Chained Cargo Page 10

  Some days, for amusement, Quinn had Danielle put at the base of the bowsprit, her hands and ankles roped behind it and her neck and waist roped tightly to it. Like this she made a fine human figure head with her ringed breasts thrust forwards. Her body was frequently washed with sea spray and glisten in the sun. In the evenings Fletch spent a lot of his spare time with her and the sound of them fucking had become as commonplace as the sound of tree frogs after dark on shore.

  Two days before reaching Cayenne, Quinn addressed her small crew. She announced that she would leave the ship there and hand over the Scorpion to Swift as captain. Sarah was distraught at the news. Quinn, Fletch and Swift retired to Quinn’s cabin for a final briefing. Sarah rushed in after them.

  “Captain why didn’t you tell me you were leaving the ship? I’ll die without you!”

  Quinn calmly turned to look at her. “Calm down Sarah; come in, shut the door and take a seat. I’m retiring as Captain Quinn and I’m giving the Scorpion to Tom, that’s final. He will become captain when we leave Cayenne. Tom may want you to become his first mate or quartermaster; I’ll leave that to him and you. I’m not actually leaving the ship in Cayenne; that was only for the benefit of the crew. I’ll remain on board, out of view for the journey back to Antigua. We’ve a secret plan and now it’s time to include you in on it. We’re going to make Danielle look like me and place her into the hands of the French authorities as Captain Quinn, alias prisoner thirty-eight, escapee from Île St Joseph. If this works, then I will once more cease to exist; free to live another life in Antigua.

  “Now it’s been a few years since I was on the penal colony, so they’ll have forgotten exactly what I look like, if they ever noticed. However the marks they made on my body will be remembered. As you know, Fletch and I branded her weeks ago on the way to Jamaica. She’s now taken enough of the lash to match my stripe scars and I think it’ll all just about pass. Memories fade you know and staff will have changed at the prison. However, if the plan doesn’t work and they discover that she’s really Danielle de Moncey, then the only real loss is the journey here.

  “Now Sarah, you speak good French, so I would like you to be one of the people who take Danielle to the gendarmerie in Cayenne and sign her over to the authorities there.”

  Sarah was speechless, her mouth wide open with surprise.

  The Scorpion anchored off Anse Nadau to the north of Cayenne and preparations were made to go ashore. Quinn let most of the crew off the ship to avoid them seeing what was to happen. Danielle was brought to the captain’s cabin and fitted with some of Quinn’s clothes: the pants, shirt, jacket and boots. Danielle gave little resistance and seemed detached from what was going on. Once she was dressed, she was manacled, put in chains and an iron slave muzzle fitted to her head to keep her quiet. To finish off, Quinn’s scarf and hat were put on her head. Sarah and Swift donned the uniforms of French military guards. These uniforms had been stolen years before by Quinn and brought from her plantation to the ship by Fletch along with the branding irons before they sailed to Jamaica. Whilst all this had been going on, Fletch had stood by looking forlorn.

  Sarah, Danielle and Swift made their way unseen to the dory and were ferried ashore by Fletch. Before Danielle was taken off the dory Fletch lent over and whispered to her. He then kissed her on the forehead and remained with the boat. Sarah and Swift marched Danielle to the gendarmerie on Rue de la Madeleine, much to the astonishment of the locals.

  Sarah explained to the gendarme on duty that they were from the French naval police and that they had captured the notorious pirate Captain Quinn. They also told them that she was also suspected of being an escapee from Île Saint Joseph. Danielle was handed over and taken to a cell to be stripped and inspected. The marks on her body immediately created excitement at the station. After signing several papers to officially hand Danielle to the Cayenne authorities, Sarah and Swift rapidly returned to the dory and Fletch took them back to the ship.

  Quinn was now hiding in Swift’s cabin, which was where she was to stay for most of the journey back. Sarah went in to see her.

  “All done captain, Danielle is now in a cell in Cayenne!”

  Quinn poured some wine. “Excellent! ButI’m not your captain anymore, Swift is! You can call me Chris from now on. Let’s toast to my freedom!” They both downed their glasses.

  Sarah looked nervously at Quinn. “Is there any chance that I might come with you to your plantation? I can work.”

  “Hasn’t Tom offered you a position?”

  “Yes, but I want to be with you.”

  “Get out of that uniform and we’ll discuss it over sex. There’ll be lots of it before we get to Antigua!”

  12. Seven Years Later

  It is was beautiful day, Christine Booth and her husband John were strolling arm in arm in the gardens of the Governor’s House in St John’s Antigua.

  John turned to her. “The Governor’s over there! I just need to see him about our plans to expand our plantation. Do you mind if I leave you to walk on your own for a few minutes?”

  “No not at all,” she replied dreamily. “I’m enjoying the peace and quiet of the garden.”

  Christine continued to stroll alone down the garden path, passing a few couples strolling the other way. She was miles away, deep in thought, when she heard a shout from behind.

  “Jacqueline!”

  Christine swung around to see a young woman running towards her. “It is you Jacqueline!” The woman threw herself into her arms.

  Surprised Christine looked up to see where the woman had come from. Her partner was standing a few yards away also looking confused.

  Christine pulled away. “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. My name is Christine, not Jacqueline.”

  “But you turned around when I called your name?”

  “Jacqueline is very much like Christine. You’re French; it was probably your accent.” Quinn gave a wry smile. “At a guess I’d say that you were from Martinique. Is that your husband over there?”

  Françoise grinned. “Yes it is. You look well Captain Quinn. I still zink of you.”

  Christine looked around nervously. “My name is Booth. My husband and I own a small fruit plantation here to the south-east.”

  “Ah! Booth as in Captain John Booth? Look Christine you don’t ‘ave to be afraid of me, I’d know you anywhere, you’re unforgettable! I zought you were in prison or even dead.” Françoise’s husband approached them and she introduced him. “Jean-Claude, ma veille ami Christine Booth.”

  “Enchanté madame.”

  “Would you mind if I talk to Christine alone for a while? I’ll join you later.”

  “D’accord; à tout à l’heure. Au revoir madame.”

  Françoise took Christine by the arm and led her into an empty part of the garden.

  “Oh it’s such a relief to see you again! I zought you were lost forever! About a year after you released me we got news on Martinique zat Captain Quinn ‘ad been captured and ‘anded over to the authorities in Cayenne. I nearly died when I ‘eard the news! I just yearned to see you again. I’ve never forgotten zose few days on the Scorpion.

  “Anyway, we were also told zat Quinn was an escaped convict called Christine Cartwright. Would you believe it! She was zee tutor who ‘ad worked for my stepmother and looked after me when I was small! Cartwright was re-incarcerated on Île Saint Joseph and we were told zat she ’ad been branded a pirate or ‘corsair’ and a ‘recidiviste’ or reoffender and given ‘ard labour for life. I zought all was lost for zee Quinn I loved. ‘Owever zings got worse. My farzer needed to find out what ‘ad ‘appened to Danielle my stepmother. ‘E’d developed a new relationship with another woman and wanted to remarry, but ‘e needed to know if Danielle was still alive. ‘E demanded zat zee prison find out. All zis took months, even years as news travels slowly between Martinique and Cayenne. We were eventually told zat Quinn ‘ad been tortured and zat she could only keep claiming zat she was Danielle ‘erself. Zis gave me
new hope zat it wasn’t you in prison.

  “Eventually my father was driven to go and see for ‘imself. As I was zee only one who knew what Captain Quinn looked like, I persuaded ‘im to take me as well. I needed to know if it was you. We both took zee long trip down to Cayenne and zen across to Les Îles du Salut. Zee prisoner vingt-huit was brought in to see us in zis filthy room. It was awful; she was naked and completely shaved from ‘ead to foot. She ‘ad ‘er ‘ands attached behind ‘er back to zis tight fitting iron belt around ‘er waist. A man led ’er in by chains attached to rings on ‘er breasts. She held ‘er ‘ead ‘igh and walked on ‘er toes, as if proud, but she ‘ad a far-away look. It was a sight I’ll never forget. Zee woman’s body was in fine physical condition from ‘ard work but it was covered in scars, some from whippings and some from uzer unimaginable tortures. She was made to stand facing us. ‘Er breasts bore zee letters C and R, both branded slightly above zee nipples.

  “I breathed a sigh of relief, because I immediately knew it wasn’t you. Zee woman’s face looked vaguely like Danielle’s but she ‘ad a strange far away expression. I’m not sure zat she was really looking at us and she certainly did not recognise me or my farzer.

  “My farzer inspected ‘er and she was made to turn around. As well as ‘undreds of scars, ‘er backside bore more brands, ‘er number vingt-huit, le fleur-de-lys, and zee letters TFP ‘travaux forcé à perpétuité’. It was évident to me zat my farzer, who ‘ad been intimate with ‘er in zee past, ‘ad recognised something about ‘er. ‘E asked ’er who she was and she replied ‘Danielle de Moncey monsieur.’ Zeez words and zee name ‘Fletch’ were zee only words we could get out of ‘er. It was évident zat if zis was Danielle, zen she was no longer well in zee mind.

  “I told zem zat I ‘ad seen ‘er on zee Scorpion and zat it was Captain Quinn, even zough I knew uzerwise. My farzer did not formally identify ‘er as Danielle eizer. We’d both in our own way decided to leave what used to be Danielle to zee authorities. ‘Owever, my farzer did request zat any interrogations should stop and zat prisoner vingt-huit should, if possible, be transferred to an institution for zee mentally ill.

  “With troubled consciences we left Danielle and returned to Martinique. Danielle de Monsey was officially declared missing presumed dead and my farzer remarried. I was ‘appy in zee knowledge zat you could still be alive and I ‘oped zat one day I would see you again.

  “A year after our return we ’heard zat Danielle ‘ad been transferred to an institution in Cayenne and zat only a few months after ‘er transfer she escaped. It was reported zat a group of pirates rescued ‘er. Zat was the last news we ‘ad. And ‘ere you are! Vivant!”

  Christine turned to Françoise and smiled. “It’s strange how things turn out. Last year there was a rumour here on Antigua that pirates brought Captain Quinn here from Cayenne and that she’s living with a negro somewhere to the south-east of the island.”

  “Vraiment?”

  “Vraiment. Kiss me Françoise.”

  They both embraced and Françoise closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Christine met her month and inserted her tongue. They kissed passionately. The passers-by looked on shocked at such a display between two women, but Christine and Françoise did not even know there was anyone else in the garden.

  Christine smiled. “You should come and visit us sometime on our plantation. We could have some interesting and pleasant afternoons.”

  “I’d love to visit you! ‘Ere is my card. Invite me soon! Martinique n’ est pas très loin!”

  “I will, I promise.”

  Françoise turned around and hurried back to find her husband. “A bientot!”

  Christine turned away smiling to herself and continued walking in the opposite direction.

  1