Chapter 2

Mary gathered the girls together and explained what she wanted to try, the first boat was the Captain’s, it was larger and had a sail! They could head due west, the coast of the America’s was less than a hundred miles. They should be able to reach it in three or four days! Better yet if the new ship won the battle they could get picked up by them and be taken home to Spain! At this statement Mary noticed looks of panic pass over many of the girl’s faces. She thought she knew why, they were all damaged goods, no longer virgins and soiled, their own families would reject them. So what they all needed was a story, a fabrication that protected their virtue and saved their chastity even though the proof of such was no longer intact.

The best way to be believed was to tell the truth, or at least a possible truth! They worked on it together as the two ships drew closer. The best story they came up with was that they had all been certified as virgins by the ship’s doctor after they were first captured. As virgins they would fetch a much higher price on the auction block! Therefore they were kept separate from those girls who were not virgins. Those girls had been treated horribly, repeatedly raped, many of them had died in the first weeks! Guards were placed on the door of the Captain’s Cabin where they were kept. After hearing they were to be sold soon they made a group decision to insure that the Captain and crew did not make a lot of money from them by taking their own virginity with a belaying pin one of the girl’s managed to abscond. Then an opportunity to escape came and they no longer have a way to prove their story. Boohoo, Boohoo!

Everyone agreed that that was a simple explanation and was the best. The only problem was the Confessional, most of the girls were compelled to tell everything that happened to the priest hoping that their story would remain in confidence. It was decided by the group that each girl would go to a different church than the family normally went and confess without giving her name! Maybe that would work?

By the time they had made the final decision, the new ship had caught up with the Sprite, but had moved to port about a mile. Running feet and the sound of the capstan revealed that sails were being added, there was a noticeable increase in speed. The girls had rummaged around and found coverings for their legs; they lined up with those that could swim in front.

Mary had taken a pillow case and made a sling for it. Inside was her knife, a pouch with several gold coins and some of her clothes rescued from one of her trunks that had been stored in a closet. She shared her clothes with everyone tying them together with loops to carry them over a shoulder.

Mary used a length of rope one of the girl’s had gotten to use as a clothesline, she tied one end of it around a column between two windows, she looped the rest in her right hand and leaned out as far as she could, two girls anchored her left arm so she wouldn’t fall. Throwing over the lead rope that angled down from the cleat to the first boat was difficult, until she tied a brick on the other end of her rope. With the weight of the brick she managed to get it over and have the brick swing back and catch it. Then all the girls pulled until the lead rope came into the room far enough to tie it to the same column securely. Then bowing their heads they prayed for salvation! She placed a strap over her head and under one arm. Then Mary placed her legs over the rope and moved down it hand over hand. She had to stop about half way down to rest her arms by wrapping them around the rope, but then continued on and was able to make it into the first of the boats. Once she was in, the next girl started, she was younger and lighter and made the entire length without stopping. Three bags were sent down the angle of the lead rope containing food, water and clothing. Then one after another they came down, the fifth girl lost her grip and fell ten feet into the water, but they were able to grab her arm as the boat covered the distance quite rapidly. That happened only once more with the same result.

Once everyone was in the lead boat, Mary looked around at all of the girls faces, seeing the determination in them she brought out her knife and was about to cut the rope when they all heard a shout in Spanish,

“Ahoy there! Ahoy! We have come to rescue you! We are from The Queen Isabella, our Captain has watched your escape and sent us to collect you!”

The boat, a little larger than their own, was under sail and pulled alongside. The girls were helped aboard quickly. The boat held back knowing the battle was about to begin and it began with the thunder of cannon from both ships! The Sprite lost the main mast and the mizzenmast after two volleys. The rifles of one hundred soldiers spoke repeatedly, taking out all of the exposed pirates on the deck. Soon the guns and cannon were silent and ropes with grappling hooks were thrown and pulled tight bringing the two ships together. A large boarding party leapt across from The Queen to the Sprite and mopping up began. Badly wounded pirates were shot, those who were captured were put in chains. The loot from a half dozen ships was gathered and sent over to the Queen. They searched the Sprite twice, finding a secret compartment in the Captain’s quarters that held a small fortune in gold, silver and jewels.

Mary told the Bosun’s Mate in charge of the boat she was on that she could recognize the leaders of the pirates and that she should be landed on the Sprite as soon as he could arrange it. They first went to the Queen where the Bosun’s Mate let her climb up the Jacobs Ladder first, noting that for the first time it really did lead to heaven! He gladly followed the gyrating quim to the top. He suggested that she put on some clothes once they were standing on the deck. Mary smiled a knowing smile at the man and nodded. She pulled the dress from her sack and put it on, immediately feeling uncomfortable and constricted, but less conspicuous! They went in search of the Captain.

Captain Lopez and the Bosun’s Mate escorted Mary onto the Pirate ship. Prisoners were chained together and lined up on the starboard rail of the main deck. The dead lay at their feet. The body of First Mate Fuller was among them, pierced by a long sliver of wood. Captain Jack was standing a few feet from Evan.

Suddenly Mary was conflicted, on one hand she wanted for Jack to hang, on the other she still loved him for who he sometimes had been. She made her decision,

“That man there was the Captain, Captain Jack Hood, he was going to auction all of us, myself and the other girls, to the highest bidder and that’s the only reason we are still pure! But he took our clothes away and looked upon us, and made us expose ourselves to his gaze on threat of being whipped!”

Mary had pointed at the body of Evan Fuller, then she turned her gaze to the real Captain Jack, her finger soon followed,

“But Captain Lopez, why do you have this man in chains? He is not a pirate, he was a slave forced to work or have what’s left of his crew executed! This is Captain John Archer of the Colony of Virginia, his ship was sunk by Captain Jack two weeks ago. He helped to save us, he untied us and showed us how to go down the rope to the boats you rescued us from! You must release him and his men!”

Mary pointed to five of the men, they had been nice to her and the girls, unlike the rest of them who had been mean and brutal. All six of the men struggled to keep from giving themselves away.

“If I were you, Captain Lopez, I would put them on the Ships Boat that the girls and I were in, it has water, food, and a compass. Let them go home, maybe give him some of the loot you found, some of it was taken from him when he was captured!”

“Si, Senorita, it will be done right away!” The Captain ordered the release of the men Mary had pointed to, they were put on board the boat. Captain Lopez gave Captain Archer a pouch, of what or how much she didn’t know. Archer waved and bowed to her, then he was gone, sailing for his new home in Virginia.

A few days later they transferred to the North Atlantic current and were headed east toward Europe and Spain, a place Mary had thought she would never see again.

Two weeks later Mary was reminded that life’s direction was never a sure thing, God, or fate always seemed to intervene! A huge storm came out of the west and chased them down. High winds ripped the reefed sails to shreds, huge thirty to forty foot waves lifted the ship and then sent it down deep into the trough between them then back up they would go. Rain fell from the sky in horizontal sheets that battered the ship without mercy. Everyone, including the girls, manned the bilge pumps! The pumps kept up with the amount of water coming in but they were only holding their own, they weren’t reducing the amount of water already there. When they weren’t pumping they were praying. They passed into the eye of the hurricane or rather it passed over them and they had an all too brief respite before the eyewall, which looked as solid as a real wall, a swirling black wall, was on them again. Gradually the cold waters of the North Atlantic sapped the strength from the storm and the sun began to shine again. There was extensive damage to the ship, the main mast was cracked, the mizzenmast was broken at the point it left the bow of the ship, most of the sails were just gone, no trace of them at all. Five sailors were gone also, blown off the ship by the high winds or washed away by the waves no one knew, they were just gone. Those still aboard had a great deal of work to do before they could get under sail once more. Some things had replacement parts stored on board, others would be repaired as best as they could. The mizzenmast had a replacement, the Main mast was repaired with splints and rope along with glue. Some but not all the sails had spares, some nonessential items were left for repair in port.

Mary had her eighteenth birthday, she didn’t mention it to anyone. Everyone was too tired to celebrate anyway.

For several more days they drifted, barely under sail, on the morning of the fifth day a lookout cried out and pointed to the east. In the distance a mist hung low on the sea, as the sun rose a green glow appeared, it was land! In fact it was a large island of emerald green, few trees were visible, tall cliffs guarded the shoreline. The Captain ordered a few sails raised and set a course well away from the shore. They rounded the headland and found a town with a good harbor. Many fishing boats were in the bay practicing their trade. They gave way to the large Galleon, and watched it limp by obviously having been through a terrible storm. Using a sounding line they measured the depth of the water under the keel. They were able to bring the big ship fairly close to the shore. After anchoring the surviving ship’s boat was launched, the Captain had asked Mary to accompany him in making contact as he, as well as Mary, suspected that this was the Emerald Isle of Ireland.

They were in the small town of Crookhaven in County York, Mary’s fluency in Irish Gaelic and her good looks won the people over very quickly! After Cromwell’s death and with the Monarchy restored under James I a semblance of peace existed between Spain and England, a peace treaty had been signed in 1660. And while there was no love lost between the Irish people and the Crown, Mary knew that the Captain would have to step lightly and spend a lot of Captain Jack’s gold to get the help of the people of the area.

Mary had a list of materials they needed to make the Queen Isabella seaworthy again. It consisted of wood, rope, lines, sails and tools like saws, chisels, and hammers, different fasteners, cleats and pulleys. Another list was of food and cooking supplies, clothing, and shoes. The list was extensive and comprehensive, the men at the small harbor told them that Dublin would be the only place to gather that much material! Dublin had Ship Chandlers that could gather everything and ship it all down the coast to Crookhaven. By road the trip was about two hundred fifty miles, by sea one hundred sixty miles. Brigands often robbed people traveling by the roads, the area had once been known for pirates until the Portuguese raided and wiped them out fifty years before.

A man named Peter O’Quinn, who was the wealthiest man in York, and who owned a ship, a small one, that sailed back and forth to Dublin every month or so, was contacted and engaged to transport Mary, Lieutenant Don Miguel Fuentes, and four soldiers to Dublin and back. The price agreed upon was high but within reason. They would leave in three days.

After making love with her girls for several hours, Mary was almost asleep when a thought leapt unbidden into her mind. Would there still be people who still wanted her father, and if so, would they use her to try and force him to come back to Ireland to hang?

She had not been using her last name, only her given name. She felt it best to change her name completely in all future interactions with people. Thinking quickly she decided to use her first lover’s name, she was from Kilkenny in County Kilkenny, they had similar looks except Mary was a couple of inches taller. So she adopted the name Gillian Fitzpatrick. She wrote a letter to her father in Gaelic telling him and the family that she was still alive and hopefully would be coming home soon. She explained her fears and her new name. She asked that the bearer of her letter be looked after as family. She gave the letter to one of her favorite girls, Consuelo and had her memorize her father’s name and address.

They left two days later, Mary/Gillian was carrying the equivalent of fifty thousand pound’s sterling in gold, almost a thousand pounds in weight, a very princely sum. It was for the purchase and shipping of the materials on the list. It was hidden beneath the false bottom of the three trunks she kept her clothes in. Hollowed out books had been filled with the gold and then the pages glued together accounted for the weight if asked. She also had letters of recommendation from the Governor General of Cuba for her outstanding service as a tutor and Governess for his children. All forged by a man who had been caught forging papers in Spain and given a choice of joining the Navy or doing hard time in a prison. This was done to provide the reason for the books.

The first night out of Crookhaven Mary/Gillian felt a sea change in the boat. They had turned around! Why had they turned around? It didn’t bode well! Two hours later, close to four o’clock in the morning, she heard bumps along the port side that could only mean another ship or boat had come alongside. She got out of bed to go and wake the Lieutenant, but found her door in the captain’s cabin was locked from the outside. She went back to bed after undressing completely. Her knife was unsheathed in her right hand and held under her right thigh out of sight. She had no doubt that someone was going to come for her. She was ready, she had a plan!

The sound of the lock turning drew her attention to the door, it slowly opened and a man quietly entered. He immediately began undressing, by the time he reached the bed he was naked and sporting his personal sword in a ready condition. From what Mary/Gillian could see of it she didn’t think it was much of a threat!

“What are you doing here Mr. O’Quinn?

“I would think that it would be obvious Mary! Your men are all dead, they died in their sleep! Your ship The Queen Isabella has been sunk after all its hands died in their sleep. The girls were too valuable to kill, they are going to make money for me in my three brothels. That just leaves you, you and your gold. I’m going to fuck you first, then I will see to your gold. You will join the girls in entertaining twelve to fourteen men a night until you die.”

“You are going to fuck me with that little thing? Well come get it shorty!” As she said it she threw back the covers using her left hand, exposing her naked body with her legs spread wide. Her pussy was open and inviting, the man was furious at the insults about his manhood, and inflamed in a totally different way by the view presented in such a lascivious manner. His mind was in turmoil, he began to climb on the bed between her open legs intent on showing her what a man he was! Leaning forward to insert his dick into her sheath he failed to see the knife as it came out from under her thigh and plunged upward at a shallow angle entering just under his rib cage and cleaving his heart ending his life. She turned the man over to her left side then pulled the knife out, there wasn’t much blood. She covered his body with the sheet and blanket.

She noticed that their hair color was almost exactly the same shade of red. He was clean shaven and his facial hair was very dark. His open sightless eyes were green like her own. A new plan was being formulated, his hair was shoulder length, their height was close to the same. Her voice though, could she imitate his voice? That would be the key! She tried speaking with a deeper voice, it tickled her throat, coughing she tried again. As she continued to try she brushed her hair that reached almost to her butt then bunched it up and tied it in two places about an inch apart at shoulder length. She cleaned her knife then carefully cut the hair between the strings. Using scissors she trimmed the hair to make it look even. Then she cleaned up all of the loose hair and threw it out the window. The hair that had been tied and cut off was added to the natural hair of the dead man, draping it over his face in a natural way. She dressed in his clothes, the vest he wore hiding her small breasts very well. Using the soot from the chimney on a lantern she added just a little dark simulating his whiskers. She had become comfortable speaking in a low voice, it might not be quite as low as his had been, but she didn’t think it would be a problem. A few sniffles and coughs would help in the subterfuge she strapped on his sword and held his pistol in her right hand. Her knife was in its sheath under his shirt at the small of her back, double checking herself in the mirror, she thought she could get away with her impersonation as long as it was dark.

She stepped out the door, then turned and locked it, keeping the key. Giving her first order she coughed and said to the man guarding the door, “No one is to go into this room until I say it is alright. Then everyone can have her!”

She left the man and sought out the Captain of his ship, once again coughing before saying, “Captain let’s go back to Crookhaven, when we get there send three men to the brothels and retrieve all seven of those new girls! I’ve decided that we should party with them before putting them to work!” Then she did some more coughing and said, “Sorry, I must have a hair stuck in my throat!” That got a laugh and a slap on her back.

They arrived back in Crookhaven and the men went to shore to round up the girls. It was a weekday and it wasn’t as busy as the weekends, only one of the men had to wait on a customer to finish with one girl. Within two hours the girls were on board and they were once again headed for Dublin. There were five crew members and the Captain. Only two people were needed to sail the vessel, a pilot that manned the wheel, and another to take in or let out the sheets, keeping the vessel in the best trim for the heading. Mary had watched how the men did their jobs as often as possible and had a basic understanding of how everything was done and why. The girls were placed in the Captain’s cabin.

As the men finished their shift she took them one at a time below to enjoy himself with whichever girls they wanted for half an hour. One at a time to prevent arguments she told them. The girls had been told what to do and they performed very well indeed. They all acted in ways to totally distract the man’s attention then he was hit on the head. The dead or unconscious man was then lowered by a rope under his arms out through the stern window into the water to prevent a splash. Most sailors didn’t know how to swim, if they went into the water they wanted to die sooner than later and hopefully before a shark found them. The last thing they saw was naked girls licking one another between each other’s legs. Tongues deep inside the pink folds of their pussies! There are worse things to see on your way to your judgment!

An hour and a half later three of the crew were gone and the fourth was on the way. After half an hour, Kim/Gillian told the last crewman that he would take over so he could partake in the entertainment. The Captain of the ship was at the helm, Mary with her pistol in her right hand sat on the rail closeby. She took off the vest and used a hanky to wipe most of the black soot from her face. The Captain watched without saying anything he wanted to hear what she had to say.

“Captain, your boss Mr. O’Quinn is dead, your crew is drowned in the waters astern. That just leaves you! We could kill you and we might still make Dublin, or we can make a deal and keep you aboard and insure that we make Dublin!”

“What kind of deal are we talking about!”

“You take us to Dublin and drop us off at the best Inn in the city. I will pay you £100 British pounds in gold and give you a signed Bill of Sale for this ship!”

“£300 pounds!”

“£200!”

“£250!”

“Alright, £250 pounds Sterling in gold!” Gillian stated.

“Done!”

“Do you need any help, Captain?”

“One of your girls would be a big help, I’ll show her what to do!”

Gillian asked for volunteers, a girl that she had seen watching the handsome Captain did so! In fact they formed a partnership that lasted the rest of their lives!

Gillian and the rest of the girls cleaned up the cabin, throwing Mr. Quinn’s body out the window and straightened the rest of the cabin. Going through his desk she found the original Bill of Sale. She looked at the forged one and couldn’t find any differences. Using a black inkwell, a blotter and a freshly cut quill she copied the names and signatures except for the present Captain’s. She also looked in her trunk and weighed out the appropriate amount of gold. Sir Issac Newton had just set the price of gold at £17.13 per ounce was just over 14.5 ounces. She added another ten percent to make up for regular ounces over Troy ounces.

They arrived in Dublin two and a half days later. The Captain, whose name was Shawn Flarity arranged transportation to an Inn that was supposed to be the best in Dublin, The Sword and Pike Inn. It turned out to be not only the best in Dublin, but to be one of the best Inns in all of Ireland. They were very helpful in getting the girl’s passage back to Spain on a very reputable company’s best ship. They left on a brand new ship a week after arriving in Dublin. She gave each one £500 hidden in a large book. All of the girls attended the wedding of Captain Flarity to Anita Gonzales. Anita also received £500.00.

Gillian could have gone with them, but she left Spain to explore the world on her own, she wasn’t finished yet. Explaining to the Inn’s manager what she wanted to do, she was sent to a company that would match tutors and or Governesses with prospective employers. One was found outside of Dublin about fifteen miles to the west. Carton House was the home of Sir William Talbot and his wife Lady Alison and their four daughters Addison (13), Claire (14), Marjorie (15), and Coleen (16). Their estate was one of the largest in all of Ireland with gardens, vegetable, as well as the flowering kind. A maze of evergreen shrubbery eight feet tall covered five acres with a center flower garden, pond and a gazebo. The couple were young, quite wealthy and were happy with almost every facet of their lives. William was a lawyer, a member of the Irish Parliament and had several business interests, a shipping company, a manufacturing company, and a funeral parlor.

Gillian hired a carriage and went for an interview with Lady Alison. The driveway was half a mile long with Sessile oak trees planted on both sides of it. The branches arched over the roadway forming an impressive tunnel effect. Then as you came out of the tunnel the open space containing the mansion exploded into view. It was quite impressive. Lady Alison met them at the front steps, inviting the driver to go into the kitchen for food and drinks in the kitchen and a place to rest the horses.