This chapter took on a life of its own and became too big to contain so I ended up splitting it into two chapters. The second will be posted very shortly.

'Billy! Billy! There's men on the beach!' Sarah exclaimed breathlessly as she ran into the clearing and smacked into Billy's chest. He caught her with one large hand as she stumbled, gripping her arm and holding her upright.

'Men?' he said quickly. 'Jack and Anne?'

Sarah shook her head. 'I don't think so, they're anchored in the bay and flying a Dutch flag.'

Billy bit his lip. 'They're not flying the Black?'

'Not that I could see,' Sarah said bouncing on her toes with excitement. It had been almost four months since their pirate saviours had left in the early morning light with a promise to return in three and although the cache had long since been found Jack and Anne were conspicuous in their absence.

Billy didn't seem to share her enthusiasm for marching down to the beach, introducing themselves and pleading for rescue. He insisted they watch the unknown men for the span of a whole day, which she privately thought was ridiculously over-cautious, before he would even consider revealing their presence and even then he flatly refused to allow her to be involved in the initial meeting. Sarah argued and pouted but he remained firm.

'Absolutely not,' he said when she tried again to reason with him. 'I'll go speak with them and if I sense anything amiss I'll signal you and you can hide at the lookout and wait for me.'

Sarah huffed. 'What about you?'

'I'll be fine and I'll come find you as soon as I'm able.'

'And if you're not?'

'Then you hide until they're gone and wait for Jack and Anne.'

'That's hardly a good plan,' she pointed out a little petulantly.

'Well, it's the best I've got at the moment,' he admitted with a sigh.

Sarah knew that should anything happen to him then she would not be hiding and saving her own skin but she judged it prudent not to mention that fact for now. She glanced through the trees to the men working steadily on the beach. They didn't look particularly threatening, in fact they all, to a man, looked thin and exhausted. Billy was of the opinion that they had been becalmed for quite some time, hence their haggard appearance and apparently unscheduled halt on the island.

They had spotted the captain early on as he directed the teams of men in the crucial task of unloading and refilling of the water casks. He appeared to have no qualms taking on his share of the work alongside his men and from a distance seemed to have a stern but paternal air about him. Billy commented that the crew seemed content to do the captain's bidding without complaint and the observation seemed to relax his tense stance a little, although he remained watchful.

As evening was setting in and the men on the beach were lighting fires and bedding down for the night, Billy and Sarah made their way back to the hut. Sarah was anxious about letting their would-be rescuers out of her sight, she had visions of returning the next morning to find the beach empty and the ship on the horizon in full sail, but Billy assured her that they would not be going anywhere for at least a couple of days.

'Maybe more, it depends how low their stores are and how long it takes them to replenish.'

'But we will go tomorrow and speak with them?' Sarah asked urgently.

'Yes, tomorrow,' Billy acknowledged then looked down at her seriously. 'We need to work out our story, how we ended up here and so on.'

'And no mention of your nefarious past?' Sarah said with a mischievous twinkle.

'Definitely not,' Billy said with a snort. 'I..I thought that perhaps…' He paused and Sarah was confused by his evident embarrassment.

'You thought?' she prompted gently.

'I thought that we should introduce ourselves as husband and wife,' he said hurriedly. 'The men will be less likely to bother you if they think that you're mine.'

Sarah rubbed her cheek along his jaw line. 'I am yours,' she murmured.

Billy gave a tiny groan as he pulled her flush against him and kissed her fiercely. When he pulled away to suck in a breath of air, Sarah couldn't help but add, 'Only yours,' and be pleased when his mouth was almost immediately on hers again and his hands were fumbling with her shirt, dragging it up and over her head eagerly.

She smugly tucked the knowledge of Billy's possessiveness away for future use and sank into his embrace, tugging just as impatiently at the fastenings of his trousers.

It was only after when they lay together in a tangle of limbs, clothes discarded on the floor, breathing slowing in the aftermath of their lovemaking that they returned to the discussion of their false history.

The story they concocted was a mixture of truth, half-truths and outright lies but it held enough basis in reality to be believable and for Billy to recite it moderately convincingly. To explain Billy's extensive seamanship, not to mention the scars that marred his body, his time in the Navy was not glossed over, although the events leading to his desertion and its aftermath were. Sarah's refined accents and education would be explained away with a posting as a governess and there would be no mention of her previous marriage. They had been travelling, newly married after an emotional reunion following Billy's escape from the British Navy, to the New World to start their life together when disaster had struck.

The men, as Billy had predicted and to Sarah's relief, were still encamped on the beach the next morning. Sarah watched the early morning rousing as fasts were broken and the grim mood of the previous day was lightened with plentiful water and food and some teasing and larking about. The captain looked on benevolently, relaxing in the shade of an awning, smiling slightly at the antics of his men.

Billy took a deep breath and stood from his crouch. Sarah followed his movement and pressed a hand to his arm causing him to glance at her.

'Be careful,' she said pointlessly.

'I will, just wait here for my signal,' he said covering her hand with his own. He turned to leave but she pulled him back and kissed him hard on the lips.

'It'll be fine,' he reassured her as he drew back. She nodded, her racing heart reaching into her throat and preventing speech.

He patted her hand and gently dislodged it so he could push his way through the undergrowth and out onto the beach. Sarah dropped once again to a crouch and watched his progress intently. He walked slowly with his empty hands clearly in view. There was a brief pause and then a shout went up as he was spotted. Sarah pressed a hand to her chest trying to steady the rapid pulse of her heart as weapons were drawn and a gun was trained on Billy by a thickset, dark-haired man closest to the treeline. She saw the captain rise to his feet, searching for the source of the sudden uproar, reaching for the pistol that hung at his belt. Throughout all the commotion Billy did not hesitate but continued his steady approach, clearly trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. Beyond their initial reaction to his appearance the men remained in place, their eyes wary but not overtly aggressive. The captain came forward to meet Billy, two men flanking him protectively. Sarah could not see Billy's face but she saw his hand stretch out in greeting. The captain took his hand but did not relax his stern countenance.

The air amongst the trees was stifling and the heavy wool of Sarah's dress, donned that morning to present the respectable appearance of a married lady, was not helping. She loosened her fichu and fanned herself slowly, eyes intent on the scene unfolding before her. The distance meant that the conversation was completely inaudible but she tried her hardest to read the expressions of those men she could see clearly. It did not help. One of the men, the taller of the two either side of the captain was frowning, his face a mask of hard suspicion. The other of the captain's seconds was a dark-skinned man who was almost completely expressionless, giving absolutely no indication of his thoughts. The captain continued to look guarded as Billy spoke quickly and Sarah felt her fear intensify. There was no easing of the distrustful expressions that painted the faces of the men and those not close enough to Billy to hear his words were glancing around sharply as if expecting attack. She saw Billy's shoulders slump in resignation and he spoke again, gesturing over his shoulder. It seemed to her that the captain's expression, although still wary, eased a tiny bit and Sarah's racing heart slowed fractionally. Billy shook his head emphatically but that seemed to anger the tall man beside the captain and he said something tersely. The captain put a hand to the man's shoulder, seemingly placating him, but still looked mistrustful when he turned his attention back to Billy. Under his intense scrutiny Billy took a deep breath and dropped his head in defeat before turning and pointing towards the trees where Sarah was hidden. She held her breath and watched as all the men's eyes swivelled to her hiding place in the thick foliage. Billy raised a hand and beckoned her. Rising to her feet she tucked her fichu back into her bodice and brushed her skirts before stepping out into the harsh sunlight and into view.

There was a murmur, almost a sigh that rippled through the assembled men and she realised that until she had made her appearance they had not believed Billy's story, had wondered if it was a ruse and all that awaited them in the trees was another crew bent on violence. She picked up her skirts and made her way daintily across the sand. The eyes of some twenty men followed her progress to Billy and she felt every penetrating gaze, weighing and assessing her every movement. Billy murmured something to the captain who gave a sudden bark of laughter and clapped him on the back with all the appearance of joviality. The men around him relaxed at the sight of their leader's amusement and Sarah surreptitiously let out a long breath, watching as the tension in her lover's shoulders loosened slightly.

As she approached Billy put out a reassuring hand. She took it and felt the encouraging press of his fingers around hers. He drew her forward until she stood before the captain.

'Captain, allow me to present my wife. Sarah, this is Captain Visser of the Dolfijn.'

Sarah, following Billy's lead, sank into a formal curtsey and extended her free hand to the captain. He caught it with a genuine smile and pressed his lips to her knuckles.

'It is my pleasure, Mrs Gates,' he said in heavily accented English. Billy's choice of name caused Sarah to suppress a smile but she attended the captain as he continued, 'I hope your husband will forgive our scepticism, there are tales of pirates that inhabit this island and as captain I cannot be too careful for the sake of my men.'

'Pirates? Here?' Sarah said, feigning horror until she felt Billy's admonitory pinch to her hip and she toned it down a trifle. Giving Captain Visser a conspiratorial smile she said, 'If I am perfectly honest, we too were concerned that you might be pirates, that is why Billy sought to keep me hidden.'

'Perfectly understandable, although it was clear that he was hiding something as soon as he spoke.' Sarah didn't roll her eyes at Billy but it was a close run thing and she felt his grip on her hand tighten apologetically. Visser clapped his hands together jovially. 'Anyway, that is all past now. You have had quite the adventure, have you not?'

'Adventure speaks of something somewhat more romantic than our experience,' she responded with a rueful smile. Captain Visser laughed and grasped her fingertips. He had a pleasing countenance, avuncular with grey dusting the hair at his temples and creases around his eyes suggestive of a man of humour despite his earlier coldness and suspicion.

'Perhaps we can do something to aid you in your difficulty,' he said releasing her hand. Sarah glanced up at Billy and then smiled back at the captain.

'We would be ever so grateful.'

Despite the efficiency with which Captain Visser's crew worked it still took five days to restock the ship and make ready to sail again. Initially there were grumblings from the hungry men about extra mouths to feed but they were soon silenced when Billy ambled out of the forest later on the first day with two fresh caught pigs for roasting. He and the quartermaster, Mr Janssen, the more open of Visser's seconds and a man almost as tall as Billy himself, were soon leaning over a makeshift map of the island as Billy pointed out the animals' preferred ranges. By the second day Billy and Mr Janssen were leading hunting parties into the interior and decimating the island's population of swine.

Initially Sarah stuck close to Captain Visser, unsure of her place and slightly intimidated by the bustle and commotion of so many men. Although the crew were perfectly respectful the avid gazes of one or two of the men made her uneasy. Her wool dress was hot under the unrelenting sun but she wore it as an armour of respectability, conscious that Billy may have been right to insist on the falsehood of their marriage.

She watched the captain intently for a time as he gave orders and organised his men. Eventually the sight of him directing a small group of men in the building of a smoker from canes of green wood and some patched canvas gave her an idea. She approached Visser and waited patiently until he had finished and turned to her with a slight roll of his eyes.

'They'll work it out eventually,' he said with a rueful smile. 'What can I do for you, Mrs Gates?'

'The boot is rather on the other foot, I thought I may be able to do something for you. I know a lot of places where fruit and roots grow in abundance, as well as the best fishing spots and where the crabs like to lurk amongst the shallows. Perhaps I could show some of your men?'

Visser beamed at her and Sarah immediately felt better.

'That would be very useful indeed,' he said with a decisive nod. Glancing around he raised his voice and called over his first mate. The taciturn black man turned at the sound of his name and jogged over to the captain, giving Sarah a small nod of acknowledgement.

'Uchechi, assemble a group of men, Mrs Gates is going to show you where to gather more food for our stores.'

'Yes, Captain,' Uchechi said quietly. 'Come with me,' he said to Sarah and then strode away. Sarah took her leave of Captain Visser, who waved her on her way with a smile, and then made her way over to Uchechi who was mustering a small troop of men, aided by Mr Walsh. Walsh was a jovial Irishman with ruddy cheeks and a booming laugh whose gregariousness was in direct contrast with Uchechi's more reserved nature but despite the disparity in their manners Sarah had noted that the two were rarely apart.

Seeing her approach, Walsh turned to her with a rather clumsy bow and a grin.

'Mrs Gates, Uchechi tells me you're to be our guide to the island.'

The eyes of the whole group turned on her and Sarah attempted to swallow down her sudden self-consciousness.

'I'll do my best,' she said quietly.

'I'm sure you'll be grand. Look lively lads,' he said grabbing a couple of close woven nets from the sand and tossing them to one of the men who caught them with a curse. 'And watch your language, there's a lady present.'

Sarah suppressed a smile, imagining Billy's amusement had he heard Walsh's well-meaning rebuke.

By the time she had taken their little group down to the beach to show them where the fish tended to congregate and then across the tidal pools in search of crabs Walsh had regaled her with both his and Uchechi's histories.

'I've known him for years,' Walsh informed her, clapping his friend forcefully on the back with little reaction from Uchechi other than a flicker of a smile. 'I knew the moment I saw him that he loved the sea like a mistress and he weren't afraid of hard work. And it weren't long before the captain saw it too.'

Sarah glanced up to see Walsh regarding Uchechi with fierce pride.

'There's those that would've given the position to another when anyone with eyes could see who the best man for the job was, but not Captain Visser. He gives responsibility to those that deserve it, on the merits of their character and nothing else.'

Uchechi said nothing but Sarah saw his lips twitch almost imperceptibly.

'Captain knows to reward hard work, he don't regard social standing if you're a lazy son of a…' Walsh was stopped by a sharp look from Uchechi and had the grace to look embarrassed by his slip, clearing his throat awkwardly. 'If you're lazy,' he finished lamely.

Uchechi's silence rather unnerved Sarah at first. She found herself on easier terms with Walsh but as the day progressed and in response to her cautious questions Uchechi began to tell her tales of his homeland as they gathered fruit, roots and herbs in the forest. He had a quiet humour that expressed itself only with occasional faint smile or a rare dry chuckle but his observations were astute and amusing and when combined with Walsh's much more exuberant wit made the chore pass quickly.

By the time Billy found her that evening she was seated by the fire, a pile of silver coins in her lap and a chagrined Walsh regarding her balefully over a hand of cards while the other men mocked their shipmate's defeat. Even Uchechi was wearing an uncharacteristically broad grin on his face. A sudden hush fell and there was a nervous shuffling of feet which alerted Sarah to Billy's approach. She looked up and he was stood at the edge of the group, arms folded across his chest, lips twitching tellingly.

'I may have found a way to to fund the purchase of a house,' she said by way of a greeting, gesturing to the pile of coins before her. 'How large would you like it to be?'

Billy's smile stretched to a wicked grin. 'I was thinking of something pretty substantial, with a drawing room and spacious stables for all our horses.'

Sarah hummed thoughtfully, 'That shouldn't be a problem.'

Walsh looked entreatingly up at Billy. 'Gates man, ask your missus to take pity on me, she's heartless is what she is.'

'Sorry Walsh, but she is taking pity on you,' Billy said with a chuckle. 'The fact you've got any coins left at all attests to that.'

The other men hooted and laughed and a commiserating hand was clapped on Walsh's shoulder. He shrugged it off. 'I'd like to see any of you dolts do better!' he said with a chuckle and a mock glare.

'I'm happy to play anyone that wants to,' Sarah said promptly. 'Any more money to add to my purse would be greatly appreciated.'

The men roared with laughter at that and Billy winked at Sarah. He stepped forward into the circle of the firelight and held out a hand.

'Have you finished, my dear? You'll have plenty more opportunities to pick them clean another day.'

Sarah nodded, swept her coins into her pocket and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

'Sorry boys, but I think it's about time me and my wife retired for the evening,' Billy said. There was a fair amount of good natured nudging and a whistle or two that followed that statement.

'What, and no chance to get my revenge?' Walsh said.

'You'll not get your revenge tonight or any night, but you'll have other opportunities to play her, if she wishes?' Billy glanced down at Sarah and she nodded solemnly in agreement.

'Thank you, Gentlemen, for your company, and for the game,' Sarah said in farewell.

'Did you hear that, Walsh, she called us gentlemen,' Sarah heard one of the sailors say as she followed Billy away for the fire.

Walsh guffawed. 'She definitely weren't talking to you!' The sailor made a sound of disgruntlement and there was a thump of a fist striking something followed by more thumps, some cheering and a lot of cursing.

Sarah and Billy retreated to the privacy of their hut, a lamp lighting the way through the pitch black trees, their fingers laced together as they walked. Sarah cherished these quiet moments with him, when they could talk, kiss and touch after a day spent apart in their respective labours, renewing the intimacy between them as night fell. The sudden influx of new people to their life was a little overwhelming and while Sarah was grateful for the renewal of their hopes with the arrival of the Dolfijn she found herself somehow missing their solitude. They passed the time talking and planning, sometimes wild, unfeasible plans filled with riches and adventures which became steadily more outlandish as they talked, and then later careful, rational plans that filled Sarah with a sense of warmth and home. At all times there was a hint of doubt as to whether anything would turn out as they envisaged, for although Captain Visser had promised to take them as far north as New York neither of them knew if it would be far enough to shake off the last vestiges of Billy's past.

However, when she stood in a sheltered spot on the deck of the Dolfijn a few days later, Billy's arms around her, and watched the island recede in the distance, she found that she felt only hope and a wealth of possibility beckoning.

Dutch merchants ex machina. Well, I had to get them off the island somehow and sadly Jack and Anne have been arrested.