Buccaneer Read Online Free PDF

said nothing. He stared at Hector, then switched his gaze to Coxon, who was rooted to the spot. Hector and all those in earshot tensed, awaiting an outburst of rage. Instead Morgan let loose a sudden, ringing neigh of laughter. ‘Captain Coxon, you’ve been taken in! You’ve swallowed the gudgeon, every last morsel. Sir Thomas’s nephew indeed!’ Beside him, Byndloss let out a guffaw and, waving his glass, added, ‘Are you sure that he’s not Sir Thomas’s son and heir?’
    A wave of sycophantic laughter washed around them as the crowd of onlookers joined in the mirth.
    Coxon flushed crimson with embarrassment. He clenched his hands by his side and swung to glare straight at Hector. For an instant the young man thought that the buccaneer, his face working with anger, was about to strike him, but Coxon only snarled, ‘You will regret this, you little swine!’ and turned on his heel. Then he stalked out of the room, followed by the hoots of laughter, and someone calling out over the heads of the crowd, ‘He’s Sir Hector, you know.’
    Like a good host, Morgan turned back to his friends who were still smirking at Coxon’s humiliation, and they took up their former conversation. Pointedly, Hector was ignored. Awkwardly he stood there in his borrowed clothes, uncertain what he should do next. He feared to follow Coxon in case the buccaneer captain might be waiting for him outside the door.
    While he stood there hesitating, a sharp rap on his elbow made him jump, and a female voice said playfully, ‘I would very much like to meet my new cousin.’ He turned to find himself looking into the mischievous smile of a young woman in a light evening cloak of turquoise satin. She was a couple of inches shorter than himself, and no more than seventeen years old. Yet the shape of her body was accentuated by a tight bodice whose low neckline was only partially covered by a lace-trimmed gorget to reveal the curves of full womanhood. Involuntarily Hector found himself reflecting that women ripened in the Jamaican climate as early and seductively as the island’s exotic fruit. Her dark brown hair was arranged so that it tumbled down to her shoulders, but she had left a fringe of curls to frame the wide-set blue eyes which now regarded him with such amusement. In her hand was the fan which she had used to attract his attention. ‘I am Susanna Lynch, Robert’s sister,’ she told him in a light, attractive voice. ‘It’s not often that a relation appears from nowhere.’
    Hector found himself blushing. ‘I’m sorry,’ he began, ‘I meant no disrespect. Lynch truly is my family name. The deception was forced upon me to protect myself and my friends . . .’
    She interrupted him with a quick grimace. ‘I don’t doubt it. Captain Coxon has a reputation as a ruthless man, always eager to advance himself. In him you have made a dangerous enemy. Someone you had best avoid in future.’
    ‘I know almost nothing about him,’ Hector confessed.
    ‘He’s a ruffian. He used to consort with Henry Morgan in the days when harrying the Spanish was permitted. But that’s against government policy now, largely thanks to the efforts of our “uncle”.’ Here she smiled teasingly. ‘Men like Coxon still hang around on the fringes, waiting to snap up anything that has been overlooked. There are plenty who would help him.’
    ‘I gather that sometimes includes Sir Henry.’
    She gave him a sharp glance. ‘You are quick on the uptake. I heard Morgan say that you only landed this morning in Jamaica, yet you’ve already sniffed out a few truths.’
    ‘Someone told me that Sir Henry Morgan’s preferences still incline towards his former buccaneering friends.’
    ‘Indeed they do,’ Susanna said casually. Hector had to admire the young woman’s self-confidence, for she did not bother to drop her voice. ‘Henry Morgan is still as gold-hungry as ever. But he is now on the governing council and a very powerful man. He’s someone else