Cadogen Grey. Not the Cadogen Grey, certainly?
Odette's green eyes went wide with horror as she realized who the man before her was. His appearance was certainly something knew to her eyes, but the name set off alarm bells in her head. There was no mistaking it now. Her curiosity to discover whose ship was just on the harbor turned to instant regret to his presence. The man was a known pirate, and she a noble heiress. It was simple enough to put two and two together to discover that things were about to become very deadly.
"L-Lady Beaumont..." Dorothy lifted a weak hand out to Odette, and dropped it quickly. It was easy to see the fear reflected in her old eyes, the decision to save the young girl should have been a simple one. What, with so many other men on the harbor it would have been easy to call out her name and have one of them tackle the two pirates to the ground. At what cost would her cry be? If she were to shout, how many men would come running, and how many would fall to the deadly cannon fire just on the horizon? She was too old to risk someone else's children, not while she had her wits about her. Sepselle had a strong navy, and if their luck was good, they'd have the heiress back in a heartbeat.
"Dorothy?" Odette struggled to get the words out of her throat. Cadogen's grip on her arm was astoundingly cool, yet there was a strength hidden there in his corded muscles. If she so much as tried to run, he'd surely pin her down without a second thought. The pistol at his side had a dangerous threat all on its own. No matter which decision she made, Odette was bound to get someone or herself shot.
What am I feeling? Odette clutched at her chest with her free hand.
Why is she not helping? It was something hard pressed lodged in her chest. Odette felt something, she felt betrayed. Dorothy was still in thought over what she would do, and the young heiress didn't know how to feel about that.
With that thought in mind, she sucked in a breath, and prepared herself to scream. If the handmaiden would make the call, she would. Being ravaged by a pirate or any other such filth, sold off to another country, the thought alone made her shudder in fear. A selfish part of her knew that many men would sacrifice their lives for a Beaumont, and Odette would put that to use if need be. It was a horrible fact, she knew it was, but if she was in trouble there would be those who came to her aid. This was war, and she was the more valuable piece in the game. She took one shaky breath in and Dorothy already knew what the young girl was about to do. It didn't hardly matter who did what though. As Odette tried to call for help, Dorothy yelled a little too loudly, and curious heads turned their way.
"Stop!" Dorothy yelled.
Odette had barely uttered a note, but the sound was desperate in any case. A few stares lingered, some keen to the situation before they saw any weapons drawn. Dorothy wrung her hands in the open air with worry. They'd both done something wrong now, and gained the attention of a small crowd. In an instant, two fishermen were upon the lady and pirate duo, their brows raised in suspicion.
"Lady Beaumont, is this man troubling you?" One asked. The other merely tipped his hat.
She shook her head, slowly at first, signaling that she was fine. The words wouldn't come though, and the men lingered still. Something was wrong, they knew it, Odette's eyes screamed for help in place of the vocals which could not call for her. The muscles around her lips twitched in agony, she wished and prayed she had the audacity in such a time to just spit it out, to say something!
"I-" Odette stuttered.
Dear God, help me. Please!
"The Lady Beaumont is fine, she was startled for a moment, I lost her in the crowd." Dorothy was lying. Odette turned her way, and her eyes which cried in help started to plea for something else. She didn't want Dorothy to lie, she wanted to be away from the pirate before she was taken. If Dorothy abandoned her now, there was no hope for her. The feeling of betrayal sank deeper into her heart as tears started to form at the edges of her eyes. Whatever the Captain wanted with the heiress was his to decide, her fate tangled up in the calloused hands of the infamous Cadogen Grey.
"This kind gentleman has returned her to me, do carry on."
In an instant, the eyes dislodged themselves from the odd group. No one was any wiser to what was truly going on in the space just nearby. Not a one understood the game the pirate was playing at, and just like that, they receded towards the ship she'd been so eager to know its origin. Dorothy looked ashamedly to the ground, and offered no other words to the girl but a somber smile on her lips. Odette struggled to keep herself composed before shouting into the crowd. Her fate sealed at that moment.
"Somebody help me!"