Chapter 127 - The Pirate King's Women

Delaney was caught off guard by Ian's sudden revelation. She looked up and saw him studying her with mischievous eyes and a smirk.

"R-really?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, "My mother is not my father's wife."

"You never told me that before!"

"You never asked."

"Why on earth would I have thought to ask if your mother was your father's wife?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "Pirates?"

Delaney shook her head in exasperation. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him.

"It is not an exciting story to tell," he chuckled at her annoyance, "Besides it's not something that tends to make people think good things about me."

"I wouldn't think any different of you if I had known," she argued.

"Would you not have? You were already thinking unkind thoughts because I was a pirate. What would you have thought of a bastard pirate?"

Delaney hesitated knowing he was right. She likely would not have thought kindly of that. Now though they were already friends and it didn't make her think any less of him.

"Tell me how your mother ended up his mistress."

Ian folded his arms and considered her as thunder rumbled lightly through the clouds. He looked around and saw there were other pirates close to them. Holding his hand out to her, Delaney took it and allowed him to lead her to a small table in the corner of Captain Black's patio under a stretched white canvas.

"It's not an incredibly exciting story," he stated again, "My father was married very young to a girl from the same village as he was and whose parents were friends with his. He was an ordinary sailor and on one voyage he met my mother in a tavern and fell in love with her. Her brothers were all pirates."

"He was just a sailor on a normal merchant ship?" Delaney asked in surprise, "He seems like he's always been a pirate."

Ian nodded, "I suppose he always has been a pirate at heart. He didn't actually start pirating though until he began going out with my uncles. He left his merchant ship and joined them. My mother went with them as well which only kept them together and in love."

"But what did his wife think?"

"She wasn't happy but my father told her honestly that he had met another woman and was in love with her. My mother was already pregnant with my sister by the time he told her. She was quite angry. They were married though and where we are from you spend your life with the person you married."

"So they stayed married? Captain Black and his wife?"

"They did," he answered, "Although my father was living mostly at sea with my mother. They got together enough money to get a ship of their own with my uncles' help. That was when my father became Captain Luke Black. My older sister and I were born on that first ship."

"That's so surprising," Delaney shook her head, "I suppose it makes sense why his wife would try to cause problems for you though. She must be very jealous of your mother."

Ian shrugged, "She hates me for being my father's first son although she gave him a legitimate son shortly after I was born and then a daughter right after that. My mother didn't have another child until I was five."

Delaney realized he had never been so open about his life. She looked around and still didn't see her husband so she decided to gather more information while she could.

"How many of you are there?"

Ian paused to add up the numbers, "My father has seven children with my mother and eleven with his wife. A few years ago he met a young woman who asked to come aboard and be a pirate on his ship as well. They've now had three children together and she's due with their fourth any day."

"That's... That's twenty-two children," Delaney could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Ian nodded, face blank again. "I imagine my mother or his wife will come up pregnant again soon if they're not already. Whenever one is pregnant he tends to spend his nights in the bed of one of the others."

"You have to be joking," Delaney laughed, "This can't possibly be true!"

Ian smirked and pointed at the crowd. Delaney looked where he was pointing and saw a woman younger than herself with a hugely pregnant belly and another baby on her hip. She had very long black hair and the familiar tanned skin of the pirates.

"She looks younger than you," Delaney whispered.

"She is," Ian chuckled, "My mother is younger than my father's wife as well."

Shaking her head, Delaney couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud at the insanity of the situation. "So where is your mother now then?"

Ian shrugged, "She still sails. She has her own ship she captains with my sister as her first mate."

"Your story keeps getting more and more unbelievable," Delaney shook her head.

"I am a captain of my own ship as well," Ian smiled at her now, "My younger half brother is my first mate but I imagine if I'm to stay your guard I will give him leave to Captain it while I'm away."

"You have your own ship? Is it here? I've never been on a ship!"

"It's a short walk to the docks. Would you like to see it?"

Delaney nodded eagerly, "Can the others come as well?"

Ian shrugged and said he didn't mind so Delaney hurried off to get her friends. As soon as she told them they would be going aboard a real pirate ship they were all excited to join on the adventure, even Miles. They were headed towards Ian when someone caught Delaney's hand.

She turned and was swept into strong arms and kissed passionately. When she opened her eyes again her head was spinning and she smiled up at her handsome husband.

"What are you up to?" he asked with a knowing grin.

Delaney was quick to tell him about Ian having a ship of his very own and how he had agreed to take them aboard it. Vincent looked intrigued just as Delaney had so they hurried to catch up to the others where they were already heading around to the front of the house.

"Where is Mason?" Delaney asked when she noticed he wasn't with them.

Vincent answered that he was still talking with Captain Black. It worked in their favor. If Mason kept the captain busy he wouldn't notice they were gone and it wouldn't insult him that his guests had run off before dinner.

They hurried across the grass to keep up with Ian who was strolling towards 3 docks with boats moored to each side. He stepped onto an old wooden dock and the others scrambled to keep up.

Delaney looked up and around wide-eyed at all the pirate ships towering above her. They were enormous with lots of ropes tied and canvas wrapped up. They rocked with the waves and she could hear the groaning of the wood from the pressure of it all. Way up amongst the sails there were dozens of large white birds perched and watching them.

At the end of the dock, Ian came to a stop. In front of them was a great ship with red painted banisters and the name "Black Wrath" painted in big block letters along the side towards the back. Delaney knew that would be the ship's name. There was only a rope with knots in it hanging from the side of the ship.

They all watched as Ian pulled off his boots and climbed quickly up the knotted rope, pulling himself over the railing and onto the ship. They all waited there, unsure of what to do. Delaney knew there was no way she or the other girls would try to climb the rope as the pirate did.

A few minutes later a very long wooden plank was pushed over the edge and they all jumped back to keep it from landing on them. Ian climbed up on the plank and smiled down at them, waiving for them all to join him.

Miles went first, walking up the wide plank of wood with boards nailed down it from the top to bottom like stair steps. Miles held out his hand and then helped Cora up. Constance and Bernard went next, leaving just Vincent and a terrified Delaney.

"You have nothing to be afraid of love," Vincent whispered into her ear, "You know how to swim now so the worst that could happen is you fall in and I jump in after you and we swim to shore."

Delaney smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before taking her turn slowly and shakily walking up the plank with her arms out for balance. Ian took her hands and helped her down until her feet were firmly on the wooden boards beneath. Vincent stepped abroad right after her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

They both looked around in awe.

"So this is a pirate ship then," he grinned.