A Pirate’s Wife Read Online Free PDF Page B

a glare and refused. He had to tend to the farm.
    Finally, when it was already late that evening,
    Father reluctantly gave in. Mother walked up to him and
    wrapped her arms around his waist, pleading and crying,
    but they all knew there was nothing they could do. They
    had to give in to the demands of the pirate or lose their son.
    However, the thought their daughter in the hands of those
    brutes terrified them. Cisco knew what they did to women,
    how they treated them. Rosa-Lee was as good as dead once
    she was there.
    How would they live with themselves?
    'Please, Father, you have taught me all you know
    and I can defend myself. Don't worry, please, I will be fine.
    'Trust that what you have taught me will save me
    and Pedro.' Her eyes were wide with determination as she
    stepped closer to them. Cisco gathered her closer, her face
    pressed into his shoulder. He held her for a very long time,
    shaking.
    Her mother rubbed her back and said, 'We love you,
    dear, please come back safely.'
    'Yes, mama.' She kissed Qoncita's soft cheek, still
    beautiful after all these years, her back rigid as she
    composed herself.
    'I will let you go, Rosa, but you need to let me know
    as soon as possible what is going on so that I know if I have
    to come looking for you,' Cisco said gruffly.
    'Yes, Father.' standing on her tip toes, she kissed his
    handsome face. 'I need to pack still, and it is late.'
    'Yes, dear, I will bring the coins to you in a
    moment.' He hugged her once more before he let her go.
    Mother and father stood at the door for a while and she
    could hear him mutter something to her and Manuel, who
    walked away, angry at the whole situation. This was not the
    time to be a hero.
    As Rosa-Lee packed her trunks with her earthly
    belongings Qonchita came to sit with her. Qonchita's eyes
    were moist but she was obviously more under control while
    she sat and watched. She handed her daughter petticoats to
    pack in and only sniffed few times. This was hard on Rosa-
    Lee. She knew how her mother had struggled to forget the
    turmoil of their time in Africa, the nights she woke terrified
    of the horrors they had seen. Rosa-Lee really hoped that
    this would not cause those nightmares to return.
    Because she was only four during those times, they
    had sheltered her from the worst parts of it. She did not
    experience half the nightmares Mama did. Papa was the
    strong one who kept them sane during those times, making
    a new future for them all.
    He was the pillar and he would be the pillar as
    always, her giant Papa. He was the man she started to know
    as a friend and who had become her father. She hardly
    remembered her biological father. The abuse they had
    suffered under him had made him easy to forget.
    'Mama, please, don't make it so hard. I will be fine.
    You and Papa have taught me everything you know. I will
    be all right. Just believe in me, please.'
    'I do believe in you, Rosa-Lee, but still, this is very
    dangerous. The outcome can be devastating for both you
    and Pedro.'
    'I have a few plans up my sleeve for this Falcon and
    his son, Mother. Please calm down.' She said with much
    conviction.
    Her mother looked at her in shock, grabbing her
    shoulders. 'Rosa-Lee! You will not try something foolish
    and get yourself killed. Promise me.'
    'No, mother.' She held her mother's hands, kissing
    them. 'I will be back with Pedro, I promise.'
    She hid her pistol and knife in her trunk. This pirate
    will not have me on a platter; Rosa-Lee Almaida is made of
    pure Almaida blood, tough enough to face anything.
    Later Rosa-Lee lay in her bed, eyes wide open. She
    had to swallow hard as the enormity of what she was about
    to face strike her and tears ran down her cheeks. She
    allowed them to run freely.
    Come tomorrow morning, fear would be the last
    emotion she had the luxury of giving into. Her life would
    depend on her skill and alertness.
    †††
    January 4, 1624
    Last night I was awakened by Qonchita once again.
    She panicked and moaned