Wild Bells to the Wild Sky Read Free

insisted they come aboard the Arion . Unrepentantly he warned them that the Maria Concepci ón might very well sink before the rest of the Spanish fleet could rescue her. He felt responsible for their safety, since it had been the Arion’s cannon fire that had left the Spanish ship foundering. With a mocking smile that had Don Pedro reaching for his sword only to be bitterly reminded of an empty scabbard, the English captain informed the Montrevareses that they need have no further cause for fear once aboard his ship, which was still seaworthy, for he would personally guarantee a safe, uninterrupted voyage to England. Once there, he assured them that they would be able to continue their journey to Spain.
    The Maria Concepci ón was in far less danger of sinking, however, after her hold was emptied of its treasure and loaded aboard the victor’s ship. As the Arion gathered way, the furious Don Pedro swore vengeance against the swaggering English captain who had caused him much mortification.
    Geoffrey Christian’s thoughts had not lingered long with the vanquished captain of the Maria Concepci ón . The Spanish captain might have lost his ship in the battle, but the Englishman had lost his heart. Doña Magdalena was an ivory-skinned, bronze-eyed beauty w ith hair of darkest Venetian re d. Although it was the fairness of her face and figure which first caught Geoffrey Christian’s roving eye, it was the beautiful Spanish girl’s undaunted spirit that finally captivated him. She had not experienced a fit of the vapors and been confined to her bed, as had Doña Amparo, nor had she remained in her cabin weeping or s ulking. With exceptional grace , Doña Magdalena accepted the challenge of being aboard an English privateer’s ship. Soon, even the most prejudiced crew member was enamored of the vicarious, laughter-loving young señorita who, despite the elegance of her appearance and her unfamiliarity with the English language, could mimic their captain to perfection as he roared his orders, much to the amusement of the crew.
    The captain had shown unusual patience; even smiling at the jesting and good-natured pranks, for the game was his and, soon, so would be the lady. Pursuing the dark-eyed Castilian with all of the reckless determination that had so successfully marked his career as a privateer, Geoffrey Christian captured the beautiful Magdalena’s heart by the time the Arion reached the shores of England.
    With a wrathful indignation that left him purple in the face, Don Rodrigo refused Geoffrey Christian’s request for Magdalena’s hand in marriage. Thinking the unfortunate affair ended, he booked passage for himself, his wife, and his shameless daughter aboard a Spanish ship sailing for Spain. But Don Rodrigo’s daughter had a mind of her own, and the heady memory of Geoffrey Christina’s kisses and the disturbing thought of a portly Don Ignaciao awaiting her in C ó rdoba helped Magdalena to make the most important decision of her young life. Despite the vehement objections of her father and tearful protestations of her mother, Doña Magdalena eloped with her handsome, fair-haired inamorato. In a quiet ceremony performed by a minister and witnessed by several of Geoffrey Christian’s friends--without the blessing of her church and against the wishes of her family—Magdalena made her sacred vows to the man she loved.
    The years passed in contentment for Magdalena. Never once had she regretted her decision to marry a man of a different faith and nationality from her own, even though it had resulted in a painful, inexorable rift with her family.
    Although Geoffrey Christian was often away for long periods of time during his voyages, Magdalena’s life at Highcross Court was full of happiness. The house of gray-brown Kentish stone had been in the Christian family for over two centuries and was surrounded by meadowland grazed by sheep and cattle, deep woods thick with pheasant and partridge, clearwater streams full