Juliet glared at the pirates, uncowed. Her wrists were bound behind her and around one of the masts so that she stood against that tall, wooden pole, facing the stern castle with her father's body lying in a crumpled heap before her, a stain of his blood spreading out over the deck with the Sea Sprite's every gentle pitch and roll.

Behind her father's body where Juliet could see them, the crew sat on the foredeck, chained together. Many of them were wounded in one fashion or another. "This is still my ship!" Juliet informed the pirates who'd bound her. "With my father dead, I am her captain and these men are my crew." She glared at the pirate who'd murdered her father. "And I will not give up my ship to the likes of you!"

"What say you," demanded the pirate of the nearest crew member, holding his knife to the man's throat. "Will you join us, or walk the plank?"

"As the cap'n goes, so go I," he answered stubbornly, ignoring the prick of steel at his throat. The answer was repeated down to the last man. Juliet stood defiantly. Her father's law had been clear; no piracy, no dishonest trading. They were not a rich crew but what they had; no man could take from them with accusation of dishonest gain.

"Join us, Captain," sneered the pirate to Juliet, "or take your men to the grave."

"No!" she answered with spirit. "I will not."

"Bah!" He spat on her father's body. "Then stand there. Perhaps a few days in the sun will change your mind."

So Juliet stood. At night, she allowed herself to slide down as far as the ropes would allow. When the crew was given water rations, she watched them drink but was given none. On the second day, the cabin boy turned after receiving his water ration from the barrel nearest her and kissed her full on the mouth. Juliet was shocked at first but he managed to transfer his last swallow of water into her mouth.

He bowed his head when he stepped back. "Sorry Cap'n. I couldn' help meself."

"A kiss between a brother and his sister is always acceptable," she croaked. "Did my father not call us a family?" He nodded and shuffled off to his place on the deck, chains clanking. Another sailor followed suit, transferring his last swallow of water into his captain's mouth before sitting down. Another of her men followed suit and another until she'd had a full ration of water.

Thus revived, Juliet stood against the mast and glared fiercely at any pirate who walked by. The hot tropical sun burned her while cool nights made her shiver but still, Juliet stood. Her father's body lay still on the deck before her. It stiffened and then relaxed. Her eyes burned, her lips cracked, exposed skin turned red, then blistered.

Still chained, still on deck, her men fared little better in the heat with the exception of a daily ration of bread. Her father's body turned black, began to stink and bloated in the blazing sun until it hardly resembled the man John Drake had been in life. Still, Juliet would not relent. After several days, another sail appeared on the horizon. Still tethered to the pirate's ship, the Sea Sprite moved only sluggishly until the far-off sail became an English Navy Destroyer.

The pirates made to cut and run but the English captain had seen enough to know what had transpired. It was he who cut Juliet away from the mast and released the Sea Sprite's crew.

"They would not join without me," she tried to tell the silver-haired commander of the naval vessel, but her voice came out in an unintelligible croak. The Sea Sprite's medical officer gathered her into his arms and dribbled water between her cracked lips until her voice was discernible, if not strong. "They did not join," she managed.

"Lay still, Captain," urged the doctor. "We'll get you patched up in no time."

"Who's in charge here?" demanded the English commander.

"I am," Juliet answered even as the doctor carried her to her cabin. Behind her, the first mate took charge and explained the entire matter.

After two days under Dr. Marin's care, Juliet insisted on being up and about. Upon leaving her quarters, she found that the deck had been scrubbed clean and her father's body had been properly cared for, sewn into a sailcloth shroud with a cannonball at his feet but, despite the stench, her crew had waited until she could be there for his 'burial'. As captain, it was Juliet's job to conduct the funeral. She could find no words to say.

Gratitude and affection for her crew warred with grief over her father's death. As the naval commander watched, Juliet paged through her father's Holy Bible until she came to the words she knew by heart anyway. "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." Then Juliet nodded to the men holding up the plank that held her father's shrouded form. They tilted the plank, allowing her father's tortured body to slide into the sea he'd loved so much in life.

"All right," barked the commander. He would have ordered her men back to work, but Juliet stopped him.

"No, give them time. My father knew and loved every man-jack of them, as do I." Some twenty sailors stood lining the port side of the ship, making the Sea Sprite list. Juliet joined them. "My father made us a family," she told the men. Though she hadn't raised her voice to be heard, everyone listened. The cabin boy sobbed. "And you have all helped to raise me; even you, Maddy."

Farther down the rail, the youngest sailor grinned and swiped at his tears with the back of his hand. "'e was the only father I ever 'ad," Maddy sniffed. "Took me offen' the streets of Barbados- an' me an orphan what 'ad no 'ome- learned me letters, taught me the sea." Sobs wrenched the young man's body and he threw his arms around the cabin boy, who sought comfort from the embrace.

"Aye, we all orphans in some way, what the Cap'n took in," offered another seaman by way of comfort, "'tis good we 'ave our own Cap'n Jules to carry on wif'."

One by one, the sailors expressed their humble, sometimes unlearned, praise for Captain John Drake. Finally, every one of them shook Juliet's hand and offered their support for her as their new captain. The naval commander eyed her with some small shock. "That was Jack Drake?" he clarified. She nodded in answer, still busy with her crew. "And you are Jules Drake?"

"She is Captain Juliet Lisette Margaux Gereau du St. Denis-Drake," replied the first mate for his captain. "Cap'n Drake married Lady Marie Gereau St. Denis after she was found in the hold. Juliet came along soon after. God bless him, the Cap'n raised her on his own, almost totally on board this very ship after Lady Marie died."

"Captain Drake, would you be willing to accompany my ship to England and testify against these pirates?" asked the commander suddenly. "Such a man as Jack Drake should not go quietly into the sea on account of those bilge-rats."

"Commander, I'll thank you to mind your tongue while on my deck," Juliet ordered calmly. "Such insults and disrespect are strictly forbidden, as are impure language, gambling and nudity except during a heavy rain."

"Good God, Woman!" exclaimed the commander. "How do you expect to maintain order?"

Instantly, seven scowling seamen surrounded him. "The captain said, 'no disrespect'," reminded the first mate. "I don't care who you are. Another such remark will have you sent back to your own vessel."

"And be grateful for it, too," put in another worthy seaman. "If you was one of our'n, she'd wash your mouth out with soap."

Juliet smiled at her loyal crew, remembering how that particular seaman had had his mouth washed out several times when first hired. "Thank you, Gentlemen," she told them. "Certainly a word to the wise will be sufficient. Mr. Smythe, I'd like to have meeting in quarters come next watch. We need a damage report, status check and planning session."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n," the first mate saluted then went on his way. The other sailors drifted back to their various tasks.

"I'm sorry we haven't had a proper chance to meet," offered the commander. "I'm Commander Nathan Harris of His Majesty's Royal Navy, serving aboard the HMS Bristol."

Several seamen working nearby stiffened but didn't leave their tasks. A crewman who'd started scrubbing the deck muttered under his breath. Cap'n Jules merely nodded. "Captain Juliet Lisette Margaux Gereau du St. Denis-Drake. I'm pleased to finally have a face to go with your name, Commander, after hearing so much about you from my father." She paused to catch his eye. "And my lady mother, of course. God rest her soul."

Behind her, a seaman crossed himself reverently. Commander Harris noticed the motion. "Does everyone on board this ship know those tales?" he asked, suddenly ill-at-ease.

"Most of us remember when Maddy found Lady Marie." The ship's doctor joined the conversation. "It was I myself who delivered her four children."

"Perhaps it would be best if I return to the Bristol," Commander Harris offered quickly.

"Not at all," Juliet denied. "Despite how my parents came to meet, they loved each other deeply and were very happy together. My lady mother would have told you that herself. I doubt she would have changed a thing- save the earthquake, I suppose. It doesn't matter what stories we tell around the dinner table. My father loved me and I, him. He was my father, my true father, and the only one I will ever lay claim to. I am Juliet Drake, Captain of the Sea Sprite and Cap'n Jules to my crew. Meeting you has not changed that at all."

"Will you come to England and see those men hang?" he asked.

"I will put it to the officers at meeting. If we feel the need for vengeance, then we will go. If we decide that my father's memory is best served by sailing the seas he loved and making a profit on the wares in our hold, then we shall continue on to Port Charles."

"Do you always allow your officers so much say in such decisions?"

"Aside from my father, these crewmen are the only family I have known for the last eleven years, Commander Harris. And this is a family decision, is it not?" Juliet turned her back on him and made her way to the wheelhouse to speak to the quartermaster.

That evening, the officers polled the crew for their votes and it was decided to sail for England in order to testify. Every man among them felt that it was their duty to see justice done. Captain Drake had never engaged in piracy as some private merchants sometimes did. He felt that his code of honesty, which every man signed prior to sailing aboard his ship, prevented such an activity. With the vote overwhelmingly in favor of testifying, Juliet had no choice but to follow the Bristol north to England.

As they neared the British coast, the first mate pointed out the lighthouse on Channel Island. "This is the first time the Sea Sprite has passed Channel Island since before your lady mother was found in the hold," Mr. Smyth remarked. "And certainly the first I've laid eyes on Merry Ole England since that day me-own-self."

"Have you missed these shores?" Juliet asked, studying the French coast through her spy glass.

"Not much," he admitted. "Nothing here for me save the press-gang."

"The what?"

"The press-gang," he explained, "are gents employed to kidnap citizens and force them to go to sea for His Majesty. They find a man passed out at the tavern or drunk enough knock upside the head, then press a coin into their hands so they can say the unfortunate soul volunteered, whether or not he did. That soul usually wakes up miles from shore, having been pressed into His Majesty's navy."

"Mr. Smythe, keep our men aboard if possible. I would hate to lose any of our family to the military."

"Aye, I've been aboard His Majesty's ships and I've no desire to return. They're not like our'n." He paused thoughtfully. "The lads'll stay if you ask them to."

"I shall have Mr. Headly lay in a proper supply as soon as we arrive and the cargo is sold. It would not do to give the crown any reason to seize our boys. And I'll be sure to lock up the box before I leave. And Mr. Smyth, would you mind terribly if I linger on shore for a short time?"

"Of course not," he nodded. "You're an English citizen- and a lady at that, on English shores for the first time ever. Why not take a few weeks to see the sights after your day in court?"

He paused briefly and forged ahead. "Cap'n, you may want to visit a tailor as soon as you've seen the harbor master. The fine folk of England have no tolerance for cultures other than their own and will see you as uncouth at the very least, if you are not dressed as befitting your station. The instant you are introduced and your identity is proven, you will be known as quality- with your mother's noble blood and your father's station as ship's captain, you are a rather wealthy woman and should be attired as such."

He eyed her usual day-wear with misgiving, for she was dressed in a man's blouse and captain's jacket as usual, with a calf-length skirt over breeches as her only nod to her gender, though she might just as easily forgo the skirt if she felt it might get in the way of whatever she needed done.

At dinner, Juliet wore one of her two evening gowns as her father had insisted. "Fashions are likely to be rather different here than around the Islands. At the very least, if you wish to continue wearing your jacket, have proper skirts sewn."

"That is a very wise suggestion, Mr. Smyth," she nodded thoughtfully. "Our boys don't particularly pay much attention to my attire since I've worn it for so long, but surely those not born of the sea will look twice at my lack of modest clothing."

"Aye and it would go badly in court, if the judge sees you as a wonton sailor more inclined to piracy yourself." He frowned, telling Juliet that he had worried over that for longer than he'd let on.

"The laws are different here than in His Majesty's territories," Juliet fretted. "Will I even be allowed to testify, or will the crown call you and Dr. Marin?" Dr. Marin was the ship's chief medical officer. "After all, I wasn't the captain until after my father was killed."

"Cap'n, you have been the co-cap'n for several years now, or hadn't you noticed?" He chuckled. "Cap'n Drake left most of the decisions to you, unless he thought you were about to make a mistake. You've handled the business decisions, mediated disputes, and even handled discipline as needed."

Both of them were aware of certain documents locked away in the captain's strongbox that bequeathed the entire ship, cargo, crew and till to Juliet as her dowry, with Mr. Smyth himself as Juliet's guardian until she should marry. Those documents were purely to satisfy English law and mattered not one bit in Caribbean waters.

"That is true," Juliet agreed slowly as she thought about it. "Now that you say so, I think Father was preparing himself to retire."

"Of course he was. He inherited the ship from his father and thought to pass it on to you. He loved the sea, but he didn't much care for the business aspect of it. You drive a much harder bargain than he did."

"I do?"

"Our coffers certainly haven't suffered with you at the helm." He winked. "Shall I call Mr. Headly?"

Soon, Juliet had given Mr. Headly her orders and entrusted him with enough coin for a double provision should she not return before the three-month stores had been used up. In due time, the Sea Sprite had sailed up the Thames and docked near London. Juliet arranged for the sale of their cargo, hired a tailor and saw the ship fully stocked with supplies.

The tailor brought his bolts of cloth and stayed onboard ship rather than having the captain and her officers all make repeated trips to the tailor's small shop for fittings. The officers and crew were delighted to discover that their captain had paid the man a handsome sum to outfit them all with new uniforms. All that remained was to wait for Commander Harris to fetch her for the trial.

After the tailor had completed his task, the men soon grew restive with waiting. Juliet understood the crew's restlessness, since the tailor and his assistant had spent several weeks at their task before they'd finished. She decided to address her crew and explain matters.

Most of the crew had been on the Sea Sprite for Juliet's entire life and those who hadn't had been taken on in the Caribbean. Some, like Maddy and the current cabin boy, had been born on the islands and never known England and her customs at all. Her explanation soothed the crew and they promised to wait for her.

"If I know I shall be long," she promised, "I will send word and you might make a short voyage between here and France. Mr. Smyth knows these waters and is capable of leading you himself. After all, it would never do to have our poor lady idle when she might fly." Juliet nodded to the masthead, a delicately carved figure of a fairy that danced above the waves on outstretched wings.

"Dinnae be too long," called Scotty, so named for his birthplace. "Surely the lass cannae fly far without her cap'n at the helm to charm her."

"You know I get sick to my stomach on land," Juliet laughed. "And streets with buildings make me feel caged in."

"Cap'n Jules, the stars won't shine bright over cities with lamps," warned another seaman. "Mind ye don't lose yerself once ye hit the land."

Juliet laughed. "You know my heart will be forever with my family. I would not bear for us to be apart too long."

"Mind what your father said," a junior officer warned. "'As long as we are together, we will be fine.' With you apart from us, the risk of us being lost is greater than ever. We can't protect you if we aren't there, and you can't protect us if you're not here."

Eyeing the faces of her beloved crew, Juliet could see the worry and fear in their faces. This would be the first time she would be apart from them for any length of time since leaving the devastation of Port Royal after the earthquake.

"Thank you, all of you, for your loving concern. We are a family, and that doesn't change on land. I swear to you, upon my honor and my father's memory that I will return and take to the sea with you before winter." Around them, the warmth of spring was just coming in. The cold winds of winter loomed a mere seven months away.

"You mean dis not winter already?" Maddy protested. Mr. Smyth laughed and assured him that he was enjoying a lovely spring afternoon.

The crew continued to tease each other and Juliet called for a tune to occupy the men's time. Under the cover of the fife and fiddle, she also ordered the rum strictly rationed. Mr. Smyth winked at her, approving of the measure and went to see it carried out. The rum barrels would be stored in the tiny brig, locked away until the rationing might end.

Later that afternoon, with the crew still making merry, a rowboat approached and hailed the Sea Sprite. While Mr. Smyth responded, Juliet made her way to her cabin in order to fetch the trunk that had been packed for the journey. Maddy took pity on the struggling cabin boy and shouldered the trunk himself.

Commander Harris came to stand on the deck of the Sea Sprite, trying unsuccessfully to keep every crew member on deck within his line of sight. Every seaman and officer wore an identical expression of dislike and mistrust. Down in the water, eight sailors of His Majesty's Navy manned the oars of the launch but none of them had been invited on the Sea Sprite's deck.

The commander looked as if he were wishing he had invited a few after all. "Captain Drake," he said loudly, keeping his back against the rail, "His Majesty's court is ready to hear the charges against the men who murdered your father in an act of piracy upon the high seas. You are respectfully requested to appear before the judge and give your testimony."

"I will appear," Juliet responded when she was within earshot. "Commander, would you be so kind as to show me to suitable accommodations in the city? Surely not all the men can be tried today."

"They will be tried together," he replied slowly. "But the trial may take several days." His voice trailed off as he considered the matter. "I think it best if you stay with my lady wife and me," he finally said. "You've sold your cargo?"

"Of course; the ship is provisioned for our leave, the lads have what they want from London town and the Sea Sprite's empty hold is all that keeps us from raising anchor." She caught a flash of cold calculation on his face and hastily bit back her words. Unspoken went her knowledge that the purser had enough money in his keeping to fill the hold and more.

Commander Harris favored her with a charming smile. "Captain, things are different here, than they are in His Majesty's territories. Property laws being what they are and with your father dead, his entire estate belongs to his nearest male relative. Perhaps you should hand over your lockbox until his heir can be found? I would hate for the courts to hear that you are an unsupervised maiden in possession of another man's inheritance, after all."

He lowered his voice. "As your father, I can protect you."

Juliet suppressed her rage at his veiled threats and insinuation. "I assure you, Sir, I am legally my father's daughter and his only living heir. However, since it would be tiresome to wait for the courts, I shall entrust you with the lockbox." Her words carried over the deck, bringing a murmur of anger from her crew. "Mr. Smyth, will you accompany Cmdr. Harris and me to my quarters?"

Mr. Smyth joined her immediately and entered the captain's cabin, followed by Cmdr. Harris. Juliet ignored the men and crossed to the gun cabinet. Once it was unlocked, she pulled a modest, metal lockbox from it and handed it over to the commander.

Mr. Smyth opened his mouth to speak, but Juliet shook her head slightly, motioning him to silence. He obeyed, leaving unvoiced the idea that the lockbox that the commander wanted was another one entirely, stowed safely in a separate spot. Juliet met the commander's gaze evenly. "Here is the box you asked for. Mr. Smyth will keep the key, however."

The commander's lips pressed together in a thin line but he said nothing. Silently, he led the way to the launch and descended the rope ladder, then waited for Captain Drake to follow him. Commander Harris' silence lasted until he'd ushered his guest into his home, where his lady wife met them in the parlor.

"Lady Diana, may I present Captain Juliet Drake?" he asked his wife properly before turning his guest. "And Captain Drake, this is my wife, Lady Diana Worthington Harris."

Juliet didn't miss that by omitting her full title when introducing her, he'd effectively insulted her. She nodded a curtsey, determined not to allow the insult to go unnoticed. "Lady Diana, I am Juliet Lisette Margeaux Gereau du St. Denis-Drake, captain of the cargo sloop, S.S. Sea Sprite. Your husband has graciously opened your home to me until after the trial of the pirates who murdered my father."

Her ladyship's eyes narrowed in a pointed glare at her husband but she nodded politely in return to Juliet's introduction of herself. "Lady Juliet, welcome to my home. You must be tired after your journey. Come, sit while I order refreshments served." The lady rang a small bell and ordered tea from the servant that popped through the door.

Juliet sat carefully on a high-backed chair. Obviously, the lady of the house had recognized the insult as well as recognizing Juliet's pedigree. Lady Diana chose a couch and continued her conversation. "I recognize your family name of course, but not your own. Tell me now, who are your parents?"

Having expected such questions, Juliet answered immediately. Her father and first mate had endeavored to teach her drawing room manners and made her practice when time allowed. "My lady mother, Marie Yvette Lisette Gereau du St. Denis, was killed during the earthquake at Port Royal. Her husband, my father, was Captain John Drake."

Lady Diana nodded knowingly. "I was acquainted with Lady Marie. You bear her hair and eyes, I think." She paused, perusing Juliet's face, "yes, and the set of her chin. Your lady mother was a lovely woman. You must tell me how they met? The rumor circulating Paris and London was that she'd eloped with my husband!" Lady Diana laughed musically, making the notion sound ridiculous.

"The strangest thing," answered Juliet with a smile. "She was found three days from Le Havre in my father's hold, having been tied there and drugged. It was far too late for my father to turn around again and she was due in Martinique anyway, so Father took her to the Caribbean. The only trouble was, her intended husband had married Mother's sister when Mother didn't arrive. Father said it was his best cargo ever, for they were married there on Martinique."

"Quite a tale!" Commander Harris spoke up, sounding as if he disbelieved the story entirely. His wife glared him into silence as the refreshments were served and continued talking as if he'd never spoken at all.

Lady Diana's voice followed Juliet through the thick drawing room doors. Those heavy, wooden doors had barely shut behind Juliet after a pleasant afternoon and evening spent in the company of Lady Diana. "How dare you bring one of your misbegotten brats into this house?"

Having withdrawn from the couple's presence to prepare for bed, Juliet paused. She knew that the lady of the house must be shouting in order for her words to be as distinct as they were. Cmdr. Harris' voice was lower, muffled by the door.

"I want to be sure the trial goes well. With those men convicted, my name will surely be before the Lord High Admiral. This is exactly what I need to get a posting here in England instead of being sent out to sea most of the year. And you heard it yourself, Darling. She's the daughter of Jack Drake."

"Oh, don't you try and sell me that one! She has your ears and your cheekbones. She even has your hairline! Jack Drake may have married her mother, but you were the one to sire her. How could you sink so low? Lady Margeaux was my friend!"

Her husband tried to interrupt, but Lady Diana wasn't finished yet. "I know what you did, Nathan Harris! You got that poor girl pregnant and sneaked her onto Jack's ship because you are too cowardly to face up to your mistakes and you knew he'd do the right thing by her. Well, this is the last time I will allow one of your bastards in my house! I want . . ." Her voice trailed off when Juliet strode back through the door.

"In the future, Lady Diana, you may want to wait until your guests at least make the stairs before you begin such a diatribe," Juliet told her hostess, hoping her shaking knees were hidden by her dress skirts. "Certainly, as his wife, it is your right to hold the commander in contempt as you wish but I would like to set one thing straight."

She held Lady Diana's gaze and paused but Lady Diana said nothing. An ugly flush stained the older woman's cheeks. "Captain John Drake was my father. The attending doctor recorded my birth on the ship's logs, well under that of the marriage of my parents. I will own no other man as my father; not now, not ever. Kindly refrain from attacking my parentage during the remainder of your rebuke." Juliet nodded a curtsey when neither one answered her. "I shall once again bid you a 'good night' then."

Suddenly, Lady Diana began to laugh. "Well done, My Dear," she chortled. "I would have expected no less from the good Jack Drake, God rest his soul. There was a time when he sat in this very room after dinner with us." She sobered and indicated a chair. Juliet accepted it. "But Lady Juliet, to be perfectly honest, even you must admit that the similarities are too great to ignore." Juliet's mind scrambled but she couldn't come up with anything.

Lady Diana nodded. "I thought as much. Truly, I hold you in no disregard. This is hardly the first time one of my husband's indiscretions has come back to haunt him nor will it be the last, I expect. Indeed, I've grown accustomed to it. I must apologize though, for my heedless words. You see, Lady Marie's mother was a childhood friend to me and to find out that my husband treated her daughter with such callous disdain shocked even me. Please, forgive me for insulting you."

"Of course, I forgive you!" Juliet responded. "It must have been quite a shock to make you react as you did."

"Thank you, Dear. Now, what are we to do? It would quite ruin our family name if word got out, as well as casting aspersions on your own lady mother."

"The trial has already begun," put in the commander quietly. "I'll see that she is called tomorrow."

"I had hoped to see some of the countryside," Juliet mused, "but I suppose that can wait for another day. The crew is eager to up-anchor anyway."

"Oh, nonsense!" snorted the commander suddenly, surprising the ladies. "I shall write you a letter of introduction and you must stay with a friend of ours in the north of Northampton shire for a time."

Juliet was surprised and more than a little inclined to suspect his intentions but her ladyship seemed to think it suitable. "Oh, you will enjoy staying at Danvers Hall. Think of it! Here you are, captain of a ship bearing an English flag, yet you've never before set foot on English soil. Oh, do say you'll go? Perhaps we could take tea again once before you return to your ship."

Lady Diana's enthusiasm for the idea was almost enough to convince Juliet. "Who lives at Danvers Hall?" Juliet asked cautiously.

"My friend Lady Jane and her husband, Lord Andrew Chisholm, Baron of Danvers. They have several children which are your age or older, I think." Lady Diana shot a venomous look at her husband. "We have so much planning to do, Lady Juliet! But alas, such plans are not fit for mixed company."

Juliet grinned, realizing she'd made an ally, if not a friend, in Lady Diana. "Perhaps we might meet over breakfast?" she suggested. "That way you may finish your discourse with your husband after I retire."

"Oh, that will never truly be finished," laughed Lady Diana, recognizing her new friend's teasing. "But I promise to wait until you have retired and are out of earshot before I continue." Lady Diana rose with Juliet and gave her a bit of a hug before the younger lady should retire. "Oh, you are so like your father! Captain Drake often teased me in just such a manner, Lady Juliet!"

Over breakfast, the two women met again to plan. The commander had already gone but left a note explaining that he would send for the captain when her testimony was required. Lady Diana was in high spirits.

"I have decided to accompany you to Northamptonshire and make introductions in person," she explained. "That way, no one will question your lineage." She grinned at Juliet's expression of dismay. "I know Lord Chisholm very well and he may travel to the Sea Sprite and demand to see the logs for himself, if he thinks you lying."

"Lady Diana, thank you for thinking of that! He would read in the logs that my lady mother was found on the Sea Sprite on the third of May, the year of Our Lord, 1684. The voyage from France to Grand Bahamas and then Martinique took three and a half months, after which my parents were married on Martinique, at the church of Our Lady of Perpetual Tears, by Father Michael on eighteenth of August.

"My birth onboard the ship was recorded in the ship's logs as being on the twelfth day of December. Anyone who does the math from those records will come to the same conclusion as you did, though perhaps without knowing the name of whomever soiled my mother.

"He will then read that my mother bore a son two years later, and then another daughter three years after that and another daughter just before the four of them were killed in the Port Royal earthquake in the Year of Our Lord, 1692. We both know the truth of my parentage and your efforts toward keeping John Drake known as my father are a gift beyond measure." Juliet felt like crying.

Lady Diana seemed to know it. "Oh, now My Dear," she warned mildly, "you are such a sweet girl. I would have loved to have you as my own daughter. If your dear father were here, I'd tell him so and he would laugh and remind me that we all face the consequences of our actions sooner or later. Then he would tell me that having you for a daughter is the reward of his own actions in choosing Lady Marie for a wife."

She paused, lost in reverie. "I want to go for several reasons, not the least of which is to keep you away from my own son. The lad is as feckless as his father, I fear; given to gambling in gentleman's halls and chasing wanton women. He spends the family fortune as fast as his father earns it, I think sometimes."

She shook her head. "But that is my own fault, I suppose, the consequences of marrying Commander Harris for his money. Now, we must discuss your wardrobe. You didn't bring much from the Sea Sprite, did you?" Lady Diana forced a merry smile onto her face.

Juliet shook her head. "My Lady, I fear you will find my wardrobe woefully lacking. Everything I own suitable for England's shores is contained in my trunk."

"Oh dear; you only have that one trunk?"

"I have no need of such things aboard ship," reminded Juliet. "Indeed, the first thing I did after selling our cargo was to hire a tailor who came aboard and sewed new uniforms for the crew and myself, along with several items required for an overnight stay in London proper."

Lady Diana brightened. "Oh yay!" she clapped her hands. "We might visit the tailor then. Most certainly he will still have your measurements, so it will be only a short time before the remainder of your wardrobe is ready."

"Lady Diana, I don't wish to spend a fortune on clothing," warned Juliet. "As soon as my trip is over, I will take to the sea again and no longer need a vast majority of it."

"Then we will order only what I myself will pack for our holiday," suggested Lady Diana. "That way, you will be sure of having exactly what you will need but no more."

Juliet considered it. "Promise you won't take your entire wardrobe?" Her tone was teasing and both women laughed merrily. Lady Diana's merriment, Juliet noticed, seemed real rather than forced this time.

"I promise. Come, we shall pack together. That way, I will know exactly what you have and what you will still need." She paused for a chuckle and added, "and you will be able to see for yourself that I do not plan to pack my entire closet."