Disclaimer: I seriously don't think that RKO Radio is going to hunt me down because I borrowed characters from a movie that very few people beside me have ever heard of, but just in case…
That night, she was sitting in her room, tearing the bedsheets into strips and braiding them into rope when she heard a tapping at her window. It sounded as if someone was throwing gravel at it. She pushed the remnants of the sheets under the bed and wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, then opened the doors that led onto the balcony of her room. Kat had to duck a rock as she went out; someone was trying to get her attention, that much was sure. When she went to the railing and strained her eyes to see into the darkness, she saw nothing. Suddenly, there was a soft thud behind her, and she whirled around.
The Barracuda was standing in the narrow beam of light escaping the doors of her room. "Laurent!" she said, startled. "What are you—I thought they'd taken you to Tortuga!"
He smiled, but his eyes held no humor. "I'm sorry if I've startled you, but there was too much danger and too little time to have myself announced with more formality."
"Wait," she said. "Let me close the door. There's a guard in the hall." She dashed back into the bedroom, hid the rest of her rope under the bed, and pulled the double doors closed as she went back out on the balcony.
Laurent had noticed her efforts. "You've been busy," he commented.
"Yes, I was going to try and climb down. Laurent, the Viceroy's put the two crews—yours and Anne Bonnie's—in the prison. I heard him talking, and he's going to execute them soon."
"I know," he replied. There was a strange look on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"You would like to continue with this charade, wouldn't you?" he said. "You've had my crew thrown into the prison. And Anne Bonnie, to whom you promised safe conduct home—she's under lock and key, waiting with the rest of them to be burned at the stake, in celebration of the royal holiday. I am sure the flames will add a bit of color to the festivities!"
Kat's eyes widened, and she took a step back from him with her fists clenched. "Who told you that? Who?" she demanded furiously. "How dare you think that I'd condemn anyone to that fate?" She could feel the blood rising in her cheeks, flushing them with heat. "I tried to help them. I knew the Viceroy wouldn't listen to me, but I tried to buy time. If I can get out of here, I will release them—and then exact payment from that swine. If you want to believe otherwise, so be it," she shot at him. "But you'd best hurry if you want to kill him before I do!"
Laurent was about to say something; before he could, however, voices came from her room. "Get out of here," Kat hissed at him. "Before they catch you, too. Go!"
"Did you not think I would have planned for such an event, my dear?" he replied, turning to face the door.
The soldiers burst through it as he did, and surrounded the two of them. Alvarado followed, and stared at Laurent. His eyes widened. "So you are the Barracuda?" he said, then laughed loudly.
"Or Laurent Van Horn, remember?"
"Yes, I remember. You were presumptuous, and I punished you. Oh, we're old friends," Alvarado said to Kat. "But it's an intimacy that won't endure much longer, I'm afraid. I will rid you of this intruder—immediately and permanently."
"Laurent," Kat started to say, but the Barracuda stopped her, smiling.
"I consider it a delightful privilege to have known you, Contessa," he said to Kat with a bow, "and I will remember you till the end of my days." Then, with one quick motion, he hooked his boot around the boots of the guards standing behind him, twisted, and knocked them off their feet. In a bound he was over the railing and into the shrubbery. Both Alvarado and Kat dashed up to the railing and leaned over it.
"Search the gardens!" the Viceroy called out to his men. "You—look in the shrubbery to the right!"
The guards searched for him for a few seconds but then—to Kat's great shock and surprise—Laurent stepped out and allowed the guards to catch him.
"Be sure there are no more of them!" the Viceroy ordered, then turned to Kat. "A thousand pardons for this intrusion, my child. But I thought it necessary—for your sake even more than my own."
Alvarado strode out of the room, and Kat looked back down at the gardens; the guards were still searching. There was a sudden commotion from one patch of bushes, and several soldiers appeared, dragging with them three pirates—in fact, the very same men who'd pulled her out from under the fallen rigging. Kat realized then what Laurent had been trying to do: get into the prison, then have his friends deliver weapons so that he could rescue Anne Bonnie and his crew. But she had just seen the plan backfire—and she knew that the only way it would work was if she released them instead. With an angry kick at the dragging hem of her skirt, Kat ran back into her room, sending lace and ribbons flying as she prepared for the task.
Within a few hours, she had found her way to the prison in the guise of a serving-maid, saying that she had been sent with food for the prisoners. She'd also brought as much wine as she could carry—for the purpose of making the single guard on duty there as drunk as possible. Unfortunately, he'd also decided that he liked her, and now had a hand around her waist. "Here," she said in her best flirting voice. "Let me open you another bottle."
The man took it, drank nearly half in one gulp, then laughed drunkenly and tried to pull her into a kiss. "Not now," she said, pulling back. "Ah…what if someone saw us? Take them the basket," she suggested, motioning towards the jail cells. "Then hurry back here and…I'll be waiting for you."
The man staggered to his feet, carrying the basket of roasted meat that she'd brought, and began handing it through the bars of the cells. "Here's your last meal," he said. "Don't choke on the bones!"
As the man lurched about to each group of prisoners, Kat edged around the corner of the wall that hid the others from view. As she had hoped, Laurent was there, standing by the bars of his cell. He saw her and grinned, surprised, but she put a finger to her lips and shook her head.
Without warning, a trumpet blared, and Kat recognized it as heralding the arrival of the Viceroy. "It's the Viceroy!" she said, running up to the guard. "I should have left here long ago! If he finds you here in your condition with me, his—his favorite!"
"I know!" the man said. "It would be my last meal too!" He pulled her over to one of the cells, unlocked it, and motioned for her to go inside. When he locked the door, Kat turned and found Anne Bonnie standing next to her.
"Strike me if I ever thought I'd see you again!" the woman declared.
"Shh!" Kat warned her, then stepped into the shadows.
"The Contessa—she's here!" one of the pirates exclaimed.
"She knows the way to a man's heart," another voice said, and Kat smiled. Before she'd left the kitchen, she'd hidden knives in each roasted bird.
The Viceroy came strutting down the stairs just then, followed by his ministers and heralds. "On second thought, I'd rather wear the white brocade," Kat heard him say. "It flatters my figure. And don't forget to tell my barber that my beard wants trimming."
"You'd let any man come that close to your throat with a blade?" Laurent asked. Kat peeked around the corner of the cell, and saw the whole party standing near Laurent. The Viceroy carried a ridiculous pet monkey, outfitted in full military regalia.
"Corporal, tell the man that I do," Alvarado said to the monkey. "He shouldn't have thought he could steal a woman betrothed to me the way he stole ships, goods and riches, eh?"
"For the first time we see eye to eye!" Laurent declared. "A woman cannot be stolen—nor her hand in marriage."
"Hang him high," the Viceroy said with a smug expression. "High enough to have a last glimpse of the Barracuda. The crowning touch, then."
"Yes, Your Excellency," one of his servants said.
"And make a note that the wedding party will be brought in the same barge as the priests. And let him and his party reach their destination first." He reached up and patted his monkey. "Well, Corporal—since we shan't see him again—our condolences." He began to walk away from Laurent on his way out—and straight past Anne Bonnie's cell.
"He mustn't see me!" Kat whispered urgently. The older woman stepped in front of her as the Viceroy passed.
"I didn't think your kind even cared about us," Bonnie said when the Viceroy was gone.
Kat shrugged. "Laurent helped me—and I couldn't let that pig kill you. I came to keep my word that all of you would go free."
The guard had come back, and was unlocking the cell door. "You will come now, please," he said to her.
Kat stepped out, and pulled a pistol from under her cloak, aiming it at the man. "Strike me," she heard Bonnie remark from behind her.
"Walk ahead of me," Kat told the spluttering man as she pulled the keys from his hands. When she gave them to Bonnie, the other woman set to work releasing the rest of the pirates. As soon as he was out, Laurent came over to her; Kat let the other men take care of the guard.
"Do you believe me now?" Kat asked Laurent.
He smiled and embraced her quickly. "Yes. I'll never forget what you've done for me, Kat."
She grinned. "You finally said it properly," she said, then pulled out a long bundle that had been tied under her skirt. "Here—take this before I fall over."The Barracuda's own smile became even broader as he unwrapped the bundle. "Kat, how did you manage this?" he asked, holding up the swords that she'd brought.
"With great difficulty," she replied. "I was sitting on those for half an hour, trying to get the guard drunk, so I hope you'll put them to good use."
"I will indeed," Laurent said, thrusting a sword into his belt. "Here's weapons for some, men—the rest of you dogs, go find the armory!" he ordered in a low voice. "And be quiet about it!" Kat caught a glimpse of Anne Bonnie herding the guard up the stairway at knifepoint before turning back to Laurent.
"Now what do we do?" she asked.
He glanced up the stairs. "Take back the ship. We should—" Laurent stopped abruptly as voices came toward them. "Quickly!" he hissed, grabbing Kat and pulling her with him into the concealing darkness of an open doorway. The voices came closer; two men were walking down the stairs and arguing.
"I'm sure you're wrong—"
"They reported to me that the palace sent a maidservant," one with a more authoritative tone declared. Kat grimaced. She'd hoped that she had snuck away without anyone knowing about it, but someone had obviously found out. She also recognized the speaker: it was one of Alvarado's commanders, a hard-faced man with who sneered often and watched her with an appraising eye whenever she came near.
"But the palace sent no maidservant!" the other man protested.
"There was some girl here. It'd be well for me to find out about her and for you to see that she doesn't slip past the gate."
"I'll see to it."
One set of footsteps receded, but the commander's came closer. He obviously intended to search the prison until he found her. Kat looked at Laurent questioningly, but he only put a finger to his lips and leaned closer to her ear. "Go and get his attention," he whispered. "I'll be right behind you."
Kat nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the doorway as if she had meant to be there all along. "You were looking for me, Commandanté?" she asked with her blandest nobility smile.
The man whirled around, then pasted a nasty leer on his face. "What are you doing in such a place, my Contessa?" he sneered.
Kat stepped aside as she felt Laurent at her back. "Helping some friends, Commandanté. I trust you will have no objections?"
The man drew his sword and threw it aside as Laurent brandished his own. "On the contrary—this is treason, Contessa. And His Excellency will hear of it—as soon as I have dealt with this scum!"
He lunged into an attack; Kat backed quickly away as Laurent met it with a flash of his own blade. The two parried and skipped across the stone floor, and she could see that the Barracuda had his work cut out for him. The man was nearly his match in skill and agility. She edged away nervously, wanting to do something and knowing she would only get in the way. There was nothing for her to do but watch as the men fought.
Suddenly, there was motion at the top of the stairs. A guard had just opened the heavy door and seen the fight; he drew his sword and began to sneak down the stairs. Kat ducked around a corner, then stuck out a foot as the man rushed by her. He toppled with a loud clang of armor, and she quickly placed a foot on his back and divested him of his sword. When he tried to get up, she flicked the blade so that it rested at his throat and hissed, "One move and you'll be wanting for a head. Be still!" He immediately ceased to struggle.
She stood and watched the fight for a few moments; Laurent was doing well, and his opponent was bleeding from several wounds. Kat tried to take in as much of the swordplay as she could, but she didn't realize that her sword was drifting further and further away from the guard's throat. By the time she noticed, it was too late.
With a heave, the guard pushed her foot off his back and shoved her away; she lost her balance and staggered backwards. Before she could stop him, the man was running up the stairs and toward the door of the prison. Laurent and the commander were still occupied with their fight, and she didn't dare distract him, lest he make a fatal error. Without another thought, Kat reached under her skirt, pulled a knife from her boot, then aimed it and threw. Everything seemed to move slower as she watched the blade whistle through the air and bury itself in the guard's back.
The man made no sound, only clutched at the door handle as he fell. A moment later, there was another loud thump. Kat spun around, and saw the commander on the floor with Laurent standing over him.
Neither of them spoke. Then, Kat turned and ran up the stairs to where the guard had fallen. She stopped, reached down, and pulled her knife from the man's back. There she stood, silently, clutching the bloody blade tightly in her hands. She only noticed that Laurent had followed her when he pried her fingers off of the handle. Kat looked up at him. "I killed him," she said softly. Her voice was flat, controlled, and had her hands not been shaking she might have convinced an onlooker that what she'd just done meant nothing to her.
"Yes," Laurent said. He put a hand on her shoulder, then held her when she buried her face against his chest. She couldn't stop from shaking. By the time she pulled away, Laurent's shirt was tearstained, as was her face.
"The others," she said, dashing away the salty drops. "We have to help Anne Bonnie and your crew. We've got to find a way to get onto the Barracuda without being caught."
Laurent studied her for a moment. "I think I know a way. Go to your rooms and change into your bridal gown, then meet me on your balcony. I have a plan, but I must find some of my men first."
Kat nodded. "All right," she said, doing her best not to look at the dead guard. "Be careful, Laurent."
He smiled. "Always, dear Katarina."
A short time later, Kat sat in the barge that was meant to bring her to the Barracuda for the wedding ceremony. It was, however, minus the escort of guards that had been watching it. Now, Laurent and the three pirates from the Barracuda sat at the oars, dressed in priests' robes. The task of appropriating the disguises must have been simple compared to that of sneaking her off the balcony in full wedding dress; it had taken most of their time just to accomplish that, not to mention how long it had taken her to put on the blasted thing. She watched nervously as they approached the ship, twisting the lace of her dress in her hands.
"The good Fathers will be completely unaware that their robes are missing until they wake," Laurent assured her. "And believe me, Pillory used no violence." Kat looked behind her at the short, older man in the group, who winked at her. The other two were quiet. One was Paree, a Frenchman, small and dark, with cunning black eyes and a swift sword; the other was Swaine, a silent giant of a man, as gentle when helping her down from the balcony as if he'd been handling a piece of fine ceramic. She'd found out earlier that he couldn't speak because the Viceroy had had his tongue cut out, and it only served to strengthen her hatred for Alvarado.
"It's not that," she said. "I'm afraid that the Lord Bishop himself may be expected, and Alvarado will be suspicious if he isn't with me."
Laurent looked thoughtful. "If so, His Lordship's absence may have to be excused."
Before Kat could say anything more, they had reached the Barracuda and the Viceroy was giving orders to his men. "Officers! Form a guard of honor to receive the Contessa. And put down the carpet!"
With some difficulty, Kat managed to climb from the boat to the gangway. Laurent and his friends followed her, the cowls of their robes obscuring their faces. When she reached the top, Kat found the Viceroy waiting for her. "My dear," he said with a bow.
She curtsied, maintaining her polite mask. "Father Lorenzo has come in place of His Lordship. The bishop is confined with another attack of gout."
"I pity him," the Viceroy said. "But I rejoice that he caused me no delay."
He took her arm and began to lead her about the deck. Kat heard a faint splashing, and then she saw, out of the corner of her eye, one of the guards being pulled swiftly and silently over the rail. Another followed, and she turned her attention back to the Viceroy. The plan was working perfectly.
"I fancied we'd be married right here," Alvarado said loudly, motioning to two chairs that had been set up on the deck. "I take it for granted that you agree." Kat smiled, trying to hide her revulsion at the very idea of them being married. The Viceroy was so pompous and overbearing that it was almost funny, but she was sick at the thought that, if it hadn't been for Laurent, she might have actually been forced to go through with the ceremony.
The man went on. "I must make mention of an unforeseen occurrence in the festivities I had planned to celebrate our wedding. The Barracuda has managed to escape again, and I am sorry to say that he will not be present for the ceremony. I can assure you, however, that he will be hung immediately when he is caught. Does that please you, my child?"
Kat looked past the Viceroy, and saw that the decks were deserted. Laurent, under his concealing robes, winked at her, and she spoke. "Nothing would please me less," she said plainly, not bothering to be polite anymore. "But you will not have to look far to find the Barracuda." She indicated the cowled figure standing behind Alvarado with a graceful twist of her hand.
The Viceroy spun as Laurent threw back his hood. "That was a foolish thing to say, my dear," Alvarado told Kat. "And even more foolish for you to come here," he said to Laurent. "For this ship is amply fortified—which I'm sure you didn't anticipate." He turned back to Kat. "I indulge myself in the thought that you were unwillingly persuaded into this imprudent behavior."
"You indulge too much," Kat said with her best haughty air, matching the Viceroy's own. "I made my own choices."
"You chose the looser; but I permit you to change your mind," Alvarado said, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't need your permission, Your Excellency," Kat retorted. "I have no intention of changing my mind—and you will not change it for me."
"Do not try my affection too far," the Viceroy began, but Kat cut him off.
"I care nothing for your affection. I'm not one of your kind anymore. And no matter what you do, I will never again be anything like you."
The Viceroy's face grew hard and angry; he began to shout. "Lieutenant!"
"Call your guards," Kat said contemptuously. "They can't make me despise you any less—you who stand for everything I wish to forget!"
The Viceroy scrambled down the stairs to the main deck, still shouting for his officers. He reached the ship's bell and began ringing it, but stopped when Laurent's three friends advanced on him. The men were silent but menacing, and Alvarado finally seemed to realize that he was in grave danger. He was breathing fast, the great bulk of his chest heaving with each gasp for air. "You'll never get past the fortress," he said angrily. "They are under orders to stop this ship should it set sail before the appointed time."
Laurent grinned. "But I see nothing wrong in the Viceroy and his wife being eager to complete their marriage vows earlier than planned. You will take that chair, your Excellency," he said, pointing to one of the throne-like seats that occupied the deck, "and behave as if you were doing so. If you refuse, remember that each and every man on this ship has ample reason to do you harm."
Glaring ferociously, the Viceroy started up the stairs again, then made as if to arrange himself in one of the chairs. Kat, still standing in front of her own seat, heard the metallic scrape of a blade. Then, before she could move away, the Viceroy was behind her, holding her shoulder in one meaty hand and pressing a dagger into her throat with the other. "Since you are so concerned with the Contessa's interests, I am sure you will recognize the immediate threat to her well-being," Alvarado said, puffing a little. "You will return us to land, where I will see to it that you all hang."
Kat froze. The Viceroy was slow and fat, but she knew he would slit her throat before Laurent could take a step. He outweighed her, which was both a disadvantage and an asset, if she could use it. Trying to distract Alvarado and keep Laurent from doing anything, she hissed, "You lying, dishonorable swine. You'd threaten a woman to save your own skin?"
"There are times, Contessa, when I find my own welfare takes precedence over the dictates of chivalry." He pressed the knife harder, drawing a thin line of blood from her skin and making her gasp. "Well, Señor Barracuda?"
Laurent looked ready to draw his sword, but Kat stayed him, silently mouthing "no". The Viceroy wasn't paying attention to her hands, and so didn't notice that she had hold of one of the heavy pegs that were used to secure loose ropes. Her fingers worked it quietly from its slot; then, she stamped one booted foot heavily on Alvarado's instep and twisted out of his grasp when he cursed and staggered. Ignoring the brief pulse of heat on her throat, she turned and slammed the wooden peg into his chest. The Viceroy doubled over, wheezing. Kat backed away until she hit a reassuring solidness—Laurent, who steadied her with one hand while using the other to level his sword at the Viceroy's throat.
"It was to be hanging, was it?" Laurent asked coldly. "Well, then, Your Excellency, I can think of no more fitting revenge than to do to you what you were planning to do to me and my crew. Unless, of course, the Contessa has any objections to such a course."
Kat's hands tightened on the peg. "Let him hang," she said icily. "He was willing enough to condemn me to death, if you hadn't done what he wanted. If he lives, he'll only ruin more lives—like he would have mine."
The Viceroy's face turned dark red as he cursed them all roundly. Suddenly, he lunged for the ship's bell that hung nearby. His hands were just on the rope when he stiffened and clutched at his side. A knife had sprouted there, thrown by some anonymous pirate. Alvarado fell slowly, until his bulk was finally sprawled on the planks of the deck.
Kat pulled away from the Barracuda and dropped to her knees next to the Viceroy. She didn't have to look hard to tell that he was dead; his mouth drooped slackly, and there was no wheeze of breath from his lips. She turned to look at Laurent. "He's dead," she said.
Laurent lifted her to her feet. "Then you are free," he said, then pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and pressed it to her throat. "And you're bleeding."
For the first time Kat felt the sting of the cut the knife had left, and a warm stickiness from the blood. She began to giggle, giddy with shock. "Yes, free—I'm free to hang with you, if we're caught. We've killed the Viceroy of New Granada, Laurent. Do you think we can just sail away without those long nines at the fort blasting us to pieces? They're going to be watching, and if we sail without the Viceroy, they're sure to fire on us."
Laurent squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Don't worry, Contessa. We have his Excellency, and you, and that is all we'll need. Come—sit in your chair, and leave the rest to me." She obeyed, tying the handkerchief around her neck to stop the bleeding, and watched with trepidation as Pillory and Swaine wrestled Alvarado's body into the seat next to her. They bound him into a sitting position with thin cord, hard enough for her to see, that an observer looking through a spyglass would never be able to detect. Laurent raised the cowl of his robe and stood in front of her. "We are going to set sail. You must behave as if I am conducting the wedding ceremony—with luck, it will be a good enough ruse to get us past that fortress."
"Por favor, Dios," she murmured fervently. Beyond the guns of the fortress lay the open sea, and freedom, though she didn't know as yet what it held for her. "Sail, then," she said to Laurent. "We've nothing to lose but our lives."
The Barracuda began issuing quiet orders. In moments, the ship was slipping smoothly out of the harbor. The pirates were unusually quiet as well, though Kat was glad that Anne Bonnie had deigned to remain on New Granada, and secure her own ship before returning to the open sea. She still didn't trust Bonnie, and there was really no telling what the woman would do. Kat twisted her skirt nervously in her hands as they neared the fortress. She could see lights moving on the walls, and knew they had been sighted; it now only remained to convince the watchers that nothing was awry. She looked straight at Laurent, and saw him grin beneath the thick cowl of his robe. "Courage, Contessa," he said, then bent his head as if in prayer. She followed suit, waiting.
A minute crawled by, and another. Then, as suddenly as a bolt of lightning, there was a loud boom from the fortress, and a smaller explosion overhead. Kat's heart skipped a beat as her head snapped up. One of the cannon had fired…but not, it seemed, at the Barracuda. The boom was repeated, and she saw a flare spiraling out from the top of the fortress wall. It flew over the ship and exploded into a burst of tiny stars that hissed and popped as they fell. A celebration, she thought through a wave of relief. Honor shots, for the wedding. Her hands and knees were shaking, and she knew that if she had not been sitting she would have stumbled. The Barracuda moved swiftly on, gaining speed as a night breeze filled her sails. Before long they were clear of the harbor, and the lights of New Granada had become mere pinpricks, glowing across the dark waters.
As soon as she knew it was safe, Kat left her chair and went to lean against the rail. She closed her eyes, letting the cool sea breezes flow over her skin and mist it with salt spray. Finally—finally—she was free. Free of the Viceroy, free of the marriage she had been dreading, free of the people who would have dragged her back to her family and condemned her to a life of misery if she hadn't married. It was a feeling as heady as the pitch of the ship beneath her feet and the wind against her face.
She turned when she heard boots on the deck at her back. Laurent stood behind her, clad in only boots, breeches and shirt now that he had discarded his priest's robe. "Well, Contessa?" he asked with a smile. "What will you do with your newfound freedom?" He had seen the relief in her face, and the way she'd stopped to drink in the wind.
Kat shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. She took a step away from the rail, only to stagger as a swell of dizziness overcame her. Her vision went gray, and she would have fallen if Laurent had not caught her. Dimly she realized that her neck had still been bleeding despite the bandage. Laurent half-carried her away from the rail, and when her eyes cleared once more they were at the door to his cabin. He opened it with a kick, and then gathered her—dress and all—into his arms and brought her to the bunk. "I should have realized that would give you trouble," he said. "Neck wounds bleed more than they have a right to, and it's no wonder you're lightheaded."
"It isn't the only reason," Kat said with a hint of amusement. "Endure a corset for a few hours, and see how lightheaded that makes you." Heedless of propriety, she reached behind her back and began ripping the lacing out of her dress. When she had loosened the corset as well, she took a deep breath and sighed. "There."
Laurent chuckled and retrieved a long strip of linen from a drawer, then started to wrap it around her neck. She winced at the pressure on the cut. "You'll have another handsome scar there," the Barracuda said jokingly, "to match the one on your cheek."
Absently she rubbed the thin scab below her eye. "I'm beginning to look like a pirate myself," she said. "Will you leave so I can get out of this gown?"
The Barracuda favored her with a bow. "Of course, Contessa. You will find suitable clothing in that drawer there"—he pointed—"and I will return when you call." He left the cabin, and Kat proceeded to struggle out of her dress, tearing costly fabric and lace and not caring a whit. In a few moments she was free of the masses of fabric, and had pulled a pair of breeches and a shirt from among Laurent's things. Putting them on felt as natural as breathing, something that she ought to have found strange. But she was no longer the same person.
"I'm finished," she called, resuming her seat on the bunk. The Barracuda returned, carrying a tankard and a lit candle in a holder. He set the candle down next to the bunk, handed her the tankard, and looked down at the remains of her gown, lying on the floor. "What did you plan to do with this?" he asked.
Kat took one look at the cloth and turned away, clutching the tankard. "I don't care. Throw it overboard, use it for rags—I don't ever want to see it again." She had almost worn the garment to a marriage ceremony, one that would have ended her happiness and freedom and thrown her into a living nightmare.
Laurent nodded. "As you wish, Contessa." He bundled the gown into a ball and threw it out a window into the sea. "It's gone," he said, taking a seat next to the bunk. "And I meant for you to drink that."
She glanced at the tankard she still held, then lifted it to her lips and drained it. Coughing, she set the pewter vessel down next to the candle; the liquid inside had been rum, and strong at that. When she looked up, the Barracuda's eyes were crinkling with amusement. "Better?" he asked.
"Yes," Kat replied, and would have said more if she hadn't been interrupted by a huge yawn. "Ah," Laurent said. "I should have known you'd be tired." He took a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her. "Get some rest, and we'll talk in the morning."
"You'll let me stay aboard?" Kat asked, blinking sleepily as she lay back on the bunk. "After what happened to you and your men, I didn't think you'd ever want me on the ship again."
Laurent smiled. "We'll discuss it on the morrow. Good night, Katarina." He stood, went around the cabin extinguishing the lamps that glowed on the walls, and then left, quietly closing the door behind him.
"Kat," she murmured, kicking off her boots and settling back with a sigh.