Don Diez was a gracious host to the girls. They were given new clothes to wear since their own were now worn and soiled. They slept in the first real bed for weeks and ate from silver plate.
In the midst of dinner, a messenger arrived from the governor and Diez excused himself for a conference. He reentered the dining room long enough to introduce the messenger to the girls and then sent him on his way.
Later, Isobel and Julianna undressed for bed.
"I don't trust him," Julianna declared. He kept exchanging glances and short messages with his servants. And the way he looked at us."
"I don't understand. What could he be doing?"
"And why did he introduce the governor's man? Did you see the way he studied us? Like he expected to meet us again."
"But you are a free woman, Julianna. What can you fear from anyone."
"I don't know, but I don't want to stay here. I want to wait for you at home."
"There is no home anymore. The land has been sold."
"Perhaps the neighbor, Sra. Marcella, will take us in."
Isobel took Julianna back to Calvado and settled her there. She returned in the evening. Don Diez had the thousand ducats for the ransom. He gave her a second purse with her own ransom. "I'm sure Don Stephano would do this for you."
The next morning, she hid the smaller purse in the folds of her inner garments. The larger bag of gold was more difficult to conceal. "I should send a servant with you," Diez offered. She could not refuse, but as they walked toward the waterfront, she noted two men who seemed to be following them. Not alerting her escort, she found an opportunity slip away from him. Moments later he was conferring with the followers, confirming a conspiracy. They gestured to spread out to find her.
Eventually, Isobel eluded her pursuers and made her way to the pirates. As they sailed, the told them of what happened. One of them speculated, "They probably wanted to rob you of the money."
The other argued, "No if the governor was involved, they wanted to follow you to our camp." Thus alerted, the pirates fished until no other boats were visible.
Back at the camp, Isobel delivered Don Stephano's ransom and the word that the governor was looking for the pirates. For the time being, she held onto her own ransom. The pirates took care to hide their camp even further. Fires were extinguished, lookouts doubled, and the boats dispersed. Isobel was housed in the captain's hut where Julianna had lived.
A warship was spotted the next morning. Its slow path along the shore indicated it was searching. The ship anchored off the cove and two longboats filled with about 20 soldiers. Isobel was ordered to a safe place with the other hostages, but she crept back to the camp to watch the battle.
The ambush was sudden and complete. The Spanish soldiers were overwhelmed and only a few sustained any resistance. The pirate captain charged, sword in hand as Isobel picked up a pistol dropped by one of the soldiers. When she saw a soldier take aim at Jacques, she instinctively raised the gun and fired. Her shot missed and the recoil knocked her off her feet; but the soldier was startled so that he paused, and another pirate knocked him down.
The fight on land was over. Fourteen pirates donned armor from the soldiers and rowed back to the ship. Their deception allowed them to board and surprise and overwhelm the remnants of the crew.
That evening, Captain Jacques, brought a flagon of wine to Isobel. "I understand I owe you my thanks."
"How do you know whom I was trying to shoot?" Then, when he smiled, "Tell me, Captain, what made you a pirate."
"My father owned a desirable piece a waterfront as the docks were being built. He did not want to sell to the governor at the time. The governor found some excuse to put him in prison and he died there."
Isobel pulled her purse from her skirts and placed it on the table. "And will my ransom help?"
Jacques laughed and pushed it away. "You have payed your debt. We will send you back with Sr. Stephano." They looked long at one another. "If you want to go."
"Maybe I would prefer to be a pirate."
"A pirate! That won't end well," Molly protested.
"Perhaps you would like to write a better ending?" Stephen challenged.
"Well . . . let's see . . . Isobel becomes Jacques' sweetheart, of course."
"Of course."
"But she isn't allowed to go sailing with them because women on board are bad luck. And seamen are notoriously superstitious. Especially pirates."
"You are very knowledgeable about pirates." Stephen smiled. "You take it from here."
Molly continued the story.
Isobel stayed behind when the pirates went out on their raiding expeditions; but she was happy to greet and celebrate with them when they returned. Her weakness, however, was her sister. She so wanted to visit her again and invite her to join the pirate colony. She did so discreetly, arriving on a fishing boat and seeking out Julianna where she was now a serving girl on the farm of a former neighbor. Their reunion was sweet. Isobel told her all about her new life and freedom and suggested Julianna visit. Perhaps she would like to live there. There were a few other women on the island. Yes, they were little better than whores, each giving their favors to many men. Jacques was different. He was respectful and caring. Perhaps Julianna could find someone like him when she grew older. In the meantime . . .
Julianna was afraid. "But come and visit me often. I am safe here for now. We will see what the future brings."
Unfortunately, another servant overheard their conversation. At the first opportunity she ran to the authorities to claim the reward they had offered for anyone with information on the whereabouts of the pirates. Two days later, Isobel was arrested.
She was taken to the governor's castle to be questioned. "Yes," she said defiantly, "I know Jacques. But I don't know the way to the island. I get on a boat and I get off at the other end of the trip. I am not a mariner. No, I don't know how many men are there. Maybe hundreds? They come and go all the time. Some are fishermen. Others raise cattle and tan hides. No, I don't know what they do when they leave the island. I assume they are buying and selling among the islands. Pirates? I wouldn't hang out with pirates. These are law-abiding men."
Isobel kept up her denials for ten days. Unwilling to torture a woman, the governor sentenced her to be hanged for complicity. The execution was to be on the town square, for all to see. Isobel went defiantly to the scaffold and stood in irons above the crowd as the sentence was read aloud.
The crowd began to push closer for a better look. Ten soldiers around the scaffold kept them at bay. Events now happened quickly. Two of the soldiers collapsed with stab wounds to the heart. A shot ran out and the hangman fell dead. Pistol shots felled several more soldiers and the rest struggled to escape through the mob. A cannon fired from the castle announcing an attack on the city. A pirate army was rushing the gate while infiltrators in the town were sowing panic and confusion.
That evening, the governor was in despair. An attack right under his nose! His soldiers had rushed to the castle and forts, but that was not where the fighting was. Pirates and townspeople had joined in looting the shops and homes of the richer merchants and officials. Thirteen soldiers, six citizens, and two pirates were dead. He had no idea how much had been stolen, but the only warship in the harbor had simply sailed away while the crew watched. And the prisoner had vanished, along with her sister. He was no closer to capturing the pirates than he had been a month before, but the common people had a new hero. And heroine.
In recognition of her loyalty in prison, Isobel was made a pirate and allowed to sail with Jacques.
"So it did end well, my little Pirate."
"I couldn't resist. Everything end's well with you here," Molly confessed as she snuggled up.
