Chapter One #2
Josephine kicked at a stone along the dry path leading to her home.
Life on a pirate island should be exciting.
When they had moved to Tortuga, she’d been ten years old with visions of adventures and buried treasures filling her head.
But, as it happened, girls weren’t allowed to have any of the fun.
And no pirate worth his salt would ever think of hiding treasure on the island.
Besides, even with the resurgence of piracy in the Caribbean over the last decade, it was nothing like the swashbuckling days a hundred years back.
Back then, the island had been the hideout of some of the most famous pirates of the time.
Her fingers drifted to her pocket and brushed against the cool heft of the onyx sea turtle.
She sighed. When her mother had gotten sick and passed, her father promised to send her to boarding school in France or America.
But time passed with a different excuse each year and now, at twenty-three, any hope of that had long passed.
If her disguise were truth, she could join a crew and travel the world—feel the sway of a ship beneath her feet, visit ports she had only ever imagined.
Instead, being a woman meant she was trapped in the monotony of a life offering little more than domestic routine and evenings spent staring out the window.
Marriage prospects hovered perilously close to zero as any respectable merchantmen who passed through never lingered long enough to spark more than a fleeting curiosity.
Still, she caught herself wondering what it would be like to sail beside a man whose eyes lingered just a moment too long, whose laugh stirred something in her chest. So she was left to daydream—of distant harbors, of daring adventures, and of a heart brave enough to follow them.
While her thoughts about the Navy sailor had been pleasant, Colette was right, she needed to move on.
With a sigh, she pushed open their gate and walked to the steps.
At the top, she turned and looked out into the night.
Wispy clouds framed the moon and the frogs trilled louder than ever.
Whether she got married or wasted away into spinsterhood—whatever happened with her life—the island didn’t care. It would continue on as it always had.
Quietly, she opened the door and slipped inside. When she clicked it shut, a scrape came from her father’s study and he poked his head into the hall.
“Oh. Hello, Papa.” She moved toward the stairs, but he strode forward and blocked her way.
“What did I tell you about the Golden Lantern?” She pressed her lips together as he pointed to the clock. “It’s past midnight. You should not be out after dark. And you most certainly shouldn’t be wearing men’s clothing. You know better.”
Heat flashed through her. “Papa, I cannot sit at home my whole life. What else would you have me do?”
“Not work at a tavern amongst drunks and women of loose virtue.”
She threw up her hands. “Drunks and loose women? This whole island is full of them if you haven’t noticed!”
“Do not raise your voice at me.” He crossed his arms. “From now on, I want you to stay home when there are unfamiliar ships in the harbor.”
“That’s not fair. There are always unfamiliar ships here.”
“I’ve received new reports of growing unrest on the mainland. These ships no longer carry only pirates and merchants.” He exhaled. “I only want you to be safe.”
“What you want is for me to die of boredom.” Josephine pushed past him and started up the steps, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
“Josephine.”
She ignored the warning in his voice and continued, not stopping until she shut and locked her door behind her. In the dark, she slowly made her way to her bed and lit the candle there. With a groan, she flopped back on the mattress.
Maybe she needed to start paying more attention to the merchants that came through.
Because, while she may not actually die from boredom, the thought of staying on the island had become unbearable.
If she didn’t find a way off Tortuga, her life would never amount to anything.
The certainty hit her hard, sinking into her bones.
A shrill whistle came from beside her and she rolled to find Lola giving her a dirty look.
“Did I wake you from your beauty sleep?” The parrot ruffled her feathers before turning away and Josephine couldn’t help a small chuckle as her melancholy began to ease.
“Oh, alright, just give me a moment to get ready for bed and you can have your peace back.”
Something dug into her hip when she sat and she shifted to pull the turtle free. She stood and crossed over to a weathered trunk against the wall. When she lifted the lid, the light from her candle glimmered off the collection of mismatched trinkets she had won at the tavern over the years.
“Where should you go?” Her hand hovered over the items, passing a pearl-studded comb, a crystal couple frozen in dance, and a silver teacup. She slowed to a stop above an old brass key. “Here.”
After setting down the sea turtle, she picked up the key.
The familiar weight of her favorite piece settled in her palm.
An ivory carving at its head depicted two skulls facing each other beneath a palm branch with a single Latin word engraved beneath them.
Vita. Life. She’d won it from an old pirate who’d disappeared before she could ask for more information.
If she were younger, she might daydream about what type of treasure chest it might open.
But she knew better. Nothing good would come of fantasizing.
Without a matching lock, it was about as worthless as her hopes and dreams about her future.
She shook her head. Nothing was worthless. She just needed a plan.
Lola let out a disgruntled squawk, and Josephine carefully set the antique back in place. She blew out the candle and laid back down.
“One day, Lola, we’re going to get off this island.”