The Castaway and the Mermaid: Painter Place Legends, #3

By Pamela Poole

The greatest treasure that washed ashore wasn't the gold.

Fleeting moonlight revealed the ghostly outline of a pirate flagship riding distant waves. Then all was dark again under scurrying clouds before a mermaid rose from the sea, shimmering under a moonbeam. The man who called himself Castaway stood spellbound as she promised treasure and a message to the master of the island.

But the treasure she offered was lashed to small powder kegs that formed a makeshift raft. Could he trust a woman bearing pirate plunder?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pamela Poole
• Release date: May 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393557951

Pamela Poole

Pamela Poole's love for the LowCountry of South Carolina inspires all her books and paintings, so she describes her work as "Southern Ambiance." She and her husband live in the Hilton Head, SC area, where they enjoy walks on the beach, palm trees, magnolias, and wildlife around the lagoon in their back yard. Pamela loves Bible Study and writes clean fiction from a Christian worldview, which is unusual in today's inspirational book markets. As an artist and former art teacher, she also writes stories featuring artists and art perspectives that help any reader have a deeper appreciation for painting. Pamela lives life loving Jesus and her family as a wife, mother, and Gigi to a grandson on earth and a granddaughter in heaven, and she is blessed with a church family and true friends. She is a member of several art associations. "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21

Book preview

The Castaway and the Mermaid

Painter Place Saga Legend 3

BEAUREGARD PAINTER stifled a grunt as he helped the captive from yesterday’s raid into a longboat over the side of the ship. Women’s skirts were a trial to endure when stealth and speed were paramount.

The young lady crushed her lower lip in her teeth to keep silent as the boat rocked drunkenly and threatened to plunge her into the black water of the Atlantic. Beauregard caged her in his arms for balance, then pointed to a seat. Handling the pulleys and untying thick ropes that secured the craft to the tall ship, he set them free.

Heavy clouds obscured the heavens he would have navigated by, but his pocket compass would be his guide if his instincts failed him. The full moon spied from behind the restraining clouds and outlined the shoreline he was rowing for.

A few feet away, a hopeful gaze peered at him. He checked his knit cap to be certain it still concealed his hair. Then he took the oars with calloused hands and expertly guided the longboat as it heaved upon the waves.

Beauregard felt sick with grief at not escaping with the young lady, but not because he wanted her. He was resigned to his fate as a captive, the favored servant of a pirate ship captain, and each day, each hour, could be his last on this earth. He prayed for a foreign ship to defeat the infamous Captain Axe. If Beauregard could survive and be pressed into service aboard a legitimate merchant ship, he could escape or work for passage to the Carolinas. But if a British ship captured him, his fate as a criminal was sealed in his own country.

A glance back at the shadowy frigate flagship for Captain Axe’s small pirate fleet told him he was making good