The following story is the final chapter in a 10-parter, with each chapter in a different category. If you enjoy this story, I'm afraid you'll have to go find each part, or you can click on my name above to see all parts as well as my other stories.
Part 1: Non-Erotic.
Part 2: First Time
Part 3: Loving Wives
Part 4: Exhib & Voy
Part 5: Lesbian
Part 6: Interracial
Part 7: Letters and Transcripts
Part 8: Romance
Part 9: Mature
* * * * *
When everyone was aboard, the Anvil set sail. The king's men weren't far behind, and as soon as they reached the harbor French warships would be after them.
The little ship was crowded, but William tried to give the women separate quarters as best he could. They would have to double up, though. There wasn't any possibility of giving each lady a room. William would miss having Charlotte with him, but there was no way that would work. The men were having to sleep four or even six to a room. The captain was no exception.
There was one nice surprise waiting for Charlotte. Priscilla was there. The English woman had said she was going to make her way back to Britain, but here she was on the ship. When Charlotte asked her what happened, Pris said that she really had intended to go home, but things just kept delaying her. First, there was no ship leaving for Britain for a month. Then she got a job in a shop for people she really liked. Well, one thing just led to another and somehow she never got around to leaving.
When she heard what was happening, and that everyone would be leaving, Priscilla had left her job and headed to the coast to join the group. She realized she just had to see Charlotte again, and also that there really wasn't anything in England to return home to. So here she was.
Charlotte gave her old friend a huge hug. Then she and Priscilla decided to trade cabinmates and take a room together. It would be like the only good parts of old times.
Meanwhile, William was making for the open sea as fast as he could. A couple of hours had passed, and through his glass Bill could see a full-sized French man-o-war leaving the harbor to make chase. She would be at full sail shortly. With a good wind behind her, the Anvil would be a bit faster, but not much. And if the wind turned wrong, the huge warship might overtake them. Sporting over 40 guns, she would blow the Anvil out of the water in the blink of an eye.
The Anvil was sailing for all she was worth. For three days she made her best possible speed. The French ship dropped back, but not much. She was still in full pursuit, and only about six hours behind. The Anvil had to make for the Straits of Gibraltar. If she could get though there, and into the open Atlantic, the French ship would never catch her.
The wind remained friendly, and William thought he might actually make it. Another day had passed and the straits were in sight. Bill ordered his helmsman to make right for them. If they could just get through. Everything looked like it was going to work out.
Then, as if fate was just playing games with them, everything went wrong. From out of the straits came three English warships. Each carried 36 guns and they were headed straight for the Anvil. There was nowhere to go. If she turned, the Anvil would end up in range of the French ship behind her, and if she kept going, the British would destroy her.
Well it didn't matter, so William decided to press forward. They might as well take a path between the British ships. It at least led to freedom. They didn't have a chance of course. The English ships would turn and destroy the Anvil long before she reached them, but at least they would go down fighting.
The Anvil closed on the British ships, faster and faster. To William's utter shock, the British ships just kept coming. They should have turned and blown her out of the water with broadsides. What were they doing? There was no time to wonder about it. The French ship was still behind them and the Atlantic beckoned in front.
The pirate ship was almost right upon the British ships, when finally they began to turn. The Anvil was really too close to be a target, but she was going to have to slow and turn herself to navigate her way between them. And when she did, the French ship would make it into firing range. It didn't matter what the British did, in a few minutes the French would have them.
William gave the order to turn. The Anvil dropped sail and slowed. There wasn't much room between the British ships. As she maneuvered, William waited for the sound of firing cannon that would mean the end of his ship. There it was. BOOM!!!!. And then another, and still another. What was going on? Bill looked around and realized that the English ships were firing on the French. The French ship was trying to return fire, but she was too heavily outnumbered. She fired a broadside at the British and a couple of balls hit one of the ships. But there was no serious damage.
The French ship then tried to turn and run, but she was much too close. A few minutes later, the British fired again. Over 50 guns targeted the French battleship. One second she was there, a moment later a ball hit her powder magazine and the ship was splinters. After that, one of the British ships signaled for the Anvil to stop.
Bill debated running, but it was pointless. The British could destroy them just as easily as she had that French ship. Besides, they could have blasted her already, and they had sunk the ship that was chasing them. More was going on here than William knew. So Bill ordered the Anvil to full stop and waited to see what happened next.
One of the British ships pulled alongside the Anvil. Then someone shouted down for William to come aboard. Bill shouted back that he thanked them for the invitation, but he'd rather decline. He really didn't feel like walking to his own hanging. However, if the captain of the British ship would like to come aboard the Anvil, William would be happy to show his hospitality. Then, to Bill's absolute utter shock, the British captain shouted that he accepted.
A moment later, Bill was still trying to sort out what was going on, as three British officers made their way onto the Anvil's deck. One of them introduced himself as Captain Langston of HMS Defiant. When he asked if he might have the pleasure of meeting the notorious Black Bill, William went ahead and introduced himself.
Then, as if the day wasn't already strange enough, Captain Langston informed William that he had a full pardon for him from the king. A pardon. A PARDON!!! And why would James be wanting to pardon Black Bill?
But the captain told Bill it wasn't King James, it was King William. William!!! Who the Hell was William?? It took a while, but Captain Langston finally managed to explain the whole thing.
The British people had had enough of that sniveling worm, James. They had risen up in revolt. James, had escaped however, and had fled to France. The British had demanded that France turn James over to them, and when the French refused war was declared. At the same time, William and Mary of Orange had come to England from the continent and were now ruling the country.
The new king needed every good naval officer he could get. And one of the most brilliant sailors of the time was the notorious pirate Black Bill. It hadn't taken long for the king to learn the whole story of how Bill had become a pirate. The king knew that he had been shanghaied aboard a crooked merchant vessel. And that he had been condemned in absentia for a mutiny that was more than justified, considering what the captain of that ship had been up to.
Of course there was the matter of piracy, but for a price, the king was willing to pardon those crimes as well. And the price was simple. William would accept a commission as captain in His Majesty's Navy. When William asked what would happen if he refused the commission, Langston said that he would then have to return to his ship and all sorts of unpleasant things would begin to happen. Bill just laughed and said that he certainly didn't want to be responsible for any unpleasantness. So to prevent such hardship for his new friend, he would accept the king's commission.
However, he wanted two things in return. First, he would remain in command of the Anvil and that he would also take command of the other two ships. Second, that he would be named governor of the island of St. Dominique. When the captain laughed and said that the British didn't own that island, William laughed right along with him and told Captain Langston that he intended to change that.