DOGS. Legacy Saga II

49

However, his resentment started to cool down as soon as he was back on deck. Marina invited him to the bridge with her and Morris. And even though she still treated him as if he were another pirate, she was nice and kind to him.

The girl was explaining the challenge to him when a light two-mast patache sailed by the Phantom toward open waters. The filibusters traded jokes and jabs with the Jamaicans onboard the patache. Ken stood on the gunwale, grabbing a shroud, and waved his hat to hail Marina, who waved her hand high at him.

"We'll meet you at Portland Point, pearl!" he shouted.

"I'll be right there!" Marina turned to her crew. "Take us out, gentlemen! Let's show those two what we Brethren of the Coast are made of!"

The pirates replied with their usual yelling, while Morris and Briand directed them to weigh anchor and get underway.

"That's one of your privateers, Robin," she said in a grave tone despite her smile. "We'll soon meet him and his partner, Marshall Owen. Their pataches are light, which makes them swift, but small. That means they can only carry twenty-five men, and ten guns tops. They can't go a-hunting by themselves, because nowadays any ordinary merchantman carries at least six guns and can send them down. So they team up, and even so they have a hard time scavenging anything worthy." She turned around and signaled Robin to do the same. "Now look at my Phantom. Only two guns less than your Victory and a hundred souls. It's a large ship by Tortuga's standards, but our average brigantines carry up to twenty guns and about sixty men. Two of your privateers on their rafts won't earn you half of what any of us earns Louis in a bad year. That's why Sir Thomas wants to set those requirements to renew due letters of marque and grant new ones."

Robin nodded, trying to hide he felt mortified because a girl lectured him.

She chuckled softly. "You wonder why you're here, if Sir Thomas could've told you all this over lunch. But he agrees with me: you need to see it firsthand. And he's sending you with me to keep you safe, because the Phantom is much safer than any of 'your' ships."

"And the lesson includes me being treated like a spoiled brat," he grumbled.

"Here we're treated as we behave. If you want respect, you must earn it."

"Did you? Or they respect you only because you own a twenty-eight-gun warrior?"

Marina laughed at the jibe. She liked the outraged English boy. And she liked the spark in his dark eyes when they met hers. "Maybe you're lucky and you get to find out."

The Phantom left Port Royal and caught up with the Jamaican pataches halfway to Portland Point. They decided to circle the coral reefs and head north, to the Cayman Islands and beyond, to sail back to Jamaica through Cuban waters. That course should gave them chances of coming across merchantmen on route between Cuba and Trujillo or Yucatan.

De Neill left Philip at the helm, lit his pipe and signaled Morris to walk down from the bridge with him. Then he pointed at Marina and Robin, who strolled down the gangway, chattering. The attention his host paid to him seemed to have smoothed out the Englishman's ill mood. And she'd changed her loose shirt for a women's blouse, tighter and with some laces.

"Have you seen that?" De Neill whispered. "She's dressed up for him!"

Morris nodded, smiling. "I hate the fool's guts, but if she likes him, it's fine for me."

"Doña Dolores turned you into a damned match-maker," the pirate reproached him.

"Dream on! But it's about time somebody makes her forget Castillano."

"Why are you calling on the blockhead?" asked Maxó, joining them.

"Morris says the pearl still thinks of him."

Maxó frowned in disbelief. "Come! It's been over a year since they last saw each other."

"And why do you think she doesn't mention him even by mistake?" Morris replied.

The two pirates turned to study the girl.

"I don't know which blockhead is worse," Maxó grumbled.

"The only right blockhead is the one who makes her happy, old wolf," Morris said.

"And so far, this one at least makes her smile," said De Neill, thoughtful.

By dinnertime, Robin's bleeding pride seemed restored, as much as it could be without having his social status acknowledged, and without servants around to take care of him like a prince.

After half a day onboard the Phantom, even his inexperience had noticed the weird mix of military discipline and pirate laziness that ruled on the ship. It looked clean and tidy like his frigate had only been the day she'd been launched in London. However, the filibusters had spent the afternoon hanging out all over the ship, vulgar and carefree like a hundred sea dogs.

They had shorten sail so the Jamaican pataches could keep up, and at sunset the three ships dropped light anchors near each other to spend the night.

Ken and Marshall boarded the Phantom for dinner, and Marina and Morris had to hold back their laughter at the shameless way they sweetened Robin's ear, knowing their letters would depend on him. Meanwhile, Robin enjoyed every time 'his' privateers called him 'Sir Dandleton'.

After the desserts they left the cabin. On deck, the usual round of pirates sang and danced to Bones' violin. But as soon as they saw Marina, the surgeon and Oliver played a quick, merry tune she liked.

The girl giggled and took Robin's hand, dragging him to the mainmast. The pirates circled them, singing and clapping while they danced until they were out of breath.

Seeing their smiles, and the spark in the dark eyes when they met, Morris traded a glance with Maxó and De Neill. By them, the Jamaicans frowned.

"The sir is courting her?" asked Ken, about to take offense.

"Oh, because you would refuse if the pearl takes your hand," Marshall replied mockingly. "Even to take you to hell."

"But she hardly knows him!"

"Don't lose hope, brother."

At midnight, when only the night shift remained on deck, Marina and Robin still lingered talking and admiring the starry sky.