The Duke's Daughter -Wattys2014 Collector's Dream Award Winner-

Chapter Seventy One

The rest of the day passed rather quickly as all set to work preparing to leave their tropical paradise. Vi's man, Michaels, had taken up the position as supervisor on the Lady, assurring Derek the repairs would deem her seaworthy once more. Alejandro, Vi, and Derek had split the men from both crews into three smaller groups that would work in shifts. Alejandro had attached himself to the first shift, Derek, the second, and Vi took the third.

The Duchess had rallied the women and they were condensing the camp so that it would be easy to pack everything back to the ship once she was ready to sail. Arianna, Carmelita, and Betsy kept an eye on the children as they explored the tide pools.

Derek and Vi had come to a compromise and fifteen barrels of rum had been the price. Vi's crewmen who were not presently at work upon the Lady brought the Saucy Wench around to load their prize into her hull.

When the sun finally set, Alejandro and the first shift returned. Everyone was fed, then Derek and the second shift set out to spend the evening aboard the listing Green Eyed Lady.

Arianna was rather put out now that Derek was aboard the ship. He had kept Violet occupied throughout the afternoon, ensuring Arianna had faced nothing more strenuous than keeping Betsy's attention. Now that Derek was no longer around however, Arianna found herself seated at the campfire flanked by the two she sought to keep distance between.

The pirate was insistent with his flirtatious behavior, and Arianna found that he was not discerning with it in the slightest. Surely he sent a touch more of what he must have thought was charm Betsy's way, from time to time, but he flirted with every other woman around the fire equally.

Arianna suffered slightly more than the others simply due to her proximity to the pirate. She had swatted his hand twice, as he had, 'unthinkingly' as he put it, placed a wandering hand upon her knee.

He had given all of the women pet names, save her mother, who was simply Kathleen. He called Arianna by Enchantress, Betsy was Kitten, he said Carmelita reminded him of a lioness, lovely and soft, but fearsome and strong. Alejandro had agreed with that laughingly, happy to see his wife smile as she settled into his side and pulled his arm tighter about her shoulders.

It was then that it dawned on Arianna. She was the only one not enjoying the pirate's banter.

Lifting her eyes across the fire, she found Alejandro's eyes on her. His easy demeanor hardened slightly as he looked pointedly to the pirate. Then he winked as his gaze and smile returned to her.

You need only to say the word, Senorita. Arianna all but heard his voice in her mind. Her nerves lightened slightly as she realized she was not as alone as she felt.

"And what is your opinion, Enchantress?" Vi leaned a little too close for comfort.

"I fear I missed the conversation, Pirate. On what subject would you like my opinion?" Arianna backed away, causing Betsy to scoot over a bit.

A sound halfway between a laugh and a cough was heard from Alejandro before he drowned it with his mug.

"Upon the resemblance between our sweet Margaret and a sparrow?" Vi answered, as he placed a hand upon the back of the log between them and leaned slightly towards her. His thumb caressed the swell of her hip as his eyes seemed to challenge her.

Arianna lifted a brow and slipped her blade from her waistband. She tucked the blade up against the inside of her wrist and let the firelight glint off the steel to catch the pirate's attention.

"I think," Arianna replied in a soft tone for his ears only, his eyes left the blade tucked against her wrist and returned amusedly to hers,"That if you touch me again, you shall find yourself missing the offending member."

His eyes heated, his purple iris's swirling with an excited light. Damn! Arianna thought. She had not meant to excite him, but to warn him off.

"I wonder how long I can refrain from accepting that challenge." Vi drawled lazily, the timbre in his voice not quite matching the shine in his eyes. "It is quite against my nature, you see. For I am not one to decline challenges from either sex." Arrogant brat, Vi thought. He could not wait for the first chance to take her down a few pegs.

Arianna rolled her eyes and turned to her maid. "Come Betsy, I have had quite enough, 'tis time to retire."

"But, my lady..." Betsy began.

"I will not be argued with. Join me in my tent immediately." At the moment Arianna did not care if she was being harsh, the pirate annoyed her just that much.

"Yes, my lady." Betsy replied hurtfully, as she regretfully vacated her seat. With remorseful eyes only for Violet, Betsy reluctantly dragged her gaze away and dutifully followed Arianna to her tent.

*****

Alejandro lead his wife and their son to a small tent he had erected as their own, as he kept a wary eye on Violet Petals. The pirate was doing nothing more threatening than drinking too much rum and laughing too loudly with his crewmen at present. However, Alejandro had seen the pirate watch his captain's lady and her maid, until the man now knew which tent was hers.

Personally, Alejandro had felt no threat from the pirate all day. It was not until Arianna's suspicion of him had been made evident that he began to watch closer. There seemed to be something underneath the pirate's demeanor that Alejandro could not name. He was not necessarily concerned, but a woman's intuition was not a thing to second guess. So keep an eye on him, he would. It would be the second hour of the morning before Derek returned and the pirate was sent to take his shift upon the Lady.

Alejandro entered the tent and saw his wife and son tucked into their blankets.

"You are not staying, my love?" Carmelita asked from her covers with a sleepy smile.

"Nay, I am to stand watch until the captain returns." He leaned close and kissed her upturned lips. "Sleep well, my love. We should be back upon the sea on the morrow."

A sleepy smile was his only answer as he slipped from the tent once more.

As he looked back to the large communal fire, he noted that Violet Petals was now nowhere to be seen.

*****

Violet watched as the maid finally slipped from the Enchantress' tent and began to make her way across the space to the larger tent where the children had been put to bed earlier. Her eyes lifted from the sand under her toes and searched, finding him immediately. A small smile flitted across her face before her hand lifted and she held a finger over her lips to caution him.

Betsy moved quietly across the sand until she stood directly in front of him and the palm he leaned against.

"Hello, Mr.Petals." Her voice was low and sweet.

"Call me Vi, or Violet, if it pleases you. Mr. Petals was my... Grandfather." A lopsided grin crossed Vi's face as he offered Betsy his arm. "Care for a stroll in the moonlight, Kitten?"

"Aye." Betsy all but purred as she melted onto his arm.

Vi grinned swarthily as he lead her up the beach towards the rocky point.

****

Derek stood back at a quarter til two in the morning and smiled at the work that had been completed on the Lady. The damage was temporarily repaired and all that was left to be done by the third crew was tarring. He did not envy Violet Petals that chore.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Derek turned to leave the men to finish their work. As he came topside, he closed his eyes, enjoying the cool night breeze against his work warmed body.

The sooner he got off this damn island, the sooner he could get back to England and have Arianna for his wife. Sometimes being the captain had it's drawbacks. Were, say, Alejandro the captain of the Green Eyed Lady, then Derek and Arianna might already be married and enjoying... Derek's mind paused and an idea formed as he looked out at the Saucy Wench across the waves.

No, he thought with a smile. His angel would never consent to it.

"Ready to head in, Captain?"

Derek turned to find his tired crew looking at him hopefully.

"Aye, let us get some well deserved rest."

"Aye, aye, captain!" The crew chanted, glad their chores were finally done for the night.

Vi smiled at the young girl sitting upon the rock across from his own. There was a fire under that shy exterior that he wondered if even she knew existed. He could see it every time he asked another question that caused her to think outside her perfectly trimmed English propriety.

"Would you sail away with me tomorrow if I asked you to, Kitten?"

Betsy laughed, wondering if he toyed with her for his own amusement. "I suppose that depends on whether or not you are asking me to, Violet." A blush infused her cheeks, just as it had every time she had said his name over the last few hours.

He quirked a brow at her and she giggled before she continued, "If it were a hypothetical question, I would say immediately. Were you to ask me seriously, I cannot say what my response would be."

Violet smiled, more than smiled. Damn, he found himself grinning like a youth! Vi had had relations with experienced women from all over the world; sometimes they were rich, but always they had been beautiful. And yet, being with this simple, pretty maid caused him to feel more alive than any previous mistress or the sea herself ever had. Perhaps it was the maid's lack of guile. This girl, in his mind, was a fresh, clean book. None of her pages appeared to have been bent nor torn, and when she looked at him with all innocence, as she was doing now, she made him think of how he would like to fill her remaining pages with companionship and adventure.

"What would you debate were I to ask you seriously, kitten?"

Betsy's eyes grew large as she dragged them away from him and looked out to the sea, finding coherent thought next to impossible while gazing at his perfect face.

"I would debate the wisdom of it." Her nose wrinkled and her brow furrowed as she formed her reply, "I would ask myself what guarantee I had that my life would be better for the choice." Her eyes then fell to her clasped hands that rested in her lap. "My lady warned me, that if I were to do so, one day you would leave me in some far off port, defenseless and heavy with your child."

Vi scoffed unkindly at that, causing Betsy to look at him in confusion. "Ah, the Enchantress." Vi shook his head slowly, as he reined in his mirth over the lady Arianna's deductions, "Your mistress comes from a very pampered life where it is simple for one such as her to judge those who do not always appear to do the right things. I do not blame her for her ignorance of how difficult this world can be, neither can I fault her for expressing her concerns, considering who I am, and what I appear to be..." Vi smiled at her reassuringly, "however, kitten, I assure you, those would not be my intentions."

Betsy looked at the man before her, feeling that she knew even less than her mistress about hardships. While it was true that Betsy had lost both her parents at a very young age, she had always lived an extremely sheltered life with her paternal grandfather, until his passing, then God had kindly placed her with Lady Eleanor who had trained her to serve as Lady Arianna's maid. Until his death, her grandfather had served as a minister of the Lord, teaching Betsy to believe that God orchestrated one's life according to his will. Betsy truly believed that God had led her lady to her betrothed, in spite of Arianna's efforts to run away from the marriage. Betsy had been questioning her own sanity, however, in believing that God could have any intentions of pairing her with this man before her, believing Violet's beauty may have clouded her vision.