Ahoy!

Thank you to Mel, Jill, and Gemma!

THREE

The brothel isn't far from the tavern, and the closer we get to it, the more focused I become. We brush past the painted women, vying for our business, and head directly inside. There is a madame across the room, entertaining her patrons, and she glances up when Jasper and I enter.

One of her girls tries to get my attention, but I astutely ignore her.

"Good evening, good sirs," the madame says, dipping her head toward us. "How can I help you this night?"

"I seek information," I tell her, cutting right to it. "About a crewman spotted from the fleet of the famed piratess Isabella."

The madame's eyes widen ever so slightly, but she is well trained, and her stiffness melts into a smile.

"I see. Why don't you come in and have a drink."

"Madame, we are not here for libations," I tell her. She gives my elbow a swift tug as she pulls us farther into the brothel.

"Perhaps it is company you seek."

I'm about to open my mouth to argue with her when she presses a hand against my chest. "I insist. One of my girls will take you to a room where you are welcome to relax. I will send up a bottle of my best rum along with my best girl," she says, giving me a hard look. I open my mouth to protest again, when Jasper's elbow connects with my ribs. I look at him in surprise then look back at the madame. I understand belatedly that she is trying to remove me from the public space we are in. This gives me hope that she has information for me that must be spoken in private.

"Right," I say, clearing my throat. "That will be fine."

She nods, waving over a girl. She is small, with hair the color of wheat grain and eyes the color of a pale dawn. "Katherine, take this gentleman to the best room we have."

The girl nods and turns to me. "Sir?" she says, slipping her arm through mine. I clear my throat but let her lead me up a flight of stairs.

The din starts to fall away as we head upstairs, and I glance at her. "How old are you?" I ask.

She looks up at me. "Fifteen," she says, her back straightening as she says it. I frown. Though it is not uncommon, she seems far too young to be in such a place as this.

"Have you no family?" I ask her.

She looks surprised as she opens a door at the end of the hall. "No sir. This is my home, my family." She motions to the brothel. "Will you be needing anything else?"

I shake my head as I step into the room. "No, thank you, Katherine."

She nods and slips out of the room, shutting the door behind her. I pace around the tight space, feeling enclosed and confined. It's always this way when I'm on land. Everything is too small, too stationary, too closed off.

I'm left in the room nearly twenty minutes before I hear any noise at all. The door begins to open, and I turn in frustration.

"It's about time." I grunt at the girl who brings in a bottle of rum. "When will I be getting my answers?" I demand. She cowers from me, her head ducked down as she pours me a glass. She is dressed similar to Katherine; without a corset and in not much more than a shift. It is indecent, and I look away from her in some attempt at propriety.

"Beggin' yer pardon, sir. The madame is very busy tonigh'. She sends her regards and asks yer patience a while longer."

I let out a tight breath, picking up the glass of rum and drinking it whole.

"I'm sorry," I say, once the rum hits my body. I immediately feel less worried, less strung up. "I shouldn't have spoken to you so. Forgive me." I glance at her. She is cowering from me, anxiously trying to tidy the room that does not need further tidying.

She glances up at me in surprise. "Sir?"

I stride away from her, one hand going through my hair. "I'm vexed and impatient, but I have no right to take it out on you."

I sink into the armchair in front of the low fire, letting out a long breath.

"Katherine tol' me ye seek the crewman of the Admiral's fleet?"

I glance at her. She is busy turning down the bed for me, not that I plan to use it. I look back at the fire. "It is not the crewman I seek," I say quietly. "It is the she-devil herself."

"Why ever woul' ye seek her?" she asks, sounding frightened at even the thought. She moves back beside me, unintrusively reaching for my glass and refilling the rum.

"She took something from me," I say, my tiredness seeping into my voice as I gaze into the fire. "More than something—she took my life. Three years ago, she took everything I held dearest to me."

"An' ye been seekin' her e'er since?"

I let out another long breath, reaching up to rub my forehead. "It is fruitless." I groan, my eyes shutting. "She is a ghost. Uncatchable."

I feel the futility of my search settle over me, feel the defeat starting to fester in my soul. I have failed, not only myself and Jasper, but my parents. Their legacy has been dishonored, and the guilt of that is enough to make me sick.

"Oh sir." The girl sighs, coming to sit in the accompanying armchair. "Not all is lost." She reaches out, her small hand landing on top of my own. I open my eyes, looking at her thin fingers. "I bet the Admiral is far closer than you might think."

Her voice changes, growing lower, more sultry, and her accent smoothes out into something familiar. I look up, my heart racing in my chest as I come face to face with none other than Isabella, the piratess.