In the Tudor Court Collection. Amanda McCabe

managed to swim for the shore, some died.’ Justin’s mouth settled into a hard line. ‘I care little for the ships. We began with one and we can rebuild our fleet, but…’ His eyes were flinty. ‘Tom was one of the crew on watch. He did not make it to the shore.’

      ‘Tom is dead?’ Tears welled in her eyes. ‘No! Oh, no, I cannot bear it. He was so happy to be a part of all this and he was so young.’

      ‘He knew the risks when he threw in his lot with us.’

      ‘How can you say that?’ Maribel was too distressed to think clearly or to notice that he was strained and tense. ‘Tom was little more than a child.’

      She ran from the room, feeling close to tears. In her own bedchamber she sat on the bed, covering her face with her hands. The tears she had held back as she helped with the wounded fell thick and fast. She had known that the pirates led precarious lives, but the cabin boy’s death was shocking and painful. She looked up as her door opened and saw Justin standing on the threshold.

      ‘You should not weep for him,’ he said. ‘We all run the risk of a violent death. It could have happened at sea. Ours is a precarious trade and death is common amongst us.’

      ‘You speak so lightly of death.’ Maribel’s face was white as she stood up. ‘I cannot help but weep for Tom. He was like a young brother to me.’

      ‘Weep then, but accept it.’ Justin moved towards her, looking down at her face. She believed she saw something like regret in his eyes. ‘I thought perhaps we might have something, you and I—but this is no life for you, Maribel. You do not belong here. The life is too harsh for a woman of your breeding and you would sicken and die of a broken heart. The sooner I get you to England the better for all concerned.’

      ‘I thought…’ She choked back the words. Earlier that day he had held her in his arms and kissed her until she melted for love, but that was a different man, a man she could love and respect, the man he had been before he became a pirate perhaps. This man with the cold eyes looked at her as if he despised her, thought her weak and useless. ‘Yes, you are right. Yet even if I do not belong, I can do something to help. Anna and I tended the wounded and we shall return to see what more we can do in the morning.’

      ‘No! You are not to go down to the waterfront. I forbid it.’

      ‘You forbid it? I do not understand. I am capable of helping to nurse the wounded.’

      ‘Now that the fires are out there will be plenty to help the wounded. You are not needed—and Anna would do well to stay away too. These people can look after their own.’

      His words struck her like the lash of a whip. ‘You are cruel, sir. I wished only to help.’

      ‘You will do more harm than good. People are blaming you for this attack—and me. They do not want your help. Even I must watch my back when I walk there—you would be too vulnerable.’

      Maribel was silenced. He was so harsh and his words were like a knife in her heart. He spoke of others blaming her—but he blamed her too. The ships that had wreaked so much damage on the island and its inhabitants were part of her father’s fleet. She had tried to change, to become like Anna and the others, but she had never belonged here—and now she was hated.

      ‘I would not have had this happen…’ Her eyes were wide, filled with tears. ‘You know I would not…’

      ‘What I know is nothing to the point. For your own safety stay away from the waterfront. The Defiance should return in a few days. As soon as it has unloaded its cargo and provisioned we shall leave the island.’

      Maribel inclined her head. ‘Very well, I shall be ready. As you said, the sooner I am on my way to England the better.’

      Maribel slept little that night. She had wept until there were no more tears, but then she tossed restlessly, going over and over all the events of the past weeks in her mind. What could she have done differently? People believed that she had brought this cruel attack on them, but even if her father’s ships had been responsible it did not mean that she had brought them here. Had they been looking for her they would surely have brought a party ashore and demanded her return? No, she could only think that the ships had come at this time by chance—and seeing so many pirate ships assembled had taken a swift revenge before retreating.

      It was unfair for Justin to blame her!

      In the morning she rose early and went out to fetch water. Anna came into the kitchen as she was washing some clothes. She looked tired and her hair was hanging down her back, as if she had not bothered with it.

      ‘Did you not sleep last night either?’

      ‘I went to the inn to see if I could help but I was told to stay away.’ Anna looked at her sulkily. ‘They are blaming us for bringing the trouble here. Higgins says that we may not be able to return to the island.’

      ‘I am sorry. I know that you wished to make your home here.’

      ‘Higgins says we may have to find somewhere else to set up our trading store. Some of the men told me that we are no longer welcome on the island. I think we must be careful, Maribel. There could be trouble.’

      ‘Surely we are safe enough here?’

      ‘Perhaps—but we must not go to the waterfront alone.’

      ‘Captain Sylvester forbade it. Yet you still went last night—why?’

      ‘I thought the resentment would not be for me, but it seems I am tarred with the same brush as you.’

      ‘Do not hate me, Anna. Please. You know that I would not have had this happen. Besides, I do not think they came to look for me, because no one came ashore—though it seems they were my father’s ships.’

      ‘Perhaps they thought you were not here since the Defiance was not in the harbour.’ Anna frowned. ‘Higgins says people are wondering why it was not here.’

      ‘They cannot think that Sylvester knew the attack would happen? If he had, he would have warned others and sent all his ships away.’

      ‘When people are hurt and angry they do not think clearly.’

      ‘This is so foolish,’ Maribel shook her head. ‘We were not even here when the attack happened.’

      ‘That makes it all the worse…Do you not see what people think?’

      ‘They believe he deliberately chose to be absent? How foolish can people be? We rushed back as soon as we saw the smoke…we all helped as best we could!’

      ‘Higgins says someone is stirring them up, making trouble.’

      ‘Why? Who would do that?’

      Anna shook her head. ‘I do not know. I only know that things have changed. We must leave this island and the sooner the better.’

      Maribel was about to reply when she heard a noise behind her. Swinging round, she saw Peg watching them.

      ‘I did not hear you come in?’

      ‘I wanted to creep up on yer,’ Peg told her, unsmiling. ‘Yer asked me for lessons to defend yerself and yer will need them. Folk are saying yer brought the trouble on us and they want yer gone—one way or the other. Some are fer hanging yer.’

      ‘Anna has told me what people are saying. I knew nothing of this, Peg. I swear I would not have had it happen for the world.’

      Peg looked at her in silence for a moment and then nodded. ‘Aye, I believe yer, but others will not. They won’t listen. Especially with Pike stirring them up. He says Sylvester sent his ship away to save it.’

      ‘That is nonsense! You know he would not do that, don’t you? He could have sent all his ships if that had been the case—so why didn’t he?’

      ‘Yer need not try to convince me, lass—but others will listen to Pike. Sylvester