worst thoughts. “They’ll rape us and then kill us! Oh, Miss Willis, what are we to do?”
Sara wanted to scream that she didn’t know, that she’d never faced pirates before. Only by great force of will did she keep the words to herself.
At Ann’s cry, the others had fallen silent, and now they watched her expectantly, as if they thought she could somehow conjure up an army of protectors to save them. Oh, if only she could.
She forced a calmness into her voice that she didn’t feel. “There’s no need to panic. The sailors will fight them off. The ship is armed and—”
“Armed?” Queenie grumbled. “A few guns is all, not enough to fend off pirates.”
“The sailors won’t fight,” came Louisa’s familiar cynical voice from behind Queenie. “That puling bunch? Why should they? They’ll jump ship before they lose one finger for us.”
Panicked voices rose again around Sara. She felt an unfamiliar helplessness surge in her. Louisa was right. The sailors wouldn’t fight for a shipload of convict women.
The milling voices in the hold became oppressive, and she had to struggle to keep from forgetting all her ingrained control and letting loose in a panic as the other women were doing.
Suddenly Louisa cried in a loud voice, “Listen, everybody!”
One by one the women heeded her words until only the sounds of babies crying and the children’s plaintive voices broke the silence. They listened but could hearnothing from above, except perhaps a faint muffle of voices. The ship seemed to have stopped, although it was hard to tell in the hold.
Suddenly there was a rumble as of several men jumping on the decks. Then the ship swayed ever so slightly to one end, causing the women to grasp at the bars for balance, before the ship righted itself.
“They’ve come aboard,” Queenie pronounced.
“Perhaps if we stay very still, they won’t know we’re here,” Ann Morris whispered timidly. “Perhaps Captain Rogers will tell them the hold is empty, and they’ll leave.”
“Leave?” Though Louisa’s pretty features were ashen in the lantern light, she’d lost none of her dry tone. “With just a word from our good captain? I think not. Besides, he won’t tell any lies on our behalf. We’re the only thing of value he can throw as a sop to the pirates.”
The chilling words made all the women shudder, even Sara. Never had she dreamed, when she’d jested with Jordan about being accosted by pirates, that such a thing could occur. There shouldn’t be pirates in these waters, and they shouldn’t have stopped the Chastity . This couldn’t be happening!
There must be some other explanation for the other ship’s appearance, she thought desperately. In a moment the crew would come down and inform them that it was merely a British navy ship that had boarded them, wanting supplies. No, that made no sense. They were still within a short distance of Santiago, where anyone could get supplies.
If only she and the others could fight. If only they could keep the pirates from entering the hold. But they had naught with which to defend themselves, for the women had been given nothing that could be used against their captors.
No one seemed capable of movement. Every creak of the ship added to the tension in the hot, stifling air of the hold. Even the children seemed to be holding theirbreaths, waiting for what would become of them.
“Oh, how I wish Petey…I-I mean, Mr. Hargraves…was down here to protect us,” Ann burst out into the ominous silence.
“Even your Mr. Hargraves cannot stop a band of pirates, Annie,” Louisa retorted. “He’s not God, you know. This time all the Miss Willises and Mr. Hargraves of the world cannot stop us from being forced into unspeakable acts—”
“That’s enough, Louisa,” Sara said sharply. “You’re scaring the children. And it’s not as if we all need to hear—”
She broke off at the telltale sound of the hatch door opening. The women all turned as one
Sara wanted to scream that she didn’t know, that she’d never faced pirates before. Only by great force of will did she keep the words to herself.
At Ann’s cry, the others had fallen silent, and now they watched her expectantly, as if they thought she could somehow conjure up an army of protectors to save them. Oh, if only she could.
She forced a calmness into her voice that she didn’t feel. “There’s no need to panic. The sailors will fight them off. The ship is armed and—”
“Armed?” Queenie grumbled. “A few guns is all, not enough to fend off pirates.”
“The sailors won’t fight,” came Louisa’s familiar cynical voice from behind Queenie. “That puling bunch? Why should they? They’ll jump ship before they lose one finger for us.”
Panicked voices rose again around Sara. She felt an unfamiliar helplessness surge in her. Louisa was right. The sailors wouldn’t fight for a shipload of convict women.
The milling voices in the hold became oppressive, and she had to struggle to keep from forgetting all her ingrained control and letting loose in a panic as the other women were doing.
Suddenly Louisa cried in a loud voice, “Listen, everybody!”
One by one the women heeded her words until only the sounds of babies crying and the children’s plaintive voices broke the silence. They listened but could hearnothing from above, except perhaps a faint muffle of voices. The ship seemed to have stopped, although it was hard to tell in the hold.
Suddenly there was a rumble as of several men jumping on the decks. Then the ship swayed ever so slightly to one end, causing the women to grasp at the bars for balance, before the ship righted itself.
“They’ve come aboard,” Queenie pronounced.
“Perhaps if we stay very still, they won’t know we’re here,” Ann Morris whispered timidly. “Perhaps Captain Rogers will tell them the hold is empty, and they’ll leave.”
“Leave?” Though Louisa’s pretty features were ashen in the lantern light, she’d lost none of her dry tone. “With just a word from our good captain? I think not. Besides, he won’t tell any lies on our behalf. We’re the only thing of value he can throw as a sop to the pirates.”
The chilling words made all the women shudder, even Sara. Never had she dreamed, when she’d jested with Jordan about being accosted by pirates, that such a thing could occur. There shouldn’t be pirates in these waters, and they shouldn’t have stopped the Chastity . This couldn’t be happening!
There must be some other explanation for the other ship’s appearance, she thought desperately. In a moment the crew would come down and inform them that it was merely a British navy ship that had boarded them, wanting supplies. No, that made no sense. They were still within a short distance of Santiago, where anyone could get supplies.
If only she and the others could fight. If only they could keep the pirates from entering the hold. But they had naught with which to defend themselves, for the women had been given nothing that could be used against their captors.
No one seemed capable of movement. Every creak of the ship added to the tension in the hot, stifling air of the hold. Even the children seemed to be holding theirbreaths, waiting for what would become of them.
“Oh, how I wish Petey…I-I mean, Mr. Hargraves…was down here to protect us,” Ann burst out into the ominous silence.
“Even your Mr. Hargraves cannot stop a band of pirates, Annie,” Louisa retorted. “He’s not God, you know. This time all the Miss Willises and Mr. Hargraves of the world cannot stop us from being forced into unspeakable acts—”
“That’s enough, Louisa,” Sara said sharply. “You’re scaring the children. And it’s not as if we all need to hear—”
She broke off at the telltale sound of the hatch door opening. The women all turned as one
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