To say that Sandokan was amused by Marianna's question that she posed to him about bringing her cousin to meet him was an understatement. But, as true as this assertion was, it was also incomplete. Why? Because he also felt... nervous about it. Marianna began to matter to him. More than he was willing to admit even to her at this time. And as such, he began to wonder about life's cruelty, serendipity, and Fate's fickle ways.
Fate... That word meant little to a pirate whose daily routine usually consisted of fighting the British scumbags and savages with the hope of not getting shot by their guns or blown away by their cannons. But to a man who grew up with an awareness that there was more to life than the proverbial tip of the sword, there was an underlying balance to life. There had to be. And this was part of the reason why Sandokan's heart, mind, body, soul, and every cell of his being refused to accept the fact that the British simply came, conquered, and plundered the land that his ancestors fought to defend with their own sweat and blood.
And then, there was Marianna...
Would Sandokan ever suspect that he would come to care for a woman of blond hair, pale complexion, and lips as vividly pink as a budding rose? Never. If his dear friend and soul brother Yanez would have asked him, even a short while ago, if he would ever bother to lay his eyes upon a woman that came from the flesh of the British, Sandokan would not only laugh it off, he would most likely punch Yanez. But that all changed the day Marianna saved him...
Anxious, nervous, and mad at himself for coming up the absurd plan of pretending to still be unconscious, Sandokan now faced a rather complex task of being introduced to Marianna's cousin Ada Corishant all the while he laid in bed pretending to be knocked out, with no way of knowing if she would approve of him. Worst of all, he was beginning to hope that Ada would, in fact, somehow, approve of him. After all, no one was ever granted a second chance to make a new old friend, nor an opportunity of making a good first impression twice in a lifetime. Pretending to be unconscious just added a little twist in Sandokan's already adventurous life.
"Are You sure this is a good idea? Your self-absorbed uncle might not be too pleased with You if he finds out," Sandokan asked Marianna as she adjusted the pillows behind his back.
"Would You believe it if I told You that what matters more to me right now is that You will come to like Ada?" Marianna smiled, though Sandokan saw that her eyes glowed with that underlying hint of worry he had come to pick up on quite easily these days.
"What if she hates me?" Sandokan said, worried.
"She won't," Marianna replied, sat down on the chair beside the bed, and picked up the book she brought with herself.
"What if she thinks I'm ugly?" He asked and pretended to be sulking.
"Have You met You?" Marianna shook her head, amused. "Besides, why will it matter to You if she thinks of You that way?"
"I have scars now, my dear Marianna. What if she considers me unsuitable for someone like You?" Suddenly, he did not need to pretend to sulk.
"That is one thing You will never need to worry about. My eyes see the goodness and sincerity of Your heart. It is all that matters to me," she laid a hand on top of his, and kept it there.
"What if she thinks of me as Your uncle, the "Blue Baboon", does?" He asked with a smirk.
"Why did You call him that?" Marianna chuckled.
"Have You paid attention to his clothes? The man either owns only one pair of trousers, or doesn't own a pair that isn't blue," Sandokan laughed and moved his shoulders up and down.
"And as far as the baboon reference...?" Marianna raised her eyebrow.
"Have You seen his face? And I was being generous. I don't mind keeping my eyes closed ever since I saw him once," he said bluntly, which made her laugh as well.
"You are such a pirate," Marianna grinned from ear to ear.
"Marianna, that I am, down to the core. What if she learns of my identity and tells You to stay away from me? After all, I'm no nobleman." Sandokan was sure Marianna would pull her hand away. It surprised him that she not only kept her hand where it was, she also turned his around, and laid her palm in his, linking their fingers.
"Keep that up, and I won't want to let go," he looked into her eyes with such intensity that she feared the book she held in her other hand would go up in flames.
"I will consider it," she sent him a confident grin.
"Mischief-maker..." he sighed.
"Scallywag," she continued to grin at him.
"What a pair we make," he whispered and sighed.
"That we do. Do not worry about Ada. My dear cousin may just turn out to become one of Your allies one day." Marianna smiled so gently that it calmed the restlessness in his heart. "Maybe reading poetry will ease Your mind?"
"What have You brought me today?" Sandokan narrowed his eyes at her.
"Something that I hope You would like. It is a book of Italian poetry," Marianna replied and inclined her head.
"Italian poetry?" Sandokan repeated after her.
"Yes. Both Ada and myself are part Italian. It is a wonderful country with land as beautiful as its people. And I happen to be quite fond of Italian poetry. And I hope You will like it," Marianna smiled.
"How will I understand the words?" he wondered.
"Do not worry, my dear Sandokan. I will read it in Italian first, then will translate it to You." She brought the book up in her other hand. "What page this time?"
"Alright. How many pages does this book contain?" Sandokan nodded with a smile.
"115." Marianna advised, wondering what page he would choose this time around, but fully anticipated he would pick a low number as he was used to doing by now.
"89," he winked at her, lowered himself a bit on the pillows to fully enjoy the beauty of her voice, and closed his eyes. She opened the book, and read the words of her favorite poem.
"Cos'hai fatto
Nel momento in cui mi hai guardato negli occhi
E lei mi ha detto che mi sbagliavo Mai dubitato del nostro amore?
Cos'hai fatto
Con il tocco della tua mano tremante
Sotto il mio
Troppo spaventato per resistere, troppo spaventato per lasciarsi andare?
Cos'hai fatto
Lasciandomi vedere il tuo cuore nei tuoi occhi impazienti
Come ha sparato la verità
Proprio attraverso la mia anima dolorante, dolorante..."
"That... is... simply beautiful..." said a young and melodious voice from behind Marianna. Sandokan thanked the highest of stars for keeping his eyes closed. If he hadn't, he would have been forced to acknowledge that he had finally woken up.
"I know, my dear Ada, this poem is truly beautiful," Marianna responded and tried to remain calm.
"The poem too, but I wasn't referring to that," Ada grinned with mischief in both her eyes and smile.
"Oh? Then what were You referring to?" Marianna replied, baffled.
"I was referring to that," Ada happily pointed to Marianna's hand as it laid in Sandokan's hand, while Ada's words shot arrows of fear through both of their hearts...
YOU ARE READING
THE SAILS OF THE HIGH SEAS
Любовные романыCan a pirate ever fall for a British nobleman's daughter? Can she ever find enough courage in her heart to fall for him? They were meant to be sworn enemies. They were meant to never cross paths in their lives. They were never meant to fall in love...
