Disclaimer: Someone significantly less fun than me owns the rights blahblah. Someone with a much less smutty mind, sadly.
Thanks to my Beta Crackinois
Lady Fairfield sighed heavily. She stole a glance at her bemused husband, Garrett, Lord Fairfield. He stared straight ahead, wrinkled forehead, face like a cloud. Nothing unusual there. Shame, he was actually a very handsome man.
She pulled a miniature sextant out of her silk purse and started calculating their course.
"Do you have to do that?"
Garrett scowled at her.
"It interests me, so yes."
Garrett disliked that she had a brain, a fact she had unfortunately failed to realise before her father promised her to him in marriage. But she had long since resigned to the fact. He had once called her one of the "finer things in life". When the fine thing turned out to have a fine mind, he was less than amused. And that wasn't even the main problem... She had turned out a disappointment to him in so many ways. It was years since he last called her beautiful or kissed her with tenderness.
She had been looking forward to this trip: sailing to the Caribbean sounded like a great adventure, full of new things to discover. Sadly, she had gotten little opportunity so far: the business venture Garrett had had such high hopes for was a disaster, like most projects he got involved in. He was in no mood for detours...
She made some notes on course and stellar cartography before noticing the agitated conversation going on between the captain and the skipper of their vessel, the Privileged Background.
"Lord Fairfield, M'lady... I'm going to have to ask you to hide, if you please. The Apprentice has been sighted on the horizon.
"What are you talking about?"
Garrett sounded petulant, as usual.
"The Apprentice is the ship of Captain Charles Hoyt. A very dangerous man..."
Lady Fairfield stood up, suddenly alert.
"Charles Hoyt? The Surgeon?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"How did you know that?"
"Garrett, we've been over this, I read books. And remember the contents. Charles Hoyt is a famous corsair. If this is indeed the Surgeon, I'd say that dangerous is a bit of an understatement. I've been led to believe he's quite insane."
"That would probably be a correct estimation, M'lady. Might I trouble you to hide below deck?"
Garrett tried to grumble, but even he could see on her face that this was serious.
She felt seriously tempted to peek out of the hatch to actually see this infamous man, but settled for squinting out through the narrow cracks in the deck planks in hope of catching a glimpse. Her curiosity was overtaken by fear as she heard an agonising scream up above, clearly audible even to her and Garrett hidden below deck.
The hatch was slammed open and a gaunt, off putting face glanced down on them.
"Ah... I love the smell of lavender and fear..."
"You might very well, but my perfume is lilac and the wind is far too strong for any olfactory impressions of body odour, fear or otherwise", Lady Fairlfield said coldly. She knew she should have held her tongue, but such inaccuracy was unacceptable.
Two pairs of strong arms grabbed her and hauled her unceremoniously back up on deck.
"You might just have said please, no need to ruin good silk!"
She looked down on the tear in her bodice with displeasure.
The Surgeon stroked her cheek in mock imitation of tenderness that made her shiver with revulsion. The foulness of the filthy man's breath made her fight to control her gag reflex. The look in his eyes was not good news. Not at all. But she kept her body language calm and her gaze steady.
He caressed her neck and the gold chain with an amulet of the staff of Aesculapius.
"A present for me? My dear, you shouldn't have..."
She managed not to make a sound, despite the stinging of her skin when he ripped the chain off of her neck. She took a deep breath as the surgeon slid a long, slim dagger out of a sheath and pressed it against her cheek.
"I'm not afraid of you."
"You're not, are you? A very rare bird... I might keep you. Put you in a cage..."
The terrified silence on deck was broken by a sudden commotion.
"Look at that flag..."
The first mate's whisper was somewhere between reverent and frightened to death.
It wasn't the Jolly Roger. This flag was black and white, but instead had two crossed pistols and a shield with a single star on it. The skipper went even paler, which Lady Fairfield hadn't thought possible.
"Oh, no... Black Rizzoli"
"Who's Black Rizzoli?"
Lady Fairfield's interest peaked, as with anything exotic or novel.
"Legend has it the illegitimate child of Blackbeard. Not a pirate out there who doesn't tremble at the sound of that name."
"Actually, Blackbeard isn't as successful a pirate as one might think. Bartholomew Roberts, a.k.a. Black Bart, has captured far more ships and quantity of cargo than Blackbeard."
"Jesus, woman, are you making this up, or are you some sort of witch?"
Maura threw him a bemused look.
"I can read, captain. And frequently do."
The ship of this dreaded, unknown pirate approached swiftly. A tall, slender figure was visible on deck, exuding confidence and to her surprise, grace. This was a different sort of pirate from Charles Hoyt. Captain Rizzoli's light frame was encased in skintight black buckskin trousers and a handsome, heavy navy uniform coat. The high boots were gleaming in the bright sunlight. The mane of black curls falling down the back of the coat was surprisingly long, but then again, even Lady Fairfield had to admit she wasn't well versed in pirate fashion...
She blushed a little when she noticed how her heart beat a little faster when she looked at him. What was the matter with her? She was in mortal danger and here she was wondering if Black Rizzoli was a handsome man since he exuded such confidence, when he was probably going to kill her, or best case scenario, leave her destitute in the middle of the Caribbean.
The ship was nearing boarding distance and the pirate captain turned around. Well, at least she had been right about one thing: Black Rizzoli was almost painfully handsome. But not in a male kind of way... Lady Fairfield had to make an effort to mind her manners and close her mouth and stop staring. Captain Rizzoli was not only a woman, but likely the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She should have been able to draw that conclusion from the light frame, but it simply hadn't occurred to her that the pirate could be female. There had been little in the relevant literature about that... The handsome, angular face was so perfectly proportioned that she had to resist calculating the exact ratio in her head.
Forgoing the plank that was quickly laid out between the two ships, Black Rizzoli ran and jumped from one deck to another and drew her pistols mid motion.
She noticed with keen interest and great surprise how the The Surgeon smiled at her, like she was a dear, missed friend as she was next to him in one, long stride.
"Ah... Miss me, dear? Isn't that sweet..."
Very quickly, he slashed his dagger through the air and she saw a few drops of red blood fall from Captain Rizzoli's cheek. She had the irrational thought that there should be rules about ruining something that beautiful, before the fight started raging.
She ducked instinctively as Black Rizzoli fired one of her pistols. The noise almost made her deaf. There was screaming and commotion all around her, but she couldn't resist looking up again when she heard the swoosh of a sword and a body fall to the deck with a sickening thud.
The pirate was down on the ground. A surprised frown formed on her forehead as she noticed there was smoke billowing out from under her.
Black Rizzoli sat suddenly, ramrod straight and put a burning torch to The Surgeon's face. His scream was enough to make the blood curdle in your veins, or rather would have been, if that were scientifically possible.
Black Rizzoli put one of her boots on Charles Hoyt's wrist and fired her pistol again: red blood stained the deck under the corsairs hands.
Captain Rizzoli smiled a smile completely devoid of humour. She didn't know if it were merely competition between pirates, or if this was something more sinister, but she could see the cold rage on her face as she looked down on the broken man underneath her.
"We match."
The handsome pirate flipped her mane of hair back over her shoulder and turned to her crew.
"Take him to the brig. And I think we deserve a mug of rum!"
Captain Rizzoli's screw cheered raucously as they hauled the surgeon and his apprentices away.
"Now, what have we here?"
The pirate looked at her and smiled. It was breathtaking... The dimples in her cheeks, the amused glitter in her eyes, all of it. And her voice... If midnight could make a sound, this would be it.
Why couldn't she focus on the mortal danger part?
A stout, older man, with another man in tow, came up to the captain hauling their luggage, taken from them by Hoyt and his crew.
"There's not much of value in here, captain. Mostly women's apparel and books on science stuff. And some sort of plant collection. And... a dead bird..."
"Don't touch that! I think it's on the verge of extinction, it needs to be preserved and catalogued!"
The handsome young man went visibly pale at the sight of the decomposing carcass.
"Rail, rail! Come on!"
As the pirate emptied his morning meal into the sea, Captain Rizzoli turned to her.
"He gets seasick too. But he's actually a great first mate."
She looked down into her bags.
"You travel light.. "
"Well, I read a book about getting lost at sea, bulky luggage can be a problem. Also, I favour silk over heavier materials."
"And this?"
Captain Rizzoli held up a small saw with an amused expression.
"Well, I happen to know a thing or two about building storm shelters," Lady Fairfield said haughtily.
"Do you now...?
"Yes, I do."
Garrett stuck his head out of the hatch in the floor.
"Look here, do you know who I am?"
She knew right away that Garretts petulant tone would not go down well with the pirate.
"I do. You are the man my quartermaster is going to tie to the mast if you don't stay calm."
"I want to talk to the ambassador!"
"Ambassador of what, exactly?"
"Garrett... Calm down."
"Hold your tongue!"
"OK, that's it: Korsak, tie him to the mast. Crowe, help him. Better gag him while you're at it. You should be respectful to your wife, Fairfield. She's not a bad wench and seems to have half a brain too: a rare thing in a noblewoman."
.
"I beg your pardon!? 'Not a bad wench?' I'd say that's a gross understatement!"
"And feisty too! She's right, she a fine wench even. And that silk in her dress could come in handy when we repair the yardarn, I have a feeling she might be even more to her advantage without it..."
The other pirates cheered loudly at the lewd remark.
Lady Fairfield felt her cheeks burn red, but not from embarrassment, from fury. Who did this woman think she was?
"Manners, captain!"
"Certainly a noblewoman, that's for sure... No one else would be worried about harsh language after being seized by a bunch of scurvy dogs like us... Be careful M'lady so the tar doesn't tarnish yer fine silk shoes..."
Captain Rizzoli bowed in an exaggerated manner, getting another cheer from her band of pirates.
In the corner of her eye, she saw the crewman Rizzoli had called Crowe pawing through her jewelry box. When he put her ring in his pocket, the only memento she had of her birth mother, she felt herself battling tears, to her extreme annoyance. She took a deep breath and told herself they were only possessions.
"Crowe... Put every single thing right back in that box and bring it to me, right now."
Captain Rizzoli's voice was dangerously low and she spat the words out through clenched teeth.
Crowe stood absolutely still and looked Black Rizzoli in the eye. The muscles of his clenched jaw were bulging and his fists clenched around her diamond necklace, the one Garrett had insisted she'd bring, so he could show off his fortune, or rather the pretense of a fortune, to the rich plantation owner they had visited.
"You have no right to deny me. I have signed the chasse-partie, I deserve my share!"
"You mean the same chasse-partie that gives you an obligation to obey your elect captain, crewman Crow? Let me put it to you in a way that you can understand: if you do not hand over this bounty immediately, I shall personally see to it that you get demoted to powder monkey. With a limp..."
Rizzoli's hand tightened around the sabre she carried along with her pistols.
Fury was painted on Crowe's face as he dropped her jewelry box with a resounding thud on the ground in front of the captain.
"Pocket too, Crowe."'
With a look of disdain on his face, he put her mother's ring in the palm of the pirate's hand.
She was caught totally off guard when he grabbed her arm.
"Give me the wench, then. It's my turn to get a bigger share. The ruby you kept for yourself from the last cargo was worth much more than just a woman: so was that jewel encrusted sheath you gave to Frost when we took The Strangler's ship. I deserve the woman."
"You deserve nothing. I'm the captain of this ship, hence I decide whose turn it is. Let her go, Crowe."
Captain Rizzoli spat the name out like it tasted badly in her mouth and drew her sabre.
She turned around and gave her an appraising look.
"Maybe I'm in the mood for a change myself. She looks good for a few hours of amusement."
Her blood started to boil. The gall of this woman...
"Over my dead body!"
"I'd rather be over your live one, M'lady..."
If those pirates cheered one more time...
Black Rizzoli shocked her by putting her arm around her waist and yanking her close. She tried to struggle, but Lady Fairfield almost forgot to be angry as she noted with wonder how good the pirate's firm touch felt... She looked into her huge, dark eyes and got a confused frown on her forehead when she thought saw only concern and kindness in them... But surely...?
"Parlai! I demand a parlai!"
"Really? A parlai?"
The surprise on the pirate's face was evident. But she was convinced she also saw respect.
She was outraged and offended by this uncouth pirate. But there was also a recognition that this woman in a strange way was sharing an experience with her: being a woman fighting for the right to be taken seriously in a man's world. She suspected that Captain Rizzoli simply did what she had to do to get along and stand her ground with these men. And then there was something else lingering under the surface; excitement. Yes, she was outraged and offended, but the danger and challenges of this situation were strangely exhilarating too..
Black Rizzoli was obnoxious and rude, but at least she would be able to suffer through the touch of those hands. If Hoyt had taken her, she didn't know what she would have done.
"Gentlemen, seems the lady needs my attention urgently..."
"Is that what they call it these days?" the rotund older man shouted and Captain Rizzoli's crew roared with laughter.
"You know, quartermaster Korsak, I do believe it is!"
Captain Rizzoli offered her her hand as she was walking the narrow passageway over to her ship but Lady Fairfield refused it point blank. She might have prayed to every imaginary god she had ever heard of, but she walked the precarious walk without the pirate's help.
She looked up at the dark sails of the ship.
"Black sails? Really? Do you not think that to be a bit much, captain?"
She smiled disdainfully at Black Rizzoli.
The pirate smiled a self deprecating smile as she leaned casually against the rail of the ship.
"They're midnight blue... But I do have a certain image to uphold... Welcome to The Subtext, Lady Fairfield. It might not be as big and ostentatious as other Ships, but she's beautiful and she can always be trusted to get me exactly where I want to go. Let me take you to the captain's quarters."
Black Rizzoli's private quarters were surprisingly nice and comfortable. Tidy, well kept. Lady Fairfield had expected something different, more studied indifference, pistols and sabres lying around, empty bottles, captured cargo, maybe. Something that wouldn't cramp the style of an infamous pirate. The room was cluttered, certainly, but also strangely inviting...
The captain leaned casually against a heavy wooden table and started peeling an orange with a slim dagger.
"Fruit?"
She pierced a slice with her dagger and offered it to her.
Lady Fairfield could barely stop herself from stomping her foot like a petulant child.
"How dare you terrorize me!?"
"Fine. No fruit."
"I obviously mean your display up on deck!"
"What do you mean? I'm a pirate, it's my job to terrorize people!"
"It should be perfectly possible to be a pirate without resorting to bad manners! Furthermore, you tied Lord Fairfield to the mast and GAGGED him!"
"If you ask me my lady, your husband is the one with bad manners, considering he let his wife fend for herself when faced with one of the vilest of scurvy scoundrels to ever sail the Caribbean..."
She lost some of her fighting spirit after those words. Captain Rizzoli had a point. Garrett wasn't the most self sacrificing of people.
"Right, let's get this over with!"
She stepped out of her shoes and shrugged her shawl off her shoulders.
"I will need some help with the bodice part, since you have kidnapped my maid."
She impatiently turned her back to the pirate, still seething with anger, but she would try to endure this in the vein of Marcus Aurelius...
"Excuse me?"
She turned around to see an utterly flummoxed pirate, who had lost her cocky grin.
"I see, you are unfamiliar with formal ladies wear. Fine, I suppose I have to manage myself, then, even though that will be awkward."
"Excuse me?"
The look on the pirate's face was genuinely puzzled.
"I know the rules of piracy, so I requested a parlai to spare my husband of the sight of you reaping your reward."
Lady Maura closed her eyes and reclined her head slightly, waiting with a beating heart for Captain Rizzoli to claim her prize.
Nothing happened.
"Captain... Aren't you going to...?"
"What?"
"I am prepared to endure it when you stake your claim."
"What?"
"Kissing me would then be the logical place to start, wouldn't you agree?"
"No! And I don't mean that like, "no", rather as no! Just... No. I would never take advantage like that, what sort of scoundrel do you take me for!"
"A pirate! Captain, I do not understand you! You spoke to your men about wenches and bounty an-and... entertainment and reward."
"Look, Lady Fairfield, I have a certain image to uphold so not to lose authority with my crew. Crowe craves command and Hoyt has tried to slay me several times; if I were to appear weak there would be mutiny. But I would never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. You have already played your part, mylady, I was merely trying to keep you safe. I prefer to aim my sword at other pirates."
"So you're a pirate pirate? Isn't that against the rules of piracy?"
"Not as such. You know the rules of piracy? You're a gentlewoman, how is this possible?"
"I may be female, but I am not simple, Captain! I will have you know I have read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica from a to z! And memorized it for the most part."
"Wasted on me, sadly. I'm an uneducated sailor, without skills bar wielding a sword and bringing down scum. I should have robbed a library instead. The things I would have known..."
"Captain Rizzoli, not only do you appear to be fearless, but also to have a superior knowledge of human nature. Of this I am envious: it can't be learnt from a book."
"I know the nature of bad men, which is not the same as knowing human nature."
"We are all made of good and evil. Hades and Arcadia, Captain."
"Lady Fairfield, I have no idea what you just said. I find this dictionary speak taxing, I suggest a mug of rum and for us to retire to this comfortable bed I seized from a rude french count."
"I do not really drink rum, but as for the rest, I shall endure."
"Nonsense, no one dislikes rum."
"I prefer a small sherry from time to time, although ladies aren't supposed to drink at all in polite society, strictly speaking."
"Good thing you're not in polite society, then. You obviously have not tasted the quality of rum this ship stores. We robbed a smuggler a while back. That man did carry some mighty fine grog, I'll give him that."
"Grog?"
"And I was beginning to think there was nought you did not know. Good rum Of Granada, the finest cask of spirit that can be bought with money."
"Except you don't pay for it."
"Neither did the smuggler."
Captain Rizzoli poured a mug of spirit from a small cask. Lady Fairfield started to re-evaluate her decision not to drink. The warm, soothing fragrance of the spirit made it seem like rather a brilliant idea.
"Come, have a mug. You have been robbed, harassed and kidnapped. And lived to tell the tale."
"I don't drink rum."
The objection sounded weak even to her own ears.
"That's because you haven't had this rum."
"Well... I have been kidnapped..."
"Yes you have. So have a mug of rum on me, seems only fair."
Gingerly, she took a sip. It was like fire on her tongue: if fire were benevolent, fragrant, aromatic...
She looked at the pirate with wide eyes.
"It's delicious."
"I do know good rum, ma'am. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had a long day..."
"You wouldn't have if you just stopped robbing people..."
But the muttered grouching was half hearted and she held her mug of rum contentedly in her hand.
The pirate pulled her high leather boots off and hung the navy uniform coat on the back of a chair. The white, fine linen shirt she wore underneath wasn't revealing per se... But she hadn't bothered to tie the cravat and the material did give more than a hint of the skin tone underneath. It was certainly a very daring outfit for a woman. But then again, Captain Rizzoli was obviously not an ordinary woman. And she was most certainly daring...
Lady Fairfield noticed that she was staring yet again and took a sip out of the mug to hide the uncustomary feel of her blushing cheeks.
Captain Rizzoli patted the other side of the bed, next to her.
"No, thank you."
She felt obliged to uphold the last vestiges of her dignity, though that bed looked rather tempting right now, even if she had to share it with a pirate.
The pirate in question rolled her eyes and drew her sabre. Lady Fairfield's heart started beating faster. Had she underestimated Black Rizzoli? The captain put the sabre next to her on the bed and gestured toward it.
"I promise to stay on my side of the sword. Now please, make yourself comfortable. No need for this to be more unpleasant than it has to."
She carefully walked over to the bed and sat down primly on the side.
"What brought you to the Caribbean?"
"Really? First kidnapping and then smalltalk?"
"Do you have a better suggestion?"
The pirate shrugged and smiled. That smile... Not good. Too good... To her horror, Lady Fairfield found that she did indeed have a better suggestion... She took a big swig of the rum.
"You might want to be careful with that rum, it's quite potent."
"I have been robbed, insulted and kidnapped. Getting intoxicated would not be the worst thing that has happened to me today, Captain."
"Good point. Now, where were we."
Lady Fairfield sighed and fluffed the pillows behind her to make herself comfortable.
"Well... My husband has been having some financial troubles."
"Hence the light luggage?"
"No, I calculated weight and volume so we could use it as a flotation device in case of emergency. Also, I do really prefer to wear silk, which is a conveniently light material."
"Of course you do."
The rum worked its magic surprisingly fast, but on the other hand, she had no previous experience of how her body responded to strong alcohol after a long day at sea followed by being kidnapped by a pirate. A distractingly handsome pirate.
Captain Rizzoli looked deep into her eyes and she suddenly lost her train of thought...
"So, Lord Fairfield was broke?"
"Ummhmm. His business was not going well and since his older brother Adam, who had inherited Fairfield Manor and the entire estate, was disinclined to help him, he expected me to save the day. But my father is a..."
She absentmindedly took another swig of rum before continuing to tell her life story to a handsome stranger. This was all most unlike her. But there was something about how the pirate listened, something seductive about the sympathetic look on that handsome face. As if, for the first time, marooned in the middle of the Caribbean, she had found someone who actually understood her. Or was even interested in what she had to say: as Lady Fairfield, she was not accustomed to this.
"a great philanthropist, so he had tied most of the family money up in charitable endowments. And since he assumed I would be marrying rich, he made no particular provisions for me, or Garrett. My husband took me for my money, captain. So you can imagine his disappointment when there were none."
"Your husband is a scoundrel, ma'am! Would you like me to send him to Davy Jones' locker, I can have one of the men do it right now?"
"A generous offer, captain, but I once loved him very much. Also, I don't think that's the kind of person you are."
She took a generous mouthful. She was not used to candor such as this, but she found that she enjoyed it immensely. In polite society, no one ever spoke the truth, least of all to a lady Fairfield. Also, it touched her in some strange way that the pirate took her side so wholeheartedly. An unexpected source of loyalty...
"I would be grateful if you pretended to be a little scandalised when I release you tomorrow, but I give you leave to tell your husband and whomever else you might deem necessary that nothing happened here tonight."
"I can't. I am unable to lie."
"Come now, no-one is unable to lie. Reluctant, yes, but unable?"
"I would tell you that I'm telling the truth, except that you might suspect that I am lying about that, since you have no empirical evidence of my physical near inability to lie."
"My lady, it must be complicated being you..."
"You have no idea, Captain..."
Maura smiled at the pirate. She shouldn't be enjoying this so much. But she had a feeling that Captain Rizzoli was too... And why did she feel so disappointed that she wouldn't be ravished by an uncouth pirate tonight?
"So, how does this inability to lie manifest itself?"
"Sometimes I become vasovagal."
"Desist with the dictionary speech! English..."
"I faint, captain."
"Faint? You seemed to be of sturdier material than that."
"Only lying, nought else."
"Very well, I'm telling you now that I intend to keep you here as my slave. Does this not strike you with fear?"
"You are? No, I don't think it does. I suspect it would be rather interesting."
"Ha! See. You can lie!"
"I cannot!".
"So... You wouldn't fear being a pirate wench to an uncouth corsair like me? Really?"
"I would not. I lead an unfulfilling life at home."
"Do you like this shirt with these breaches?"
"No, not really. White is too sensitive a colour to wear out at sea. Your cuffs are stained."
"I am starting to believe you! No-one in their right mind gives apparel advice to a pirate. Tell me that up there is the moon!"
She pointed toward a star visible through a porthole.
"I will do no such thing!"
Black Rizzoli lifted her sword, quick as lightning.
"Tell me... The moon!"
Maura felt goosebumps from the pirate's warm breath on her ear. Her skin was almost as soft as the silk of her own dress...
The captain lifted the sword to her throat.
"Very well then, you bully. It's the moon."
She felt her face begin to blush, dizziness and a shortness of breath before Rizzoli lowered her sword. Suddenly, she was held in the strong arms of the pirate. Gunpowder, the ocean and rare spices scented her tanned skin. Her midnight eyes looked kind, worried, not the burning embers they had been before. She was shocked at how badly she wanted to kiss her...
"I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
"Maybe I need you to untie my corset for a while, I seem to be out of breath..."
This was in no way a lie, she was certainly out of breath. Not from nearly fainting, however...The pirate reached behind her and Lady Fairfield found that unlike murderous fiends, there was something that fazed Captain Rizzoli: ladies garments. After a string of curses and afterthought apologies for said curses, she prevailed.
The pirate's forehead creased with worry and she stopped, mid motion. Carefully, she touched the mark on her neck left when Hoyt pulled her necklace off. She leant into her to see it.
"The surgeon?"
Lady Fairfield nodded. With the last vestige of scientific detachment, she noted how her pulse sped up and breath became laboured as the pirate lingered close.
"Are you uncomfortable? I could have an ointment brought for you?"
"I do believe the rum has cured me of any discomfort, captain, but thank you for your concern... However, I wish you would let me take care of this..."
She gestured toward the gash on her cheek.
"No need, it is merely a scratch."
"It is not a scratch by any means, captain. And I assure you it will leave enough scar tissue for you to still be able to cultivate a 'menacing pirate' look."
She raised her eyebrows mockingly.
"The insolence... Do as you please, wench!"
She tried to keep the amused smile off her face as she dipped the edge of her lace handkerchief in her mug of rum.
"This might hurt a little."
She gently put the alcohol drenched cloth against the gash and heard Captain Rizzoli gasp involuntarily.
"A little...?"
But she sensed that the pirate grumbled mostly out of principle.
She gently cleaned the wound out and felt the skin around it to make sure that there was nothing outside of the ordinary. Except for her own physical response... Her hand stopped when she realised she was so close to the pirate now it was indecent. There was a mere inch between them... Swiftly, she leant back again, so the pirate wouldn't get the wrong idea. Or the right one...
Or rather she tried. Captain Rizzoli forcefully pulled her close again.
"Captain... What are you doing...?"
Their eyes met... Captain Rizzoli purposefully cleared her throat, but didn't let go. Lady Fairfield felt her heart rush in her chest.
"My sword... You were too close to it, it's very sharp. Let me clear the bed..."
She nodded, at a loss for words for once. The pirate got even closer when she reached behind her and cleared the sword off of the bed with an impatient motion. Lady Fairfield started a little when it hit the deck with a loud noise, but the pirate didn't loosen her grip.
"I will let that scurvy dog know myself your virtue is intact before I release you tomorrow." she whispered hoarsely in her ear, still not rising from the compromising position.
Lady Fairfield stopped her.
"I'm not sure my virtue is of concern for my husband anymore, captain. It is for me, however."
"Yes, of course, I didn't intend... Wait. Why would it be a problem that you can't tell a lie about what happened tonight? I haven't done anything to offend your honour yet?"
The pirate's gaze dropped to where their bodies were pressed together. Maura blinked in surprise: had she just caught the pirate captain staring at her decolletage...?
"Captain... You have bullied and terrorised me. My reputation is ruined, since the story of how a Fairfield was captured and made the love slave of a pirate is sure to travel. My husband will be even less interested in me than before; this will make him a laughing stock.
"I was trying to protect you from a fate worse than this. I assure you that your virtue and your life is safe with me. As for your ruined reputation, I will do what is in my power to restore it."
"Don't. I find it most cumbersome."
"Mylady, I have no idea what you just said."
"You called me a catch, a prize. Claim it, captain. Let me at least reap the benefits. I would like to feel like a woman again at least once more in my life."
She felt the potent rum sing in her veins as she gave in to its siren call. She rose from the bed and pressed her lips to Captain Rizzoli's.
The pirate broke the kiss first.
"I'm beginning to wonder who is claiming who here..."
"Who is claiming whom, captain. You didn't like...?"
Lady Maura looked at the pirate with a worried frown on her forehead. Had she misconstrued her signals? The kiss had been... Her heart was threatening to race out of her chest.
"No...I find that I do."
Captain Rizzoli hesitated a moment, before answering in kind.
Lady Fairfield had not been kissed by someone who meant it for years, she sighed against the pirate's surprisingly soft lips and pressed herself flush against her as the kiss deepened. And deepened... She realised that she had wanted to take the pirate's full lower lip between hers and suck on it gently since she first saw her.
"Captain, there are some stains on your shirt, maybe we ought to take it off..."
She snuck her hand inside the collar to caress the pirate's strong shoulder.
"It's just gunpowder and tar, it's alright...
Slowly, she eased the loose white shirt out of the black buckskin breeches, looking into Captain Rizzoli's eyes.
"Oh... I see. Are you comfortable? May I help you remove any offending items of clothing?"
"Ah, captain... Manners will get you anywhere. Now that you mention it, I am a little warm in these undergarments."
Captain Rizzoli smiled at her, a rakish, roguish smile, full of swagger and confidence.
"Captain? What is your christian name? I cannot call you "captain" in the throes of passion..." she whispered against her long, elegant neck.
"Jane..."
She had expected something more exotic, something more in line with the pirate's appearance, but she supposed even pirates had conventional mothers.
"Nice to meet you Jane. I'm Maura Isles. Never mind the 'mylady' bit."
"Nice to 'meet' you too, Maura...
The pirate raised a suggestive eyebrow and quickly leaned in for another kiss. Maura melted into her. She hadn't been touched in so long, she had almost forgotten what it was like. It was so different from her husband's caress... She gasped involuntarily when one of the pirates hands slipped down her collarbone and brushed over her breast. It was almost polite in its gentleness.
"There is such a thing as too much manners, Jane." she whispered in her ear.
Looking deep into her eyes, she took the surprisingly delicate hand in hers. She kissed the calloused mark in the middle of her palm and put it back on her breast. The look on the pirate's face when her hand shaped around its softness was almost as arousing as the touch itself. Her eyes burned with a dark fire that made Maura suddenly feel like she was tired of all the games and the teasing.
She looked at Jane's heavy sword belt and swallowed audibly, before slowly starting to unbuckle it. She wasn't behaving anything like a lady should. It was exhilarating... Slowly, she slid the soft buckskin down the pirate's endless legs, almost shocking in their lanky, silky perfection. The stockings followed. She luxuriated in the feel of warm skin under her hands as she slid them back up where she assumed she would find some sort of undergarment where the skin was now covered by her long shirt. But apart from the very satisfying sound of Jane's breath becoming distinctly irregular, she found nothing but soft femininity.
The somewhat transparent fabric of the shirt was now the only thing between her and naked skin. She started to slide it up, hands trembling a little, from arousal and anticipation. But the pirate gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
"Maura... I'm at a disadvantage. Let me even out the odds?"
She ached to see the rest of Jane, but she reluctantly nodded her consent as the pirate started to undress her. For some reason, it didn't surprise her how tender she was. Those confusingly soft and yet damaged hands handled her like she was something precious, a treasure captured. When her chemise was pulled over her head and discarded, the softness and breathlessness in Jane's voice took her own breath away.
"You're beautiful..."
Captain Rizzoli took her hand and kissed it, moving on to her shoulder and her neck, making her throw her head back and sigh in pleasure. She let Jane explore her exposed skin for a few minutes, revelling in her passion and dedication to the task.
"You too..."
Jane nodded consent and lifted her shirt over her head.
Maura stared at her, captivated: how could something look so soft and so powerful at the same time..? Her first thought was that it was a waste to hide such beauty in masculine attire, but she remembered how the clash between delicate and coarse, femininity and masculine confidence had excited her. Did excite her...
"Maura... Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?"
"Frequently", Maura whispered as she dragged the tips of her fingers down the pirate's stomach and marvelled in the softness of touching another woman's skin.
"I'll try to make you stop..."
"Please... "
Maura relaxed in Jane's embrace: the intensity of being skin to skin took her breath away.
When she gently pushed her down and towered benevolently over her, black curls falling down over her shoulders, tickling the skin of her chest, she felt like there was nothing she wouldn't allow Jane to do.
"Your husband is a fool..." Jane whispered before leaning down and covering her skin with kisses.
Her skillful hands knew other things than how to wield a sword. She followed every curve like she was appraising a treasure, measuring her value. A tentative hand caressed its way up her inner thigh and finally gently rested against her sex, immobile.
"Jane... Please move your hand..."
Black Rizzoli did and Maura couldn't help gasping from the sensation.
"Am I hurting you...?"
The light touch of the pirate's lips on her ear as she whispered made the throbbing sensation under her hand intensify.
Maura smiled softly.
"Only my pride if you don't keep touching me..."
Jane bent her head down, kissed her breast and closed her mouth around her nipple, suckling her like a baby. Maura arched up into the touch, marvelling at how such a subtle movement could set her whole body on fire. Admittedly, she had had only one lover before Jane, but she was certain the pirate had unusually good instinct. At least when it came to touching her...
Jane's eyes burned as she moved her fingers through her copious wetness: Maura might have been embarrassed by her own wantonness as she moved against her and moaned. But there was something so surreal about this whole situation, she didn't feel like any of the normal rules applied. She didn't feel like herself at all. Or maybe she felt more like herself?
She felt a tension in her lower stomach, a tingling sensation that she had only experienced by herself, when her own hands explored the sensitive parts of her body when Garrett lacked the patience.
"Jane... Come closer..."
She impatiently grabbed the pirate's shoulders to encourage her to put her full weight on her. Jane lay down in the cradle of her thighs and Maura could feel the slick warmth of her sex against her own. She wasn't sure if the wetness she felt on her thigh or the bead of sweat on her chest was hers or Jane's anymore.
Slowly, Jane started moving against her, providing the friction Maura desperately needed. She hooked her legs around her waist and moved with her. Her whole body was tight as a coil now, she had never been this sexually aroused. Jane's total focus on her pleasure was the greatest aphrodisiac of all: Garrett had been self-centered even at the best of times.
"Don't stop..."
"No chance of that..."
She looked into Jane's eyes and saw a hunger matching her own. Her fingers dug into the soft muscles of her strong hips involuntarily as she approached the peak of unbearable tension. Jane instinctively increased pressure and pace, sending Maura over the edge, muffling her cries against her benevolent kidnapper's soft neck.
Maura took a few seconds to bask in the heady feeling of euphoria that followed. Jane pulled her close again.
"I bet there's nothing in Encyclopaedia Britannica about that... "
The pirate smiled teasingly at her and kissed her lips lightly.
"It's not about books as such, more about the practical knowledge they can impart... I would be eager to test some of it out in practise."
"I'd like that..."
Jane looked a little reluctant when she reversed the positions and gently pushed her onto her back, but the helpless groaning when Maura's warm lips started to move up her inner thigh and higher spoke of surrender. There was nothing decorous about what she was about to do. She had seen pictures of it in one of her father's books, the one with wood carvings from India that he thought she hadn't found at the top shelf of the library. Jane's gasp when she pressed her lips against her exposed sex told her that the book had been correct in describing how pleasurable it would be. Touching and tasting her like this, impossibly intimate, should probably have felt strange and certainly indecent, but Maura had known from the beginning that she wanted her in the worst possible way. Her heart was pounding irregularly, her hands were unsteady and her body ached dully from desire. She had never felt an urge to devour someone like she did Jane. The fact that Jane seemed to feel the same way made her intoxicated in the way that not even the greatest rum Black Rizzoli could find could accomplish.
It took more time and patience than she had imagined, but she really didn't mind the aching jaw, since the only response she could get out of Jane was a whispered "Don't stop" and a continuous soft moaning to indicate her state of arousal. Her climax was the most wondrous thing she had ever seen. No book could have prepared her for how that made her feel.
Afterwards, they lay closely together, still naked and uncovered. It felt deliciously wicked: Maura had never slept naked in her life, not even on her wedding night: it wasn't done.
"Those must have been some books, mylady..."
"Maura."
"Maura..."
She had never heard her name sound like that, full of debauchery and promise in the pirate's velvety post-coital voice. This was what her name was supposed to sound like.
This woman was not just just good at finding loot and treasure, she was also adept at stealing hearts. At least this one...
She listened contentedly to Jane regaling her with adventures at sea, until the big bad pirate fell asleep almost mid sentence, head on Maura's shoulder. She knew it was ridiculous to feel this happy, she had no idea what fate had in store, but she felt no fear when she kissed Black Rizzoli's jet black locks before dozing off herself.
Her desire woke her up in the morning, still wrapped around the pirate, using only a fraction of that huge bed. Jane looked so peaceful when she slept, she almost didn't like to wake her up. She studied the shadow of her impossibly long eyelashes on her cheek for a few moments, but her body screamed at her to act.
"Jane? Are you still sleeping?"
She caressed a strong shoulder, a collar bone, a delicate neck and let her tongue follow.
"That thing you did last night..."
"Good morning..."
Maura smiled against Jane's sleep warm skin and kept kissing her way up to her defined jaw.
She paused and smiled at her.
"You can say the words, Jane, it's alright. I'm starting to wonder who grew up in a sheltered environment, you or me..."
"I sure didn't have access to a library full of dirty books."
"Jane! They're not dirty, it's art! Very useful art, admittedly..."
"Very useful, yes..."
Jane raised one shockingly perfect eyebrow and Maura just had to kiss her again.
"That thing you did... I want to do it to you..."
Jane's voice, the warm breath on her and the expectations of what was to come made her shiver.
"I like seeing you in daylight... Silk doesn't do you justice, you should be naked constantly."
"Jane!"
But secretly, Maura loved the complement. And for some reason, it felt completely natural to be naked with Jane. She ran the tips of her finger over Maura's shoulder, her collarbone and down to her cleavage, where Jane brushed one of her nipples, smiling at the strong reaction she got from the feather light touch.
Maura's pulse raced as Jane slid down the bed, kissing her way to her goal. Maura discovered that she liked the feeling of her tongue in her belly button, on her hip bone and in the spot above her soft brown curls as well as in the expected places. It would appear that with the right person, touching any part of your body could arouse you. The explicit books had said nothing about that...
When Jane's mouth descended on her, her eyes flew shut and she tried to analyse the feeling but gave up almost immediately.
"Jane? Maybe just a little to the lef... Aaah, yes, right there..."
Maura froze as she heard heavy steps up on deck and a loud knock.
"Go away, I'm in the middle of parlai."
Jane smiled sensuously at her.
"Now where were we?"
There was the knock on the door again. Jane groaned and not from pleasure this time.
"Captain, we should think about division of the spoils, the men are restless to know what their share is."
The voice of quartermaster Korsak sounded so near that Maura had to quell the impulse of covering herself up.
"Divide it in equal shares between yourself and the crew. Anything that belongs to Lady Fairfield you leave."
"Equal shares? Even for Crow?"
"Even Crow. I'm in a good mood today."
Jane lowered her warm lips to her sex again, Maura gasped and tried desperately to keep quiet and stop squirming.
"What about you?"
Jane only paused to bark a short reply.
"I don't want anything that was taken from the Surgeon."
She looked up at Maura.
"I already got my prize." she whispered and brushed her lips against the inside of her thigh.
Maura's eyes filled with tears and she cursed herself for being so sappy, but she couldn't help it. The pirate spoke to her with such gentleness and she wasn't used to that...
"Korsak?"
"Yes?"
"Go. Away."
"Aye aye, captain."
They could hear him mutter something about never hearing of a parlai that lasted all night, but were both relieved when the sound of his footsteps grew fainter.
Jane didn't need books. No library with the a secret top shelf. She was a very quick study. A few whispered instructions here and there and Maura crashed over the edge with such intensity she discovered that the hand she had had buried in Jane's hair still clutched a few strands of raven in them. She feared she had been loud enough for quartermaster Korsak to comprehend just what sort of parlai this actually was, but she was beyond caring.
"I think I like that book of yours..."
Jane had a cat that ate the canary smile on her face when she rolled over on her back and Maura could see she was rightfully proud of herself.
"I think I do too..."
But there was one other thing she still wanted to know: she crawled on top of Jane and slid her fingers through her wetness. Jane seemed to have enjoyed the previous activity almost as much as she had. She took a tight nipple in her mouth and sucked on it, hard. Jane moved her hips involuntarily against her hand. Maura continued her gentle, slow motions until Jane was restless and loud underneath her. She carefully entered her with two fingers and heard herself moan in the suddenly quiet room.
"Are you comfortable?"
Jane nodded and her eyes flew shut as Maura moved inside of her. She had always wanted to know what it was like for a man to be inside of a woman. She would never know exactly, of course, but she knew this for sure: taking another woman was exhilarating and empowering. She felt on top of the world as Jane groaned softly and spread her legs wider. Maura experimentally moved her fingers against the hot, silky walls, mesmerised by the rich variation of reactions she got from Jane. When she finally climaxed and drenched her hand in her appreciation, Maura felt a little bit like she deserved to be the captain of something too.
Afterwards, Maura reclined on the bed, basking in the afterglow, her cheeks and chest still warm and rosy from the arousal and subsequent climax. She watched Jane as she leaned over the wash basin and ran a damp cloth all over her body. She marvelled at the fact that she wanted her again, as she saw the droplets of moisture travel down her naked body, just minutes after watching her climax in her arms. She was the most... beautiful? Handsome? She wasn't sure what word to pick, but she had never found anything as visually appealing as Black Rizzoli naked, she was certain of that much.
Jane saw the look on her face and took her in her arms and kissed her deeply, sincerely. The intensity set off a warning bell in Maura's head and she looked quizzically at Jane.
"I'm going to miss you, Maura... This night will always be special to me, I'll never forget you. I'll try to get a merchant captain I know to set you and that husband of yours ashore at Port St Etienne later today, you can make your way pretty much anywhere from there."
"You're going to release me...? Today?"
Maura's eye filled with tears again and this time, she couldn't hold them back.
"Really? You intend to cry on me?"
Captain Rizzoli looked intensely uncomfortable.
"I will have you know I have no control of my amygdalas connection to my lacrimal glands!"
"If I've done something to offend you, I apologise. As you have pointed out, I have no clue how to behave in polite society."
"Yes, you've done something to offend me! You've made me care for you! And now you intend to dispose of me like a cask of rum that wasn't of high enough quality! Then you might as well have tied me to the mast and gagged me too, it would have been kinder!"
She knew she shouldn't be screaming at the pirate like this, it had indeed been very pleasant for a kidnapping, but she just hadn't calculated on Jane wanting to get rid of her, when she herself already had all of these disturbing feelings, making her all soft inside... She just couldn't imagine never kissing her again.
"Come on Maura... What do you want from me?"
"Take me with you. I want to sail the seven seas with you, Jane."
"But Maura... This is no life for a lady. I couldn't do that to belong at Fairfield Manor, in your library, clad in silks and velvet. What life could a simple pirate like me offer a woman like you?"
"An exhilarating one? A life away from the artificial and tortuous restraints placed on a modern woman in the name of polite society! A life of self-improvement and discovery. And while I am rather fond of my silk dresses and calf skin boots, we would still be pirates, would we not? We could simply rob a pirate who robbed a silk merchant, could we not?"
"You're a gentlewoman, what could you possibly see in me? I drink rum by the cup, enjoy a good fight and sometimes send my enemies to walk the plank. My manners are uncouth and my quarters plain."
"I'm adopted. For all I know, my birth parents might be pirates too. Or beggars. You are twice as honourable and twice the man my husband is, Jane. Your manners might be a work a progress, but I can assist in furthering your education."
"Oh, can you now?"
"I can. Also, I am something of a prodigy. I think you will find I'm likely the best navigator you have ever met, a competent astronomer, I know something about canon ball ballistics and I'm both a better surgeon and medic than any of your motley crew. Also, I'm a lady, I know a good jemstone when I see one."
"You forgot to mention humble."
"Did I?"
Lady Maura's forehead scrunched quizzically.
"However, I will have you know that it doesn't take much to be considered a prodigy with the current level of education and lack of enlightenment."
She wrapped her arms around the pirate.
"As for the rest... Your lips, your hands and your bed are certainly good enough for me..."
She took Captain Rizzoli's hand and placed it on her ample cleavage.
"Maura... I... Oh, for god's sake, alright! As long as you don't cry!"
Jane was gazing at the horizon through a monocular and Maura was sitting daintily next to her on the rail, trying not to look disapprovingly at the tar stain on her winter white silk shoe. Piracy would definitely require a more robust wardrobe. She was eagerly studying a map Jane had given her and the pirate smiled indulgently at her obvious enthusiasm for the subject. Maura looked up and into the smiling midnight eyes.
"I want to know all about you. What were your other lovers like?"
"I've had two kinds: the ones who hated that I was a pirate and the ones who wanted me to tie them up with scraps of yardarm and bark orders at them. Very tiresome. And then there was Lieutenant Grant... I rather liked him. But he wanted to go back to the navy, so I released him from captivity."
"Alright, stop. That was quite enough, it seems. Will you have other lovers when I sail with you?"
Maura's jealousy when Jane had mentioned that Grant fellow, who was obviously an idiot, had been surprisingly strong. Jane took her hand in her warm calloused one and shook her head.
"Even a greedy pirate will settle for the finest treasure in the chest. Which reminds me of something I forgot yesterday."
She reached for something in her pocket and held her other hand out. Maura felt tears in her eyes again. Her mother's ring...
"You're not getting down on one knee?"
"You're joking?"
But when she saw Maura's steely gaze, she rolled her eyes and got down in a smooth motion.
"Maura Isles, will you be my navigator?"
"Jane... I don't know what to say, that's so sweet.."
"Oh, gross! Just kiss me, wench!"
And Lady Maura did. Or rather Petticoats Maura, the best dressed pirate who ever sailed the Caribbean, did...