A New Life, A New Love

Chapter Twenty-Two: Pursuit


“Captain,” called the lookout as they approached the mouth of the harbor, “I think we’re bein’
followed.”

Jack took out his spyglass and looked toward the port. There was a large ship pulling away and
the level of activity aboard suggested some urgency.

“All hands on deck!” Jack shouted. “As soon as we’re free of the harbor, I want every sail we’ve
got! Gibbs! Pick a crew and run out the sweeps!”

“Aye, cap’n,” Gibbs replied.

“Can we outrun them?” Rachel asked.

“Course we can, luv,” Jack replied. “The Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean. No one
catches us unless we want to be caught.”

They sailed out of the harbor and the crew went into frantic activity. All sails were set and the
sweeps weanneanned. The sails were tacked into the wind and the ship surged forward as they
caught.

“Cap’n,” called the lookout. “Ship off the starboard bow!”

“What now?” Jack exclaimed.

“It’s the Dauntless!”

“Oh, bloody hell!” Jack roared. The wind was carrying them directly to the large ship of the line.
He pulled hard on the wheel and swung the ship hard aport. “Trim the sails,” he called.

The deck of the Dauntless swarmed with men as they weighed anchor and prepared to follow the
Pearl. A cannon roared as they fired a shot across the black ship’s bow.

Jack turned the ship to present her rudder to the attacking ship. As he turned, he saw the large
ship from the port sail out of the harbor. Another cannon boomed as they fired their own
warning shot.

Suddenly the wind shifted and the crew tacked into it. The Pearl surged ahead and began to put
distance between themselves and the following ships. A few more shots were fired, but none
found their mark. The distance between them grew. For the present, they had escaped.

“Stand down, men,” Jack called to his crew. “It seems we’ve lost them.” A boy was sent below
to give word to ship the sweeps. 

“Are you all right, luv?” Jack asked, turning to Rachel.

“I’m fine, but I think I’d better go check on Jarod,” she replied.

“Jarod?” he asked. “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

They opened the door to the Captain’s cabin to find Jarod wide awake. “What’s all the noise?”
he asked. “It’s enough to wake the dead.”

Rachel smiled. If he could manage to be a smartass, he’d be fine. “Well,” she replied, “did you
expect we’d let you sleep all day?”

“Ye look like hell, mate,” Jack said. “Someone want t’tell me what happened?”

“We were waylaid on our way back to the ship,” Rachel told him. “Someone wanted to talk to
Lady Pepperidge. We fended them off, but Jarod took a shot along the way. He risked his life
for me,” she whispered.

“T’was nothin’, poppet,” Jarod told her. “Hardly more than a scratch.”

“But it could have been far worse,” she replied. “And, after the way I’ve treated you, I had no
right to expect it of you.”

“Ye must be kiddin’,lass,” he said. “If I’d lost ye, Jack would’ve had me heart fer breakfast.” He
laughed at his own joke then grimaced as pain shot through his wounded side.

“You’d best lie back and be still for a while.” Rachel told him. “The wound’s not too bad but
you still want to give it time to heal.”

“Aye-aye, ma’am,” he responded.

“Your injuries have earned you a night in a real bed, chum,” Jack said. “Enjoy it while ye can.”
“So, luv,” he said as he turned to Rachel. “Just where do we sleep tonight?”

“Hm . . . ,” she replied. “How about a hammock for two under the stars?”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “I suddenly can’t wait for nightfall.”