“What colors is she flying?” Ray shouted up to the crows nest. We were both on top of the sail, dragging it up. In the morning light we could clearly see the other ship hurrying toward us.
“Still can't tell!” Victor called down to us. He had a spyglass to his eye and was closely watching the other ship.
“Vivian will be curious about it,” I said. “I should go find her.” I looked down to see if she was already there looking up at me.
“When I thought you were a nobody like me I wanted to tell you not to get your hopes up with her,” Ray said.
“Now that I'm the foolish son of a cloth maker you've changed your mind?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said. He finished tying off. “You could go be a fat, rich man with a fat, rich wife.”
I looked down at my lean frame. “I don't think there's any hope of me becoming fat, and, at this rate, no hope of becoming rich either.”
“There are always ways to get kicked off,” Ray insisted. “If you were drunk or started a fight. I'd even let you hit me a few times.”
“I'd have to do something spectacular to get kicked off of this ship.”
“I could knock you around and have them take you to a hospital,” Ray offered.
“No, no, I think I'll be just fine staying put,” I hurriedly tied off my knot.
“Pirates!” Victor shouted from the crows nest. “They're pirates!”
Adrenaline shot through my body at lightning speed. I grabbed the end of my rope and swung down to the deck.
Captain Peck was coming out of his cabin.
“Full speed, Rhoden,” Peck called up to the ship's wheel.
“Can we outrun them?” I asked the captain.
“Their ship is probably half the weight of this one and the wind is in their favor.” He straightened his collar. “No. If we hurry on our way they might not think it's worth chasing down a cargo ship,” Captain Peck replied. “Victor, take my keys and get the guns. Just in case. Eldon, Ray, get the engines moving.”
“They've been moving at full speed all night!” Ray complained.
“Nothing less than one hundred knots.”
“Come on Eldon.”
Ray tromped away muttering about knots. We both hurried down the ladder and raced to the engine room. Patrick and Michael were already there checking the boilers. The wheels above us were making a terrifying grinding noise.
“What's going on?” Ray called as we came into the boiler room.
“We can't quite tell,” Patrick explained.
“One of the pistons cracked but we don't know what's making the noise,” Michael had to shout over the sound of it.
“I was just going to ask the Captain if we can let it cool to work on fixing it.” Patrick started to go past us.
“We have to outrun a pirate ship right now, fix it later!” Ray commanded.
“Pirates!” Michael exclaimed.
I nodded rather than try to shout over Ray and Patrick.
“We have to let it cool! If we don't stop the engine she'll break,” Patrick insisted.
“She's held this long,” Ray said. “Fill the firebox again, we have to get this ship moving!”
Patrick gave in and he and Michael began shoveling coal to stoke the fires.
“What about the cracked piston?” I asked.
In response Ray began climbing up to the wheels.
“Ray!” I called.
“I'm just climbing up where I can see!” he shouted back. “Go tell the Captain that we're working on it!”
I turned reluctantly and started to climb the ladder leading out of the boiler room. As I was climbing out I heard the sound of heavy metal snapping followed by a rapid series of what sounded like cannon fire. Ray shouted and Patrick and Michael started running. I sped up the ladder to make room for them and climbed out into the hold before I heard one last, deafening, bang. The engine had exploded.
“Ray!” I shouted back down. Other than the hiss of steam the boiler room was eerily silent.
“What's happened?” Captain Peck demanded. I could hardly look at him. It was him rushing us that had made the engine blow.
“Ray, Michael, and Patrick are still down there,” I said to him.
“Tell Rhoden to send another distress signal,” he ordered. “And send someone down to help.” With that he began to descend the ladder himself.
I turned and ran for the control cabin.
“Something is wrong with engines Mr. Elderton?” Ameya asked as I ran by.
“They blew. Go help Captain Peck!” I called over my shoulder. I looked back to make sure that he went.
Rhoden was still at the helm in the control cabin. “What happened Eldon?”
“Send another distress signal,” I repeated. “We lost the engines and we have wounded.”
“Hold this.” He let go of the wheel and I took his place. Out of the open window in front of me I could see the morning sky and the bright blue waves shimmering like diamonds, and almost directly in our path was a large ship.
I glanced back at Rhoden, bent over some controls. “I'll tell them that we'll ask for aid from a passing pirate ship. I'm sure they'll board us soon.”
The Lethargy was already slowing to a halt.
“What will happen when they catch us?” I asked.
“I can't say for sure,” Rhoden sighed, still tapping out the message. They'll take the cargo that they want, if we let them take it they might let all of us stay with the ship and we can use the sails to make our way to Boston. It'll be slow going without the engines but we'll make it.”
“What about Vivian?” I asked.
Rhoden was silent for a moment. “If she's lucky they won't find her,” he said finally.
“What if they find her?”
“They might only take her for ransom, but then, they might not. You can try to protect her but I'm sure they'll only kill you.”
I imagined every horrible fate that could befall Vivian. My hands left the wheel and I ran from the control cabin without another word to Rhoden. I raced down to the galley where I had left Vivian after breakfast.
“Eldon!” she called when I burst through the door. “What's going on? We heard terrible noises!”
“The engine blew,” I began to explain. Her hair was in a long braid and her face and apron were spattered with flour from helping Jack cook. “Come on.” I grabbed her wrist and ran back out of the galley.
“What's going on?” she asked again.
“Pirates,” I said quickly.
She made a sound almost like a whimper.
“Get dressed.” I let go of her wrist when we had reached the door to her cabin. “Shoes and everything. Make yourself look,” I could think of no other way to describe it so I said, “rich.”
She untied the apron and tossed it on the floor of her cabin. I looked away as she pulled on her stockings and grabbed her boots.
“My coat is behind the door,” she said quietly.
I found her coat and held it up for her to put on.
“What about your corset?” I asked.
She nodded and pulled it out of a drawer. “How far away are they?” she asked as she wrapped it around her waist.
“Close,” I said. “I want to find you a hiding spot before they get on board.”
“Why have me dress up?”
“So that if they find you they'll be more inclined to hold you for ransom,” I explained.
Canons fired. I ran to the porthole and saw the pirate ship almost on top of us. “Warning shots,” I explained to Vivian. “Come on.” I grabbed her hand again and ran. There was quite a lack of good hiding places on the ship. I wanted to make it as close to the rudder as I could to try to hide behind the water stores where I thought the pirates would be least likely to look. As we ran down the hall and past the hold I heard Captain Peck and Rhoden shouting orders, followed by more cannon fire.
“Are we shooting at them?” Vivian asked.
“We don't have any cannons,” I admitted. I had never been on board while we were under fire before, and the shots sounded so close now.
“In here.” I opened a door and hurried Vivian through.
It was dark and I had to feel my way between the tanks to find a space away from the door. Vivian was holding tightly to my hand. I found a corner near the back and pushed Vivian into it.
“Here,” I said.
Her grip tightened. “Stay,” she pleaded.
“I'm staying,” I assured her. We waited in the dark listening to shouts and footsteps all around us. The cannons had stopped but by now I was certain that we had been boarded, if I was found coming out from a rarely used room it would surely raise suspicion. I imagined the pirates would be going through the cargo hold looking for valuables. Then they would move on to the Captain's cabin and look for expensive equipment or money. They would leave without ever knowing Vivian was on board.
Vivian was still holding on to my hand as we waited in the blackness, and I thought I could hear her heart beating. I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb.
“Are you afraid?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she said. We sat in silence for a moment. “Are you?” she asked.
“Terrified,” I admitted truthfully. I was very aware of my own heartbeat, and I wished I had a gun, just in case.
“That isn't very encouraging.”
“What could I say that would be?”
I looked down at her in the darkness and tried to find her face.
She thought. “Nothing,” she conceded.
“Alright.” So I put my arm around her waist and kissed her. I felt time stop for a moment as I held her and drank in every detail of the moment.
A gunshot very close by surprised us both. Vivian put her arms around my neck and hid her face in my shoulder.
I probably shouldn't have kissed her, I thought now. Though, I hoped I would have the chance to do it again.
“Do you love me?” she asked.
I rested my head on her shoulder so my forehead was touching the side of her neck. I had to tell her something but there was no way to answer her.
“Vivian,” I said into her arms. “If I could-”
The door opened suddenly. I felt another burst of adrenaline and lifted my head. Light was coming in through the door and around the water tank just enough that I could see Vivian's wide blue eyes full of fear in front of me.
“Told you this is where they'd hide her!”
A heavy hand came down on my shoulder and dragged me backward. I stumbled away from Vivian and landed on my back at the bottom of another tank. Two pirates were standing over us holding pistols. The one who had tossed me aside was dressed in a long black coat with brass buttons. He whistled at Vivian.
“No wonder they hid you,” he said. “Come on outta there.”
Vivian was backed against the wall. I rolled over to stand but was grabbed by the shoulders and pushed back down. I looked up at a man with a leather mask over the lower half of his face. It strapped around the back of his head and had vents for air. He stuck the barrel of his pistol in my face.
Vivian screamed as the man in the coat hauled her out from between the water tanks.
“There, now how 'bout a kiss?”
He grabbed her head in his hands and shoved his face into hers. She started struggling and he backed her into the water tank.
“Hey! Clark! You heard Captain Stratt!” the other pirate called through his mask. His gun was still aimed at me.
He let go of Vivian. “Just having a little fun.” He grinned.
Vivian spat on his shoes and he swore at her.
“Abbot! Clark!” Another pirate shouted.
“Coming!” Clark called back. He took Vivian roughly by the arm. “Bring him,” he ordered with a point in my direction.
“On your feet!”
I stood and felt the pistol press between my shoulder blades. Clark dragged Vivian ahead of us and I followed them, keeping my hands up near my shoulders and trying not to think about kicking Clark in the back.
On deck the rest of the crew was seated in a large cluster surrounded by pirates and guns. Captain Peck and Rhoden had been bound to one one of the masts. The pirate ship was beside us with a few ropes linking the two decks.
“With the others!” I was shoved toward them and sat down. I scanned the crew looking for Ray. I saw Michael nearby. He was holding a hand against a large wound on the side of his head. His other arm was bleeding and looked burnt.
Vivian screamed again and my attention snapped back to her.
“Found her Cap'n!”
“You meet pirates before, Mr. Elderton?” Ameya whispered to me.
“Of course not,” I whispered back.
“Their Captain is surprising,” Ameya said. “Is coming.”
A woman came down the stairs from our aft deck. She had leather boots on that came up high on her legs, and a daringly short skirt of red velvet. A ruffle above her corset hinted at a shirt underneath. Her dark blond hair was loose around her shoulders and plumes of pheasant and peacock feathers stuck out of the front of her hat.
I looked away, feeling uncomfortable staring at her.
“Good work Clark,” she said. “Get her on board before this old hulk sinks.”
Sinks? I thought.
“Aye Cap'n!”
Vivian screamed again as he carried her away.
“Put her in my cabin!” Captain Stratt shouted after him. She turned her attention back to us and strode toward Captain Peck.
“How did you know she was on board?” Peck asked her.
“We intercepted your messages,” Stratt said cooly. She leaned toward Captain Peck seductively. “You don't seem to know very much about these waters, Captain,” she mocked. “I thought everyone knew not to send wireless messages this far out.”
“I'll admit to being warned,” Peck said.
Rhoden grunted unhappily beside him.
“Too late to fix it now,” Stratt continued. “And that hole in your ship is too low for my cannon fire. You should have taken better care of your ship.” She shifted to the side so her hip stuck out. “I'm sorry Captain, this must be embarrassing for you.”
Peck steadily met her gaze as she laughed in his face.
I looked away and watched the pirates load up their ship with coal and other supplies from the Lethargy. I saw Clark's black coat coming back and felt an angry weight in my stomach.
“Alright men!” Stratt shouted, her alluring tone was replaced with a commanding one. “Hurry it up, I want our ship clear when she goes down!”
