Synopsis:
Despite being wealthy heiresses, cousins Saoirse(seer-sha) and Giselle Marshall have been having a difficult time of late. Both their fathers, shipwrights and owners of Marshall Ships, have been killed at sea. Their grandmother, who now holds too much power over them, has arranged marriages for them. This is too much. The girls were raised with too much freedom and knowledge and love. It spoiled them and deluded them into thinking they could have more and do more with their lives than submitting to their grandmother's wishes. They must be crazy; this thinking is way too advanced for 1661.
They formulate a plan of escape, stealing the last ship built by the Marshall Brothers with the help of their dearest friends - the boys who worked for their fathers. Once on the seas, piracy is their only option to support themselves; especially after getting caught in the horse latitudes and depleting most of their rations. After crossing the wreckage of a merchant ship attacked by pirates, they encounter the villains themselves. They fight both for justice and the supplies the ship will provide. Unfortunately, it happens to be the Teufel(toy-ful), the ship of the heartless pirate Captain Dunkelherz. He does not respond well to being bested by females and does not forget the humiliation after they release him and his crew.
The crew of the newly christened Tristan's Bride journey on, forgetting Dunkelherz and establishing their own reputation as a pirate band. They travel to the buccaneer base of Tortuga, meeting an ally and reuniting with their spurned rival. Dunkelherz attacks the cabin boy, Peter (whom Saoirse regards as a son), nearly killing him. The girls and their crew do not forget about the villan this time. They are overcome by grief and anger, and dedicate themselves to hunting him down.
With the help of a sailor that defected from Dunkelherz' crew, and their new ally, they track their enemy. After feeding on his superstitions and fears they finally do battle, but is it worth defeating Dunkelherz if it means losing the lives of friends and their own innocence in the process. The battle marks the end of the book, but not the end of their tale. With two sequels in the works, there is much yet for the sister captains to live through.
Preview of The Captains Marshall: A Promise of Freedom
Excerpt from chapter "The Hag of Dartmouth Harbour" -
There had been no sound of warning to precede the storm that was coming that disillusioning day, only words that seemed to appear from thin air. "I have just heard some distressing news."
Saoirse and Giselle both jumped at the sudden voice that came from the open doorway. Giselle dropped her book while Saoirse spilled ink all over her Latin translations. They had heard no footsteps in the hall as they sat studying in the library. Turning to see their grandmother standing there with a letter in her hand, their heartbeats only quickened more. Ill news for her, they knew, could not possibly be good for them.
The deceptively feeble-looking woman waved the paper in front of her. "I have just received a note from Mrs. Crawley," she said in a failed attempt at her sugary sweet voice that ended up sounding nothing but shrill. "It seems that she spotted my granddaughters in the company of several young men, unsupervised at the docks. And what is more, she said she saw you working. Oh let us see, what does it say again?" she angrily tore the paper open, ripping the corner as she did so. "'Dresses hiked up to expose all from the knee down and carrying large burdens like common pack mules'," she read aloud. Her eyes were wild and darted back and forth between the two girls.
Clearly the old woman wanted some kind of reply, but Saoirse and Giselle did not offer any. They had not moved. Saoirse had not even tried to stifle the ink flow, even as it now dripped down her dress. They both sat paralyzed with shocked terror.
"Fine," Lady Marshall said finally. "If you wish to behave like servants, you shall be punished like servants." She crossed the room in several strides and grabbed Saoirse by the arm. The old woman was not exceptionally strong, but the surprise alone was enough to strike Saoirse hard as she was pulled from the room.
"Giselle!" Lady Marshall snapped, "You as well."
Giselle came running after but more for Saoirse's sake than to obey her grandmother. She had never seen her grandmother punish the servants, but realized that she probably did it in private to uphold her facade of kindness.
Lady Marshall stormed down the corridors with Saoirse in tow and Giselle behind. She rounded a corner and knocked Anne out of the way with little notice. When they reached Giselle and Saoirse's room the old woman threw Saoirse in. As soon as Giselle had come up beside her, she shoved her in as well and slammed the door behind them. They heard the lock click and stared in silence for a few moments.
"Do you think she will just leave us here?" Giselle asked, almost hopefully. Saoirse did not reply. Neither of them was stupid enough to really believe this was over. Still, their stomachs sank when they realized they were right. Before long they heard footsteps returning.
The door opened and they were horrified at what they saw. Lady Marshall was holding a sturdy piece of wood that looked quite worn. Giselle could not help but wonder just how often her grandmother punished the servants.
"I am sorry, Saoirse," the elderly lady said, not sounding very sorry at all, as she brought the board forcefully across the girl's back. Saoirse was knocked down onto her bed by the blow and the pain stabbed through her. It was rather impressive the amount of force an old woman can conjure with the proper leverage. Giselle shrieked and reached out for her cousin. She did not know what to do but felt she had to do something. Before she got the chance, she was knocked back by her grandmother's arm coming back for another assault on Saoirse. Giselle was struck in the face and stumbled backward, her mind too blurred to react. Lady Marshall did not seem to notice as she pummelled Saoirse a dozen more times and left the room, locking them in once again.
It was impossible for them to know how much time passed before they came back to themselves or spoke. The first thought in Saoirse's mind, after she could again recognize her thoughts, was that this explained why certain "clumsy" servants always appeared so battered. Gingerly sitting up, Saoirse saw her dress was now spattered with both ink and blood. The only positive thought she had in her was, better me than Giselle. It was then that she looked over at Giselle. Her cousin was sitting on her bed staring at the wall. Her left eye was nearly swollen shut and a line of blood trailed from her hairline down her cheek and throat disappearing into her collar. Saoirse gasped and jumped up only to crumple to the floor in pain at the sudden movement.
Giselle did not look away from the wall as she said, "You are a fool to be concerned over me when you are far worse off." She finally stood and helped Saoirse from the floor and back onto her bed. "Why did she only go after you?" Giselle's voice held a tone that Saoirse did not like. It sounded a lot like guilt.
"Because I am older, I suppose, and should know better. The older I get the more of a disgrace I become." Saoirse looked into Giselle's bruised face and said firmly, "We did not do anything wrong. It is her that is wrong."
Excerpt from chapter "The Horse Latitudes" -
[Peter] admired the fresh wood and modern design of the Galleon he now sat on. It was as different as could be from the old pub he had come from and a part of him loved it if for no other reason than that. He went up to the bow and sat on the forecastle to avoid being in the way. The sun had set some time ago, but he did not wish to be around the other men in the quarters just yet. He found them beyond intimidating and preferred to wait until he had a good chance of them being asleep. Only half of the crew was left on deck; Alejandro, William, and Daniel who was at the helm. They all ignored Peter entirely, knowing that was what he wanted them to do.
Saoirse woke in the middle of the night. She was not sure what had woken her, but Giselle, a balled up mass next to her in the bed, slept on. She had gone to sleep before her younger cousin and was sure Giselle had left Daniel in command. Sliding gently from the bed, Saoirse pulled on her boots and plucked her coat from the chair on which she had flung it the night before. She pulled it over her shoulders as she slipped out onto the deck.
Daniel was at the helm, as she had expected. Alejandro and William were working quietly. She knew the others were sleeping in the quarters beneath her. The ocean seemed so different at night. Darker, quieter, slightly menacing, she thought. What little moonlight there was tipped the small swells in an icy silver.
Alejandro nodded to her as she silently passed him. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself to ward off the chilly air. Looking out into the smoky grey water before the ship she noticed a shadow on the bow. She squinted. It wasn't a shadow, but a boy.
Peter had gotten lost in his thoughts of whether or not he had done right in running off with these strangers and he didn't hear the cabin door as Saoirse emerged onto the deck, nor did he hear her approach.
"Can't you sleep, Peter?"