It was roughly an hour later, and moments before the storm broke, that the Christina pulled into port. With the only idea of meeting up with Anthony on his mind, Justin quickly disembarked from the ship. Not able to fully trust Kalinna, he left Jackson to watch over the sleeping girl.

“Justin! What brings you back to port so soon?” Anthony said as he opened the door of his small home and found his friend standing there, “I had thought you were going to be back out to sea for the next few weeks.”

“My plans were abruptly changed,” Justin said as he walked inside just as the first raindrops began to fall from the dark clouds.

Anthony shut the door and Justin quickly followed the blonde man through the small sitting room, which held two chairs, a couch, a table and a few other bric-a-bracs. They then passed through a short hallway, a door that led to a bedroom on either side, before entering into the kitchen located at the very back of the home. It was furbished with a wood-burning stove, a washbasin, many cabinets, and a large table in the center of the room that could easily fit six. The two men quickly sat there, intent on getting straight to business.

“What precisely has happened that made you turn back for port?” Anthony said a moment later.

“The ship was attacked,” Justin said, resting his arms on the table as exhaustion finally began to overcome his body.

“What?!? By whom?” Anthony demanded, surprised.

“The French, who else? English trade ships are terrified of the Christina and steer clear if possible,” Justin stated as he ran a hand through his unruly curls, “It was christened the Manicle and captained by a Tobias Bontecue.”

“The Manicle? I’ve heard that is the fastest schooner the French own,” Anthony commented with a frown, “That is not good news for us. Do you think it probable they know you for your true colors? As a duke and not a pirate?”

“It does not seem so, but I was not about to take any chances. Their captain is in the hold of the Christina and I intend to send him to England on the next ship headed in that direction,” Justin stated.

“The next vessel headed for England won’t be docking for at least another week if the weather holds out,” Anthony announced, “Though I guess we shall keep the scoundrel here until then so you can be about your business on the seas.”

“Actually…” Justin began, trailing off as he didn’t quite know how to tell his friend that his cabin boy was in actuality, a woman.

“Actually what? Did the cat get your tongue?” Anthony prompted, very aware of how uneasy the pirate captain was.

“Kip is a girl,” Justin blurted. Anthony’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Wait a minute, Kip, as in Kip your little cabin boy that has a good sword arm?” Anthony said as if to confirm what Justin had just said.

“Yes,” Justin reaffirmed, “She had me completely fooled as well, the little chit.”

“I knew those green eyes appeared familiar,” Anthony rambled as if he hadn’t heard a word of Justin’s reply.

“Wait. You mean to tell me that you know the lass?” Justin demanded, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

“Kalinna Davenport, am I correct?” Anthony returned.

“Yes,” Justin confirmed, a little put off, “How do you know the lass besides the fact that her father is the prime suspect in our investigation?”

“My fiancée, Elizabeth, and her were the best of friends in their school years,” Anthony explained, shrugging, “When the two of us became engaged, Kalinna was one of the first to know. We came to be good friends until Kalinna’s father decided he needed to find her a husband. It has been about two years since I last spoke with her, so I doubt she recalls my name.”

“You have personal connections to the Davenport’s and yet you failed to mention it to me?” Justin ground out.

“It is not as if all the women I know go parading about in boys’ clothing, pretending to be what they are not,” Anthony retorted.

“Still, you should have said something. Perhaps it could help with our investigation,” Justin grumbled, a tad bit annoyed.

“It as not if I know every secret of her’s,” Anthony returned, “We were friends at a point in time, but now, I would probably be unable to tell you much about her as hard as I try.”

“Well no matter, I am sending her straight back to London on the next ship. It is where she belongs,” Justin concluded, “A young girl has no business on any ship, but most especially one posing as a pirate vessel.”

“Young girl? Kalinna Davenport is anything but a young girl?” Anthony said with a laugh, “Why, she’s two and twenty, an old spinster in your mother’s eyes.”

“She doesn’t look more than fourteen,” Justin commented, surprised.

“That is precisely because you have not seen her in proper clothing. Dressed as a boy, I will admit, that she does appear to be quite young,” Anthony told his friend, “You will change your mind once she dons a dress.”

A picture of Kalinna when he had pulled her onto his lap quickly invaded Justin’s thoughts. No, she did not seem much like a young girl, indeed. It made him uneasy for the time when the lass would shed her disguise and embrace her true sex; he was quite afraid that he would rather like the outcome and that scared him. As well as annoyed him just the slightest bit.

“I am sure it does not matter whether she is wearing a dress or breeches for it will be hard for me to discern between Kip and Kalinna,” Justin commented, then shrugged, “Of course, she will be leaving with the next ship, so it does not matter anyway.”

Anthony could sense the underlying energy his friend emitted as the subject of Kalinna Davenport was discussed. Though he longed to demand an explanation, he knew when it was best to leave be. Besides, he was curious about the letter that had been dropped of for the pirate captain not two days ago.

“Before I forget, you have a letter from England that was left with me not two days ago,” Anthony voiced aloud as he pulled the sealed parchment from the pocket of his overcoat.

“From my mother?” Justin questioned as he took the offered object.

“No, from Colin Wickham, Duke of Barclay,” Anthony returned, “I trust you’ve heard of him?”

“Yes, though I’ve never had the opportunity of speaking to him myself,” Justin responded, puzzled, “I wonder what he could want.”

“Well go on, open it,” Anthony encouraged.

With no further ado, Justin broke the seal and began to read the short missive from a man he knew by name only.

Justin sat there in shock. Now it all made sense. Richard Davenport was the brother-in-law of the Wickham’s and would have full access to the house without being questioned. There was no doubt in his mind that the man had used that to his full advantage, had stolen the jewels, and sent them on the next ship out of London.

But where did Kalinna fit into the picture? It was obvious that the lass knew nothing about her family relations or else she would still be back home with her relatives. Therefore, she probably didn’t know anything about her father’s supposed traitorous activities. Then again, it wouldn’t hurt to question her before he put her on a ship back to England.

And he would put her on a ship back to England, there was no doubt about that fact. He couldn’t very well have her on his ship while he was attempting to figure out the plot to invade England. Especially when she had no idea that he was not really a pirate; she could blow their cover wide open without even meaning to. It was a chance he just wasn’t willing to take.

“Bad news?” Anthony suddenly questioned, breaking Justin out of his thoughts.

“Not really. Why do you ask?” the taller man questioned, raising a brow in his friend’s direction.

“You’re scowling. We have been friends since we were kids J, and the only time you scowl is when you’re upset or when you’re thinking too hard about something,” Anthony retorted, rolling his eyes, “And trust me, I don’t think you’ve ever gotten to the point where you’ve been thinking too hard.” Justin gave his friend a friendly punch on the arm.

“I’m plenty smart, thanks,” Justin responded.

“So you like to say,” Anthony stated, grinning. Justin snorted. “So…are you going to tell me what that letter is all about or am I supposed to guess?”

“You’re such a nosy bastard,” Justin commented, laughing when Anthony’s mouth dropped open in shock.

“I should call you out for that you know,” Anthony said as he rubbed the back of his neck to relieve some tension.

“But you know my mother would kill you if you so much as touched a hair on my head,” Justin replied, his eyes twinkling with laughter, “And we both know that my mother on the warpath is not an experience we’d like to live through more than once.”

“That is something you don’t have to tell me twice,” Anthony agreed as he took a swig of his ale, “I swear, the woman will not be happy until you are married to a rich heiress and give her fifteen grandchildren.”

“Don’t remind me,” Justin mumbled, and then quickly straightened, “Wait, fifteen?” Anthony burst into laughter at his friend’s stricken face.

“Maybe only seven,” the blonde responded, enjoying the rise he was getting out of the captain, “That way there is one grandkid for her to spoil every day of the week.” Justin groaned, not wanting to think about marriage and children, and more importantly, his ever-persistent mother.

“If you don’t stop I am seriously going to think about turning myself into a priest,” Justin stated as he slouched in his chair.

“Fine, now tell me what that letter is all about,” Anthony said, pointing to the forgotten parchment, “Neither of us knows the Duke of Barclay but for name and face, so what could the man possible want with you?”

“Kalinna,” Justin simply stated before handing the parchment to the blonde man.

It took Anthony a few minutes to read the missive, but once he had done so, he set the parchment down and whistled in amazement.

“It looks as though we have been handed the missing link of this puzzle,” Anthony stated as he leaned back in his chair, “It all makes perfect sense now.”

“Yes, I agree with you,” Justin said, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought, “I believe that it is quite probable that Richard Davenport was able to retrieve the jewels from the safe at Barclay Manor.”

“This could possibly the best link we…” Anthony began, but was cut off as a loud bang resounded on the front door and echoed through the house.

“Who could that be?” Justin questioned, quickly following after his friend towards the front of the house and the closed wooden door.

“I couldn’t possibly fathom a guess,” Anthony responded.

Anthony opened the door without hesitation and he and Justin were both surprised to see Jackson standing there, a limp Kalinna in his arms and a bulky package underneath one side of his coat. Without thinking, Justin jumped forward and grabbed the girl from his first mate’s arms.

“What is going on?” Anthony demanded as he quickly led the trio to the guest bedroom.

“She ‘as a fever and I haven’t been to wake ‘er up,” Jackson’s deep voice rumbled, “I didn’t no what else to do, so I brought ‘er here, where she’s sure to be safe.”

“Put her on the bed and I’ll run and get a doctor,” Anthony said as he began to pull the bedclothes down.

Once Anthony was done, Justin gently set the unconscious young woman down and proceeded to tuck her in. If anybody found his worry strange, they didn’t comment. Instead, Anthony quickly left the house in search of the port’s doctor and the two pirates left the room for the kitchen.

After rummaging around in the cabinets and producing a loaf of bread and some ale, the two men began to silently eat. Justin’s mind was solely focused on Kalinna, unaware of the frown that marred his otherwise handsome features. Jackson was too busy with nourishing his body that he didn’t notice his captain’s strange behavior.

“Jackson, the chest,” Justin suddenly stated as he thought of the wooden box that was locked in his desk.

“Right ‘ere,” the elder said, suddenly remembering the bundle wrapped in his coat. He pulled the chest out and set it on the table.

“Thank the lord,” Justin breathed as he ran his hands over the wood.

“Ye got any idea why that English vessel ‘ad it?” Jackson questioned as he took a short swig of his ale.

“Yeah, it has to do with Kalinna Davenport and her father,” Justin commented as he stared off into the distance.

Tree branches tugged at her unkempt hair. Roots caused her to stumble and she almost lost her footing. But she kept running, her heart thumping a wild rhythm in her chest. An eerie wind whipped through the dense, dark forest and plastered the thin nightgown to her body.

“Kalinna! Come back!” the voice of her father cried above the cruel sounds of the threatening forest.

No, she was not going to turn around. She wasn’t going to give into him, not when she had gotten this far on her own. But she risked a quick glance over her shoulder.

That was a mistake. Because she had taken her eyes off the ground in front of her, she immediately stumbled on a tree root and went tumbling to the ground. She quickly tried to get to her feet, only to be forced down again from pain radiating from her left ankle.

She cursed and tried again to no avail. Her father would be here any moment and then she would be forced to give up the locket. No, he would never get it. He would have to kill her first before she handed over her golden treasure to his greedy hands.

“Kalinna? Are you alright?” Justin suddenly questioned near her ear, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, “Can you walk?”

“My ankle,” she whispered, grasping the pained limb in her hands.

“I’ll carry you,” he said as he helped her to her feet, “Put your arms around my neck and we’ll be on our way.”

Kalinna did as she was told and soon the two of them were creeping steadily through the forest. The young pirate captain moved fast for having a dead weight on his back, and she was amazed at his superior strength.

“Put my daughter down, you scoundrel!” Richard Davenport suddenly roared as he gained on the pair, “You shall not get away that easily. I will have what is mine!”

“Justin!” she cried as she glanced over her shoulder. Her father was not fifteen paces back, and gaining fast.

“Hold tight,” he simply told her as he hacked his way through the dense forest, “We shall make it through, my love.”

My love? She didn’t have time to ponder the endearment for Richard was suddenly upon them and was pulling her from Justin’s back. She screeched in protest, but found it was useless to struggle against her father, who was surprisingly strong for his age.

“Let her go, sir, or I shall be forced to kill you,” Justin threatened as he turned on the elder man, pulling out a sword as he did so.

Richard simply laughed as he pulled out a gun, aimed at the younger man, and pulled the trigger. The roar of the gun was deafening and Kalinna screamed as she watched Justin drop like a fly. He shuddered a few times before lying still on the moss-covered floor of the forest.

“JUSTIN!” she screamed.

“She’s hallucinating,” the doctor said as Kalinna screamed the pirate captain’s name and then began to weep.

“Is that normal?” Justin demanded, trying to ignore how shook up he was at Kalinna’s unconscious mumblings.

“I’m afraid her fever is very serious. She shall be lucky if she comes out alive,” the doctor informed the three men. Justin felt the blood drain from his face.

“Is there anything we can do?” Anthony said as he stepped closer to the portly gentleman.

“Keep her cool and make sure that she gets enough water,” the doctor said and proceeded to leave a small bottle on the night table, “If she begins to hallucinate again, give her a small dose of laudanum to quiet her. And make sure to clean her wound and redress it at least twice a day. I shall be by to check her in a day or two.”

“Thank you so much doctor,” Anthony said as he led the doctor out of the room and towards the front door.

Justin was left alone with the unconscious Kalinna. He sighed as he ran a tired hand through his curls. The last thing he needed was for the young woman to die and cut off all ties he had to Richard Davenport.

And that was not the only reason. He was also worried about her because he was starting to care for her. Oh, he hardly knew her, but he would be more than sad if she passed onto the next world. And even worse, it would be all his fault because he was the one that put her in danger in the first place.

Ah well, no sense in beating himself up about it now. The pirate captain made to leave the room when he suddenly noticed something golden shimmering from Kalinna’s hand. Curious, he quickly crept forward and pried her fingers apart.

He was surprised to discover her locket, clutched tightly in an unrelenting grip. It was odd, seeing as though the young woman never took it off no matter what. Nevertheless, he grabbed a hold of the trinket, intent on finding out here and now what exactly the jewelry chest’s secret compartment contained.

With his mind made up, he quietly crept out of the room and left the young woman to her dreams. She merely mumbled his name once more before turning over and giving into the depths of uninterrupted slumber.