Teague's fingers threaded through Roxanne's as they walked.

She smiled, then jumped in fright as an owl called nearby.

Teague let out a soft chuckle.
"Tis only an owl Roxanne."

"It startled me," she said, her tone slightly defensive. "I know what it is."

They left the grounds of the governor's mansion, walking down the dirt road.

"Where are you taking me?" Roxanne asked after a few moments.

"To my aunt's. We'll stay tonight, get you proper clothes and weapons and leave on the Lady tomorrow."

"Proper clothes?" she echoed in confusion.

"Shirt, breeches, decent boots, a nice coat maybe. You can't go aboard me ship in a dress, savvy?"

"Right," Roxanne agreed, shivering in the cool night air.

Teague rubbed her shoulders.
"Come on. Walk faster and we'll be there quicker. It isn't far."

Roxanne lifted her skirts and quickened her pace, her fingers still entwined with his.

After ten minutes, he turned off the main road into a narrow lane.

It led to, what apperared in the darkness to be an average-sized house with a walled garden.

As Teague opened the door, there was an outburst of barking.

"Shut up!" Teague said, patting several dogs on his way through the door.

"Come on. They won't touch you," he said over his shoulder to Roxanne.

As she crossed the threshold, a bullet soared over her head.

"Padaí you bastard!" Teague called to the dark-haired young man sitting astride an upstairs banister, a smoking pistol held aloft.

Padaí slid off the banister to land cat-like in front of them.

"Who's this?" he asked Teague in Gaelic.

"Her name is Roxanne Sparrow."
Teague answered his brother in English for Roxanne's benefit.

His gaze drifted over her and he scoffed.

Teague's eyes hardened.

"Get Hazel for me."

Padaí disappeared upstairs.

Teague turned to Roxanne.
"I have three siblings. That's Padaí. I'm the eldest, then Hazel, then Padaí and Aine is the youngest."

He stepped behind her, pulling all the pins from her hair.
"It's nicer down," he said, dropping the pins into his pocket with a smirk.

Padaí reappeared, a woman following him.

She looked at Roxanne.
"So me brother brought ye home, did he?"

She nodded.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Roxanne Sparrow."

"Hazel Teague," said the woman. "Edward, I'd like an explanation."

"I met her at the party and we haven't stopped thinking about each other since. She's coming onto the Lady with me tomorrow and needs proper clothes and weapons."

"Follow me." Hazel told Roxanne.

Roxanne glanced at Teague, who smiled encouragingly before following Hazel upstairs.

She opened the door to a small, untidy room containing nothing more than a bed, chair and a wardrobe with blackened doors.

Hazel looked through the wardrobe.

When she turned back to Roxanne, her arms were full of clothes.

"Try these."

Roxanne shook out the breeches, drawers, white shirt with a deep neckline and a beautiful black frock coat with heavy white and silver embroidery.

"Do ye want to keep your stays or bind your breasts?"

"I don't like stays so binding sounds good."

Hazel gave her a length of cloth, then turned away.

Roxanne removed her dress, then asked Hazel to unlace her stays before stepping into the drawers, tying them and binding her breasts.

"I'd bind them tighter. Not all pirates are as decent as my brother," Hazel said darkly.

"What do you mean?"

Hazel snorted.
"Many men would take advantage of a young woman like you. What age are ye?"

"Eighteen."

"Same age as me. Now rebind your breasts and do it tighter."

Roxanne obeyed and Hazel nodded in satisfaction.

She stepped into the breeches, buttoned them and pullled the shirt over her head.

"Have you got anything I can use to tie my hair back, as your brother just stole all my pins?"

"Wait a minute and I'll get you something and a sash."

Hazel left the room, returning with a length of black fabric, which she knotted around Roxanne's waist.

"You stick pistols in there. Knives too if you want," she told her.

"I see," said Roxanne as Hazel pulled another piece of fabric out of her pocket. It was wine-coloured and shorter than the first.

She folded it expertly, pushing Roxanne's hair back and tying it around her head.

"Now ye look the part. Time to find ye a sword, pistol and pair of boots."

Roxanne picked up the beautiful black coat and her dress before following Hazel again.

As they crossed the landing she heard a voice raised in anger, the Irish language being hurled back and forth.

"Shut it!" Hazel yelled.

"Fuck off!" Teague's voice responded.

A door flew open and a girl darted out, her black hair flying as she brandished a pistol.

"Aine get back here!" Teague exclaimed angrily.

The girl stopped dead as she saw Roxanne, her features twisting into a sneer.
She spoke in Gaelic and Teague replied in the same language.
Roxanne caught her own name but didn't understand anything else.

They switched to English halfway through.
..."Ma won't let ye." Aine said.

Teague scoffed.
"I'm nineteen, Aine. I'll do whatever the fuck I want."
His eyes were smouldering as his temper cooled, his shoulders slowly relaxing.

"She's a bloody aristocrat! People like her have ended many pirates lives!"

"If she wanted to she'd have ended my life the night I met her. We were surrounded by people who'd have hung me if she whispered the word "pirate" and nodded in my direction. She didn't. She treated me with courtesy an', dare I say, attraction. She's comin' with me an' I don't recall asking for your approval!"

Teague's voice increased in volume slightly, his accent strengthening as anger flashed in his eyes again.

Aine looked Roxanne up and down, disdain in her hazel eyes.

Teague glared at her, his expression fierce.

He said something in Gaelic and Aine curled her lip in disgust, responding in the same language.

Roxanne decided she liked the Irish language, even though she didn't understand it.
It was quite musical and pleasant to listen to.

Aine's eyes flashed as she raised her foot, aiming her toe between her brother's legs.

"Aine Eibhlinn Teague!"

The girl froze, her foot dropping to the floor.

Hazel was crossing the landing, eyes sparkling angrily, a battered scabbard and pair of boots in her hands.

She passed them to Roxanne, then cuffed Aine across the head.
"Stop being a bitch."

Roxanne was slipping her feet into the boots when the door opened.

The woman who entered looked to be in her late forties, with thick black hair held back by a sky-blue bandana.
Her shrewd hazel eyes fell on Roxanne.

She spoke in Gaelic.

Teague grinned.
"Roxanne Sparrow. Governor's daughter. Tongue like a sailor. English."

He turned to Roxanne.
"Love, me mum. Eabha Teague. Current Pirate Lord of the Atlantic."

Eabha looked her over.

Then she snorted.

"Can't see her ever makin' a decent pirate but do what ye like Edward."

Teague nodded curtly.
"Come on," he said to Roxanne.

They went into the garden, where he patiently taught her the basics of swordplay.

Then they returned to the house and went upstairs, where she followed him along the landing to a door at the end.

It led to a bedroom.

Teague smiled.
"Your quarters, my lady. Sleep in your shirt and breeches, saves time tomorrow. I'm on the floor next door if you want me."

With a smile, Roxanne bade him goodnight and carefully folded her coat, untied her sash and bandana and set them in a pile with her new weapons.

She got into the bed, sure she would never sleep.

She was free from the life of social events and corsets. She would be boarding a pirate ship tomorrow.

However, despite her excited thoughts, it was late and her body was tired.

Soon, Roxanne was fast asleep.