The Bloody Cutlass

Chapter Three

Violet took her first steps in the belly of the ship concealed almost completely in darkness. It was only when she heard the groggy voices of her fathers men as they started to wake; that she really gave thought to what a terrible hiding place this would be for her stowaway. Worse still, what a bad place it would be for someone to find her.

She turned on a dime and padded stealthily back up the stairs without incident. Violet's hand found purchase on the handle to her cabin door, when her fathers voice boomed across the expansive deck.

Violet winced and twisted around to face her father as he stalked toward her. "What are you doing?" Edgar asked, his face the very portrait of disapproval. "I-" she began, searching every corner of her mind for an explanation. "I woke early from a nightmare and thought the fresh air would calm me." She offered.

Edgar's rough face broke out in a sly smile, as he lowered his voice to almost a whisper, "not much in the way of fresh air belowdecks."

Violet gapped at him, unsure of how to recover, "father, I-" Edgar silenced her with a wave of his hand. "I am sure I do not need to tell you how inappropriate it was for you to be down there unescorted; in your night clothes no less. I will give you one more opportunity to tell me the truth, though I fear it is more than you deserve."

Violet bit her lip, knowing full well that this could be a trap. "I—I was looking for someone..." she paused shrinking back as her fathers face twisted up in a frustrated glower. Her mind drifted once more to her stowaway, she could give him up, and save herself from her fathers wrath. But when she thought of his face, his pale eyes, she could not bring herself to endanger him. "I have no excuse, so I will not offer one. I am sorry."

Edgar shook his head, "I won't encourage you to lie to your husband, but you might want to improve upon such a skills in the future." He took her roughly by the arm, leaning down to snarl in her ear, "as for your deception and unladylike conduct; I shall wright the Earl and allow him to decide on your punishment." With that he opened the cabin door and threw her inside.

Violet's chest ached from the shock of her fathers harsh words. Was it not bad enough that she and the Earl would be married as barely acquaintances? Her father wished to set her off on the wrong foot with her new husband?

Though she was accustom to her fathers pension for punishments that greatly outweighed the crime; and only a few months ago had resolved herself to handle this situation with the grace and poise befitting a young lady of her station. The crushing blow of injustice was suddenly too much for her to bare, and she sunk to the floor and wept.

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Violet had spent the rest of the day confined to her cabin; her father had taken Grace and Poppy ashore for a day trip on the first scheduled port of the journey. Violet was left behind as further pennants for her earlier transgression.

While she was sulking and wondering if her father would mail his letter to the Earl while ashore — the one that would forever taint the first meeting she would have with him as his betrothed — she must have dozed off.

Violet's eyes fluttered open and she sat up in her small creaky bed, opposite to the one Grace and Poppy shared. She had been stirred from sleep by a strange noise beyond the cabin door. A squeaking sound, like a loose wheel on a tea-cart.

Believing it was her father and sisters returning despite the sudden darkness; she climbed off the bed, smoothing out her skirts as she went.

When Violet emerged from the cabin she was shocked to find three night watchman bond to the mast. Panic struck her and she rushed forward to free them. The men were gagged, but they shook their heads frantically in warning upon seeing her.

Violet had just reached them when a deep voice spoke from behind her. "Leave them." Violet, heart pounding in her ears, drew the sword from the sheath of the nearest watchmen. She turned and raised the sword out in front of her. "Stay back!" She ordered, squaring off against an older man with a large frame and tanned skin, as more joined him. He looked mildly impressed before he threw his head back in laughter that was soon echoed by the others. Taking in their rough appearances and style of dress it was obvious they were pirates.

Violet took a step back into a solid chest, a muscular arm wrapped around her waist, securing her. She gasped as she felt the cool blade of a dagger at her throat. "I need you to drop the sword, love." The voice murmured.

A tear slid down her cheek; but she complied, loosening her grip until the sword clattered to the floor. The ship had been moved too far from shore; since her father, sister and the rest of the company had yet to return from port. It would take ages for them to paddle back to the ship in rowboats; this was it, they were doomed.

"Right lads, let's away. Reed, you take the lady." The voice behind her said, as he pushed Violet forward, into the waiting arms of the older gentleman, Reed. He gripped her arm gently but firmly, pulling her towards a waiting rowboat.

She turned back to see the face of the man with the dagger, her heart leapt and then plummeted at the sight of her stowaway.

She and Reed were seated in the rowboat with the four other men; she watched as her stowaway, cut the ropes of the watchmen who were tied to the mast. They looked at him, confused, but when he smashed a nearby oil lamp on the deck fire bloomed out around them. "Sink or swim gentlemen. Be sure to tell the good Commodore that we'll be in touch." The three men shared a look before jumping overboard and swimming for shore.

The stowaway joined the waiting party in the rowboat and they lowered down onto the dark water. Violet watched as the distance between herself and her fathers ship grew more and more vast.

But before long she was being ordered up a rope latter. "Go on." Reed urged, nudging her with his elbow. As the other men travelled steadily up the latter until only herself, the stowaway and Reed remained. Violet took in the staggering height of the ship, one rough wave and she would slip from the rungs and fall to her death.

Violet turned her big brown eyes on Reed then, "please, you do not have to do this just let me go ashore in this rowboat and all will be forgotten."

"It is far too late for that, I'm afraid." The stowaway replied, she turned her gaze on him. "We have set fire to a naval ship and taken the Commodore's daughter. If you think an offence like that would ever be forgotten," He paused to shake his head ruefully, "then you must not know your father."

Violet furrowed her brow, they knew who she was, this was planned. She realized, with a stab of dread, it was too well executed not to be. She swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. It was to be ransom then, surely.

Reed captured her hand in his and placed it over the first rung on the latter. "Now go on Miss, we will be right behind you."