Authors: Lynelle Clark
body, and reached for his sister.
'Rosa-Lee, my sister,' he said in a thick, raspy voice.
The emotions were too much for brother and sister. She left
Roberto's arms and threw herself into his. With a satisfied
grin, Roberto left them to be reunited once again. Her
brother was safe and she kissed him all over the face as
renewed tears rolled from her eyes. She clutched his
shoulders.
'You are safe, Pedro!'
'Yes sister.'
'I love you.'
'I love you too.' He hugged her, pulled her away and
smiled. 'I cannot believe you are here. Just look at you!'
She smiled, wiping tears from her face. 'You don't
look so bad yourself,' she said. And they both laughed,
releasing all the pent up emotions from the last few months.
After a while, Roberto returned to her side and she
stepped into his waiting arms, holding her again after he
helped Pierre, killing the one man with his sword. All the
pirates were finally apprehended and tied up.
'Pedro, I want you to meet my husband, Roberto de
Ville,' she announced with pride. Pedro looked at her then
at Roberto. He clapped his new brother-in-law on the
shoulder.
'Well done, sir.'
Rosa-Lee looked at him, then at Roberto. 'Sir?'
Pedro grinned.
'You, my sister, are looking at the brave Roberto de
Ville, Captain in the Dutch East India Company.'
'Roberto?' she gasped. He grinned.
'You are not a pirate?' she asked, bewildered.
'No my Rosa. I am an honest member of the
working society.'
She wrapped her arms around him with a soft
scream of delight and kissed him fiercely to the delight of
all present.
Pedro chuckled and left them. He liked the man. He
would be a good husband to her.
†††
Pierre was tying up the men he had bested and saw
the small body with her head bowed. Long blond tresses
covered the face and he wondered who it was. Handing the
men over to an officer, he walked over to the young blond
girl unmoving on the floor, too drained to be interested in
the activities around her. He touched her lightly on the
shoulder. She looked up. Two pairs of bright blue eyes met,
the one very shy and scared, the other full of interest.
Holding out a hand, he helped her to her feet
gallantly. He could see that she was distressed, tears
running down her face. He gave her his handkerchief,
which she took with a small, delicate hand, whispering a
'Thank you.' Not sure what to expect, she dropped her eyes,
still scared with everything that had happened. She
shivered from cold and weariness and he gathered her
closer, supplying her with much-needed warmth, feeling
the fear and tension leaving her body. She was so small that
he had to bend over to hold her, but for some reason it felt
good. She fitted right into him.
'Are you all right, Señorita?' he asked with concern.
She nodded. 'Yes, Señor. I just do not understand
what is going on. Does this mean that I am free?' Again the
blue eyes met his with hope and trust in their depths and his
heart skipped a beat.
'Yes, Señorita, it means you are free. The D.E.I.C
came to our rescue.'
'Who are you, Señor?'
'My name is Pierre du Val, Captain in the Dutch
East India Company.' He bowed before her with a gorgeous
smile. 'And who am I addressing?'
She blushed. 'Nora Denhaag,' she replied and
curtseyed, lifting the hem of her skirt. The sight of her
bloody foot dismayed Pierre greatly. He crouched down
and examined one foot and then the other.
'It is not that bad, Señor, just some scratches.'
'Are you sure, Señorita?'
'Yes I am.' He tried to determine whether she spoke
the truth and she smiled shyly, dropping her skirt over her
feet.
'Would you like to sit down?' He rose to his full
height, towering over her.
'No, thanks, I think if I sit down I will fall asleep. I
am tired.' Pierre looked around, not sure what to do with
her, but he wanted to spend more time with her. Everyone
was still busy with the pirates and a thought occurred to
him. He pondered for a few seconds.
'Would you like to stroll down the beach with me,
Señorita Nora?' He held out an arm and she looped her arm
through his, smiling up to him. Dimples appeared on each
cheek and Pierre was mesmerized, lost.
'Yes, kind Señor,' she chuckled. 'I would love that.'
20
Out of breath, Rosa-Lee pushed Roberto away, her
eyes full of questions, surprised, confused. Roberto smiled
at the mixed emotions on her face, still holding onto his
brave wife.
'What would you like to know?'
'There are a million questions racing through my
mind. I don't know where to begin,' she replied. 'I am so
surprised. How…? When…? Where…? I do not know.
Start at the beginning, I guess.' Rosa-Lee asked,
stammering, not sure what to say.
'Would you like to sit down? It could take a while?'
'Yes, and I need water. I am terribly thirsty.'
'I will get you some.' He left her arms to draw a
pitcher closer with some wine in it. Sniffing at the contents,
he found it drinkable and handed it to her. All around them
lay broken pitchers. It was a wonder this one was still
intact. She raised it to her mouth and took small sips.
Sitting next to her, with her hand in his, Roberto began at
the beginning.
'I already told you my sister and I were sold to pay
off the debt for my father, and how I became the Falcon's
son.' She nodded.
'I was captured by the D.E.I.C about a year after my
adoption for minor crimes. I made a deal with them that I
would hand them Falcon on a platter if they would give me
a break. After much negotiation, they gladly accepted the
offer. They made me first a lieutenant and then later a
captain, because I handed them another well-known pirate.'
He smiled at her and her eyes were fixed on him.
'The Falcon was a bastard by anyone's standards
and was slipping through their fingers each time, creating
havoc wherever he went. The idea of kidnapping you was
born the moment I met Pedro, when we captured the
merchant ship for loot. Pedro was impressive, to say the
least. The Falcon was also impressed with him. When he
learned whose ship we had looted, he immediately started
to talk to him, having admiring your father all his life. I
send a letter to the HQ informing them of the new
development, and they gave me permission to recruit
Pedro. Together we devised the plan, giving it as a
suggestion to the Falcon to get more money in the coffers.
Of course, it had to be subtle so that he would think he
came up with the plan, and when he finally gave the order,
we were ready. We made sure Alfonso was out of harm's
reach before I left to get you.'
'But how did Pedro 'escape'?'
'When we arrived back on the island, Pedro was
already gone. I searched for him all over the island. That is
why I left you on the ship so long, for your protection. I
was not sure what was going on.'
'I missed you,' she pouted.
'I missed you, too.' He smiled as he kissed her pouty
lips.
Captain le Roux came to the couple with
questioning brows. Rosa-Lee looked at him and then at
Roberto, expecting that he would be arrested, the truth still
new to her, but instead, the big man smiled at Roberto and
said,
'My friend, finally I see you again after all these
months. I received your letter from Captain Peek du Toit.'
'My friend,' Roberto said and then turned to Rosa-
Lee. 'Let me introduce you to my wife, Rosa-Lee de Ville.'
'Señora, what an honour. Captain du Toit was very
impressed with you. We thank you for the letter and your
bravery. You do your father proud.'
With her heart soaring, she smiled at the man she
called husband, safely wrapped in his arms. All this time,
he had asked her to trust him, telling her that all was not as
it seemed, and with a foolish heart she did, scolding herself.
But now all was clear and she sighed in contentment,
dropping her head on his shoulder, just drinking him in.
'I am so glad that Captain de Ville has found
happiness with you, my dear. It does us all good.'
'But how?' she asked, remembering something. 'He
was really adopted by the Falcon?'
'Yes it is true. I recruited him ten years ago as an
agent after he came to us with information. Your brother is
also working for us. This was all a plan to capture the
Falcon for his misdeeds throughout the years. Roberto
stayed and gathered all the evidence for the Falcon's day in
court, but it took a lady to bring him down.' Captain le
Roux laughed at her disbelief, looking at the lifeless body
of the Falcon.
'Did Roberto not tell you?'
She could only shake her head and then looked at
her husband with brand new eyes, love visible in the hazel
depths. Roberto placed a kiss on her nose with a conceited
smile. He was proud of this woman. She had married him
for the man he was and not the title he wore. The title of
pirate, placed fear in most, but not her. He hugged her.
Rosa-Lee turned to her brother, who had returned to
her not as a child, but as a young man. Proudly, he stood
there smiling at her.
'Hi, sister,' Pedro said sheepishly.
'Papa will be so proud,' she whispered and he
grinned with delight.
'I recruited him when I met him ten months ago,'
Roberto said with pride in his voice.
'He reminds me a lot of you, the same courage and
persistence. But you definitely are more beautiful.' She
blushed, the look on her husband's face telling her what he
really wanted to do.
'Roberto, why didn't you tell me? Your secret would
have been safe with me.'
'It was better this way,' he replied, smiling,
removing a wisp of hair from her forehead.
'That is why you wanted me to trust you so much,
and now I am glad I did. You are a wonderful man, and I
love you very much.'
She pulled him closer, kissing him in front of
everyone. The arousal she sensed in him made her forget
everyone else.
†††
Pierre and Nora strolled away down to the beach.
Everywhere pirates were either running or fighting the
D.E.I.C soldiers, but each one was successfully captured by
them and tied up. Men cursed as they were led away,
giving no second glance to the young couple.
'But are you not a pirate?' she asked, seeing the
commotion around her. Pierre had managed to get her a
pair of shoes to protect her feet but she was flopping in
them. They were three sizes too big for the delicate feet
scuffing next to him, breaking the silence with every step,
causing a few giggles and chuckles from them both.
'I only pretended to be one. Roberto and I were both
undercover.' She looked at him puzzled, and he explained.
'The man who helped you with Rosa-Lee.' She giggled
again. Everything had happened so fast that her head was
still spinning, but Pierre took his time. 'We worked
undercover for the last eight years on various lootings. I
saved his life and offered my services on the same day.
That is how we met. Since then, we have become good
friends.'
'You are very brave, Captain.'
Pierre grinned. 'And you, Señorita, are very
beautiful.'
A blush appeared on Nora's face. As they stopped
on the white sands, the midday sun warmed their bodies.
He stepped closer, brushing the long blond tresses with his
fingers. Soft, silky strands flowed through them and he
watched as they fell down on her shoulder, her dishevelled
look still appealing to his eyes. Pierre had waited a long
time to find a woman he was interested in. Since he laid his
eyes on the little blond, he was exceptionally interested.
She turned his insides into crashing waves and he wanted to
know if the feeling was mutual.
'Very beautiful.' He swallowed. 'May I kiss you,
Señorita?' he whispered, just above the crashing of the
waves. She leaned in and offered her lips without saying a
word. He brushed against the plum lips, sighing in
contentment.
I am going to make an effort to court her. It is a
long way back. Lots of time to know Nora Denhaag.
His
mouth tasted her sweetness, as she pressed against him, soft
and fitting into his frame.
Perfect.
†††
'What is next for you?' Captain le Roux asked the
next morning, after the hanging of the remaining pirates
just after dawn.
'I am officially giving my resignation. I am going to
be a farmer from now on. I am finished with this life. It was
too long,' Roberto said, looking at Rosa-Lee and then at the
captain, his voice filled with seriousness, leaving no room
for any doubt.