The Sea Hawk by Brenda Adcock Page A

Americans?"
    "Give them the ship. Lower the long boats, put the British crew and passengers on them and let them go. Collect anything of value and have it taken to Le Faucon ."
    "All the passengers?" he asked. Simone looked at Julia again without answering. "She is a beautiful woman, Faucon ," Archambault said in French.
    "Beauty on the outside means nothing without knowing what lies beneath, Henri," Simone responded in kind.
    Julia quickly became annoyed. "I speak French. Please do not talk about me as if I am not here," she said.
    " Pardonnez moi ," Simone said with a slight bow. "Take this one to my ship. Put the others in the boats with provisions for one day."
    "You can't do that," Julia protested, recalling her own fight for survival a few days earlier. "It will take more than one day to reach a safe port. Lord and Lady Kent are older and ill-equipped to survive long at sea."
    "One day's provisions," Simone reiterated.
    "I will do whatever you want if you give them two day's provisions."
    Stepping closer, Simone said, "You are in no position to bargain, Mademoiselle ." Her eyes bore into Julia's. Pulling the blonde roughly to her, she said huskily, "You have no idea what I might want from you." Simone quickly took Julia's lips as if they were her possessions and just as quickly released her, laughing as she turned to walk away. "Take them to the boats," she ordered amid the laughter of her men.
    "I insist on accompanying Miss Blanchard," the flaming haired woman next to Julia demanded.
    "No, Kitty. Go with the others," Julia said defiantly, still recovering from the unexpected, but breathtaking kiss.
    "No, my lady," Kitty said, placing her hands on her hips. "I will not leave you alone in the hands of this...this riff-raff."
    Simone motioned with her head and a rough-looking crewman grabbed Kitty by the arm and began to drag her away. She struggled against him and eventually managed to slap his face with enough force to split his lip. Angry, he released her and struck her, knocking her to the deck. He wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped toward her to strike her again. Simone drew her pistol and pointed it at him. "Marcel!"
    Stopping, his hand raised, he glared at Simone.
    Ignoring the threat aimed at him, he spun around to seek revenge against the impudent redhead. He brought his hand up to deliver the second blow, but was stopped when Simone shoved him away from Kitty with her boot.
    Seeing the look on Simone's face, Marcel smiled weakly, "But Faucon-- "
    Julia jumped at the thunderous report of Simone's pistol. The impact struck Marcel in the chest killing him instantly. The blue-gray haze of spent gunpowder drifted up and around Simone's head. Julia's hand flew to her mouth and she turned away. Calmly replacing the pistol in her waistband, Simone turned in a slow circle looking for further signs of disobedience from members of her crew.
    "My orders will not be disobeyed!" Simone said, her voice strong and clear. "Archambault! Finish searching this ship and dispose of that," she ordered, nodding to the bloody figure next to Kitty. "We leave."
    Two nervous-looking men stepped forward, each grabbing one of Marcel's arms. They dragged the lifeless form toward the ship's railing while Simone offered Kitty her hand. "My apologies, Mademoiselle . Are you a servant?"
    "I am Lady Kent's maid," Kitty said, straightening her clothing.
    "I could kill you as well and end this disagreement now," Simone said with a smile.
    "Then do it," Kitty dared as she faced Simone.
    "No, Kitty!" Julia said, grabbing the maid's arm and pulling her back.
    "She is a brave woman," Simone said to Julia. She pointed to a handsome young man standing nearby.
    "Anton, escort these two to Le Faucon . Lock them in the hold until we are under way," she ordered as she strode away.
    Simone glanced back at the two women as they moved across the deck.
    "We cannot take those women with us, Faucon ," Archambault said as he joined her.
    "Why not?" she