The captain’s power is uncontrollable in chase or in battle, drubbing, cutting, or even shooting any one who dares deny his command.

French, Joseph Lewis (2011-03-24). Great Pirate Stories (Kindle Locations 2030-2031).  . Kindle Edition.

Several seconds passed with Ana’s jaw dropped open in shock before she came to her senses and snapped her mouth shut. He could not possibly be serious. No sooner had that thought entered her head than he had her by the elbow, physically removing her from his cabin. His grip was strong, somewhat limiting her ability to resist, although he grasped tightly without hurting her. All she could do was a rather ineffective scurry to keep up with his pace.

They approached the stairs and he released her elbow but kept hold of her hand. He continued on ahead of her, leading the way while blocking her vision of what was ahead. As they approached the final stairs, he all but hauled her up on to the deck, causing her cloak to fling back off her shoulders and the clasp of her jacket to slip open. Struggling to catch her breath had Ana’s bosom heaving to the collective gasp of the sailors on deck. Captain Grey glared down at her, his eyes angry and disgusted. “Cover yourself, madam.”

If he hadn’t been so eager to remove her from his cabin, then she would not have had such a malfunction of her wardrobe. Turning her back on the crew as best she could, Ana fumbled to bring her fastenings back under control. When she turned back to him, Christian was breathing heavily, fingers flexing ominously at this sides. The look of a man who wanted to hit something, hard.

The carriage arrived at the dock at that moment but rather than waving her through, Christian grabbed her hand again, towing her down the gang plank to the jeers of the women below. Ana kept her head down as her blush rose, creeping up over her neck, to colour her fair-skinned cheeks. She was sure she must look like an overripe tomato. If he had thought to conceal her departure in any way, he was failing miserably, for now it seemed that every eye within shouting distance of the ship, was witnessing their unseemly departure. Ana no longer had the good sense to be anything other than mortified.

Once inside the carriage, she slunk back away from the window, hoping that no one was looking in their direction. Christian climbed in behind her, roughly pulling the blinds down before tapping on the ceiling with his cane. She made several attempts to begin to state her disgust at his behavior but each time she found herself biting back the words inside her head. The sheer arrogance of the man was beyond her experience. She simply could not speculate what had possessed him to manhandle her into his carriage in front of half of London? Subtlety was obviously not his strong suit. Finally, she could remain silent no longer.

“Captain Grey, I do not appreciate being treated like some sort of … of … wharf-side doxy. You, Sir, are no gentleman.”

“No, madam, I am not. And if you care for your reputation at all, it would serve you well to remember that in future.”

Read Blackheart: Chapter 2 here