are my wife. One cannot kidnap one’s own wife.”
They laughed as if we were at some sort of posh high tea party and I was not tied up, half-dressed and sodden on the floor.
“You’re mad,” I said.
“Not in the least. You are my wife, my property. I simply employed Mr Tandy here to help recover what is mine.”
“When you untie me, I am going to kill you.”
“With what weapons Anne, dear? Your bare hands? You may be wearing gentlemen’s attire but unless I’m sorely mistaken you are still just a woman.”
More laughter.
I felt my rage building and welcomed her in like an old friend.
“Ha! What on earth is this twattery-fakery way of talkin’ you have now? Tryin’a speak and act like a gentleman when we both know all you are is a failed halfpenny-pirate-turned-snitch who can’t even keep his own cock up, let alone keep his wife in line. Gov’nor Rogers has certainly done some work on you, James. And it ain’t for the better, let me tell you. Done you up like a stinkin’ kipper in a suit, with a stick right up yer arse. He surely has.”
James’s face turned beetroot. I smiled. It was nice to know I still riled him up as much as I always did.
“You will not disrespect me any longer, Anne!” he thundered. “If I cannot keep you in line, as you say, then a public flogging from the governor will. And as soon as we are docked in Nassau, that is what you shall receive. So, I suggest you gather your strength, my darling wife. You will need it.”
A frisson of fear coiled in my belly: slow, cold and heavy, like an anchor’s chain.
I did not let it show.
Instead, I shut my mouth in a stubborn, firm line and refused to look at or talk to James for the remainder of our
