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Chapter Five
The sun continues to creep higher in the sky, the guards are snorting and snoring, distracting my writings. My hand is hurting, and my eyes stinging through the lack of light, and having to stare at my rushed almost illegible scrawl. But I can't give up now. I can't die, leaving this incomplete. I shall be as persistent as dear Roberto was as he chased me round Port Royal, trying to turn my attentions from Jack in a more desirable direction, towards him.
But at the bold, and excusable, modest age of fifteen, I was eager to escape from the groove in which society had placed me. I was no longer content to be my parent's paraded doll, they're show off toy for visitors, I wanted to be Theodora Harping, independent in my own right. But how could I be independent with a shadow/protector trailing me everywhere?
Not that Roberto forced his attentions on just me, I heard tell of his dealings with the town girls, if such stories arrived at the ears of my father, Roberto would be thrown from the house. But I was no snitch, I could not tell my father of Roberto's night time activities. Maybe I did have some feelings for my eccentric cousin, maybe he reminded me in some ways of Rudolph.
As the days went on, I attended various balls and banqueting ceremonies, my mother insisted it was necessary and waved aside my protest. Roberto accompanied me to act as chaperone, I thought it cheeky of him to usurp my father's position. But father sat back and let it happen, and I began to get worried.
Father no longer approached things with his usual zest, even the smallest activities seemed a trial to him, and my mother was constantly fussing over his health. When I asked I was greeted with an embarrassing, stony silence, in which I decided never to breach the topic again.
"You should not be a wondering by yourself, Miss Theo." Roberto said, as he rushed to catch up with as I headed towards the docks.
"I am surprised to find you up, Roberto." I replied, briskly.
"What on earth do you mean by that? I know I'm not much of a morning person. . ."
"Clearly." I said, with a look of disapproval at his crumpled suit.
He brushed him self down and held out his arm, I took it reluctantly.
"I'm thinking of paying a trip to Tortuga, I thought you might wish to accompany me."
"Really?" I said, happily. And for the first time in my life, I was happy to walk along side Roberto as he chatted endlessly about the virtues of Tortuga, and how much I should enjoy it.
"My father. . ." I said, hopelessly.
"I'll talk to him, he trusts me, he knows you're safe with him." And protectively, he pulled me closer to him as we walked past the drunken louts as they spilled from the pub. One reached out and tentatively stroked my blond curled hair. I shrunk away from them. Roberto stepped between me and them. They laughed, and tried to pull my hair again. I screamed, as one grabbed me from behind.
The group, that we assumed as just drunken louts, turned out to be much worse. One by one they pulled knife and sword from their clothes. They were pirates. There was no one near by, we had taken a short cut down a back ally, we were alone.
Roberto pulled a gun from his pocket, I was as surprised as the pirates. I had no idea he carried such an implement, the symbol of death my father called it. He refused to have them in the house, they had to be kept in the lodge in the garden.
The pirates looked at it wearily, as Roberto brandished it at the nearest one. Then they grabbed me. The man stepped forward, dressed in ragged trousers and tattered shirt, a scraggy beard pouring from his dirty chin, he pressed the cold metal to my bare neck. I screamed softly.
"Drop it, mate." He sneered.
"Theo!" Roberto called.
I couldn't speak, the blade was so close to my neck, I was too scared to talk.
"Drop it." The man yelled again, pulling me backwards, aggressively.
Roberto flung the gun aside. He held his arms out by his sides. "What is it you want? We have nothing."
"I wouldn't say that. I'll have your lady friend for a start!" One called. Roberto stepped forward, towards me but he was held back.
My heart began to beat so heavily that I was sure he could hear it, as my captor sneered into my face.
"What's going on 'ere?" A slurred voice said from, behind.
My captor spun round, taking me with him. Roberto had just been knocked to the ground, he got up gingerly, dusting his scruffed suit.
My captor dropped me from his gasp, and I found myself staring miserably into the grinning eyes of a handsome, roguish man. He was a pirate, I could tell that instantly from his attire. He carried a gun, and a sword, I caught them glinting in the sun, I swallowed with fear. His black dreadlocked hair, was decorated with beads, and his head covered with a red bandanna. He held a bottle of rum in his hand, which he took a swig of before continuing.
"You were s'pposed to be back over an hour ago." He slurred, once more. But he wasn't looking at the other pirates, he was staring directly into my scared eyes. My hands were shaking, I knew that, and he did. I saw his eyes flick to them and back to my eyes with a grin. He stepped closer to me, and I stepped back.
"Back to the ship now." He said, drinking the last of his rum, and throwing the bottle, with a smash against the wall.
"Aye cap'n." My captor muttered. He beckoned to the others, and they followed him. One pressed Roberto's gun into the captain's hands as they walked passed.
The pirate examined the gun, he swirled the barrel around in his deft fingers, checking for bullets. He grinned, stepped forward, and touched my face. I stepped back, shocked, no man had done such a thing before, except Roberto, and he was my cousin. Roberto, too, caught the insult, he stepped forward, as though to protect me. The pirate grinned.
"If I wanted you, girl I coul' 'ave you, and there's nothin' he coul' do about it." He said, with a laugh, stroking my face as I backed against the wall.
"You'd have to go through me first, before I'd let you hurt, Theo." Roberto said, strongly.
The pirate grinned, and raised Roberto's gun, aiming it at him.
"No!" I screamed. "Please don't."
He turned back to see my agonised face, the tears beginning to prick in my eyes. I was far more scared of this man, then I had been of the other five.
Once more he caressed my face, wiping my pluming tears away. "I'm not gonna hurt you love."
"Please leave us." I stuttered.
He grinned nastily, and began to feel my body, I squirmed, uncomfortably. Roberto watching helplessly. Then he found what he was after, something valuable, a memory of the day. Unfortunately it was my gold piece I had found so many years ago in the Rudolph's cave.
He looked at in surprise.
"Where did you get this?" He shook me angrily.
I didn't reply.
"Where did you get this?"
When I still didn't answer he slapped me merciless across the face.
Roberto stepped forward angrily. But the pirate had his gun pointed at my head. "Where'd you get it from?" He insisted.
"From. . .from the cave." I stuttered.
"Cave?"
"On the Cornish Coast."
The pirate smiled, tossed the gold coin into the air, and caught it again in one swift, graceful movement.
I wriggled out of his grasp, he barely noticed. He clutched the coin in his grubby hand, and muttered a few words I did not catch.
"Where are the others?" He demanded.
"There were no others." I insisted.
"If you're lying. . ."
"Please sir!" I begged. "I am not lying."
"You live in Cornwall?"
"I was visiting my cousins." I found the question strange but dared not remain silent.
He grabbed me. "You're coming with me love."
"No. . ." I began, miserably, but Roberto took over.
"She is not." He said, forcefully.
The gun was still held to my held, I felt the cold metal, pointed towards my temple.
The pirate ignored him. "Now you can come willing, which I seriously recommend, or you can come by force."
"I'm not coming." I replied.
He grabbed my arm, I spun round, looking for passers by anyone who would stop and help, but his hand went over my mouth. And he drew my head close to his. He whispered in my ear.
"By the way, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Heard you was looking for me Dora."
Chapter Five
The sun continues to creep higher in the sky, the guards are snorting and snoring, distracting my writings. My hand is hurting, and my eyes stinging through the lack of light, and having to stare at my rushed almost illegible scrawl. But I can't give up now. I can't die, leaving this incomplete. I shall be as persistent as dear Roberto was as he chased me round Port Royal, trying to turn my attentions from Jack in a more desirable direction, towards him.
But at the bold, and excusable, modest age of fifteen, I was eager to escape from the groove in which society had placed me. I was no longer content to be my parent's paraded doll, they're show off toy for visitors, I wanted to be Theodora Harping, independent in my own right. But how could I be independent with a shadow/protector trailing me everywhere?
Not that Roberto forced his attentions on just me, I heard tell of his dealings with the town girls, if such stories arrived at the ears of my father, Roberto would be thrown from the house. But I was no snitch, I could not tell my father of Roberto's night time activities. Maybe I did have some feelings for my eccentric cousin, maybe he reminded me in some ways of Rudolph.
As the days went on, I attended various balls and banqueting ceremonies, my mother insisted it was necessary and waved aside my protest. Roberto accompanied me to act as chaperone, I thought it cheeky of him to usurp my father's position. But father sat back and let it happen, and I began to get worried.
Father no longer approached things with his usual zest, even the smallest activities seemed a trial to him, and my mother was constantly fussing over his health. When I asked I was greeted with an embarrassing, stony silence, in which I decided never to breach the topic again.
"You should not be a wondering by yourself, Miss Theo." Roberto said, as he rushed to catch up with as I headed towards the docks.
"I am surprised to find you up, Roberto." I replied, briskly.
"What on earth do you mean by that? I know I'm not much of a morning person. . ."
"Clearly." I said, with a look of disapproval at his crumpled suit.
He brushed him self down and held out his arm, I took it reluctantly.
"I'm thinking of paying a trip to Tortuga, I thought you might wish to accompany me."
"Really?" I said, happily. And for the first time in my life, I was happy to walk along side Roberto as he chatted endlessly about the virtues of Tortuga, and how much I should enjoy it.
"My father. . ." I said, hopelessly.
"I'll talk to him, he trusts me, he knows you're safe with him." And protectively, he pulled me closer to him as we walked past the drunken louts as they spilled from the pub. One reached out and tentatively stroked my blond curled hair. I shrunk away from them. Roberto stepped between me and them. They laughed, and tried to pull my hair again. I screamed, as one grabbed me from behind.
The group, that we assumed as just drunken louts, turned out to be much worse. One by one they pulled knife and sword from their clothes. They were pirates. There was no one near by, we had taken a short cut down a back ally, we were alone.
Roberto pulled a gun from his pocket, I was as surprised as the pirates. I had no idea he carried such an implement, the symbol of death my father called it. He refused to have them in the house, they had to be kept in the lodge in the garden.
The pirates looked at it wearily, as Roberto brandished it at the nearest one. Then they grabbed me. The man stepped forward, dressed in ragged trousers and tattered shirt, a scraggy beard pouring from his dirty chin, he pressed the cold metal to my bare neck. I screamed softly.
"Drop it, mate." He sneered.
"Theo!" Roberto called.
I couldn't speak, the blade was so close to my neck, I was too scared to talk.
"Drop it." The man yelled again, pulling me backwards, aggressively.
Roberto flung the gun aside. He held his arms out by his sides. "What is it you want? We have nothing."
"I wouldn't say that. I'll have your lady friend for a start!" One called. Roberto stepped forward, towards me but he was held back.
My heart began to beat so heavily that I was sure he could hear it, as my captor sneered into my face.
"What's going on 'ere?" A slurred voice said from, behind.
My captor spun round, taking me with him. Roberto had just been knocked to the ground, he got up gingerly, dusting his scruffed suit.
My captor dropped me from his gasp, and I found myself staring miserably into the grinning eyes of a handsome, roguish man. He was a pirate, I could tell that instantly from his attire. He carried a gun, and a sword, I caught them glinting in the sun, I swallowed with fear. His black dreadlocked hair, was decorated with beads, and his head covered with a red bandanna. He held a bottle of rum in his hand, which he took a swig of before continuing.
"You were s'pposed to be back over an hour ago." He slurred, once more. But he wasn't looking at the other pirates, he was staring directly into my scared eyes. My hands were shaking, I knew that, and he did. I saw his eyes flick to them and back to my eyes with a grin. He stepped closer to me, and I stepped back.
"Back to the ship now." He said, drinking the last of his rum, and throwing the bottle, with a smash against the wall.
"Aye cap'n." My captor muttered. He beckoned to the others, and they followed him. One pressed Roberto's gun into the captain's hands as they walked passed.
The pirate examined the gun, he swirled the barrel around in his deft fingers, checking for bullets. He grinned, stepped forward, and touched my face. I stepped back, shocked, no man had done such a thing before, except Roberto, and he was my cousin. Roberto, too, caught the insult, he stepped forward, as though to protect me. The pirate grinned.
"If I wanted you, girl I coul' 'ave you, and there's nothin' he coul' do about it." He said, with a laugh, stroking my face as I backed against the wall.
"You'd have to go through me first, before I'd let you hurt, Theo." Roberto said, strongly.
The pirate grinned, and raised Roberto's gun, aiming it at him.
"No!" I screamed. "Please don't."
He turned back to see my agonised face, the tears beginning to prick in my eyes. I was far more scared of this man, then I had been of the other five.
Once more he caressed my face, wiping my pluming tears away. "I'm not gonna hurt you love."
"Please leave us." I stuttered.
He grinned nastily, and began to feel my body, I squirmed, uncomfortably. Roberto watching helplessly. Then he found what he was after, something valuable, a memory of the day. Unfortunately it was my gold piece I had found so many years ago in the Rudolph's cave.
He looked at in surprise.
"Where did you get this?" He shook me angrily.
I didn't reply.
"Where did you get this?"
When I still didn't answer he slapped me merciless across the face.
Roberto stepped forward angrily. But the pirate had his gun pointed at my head. "Where'd you get it from?" He insisted.
"From. . .from the cave." I stuttered.
"Cave?"
"On the Cornish Coast."
The pirate smiled, tossed the gold coin into the air, and caught it again in one swift, graceful movement.
I wriggled out of his grasp, he barely noticed. He clutched the coin in his grubby hand, and muttered a few words I did not catch.
"Where are the others?" He demanded.
"There were no others." I insisted.
"If you're lying. . ."
"Please sir!" I begged. "I am not lying."
"You live in Cornwall?"
"I was visiting my cousins." I found the question strange but dared not remain silent.
He grabbed me. "You're coming with me love."
"No. . ." I began, miserably, but Roberto took over.
"She is not." He said, forcefully.
The gun was still held to my held, I felt the cold metal, pointed towards my temple.
The pirate ignored him. "Now you can come willing, which I seriously recommend, or you can come by force."
"I'm not coming." I replied.
He grabbed my arm, I spun round, looking for passers by anyone who would stop and help, but his hand went over my mouth. And he drew my head close to his. He whispered in my ear.
"By the way, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Heard you was looking for me Dora."