Loves' Conqueror. Renee Hand

and knew that in order for her to get the treasure stored in the vault in Nombre de Dios, he would be the only man able to do it. With her Lord Hammil in charge, she was sure that she would have more money to add to her coffers and more prestige to her name in the end.

      Locand looked again at the papers in his hand before placing them in a pocket inside of his waistcoat. He then placed both hands behind his back. His strong chest was thrust outward and his long, wavy, black hair, which reached to his shoulders, blew in the wind. He wore black breeches with a white linen shirt and matching black waistcoat. Inside a sheath at his waist was a dagger for protection and standing by his side was his first mate, Stevens. Stevens was an older man with long graying hair that was tied in a queue at his neck and a mustache that was shortly trimmed. His appearance was as neat and tidy as the captain’s. He was almost as tall as the captain, but where the captain was muscular and lean, Stevens was fuller in the stomach and in the shoulders. He was intimidating to the crew, and as far as Locand was concerned, made an excellent first mate.

      “My faithful crew,” Locand began, “today is a new day for us with new rules to live by. Coming aboard will be Lord Hammil, one of the queen’s favored men. We are asked to take him to Port Royal where he is to be taking care of some business and then returned safely back to England. If we do our mission successfully, we will be handsomely rewarded for our efforts.” The men looked at Locand with respect and cheered. “Of course, on the way if we see anything to bring more riches to our pockets we will do so, but remember that we are privateers now, not pirates, and we must follow the rules. That has to be clear to everyone until the time is right for us to prove otherwise, if there is a time.” The men smirked as they thought of fighting and cheered loudly. The noise brought a smile to Locand’s face, but soon the smile began to fade. “We need to look and act differently from this point on. Our lives depend on this voyage being flawless. One error can cost us everything. Our lives—over.” The crew began to sober as they understood what was at stake. Their eyes gazed upon Locand in guidance.

      Locand was born in the Caribbean and his skin had a natural tan. He was tall, his shoulders broad and arms thick and strong with muscle. Underneath his partially opened shirt was a firm chest. His teeth were a bright white and shined against his complexion. Most of the crew could not say the same thing about their teeth, but they were loyal and dependable. They honored and respected the decisions Locand made, for in the past, his decisions never failed to bring them wealth and riches.

      “Stevens, do we have enough supplies for our journey?” Locand looked at his men standing before him on the deck instead of in the eyes of his first mate.

      “Aye, Cap’n, the men finished loading them this morning, as well as powder for the guns and some rum for the men. Food is plenty and we have enough provisions to last us until we reach Port Royal.”

      “Very good! Take the longboat and go ashore to greet Lord Hammil. Take a couple of men with you to load his trunks. He will be spending much time with us, make him comfortable. His safety will bring us happiness.” Locand glanced at Stevens, his faithful friend was more than eager to do his bidding.

      “Aye, Cap’n,” replied Stevens, as he yelled out the names of a few men to come with him. Locand then told the crew to continue with their duties as he returned to his cabin to look over his map of the Caribbean and mark the route they would take.

      It was midday by the time the carriage containing Lord Hammil, Miranda, and Davy reached the harbor. Lord Hammil exited the carriage as soon as it stopped and offered his hand for Miranda to take. She took it eagerly as she raised her hand to block the sun from shining in her eyes. Her attire was simple and plain. She wore a pale blue dress that revealed her narrow waist and curvaceous hips. Unlike most English women, she refused to use a parasol and adored the sun. She lifted her face to absorb as much of its warmth as she could.

      As she stepped away from the carriage, her eyes scanned the many ships in front of her. She wasn’t sure of the ship they would be sailing on and was hesitant to ask Lord Hammil. As she looked at the various ships tied to the dock and the ships anchored near the middle of the harbor, her eyes fell upon the name The Captain’s Avenger. Her thoughts immediately went to its captain. Captain Riveri was the name she read on the letter of marque. She knew he must have it in his possession by now. She was curious what the other ships’ names were on the other letters of marque she hadn’t read.

      Her eyes turned toward Lord Hammil who was in conversation with a man who had white hair and a mustache. He glanced periodically at her. Feeling uncomfortable, she turned to face Davy who was standing behind her. Davy wore tan breeches with a white shirt and matching waistcoat. The smile on his face could not hide the excitement he felt at the prospect of being at sea again. Before they could talk, Miranda noticed Lord Hammil motioning for them to follow. As they walked down the dock following the tall man with the white hair, she noticed some other men carrying their trunks. They were quiet, not even saying a word to themselves. They just held their trunks and carried them without complaint, though she did notice the looks they kept giving one another.

      The wind was picking up across the water, and Miranda had to block her blond tendrils from covering her eyes many times. She refused to wear a hat but noticed that Lord Hammil wore one to keep the sun away from his face. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a longboat. The man with the white hair told Lord Hammil to step into the longboat first. He then held out his hand to help Miranda into it. As she thanked him, she glanced at his face. He was shaking his head at her as if his thoughts were occupied by something else. However, his words were a contradiction to his actions. He appeared pleasant and kind.

      Miranda sat between Lord Hammil and Davy as the men with their trunks loaded the longboat with all of their belongings. As soon as the men stepped into the longboat, they started to row it to the ship anchored in front of them. To Miranda’s surprise, the ship was The Captain’s Avenger. As the longboat pulled along side the ship, Davy climbed the wooden steps that were built into the side. A member of the crew grabbed his arm and helped him aboard. Then, Lord Hammil climbed the steps, wanting to be the one to reach for Miranda and help her aboard. However, his climb wasn’t as graceful as Davy’s and he slipped on a step causing him to almost fall.

      Miranda, who was standing in the longboat underneath him, was quickly pulled aside by the man with white hair. He held her firmly but briefly, not wanting her to get harmed in case Lord Hammil fell back into the boat. Stevens caught the scent of Jasmine coming from the woman in his arms as they watched Lord Hammil reach the top of the steps and get helped onto the deck by Davy. Miranda moved away from Stevens and started to climb up the steps. To Stevens’ surprise, she did so without any trouble. He shook his head quickly, and said underneath his breath, “She’s a distraction already. The Captain will not like this.” The men left in the boat agreed as their eyes fell upon Miranda. Her bare legs could be seen as she pulled up her dress a little so she wouldn’t trip on her skirts stepping onto the deck.

      As Davy helped Miranda aboard, she caught a slight smile on his lips. She squeezed his hand tightly hoping that he wouldn’t break out into laughter. She was on the brink herself. The sight of Lord Hammil trying to impress her almost made her composure crack. However, as he turned to face her, she could tell that he felt embarrassed. His cheeks were flushed, and as he grabbed her hand she noticed he was shaking. She smiled politely hoping it would calm him. He merely looked away from her, his eyes focusing on the man ahead of him.

      “Welcome aboard Lord Hammil,” boomed the voice of Captain Riveri.

      “Captain, your ship is bigger than I thought it would be, but it will do nicely. Are we ready to sail?” Captain Riveri glanced several times at Miranda before his eyes focused again on Lord Hammil’s.

      “We’ve been ready since dawn. Who are your companions?” Captain Riveri was direct. His eyes again fell upon Miranda and then Davy.

      “This is my fiancée, Miranda Smyth, and standing next to her is her guardian, Davy,” answered Lord Hammil, his tone rising slightly and becoming defensive. Locand stared at Davy for a few minutes as recognition hit him. Davy shook his head slightly at Locand, but the action was unnoticed by anyone else.

      “It’s a pleasure to have both of