shouting, and the fingers were sliding away, reluctantly and with final sly pinches and digs. She gasped for breath and rose on her elbow, gazed at Helene, still pinned against the wall, her dress also torn and her hair dishevelled, but otherwise unharmed. Then she looked at the soldiery, gathered into groups, muttering amongst themselves, faces flushed and hands hastily straightening doublets and breeches, and past them, at the grey-haired senior officer, aquiline face lined and distinguished, and at the black-clad figure who strode at his side as they made their way through the throng.
'Have you no shame?' the priest shouted. 'Are you men, or beasts? Is there no crime of which you are not capable?'
'These women are surely not whores like those in the village,' the Commandant said.
'They are worse, sir,' the lieutenant declared. 'Admitted wives to pirates themselves. Why, the red-haired one is proud to acknowledge the scoundrel Hilton as her husband.'
'None the less, my son,' the priest said. 'That she is the wife of a pirate, however guilty that may make her before man's law, does not establish her as beyond God's mercy.' He stooped beside Susan. 'Do you understand Spanish, woman?'
'Indeed I do. Father. And I thank God for that, and for you.'
The priest pushed his crucifix towards her face. 'Will you take the cross?'
Susan sat up. 'Gladly, Father. I will not swear I have been a good Catholic. There has not always been time. But I have never lost faith.'
'Then kiss it, and beg God's forgiveness, and not a lustful hand shall be laid on your body.'
'May God bless ye, Father,' Susan said, and did as she was commanded.
'And now you, woman,' the priest said, turning to Helene.
Susan got to her feet. 'And they would spread tales of the blind fanaticism of the Spanish priesthood in these islands. Be sure that I shall ever sing your praises, Father. And be sure too that from this moment forth I shall be the most devout of churchgoers.'
The priest smiled at her, but his eyes were cold. 'I am sure you will be afforded every opportunity, to be devout, senora.' He turned to the Commandant. 'I have done my duty. But mark me well, Don Rodrigo, the man who practises lewdness upon either of these women will suffer eternal damnation.'
The Commandant inclined his head in a brief nod. 'Be sure of that. But as they would appear to have confessed their guilt there need be no further delay in the matter.' He pointed at the roof. 'These rafters will do. Hang them here, and then set fire to the house.'
As Susan stared at him in horror, and felt her limbs turning to water, the sun dipped behind the mountains of the larger island to plunge the evening into darkness.
'Oh, Christ,' Kit moaned. 'Oh, God have mercy on me.'
Jean said nothing. He watched the house, clearly visible from where they lay hidden, as showers of sparks shot upwards from the collapsing roof and seared across the evening air. The interior also burned, and to aid the flames the doors and windows had been unshuttered and thrown wide, so that the breeze could get to the fire. Thus the holocaust gave off a vast glow, which illuminated the verandah and the steps and the soldiers grouped a short distance away. And from the rafters on the verandah, only now beginning to scorch, the two bodies swayed. Did one still kick, or was that the wind? Both had kicked when they had been hoisted from the floor, the ropes tightening around their necks, their ears singing, even as they had been filled with the obscene jeers of the cheated men below them. But now, surely, they were dead.
'Oh, Christ,' Kit moaned.
'He may help you,' Jean said. 'But not here.'
Kit raised his head; tears rolled down his cheeks. 'Had we stayed
'And died beside them? What do you think the two of us could have accomplished, against so many?'
'But that they should be hanged, like ... Jean, you have a heart of stone.'
Jean continued to stare at the dangling bodies; now their skirts were starting to
'Have you no shame?' the priest shouted. 'Are you men, or beasts? Is there no crime of which you are not capable?'
'These women are surely not whores like those in the village,' the Commandant said.
'They are worse, sir,' the lieutenant declared. 'Admitted wives to pirates themselves. Why, the red-haired one is proud to acknowledge the scoundrel Hilton as her husband.'
'None the less, my son,' the priest said. 'That she is the wife of a pirate, however guilty that may make her before man's law, does not establish her as beyond God's mercy.' He stooped beside Susan. 'Do you understand Spanish, woman?'
'Indeed I do. Father. And I thank God for that, and for you.'
The priest pushed his crucifix towards her face. 'Will you take the cross?'
Susan sat up. 'Gladly, Father. I will not swear I have been a good Catholic. There has not always been time. But I have never lost faith.'
'Then kiss it, and beg God's forgiveness, and not a lustful hand shall be laid on your body.'
'May God bless ye, Father,' Susan said, and did as she was commanded.
'And now you, woman,' the priest said, turning to Helene.
Susan got to her feet. 'And they would spread tales of the blind fanaticism of the Spanish priesthood in these islands. Be sure that I shall ever sing your praises, Father. And be sure too that from this moment forth I shall be the most devout of churchgoers.'
The priest smiled at her, but his eyes were cold. 'I am sure you will be afforded every opportunity, to be devout, senora.' He turned to the Commandant. 'I have done my duty. But mark me well, Don Rodrigo, the man who practises lewdness upon either of these women will suffer eternal damnation.'
The Commandant inclined his head in a brief nod. 'Be sure of that. But as they would appear to have confessed their guilt there need be no further delay in the matter.' He pointed at the roof. 'These rafters will do. Hang them here, and then set fire to the house.'
As Susan stared at him in horror, and felt her limbs turning to water, the sun dipped behind the mountains of the larger island to plunge the evening into darkness.
'Oh, Christ,' Kit moaned. 'Oh, God have mercy on me.'
Jean said nothing. He watched the house, clearly visible from where they lay hidden, as showers of sparks shot upwards from the collapsing roof and seared across the evening air. The interior also burned, and to aid the flames the doors and windows had been unshuttered and thrown wide, so that the breeze could get to the fire. Thus the holocaust gave off a vast glow, which illuminated the verandah and the steps and the soldiers grouped a short distance away. And from the rafters on the verandah, only now beginning to scorch, the two bodies swayed. Did one still kick, or was that the wind? Both had kicked when they had been hoisted from the floor, the ropes tightening around their necks, their ears singing, even as they had been filled with the obscene jeers of the cheated men below them. But now, surely, they were dead.
'Oh, Christ,' Kit moaned.
'He may help you,' Jean said. 'But not here.'
Kit raised his head; tears rolled down his cheeks. 'Had we stayed
'And died beside them? What do you think the two of us could have accomplished, against so many?'
'But that they should be hanged, like ... Jean, you have a heart of stone.'
Jean continued to stare at the dangling bodies; now their skirts were starting to
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