Lions of the Sea

5

Morris accepted the invitation to dinner the next night, and he knew his captain expected him to extend it to Maxó and De Neill. Laventry and Harry had made port earlier in the afternoon, and sent word that they'd be there as soon as they '"got decent". Wan Claup also sent a note to Charron. His lieutenant didn't belong in that tight inner circle of those who had met sailing under Marina's father, but the man would take mortal offense if he wasn't invited to the table where his subordinates would dine with their captain.

Cecilia had Tomasa, the black housekeeper, set the dining room. Just like her brother, she thought of all of them as family, and was glad to welcome them to her home at every chance she got.

Marina was helping Tomasa when she heard Laventry's loud voice greeting her mother. The poor housekeeper had to catch the dishes the girl all but dropped to run to welcome the corsair.

The man stretched out his arms to her and she jumped to them. He held her tight and spun around, both of them laughing out loud, the girl's feet in the air.

"Damn, little pearl! You've grown!"

"Laventry!"

He covered his mouth, flashing an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Cecilia. No more swearing, I promise."

Marina tugged at his other hand. "Come, come. My uncle is alone in the library with that uptight Monsieur Charron, and he'll be relieved to see you."

Cecilia chuckled, nodding, and Laventry followed the girl, still joking and laughing with her.

It was a nice, funny evening. Everybody praised Cecilia's present of fine custom-made clothes for Morris. And their exclamations filled the room when Marina gave him a new sword in its leather sheath.

"It isn't Toledo steel because you aren't a captain yet," she explained, while the sword passed from hand to hand and the men admired the balance of the blade and the quality steel.

"I'm captain and I have no Toledo," said Harry.

"Maybe you're not such a good captain," Marina replied, making everybody laugh.

The men excelled at watching their language. Not only to keep from cursing and swearing like they were used to. They had to talk about their activities with euphemisms such as business, transactions and meetings. Because they all knew Wan Claup would cut the tongue off of anyone who dropped the slightest hint about their true job.

His friends kept telling him it was a useless ban, since there was no way Marina didn't know what they all did for a living. But Wan Claup still dug his heels in and refused to allow any comment about piracy in front of his "little pearl".

That night, Marina followed obediently her mother's suggestion to go to bed after the desserts. Cecilia said goodnight soon after, too, leaving Tomasa to serve the men. Morris, Maxó and De Neill didn't linger longer, arguing vital businesses they needed to take care of.

"Good luck," Laventry said to them. "Just try to not lose to the dice all you've earned over these months."

"We'll do our best, Your Grace," Maxó replied, taking an exaggerated bow.

Laventry and Harry stayed behind, and Charron decided to stay as well. It was a rare privilege, witnessing a private conversation among the three most notorious captains in Tortuga. Wan Claup sent Tomasa to bed, led his friends to the library and filled their glasses himself.

Now that they were alone, they put jokes aside and took on the subject that worried all of them: the Windward Fleet. After L'Olonnais' brutal attack against Maracaibo and Gibraltar a year earlier, and Mansvelt's scuffles in Costa Rica, Spain was regrouping the old fleet, intending to patrol the Caribbean Sea again.