Grigory Borzenko Cleopatra The fifth story in the series “The Love Affairs of Angeline Brontë”

Grigory Borzenko
Cleopatra
The fifth story in the series “The Love Affairs of Angeline Brontë”

Episode one
It is difficult to find words that could describe the degree of Angelina’s despair when she realized that she was again on the same ship, and in the same cabin, where she had once been virtually a prisoner of the pirate captain James Carroll. And she had no doubt that this was exactly the cabin! During her imprisonment here, she remembered not only the location of every attribute of furniture in a given cabin, but also literally every scratch on this furniture. There could be no doubt! Fate again began to mock our sufferer evilly, and began to carry out a new round of her unimaginable torment! As they say, it would be funny if it weren't so sad. One could be surprised at such a coincidence, and even laugh at it, but Angelina was definitely not amused. It would be nice if some new trouble would fall on her poor head. This could somehow be understood. But to relive that hell again, the mere memories of which make you want to howl like a wolf, it was, of course, too much!!!
She didn't know what to do. Now this cruel pervert will come here again and begin to mock her again. And should she meekly close her eyes again? No! Not that! Her patience was over. Stop being humble and submissive! Hey, I'm tired of enduring hardships! She does not agree to meekly accept her fate in the future. She will resist!
Having made this decision, the girl immediately began to pull out drawers of cabinets and tables to find something that could serve her as a weapon of self-defense. She did it so quickly and feverishly, as if she knew for sure that in just a minute this vile pirate would come to her with his dirty intentions, and she must have time to repel him.
Her efforts were soon rewarded. In one of the dresser drawers she found a dagger, which she immediately grabbed and pressed to her chest. The next moment she glanced at the door. As if it was about to swing open, and in a second our heroine would have to use her weapon in action. But the door did not open, no one came in. As soon as the measured splash of waves and the sound of gusts of wind were heard outside the window.
Only now did the girl realize that she should look out the window and see how far away the shore is! What if he’s nearby! Although her memory was still fresh of the memory of how she almost died during the previous escape from the same cabin, but now she was still filled with determination, and the desire that if the shore was nearby, she would jump into it again without hesitation. water! And with all his might he will swim to the saving land.
Rushing to the window and looking out of it, she saw that the ocean dominated all around, once again the ocean, and only the boundless ocean! Wherever you look, there is only a deserted horizon line, where, as hard as she tried, our desperate heroine could not see a single piece of land!
It was at this time that she heard a knock on the door.
She shuddered with her whole body, with a sharp movement she took the dagger out of its sheath, and froze in that position. Without moving or breathing.
There was a knock on the door again...
It was unusual! The owner of this cabin always came into his home without knocking! He walked in with a firm and decisive gait! From afar she heard the click of the heels of his boots on the deck of the ship, even before he approached the door! Why would he suddenly start knocking on his own cabin?! This question confused the girl, who was tense to the limit. But she didn’t know what the knock meant or how she should behave.
The knock was repeated again. And then a voice was heard:
- Miss Angelina?! Are you OK? Why do not you answer?! Or are you sleeping?!
Our sufferer was so used to the fact that recently everyone addressed her as “you,” and even in a contemptuous tone, that now she was confused when she heard the respectful “you” addressed to her. Moreover, the voice sounded quite friendly. All this was so unusual and unexpected for our heroine that she still remained silent. Not knowing what to answer.
The man on the other side of the door, without waiting for an answer, opened it slightly and looked inside. At the sight of a tall gentleman in a doublet, over the knee boots, and clothes familiar to naval officers, Angelina immediately sharply raised the hand in which she was holding the dagger, as if swinging to strike, and shouted loudly:
- Don't come closer! Don't go, I said!!!
Not a single muscle twitched on the face of the man standing in the doorway. It was clear from the expression on his face that such an unexpected attack from the girl did not frighten him, but only surprised him.
- What's wrong with you, Miss Angelina?! “He said quite sincerely and in bewilderment. - Why are you doing it?! I'm trying to save you! Why such aggression towards a person who wants to do you good?! I’m already making it for you! I took you away from the shores of the island where you experienced so many hardships!
The stranger's words, his kind tone, calmed her slightly. But the wariness did not go away. She still continued to grip the dagger with a firm hand.
- And you... - She began and cut herself off mid-sentence. – Aren’t you Captain James Carroll?!
Let's not forget that Angelina has never seen this man's face. Throughout her captivity, she never once looked at him. Now she had no doubt that it was him!
Hearing these words, the man at the door broke into a good-natured smile.
- So that’s it... So that’s why you behave this way and speak so impudently... Now everything is clear... No, Miss Angelina. I'm not James Carroll! I'm George Kelly! This vessel actually belonged to George before. This is my ship now. I'm the captain on it!
To say that a huge burden has been lifted from the soul of our sufferer would be to say nothing! Now it seemed to her that she was even more joyful at that moment than when Jacob Cook or Thomas Day saved her. But the shock was so great that she still continued to stand, frozen in a daze, with the dagger raised to strike.
Seeing this, Kelly added:
- James is not here, Miss Angelina! You don't have to be afraid. Calm down, please. Can I take the dagger from you? I'll just put it back in place. Trust me. Don't be afraid of me. I won't harm you...
From the outside it looked very touching. A beautiful, tiny and defenseless girl stood holding her hand with a dagger at shoulder level. But it was absolutely clear that she was no longer going to attack anyone. Little of! After such a strong shock, her lips began to tremble, and it was clear that a little more and she would burst into tears.
It was at this time that a tall and strong man approached her, very, very carefully took both the dagger and sheath from her hands, sheathed the weapon and sent this attribute to the same box in which it had previously been located. This convinced the sufferer that her new acquaintance was not lying. That he really is the captain of this ship. He knows where and what is in his cabin.
Realizing that this time her ordeal was definitely over, and London was waiting for her, she, unable to withstand the difference in emotional stress, from the culmination of despair to the peak of joy and euphoria, now gave vent to tears.
Seeing that the unfortunate woman was literally almost shaking with chills, the captain carefully took her by the arm, took her away from the window, led her to the table, sat her down on a chair, and poured water.
- Calm down, madam. I already told you and I repeat! Your sorrows are left behind! London is ahead of you! I will help you! But I want you to help me too...
He noticed how after these words she immediately froze without moving. The last phrase struck her. She wanted to scream: “What?!” Again, I have to pay for everything, including my salvation, intimately?! Even if it’s for the desired salvation! But why should the board be exactly like that again?!”
The interlocutor seemed to read her thoughts. He's a rock right there:
- This is not what you thought, madam! I already said it, and I repeat it! During the entire voyage to the shores of England, not only will not a single hair fall from your head, but no one will even dare to touch you! Little of! I completely place my captain’s cabin at your disposal! And no one will set foot here without your permission! Except coca. I will order that the best dishes that I order him to prepare especially for you, he will bring to you here, in this cabin. I repeat! I guarantee you complete safety on my ship! When asking for a mutual favor addressed to me, I had something completely different in mind. When you calm down, and there are no tears on your cheeks, and there is no mistrust of me in your eyes, then I will tell you everything. When you're ready, let me know. Fine? Should I come see you later?
- No! – The girl hastily answered. “I’ve already tied myself together.” Sorry for the moment of weakness...
- I understand. You have suffered so much... Excuse me...
- I'm fine now. I am listening to you! You really do me good, and I would be the last person on this earth if I didn’t reciprocate your feelings. Speak, please! I'm listening to.
Our sufferer did not believe in the reality of what was happening. No one mocks her, holds her in captivity, forces her to work or perform other actions, no one treats her rudely or with contempt. He sits in silence and calm, peacefully, at the table, talking with an equal person. Who treats her with respect, from whom you don’t need to expect a rude scream, a lash, or violence in the next minute! Actions familiar to ordinary people now seemed to her like something unreal, fabulous. Everything now felt like home, in Flint, in Liverpool, in London! Will it really return to normal life again?! What just recently seemed unreal to her, unattainable, was now so tangible and doable! How fickle Fate is... Quite recently, the girl thought that she would spend the rest of her life on plantations scorched by the hellish sun, and there she would meet her death. And now this fast ship is carrying her to London with full sails! And very soon she will plunge into her usual life! God! May your name be glorified throughout the ages! If this is truly the final and irrevocable end to her torment!
George Kelly thought for a moment, as if wondering where to start, then sighed heavily, leaned back in his chair and began his story.
- You see... My first words may confuse you... But do not forget how changeable these times are. Today some activities are fashionable and prestigious; tomorrow they will become not just uninteresting, but even despised and blamed! And a completely different type of activity becomes prestigious and respected. Something similar applies to my story.. When I stood at a crossroads and made a choice about what the craft should be in my destiny, exciting stories about the beautiful life of a pirate were heard around me. In the port taverns, over a mug of Burgundy or a glass of rum or whiskey, garrulous talkers, arousing the envy and delight of listeners, talked about the reckless and riotous life of sea tramps who made almost fortunes for themselves by gutting the pot-bellied holds of Spanish galleons and other merchant ships. . During the division of booty, pirate captains, as usual, received several shares of what ordinary pirates received. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation and took up this particular trade...
The narrator sighed heavily. At this time, he was looking somewhere into the distance, out the window, trying not to look into the eyes of the listener.
- But times change. In order to restore order in the seas and oceans, even entire flotillas are organized that catch sea tramps in the open spaces of the sea and punish them for arbitrariness and arbitrariness. Some famous pirate captains, whose fame used to be heard everywhere and who were talked about with delight in coastal taverns, ended up hanging out on the sea yards. In a word, they were hanged in a demonstrative and edifying manner. So that it would be distasteful to others. Naturally, I and others like me would like to avoid this unenviable fate.
The narrator sighed heavily again.
- But here's what's interesting. If you manage to obtain a marque patent, then you can continue to do with impunity the same thing that you have been doing all this time before. The only difference is that you do not have the right to rob your own English ships. But if you do the same with Spanish and other ships from countries hostile to Britain, then honor and praise to you for that! You are doing a good deed! You are undermining the enemy's power! True, at the same time you are no longer a free pirate and do not take all the prizes for yourself, but must give a tenth share to the one who issued you the marque patent. That is, to the royal treasury. But this is the lesser of two evils. But you sleep more peacefully, you know that not only will you not be persecuted by the authorities of your native country, but you will also be in honor and glory. But for this you need to obtain a marque patent. You need to contact either the king personally or those people at court who could resolve this issue. As someone who grew up in York, which is not far from Leeds, I have never been to London. I don’t know where, where and to whom to contact about obtaining a marque patent. Therefore, lately I have been thinking about how to find a person who could help me solve this problem.
The narrator rubbed his chin, as if he were not currently having a conversation, but was solving this particular problem.
“And recently, in one of the taverns in the port of Bridgestone, I had the opportunity to become an involuntary witness to a conversation between two gentlemen. However, there was no conversation as such. There was a monologue. A sad monologue of a very upset and fairly drunk man, who was very worried, and wanted, as they say, to pour out his soul to a random drinking companion. As I understand it, to a complete stranger. Believe me, I had no plans to eavesdrop on anyone’s secrets. I was sitting at a table, waiting to meet a friend, quietly and peacefully sipping rum. And I involuntarily heard the narrator lamenting to his casual listener how he came to Barbados to save a beautiful and beautiful girl, and saved her. And she, stupid, instead of rejoicing at her liberation, decided to take her own life. He lamented that he could not understand the reason for such a wild act. After all, all the suffering of the unfortunate woman was left behind. A peaceful and bohemian palace life lay ahead of her. Her friends were waiting for her! Among which was the king himself! Whose life she once saved. And the all-powerful Duke, the king’s right hand, generally wants to see this young beauty as his favorite! And he wants to fulfill her every whim, just to win her favor! Alas, it all ended so sadly...
Only now did the narrator allow himself to look more closely at the listener, and noticed that at that time she, too, no longer turned her head around, but began to look steadily at him.
- Then I lamented the unenviable fate of the unfortunate woman, and forgot about that incident. But yesterday, when my ship was moored in the port of Bridgestone, a heated and emotional young man came to me and told me a story about how I needed to save a very good girl. At the same time, he said her name. It matched what I had heard earlier in the tavern. I realized that the lady whom I was being asked to save and take to London was precisely the heroine of that saddened gentleman’s story. Therefore, she did not die then, but remained alive. I immediately thought that since she was close to the court, she could become my assistant who would put in a word with the king about a privateering patent for me. I will take her to London, I will help her, and she, in turn, will help me! They responded kindly to my kindness. Everything is even and fair! I've said everything, Miss Angeline Brontë. Now all that remains is to hear what you have to say.
There was a ringing silence in the cabin. The listener was so carried away by the story that she did not immediately realize that they were expecting an answer from her. That she should no longer listen to a fascinating story, but should say something in response to her interlocutor. She shook her head, as if she wanted to drive away some kind of obsession, and then said:
- “I once witnessed an attack by James Carroll on the ship I was on. I heard the dying screams and groans of the unfortunate... I know that piracy is such a dirty and unworthy craft. If unscrupulous banditry and robbery can even be called a craft... But I am aware of the situation I am in now. It would be extremely stupid on my part to talk about morality, especially with a person who is a representative of this profession. It is clear that for me the main question now is one thing: quickly returned home, to England, to London! If you do this, if you take me there, then, of course, I will simply be obliged to do what you ask. Regardless of how I feel about the topic that we just discussed. If I don't do this, I will stop respecting myself. I always returned kindness for kindness. Therefore, I say firmly and promise you: if you take me to London, the first thing I will do when I arrive at court is to immediately try to get a meeting with the king or the duke. And the first and only issue that I will ask them to resolve is the issuance of a marque patent for Captain George Kelly! Did I pronounce the name correctly? Did you mess anything up?
- Absolutely right, Miss Angelina! That's right! Thank you! Can I trust that you will keep your word? Just like I will keep mine!
- You can, Mr. Kelly! I won't let you down! Yes, I promise you!
- That's good! - The captain said standing up. – Let’s put an end to our conversation for now. I am leaving you in order to show you that I will also keep my promise regarding the provision of my cabin to you. Please feel safe here. No one will dare to disturb you. Except for the cook, who, I repeat, will deliver food to you. You can walk around the deck. You can do whatever you please. You can even climb into the cart on the cruise ship! From there you will be the first to see the approaching shores of your native England! Let me take my leave.
The joke about Cruys Mars made Angelina smile. From that moment on, she began to believe even more that the time of endless hell and disdainful attitude towards her had passed. That her old life awaits her ahead. Peaceful, carefree, where she will be treated with respect.

Episode two
Angelina spoke for a long time, with passion and with a frantic sparkle in her eyes. It was clear that she was overwhelmed with emotion. Duke William Jacobson listened to her attentively, without interrupting or making unnecessary movements, so as not to confuse the narrator. He understood that she wanted to speak out. Therefore, I tried to do everything possible so as not to interfere with this. Sometimes he even looked away from the girl’s flurry of emotions, as if he could not withstand the onslaught of this amazing energy. But mostly he looked at the narrator, without taking his eyes off her. At that moment it was impossible not to look at her. He had been fascinated by her beauty and spontaneity before, but now what he saw and heard completely and completely turned his head. It was impossible not to fall in love with this little beast! It was impossible to look at her indifferently! She herself, her emotional face, her sincere voice, her overflowing emotions, the amazing energy that he was literally radiating now could not help but charm anyone who would now be watching her. The Duke, of course, being a man of flesh and blood, was no exception.
- “I want to summarize everything that has been said,” the girl finally said, slightly slowing down the pace of her story, “and ask you, Your Grace, about one and the most important thing.” If this man, this Captain George Kelly, kept his word, and actually saved my life, then I must keep my word. Return his kindness with kindness. In relation to me. I humbly ask you, Your Grace, to petition the king, or in some other way resolve the issue, so that Captain George Kelly is issued a charter of marque. I promised him that I would ask you or the king to do this. So I fulfill my request. What do you tell me about this, Your Grace?
Finally, the narrator fell silent, catching her breath after a long monologue, and every now and then glancing at her interlocutor with an ingratiating glance. Both her look and the facial expressions seemed to say to the Duke: well, please! Don't refuse my request! Do what I ask!
He thought about it, took a long pause, and smiled good-naturedly. This was very unexpected for the girl. The Duke always behaved strictly, decorously, with self-esteem. One might even say it with arrogance. His face was always stern, his speech was precise and abrupt. He always spoke as a commander does, giving orders to his subordinates in a firm and decisive voice. It seemed to Angelina that the Duke was not a living person of flesh and blood, but a kind of clockwork mechanism for which the absence of emotions was understandable and habitual. Now he behaved with Angelina the way other people behaved with her. Regular. Not endowed with high ranks and powers.
- Although the situation at court now is like this... Although you have been absent from London for a long time, you should know that the confrontation between the king and parliament has now reached such a high intensity. Now neither the king nor all of us have time to issue marque patents. But... Having listened to your fiery speech, seeing the frantic sparkle in your beautiful eyes, carefully following the storm of emotions that were reflected on your beautiful face, I, of course, after all this, cannot afford not to fulfill your request, Miss Angelina. I assure you, I will do everything possible and impossible, I will petition to transfer you the patent, which you will then personally hand over to Captain Kelly!
- Is it true?! – The girl jumped up from an overabundance of emotions. -Are you saying this honestly?! You're not kidding me?!
The Duke smiled again and shook her head reproachfully.
- Good God! What simplicity and spontaneity! If only you knew, Miss Angelina, how much sincere naivety and kindness you have... It’s impossible to look at you without emotion... You don’t just charm... You literally make everyone who looks at you for a moment fall in love with you, or even for a second hears your magical voice ... How can you be angry with me for turning my head if you turned it yourself?! I cannot now find words to describe that state, that storm of feelings that you yourself have now generated in my soul. Therefore, I simply cannot help but say what I really want to say now. I would like you to respond kindly to my kindness...
The smile slowly faded from Angelina’s face... Again a hint of intimacy... Lord! Will this ever end?! Everyone wants the same thing from her!!!
The Duke noticed a sharp change on the girl’s face and immediately added:
- I will be satisfied that you, in gratitude for my labors, give me a kiss now. Just a kiss! Innocent, chaste. On your cheek…
The girl's eyes widened in surprise.
- That's all?! Just a kiss on the cheek?! That's all? Is it true?!
- Yes. Just... If you decided to respond kindly to the kindness of this captain, then why not decide to respond kindly to my kindness? I'm asking for very little. Is not it?
The girl looked at the count even more intently.
- So if I kiss you on the cheek now, will you definitely fulfill my request and issue a letter of marque for the captain who saved me?
- Yes! – The Duke answered quickly and firmly. “Now you, in turn, have to save me.” Quickly kiss me, otherwise I’ll faint...
And he looked at Angelina and allowed himself to smile. This kind, as it seemed to her, smile, behind which there was no lust, evil intentions, or secret plans, captivated our heroine so much that she came up, kissed the owner of the office on the cheek, whispered in a quiet and gentle voice: “Thank you for everything,” and returned to its original place.
The Duke was scary to look at. Always a powerful, strong and strong-willed man, formidable and omnipotent, now stood like an unkissed youth who for the first time in his life learned the mystery of a kiss, and now stood, overwhelmed with emotions, to such an extent that he was about to fall off his feet from an overabundance of feelings. She saw that he fell in love with her so much that now he could barely restrain himself.
However, she had observed the spinning in his head before. But if then there was his firm, not even a hint, but almost an order, to go to bed with him, then the current friendly attitude towards her on his part captivated her. She liked that no one demanded anything from her. She was given the right to choose. If he wants, he will kiss, but if he doesn’t, then no. Her opinion was taken into account. She was so unaccustomed to this that now she perceived the previously hated Duke almost as a friend.
It took him a long time to come to his senses. For a moment the girl felt sorry for him. She perfectly understood his feelings, as well as the fact that she herself was the cause of all this. But she also understood that she had done the maximum of what she could afford. That's why she stood silently, waiting for what he would say.
A lot of time passed until he finally controlled himself, walked up to the girl, took her hand in his own, and looked at her intently. She was embarrassed by this direct gaze. But I caught myself thinking that now, unlike the first time, I am not afraid of him. Then the look was almost ominous, commanding, brooking no objections. Now the Duke was looking at her... Or rather, he was trying to look at her with the eyes of a stern friend. A person she can trust.
- The carriage I gave you, Miss Angelina, is waiting for you.
Seeing how the girl flinched at these words and tried to tactfully free her hand, he squeezed it more tightly and continued.
- I want you to understand me correctly, Miss Angelina. Remember once and for all! I don't ask anything from you in return! You can use the crew! He's yours! Imagine buying it yourself! Or someone just gave it to you! Just! For the fact that you exist in this world! For the fact that with your beauty you lift the spirits of those who see you and communicate with you. You can always ask me for anything you need. I will try to please your every whim. I repeat! I ask for nothing in return! Nothing!
The girl felt his palms become wetter and his hands began to tremble a little. Just a little, a little, a little, but they betrayed his inner excitement.
- But at the same time, I don’t hide my feelings. I want you, Miss Angelina, to know that I am crazy about you. However, you would have to be completely stupid and blind not to notice this earlier. You can't help but like it! You are extraordinary! To achieve intimacy with such a goddess is the dream of every man. Of course, I would like this too. Therefore, you have no right to be offended by my feelings, Miss Angelina. If I didn’t want you, didn’t crave intimacy with you, then I would be a blind and deaf person, without emotions and without a heart in my chest. I don't just wish for you! I wish you passionately! In such cases, my desire alone was always enough. You are the first who made me understand that my desire alone is not enough. That much, if not all, depends on you. So I'm willing to wait patiently. I'm not rushing you, I'm not insisting. I just passionately wish that sooner or later the moment will come and you will reciprocate my feelings. Now you don’t have to answer anything. I understand that now you are unlikely to answer me anything definite. But I ask you to remember that there is a person in the world who is waiting for the word “Yes” from you... Who, in gratitude for this short word, and for what follows, will do you so much good in return that you will not be disappointed in your decision. I said everything, Miss Angelina.
She didn't know what to answer. But she saw that he continued to hold her hand, as if waiting for an answer. And she gave it. She said everything honestly, what she thought.
- I am grateful to you, Your Grace, for the good deeds that you do for me. I am ready to continue to honor you and do something good in return... But... If we talk about what we are both thinking about now, then... Don’t get me wrong. But the age difference plays a huge role... You are very similar to my father. Looking at you, I immediately remember dad, and it seems to me that it’s him... I perceive your care for me as fatherly care. It’s hard for me to imagine you as my lover... I can’t imagine myself in bed with you... I don’t want to offend you in any way! Please don't be offended! On the contrary, it is good that I so confidentially initiate you into my spiritual secrets. It's like sharing secrets with a close friend. In order for everything to be mutual in bed between a man and a woman, it is necessary for her to be aroused, to glow with love passion for her lover. I am young... It is not difficult to understand that I am attracted and aroused by young men. I can't imagine myself in bed with you... I... Lord! I'm probably saying something wrong! I don’t want one careless word of mine to offend you.
- I understand everything, Miss Angelina. I even like that you talk to me so confidentially. Like with a friend. I would also like you to look at me and treat me as a friend. Even if we don’t succeed, I will remember you with gratitude all my life. I will be happy that in my destiny there was such an extraordinary creature as you, Miss Angelina. You are truly magical, divine... I looked at you with different eyes when I heard Mr. Cook's story about the hardships you had to experience in Barbados...
Just the mention of this island, which brought Angelina so much grief, made her shudder. The Duke immediately tried to calm her down and stroked her hand.
- Rest in peace, Miss Angelina! All in the past! Know that from now on there is a person who will not let even a speck of dust fall on you! I will protect you! I…
From an overabundance of emotions, he fell silent, and, as if at a loss, not knowing what to say, he took and kissed her hand.
It was at this time that the door to the Duke’s office opened noisily and a lady walked towards them with a decisive step. Seeing the Duke kiss the hand of a young lady unknown to her, she stopped abruptly and looked at what was happening with great amazement. The grimace of surprise on her face was so sincere that it seemed that if she had now seen a Martian or another alien from other worlds here, she would have been less surprised.
Angelina looked at her guest for a moment and noticed that her face was literally burning with anger! She looked at our heroine with such challenge, contempt and indignation that she felt uneasy. She involuntarily remembered Barbados, the pirate's cabin, the dungeon in Liverpool, all those unkind people who looked at Angelina with the same disdainful anger and hatred. From this piercing evil look, something broke in the soul of our sufferer. With every fiber of his soul, he felt that in the person of this evil lady, a new trouble had burst into her life. A bad feeling hurt my heart.
Annoyed by such an unceremonious invasion of his office, the Duke was indignant:
- What are you allowing yourself to do, Lady Campbell?! How dare you invade my office so unceremoniously?!
According to the logic of events, the uninvited guest should have immediately started apologizing and trying to assuage her guilt. But the unceremonious impudence did not pay anyone attention to the words of the owner of the office. As if not he, but she was the mistress here! She completely ignored the Duke’s address to her, and only continued to glare at Angelina. This look made the girl feel uneasy...
Realizing that it would be better if she quickly got out of here, Angelina only quietly said: “Sorry, I’ll go,” tactfully freed her hand, and hurriedly headed towards the door. When she passed by the she-wolf, who had stood in a pose preparing to jump, she, although she did not look at her rival, saw with her peripheral vision that she was burning with such enormous anger that it seemed that the she-wolf could actually make a jump.
Leaving the office and closing the door behind her, the girl felt that the tension and excitement in her did not go away, but, on the contrary, increased. Every minute brought her not peace, but anxiety. Realizing that this uncertainty would drive her crazy, the girl couldn’t think of anything better than to quickly find and ask about this suspicious lady from her advisor, Viscountess Gloria Cloud. She knew about everything and everyone at court, and always not only told Angelina about the intricacies and peculiarities of life at court, but also gave her very wise and useful advice on how best to survive in the sometimes rather difficult morals reigning within the walls of the royal palaces .
Fortunately, the Viscountess was in place, at home. She was glad Angelina. However, she was always glad to see her. She loved her goddaughter very much. That's what she jokingly called our heroine.
- What's wrong with you, baby?! – The Viscountess asked from the threshold. - You have no face!
- What can you tell me about Lady Campbell?! – Angelina asked immediately, without any preamble. - Who is she?! What connects her with the Duke?
The Viscountess immediately took a deep breath in order to immediately answer, but, looking again at the emotions raging on the guest’s face, she exhaled noisily, shook her head, sighed sadly, sat down in a chair, leaned back, and only then allowed herself to speak.
- Everything is clear... Everything is clear without words... - She again shook her head very, very sadly. - I'm afraid, my dear, that big troubles may await you... Yes, sit down!
- I don’t want to sit down! Who is she?! Answer please!
Angelina almost stamped her foot out of anger. Seeing this, the Viscountess only shook her head sympathetically.
- Lady Molly Campbell is a very, very remarkable person. She was always a troublemaker at court. When she began an affair with some French nobleman, everyone at court breathed a sigh of relief. She went with him to Paris. But, apparently, that gentleman could not stand her tough temper... However, these are my guesses. I don’t know what was there. The only fact is that recently, during your absence, Miss Angelina, she returned again. And again she began to weave threads of intrigue at court, spreading gossip and rumors. She is a master at this. But this time she decided to do something new. Seeing that the king’s position, due to his confrontation with parliament, was weakening, and the duke’s weight at court was increasing, she decided, what would you think?! Yes! Seduce His Lordship!
At these words, the narrator smiled, and the listener, on the contrary, froze in even greater disappointment.
- They are both free people, not burdened by marital ties. Perhaps this lady's free heart was suddenly inflamed with love for the Duke. But... It seems to me that this lady and love feelings are completely opposite things. Incompatible. Most likely, she sees the Duke as a profitable match for herself. She wants to see herself as almost the second lady at court. I saw how she hit on the Duke! I noticed hope in her eyes! And then suddenly Madame Bronte appears... I suspect that she noticed that the Duke is not indifferent to you. She probably witnessed His Lordship's attention to you, Miss Angelina. Am I right? Is that exactly how it happened?
The girl was silent, just looked at the Viscountess in fear.
- Everything is clear... I would be glad to console you, but everything is much more complicated... In her person you have acquired a formidable rival. This lady at court is feared by many. They try to avoid her and not have anything to do with her. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to be her enemy either. And it's not just about her. Although she herself is a fiend of hell, who is capable of coming up with something herself and accomplishing something that no other thug would dare to do! The horror of the situation also lies in the fact that over the years of her... Let's say, not very attractive, activity... She has acquired such a huge number of connections and friendships with all kinds of scoundrels, thieves and murderers that now they, at the first request of their girlfriend, without the slightest remorse will send to the next world anyone at whom she points her finger...
It was scary to look at Angelina. She was firmly convinced that all the savagery she had encountered earlier was still there. On those wild, inhospitable lands. And here, in the sparkling splendor of palace luxury, everything will only shine, and her life will henceforth be just as bright and happy.
Now she realized that her current happy and serene life had begun to be obscured from the sun by a black, menacing, ominous cloud...

Episode three
Angelina began to behave as if from that moment her former life in the capital continued. Only annoyingly interrupted for a while. As if now there is no envious person in her destiny who could somehow harm our heroine. Not only that, Angelina has improved her life! Having correctly interpreted the Duke’s words, she decided not to refuse the donated carriage. In London she had no personal means of transportation. And with her active lifestyle, she needed it. So why refuse such a gorgeous gift?! If the Duke really does not require anything in return, then it would be stupid not to take advantage of such benefits. Moreover, the Duke said that he would cover all the costs of maintaining the crew.
From then on, our heroine increasingly began to travel to the city in her new acquisition, and experience true satisfaction, seeing how many, including noble people, look after her with admiration and envy.
This euphoria continued until one day, Lady Molly Campbell noticed her, Angelina, in her carriage. There were so many negative and angry emotions in her envious gaze that the poor girl immediately regretted accepting this gift from the Duke. Angelina and Molly's paths crossed at court and before the incident with the crew. And every time our heroine felt the lady’s derogatory, evil gaze on herself. Now there was so much of this anger in the intriguer’s gaze that the girl felt: envy and hatred were overwhelming her rival. From now on, she will suffer until she does some dirty trick on the one who stood in the way between the seductress and the victim of her seduction.
The reason for the envy became even more clear when Angelina once saw what kind of carriage Lady Campbell herself was using. The girl involuntarily remembered Mr. Cook's playful comparison of the cart in which the planter she hated rode in Barbados. Compared to Angelina's luxurious carriage, the lady's carriage really looked almost like a pitiful carriage. Of course, such a comparison must have occurred to the lady. Naturally, it gave rise to envy in her soul. And we all know very well what human envy is capable of. Angelina understood this too. Therefore, I prepared myself for the fact that meanness or a dirty trick could be expected from the vindictive lady at any moment.
But she still hoped for the protection of the all-powerful Duke. She understood how much strength lay within himself, even if she saw incredible strength and courage even in his servants. She remembered how boldly and confidently Mr. Cook behaved when communicating with the all-powerful planetary Jacob Haig. Even James Beam, who was a free man and could not be afraid of anything, hid from his fellow guards in those moments when he met with Angelina or helped her. And Cook behaved amazingly boldly and defiantly, without the slightest fear or trembling in front of the terrible person that Haig is, because he knew that behind him stood a formidable force and authority in the person of Duke William Jacobson. Angelina believed, or rather, she really wanted to believe that even now the patronage of the powerful count would save her from everything and everyone. Including from this evil lady.
Sometimes a thought would come into her head that had previously seemed unequivocally seditious to her. Shouldn't we give in to the Duke's requests and do what he's hinting at? After all, now, after he treated her with such fatherly care, with such kindness and respect for her, he did not look in her eyes as such a monster as he seemed to her during their first conversation. The real monster was the planter Haig. This is really someone who could cause nothing but disgust in his address! Under no circumstances! The Duke, although a bit old and overweight, still did not evoke such terrible disgust as Haig.
At the end of each such reflection, the girl came to the conclusion that if there was an emergency, when the question of life and death was at stake, she could decide to be intimate with the Duke. She no longer saw anything so incredible, beyond the scope of common sense, now that the Duke was so sweet and kind to her. But she imitated looking at him as a person of another generation, as a caring father, and a good friend. But certainly not like a lover. She imagined herself in bed with him, and understood that she could, as she had once closed her eyes, yield to the pressure of the man seeking her body, and allow him to take possession of her. But she definitely would not experience any sexual satisfaction during this intimacy.
And if not, then why go for it? Why defile body and soul? As long as everything goes as usual, let it go that way! The Duke does not insist on anything, does not hint that it is time for her to make a decision. And if so, then let everything remain so. So far, Angelina was happy with everything. And she continued to enjoy life at court.
True, Angelina, although she tried not to delve into politics, still could not help but hear the conversations and gossip that filled the courtyard. She knew that the confrontation between the king and that damned Oliver Cromwell was getting worse. Now at court there was no time for the previous brilliant balls and merry feasts. But still, sometimes something similar happened.
Angelina couldn't miss it. She put on her best clothes and joined the flow of the idle audience. She wanted to show herself and see others. True, sometimes in such cases her eyes met the evil gaze of the stern lady. But she immediately pretended not to notice her. She either tried to go somewhere, to the other side of the room, away from the lady, or started a casual conversation with someone. Showing with all her serene appearance that at this moment she is only interested in an entertaining conversation and nothing more!
That evening everything happened as always. Our heroine enjoyed a wonderful evening, delicious drinks and dishes, and was glad that the lady she hated was not clouding her vision. She saw her a couple of times earlier in the evening, but from a distance. She did not try, as usual, to approach her rival, to incinerate her with a humiliating look. And thereby deliberately spoil her mood. Now no one spoiled her mood. Everything was amazing! You could relax and enjoy the party!
But in vain... Our heroine should not have calmed down... Knowing that from now on there is such a vindictive and envious person next to her, from whom any treachery can be expected at any moment, Angelina should have behaved more carefully. If she had been more attentive, she would have noticed that the lady, although she consciously tried to stay as far away from her as possible, still invariably looked after her over and over again, watching everything that happened to her.
Angelina could also have noticed that that evening people with whom she had never dealt before began to hang around incessantly. First of all, this concerned the incorrigible talker and laugher Catherine Laird. She, with a relaxed look on her face, started a conversation with Angelina on one or the other topic. And over and over again she offered her a drink and a snack. Rejoicing that she had found a new friend in the person of her beautiful interlocutor, without feeling a trick, our heroine, who had lost her vigilance, without a second thought, accepted glasses of wine from Catherine’s hands, which she kept adding and adding.
When Angelina got drunk and complained to her interlocutor that she felt a little sick and that she would like to get some fresh air, here two well-dressed gentlemen entered the arena of the action. Which, for the time being, did not advertise their presence, keeping a little distance. But they were still not far from Catherine Laird all this time. Waiting for a pre-agreed signal from her.
When Angelina said that she felt bad and that she wanted to get some fresh air, Katherine immediately volunteered to escort her personally. Seeing this, the gentlemen we mentioned immediately followed them.
The new friend led Angelina not into the garden, but towards the exit. Without giving the impression that everything had been planned in advance, but imitating that they were just taking a walk, Katherine quietly led her victim to a carriage standing nearby. This is where the time has come for these two gentlemen to act. They quickly pushed the unfortunate victim into the carriage, gave a signal to the coachman, he whipped the horses, and the card sped off into the night. Into the unknown.
Smug, Katherine slowly walked back. At the entrance, she saw Lady Campbell standing, looking into the distance with gloating.
- It's done, madam. – Katherine said in a dry voice. How different her current voice was from the way she had a conversation with her victim just a minute ago. – Jack and Harry took her to the address known to us.
- Yes... I saw... Well done, Katherine! I will reward you for your efforts. Go! – And the lady again fixed her gaze into the darkness. To where the map had gone a minute earlier. - Well, honey? “The lady’s voice became such that it seemed like snake venom was dripping from her every word. - So you've waited for your time. Now you will understand who you are dealing with. And what does it mean to stand in my way. You will find out who Molly Campbell is...

Episode four
Opening her eyes, Angelina continued to lie motionless for a long time, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.
The first thing she remembered was her new friend Katherine, who over and over again tried to push another glass filled with wine into her hands. And although Angelina rarely drank, she mostly refused, everything she drank clouded her vision and reason. Now, in a calm atmosphere and in silence, recalling the events of yesterday evening, she realized that she had drunk quite a bit for the intoxicating properties of the drink to intoxicate her. Now she had virtually no doubt that it was Katherine who had probably slipped a potion into her drink, which had weakened her and literally knocked her off her feet.
The last thing she now remembered, what her blurred gaze saw yesterday, was the carriage into which she was put by some two gentlemen unfamiliar to her...
Remembering this, the girl shuddered all over! Wait! What kind of people are these?! Why did they put her in some kind of carriage?! Moreover, they did it rather unceremoniously and rudely! Yes! Yes! They almost forced her there, although the exhausted victim practically did not resist. What kind of people are these?! Who are they?! What did they want from her?! Did they harm her?!
The seriously alarmed girl quickly raised her hands to her eyes, looked at them, and looked at her feet. Her arms and legs were intact, she felt no pain in her body. But still, some unpleasant feeling, tingling in the chest like a sharp needle, was still present, did not disappear anywhere, and even grew. She quickly looked around with a more attentive glance and...
It was then that the time came for this very “and”... A minute before, remembering how those two strangers roughly pushed her into the carriage, she began to guess that all this was not without reason. It is unlikely that they behaved so unceremoniously with her just to take her home and carefully lay her on her favorite bed. And then gently and carefully cover her with a warm blanket. It was quite obvious that behind all this there could be something very unpleasant for her, and even terrible. And now, having glanced briefly at the stone vaults of the gloomy, dimly lit room, she shuddered with horror.
First and foremost! She's not at home! Second and even more terrible! She is in a kind of gloomy stone bag, very reminiscent of the dungeon she knew in Liverpool. But this was not a basement! There was a window here! Although small, and right under the ceiling! And she lay not on a stone floor, but on a wooden, albeit three times small and modest, but still a bed!
She, as if doused with boiling water, instantly jumped out of bed and looked around again. A very small and cramped room with stone walls resembled some kind of monastery cell. A small room where nuns usually lived.
Realizing that she wouldn’t see anything through the window, and what our heroine wanted most now was to look around and understand where she was, she immediately rushed to the door. The closer the door was, the more her heart sank with fear. She was sure that the door would be locked. She involuntarily remembered Haig's harem, and the constantly locked door to Angelina's room. And although that room was bright and furnished with good quality furniture, the barred windows and the door that was constantly locked with a key turned her cozy nest into, albeit a golden, but hated, boring and disgusting cage. Life in that closed little world was a living hell for the captive.
Angelina was sure that now everything would happen again. This stone bag, where out of all the furniture there was only one bed for sleeping, will be an even greater hell for her! The closer she came to the door, the more desperate she became. She had little doubt that it would be locked. And from this moment the captive begins to count down the time of her stay in a new hell for her! Both were afraid to touch the door handle! She was afraid of her!!!
But to the girl’s great surprise, and to her great joy, the door was not locked!
With euphoria in her soul, she immediately hurried forward along the endlessly long stone corridor, looking for a way out of this terrible stone bag. Alas, the labyrinth of corridors continued, and she still couldn’t find a way out! New terrible fears began to overcome our sufferer.
But then she saw a group of nuns ahead and at first she was happy! After it had already begun to seem to her that she was walled up in some kind of stone labyrinth, where she would meet her death in loneliness and oblivion, the sight of living people made her happy. But at that very moment I was upset! These women were dressed as nuns! So she is in a monastery! What is she doing here?! How did she get here?! The last thing she would like to do is be in a monastery right now! The feeling of spiritual protest grew in the soul of our angry heroine, so she immediately rushed to the nuns. And from afar, barely approaching them, she asked:
- Where I am?! How did I get here?! Where is the exit?! Show me the way out! How can I get out of this terrible place as quickly as possible?!
What they heard so amazed the nuns that they not only froze in place with their faces twisted in horror, but were also speechless! Everyone looked at Angelina with eyes full of horror, not knowing what to answer her. Only one, more decisive, greedily inhaled several times, as if she was suffocating, and flapping her open mouth, trying to catch the portion of air she needed, finally squeezed out:
“And you, atheist, call this our holy monastery, God’s blessed monastery, a terrible place?!” Repent! Repent, sinner! Otherwise, God's punishment will inevitably overtake you! God! What will happen if Mother Superior finds out about these blasphemous words of yours! Oh, what will happen! What will happen…
And the nuns, starting to cross themselves very quickly and often, hurried away.
But our sufferer no longer wanted to accept the next blow of fate so resignedly and patiently. She understood that the time had come to fight all these misfortunes. From now on, she told herself, if there were any troubles in her life, she would tear and throw, as they say, gnaw the earth with her teeth, but submissively and silently surrender herself into the hands of those who mock her, control her destiny, From now on she no longer intends to!
Rushing forward to where the nuns were coming from, and deciding that there must be a way out, she decided for herself that from this stone bag she would now emerge into the world as a completely different person! That from now on, sweet, kind, meek Angelina will sink into oblivion! From now on, the world will know only the Indomitable, Restless, Unbroken, Unyielding, crushing everything on her way to her happiness and a worthy life!
Having finally emerged into the monastery courtyard, taking a breath of fresh air, she immediately began to look for the gate. However, she didn’t have to look for them for long; she found them almost immediately. But this stronghold made of thick, roughly planed logs, so strong as if it were not a monastery, but a medieval knight’s castle, turned out to be locked. Our desperate heroine did not know how to open this huge thing. She looked for other exits, but, alas... Everything was unsuccessful... There were high stone walls everywhere, everywhere everything resembled both a castle and a prison in one, eerie combination.
Having spent a lot of time unsuccessfully searching for a way out of this dead end, our heroine couldn’t come up with anything better than to turn to the first nun she came across and take her to the owner of this establishment. To the abbess. The nun, looking fearfully at Angelina, dressed in a secular dress, crossed herself in confusion and hurried away with a quick gait. This fact provoked our heroine even more. She remembered that quite recently she had promised herself not to patiently accept the blows of fate, but to fight them decisively. That’s why I caught up with the running nun, grabbed her hand and squeezed it very tightly. So hard that she literally howled in pain.
- Why are you running away from me?! – Angelina’s gaze and voice were filled with anger. – What am I to you?! Empty place?! Do I look like someone who can be ignored?! Turn your back to her and not answer her questions and requests?! Now take me to the abbess! Otherwise I will break your arm!
The obedient nun, who had spent her entire life raising prayers to heaven, was encountering such blatant aggression for the first time. God's dandelion, frightened to death, had no choice but to immediately obediently carry out the order of this aggressive stranger.
Mother Abbess was sitting in her cell, at a large table, sorting through some papers lying on the tabletop.
For the experienced eye of the abbess, one moment was enough, one glance at the nun’s face, frightened to death, white with horror, and at the heated and angry facial expressions on Angelina’s face, to understand what the essence of the matter was. The old woman, accustomed to command, immediately said in an authoritative voice:
- Go, Fanny. Go! Devote yourself to prayers, servant of the Lord. And you, sinner, have a seat. I have a separate conversation with you.
- This is what I have to talk to you about! “Angelina wanted to explode with anger, but, realizing that she couldn’t immediately anger the owner of the establishment within whose walls she was currently located, she immediately lowered her tone and spoke more restrainedly. – This is what I want to ask you. How and why did I end up here?! Against your will. Without asking my permission. I don't want to be here! Let me go... Please...
The more the girl spoke, the more attentively she looked at the stony, arrogant face of the abbess, not tolerant of objections, the more she realized that all her words would most likely break against an insensitive stone wall. A bad feeling, like in the past, the worst of times, began to overcome her again. One glance at the abbess, spewing disdain and pride with her entire appearance and behavior, was enough to understand that their conversation would not end well.
The abbess raised her eyebrows mockingly, showing the extreme degree of her amazement.
- You, I see, are even more of a scoundrel than I thought! Talk to me in such a tone... You will have to wear out your knees from morning to evening, crawling in front of the images, begging forgiveness for your insolence.
Now it was Angelina’s turn to be sincerely surprised by what she heard.
- What?! Crawling on your knees from morning to evening?! I don't want to crawl! And from morning to evening too! I don't want to waste my time! I want to go home! I have a lot to do! Let me out of here!
The abbess's eyes widened even further in even greater surprise.
- What?! Do you, you scoundrel, consider offering prayers to the Creator, our Lord, a waste of time?! I have never heard more vile blasphemous speeches! I’ll lock you in the chapel for three days and three nights, so that there, without sleep or rest, you atone for your sin for your seditious speeches. If after this your impudent head does not gain some sense of reason, if you do not understand that from now on you need to behave humbly and docilely, then I will double the length of your imprisonment in the chapel. And then three times. And so on until you kiss my hands in gratitude for helping to cleanse your sinful soul. That from now on, until the end of your worthless life, you will completely and completely devote your life to a great cause! Serving the Lord! Let it be so! From now until the end of your last days on this earth!
Angelina felt how these words made her feel bad. She remembered the prison cell in the Tower, the stone bag in the dungeons of Liverpool, the barred windows in the harem of a plantation owner in Barbados. After these ominous words of the abbess, she realized that whether she wanted it or not, from now on the walls of this gloomy and inhospitable monastery would become just as much a prison for her. The same place of imprisonment and restriction of her freedom as the places mentioned above.
She felt sick from shock and shock. She saw how dark circles swam before her eyes, how her strength began to leave her. Her legs became weak, she dropped her body onto a nearby chair.
Seeing this, the abbess triumphantly and victoriously allowed herself to stretch her mouth into a cynical grin, took the bell standing on the table, and waved her hand.
The ringing of the bell was immediately responded to by two tall and strong-looking nuns, who quickly appeared at the door and froze, awaiting the orders of their mistress.
- Take this sinner to a prayer place you know. – The abbess said in an authoritative voice. “In three days, you will unlock the door of the chapel and take her to her cell.” The one you put it in yesterday. By the way, there is also a cassock prepared for her. She, being impudent, did not deign to dress her. Therefore, tear off this sinful worldly dress from her, and leave her the cassock. So that she doesn't have the right to choose. She won't walk around naked. Forgive me, Lord, for my sinful words. Willy-nilly, she will put on the cassock herself. Voluntarily. Go!
- Listen, mother!
Both nuns blurted out the words they had memorized to the point of automatism in one gulp, picked up the almost unconscious, extremely weakened body, under the arms of the unfortunate woman, and dragged her away.
Again an endless string of corridors, again around stone walls and nothing but them.
Having taken the unfortunate woman into the chapel, the healthy and strong maids literally forcibly tore off all the clothes that she was wearing from the captive, leaving her completely naked. Having lowered the unfortunate woman onto the stone floor, they placed a neatly folded cassock next to her. The door slammed shut and a click sounded, indicating that the door was locked. Walking steps were heard. An oppressive silence reigned in the prayer room.
Merciless and cruel Fate has begun the countdown of a new cruel test it has prepared for Angelina...

Episode five
Subsequent events eloquently demonstrated to Angelina that she was clearly in a hurry, vowing to herself that she would respond to any offense addressed to her with aggression and rejection of such an attitude towards herself. She had had to be convinced more than once before, and now she was clearly convinced that very, very often we are not the masters of our destinies. That sometimes circumstances work out in such a way that we completely fall into the power of someone’s ill will. And you, being involuntary in your actions, can do absolutely nothing to change anything. You see that your oppressor not only does not give a damn about the fact that you do not accept such a humiliating attitude towards yourself, but, on the contrary, he will also deliberately and demonstratively humiliate you! To bring you even greater suffering and sweeter pleasure for yourself! It's pleasure! You see that a person is not teaching you something good. So that later, if you do what he asks for well, he can praise you. You see that he will not only never praise you, but will never say a single kind word to you! Even if you do everything brilliantly! He will do everything on purpose in order to humiliate and punish you! Make fun of you!
This is exactly what Mother Abbess did. Poor Angelina tried to talk to her both good and bad, and beg her, and threaten her. But everything is useless. She just became embittered. Every word of the girl, even spoken in a meek and innocent, pleading tone, only irritated the abbess of the monastery. Angelina did not know the nature of the abbess’s hostile attitude towards her. She marveled at how she, not knowing her, not understanding whether she was good or bad, treated the new novice as if she had caused the old woman so much suffering and torment that for the rest of her life she would now beg for atonement for her guilt. But Angelina didn’t do anything bad to the abbess! So why is she so cruel to her?! This question, to which there was no answer, greatly depressed the captive.
And she was precisely a captive in this monastery. She understood this. She also saw that many nuns were here of their own free will, and saw no other meaning in life than to devote themselves to prayers. For Angelina, this was not simply unacceptable. For her it was cave wildness! Yes, you can believe in a higher power, yes, you can offer prayers to heaven at the right time, yes, you can attend church on Sundays. But in order to imprison herself in the gloomy prison walls, namely, the walls of the monastery seemed like prisons to her, in order to voluntarily deprive herself of all worldly joys, and turn her life, which is given to you once, into a miserable existence in this suffocating closed little world, and drag it out to the end life, it was beyond the understanding of our heroine. Her mind refused to believe that such a thing could be agreed to voluntarily.
Alas, that’s exactly how it was all around. And against the background of these indifferent faces, devoid of any human emotions, the freedom-loving and energetic Angelina felt even more oppressed. It seemed to her that she had found herself in a world of some living dead, where time stood still, where nothing happened, where days, weeks, months merged into a single boring, sluggishly flowing mass that sucked her, Angelina, into some terribly dark abyss , from which there will never be a return...
Our heroine did not want to die in this abyss! She longed for a return to her former, present, full life! Filled with joy, laughter, fun! But how will they return to it?! How to escape from this hell?! There was no way out of it! High stone walls, thick, forever closed gates... Life seemed to have stopped here.
But the girl didn’t want to give up. She understood that she just needed to take a closer look at everything around her, notice everything, listen to everything and remember everything. Maybe something will happen that will give her the opportunity to escape. Or somehow escape from this hell. She forced herself to endure, to wait, to believe that sooner or later something would happen that would change her life. Alas, days, weeks, months came, but nothing changed...
And then one day she witnessed something unusual...
The eternally locked gates swung open, and a carriage drove into the monastery courtyard!
The case itself is out of the ordinary! But not only this made our sufferer’s heart beat faster in her chest. Looking at the carriage, the girl realized that she had seen this carriage somewhere before. But I couldn’t remember where and when.
However, what's the difference?! Whoever it was, it was a man from that other world! The world that the suffering girl missed so much! Angelina immediately got the idea to rush to the man who was about to get out of the carriage and tearfully ask him to help her escape from this hell! She will ask this person to contact the king, duke, viscountess, so that they will again, as in the case of Barbados, help her. So that this man, who will now get out of the carriage, conveys the news to them, says that Angelina is here! How she would like the brave and decisive Mr. Cook to arrive here as well! And so that, just as then, without fear of the all-powerful planter, he took her then, so now he would snatch her from the tenacious and cruel hands of this soulless abbess!
Angelina was now quite sincerely and sincerely mentally praising the Lord and heaven for the fact that she was not now in her cell or in the chapel. That’s why I wouldn’t have seen the arrival of this carriage. She praised God for passing by the window just in time and seeing a carriage drive into the monastery courtyard! Now! Now she will run to the owner of the card! He will ask him for a favor, and everything will be decided! Everything will definitely be resolved! Soon her torment here will end!
Feeling that her heart was about to jump out of her chest from an overabundance of positive emotions, the sufferer was about to rush from the window to the steps in order to have time to intercept the newcomer, but it was at that moment that the guest of the monastery got out of the carriage...
Angelina's heart sank...
She immediately recognized Lady Molly Campbell...
Our sufferer's entire body was paralyzed in an instant! She didn’t yet know what was behind all this, including this visit here by the intriguer, but a split second was enough for her to understand: she, Angelina, was in big trouble! Where this forged lady is, only conspiracy, meanness, abomination and grief will await Madame Bronte! You need to be afraid of this lady like fire!
With every fiber of her soul, Angelina realized that the lady had arrived here for a reason. There is something very, very evil behind her visit! And this unkindness can be directly connected with Angelina!
Seeing that the guest headed towards the door that leads to the abbess’s cell, our heroine immediately realized that now no force in the world would stop her from getting to the abbess’s door and not overhearing what these two would talk about there . And the girl had almost no doubt that the intriguer went specifically to the abbess.
She ran headlong up the steps. But, having entered the territory of the monastery courtyard, she walked with a slow and sad step, as everyone usually walks here, so as not to attract attention to herself.
Her heart was jumping out of her chest. With her peripheral vision, she looked around to see if anyone was watching her. She didn't notice anything suspicious. In addition, the monastery courtyard was completely deserted at this hour. Therefore, she crossed the courtyard at a demonstrably leisurely pace, then, entering the corridor, rushed as fast as she could up the steps to quickly get to the abbess’s door. When she finally reached her goal, I stopped, looked around very, very carefully, made sure that there was no one nearby, and that no one was watching her, and only then quietly, literally on the tips of my toes, I approached the abbess’s door, and carefully put her ear to the crack of the door.
And then I heard the abbess’s voice. It was both hers and at the same time not her voice! It is clear that this was the abbess speaking. But the tone of her voice amazed Angelina! She got used to the fact that there was nothing but malice, hatred and anger, nothing else in the abbess’s voice, and could not be! But now an amazing transformation has occurred! Her voice sounded welcoming, affectionate and even ingratiating! It was absolutely incredible! Angelina couldn’t believe that this fiend of hell, this cold block of stone, which she knew as the abbess, could talk to someone like that! Kind, sincere, sweet and friendly voice! The change was dramatic!
- Glad! I'm sincerely glad to see you, my dear! – The abbess’s voice sounded like a babbling warm spring stream. – I really miss you, I really do miss you! I want to hear the usual worldly gossip from you! What is going on in the world now?! How are you, my dear, doing?! How are you doing?! How are you doing on the love front?! Have you finally won the heart and taken this simpleton duke into your hands?! Is he already at your feet? Are you in charge of all his affairs now? How did you plan it?
In one short monologue, the abbess said so much that only her questions themselves gave Angelina ready-made answers to much of what she both guessed and didn’t guess.
- I’ll tell you about everything, everything, mother! But first you answer my question! The question that interests me most. Which doesn't let me sleep at night! How is that scoundrel who had the audacity to stand in the way between me and the count doing here?! Are you doing everything, mother, as I asked you about it?!
The mischievous laughter of the abbess was heard behind the door.
- And don’t doubt it, my dear! Everything is exactly as you asked! From the moment your people brought her here to me, I immediately began to do everything to make her understand what a low, vile and worthless creature she is! You told me with such anger about how this dirty former peasant woman dared to stand between you and the count, that I myself became imbued with a personal, fierce hatred for her. I am doing everything possible and impossible to poison the life of this scoundrel! To make her interruption here unbearable! So trust me, dear! If she doesn’t lay hands on herself, then life here, in my monastery, will seem worse than death to her!
- Well, what about you, Teresa?! What kind of death can you talk about?! There should be no death! I myself could easily give orders to my people so that they would just as easily and quickly send her to heaven! No! This would be too easy a way out for this scoundrel! She shouldn't die so quickly! This would be too hasty and an easy escape from suffering and torment! She must live a long time! And suffer for a long time! So that she understands that she is such a tiny insect compared to me! She must answer in full for her insolence!
- He will answer, my dear Molly! He will answer! She is already howling like a wolf from grief and suffering! I will do everything to make her torment completely unbearable! Be calm! I will do everything conscientiously! You know me! This is not the first time you have brought people you dislike to me. What they had to endure here after that, and where they are now, we both have a great conversation about this! You better tell us about life at court! About worldly affairs! How is the king doing?! Have you heard that things are really bad for him?! They say that this commoner... What's his name? Oliver Cromwell? That he would grab Karl by the beard, and... However, I will not say these seditious words addressed to God’s anointed one. Forgive me, Lord, for my speeches like this! It’s better that you tell me about it yourself, my dear. Let's have a glass of church wine! I’ll pour it now, and you tell me, my dear, tell me!
After plantations, harems, Liverpool dungeons and the holds of slave ships, it seemed to Angelina that nothing and no one would surprise her in this world. Now, with a sinking heart, listening to what was being said in the cell, she, with depressing clarity for herself, began to understand that there were no limits to human meanness, cruelty, abomination... Her mind refused to believe that this was possible in the world!
- You shouldn’t be so careful in your conversations, mother! These are not seditious things! This is what is happening around now, and what everyone knows about! If the heads of Earl Stafford and Archbishop Lloyd, people before whom only yesterday everyone and everyone trembled, rolled along the scaffolds, then what prevents Parliament from sending Charles along the same path?! I’ll tell you a secret, my dear mother, that perhaps it would be even better! And the Duke has a good grip, and I can do something. Together with him, we could plan something so that in the end William Jacobson would sit on the coveted throne instead of the deposed king!
A ringing silence reigned in the room.
- That's enough for you, Molly! I almost spilled the wine! Is this conceivable?! Is this really possible?!
- Perhaps, mother! Everything is possible! There is such a rush around now, people are so seething! First revolution, then war! In such chaos, anything is possible! True, it confuses me that the Duke wants to see the king on the throne and continues to remain faithful to him. But I will try to convince him that he is blind and deaf! That you need to use such a favorable situation for your personal benefit.
Although curiosity is a strong thing, Angelina suddenly realized that she could no longer listen to all this. Because it was unbearable to endure this stream of dirt, meanness and disgust, which poured out in an endless stream from the lips of these unworthy people. It takes a truly evil genius to not have a single good word in your speech! And everywhere there was only negativity, envy, and gloating! These two were not worthy of listening to! Considering that the main thing was heard by Angelina! Now she found out who the cause of all her troubles was. What lies behind all this and why is she here? Political nuances and other gossip that these two will discuss should be the least of her interests now! She needs to take care of herself! Now she knows for sure that she will not leave the walls of this monastery by any legal means. It was necessary to get out of here using cunning. Which? What can you come up with?!
The girl thought she heard someone's steps. Therefore, she hastily left, realizing that sooner or later she might be noticed here, at the door. So there was no need to be upset that someone scared her. It was still necessary to leave this place and think about how to get out of the monastery as quickly as possible!
She remembered the impregnable high walls, the constantly closed gates. Oh, it will be difficult for her to escape from here! Oh, it's difficult! In fact, today she saw the gate open for the first time! The same amount of time must be waited for someone to arrive again, and the opportunity arises to take advantage of the opening gates and try to escape through them!
And suddenly a sudden thought paralyzed the girl! She thought: what a long time to wait for a loan, if you can run away today! Right now! Take advantage of a visit to this lady's monastery! And the girl immediately understood exactly how she would do it!
Feeling her heart beating stronger and stronger in her chest from excitement and the upcoming escape, she went out into the yard and began to leisurely walk around the yard, keeping her closer to the walls and the carriage.
There were very few people in the yard. Virtually deserted. Only occasionally did someone cross the courtyard and disappear again into the opposite wing of the huge building.
Choosing a moment when there was absolutely no one in the yard, and she was as close as possible to the map, our heroine, having hastily looked around again and making sure that no one was watching her, quickly ducked under the carriage! Then she quickly squeezed into the gap between the longitudinal wooden beam and the floor of the carriage, and froze there for a long time, not moving, and literally not breathing. She really wanted this trick of hers to remain unnoticed by anyone. She was sure that no one saw this. But she knew that the coachman was dozing on the box. She was afraid of his reaction. That’s why I tried to do everything so slowly, carefully, without sudden jerks, so as not to arouse the slightest suspicion in the coachman. Judging by the fact that he did not react in any way, she realized with relief in her soul that apparently he was in a deep sleep, and he really didn’t feel anything.
Time passed and nothing happened. At first this made her happy. She understood that no one could see her in this secluded place. This could not but please me. But suddenly the thought occurred to her that the schemer would want to see her victim. What if she asks the abbess to show her her former rival. Perhaps the lady, reveling in her victory and impunity, will want to hang out in front of the captive! And verbally mock her?! The abbess will order Angelina to be brought to her, but no one will be able to find her! This will alarm everyone! Everyone can rush to search for the missing one!
This was the last thing the fugitive wanted! Now she was reproaching herself for her lack of foresight. If they really start looking for her and eventually find her, then she will fall into despair that her so gloriously planned escape fell through without being realized! The poor guy wanted to cry out of despair. But she no longer wanted to change anything. Firstly, she could be seen if she left her secluded place. Secondly, if everything goes well, then when the lady heads into the carriage to leave, the fugitive simply will not have time to climb into the same place again. In this case, escape will become completely impossible. Therefore, our heroine had no choice but to wait. Be patient and wait. To endure, because sitting, or rather, motionless in one place, was extremely uncomfortable. My arms and legs were numb. And just as we all don’t like to wait, everyone knows us very well.
Finally, Angelina heard distant voices and realized that someone was approaching the carriage. She curled up into a ball and held her breath. She was so afraid of being exposed. She was so fed up with the virtual imprisonment in this monastery, she was so mentally determined that she would now escape from this hell, that now, if her idea was revealed and the planned escape was thwarted, she simply would not survive it. Her heart was beating so hard that she was afraid that anyone who might approach the carriage would hear the beating.
The voices sounded closer and closer. Now it was clear that this was a conversation between the abbess and the lady. Both voices were so hateful to the sufferer that, upon hearing them, she literally shuddered with horror and disgust. But from what she heard, she understood that the abbess had come out to see off her guest, who was getting into the carriage and getting ready to leave. This fact unusually inspired and inspired our heroine. She realized that no one had noticed her escape, that the lady would now get into the carriage, the eternally closed gloomy gates of the monastery would open in front of her, and soon both the carriage and the fugitive with it would leave the confines of this terrible place! For the best, revenge was impossible!
The entire body and soul of the unfortunate woman were filled with euphoria and energy. But she also understood that it was too early to rejoice. When everything is over, when she gets out not only from these walls, but also from this carriage, and no one will notice her, only then will she be able to breathe a sigh of relief and say to herself: “The job is done!” So far, only half of the plan has been implemented. Now we had to endure and wait to see what would happen next and how it would all end.
The fugitive heard how the abbess said goodbye to her guest, how she said in response to her the usual and usual words in such cases, how the opening gate creaked, how the coachman whipped the horses, how the carriage moved off and, picking up speed, rushed forward.
It seemed to Angelina that her heart was about to jump out of her chest with joy. The excess of positive emotions went off scale. She repeated to herself many times that it was too early to calm down, but it still seemed to her that everything was already behind her. They definitely passed the monastery a long time ago, it probably remained far away! You could now leave your shelter, bend down to the ground, fall to the ground so that it ends up between the two rear wheels of the map, wait for the carriage to rush into the distance, then get up and run away from the road. Sit somewhere in a shelter, think everything over, and then act according to the circumstances.
First of all, you need to find out where it is. Ask one of the local residents. At the same time, ask how to get to London. And, having arrived at the palace, immediately rush to the Duke and tell him everything.
But the carriage was rushing quickly, so the fugitive did not dare to jump at such high speed. But that didn't upset her much. She understood that sooner or later the crew would stop. Either she will rest for the horses at some inn, or in another place where Angelina will see that there is a favorable moment for escape, and will quietly and unnoticed leave her hiding place. But so far there has been no such opportunity. Our heroine decided to wait.
She began to look out of her hiding place more and more often, and, as far as possible, to inspect the road. She really wanted to know where they were now. And understand what she could do. It was very inconvenient, but at the very least it was possible to somehow spy on what was visible on the sides. Now they were passing through some settlement, where the fugitive even saw some woman walking along the village street. Like a fugitive, I wanted to rush to her, call out to her, explain to her everything that was happening, ask her for help. After those soulless people and indifferent glances that she encountered in the abode of evil, she was now happy to see a normal person now, not a religious fanatic zombified by the abbess, but an adequate person who knew how to think sensibly. How our sufferer wanted to jump now and run to this woman! But she also understood that if the lady noticed her escape, then this woman would not help her, Angelina, in any way. This terrible lady, which is a vengeful lady, will undoubtedly not only return the fugitive to her previous captivity, but will literally destroy the villager if she dares to help Angelina. So she decided to wait. Until a more favorable moment comes for escape.
Soon the village was left behind, and fields and meadows became visible along the map's path. Also on the left side I could see the surface of the water. From the place where the fugitive was hiding, the opposite bank was not visible. She did not understand that this was the shore of a river or ocean, but the proximity of nature and expanses of water filled her heart with optimism. After the suffocating world of the stone walls of the monastery, the now visible landscapes clearly demonstrated to her that from now on she was free! So long-awaited and desired! There is only one step left to take: leave the carriage unnoticed. When can this be done? She always looked out from her hiding place and chose the right moment.
So they began to drive not just near the shore, but along the edge of a high cliff hanging over the shore. There were sections of the road where it was very close to the edge of the cliff, and the fugitive was surprised at how high it was, and how far below the surface of the water was.
It was at one of these moments that the lady’s cry was heard, and the coachman immediately stopped the carriage. The door on the right side of the carriage swung open and Molly Campbell stepped out. Angelina saw her legs, she approached the coachman.
- Come down to me, Tom! Let's stretch our legs a little after a long journey!
He quickly jumped to the ground, and Angelina could already see two pairs of legs slowly walking along the right side of the carriage. She was so afraid of jumping while driving fast. Now, it seemed, was the right time to get out of your hiding place, and quietly sneak somewhere in the opposite direction, from the place where these two were now walking, and hide in the bushes until they left. But now, when almost absolute silence reigned around, which was broken only by barely audible blows of the wind and distant splashes of waves, any rustle that the fugitive would create while they were jumping to the ground, leaving their shelter, could be heard by these two. And the carriage can swing on its springs at this moment. This will give the fugitive away.
That is why she decided to wait for now and jump off only when the carriage starts moving again. And the speed will be low, which suited her, and the travelers at this time will look ahead and will not notice her, left behind, and, of course, the swaying of the carriage on the uneven dirt road will in no way give away the fact that someone has just walked jumped out of the carriage. Angelina decided to wait. Now she had no choice but to hear, willy-nilly, what these two began to talk about.
“If you only knew, Tom,” the lady’s sweet voice, laced with irony, was heard, “what indescribable pleasure the moments give me when I watch these pathetic and insignificant insects, which I threw into a glass vessel, so that they would understand They are such tiny creatures, they are trying to get out of this vessel. They, worthless ones, come up with various tricks in order to somehow reach the edge of the vessel, grab the saving edge, and get out to freedom. Some even initially succeed, and they, insignificant ones, begin to rejoice, naively believing that they have outwitted me! This, my friend Tom, only makes me smile ironically... Who are they, insignificant ones, planning to outwit?! Me?! Lady Molly Campbell?!
The lady laughed, and this laughter made the fugitive feel uneasy. He was so evil, sinister and cynical that a chill of fear ran down our heroine’s spine. She curled up even more tightly with foreboding.
- Something similar happened now, Tom. I acted very prudently, allowing myself, while talking with my mother, to go to the window and look into the courtyard. To the place where my carriage stood. And what do you think, Tom, what did I see?
Angelina felt a lump of bitterness and despair begin to roll up to her throat.
- Yes, my friend Tom, yes! I saw another insignificant bug trying to outwit me and crawl out of a glass vessel! How this little insect, very small and tiny, completely insignificant and despicable, with tiny chicken brains in its head, darted under my carriage and hid there!
- Oh really?! – Tom’s voice sounded quite sincere.
- Yes, Tom! Yes! Exactly! This despicable creature, which I don’t even consider a human being, decided to outsmart me! What is it like?! What unheard of impudence!
The fugitive realized that now would be the perfect time to leave her place and run away, but the despair of being exposed was so enormous that her will was paralyzed. She understood that at the moment she did not have any strength to do at least anything.
“It’s not for nothing that I, Tom, take as my servants, coachman, and other assistants those who can not only quickly handle their direct responsibilities, but also wield a sword and pistol just as skillfully in order to carry out my other orders.” I'm afraid that you, Tom, will now again have to remember what you have repeatedly done for me before. Send my next rival to heaven.
- So it’s me at least now, madam! Just order it!
- Just wait! Let me think! On the one hand, you can right now pull this rat out from under the carriage by its hair, deprive it of its vile, thrice worthless life, and throw it down the cliff. So that the water would hide her unwanted body from everyone and forever. I specifically ordered to stop right here, in this place, on the edge of a high cliff. But in other way…
Silence reigned, which was fucking paralyzed by the fear and despair of the fugitive, more terrible than the roar of a thousand guns.
- On the other hand, Tom, this is too easy a death for such a blatant wretch that she is. I don't want her to lose her life so quickly. She must suffer long and terribly. Her death throes must last as long as possible! So that during this time she can realize such a huge difference between her and me! So that she understands that she has committed such a huge stupidity by standing between me and the Duke!
No matter how paralyzed the fugitive was with despair and fear, only now did it dawn on her consciousness and reason that nothing good awaited her ahead. Which will only get worse. That sitting further in her hiding place and waiting for something to happen is the most unacceptable thing she can do now. It is quite clear that sooner or later this Tom will pull her out of her hiding place by the hair, and then there will be no chance of salvation at all. Now it was possible to quickly slip out, run headlong to the cliff, and step down. Yes, the height is huge, you can crash. Yes, Tom's bullet sent after her can catch up with her. But there is at least some hope here! And no matter how cowardly the girl was, no matter how terrified she was of the unknown of what would happen ahead, she realized: she needed to act! Which is what she did.
Jumping to the ground, she immediately rolled out to the left side of the map. Opposite to where the lady and Tom were now. Immediately she quickly jumped to her feet and ran as fast as she could towards the cliff.
The next second she heard screams behind her, then a shot...
A minute later, she pushed off from the edge of the cliff at full speed and jumped down...
She only looked down for a moment! But even this short moment was enough for her to understand how enormous the height is, how long the distance to the water is, and how incredibly real the chances of breaking on the surface of the water are...
From fear, horror, despair, pain, screams, a shot, from everything that was happening to her, she lost consciousness...
Or perhaps it was the bullet that caught up with her that did its job.
Whatever it was, it turned out that after some time, it was not Angelina who fell into the water at rapid speed, but her unconscious body...

Episode six
When Angelina opened her eyes and saw nothing around her except darkness, gloom and hopeless darkness, she realized that she was in hell. If this were heaven, then everything around would be filled with sunshine. The birds of paradise would sing, she would breathe in clean and pleasant air. Here there was a terrible stench, the stale air of a closed little world, impenetrable silence, and an invisible but tangible feeling of fear and the unknown dominating around the body and will, paralyzing the body and will. The situation was truly such that the thought of hell appeared by itself and became obsessive. After all, everything around was so uncomfortable, bad, unusual and wild that it seemed that this could not happen anywhere else in ordinary human life except in hell. Alas, the more time passed, the more unthinkable it seemed to her at first, gradually became a reality for her.
Still continuing to lie and not having the strength to get up, she understood more and more clearly that she was not sleeping, not dead, not in hell, but in a terribly unpleasant and terrible place. But where exactly, she still didn’t understand.
But the more time passed, the more she realized what was actually happening. By the way the wooden floor on which she lay swayed rhythmically, by the way distant, barely audible splashes of waves could be heard, she began to realize that she was in the hold of a sailing ship.
This both pleased and frightened her. It was good because it could mean that she managed to escape from the lady she hated and her coachman, who could become her executioner. And the scarecrow is because she is not in a cabin, but in a dirty, stinking hold. This fact did not bode well for her. The place that people as yet unknown to her gave her on their ship spoke eloquently of how they treated their guest. It is clear that such an attitude did not bode well. She remembered what terrible living conditions were on the sugar plantations of Barbados, and understood that her current place of stay could be compared with the inhumanity that then reigned on that damned island. The bad feeling again, once again, made her heart clench painfully. She caught herself thinking that there had already been an enormous number of such situations in her young, just-begun life! God! Why are you punishing me so cruelly?! The poor girl asked herself this question many times, and just as many times did not find an answer to it.
Having come to her senses a little, the unfortunate woman began to examine her place of stay. However, there was almost nothing to look at, because twilight reigned everywhere. Now that her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, she began to discern some outlines of the hold, but very, very dimly. She stood up and began to move slowly by touch. Relying not so much on her eyes as on her hands, with which she touched everything that came her way. The first thing she felt and then saw was the wooden partitions. First some, then others...
At first this caused her bewilderment, but the next moment she froze, paralyzed with fear...
She clearly remembered what she saw in the hold in which the captive slaves were languishing!!!
With stunning clarity, the girl instantly realized that she was in the hold of a slave ship! A ship designed to transport slaves! And in it she, Angelina, occupies the most unenviable, most terrible and bitter place!!!
Our sufferer had to experience a lot of things. But this had never happened to her before... It seemed that fate was not tired of mocking her! And he is looking for new and new ways to get rid of it from the light...
The poor guy wanted to howl like a wolf. From despair and hopelessness, from self-pity...
What to do? Call for help? But no one will hear her except those who themselves put her in this hold! Each time it seemed to our sufferer that the worst of her life was irrevocably behind her. But time passes, and she finds herself in new troubles that are much worse than those she had to experience before. If you can escape from a plantation or a monastery, then where can you escape from a ship that is located in the middle of the vast expanses of the ocean?! Out of hopelessness and grief, Angelina burst into tears...
It was at this time that a roar was heard from somewhere above. The captive instinctively raised her head and saw how a sailor pushed the hatch cover aside, went down, looked for the one he wanted to see with his eyes, put a bowl of food on the floor in front of her, and headed away.
- Wait! – The girl cried out in despair. - Where I am?! Where did I end up?! Why am I being kept here?! - And seeing that the sailor continued to walk away, not paying attention to her words, she began to wail even more pitifully. - Answer! Please! Be merciful! Imagine if your sister or your daughter fell into such a situation! And there is no one to help her! Do not leave! Answer! Please!
Apparently, the voice of the sufferer, breaking with excitement, touched the soul of the old sailor. He stopped, froze for a while, then turned and looked sympathetically at the captive.
- Actually, there is no reason for us to have intimate conversations with the goods we transport. This way there is less hassle and remorse. But you are the first who made me remember about my daughter... Now she is probably the same age as you...
The sailor sighed heavily. Apparently, the memories of his daughter struck a chord with him.
- You, child, are on the Lime ship. We left the port of London and headed towards the English Channel. Just when it seemed that the shores of England were about to be left behind, and the endless waters of the strait lay ahead, we saw a body floating in the water... It turned out that you were still alive. And since we are a slave ship and are heading to the shores of Africa for the next batch of slaves, we decided that you will be our leader. The first trophy, to which we will then add those we catch in Niger. And other coastal fears of the familiar and native African bay. Well, then we’ll send you all to Barbados. There slaves are worth their weight in gold! Let's earn a little extra money. So, be patient, child, until we arrive at Bridgestone...
Angelina so begged the sailor to tell everything, and now she was so shocked by what she heard that she thought that it would be better if he did not tell her all this. The truth was not just terrible. She was shocking. It was impossible to imagine anything more terrible than a return to Barbados and new slavery on these terrible plantations. Incredible fear, animal horror took possession of the consciousness of our unfortunate woman. She wanted to say something to the sailor, but the words got stuck in her throat, parched from excitement.
Only when she saw that the sailor was leaving again, and she needed to do at least something to save herself, she again prayed:
- But you are sailing to Africa. This is your goal! And we are from England! I am your compatriot! I'm originally from Flint! From Wales! Now I live in London! How can you, your fellow countrywoman, take me into slavery?! Come back to London! Rich people, as a sign of gratitude that you will return me to them, will pay you a lot of money!
The sailor stopped again, turned around, and shook his head sadly.
- You lay unconscious for a long time. We have already passed the English Channel a long time ago. We are already far from England. No one will come back! And as for the fact that you are English, this is... We carry a lot of Englishmen as slaves. There are so many of them... Vagrants, beggars, convicts... They are the same commodity as blacks. Our captain, Bill Kelly, doesn't shy away from any coin! She is equally loud! And received for blacks, and ended up in the pocket from the sale of the British! The main thing for us is to earn money while our legs are still carrying us. And everything else does not concern us.
Having said this, the sailor resolutely headed towards the exit, making it clear that he had already talked beyond measure, and did not intend to continue the talking shop.
But it was at that moment that he heard the emotional exclamation of the captive behind him:
- Are you talking about Bill Kelly?! Maybe he's a relative of George Kelly?! I recently helped Captain George Kelly obtain his marque patent! If this is a relative of your captain, and I helped him, then maybe he will take pity on me?! Pass these words of mine to your captain! Please! My name is Angelina Bronte! Pass it on! I ask you to!
The girl was very embarrassed that the sailor left without answering her. But she understood that he must have heard everything she said. The main thing is that he conveys all this to the captain. It is clear that it may happen that the sufferer’s hopes will be in vain. Perhaps these two captains are simply namesakes. And the slave trader had never before heard of a pirate who needed a privateering patent. But just as a drowning man clutches at straws to try to save his life, so the tormented girl tried to cling to every opportunity in order to avoid the terrible fate that awaited her.
Although Angelina was terribly hungry, she still did not touch the bowl. She was horrified by the mere thought that she would eat food in such a place, with such dirt and stench. It was beneath her dignity. It seemed to her that she would sooner die of hunger than touch food here, where nightmare and horror reigned. Besides, from now on she was not thinking about food. All her thoughts and thoughts were occupied by the hope that the sailor would convey her words to the captain, and soon someone would come for her and call her to the captain. She shuddered from every rustle coming from above. How she wanted people to come for her! She was suffocating here! She didn’t even want to stay here for a day, an hour, a minute, an extra second! But she understood that if no one came for her now, then she would have to stay here forever! For the entire duration of the voyage. Until they bring her to Barbados. And there a new hell will begin! No less terrible than the one she is in now. If her hope turns out to be not in vain, if the captains turn out to be relatives, and the captain of the Lime now helps her, then she will be able to avoid the horror that now surrounds her and what awaits her in the future. The stakes, as you understand, were now very, very high for Angelina. Too much depended on whether someone would come to her now or not.
But time passed and nothing changed. Horror and despair began to take possession of the captive. Now more and more often she thought about the feeling of hunger. She, as before, considered it the height of moral degradation to eat here, among these sewage. She remembered what she had previously seen in the hold of another slave ship, and recalled the words of the one who showed her all this and said that the unfortunate people here eat, sleep, and, most importantly, relieve themselves. These words now rang like bells in her ears. She imagined how she would stay here until this hold began to fill with slaves captured in Africa. What hell is going to happen here! Then everything will become a hundred times worse for her!
There were still ventilation grilles at the top, through which light penetrated into the hold. From it she understood that it was daytime up there, outside her prison. When it became completely dark, the captive realized that night had fallen. It's time to get some sleep after all the day's worries. Alas, this was the case when the last thing I wanted to do was sleep. That the poor thing changed her mind that night is not worth mentioning. You and I can only imagine it.
In the morning, however, sleep overcame her. Or maybe it was simply not only a dream, but also experiences, worries, suffering, that forced her to plunge into a kind of oblivion. We can call it a dream. Maybe she consciously wanted to finally fall asleep in order to forget, at least for a short time, about the grief that now most likely awaits her, quite possibly and inevitably.
In the morning she woke up to someone persistently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw in front of her a middle-aged sailor she already knew.
Seeing that the girl had opened her eyes, he cleared his throat diplomatically.
- You are...Get up...I was distracted by business yesterday, and only this morning I remembered your request. The captain, when he heard what I told him, immediately ordered you to be brought to him immediately. So let's go. Get up.
Angelina almost screamed with joy. She instantly jumped up and, choking from an excess of emotions, trying not to lose consciousness from incredible joy, hurried after the sailor. At first she wanted to scold him for not immediately conveying her request to the captain. But, realizing that this will not change anything, and the main thing must happen, albeit belatedly, I decided to forget about the offense against the sailor and focus on the main thing. On finding mutual understanding in a conversation with the captain. A lot depended on that now. If not all. Her fate actually depended on him. The girl understood this, which is why she was incredibly worried. As she walked, she straightened her hair, dusted off her dress, and mentally selected the words that she should now say to this person.
The fresh air and bright sun turned her head when they reached the deck. It seemed to her that she had gone from hell to heaven. Everything in our life is known in comparison. Our heroine had more than enough cases to compare being in different situations in which she found herself. She certainly had something to compare.
Several sailors stood at the side and were talking loudly about something. It was completely clear that someone scolded the carpenters for the poorly secured timber, and they only made excuses and assured that they would fix everything right away.
When he saw the girl, the one who was shouting at the carpenters immediately forgot about them and hurried to her.
“Please forgive me, Miss Angelina,” he spoke from afar in a loud, decisive voice. “I was on my way to meet you personally and apologize for the inconvenience, but this breakdown made me distracted.” This needed to be fixed urgently! Please, Miss Angelina! Let's go aft. In my cabin, we will discuss everything slowly.
The girl suddenly remembered the pirate captain’s cabin, which became the place of her imprisonment and sexual slavery, and she suddenly had a terrible desire not to go to the captain’s cabin now. The thought occurred to her that everything could happen again. Now she was afraid of the captain's quarters. That’s why I allowed myself to say something that a little earlier, sitting in the stinking hold, I would not have allowed myself to say under any circumstances.
- Is it possible to talk somewhere here? On deck. On open air. After being in the hold I am suffocating. I'm running out of air.
The captain, apparently, was in the mood for a conversation in his cabin, so he initially received the girl’s proposal with great surprise. He even raised his eyebrows. But then he defiantly raised his hands in a reconciling manner, saying, “I give up,” and said good-naturedly:
- As you wish, madam. Where would you like to retire? I think no one will bother us there. And we can talk calmly.
It was the first time for her to have a conversation with someone, standing at the side, and at the same time, watching the waves that floated past the ship rushing forward with all sails. But she liked it. She recalled how as a child she loved to talk with someone while sitting on the ocean. And watch the waves roll past her somewhere into the distance. Now all this reminded her of her native Flint and those intimate conversations overlooking nature. Here the view of the sea was even more beautiful.
- The sailor told me everything, Miss Angelina. – The captain began immediately. - George Kelly really is my brother. I know about all his affairs. We recently met with him. He told me about the invaluable help you provided him. He is immensely grateful to you! Of course, I, as a person who sincerely loves my brother, cannot help but be grateful to you for what you did for him! It is clear that I will do everything possible and impossible to reciprocate your kindness! Therefore, I am now not only freeing you from that absurd situation into which I unwittingly, not knowing who you are, put you, but from now on I am ready to do whatever you order!
Again, our heroine had to, for the umpteenth time, experience peaks of mood changes in her soul. How many times has it happened that she rejoiced in incredible joy, and then fell painfully down, shuddering from the horror of the situation that she found herself in the next moment. And vice versa. This is what happened now. Still having faith after the words spoken by the sailor, she was ready to die of grief, realizing what horror and hell awaited her. And now, after these words from the captain, she wanted to squeal with joy and delight that everything had worked out, that everything would be fine.
- But let's immediately clarify, Miss Angelina, what is in my power and what is not. I understand that you would like to return to London immediately now. But... Right now I can't do this. All voyages of my ship are scheduled in advance. Everything has already been planned. In Niger there are people waiting for us who will take us to new places where we have not been before. Where can we pick up the goods... - The captain cleared his throat in embarrassment. - Sorry... Where we will do what we had planned for a long time. Our regular customers are also waiting for us in Barbados, with whom we, of course, do not want to spoil relations. Having earned money, for the sake of which we live in this world, for the sake of which we plow the waters of the Atlantic, we load ourselves with another product produced on this island - sugar, and take it to England. It is then, upon arrival from Britain, that you will be able to set foot on your native land. I will take you to your hometown London!
Seeing how the incredible joy on the girl’s face gave way to some confusion and uncertainty, the narrator added:
- I understand that you don’t want to wait. But I will do everything possible to make your stay on my ship as camphor-free as possible. First and foremost. Since you are very beautiful... Since you are incredibly beautiful... Since you are stunningly and divinely beautiful, among the sailors hungry for female affection, there will undoubtedly be those who would like... Well... You understand... So! I assure you that my authority on my ship, and my word will be enough for these vagabonds, so that no one will not only harm you, but will not even make a dirty hint regarding this! You can be calm in this matter!
The girl liked that this tall, stately and handsome man spoke with such rapture and delight about her beauty, but she didn’t like the fact that she would have to wait so long to return home.
- Second. – The captain continued in a firm, confident and authoritative voice. – It is very important that your stay on my ship is as comfortable as possible. I've already made the arrangements. Now, on my orders, a separate cabin is being prepared for you, in which you will be comfortable. The food for you will be the same as for the captain and officers. You are not in danger of starvation, Miss Angelina. If you wish, and my modest company does not embarrass you, you can sometimes come to me for dinner. In my cozy cabin we can afford a hearty dinner, good wine, and intimate conversation. Don't let this offer bother you. I will not allow myself any liberties in relation to you. You could see from the example of my brother that my words do not diverge from deeds. Although he admitted to me that he fell madly in love with you... And it’s simply impossible not to fall in love with you, Miss Angelina, so beautiful, tender and graceful... So! Although his head was turned from his overwhelming feeling for you, he, as you were convinced of this yourself, during the entire time of your voyage from Barbados to London, neither a word nor a hint allowed himself anything that you could perceived as harassment. The same applies to me. I will not allow myself any encroachment on your freedom. Neither me nor any other of my people will do anything that would be contrary to your will. So be patient and enjoy the sea voyage that awaits you! Be patient, for God's sake! Sooner or later you will return home! And this is the main thing for you now! Come on, I'll show you to your cabin.

Episode seven
It’s not hard to guess why our heroine was so upset by the fact that she would have to wait so long to return home. After all, the path to Africa, then to Barbados, and from there to England will take a lot of time. She will have to howl like a wolf from melancholy, loneliness and the desire to quickly return home to her usual way of life. She really wanted to cry from frustration and inner spiritual indignation that something that was contrary to her will and her desires had once again fallen upon her.
But after lying on the bed in her cabin for a day or two, the girl came to her senses a little and calmed down. Yes, everything is three times unpleasant! But she involuntarily compared her current situation with the situations that she had found herself in before. Which could not be called anything other than a terrible hell! And she understood that the current situation in which she found herself was not so terrible. There is no hellish labor in the scorching sun of the sugar plantations, no waiting for death in the Liverpool dungeon, no violence and abuse, as in the planter's harem. No one forces her to do anything, no one rapes her, no one treats her badly. And this was almost the main thing. After the humiliation and contempt that she experienced from the previous people with whom her fate was connected, the current kind and respectful attitude towards her meant a lot to yesterday’s sufferer.
True, I was embarrassed by constant idleness and boredom. And since our heroine was an active person by nature, she offered her help to the captain in preparing food for the ship’s crew. Remembering her fishing experience, she not only took up fishing while the ship was moving, but also did what she knew how to do best: cut up fish and prepare various dishes from it.
The sailors, who were accustomed to eating, as they say, dry meat, corned beef, dried meat, and other shelf-stable products, were incredibly pleased with the fresh dishes prepared by the new “cook in a skirt.” As everyone began to call her on the ship. Which of us sinners doesn’t like fried fish?! It's impossible not to love her! And the hot soup went “with a bang!” After all, it was a liquid dish that was so necessary for the sailors!
Everyone liked both the girl’s dishes and herself so much that she soon became the favorite of the whole team. She understood that it would be stupid to respond with hostility to those who surround you, and will surround you for a long time, with whom you will have to live side by side for more than one day, so she herself behaved equally friendly towards them. But she understood who these people were, and was well aware that they would soon be engaged in such a terrible and inhumane activity. She repeatedly started conversations about how she felt about the slave trade, and what an unworthy activity human trafficking was. And although she chose the right time for such an intimate conversation, when her interlocutors were in a wonderful mood and showered compliments on her, she still saw every time how the faces of her listeners darkened immediately after she started such a conversation. Their faces radiated complete misunderstanding. They had no idea how anyone could say anything bad about the work through which they earn a lot of money! The main thing is that the specie warms their pockets and souls with a pleasant warmth. And the suffering of captive slaves, torn from their families, taken overseas and sold into terrible slavery, is something that goes without saying, something that cannot be avoided. This in their concept was something that we would call “production costs.”
Seeing such a reaction, and constantly only this reaction and no other, our “peacemaker in a skirt” realized that she would achieve absolutely nothing in this way! None of these people will want to part with their usual income. Then she began to behave differently. She began to tell the sailors, and, first of all, the captain, that they could not transport people the way they had done before. It is necessary to periodically give them the opportunity to be on deck and breathe fresh air. You need to set aside a special place where they eat. And not a terrible viscous and sticky brew that sharpens the throat, but good, tasty food. She promised that she would prepare food for them herself, and asked not to interfere with her doing this. She begged to somehow resolve the issue so that these unfortunate people could perform their natural needs in specially designated places.
At first, everyone looked at these proposals from the girls as some kind of eccentricities that did not cause anything but a condescending grin from them. But the efforts and assertiveness of this pretty and kind girl increasingly fascinated everyone, and more and more often, instead of irony, these people, rough in soul and body, responded to our heroine with understanding and assurances that they would do everything to somehow alleviate the fate of the captives.
When they finally arrived at the goal and the ship’s crew got down to what they had actually come here for, the girl’s consciousness realized the full horror of what was happening. Whatever one may say, she, Angelina Bronte, was almost a member of the crew of the slave ship. By and large, she, like everyone else on the ship, was a slave trader! We can assume that she, kind-hearted and kind, simply inspired all this into herself, but this discovery disappointed our heroine so much that she even decided to go ashore here, in this port. She even begged the captain to give her a sailor or two with whom she could visit other ships that were docked in the local harbor and find out if any of them were heading to the shores of England. The captain acceded to this unusual request of the girl. But all her efforts and inquiries did not bring any results. All the ships were slave ships, all arrived here with one purpose: to capture as many blacks as possible and take them to the colonies of the New World. Everyone's eyes were burning with greed and thirst for profit!
Little of! The girl increasingly began to catch lustful, unkind glances at herself, and realized that her idea could cost her very dearly. She felt safe at Lyme. But on all the ships that she laid, and in the port itself, not at all! With sobering clarity, she realized that she had no other choice but to follow the route she had long discussed with the captain on the Lime. The sufferer once again decided to accept her fate and continue to lead the way of life that had already become familiar to her.
Everything began to change as the first shipments of slaves began to be delivered to Lyme. How she felt sorry for these people! How much grief she saw in their eyes! Yesterday they were free and freedom-loving, today they found themselves bound and shackled, deprived of the right to control their destiny. Angelina had gone through this more than once, which is why she understood how terrible this situation was.
Our heroine helped the prisoners with everything she could. She asked if anyone was injured, if anyone had wounds. If there were any, she bandaged them and helped as best she could. And, of course, she not only prepared food for these people, but also tried to cook it as tasty as possible. She made sure that they ate in more or less acceptable conditions. She did everything possible and impossible to alleviate the plight of these people...
She... She... She... Indeed, she tried to do as much as possible so that, after what she had seen, she could fall asleep. And now she hardly slept. She was tormented by both her conscience and the feeling of grief of what she had just seen. Angelina remembered how she herself had recently sat, albeit briefly, in the terrible hold of this ship. She remembered how cruelly and without cause the overseers on the plantations of Barbados had whipped the backs of people just like those who were now languishing in the hold. She understood what awaited them and shuddered with horror...
Her pity for the unfortunate began to bother her so much that she literally could not find a place for herself. She really wanted to talk about this. Such an occasion presented itself to her at dinner, to which the captain invited her to his cabin. This was not the first time he had done this, and she always tried to refuse for some reason. Now she realized that she would have the opportunity, in a calm and relaxed atmosphere, when no one would disturb them, to tell this man everything. What an unworthy and inhumane craft he is engaged in. What grief it brings to innocent people!
This is what our heroine did during dinner! Slightly dumbfounded by such pressure and the frantic fire in the girl’s eyes, the captain continued to court the lady. He moved the dishes closer to her and added wine. All this happened in privacy, in his cabin, as you understand, by candlelight. For all of us, “dinner by candlelight” is conducted by something other than listening to lectures about humanity and mercy. Apparently, the captain was also in a lyrical mood. But he listened for a long time and patiently to the girl’s emotional impulse, realizing that interrupting her, heated and carried away by her story, was fraught with the fact that she could flare up and simply leave the cabin.
He patiently listened to her to the end, and only when he saw that the interlocutor, tired of the long monologue, had finally fallen silent to take a breath and wet his parched throat with a sip or two of wine, he decided to take advantage of the pause that had arisen.
- God! How much fire there is in your eyes, Miss Angelina! How much energy there is in your beautiful body! How much goodness is in your soul! – The voice of the cabin owner sounded spellbound. It wasn't a compliment. She really charmed him. – You are extraordinary... You are simply a miracle... Pure, bright, divine...
- Don't talk to me about it! – The already heated and emotional narrator became even hotter. – You better answer my question! Which was never answered! When will you stop doing this shameful thing?! You, a young, strong, stately man, could find yourself a lot of useful things to do! And you are doing this! How is this possible?! When will you stop this?!
Bill Kelly smiled, lowered his head, and shook it sadly.
- When will I stop, you say? “He sighed again and looked mysteriously at his interlocutor. – Probably when I meet someone in my life with whom I would like to run away to the ends of the world. And from the slave trade, and from other abominations and meanness that reign on this earth. Live with her in a house near the sea. Have children. Raise children, love your wife... Enjoy her beauty... Revel in her... Be overwhelmed with happiness that she is nearby...
- So find one, damn it! What's it worth to you? I told you that you are a handsome and attractive man! There will definitely be one! So take her and have children! And live on it.. Well... On the shore... Enjoy it...
The captain's gaze became even more mysterious, and his smile more and more onion.
“And I could also go out to sea and fish.” And she could cut it up. Together we would sell it...
- So you catch your fish! This is better than catching people, shackling them, and throwing them into a terrible hold! Fish, Bill!
The captain's face broke into an even more sly smile.
- Yes! I'm ready to catch these damn fish! But I don’t know how to cut it... You definitely need someone who knows how to do it... Why catch fish if it disappears later?
He looked at her without blinking, without taking his eyes off.
She, still hot and turned on, could not calm down.
- So this is... Find someone who will be able to cut up this fish of yours... Business! It's not difficult at all!
The captain continued to glare at her.
- Probably no one in the world can cut fish as well as you, Miss Angelina...
It would be time for her to understand what he was driving at. But the heated narrator, still not moving away from her emotional tirade, still could not come down from heaven to earth.
- I don’t understand something! Do you need a wife? Or the one who will cut the fish?!
The captain's face and gaze became kinder.
- I need someone who could talk to me in such a sweet, kind, sincere voice... Who could look at me with such burning, beautiful, incredibly bottomless eyes... Whom I could look at from morning to evening, and admire her ... Her incredible beauty... Her sweet face... To admire and be thrilled with joy that this person is next to me... To revel in the fact that she is nearby...
A ringing silence reigned in the cabin for a long time. The meaning of what he was saying began to dawn on her consciousness, but he preferred to remain silent. Understanding that she needs time to rethink what she heard.
Taking advantage of the pause, he filled the glasses with wine again. He raised his own, silently urging her to do the same. She looked at him frantically for a while, then, after thinking, she took the glass, and, following the example of her interlocutor, sipped the wine.
“I don’t understand you, Bill...” She still continued to have her head in the clouds. - What are you doing? Do you mean me specifically? Or say it in general.
He smiled.
- Of course you, my dear Miss Angelina. I am sure that at first sight you charm even those men who look at you from afar. One look, just one moment is enough to make someone fall in love with you. Drown in your bottomless eyes once and for all! And I not only have the opportunity to see you so close. And it’s even better to see how divinely beautiful you are! But I also see what you are like. By your actions, by your good deeds. You are extraordinary, Angelina... You are a real miracle! Of course, I mean you and only you!
She was embarrassed.
- You flatter me... You avoid answering... Or you just want to give me a dirty hint...
Kelly raised his eyebrows in surprise.
- You offend me, Angelina. Have you noticed that while admiring you, I never once used a word, such as, for example, that I would like to enjoy your body, give you caresses, and be overwhelmed with happiness that I receive them in return! It would actually look like a hint. I only said that I would really like to have a wife, looking at her beauty and kindness I would be glad to have such a person nearby! But speaking of my wife, the topic that I tactfully did not mention is also important! Naturally I would like intimacy with you! If I began to assure you otherwise, then I would be shamelessly lying to you! And I don’t want to tell you a lie! I strive to be extremely sincere with you! How can you not want... How can you not want... How can you not crave intimacy with such a stunning beauty, which you, Miss Angelina, are?! Any! Absolutely any normal man who appreciates female beauty, of course, would like to lose himself in voluptuousness with such a charming, such an incredibly beautiful girl! I don’t just want to take you into my arms... I’m going crazy with the desire to do this! But, as you noticed, I do not take liberties. You have no right to blame me for this. How can you not forbid me to love you madly in my soul...
An even more ringing silence reigned in the cabin. Only splashes of waves could be heard through the open window, and the burning candles crackled slightly. It seemed to Bill that Angelina, among other things, could hear his heartbeat.
He poured another full glass. Without saying a single word, they drank again. Now the girl did not take her gaze off him.
“So you want to say,” our heroine began slowly and very quietly, drawing out her words, “that if I agreed to give you my body and my caresses, you would free these unfortunates?” And would you quit the slave trade once and for all?
- Well... I definitely won’t be able to free these people now. I must and must see this through to the end. The sea has its own laws. Sailors are waiting for payment for their work. Otherwise they will rebel. And it’s not good to abandon an almost completed task. But I can assure you that if you become my wife, this will be my last such flight! And I will leave this activity forever! I can assure you of this with absolute certainty!
The cabin owner looked triumphantly at his guest. He was firmly convinced that she would not only appreciate his noble deed, but in the very next moment she would thank him for this grand gesture. She rushes to kiss him.
But she, on the contrary, looked at him even more testingly and slyly.
- I didn't talk about becoming your wife. It was just a matter of giving you my body and caresses. How do you like this exchange? Do you agree to it?
The smug grin disappeared from the captain's face.
- Are you serious when you say this?
Now the smile and the slyness contained in her began to slowly slide from the girl’s face.
- Do you think that I offer a less significant price than the one you will pay?! You spoke so admiringly of my body! Is it really not worthy of... - A frantic light flashed in the girl’s eyes. – Have you heard the expression “Night of Cleopatra”? I can see in your eyes that you haven’t heard! So there you go! She agreed to spend the night with someone who, in order to experience bliss with her, was ready to commit suicide the next morning! Yes! You didn't disobey! Many considered one single night spent in Cleopatra's bed to be more important than their personal life! And they took their own lives! Voluntarily! They were just keeping their promise to her! And you... You don't risk anything. You will spend the rest of your life in peace and quiet. Without being in poverty! You will have money to live on! Earned in such a vile way! Beautiful body... Bottomless eyes... I'm going crazy with the desire to embrace you... Hypocrite! You are burning with the desire to earn bloody money! Soaked in the tears and sweat of these unfortunates! If you really were so fascinated by me, as you spoke about it so beautifully here, then you wouldn’t answer me like that now... Yes... You are far from those noble gentlemen, Cleopatra’s lovers, of whom I spoke...
There is bitchiness in every woman. Even the quiet and cute ones. Now Angelina used this secret weapon of hers. She specifically wanted to reproach this empty talker and talker, whose words were at odds with his deeds.
- I agree…
These words, spoken by the captain very quietly, sounded like a shot to the girl...
She was confused. She didn't know what to do.
At first it all seemed like a game to her. A play on words. She was sure that this would not go beyond a verbal altercation. But now…
Now something happened, after which the talking shop, as we all now understand, moved from words to real action. Something that could happen right now! Simply put, she could go to bed with this man...
At the very beginning of this yesterday, crossing the threshold of the captain's cabin and starting dinner by candlelight, our heroine did not even think that she would allow herself something like that. She understood that the captain, taking advantage of the intimate situation, could hint to her about more frank intimacy. She was firmly convinced that if it came to that, she would deny him this. Just as I had no doubt that he would not take her by force.
Now everything has turned in such a way that in the most remote corners of our heroine’s consciousness a crazy thought appeared: why not?!
Let's not forget that all this happened in those days when each voyage of a sailing ship took entire months! And it took years to circumnavigate the world! It is clear that during the voyage the young and healthy body of the girl, who was in the prime of her life, was quite yearning for male affection. There is also no doubt about the fact that the sexual tension that had accumulated in her during this time yearned for release! Now was the right moment for this! Which of us has the right to reproach a girl for the fact that such a thought has now occurred to her?!
In addition, she now looked at Beale with different eyes. Firstly, his look spoke volumes! There were so many feelings in him that it was simply impossible not to pay attention to it and not to appreciate it!
Secondly, she also saw who was in front of her. Tall, slender, handsome, young man! Many women would like to be in bed with this! In addition, our heroine saw what kind of person Bill was in life. Yes, she really didn’t like that he was engaged in an unworthy profession. But she really, really liked that he behaved like a real man! Always and invariably firm and confident! Decisive and brave! Demanding strict execution of his orders! And he always keeps his word, and demands it from others.
Therefore, she had no doubt that if he now gave his word to end his current dirty work, then so it would be! So why doesn’t she solve two issues at once? And spend a sweet night with this man, and at the same time guide this slave trader on the righteous path?
So little time passed after he said “I agree!” At the first moment she was sure: “This won’t happen! Nothing will happen between us now!” And now, having thought it over and weighed everything with the pros and cons, she herself already longed for what she had mentally denied a few minutes ago. But it was necessary to present it to him somehow beautifully. She won't throw herself at his neck.
- Thank you... I appreciated it... - Her voice sounded so gentle. – For the sake of a noble cause... In order to ensure that slaves to whom you could cause grief no longer suffer, I am ready to give in... I do not demand guarantees from you. I know that you are a man of your word. You will keep your promise. I also appreciate what I said. I am at your disposal... You can do what you have so passionately dreamed of...
Angelina even closed her eyes, anticipating how he would now rise, come up to her, pick her up in his arms and carry her to bed...
But I heard something that I never expected to hear...
- I am deeply disappointed, madam... You misunderstood me. I truly crave intimacy with you. Because I love you very much. If this happens between us, then I want everything to be mutual. If you do this against your will, just to save the slaves, then neither my body, nor, most importantly, my soul and heart, will enjoy such closeness. I want to have a person next to me in bed and in life who reciprocates my feelings. Who loves me just as much and has the same feelings for me as I love her, and how I am filled with infinitely tender feelings for her. Otherwise I don’t want it! I love you madly and want you! But I don’t want to receive coldness in bed in return! Sorry... Let's have a goodbye drink and I'll leave you. I'll spend the night on the tank in a hammock. Together with the sailors. And you stay here. It will be more convenient for you here.
And the captain, with decisive movements, poured another glass.
Angelina looked at Bill with a fascinated gaze. She suddenly remembered Edward Bloomfield. Then, when he stood at the gate and made a choice. Yes! Yes! Then not only she, Angelina, made her choice! Then he, without a doubt, did his own! He understood that in a minute something could happen after which he would spend the rest of his life in the Tower! Perhaps, deep down in his soul, he wanted to fall on his knees in front of her and beg for her mercy! Ask her to help him! But in order to look decent in his eyes, he did almost the same thing as Cleopatra’s lovers. He, too, at that moment put something very valuable to himself on the sacrificial altar, just to look like a worthy person in the eyes of his beloved.
Bill Kelly was doing something similar now. Of course, she saw and understood that he was literally squirting from his eyes, he wanted sex with her so much! Now he could give up on anything and everything, just to get her into bed and do what he now wanted to do more than anything in the world! It is clear that during this time the desire to throw out all the masculine energy that had accumulated in him was seething within him. But he did not take advantage of such an amazingly favorable moment for him! It was very noble! Amazingly noble!
Angelina looked at him with completely different eyes! She felt an unusually strong and wonderful feeling for this man begin to fill her heart. She could barely contain her emotions.
Bill slipped the sawed-off wine glass closer to his interlocutor, took his vessel in his hand, stood up, straightened up at attention, and raised his hand with the glass, as if proclaiming a toast.
- You can stay here permanently, Miss Angelina. And starting tomorrow I will move into your cabin. You will feel more comfortable here. Allow me to take my leave! And let's have a goodbye drink!
The girl ignored the glass pushed towards her, stood up, slowly approached the captain, carefully knitted a wine glass from his hands, carefully placed it on the table, took both the man’s hands in hers, and very, very tenderly looked at him point-blank.
- Bill... Dear Bill... If you knew how much I like you... How madly I like you... You are extraordinary...
And with these words she began to undress him...
She did it so slowly, so tenderly, in a special and unusual way, without taking her charming eyes off him, that he already felt some energy boiling inside him, growing, and ready to burst out at any second. .
Usually, during love games with all her previous men, Angelina first surrendered herself to the complete power of her partner. Although she responded to all his caresses and was very active at the same time, she still assigned him the role of the leader, and she herself was content with the role of the follower. The one who gratefully accepts the caresses given to her. And only then, when her partner was tired, did she take everything into her own hands. She was not just leading, active or whatever you want to call it. She was a lioness, a queen, she was the queen of the night. She was not just active and gave affection and tenderness to her partner. She did such things in bed that even men much older than her, who were more experienced in similar experiences, were amazed! How can this little fragile girl, such a cute baby doll, yesterday’s teenager, hide such a huge amount of violent and irrepressible sexual energy?! This stream, storm, hurricane of affection on her part turned her partner on so much that he, it seemed, had already spent all his strength and wasted, was so reborn, so charged from her with new, overwhelming energy, that the crazy and passionate dance of love seemed to started over!
Now Angelina did everything exactly the opposite! Now she started their love game with the fact that she was the leader! That she is now the queen of the night, of this cabin, of this entire ship, of the entire Atlantic! In the middle of which they were now floating. She gave Bill such affection that he simply went crazy! By this she wanted to show how much she loved him, and how he was initially mistaken in deciding that there were selfish goals in her thoughts. There is none of them! There is nothing but love, affection, tenderness and voluptuousness! There really was a lot of voluptuousness during this period!
Every time our heroine had coins of intimacy with a new man, it seemed to her that there had never been a more voluptuous night in her previous life! Now she was thinking the same thing! She was truly sure that the supremely wonderful bliss that she experienced that night was something she had truly never experienced before!
She now quite sincerely felt like Cleopatra!

The story about “The Seductress from Flint” was written on October 31, 2023, in the UK, in North Wales, in the town of Flint, Bolingbroke Street 135.



You are provided with the text of the next story of the new detective series, the author of which translated from Russian into English using the usual Google translator. We really need a literary editor for the English texts of these detective book series. I am ready to pay for the work of an editor and translator. Respond! Thank you! Best regards, author.
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