“But I want to do something.I feel so useless shut up in this tiny cabin.”The set of her chin showed she was ready to argue.
“This is not the time to be stubborn.Stay below,” Jonathan ordered.“You will be of no use on the deck.I’ve already had to fish one man out of the ocean.”He turned and reached for the door.
“Jonathan.”
He sighed impatiently, then turned back.
“Be careful,” Elizabeth said and was rewarded with a tight smile.Then he left.
The night wore on; the seas grew angrier and the waves surged higher as the crew worked.TheCiel Bleurode the waves strong and sturdy.Finally, toward morning, the gales began to subside.
The next morning,Elizabeth awoke to find herself on the floor.She’d tumbled from the bunk so many times during the night that she’d finally remained on the floor the last time and gotten a few hours of sleep.When she finally sat up, she realized the ship was steady.
She tossed off the blanket she’d wrapped around herself and hurried topside.The deck was a disaster.Crates were scattered everywhere and seaweed dripped from the riggings.Men lay sprawled on the deck, completely exhausted, except the three who stood at the helm.
She carefully made her way over to them, stepping around the sleeping bodies.“How are we doing?”
Jean laughed.“We are much better than we look.You must have been praying for a miracle, because we’re barely off course.Look, I want to show you something.”Jean took Elizabeth’s arm and steered her toward the railing.“See the horizon?”
She nodded.
“There is a little white spot”
“Where?”
“There.”Jean turned her head toward the exact point.
“What is it?”
“Ah,cherie, if we are lucky, it is the sails of Lee’s ship.We will have him by the end of the day.”
Elizabeth grasped the rail.“My son.How are we going to get him?”
Jean looked around at the men on the floor.“I hope my men will have their energy back by then.When they do, we’ll devise a plan.”
Elizabeth looked around.“What happened to Derek’s ship?”
Jonathan came over.“He is probably off course, but he’ll find us.”
The day draggedby for Elizabeth.
Finally they went to the captain’s cabin where Jean and Jonathan began to discuss their options.“I say we overtake them and fire a volley of cannon shots,” Jean said.
“No!”Elizabeth screamed.“My son’s on that ship.”
“Easy.”Jonathan squeezed her shoulder.“It will be a warning shot only.”
“But Lee wants money.He’ll never surrender,” Elizabeth argued.
“This will be a warning shot to stop.It will sail over the bow.However, you are correct,” Jean admitted.“Lee will not give up without a fight.We must devise a plan that will work and not put the child in danger.”He wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.He’d never had to consider hostages before.
“Well, my friend, do you have any suggestions?”Jean looked at Jonathan.“Normally, we would blow a hole in the ship or perhaps cripple the main mast.However, I have no guarantee that the child would not be harmed.”
Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck.His body ached so much from fatigue that he could barely think.“Do we have the ransom aboard that Lee requested?”
“Oui, I always carry gold,” Jean said with a touch of irony in his voice.“Just in case of such emergencies.”He thought for a moment.“Well, we can make the exchange ...but if we do, what guarantee will we have that he’ll let the child and Tiffany go?”
Jonathan nodded as he, too, pondered the situation.
