A Pirate’s Legacy

A Pirate's Legacy

Blurb

Sinclaire Daves, a young and awkward archeology professor, lives her life surrounded by books and research. Body issues and a recent breakup have left her confidence in pieces. But at night, everything changes as her dreams are filled with the adventures of the woman she wishes she was; a pirate captain who lived over 200 years ago.

Rebekah Bonny, daughter of the famous pirates Anne Bonny and Calico Jack Rackam (who sailed under the Jolly Roger), wants nothing more than to escape her life of danger and disguise, to settle down and spend her life with the man she loves.

Across time, these two disparate women come together, and guide each other through mystery, man trouble, and mayhem, to find they aren’t as dissimilar as they seem. Will Rebekah find her peace? Will Sinclaire find the love–and the pirate–she’s been dreaming of?

Excerpt

Material copyright Amelia June.  Feel free to share widely but don’t steal or say they’re your words.  As Wil Wheaton says, “don’t be a dick.”

A Pirate’s Legacy
Prologue

A gust of wind came out of nowhere, and the huge canvas rigging made a thundering “pop” as they inflated.  The Love’s Alchemy lurched to the left, but none of the men on board seemed to notice.  They went on yanking ropes and securing mainsails.  The cabin boy glanced sidelong at the Captain and the bosun having a…discussion…before focusing intently back on his work mopping the worn wooden deck.  The last cabin boy was still hanging from the mainmast, serving as a warning to others.
“Captain Little.  I’m not saying we’re planning mutiny.  We wouldn’t do that to you, not after all we’ve been through together.  All I’m saying is that the men are…well…skeptical.”
“And where, Brittain, did you learn such a big word as skeptical?”
“I’ve spent the last three years on your ship, haven’t I?  I’ve learned a thing or two from Thinking John Little.”  Thomas Brittain puffed his rather large chest like a cock getting ready to crow.  If there was one thing he was good at, it was kissing arse.
“Well and good, Brittain.  Tell the men I don’t give a bilge rat’s tail how they’re feeling.  We’re crossing country-side whether they like it or not.  They’ll see I’m right when we find a free ocean on the other side.  We’re not likely to be hanged thousands of miles away from those dirty Spaniard officials.”
“Well, that’s true as not Captain, but like I said, some of the men…well, they think we might find something we don’t expect.  What if there’s no land over there?  What about sea monsters and the like?”
Captain Little laughed, a loud, unfriendly bark.  “That’s ridiculous.  Any educated man knows that the ocean is full of islands.  Besides, worst that happens is we sail right around to where we started, passing up the mother country in between.  Sea monsters!  Ridiculous.”
Brittain mopped his brow with a filthy rag, and shuffled about like a nervous dog with mange.  “What about the scurvy?  Even without sea monsters the whole lot of us could die before we found land again.”
Little looked annoyed, now.   A flash of anger in the captain’s eyes made Brittain flinch.  “I happen to know Captain Cook feeds his men a hearty diet, most especially sauerkraut and citrus fruits, and he has never lost a man to scurvy.  We’ll simply do the same and we’ll all survive.”
Sighing, Brittain replied, “Well, I suppose you know best, Captain.  I’ll pass the word along that we’re headed west.”
“Unless they want the plank, which they’re welcome to.  Now leave me before I decide you’re a traitor after all.”