When Wren, a lowly servant of a wealthy family, is kidnapped by pirates and brought before the notorious Captain Harry Styles, she's certain that her life will consist of misery. She's used to serving the snobbish Hadley Aubigné and her family, but...
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How I came to be a prisoner of Captain Harry Styles (flashback):
Three days prior, I'd gone to market with Hadley and her mother. They were dressed in their finery as if going into the village were the same as meeting the king himself. We had stopped at all of the vendors and as usual, I was weighted down with parcels and baskets of all kinds. It only occurred to me briefly to begrudge my situation, sweating and struggling under the weight of their indulgence while they smiled politely and soaked up the pleasantries of the day.
Our final stop for the morning had been the fishmongers. Madame Aubigné had wanted the freshest and most exotic catch, of course. The fishmonger had just begun to prepare the filets when all hell seemed to break loose around us. I heard screams from every direction, mingled with shouts from ragged men who seemed to appear out of nowhere. It didn't take me long to realize that these men - dressed in bizarre combinations of stale, smelly wool and strange pieces of silk, reeking of body filth and beer - were pirates. I'd heard of them, but I'd never seen one in real life.
The carriage driver had just drawn the horses up, and he leapt down in front of Hadley and Madame Aubigné to protect them. I joined him in front of them. It was my duty to lay down my life for them, after all. As Henry and I stood guard in front of a whimpering Hadley and her mother, one of the pirates suddenly snapped his head in our direction.
He chuckled menacingly as he stalked his way over to us. A few of the other pirates followed him, silly evil grins plastered to their faces.
"Lovely day, milady," said the one in front. He smiled and despite his foul breath and unshaven face, I noticed that he was quite young and quite good-looking.
"Yes, it is," replied Madame Aubigné in a tight voice. I expected her to say more, something along the lines of How dare you endanger my family? Or Do you have any idea who I am? But she stayed oddly silent after her greeting.
"That looks like some lovely food," the pirate remarked, noting the huge number of parcels I hadn't yet set in the back of the carriage. "And my boys and I are very hungry."
"Get your own food, you filthy creature!" I screeched. I didn't care that Madame Aubigné was playing the coward; I didn't like to be bullied, not one bit.
"Wren, dear," Madame Aubigné said through clenched teeth. "Give the man what he wants."
"Louis," one of the other men hissed. "There are men coming."
Only a slight look of alarm crossed the pirate's face as he jumped into action. "Very well!" He snapped, grabbing my arm.
"What are you doing?" I screamed. "Let me go at once!"
"The lady said to take what I want," he growled in my ear as he shoved me towards two other men who grabbed me, binding my hands, feet and mouth with astonishing speed. I thrashed, squirmed and tried to kick the best I could, but it was no use. I was soon being carried along swiftly by the pirates, who had managed to capture Hadley as well.
